chatdad

Yea!  Was probably the worst show I saw on our transatlantic.  

Was also on that recent Star cruise and personally had no issue with the dogs on board.  I recognize  many have posted some very legitimate concerns and it also appears from some of the comments here Viking has listened and is addressing.  As to our cruise, outside of one incident, the dogs were well behaved and under the control of the owners.  The one incident involved a couple who were obviously afraid of dogs (we were standing in line to enter the theatre for the Captains farewell toast) where the dog was jumping on some other nearby guests who wanted to pat and play with him (owner should have removed the  dog from the area once he noticed the discomfort of the couple).  On the other hand, one of the other owners asked us before entering our elevator is we were ok with the dog joining us for the ride.  We heard no barking, didn't see the dogs jumping on or off the furniture.  Did see one dog in the lap of the owner one time.  But overall it was nice to have them on board and I'd say they acted as well or if not better than a one or two of the quests we saw.  

On 3/28/2023 at 4:53 PM, Frenchberet said:

Neither of the dogs pictured above are wearing a vest identifying them as an “emotional support” animal (not that it really matters, you can buy the vests on Amazon for less than $20).  So, they’re pets.  If I was separated from my pet and paid to have him in a kennel, I’d be really annoyed to see another person’s pet on the cruise.  Sitting in chairs and barking?  Dining in restaurants and sleeping in staterooms?  No way.  Viking, please stop.  

The dog with the gentleman  coming down the stairs had a 'service dog' collar on.  Not saying ti was or wasn't a service dog as I'm no expert and don't really need to debate that one way or the other.  Just noting there was some 'identification' on the dog.  

Haven't booked through Celebrity for air but surmise they do what others are doing.  They 'book' your air ticket however they don't remit the payment to the carrier until closer to your departure date (30 days or so from flight) so you aren't 'ticketed'.  So without the money in hand, no ticket issued, you're subject to being rescheduled by the carrier for a number of reasons with no real recourse with the airline.  Happened to me several times already for tours this year;  so the advice is to push the tour company/cruise company to ticket you early. For one of trips this year, I lost the flight and the tour company I was going with informed me there were no other flights with seats in the same category (economy) and that in order to do the trip I'd have to upgrade to 1st Class at a cost higher than what I had paid for the entire trip.  Ended up cancelling.  Best advice on air is to book it yourself outside of the cruise line or tour company and be sure you have insurance for cancellation.  

They do change (like any other seat category) however as there are limited number more likely to go up than down.  Some airlines (Delta for one) may offer 'buy ups' for the higher category seats so keep watching your booking.  

the Bible.  

On 11/30/2022 at 9:57 AM, BostonBoy2 said:

We are planning our first cruise in the eastern Mediterranean. We are in our early '70s. We had heard a lot of good reports on Viking, so we were inclined to book with Viking. However, I am a long-time member of TripAdviser, and I usually go there for travel information. There seem to be an unusual number of truly bad reviews of Viking on the Viking forum. 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1939161-d10813724-Reviews-or30-Viking_Cruises-Lignan_De_Bordeaux_Gironde_Nouvelle_Aquitaine.html

 

In fact, the "terrible/poor" ratings exceed the "excellent" ratings. And, the negative reviews are heavily weighted toward recent trips.

 

I'm wondering - is booking an ocean tour with Viking a big mistake?! Or is it just that people who have bad experiences are more inclined to write negative reviews, and this is something of a statistical anomaly? 

 

Thanks for you thoughts! Oh, and one more thing - while I typically don't use a travel agent, the whole "cruise thing" is sufficiently complex that it seems that it might be a good idea to use a travel agent that specialized in cruises for this trip. Any recommendations of travel agents in the Boston area would be appreciated. 

Am sure by now you've taken a look at the posts on the specific Viking boards and perhaps even hooked into the very active Viking groups on a popular Social Media site used by everyone and their brother these days.  Hope those have been helpful in helping you discern the underlying trends of concern with Viking.  As we prepare for our first ocean cruise with them (have done a river cruise), a large portion of the negative views appear to center around air reservations when booked through Viking.  Anyone who had traveled 'post' pandemic understands the air industry remains in a state of flux and to just expect change upon change.  Like any other company, Viking is challenged by the constant changes the airlines do and staffing to take calls.  It's the new 'business as usual'.  I'm expecting once we board the cruise experience itself will meet all our expectations.  Won't know until we try.  As for booking, I highly suggest working with  one of the Viking booking staff instead of an independent TA.  He/she will know the ins and outs of Viking.  Unless you have one that offers added incentives like OBC, I don't see the advantage.  And do check on the social media boards as someone may know of a promotional code (typically for their Silver Spirit drink package or in some cases free air).  

