Viking Venus - What is the status of her build?

[mkerner]

I have a cruise scheduled for next year on the Viking Venus.  Is the Venus going to be completed on time with all of the issues currently going on?

[HUNKY]

Fincantieri, the builder of the Viking Ocean ships, is closed until March 29.  According to their press release dated March 13.

[Peregrina651]

 

 

Past experience has shown that Viking does not issue status reports on the ship builds other than at key points along the way -- keel laying, float out, etc.  See Media Center for examples of press releases and the kind of information that is shared with the public.

 

 

[OnTheJourney]

Should be interesting to see what happens to the Chairman's 1/19/21 sailing. 

[johneb2]

Should be interesting to see what happens to the Chairman's 1/19/21 sailing

 

Maybe we should pack hammers, saws and other tools 🙂    Only kidding of course, I have utmost confidence they have time built into the building schedule for delays.  However if this situation drags on until summertime, all bets might be off.  I am sure we will be updated if there is a delay.   Johneb

[mkerner]

Thanks for the replies. 

 

We do not sail until October so hopefully all of this will be back to the "new normal" - whatever that will be!

[OnTheJourney]

3 hours ago, johneb2 said:

Should be interesting to see what happens to the Chairman's 1/19/21 sailing

 

Maybe we should pack hammers, saws and other tools 🙂    Only kidding of course, I have utmost confidence they have time built into the building schedule for delays.  However if this situation drags on until summertime, all bets might be off.  I am sure we will be updated if there is a delay.   Johneb

 

John...I'll start putting a toolbox together to bring onboard!!  I agree with you and alluded to something similar on the roll call thread. 

Edited March 28, 2020 by OnTheJourney

[What was that?]

We are scheduled to board Venus on 26 January in Barcelona for the Iberian Explorer B2B with In Search of the Northern Lights, so it is quite natural that I would be interested in this topic. Late update: Italian government has extended the lockdown until Easter (12 April) - stay tuned...

 

The good news is that I have completed my air reservations with Viking Air, got just what I asked for, and no additional charges. I would also like to mention that we will do a one-night stopover at LHR both going and returning, and the Viking Air agent had no problem booking it. That stopover both ways helps us - in Reno, NV - get flights at reasonable times by decoupling the get out of (or return to) Reno from the flights to Barcelona and return from Bergen (we will take the train to Oslo, then fly on Viking-arranged air to LHR, overnight there and home the next day).

 

Now I am going to go wash my hands!

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, What was that? said:

We are scheduled to board Venus on 26 January in Barcelona for the Iberian Explorer B2B with In Search of the Northern Lights, so it is quite natural that I would be interested in this topic. Late update: Italian government has extended the lockdown until Easter (12 April) - stay tuned...

 

The good news is that I have completed my air reservations with Viking Air, got just what I asked for, and no additional charges. I would also like to mention that we will do a one-night stopover at LHR both going and returning, and the Viking Air agent had no problem booking it. That stopover both ways helps us - in Reno, NV - get flights at reasonable times by decoupling the get out of (or return to) Reno from the flights to Barcelona and return from Bergen (we will take the train to Oslo, then fly on Viking-arranged air to LHR, overnight there and home the next day).

 

Now I am going to go wash my hands!

Economy? Economy Plus?  Business?   Let's hope the airlines don't cancel/change flights too drastically by then.

[What was that?]

40 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Economy? Economy Plus?  Business?   Let's hope the airlines don't cancel/change flights too drastically by then.

 

Business. And there WILL BE many airline-induced changes. But that can ("can," but not assured) work to our advantage. For instance, I wanted our outbound to connect via LAX to LHR, but Viking's contract lacked enough seats to accommodate us so we accepted (for now) a connection via ORD. The only reasons I accepted that was because alternatives were unattractive, and it was an ample connection time, enough for a leisurely dinner, and a few drinks in the airline lounge. When the airline makes a schedule/equipment/other change it generally opens up other options (like the connection via LAX!).

 

We all have our own travel preferences as well as schedule limitations. I am kind of picky - I want the air part of our fabulous cruise vacation to be enjoyable as well. Being retired helps!

 

Cruise on, friends!

[OnTheJourney]

I'm on the Iberian Explorer as well, and so am doing it as a B2B following the conclusion of the chairman's cruise when it ends in Barcelona. The Sky passengers have been offered free economy air for the 1/19 cruise, but details have not been worked out yet. I was told that Viking's air dept. wouldn't be dealing with any of that until this month. Under NORMAL circumstances, I would  probably start moving on it - at least to find out what they would offer us, if anything, for other than economy class - which I really prefer to avoid. I'd gladly just book my own flights (usually do anyway rather than going through a cruise line) if Viking won't be offering a deal on upgrades.

