Another Review - Vikinv Star 28 December - Western Mediterranean

My daughter and I are back home after a wonderful trip on Viking’s Star! It was our 2nd Viking Ocean cruise but our 10th trip with Viking overall.

We booked using Viking Air. The flight out of Chicago (United) went well and although our connection was tight in Newark we made the flight without having to run (I always forget how spread out EWR is!). We landed in Barcelona at 9:00 AM and were promptly whisked off to the hotel by the very efficient and almost overly-solicitous transfer team. We booked the pre-extension in Barcelona to give us a chance to see more of the city and rest a little before the cruise. The hotel was nice and very well located for our plans ... and our room was ready!

Fortunately my daughter did her homework and carefully planned our itinerary for Barcelona which included procuring entry tickets to The Palau de la Música Catalana, Casa Batllo, Sagrada Familia, and booking a lovely walking food tour in the gothic quarter for our second day. Barcelona was a very busy place and we might have missed these wonderful sights or had to spend hours in line waiting to do so. We made our way around navigating the Metro system (we love to use a city’s metro system whenever we can!) and found it an efficient and easy way to get around town.

After a couple of whirlwind days we were picked up at our hotel early on the morning on the 28th. We toured a bit more of Barcelona as we headed toward the ship. The check-inprocess was quick and efficient and before we knew it we were onboard! The buffet was set up for lunch and although things were busy, the service was great and the food delicious and plentiful.

Our room was ready promptly at 1:00 PM as promised and we quickly settled into our stateroom (PV), met our steward(s),and did a little exploring. As it was our second cruise on the Star we were familiar with the layout of the ship but there were still things to discover. The ship is beautiful and nicely laid out. As many have stated it never feels crowded and there are so many lovely little nooks in which to settle down with a good book … or a little nap! The service is exemplary and as my daughter noted … does anyone ever say “No”?

We had dinner in the Chef’s Table the first night and again several nights later. We only booked one reservation at Manfredi’s … it is very nice but not our favorite. We enjoy the buffet at breakfast and lunch but prefer the restaurant for a more relaxing and quiet dinner. The food was consistently great in all of the venues and the service was excellent. We always enjoy the service on both the river and ocean vessels … “white glove” without pretention!

We selected a mix of included and optional excursions this time and enjoyed most of them quite well. We took the included tours in both St. Tropez and Monaco. They were both nice and we finally had a chance to experience tendering in St. Tropez … here again Viking managed the task with great efficiency. We took the combination “Best of Barcelona” tour which included the Abbey in Monserrat and some city highlights in Barcelona proper. We were especially interested in Park Guell which was included in this tour. It was a nice tour and a full day … we returned to the ship tired but fortunately had a little time to rest up before dinner. From Marseilles we opted for the Aix en Provence tour and loved it! We had a nice tour of the town center and enough free time to enjoy some leisurely exploring of the Christmas market which was still in full swing. Once we got to Livorno we opted for the “Merenda and Wine Tasting” and the tour of the Marble Quarry in Carrera. The Merenda excursion was great! It was lively, interactiveand included lots of wine and snacking! The tour guides were awesome and the group we toured with was a lot off un. The marble quarry was interesting but not for the faint of heart. The trip up to the quarry was a white knuckle one on a steep, winding road … of course there were few guard rails in place! Once we reached the quarry we moved to four wheel drive vehicles which we rode to the highest points in the quarry proper. The ride was another wild one on steep, one lane switchbacks; most unpaved. It was a rainy day so the “roadway” was muddy and there was some slipping and sliding that had even the most stalwart of the group chewing their nails. The tour was interesting and might have been easier on the nerves had the day been dry and sunny but we all survived and were treated to a wonderful “snack” of open faced sandwiches and wine upon our return to “terra firma”. I could have used the wine before the tour!

After the cruise we participated in the“Ultimate Italy” extension. It was by far the best extension we have done with Viking and a real highlight of this trip! We have done more than ten with our various trips and this one outshined them all! We stayed at villa in the “country” that was stunning! The rooms were all different … a lot of time was spent playing “come look at my room” before a wonderful dinner that was rustic, obviously fresh and homemade and absolutely delicious!

Our two days were full with tours of Florence,Siena, San Gimignano. We had lunch at a restaurant in Florence (delicious) and a lovely farmhouse between Siena and SanGimignano (outstanding!). All meals were included and I certainly know now why people fall in love with Tuscany. Our tour escort was wonderful and catered to our every need. Several individuals in our group struggled with mobility and Emanuela spent a great deal of time and effort making sure that they were accommodated … not an easy feat in some of those medieval towns! The group we travelled with was great too! Everyone was friendly, polite, and respected time tables and assisted one another along the way! Sometimes that group dynamic can make or break a tour.

All in all it was a wonderful trip! We are back to reality … and a boat-load of laundry! Getting ready to plan for our next trip this summer … the British Isles (with Viking, of course)! And the one after that which we booked while onboard … we will continue the Mediterranean theme with the Southern Mediterranean Discovery … same time next year! :D

Sounds like you had a marvellous trip! Thanks for the review.

So glad you had a great time. Looking forward to meeting up on the Southern Mediterranean Discovery from December 30th ?

So glad you had a great time. Looking forward to meeting up on the Southern Mediterranean Discovery from December 30th ?

That’s the one! Looking forward to meeting fellow CC’s at the M&M next time!

molymoo,

Which hotel did you stay in in Barcelona? We have the two day extension with Viking come April, at the Hilton International?

Great review, and I appreciate your reports of your excursions.

I rented a villa years ago with friends in Tuscany. It was in the little town of Strove. We did day trips to the same places. I learned to love Brunello and Vernaccia wine while there.:D

Sounds lovely! Thank you for the review.

molymoo,

Which hotel did you stay in in Barcelona? We have the two day extension with Viking come April, at the Hilton International?

Great review, and I appreciate your reports of your excursions.

I rented a villa years ago with friends in Tuscany. It was in the little town of Strove. We did day trips to the same places. I learned to love Brunello and Vernaccia wine while there.:D

We were put up at the Renaissance Hotel (a Marriott hotel). It was nicely located for our plans. Enjoy your trip! Barcelona is a wonderful city!

Molymoo, can you please tell me how much free time you had in Florence after lunch on your post-cruise extension? We have this booked as a pre-cruise extension and I'm trying to decide if we will have time to visit a museum, or if we should just relax with a gelato. Thanks in advance!

Can't say "exactly" but we had enough time to do a visit to Santa Croce and some shopping on the square. We didn't spend a ton of time with each activity but time was comfortable. Now we ate at a restaurant close to Santa Croce so it wasn't much of a walk for us and the departure meeting spot was on the square so we didn't have to walk much. Getting to another museum or cathedral might take awhile ... especially if it is as crowded as it was when we were there.

Can't say "exactly" but we had enough time to do a visit to Santa Croce and some shopping on the square. We didn't spend a ton of time with each activity but time was comfortable. Now we ate at a restaurant close to Santa Croce so it wasn't much of a walk for us and the departure meeting spot was on the square so we didn't have to walk much. Getting to another museum or cathedral might take awhile ... especially if it is as crowded as it was when we were there.

Molymoo, we have to allow that we were there during the Christmas holiday (which ends on January 6) and the streets were jam-packed with families on vacation or still doing their gift shopping.

Thank you molymoo and Peregrina for the information!