On Jupiter now!

[Annarundel]

Booked 14 day Mediterranean Antiquities Cruise on Jupiter from Feb. 16 -March 2.  Was curious why there were no tours for Feb 23 when we were in Rome.  Were told would could book them when we were on board.  Got on board on Feb 16 went to customer service to book our tours for Rome only to find out there were only two  tours being offered.  1) Included they drive you into Rome (1 1/2 hrs driving time). Drive you around Rome for an an hour and a half and then drop you at the Vatican for 5 hours of free time and they will be back to pick you up at 4pm for the drive back to ship arriving at 5:30pm.  I failed to mention you leave the boat at 8:30am.  2) Optional tour for $69 they drive you into town and drop you off and pick you up late in the day.  No other tours were being offered.  What!!!!! What happened to all the other tours like a tour to the colisium or a guided tour of the Vatican or a walking tour of Rome...?  Found out later that of the 900 plus passengers 800 of them are booked on a 7 day cruise ending in Rome with another group of passengers coming on and going from Rome to Barcelona.  There is a 100 passengers that signed up for a fourteen day cruise and are really getting back to back cruises which is not the same as a 14 day cruise.  I am beginning to think that next week we are going to have the same entertainment (same shows, same lectures and same movies).  If it was a 14 day cruise that would all be different.  We love Viking and have done 5 river/ocean cruises, but I  think the Viking marketing person who thought up the idea of selling two 7 day cruises and calling it a 14 day cruise really missed the "boat"!  Disappointed!  I really was looking forwarding to Rome! 😕  

[Pushka]

6 hours ago, Annarundel said:

Booked 14 day Mediterranean Antiquities Cruise on Jupiter from Feb. 16 -March 2.  Was curious why there were no tours for Feb 23 when we were in Rome.  Were told would could book them when we were on board.  Got on board on Feb 16 went to customer service to book our tours for Rome only to find out there were only two  tours being offered.  1) Included they drive you into Rome (1 1/2 hrs driving time). Drive you around Rome for an an hour and a half and then drop you at the Vatican for 5 hours of free time and they will be back to pick you up at 4pm for the drive back to ship arriving at 5:30pm.  I failed to mention you leave the boat at 8:30am.  2) Optional tour for $69 they drive you into town and drop you off and pick you up late in the day.  No other tours were being offered.  What!!!!! What happened to all the other tours like a tour to the colisium or a guided tour of the Vatican or a walking tour of Rome...?  Found out later that of the 900 plus passengers 800 of them are booked on a 7 day cruise ending in Rome with another group of passengers coming on and going from Rome to Barcelona.  There is a 100 passengers that signed up for a fourteen day cruise and are really getting back to back cruises which is not the same as a 14 day cruise.  I am beginning to think that next week we are going to have the same entertainment (same shows, same lectures and same movies).  If it was a 14 day cruise that would all be different.  We love Viking and have done 5 river/ocean cruises, but I  think the Viking marketing person who thought up the idea of selling two 7 day cruises and calling it a 14 day cruise really missed the "boat"!  Disappointed!  I really was looking forwarding to Rome! 😕  

 

 

I wouldnt worry too much. It’s easy to book your own tours to the Vatican and Colisseum online. As long as Viking get you into Rome proper you will be fine. We did similar on Celebrity and it is so much cheaper and we just used the train the cruise lines booked.  Purchased easy access to both Sistine Chapel and Colisseum and completely skipped the queue. You won’t miss out, you just organise it yourselves. We caught a taxi between the two which was easy. Ate a pizza somewhere between Colisseum and Pantheon. Had a nice walk, toured the ruins on our own timings. Then taxi back to the Celebrity train. 

 

On your other point, yes, it does mean you have to deal with a whole new group of people discovering the ship and not knowing where to go mostly. And that would be annoying. But I think that’s becoming the norm amongst cruise lines to make it more affordable. 

Edited February 22, 2019 by Pushka

[Sue4LSU]

Looking forw@rd to hearing about your experience on the Jupiter!  We’re booked for the Western European trip on the Jupiter April 25!