 

Quite honestly, while it's great that you have your arrangements booked already (I always feel comfortable getting this done well ahead of time also), I'm hesitant to do anything at this time. We don't know how the set-back in the Venus construction - along with who knows whatever totally unknown variables might yet come into play - could well play havoc with the timing on the cruise. You're another week out from ours in a publicly offered cruise - so they're likely to not change that unless really necessary. And, along the same lines, I'm thinking that the chairman's cruise really can't be changed since the Venus is locked into schedules afterwards. As you point out, the Northern Lights runs start right after the Iberian. But, at this point, I'd say there are no sure bets. You encourage me, though, to start looking into it with the air department. I know when I want to arrive in Rome prior to the 1/19 sailing, but I'd feel more comfortable first hearing some updating on the timeline for the completion of the Venus before I'd be inclined to make air reservations. I'll explore it with my Viking rep, but I don't think I'll jump into this too quick. I'll try to get a feel for what others on the 1/19 roll call might be thinking as well. 

Edited April 1, 2020 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

2 hours ago, What was that? said:

We are scheduled to board Venus on 26 January in Barcelona for the Iberian Explorer B2B with In Search of the Northern Lights, so it is quite natural that I would be interested in this topic. Late update: Italian government has extended the lockdown until Easter (12 April) - stay tuned...

 

The good news is that I have completed my air reservations with Viking Air, got just what I asked for, and no additional charges. I would also like to mention that we will do a one-night stopover at LHR both going and returning, and the Viking Air agent had no problem booking it. That stopover both ways helps us - in Reno, NV - get flights at reasonable times by decoupling the get out of (or return to) Reno from the flights to Barcelona and return from Bergen (we will take the train to Oslo, then fly on Viking-arranged air to LHR, overnight there and home the next day).

 

Now I am going to go wash my hands!

 

Might I ask what sort of options Viking gave you, relative to airlines, etc.? I've never used Viking air before. Did you find them easy to work with? 

[OnTheJourney]

Just checked and noticed that, for the Sky passengers anyway, we were told to check with the "Premier air desk" after 4/15 if we want to upgrade from the offered economy air. 

[What was that?]

7 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

 

Might I ask what sort of options Viking gave you, relative to airlines, etc.? I've never used Viking air before. Did you find them easy to work with? 

 

As I said, I am a picky traveler, so I pretty much told them what I wanted. I determined which airlines Viking "partnered" with - my preferred airline is American, and I prefer BA/AA codeshares in Europe - and selected the flights I wanted. Other than the unavailability of the connection thru LAX, the Viking Air agent booked what I requested.

This is my second use of Viking Air, and I am pleased to recommend it. It was easy, the agent was pleasant and helpful, and while I wouldn't say it was quick (about 40 minutes in this case), the agent did not rush, and was careful to check everything, confirm that transactions had been completed before continuing, etc.

Did the fact that I paid for Business class have anything to do with how well my requests were addressed and fulfilled? I don't know. 

Interestingly, I wanted to return from Bergen on Finnair, but at least for now, Finnair flights are not available to Viking travelers (Finnair and the Sabre reservation system are in a dispute about something, and Viking Air uses the Sabre system). But I knew that before calling to make these reservations on Monday 30 March (323 days in advance of my return flights).

I would choose to use Viking Air even if their charge was comparable to the airline fare - and so far it has been considerably less!

Here is a link to the page with Viking's air partners.

[OnTheJourney]

Thanks for the link. I'll start looking at some options probably mid-month. Plenty of time yet. First I'd like to see some evidence that Italy is showing signs of getting back to normal relative to re-opening travel, etc. It could well be a slow process. The degree to which CV has impacted that country almost has to suggest that  things won't get back to what they were anytime soon, although I may be entirely wrong. Tourism is certainly  very important to them. 

Edited April 1, 2020 by OnTheJourney

[Vegasangel1958]

We just booked this cuise today.  We were supposed to cruise the eastern med on Nov. 18th 2020 on NCL, however given so many unknowns we decided to cancel and  rebook for 2021.  Now I just have to get in touch with British Airways and see about changing our flights.  This will be our first cruise on Viking and I'm really looking forward to it.  We're  Dan and Susan from Las Vegas, NV

[OnTheJourney]

 

1 hour ago, Vegasangel1958 said:

We just booked this cuise today.  We were supposed to cruise the eastern med on Nov. 18th 2020 on NCL, however given so many unknowns we decided to cancel and  rebook for 2021.  Now I just have to get in touch with British Airways and see about changing our flights.  This will be our first cruise on Viking and I'm really looking forward to it.  We're  Dan and Susan from Las Vegas, NV

 

Assuming you're also referring to the 1/26 Iberian Explorer sailing. I'm sure you'll like Viking. Our first with them was last year (Northern Lights) and we really enjoyed it (well...until it ended rather abruptly). So looking forward to January but...who knows? More questions than answers at this point - for any cruise line. 