On 1/26/2023 at 9:02 PM, msualum said:

We booked air through Viking because it was “free” and if we booked our own the connections were awful and the prices very expensive (we live in Montana, requiring a flight to Denver, Salt Lake or Seattle before we can get anywhere else).  Viking had an impossible job trying to get us to Fort Lauderdale the day of embarkation, so they booked us to arrive a day before and included a hotel.  Coming back from Barcelona we couldn’t get a flight after noon, so the agent told us she had to get special permission to get us on a flight at 11:45 am.  The kicker is we fly to Munich, then Denver, then home.  Should be interesting to see how it goes.  I was impressed with their willingness to get us the best itinerary they could.

Guess it's kind the luck of the draw on who you talk to at Viking.  You on the Viking Star TA 3/21 sailing?  

10 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

On our Dec. 2022 V Sea TA, they had hosted watercolor classes on Sea days in the Wintergarden.  Each day was of a different drawing subject/theme.  Very popular, had to sign up in advance.  Supplies provided.  Wife really enjoyed them.  End of cruise, they had an art show, displaying everyone's masterpieces, deck 3, atrium.  Such talented pax!

Thanks for the info.  Wife will be excited to learn it may be an offering.  

On 1/25/2023 at 4:52 PM, CCWineLover said:

I am so sorry for you.  I have heard just SO many of these type stories, sadly....

That again confirms why we always do our own air - always.   Just too much aggravation and hassle and unknowns - and that assumes on average the cost might be the same.

Thanks, it does seem to be an issue right now.  If it wasn't for the 'free air' offer we booked, I would have booked our own.   On the bright side, we do have flight that will eventually get us home.  

17 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Did you ever sail Cunard prior to Carnival?

I'm not that old (well yes I may be but our transits on QM2 were within the last four years).  Prior to that the only other transatlantic was on behalf of the Department of Defense on the USNS Geiger (Dad change of duty station to Germany).  Am sure the 'golden age' of cruising prior to all the absorption of smaller lines by CCL and RCCL (and others) was a much different experience.  Have sailed with 11 different cruise lines and the Cunard experience is still special.  

Oh I spoke a day too early.  Now I fall into the 'how can Viking Air be so inept side'.  Checked our return flight last night with Delta, all well.  Got the dreaded 'you flights have changed email' this morning (would be the third schedule) and Viking had gone ahead and ticketed the flights.  So of course being inquisitive wanted to know why my great flight got changed.  Called Viking and lo and behold, the agent who booked me didn't know he couldn't reserve a flight that leaves before noon (from Barcelona).  One would think they'd train on that type of stuff.  But wait the kicker is, the flight they rebooked me on last night also leaves before noon and the agent this morning said, 'No, No' that can't stay.  Have to change'.  So once again a new booking on yet another airline and more segments.  What a fiasco.  Oh well I hope this stays pat (they confirmed it was ticketed today) as I'm still trying to recoup the nearly $200 I spent on KLM grabbing good seat assignments on the original flights now cancelled.  Gee, I need a vacation.  LOL. 

On 1/19/2023 at 3:38 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

Sadly the current Cunard is a long way from the once proud shipping line, prior to it being purchased by Trafalgar House Investments and latterly Carnival. Both the once great shipping lines of Cunard and P&O are a shadow of their former selves, due to the Carnavalisation process.

Have done four transatlantic on QM2 in the past few years and loved each one of them.  Will admit the last one (last year) was not to the standard of the previous ones (pre-pandemic) although one would be hard pressed imho to find any of the typical Carnival traits on the Cunard ships.  Am booked on our first Viking Ocean TA this coming March and looking forward to seeing how it compares to what we've experienced.  I'm fully prepared to have a much more limited number of activity options (wife will miss not having her daily dose of watercolor classes) and limited entertainment, but do expect the food to be a cut above and not having to bring a tux or dress suit and tie will be nice.  Also expect the 'ride' to be a bit more of rock and roll.   Can't wait.  