[CCWineLover]

2 hours ago, Sue4LSU said:

Looking forw@rd to hearing about your experience on the Jupiter!  We’re booked for the Western European trip on the Jupiter April 25!

 

Likewise, we are on Jupiter Arpil 25 as well.  We are also on Jupiter for South America in December.

Will be interested to hear from people who have been on the other Viking Ocean ships as to what any of the differences are between the Jupiter and the others.

[Annarundel]

9 hours ago, Sue4LSU said:

Looking forw@rd to hearing about your experience on the Jupiter!  We’re booked for the Western European trip on the Jupiter April 25!

The Jupiter itself is a great boat.  This is our second ocean cruise with Viking and I now know is not the boat that makes the cruise it is the itinerary and the activities on the boat.  Our first cruise Into the Midnight Sun was awesome!  The ports and shore excursions were fun and when on the boat there was always something to do.  The Viking band would be playing around the pool, there would be interesting lectures, movies under the stars on the pool deck always something.  On this cruise being sold to us as a 14 day cruise, (that is another story) the Viking Band has never played around the pool in the afternoon, the lectures are only at dinner time (between 6:30 and 7:30) and there has been only one movie under the stars in 9 days!  The Jupiter has an planetarium but the chairs do not recline so it is difficult to see the entire screen (sit in the back row).  I thought with an astronomer on board ( guest lecturer) he would narrate the shows, he does not.  We saw the two shows and both times the shows were so uninteresting people were falling asleep.  Not worth your time.  So in short the boat and crew are excellent just not too pleased with the excursions and entertainment on the boat.

[Annarundel]

16 hours ago, Sue4LSU said:

Looking forw@rd to hearing about your experience on the Jupiter!  We’re booked for the Western European trip on the Jupiter April 25!

Be careful in booking tours in Livorno, the first day there are no "included" tours. The second day in this port the included tour only goes to Pisa.  There is no included tour of Florence.  There is free shuttle service from the ship to the old town area of Livorno.  Every 30 minutes. We did a nice walk around Livorno in a couple hours.

[Annarundel]

14 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

 

Likewise, we are on Jupiter Arpil 25 as well.  We are also on Jupiter for South America in December.

Will be interested to hear from people who have been on the other Viking Ocean ships as to what any of the differences are between the Jupiter and the others.

The differences between Jupitor and Sky are minor. A few improvements in the World Cafe buffett layout. The rooms are the same. The biggest difference is in the entertainment. There seemed to be mre and better (certainly different) entertainment. And because this is a back to back 7 day cruise (and not a true 14 day cruise) the entertainment for the most part is the same for both weeks. Our 14 day cruise on the Sky had much more and better entertainment than this Jupitor itinerary.  

[texkat]

I will be boarding the Jupiter on Saturday March 2.  What sort of entertainment is on board?  I think there was a singer/comedian on the Sky last year, can’t recall what other shows I saw. 

[Annarundel]

There is a young group of singers performers 2 guys two girls in their early mid twenties who do three different shows The Beatles, The Decades 50s 60s and 70s and a ABBA show.  They are ok but not as good as the entertainment on the Sky in July last year when we did Into The Midnight Sun.

[Jay23]

On 2/25/2019 at 6:44 AM, Annarundel said:

The Jupiter itself is a great boat.  This is our second ocean cruise with Viking and I now know is not the boat that makes the cruise it is the itinerary and the activities on the boat.  Our first cruise Into the Midnight Sun was awesome!  The ports and shore excursions were fun and when on the boat there was always something to do.  The Viking band would be playing around the pool, there would be interesting lectures, movies under the stars on the pool deck always something.  On this cruise being sold to us as a 14 day cruise, (that is another story) the Viking Band has never played around the pool in the afternoon, the lectures are only at dinner time (between 6:30 and 7:30) and there has been only one movie under the stars in 9 days!  The Jupiter has an planetarium but the chairs do not recline so it is difficult to see the entire screen (sit in the back row).  I thought with an astronomer on board ( guest lecturer) he would narrate the shows, he does not.  We saw the two shows and both times the shows were so uninteresting people were falling asleep.  Not worth your time.  So in short the boat and crew are excellent just not too pleased with the excursions and entertainment on the boat.

