snookie1

Thanks to all who had suggestions about what to see in London. I will definitely check out the London Walks, and I am planning to get the Rick Steves guide for London, so I am sure that will also have valuable suggestions. We have decided, based on all your suggestions, to forgo the 5-night excursion "Churchill's Britain", and will spend a couple of days in London on our own pre-cruise instead. I knew I could count on CC members to have first-hand experience suggestions. Thank you!!

This one sounds interesting. Thank you for your recommendation!

Apparently I made a mistake. The excursion I was referring to is available at our stop in Greenwich, not Dover, and it includes the Imperial War Museum as well as Churchill's War Rooms. Thank you for enlightening me.

OK. I would assume instructions are included with the device??

OK. I see those on Amazon. Can you recommend any in particular? And how would you track it without your phone? Like I said, computer illiterate!!

Husband and I are booked on the May 1, 2024 British Isles Explorer cruise. We are considering adding the 5-night pre-extension "Churchill's Britain". It is quite pricey, so we would love to hear if anyone has done that extension, what they thought of it. We can do the War Rooms as an excursion out of Dover, so if the extension is only so-so, we would still be able to do that. We would like to spend some time in London, but are a bit hesitant about getting about on our own. Can anyone advise on the use of the Tube -- how difficult is it? Any advice on must-sees in the city? We could always take the 2-night extension in London if the mentioned one is not that great. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.🚢

Listening to you all talk about Air Tags has made me realize that I should get some for our cruise in October. Both husband and I are a bit computer illiterate, however. I looked on Amazon and am puzzled because they all say they only work within a couple hundred feet (of what? my phone?). That sounds useless to find luggage in a remote airport, so it must be something else. Would anyone be able to post a link to some tags they find of good quality? We have an android phone, so I guess that is important. Also, if we don't have international capabilities on our phone, will the tag still work? Sorry to appear so pathetically ignorant. Would appreciate any help anyone can offer.🤔

Where does one go to sign up for dinner at Manfreddi's? To the restaurant itself, or is there a desk set up somewhere on embarkation day? We've been on several Viking cruises (ocean and river), and I don't remember anything about "special events". Some of those tastings sound interesting... How do you find out what events are happening on your cruise, and where exactly is the place to sign up for them? Just want to be sure I hit all the important places that first day!!😋

Yes, we are in a DV room and received notification like you that there was nothing available. I did a "live chat" and was able to secure reservations at Manfreddi's, though the only thing available was sharing a table with others. That was fine with us, but I can see how you would most likely prefer to be alone on your anniversary. I have read, though, on these boards that you can generally get what you want if you wait until you get on board to make the reservations. Good Luck!☺️ '

Thank you so much! Just the information I needed!😊

We have the same situation, leaving Santiago on December 18th. From these boards I got the recommendation for Colchagua Tours. They have arranged to pick us up at the pier at 8:30AM. They will take us on a Casablanca custom wine tour. We will have wine tastings at the Villard, Kingston, and Veramonte wineries, and lunch at the Tannino Restaurant in another winery. They will then transport us to the airport by about 6:30 (our plane leaves at 11:59PM). The company has gotten excellent reviews. I have e-mailed Connie several times, and she has been extremely helpful. I figure we may end up 3 sheets to the wind by the time we get to the airport, but that might not be a bad thing! You can e-mail cproblete@colchaquatours.com if you are interested. Hope this helps.

Could anyone advise me on the approximate taxi fare from the airport in Buenos Aires to the Hilton Buenos Aires in the Puerto Madero section of the city? And also from that hotel to the cruise ship pier? I am trying to calculate how many Argentinean pesos to purchase before our trip at the end of the month. Any advice on using the taxis? I've read they can give you change in counterfeit notes, not that I would recognize that! Any insight you can give would be appreciated.🤔

Thank you so much. I e-mailed them for more information and to see if they have any availability. Keeping our fingers crossed!

Our Viking cruise ends in Santiago, Chile on December 18th. I am sure they will want everyone off the ship by 8:00 or so. Our flight does not leave until 11:59PM. Does anyone have any suggestions on what we can do for 10 hours or so with our luggage? Someone who would pick us up at the pier and drop us off afterwards at the airport. Chile Dream Tours was recommended, but they are full on that date. Any advice would be appreciated.😊

Yes, as we are not doing an extension, our transfers are included. I hesitate to do a wine tour since we will be on our way home and, my luck, any wine we would want to bring home would have to go in our checked luggage and would most likely end up all over our clothes!!

We are going on this cruise December 1st. Thank you to all who have contributed a wealth of information that should make our cruise that much better. I am concerned about our final day in Santiago, however. Our plane departs at 11:59PM (for all intents and purposes the following day). I am sure Viking will want us off the ship early morning. So what are our options for the day? We will have all our luggage. I think I read somewhere that Viking arranged for those with late departures to have a room in a hotel for the day -- does anyone know anything about that? We would love to do a little sight-seeing -- I wouldn't want to stray far, though, since we would have to take the transfer to the airport, I would imagine around 8PM or so, right? Any advice is appreciated.☺️

Just got back from our Rocky Mountaineer vacation 2 weeks ago. Spent a couple of days in Vancouver pre-trip. We stayed at the Pan Pacific, right across the street, I think, from your hotel. We walked a few blocks into Gastown and found a nice place called The Local Eatery. Food and wine were good, and prices not too bad. Unfortunately, there did not seem to be any inexpensive restaurants in Vancouver. We also ate one afternoon in Chinatown, and of course you get a lot of food there, so that can be very economical also. We stayed in downtown Banff, so we walked up and down the main street there (Banff Ave). There are a lot of good places to eat, but expect to pay around $26 (Canadian) for a burger. We would eat our dinner at lunch time, which we do at home anyhow, and many times meals could be had more economically then. But the area is gorgeous. We were celebrating our 50th. Enjoy!!

Thank you so much Sapphire 07. I can see clearly what I need, and that I can at least start on some of it now. Helps keep my stress level down if I do things a little at a time!

All talk here is of requirements in Europe, which is certainly interesting. We will be traveling to South America in December on Viking; am wondering if anyone knows about the regulations in Chile or Argentina. I read a little yesterday, but it just confused me!