On our upcoming trip, I let Viking book the air as it was a 'free air' portion.  Did not pay extra for Air Plus.  The itinerary they picked originally was ok with three segments on our return with a less than ideal layover in Schiphol (AMS).  I checked out the alternatives they showed on their My Viking Journey (MVJ) portal and none of the alternatives were any better.  After I thought it over, I contacted Viking Air and talk to one of their agents who was able to find me a better route (direct back to ATL then on to my final destination) and rebooked us for no additional charge and no upgrade to Viking Air Plus (which costs $100 per person now, up from $50).  Like many companies now, Viking makes the reservation but doesn't purchase the ticket until closer to your departure date unless you insist that they book it early.  Until it's booked you can't upgrade (if the airline allows you to do so but you can grab seats).  On a previous trip with Viking booking our air, our flight was late arriving and the airline had already rebooked us.  The only problem was trying to get in contact with Viking to let they know of the rebooking since they don't apparently monitor the flights of their customers to adjust transfers.   A minor inconvenience but we got to the boat and Viking reimbursed us for what we paid for a taxi.  My preference is to book our own, but I do like free air.  

We were in the Grand Suite on the starboard side on deck 11 (11010) and had the best view of the light show from the balcony.  Highly recommend.  

We sailed on Divina late May and there is no soft serve ice cream.  The gelato which is extra cost (other than YC passengers) was ok, not great and I believe was $3.50 for a small cup (about two scoops really).  The ice cream you can get at dinner for dessert was also just ok, not great.  

On 5/5/2022 at 4:08 PM, Jack E Dawson said:

Thanks chatdad. Do you sign up on board at the pursers desk?

Jack

You do.  

We signed up for Fast Track disembarkation this past May 1 with a 7:15 to 7:30 window and actually left the boat at 7:00 am (second off I believe).  In a taxi and heading to LGA by 7:15.   Easy process, just make sure you pre-register for the fast track program.  There were no announcements, you just go down at your assigned time (or a bit early if you're in the first group).  

On 5/3/2022 at 4:55 AM, BigMac1953 said:

My son is on board at present (round trip from Soton) in Britannia Club.

 

They were at 34th Street, so took the ferry back to Wall Street, changed there for the Red Hook ferry, then straight through security and straight on board.

 

From entering the terminal, it only took them 10 minutes to board.

Oh how we would have loved 10 minutes to board.  Our embarkation two weeks prior took nearly 3 hours from the time we got into the first line.  Most of that was standing around to get Covid testing and the results.  Felt sorry for those who were struggling having to stand so long.  Didn't help the mood as those who paid big money for the pre-arrival COVID test (some upwards of $300) were a bit miffed as no one asked to see the results.  Not impressed at all with the embarkation process.  So glad to hear perhaps they've got their act together.  

Leaving this coming Sunday for a RT out of NYC and just happy to be traveling again.  If masks are deemed to be worn, so be it.  No big deal and means I won't have to pay attention to how close the shave is.  

Completed the online check in for our QM2 sailing this coming weekend and it was quite easy.  For the photo, you can either upload a picture that you've saved to your computer (or phone, which ever you're using for the check-in) or there's an option on the screen that will open your computer (or phone) camera and snap one there (you have the option to keep it or retake it).  Nice feature.  Happy sailing.  

Good to hear the feedback.  We're trying out MSC Divina for the first time as well in the next couple of months (will be our 29th cruise, first on MSC making it the 11th different cruise line we've been on) and I highly recommend trying as many of the different lines as you can.  Have yet to starve on a cruise so food (quality or quantity) isn't a big deal.  Hoping the reviews I've read about cleanliness in the staterooms are a bit off the mark, but we'll wait and see.  Happy sailing.  

Update:  Heard back from Cunard on their social media page and they (after a bit of prodding) confirmed that they will be offering the class again on our April sailing (same 20 pounds charge for the kit).  Wife is excited.   While she paints to her hearts content (and she's better than she thinks based on our grandkids critique of her work), I'll find content hitting golf balls into the little net up on deck (weather permitting) or listening to a lecture.  Happy days.  

Good question.  We've got an 11:30am flight out of LGA on our return and will hope to hustle off the ship and get to the airport via taxi in time.  If not, oh well guess we'll look to get rebooked and home at some time.  After two glorious weeks at sea, a little inconvenience hopefully won't sour the experience.  

On 3/16/2022 at 7:13 PM, Lakesregion said:

Can you refuse all tests and simply remain on board for the full cruise, never setting foot on land until back home in the US where tests are no longer needed?

A negative Covid test is still required for re-entry to the United States (believe this is covered in the COVID section on the Cunard website and they will provide that testing for a fee prior to your disembarkation in New York).  Right now, the UK has discontinued requiring a Covid test for entry into the UK (and I believe it was previously for stays beyond 24 or 48 hours, but could be off on that one).