Edited May 8, 2020 by OnTheJourney

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Vegasangel1958 said:

We just booked this cuise today.  We were supposed to cruise the eastern med on Nov. 18th 2020 on NCL, however given so many unknowns we decided to cancel and  rebook for 2021.  Now I just have to get in touch with British Airways and see about changing our flights.  This will be our first cruise on Viking and I'm really looking forward to it.  We're  Dan and Susan from Las Vegas, NV

 

Assuming OTJ's assumption is correct, here is the link for the 1/26/21 sailing: Iberian Explorer January 26, 2021

 

Else find Viking Venus roll calls here (don't bother with the roll call tool which is not always accurate): https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2468-viking-venus-roll-calls/

 

 

[Vegasangel1958]

1 hour ago, OnTheJourney said:

 

 

Assuming you're also referring to the 1/26 Iberian Explorer sailing. I'm sure you'll like Viking. Our first with them was last year (Northern Lights) and we really enjoyed it (well...until it ended rather abruptly). So looking forward to January but...who knows? More questions than answers at this point - for any cruise line. 

Oh, no, I obviously am on the wrong roll call -- that's what I get for doing something late at night.  Sorry for the confusion.  Hope you all enjoy your cruise.  When I spoke with Viking yesterday, she said launch date was January, 2021 but didn't give a specific date.

[Peregrina651]

51 minutes ago, Vegasangel1958 said:

Oh, no, I obviously am on the wrong roll call -- that's what I get for doing something late at night.  Sorry for the confusion.  Hope you all enjoy your cruise.  When I spoke with Viking yesterday, she said launch date was January, 2021 but didn't give a specific date.

 

I thought there was some confusion. 😉This thread is in the general question and answer section for Viking cruises, the place you want to search for answers to questions such as do I need to buy the Silver Spirits Beverage package, do I need to bring detergent for the self-service laundry (no) and how much does a load of wash cost (nothing; it is complimentary), etc. etc.

 

Also, if your Viking agent or TA has not told you already, you need to sign up for MyVikingJourney.com (MVJ) because that is where you will go to book your shore excursions (including the included ones) and advanced dining reservations for the specialty. There is also a very helpful FAQ to read on both MVJ and Viking's main website.  To sign up, you will be asked for your Viking reservation number, which can be found on your Viking invoice -- and not to be confused with any booking number that your TA might generate for their records.

 

 

[Vegasangel1958]

30 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

I thought there was some confusion. 😉This thread is in the general question and answer section for Viking cruises, the place you want to search for answers to questions such as do I need to buy the Silver Spirits Beverage package, do I need to bring detergent for the self-service laundry (no) and how much does a load of wash cost (nothing; it is complimentary), etc. etc.

 

Also, if your Viking agent or TA has not told you already, you need to sign up for MyVikingJourney.com (MVJ) because that is where you will go to book your shore excursions (including the included ones) and advanced dining reservations for the specialty. There is also a very helpful FAQ to read on both MVJ and Viking's main website.  To sign up, you will be asked for your Viking reservation number, which can be found on your Viking invoice -- and not to be confused with any booking number that your TA might generate for their records.

 

 

Thank you so much.  I have already registered and started MyVikingJourney.  I appreciate the information on the laundry 🙂 and all the other information.  First cruise with Viking, but not my first cruise; however, I greatly appreciate you taking the to respond and for the information provided.  Have a GREAT day.

Susan

[OnTheJourney]

On 5/8/2020 at 11:08 AM, Vegasangel1958 said:

Oh, no, I obviously am on the wrong roll call -- that's what I get for doing something late at night.  Sorry for the confusion.  Hope you all enjoy your cruise.  When I spoke with Viking yesterday, she said launch date was January, 2021 but didn't give a specific date.

 

Actual launch date for the first sailing is scheduled for 1/19/21

[Vegasangel1958]

4 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

 

Actual launch date for the first sailing is scheduled for 1/19/21

That's a GREAT day for a launch -- the 19th is my Birthday.

 

[OnTheJourney]

I'll send you a text from the ship......

[Peregrina651]

In his video announcement today, Tor Hagen mentioned that sometime next week Viking Venus would "touch water" for the first time. Whether this means that they will be floating her out next week or just filling the dry dock, I have no idea.