It's a ship not a boat, please.  

[Annarundel]

Really?!  Was that necessary?  Hope it makes you feel better!  Please!

[trinicruisegyal]

I’m curious…this is the inaugural sailing of Jupiter, correct? Has Viking done anything special to commemorate the occasion? Do you think that some of the deficiencies that you have experienced may be as a result of this being the first voyage? I imagine that the entertainment especially on a ship’s first sailing will not be as polished as those on sailing number 100.

When you said that there were no included tours on the first day in Livorno, do you mean that none were ever scheduled for that first day? Did anyone onboard indicate whether this was an anomaly just for this cruise or if it’s Vikings’ new practice in this port?

 

We had a similar experience a year and a half ago when we booked a 14 night cruise only to find out that it was two 7 night cruises…we found out shortly after we booked as there was no separate Roll Call for the 14 night cruise only the 7 night sailings were set up. In the end I joined 4 roll calls in order to keep up with the persons who would be onboard for some portion of our voyage.  It certainly isn’t a new practice by Viking and it’s one that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, Viking has even edited the ‘overview’ on the website  of each of these cruises to indicate the cruises that have been combined. For example Mediterranean Antiquities says “Cruise a richly historic canvas. Combine Journey to Antiquities and Iconic Western Mediterranean for a magnificent 15-day cruise from Athens to Barcelona. Explore the storied sites of ancient Greece and Rome, the glamour of Monte Carlo and the rich history of Marseille, uncovering classical treasures and vibrant cultures at every turn. Overnight stays in Athens, Florence and Barcelona give you ample time to immerse yourself in the culture, allowing for the most enriching discoveries.”

 

We actually rather enjoyed the changeover of guests halfway through, the doubled speciality restaurant reservations, the fresh bottle of champagne midway through…my only complaint would be the absence of Viking excursions on the first day of the second leg…for us this happened in Barcelona on day one of an overnight stay and we planned well in advance to visit a couple places that were important to us during our ‘free’ day as Viking only offered two tours (none included) during turnover day.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[Captain_Morgan]

The issue of 2 x 7 day cruises being marketed as a 14 day cruise depending on who booked it is nothing new for Viking as if memory serves, this first came about when the Sea spent the winter in the Med sailing on what was originally marketed as 14 day cruises from Barcelona (round trip) with day 7 in Civitavecchia (Rome); however, it soon turned into 2 x 7 day trips due to poor sales of the 14 day trip which i would assume is what is happening now on Jupiter.  This was also done recently onboard Star when it spent the winter in the Med, so once again it seems the ambitious nature of the sales department strikes again at the expense of the paying guests who are being sold one thing or another depending on who they speak to...

 

I would hazard a guess as well to say the entertainment is going to based on 7 day cruise and not a 14 day so prepare yourself for a copy/paste of the program and no doubt the menu cycle too...

Edited February 27, 2019 by Captain_Morgan

[camnjoss]

On 2/24/2019 at 3:11 PM, CCWineLover said:

 

Likewise, we are on Jupiter April 25 as well.  We are also on Jupiter for South America in December.

Will be interested to hear from people who have been on the other Viking Ocean ships as to what any of the differences are between the Jupiter and the others.

We too are on the April 25th Jupiter sailing. We love the small ships. We love the opportunity it gives to get to know folks.

See you all soon.

[HockeyMom44]

Ditto on April 25th!

[CCWineLover]

On 3/2/2019 at 8:02 PM, camnjoss said:

We too are on the April 25th Jupiter sailing. We love the small ships. We love the opportunity it gives to get to know folks.

See you all soon.

Hi Camnjoss -

That's great!  Glad to see another Californian.  Will see you aboard then in Barcelona!  Don't forget to sign up for the Meet & Mingle over on the April 25th Jupiter Roll call.    Ditto for HockeyMom44!   See you all - getting close now.

[camnjoss]

8 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Hi Camnjoss -

That's great!  Glad to see another Californian.  Will see you aboard then in Barcelona!  Don't forget to sign up for the Meet & Mingle over on the April 25th Jupiter Roll call.    Ditto for HockeyMom44!   See you all - getting close now.

Other than the M&M are there any other  plans?