Viking Expeditions Thread

[CharTrav]

18 hours ago, May B said:

It says OC -The Restaurant. It’s sample menus, one each, bkfst, lunch and dinner.

FYI -- Just downloaded The Restaurant menu from our upcoming Arctic Adventures and it is identical to what I downloaded from our upcoming Med & Adriatic Sojourn.  And .. as far as I can tell .. the "OC" prefix on the file name?? Not a clue.  The person who created that file put it there. 

 

And.. if you are booked on a cruise and have your MVJ set up.. the way to get the menus even before the reservation window is open for you -- is to go to Onboard Experience/Onboard Dining and then click on Learn More for Manfredi's and The Restaurant.  Click on "Sample Menu" and you'll get the option to download the PDF file provided. The fact that the text of "Sample Menu" is actually a hyperlink is not obvious.  I can't remember what inspired me to click on Sample Menu .. or it could be that when I happened to hover my mouse over the words I saw a little hand rather than the usual vertical cursor.😄

When it comes to the Chef's Table -- they offer a sample menu there but it's itinerary dependent.. so you don't see the sample until either they have one to offer (have checked our other 2 future cruises and the message there is it's being prepared) or your reservation window is open.

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by CharTrav

[May B]

22 hours ago, CharTrav said:

Good question - I have no idea. Sorry. When I'm onboard the Sky next month I'll try to remember to ask.  

It’s not important, but thx for offering!

 

And thank you for the info about checking out MVJ!!

 

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by May B

[traveld]

I am wondering how various cruisers are obtaining their expedition gear, i.e. boots, waterproof pants, gloves, mid-layer clothing, etc.  There is a company that rents and delivers to Silversea and Nat Geo ships, but not to Viking ships.  For the experienced expedition cruiser, what are the must-haves and what are the nice-to-haves?

I am thinking about doing a Viking expedition cruise, but not sure how to obtain the necessary gear.  I don't really want to purchase too much since I live in a warm weather location and would have no further use after the cruise.

Any advice or insight would be appreciated.

[CharTrav]

6 hours ago, traveld said:

I am wondering how various cruisers are obtaining their expedition gear, i.e. boots, waterproof pants, gloves, mid-layer clothing, etc.  There is a company that rents and delivers to Silversea and Nat Geo ships, but not to Viking ships.  For the experienced expedition cruiser, what are the must-haves and what are the nice-to-haves?

I am thinking about doing a Viking expedition cruise, but not sure how to obtain the necessary gear.  I don't really want to purchase too much since I live in a warm weather location and would have no further use after the cruise.

Any advice or insight would be appreciated.

From the VE Faq page:

"What equipment is available for exploring in the polar regions and the Great Lakes? Will I be provided with binoculars, a jacket or other gear, or do I need to buy my own?

 

Viking will provide all outer clothing and gear required for your expedition, and will also provide a suggested packing list. In the polar regions, Viking will provide a Viking Expedition Jacket for use during your expedition which is yours to keep. Viking will also provide all specialized equipment and tools required for the expedition; however, you should bring your own camera. Learn more about the expedition equipment available on board."

[Clay Clayton]

14 hours ago, traveld said:

I am wondering how various cruisers are obtaining their expedition gear, i.e. boots, waterproof pants, gloves, mid-layer clothing, etc.  There is a company that rents and delivers to Silversea and Nat Geo ships, but not to Viking ships.  For the experienced expedition cruiser, what are the must-haves and what are the nice-to-haves?

I am thinking about doing a Viking expedition cruise, but not sure how to obtain the necessary gear.  I don't really want to purchase too much since I live in a warm weather location and would have no further use after the cruise.

Any advice or insight would be appreciated.

You might want to check out this series (I think there are 5) of YouTube videos.  In one of them, he discusses the whole process for getting your Viking provided gear-it’s rented it appears.  

 

Edited April 9, 2022 by Clay Clayton

[secretcinderella]

Got Viking's email notification today that our post excursion Churchill on Hudson Bay has been canceled.  I originally booked this as a B2B cruise (Toronto to Milwaukee, Milwaukee to Thunder Bay) which did not pan out due to the dreaded cabotage law (discussed back in Oct. on CC). But the Big Draw for me was the chance to go to Churchill on a post land tour.  Viking has taken away 2 out of 3 of my incentives to sail on this new Expedition Octantis.  Therefore, I have canceled altogether and taken FCC to apply to any other of my 4 upcoming cruises on Viking.  Just couldn't settle for 1 out of 3!  😪

 

Bon Voyage to all the rest of y'all!

Cindy   

[May B]

11 hours ago, secretcinderella said:

Got Viking's email notification today that our post excursion Churchill on Hudson Bay has been canceled.  I originally booked this as a B2B cruise (Toronto to Milwaukee, Milwaukee to Thunder Bay) which did not pan out due to the dreaded cabotage law (discussed back in Oct. on CC). But the Big Draw for me was the chance to go to Churchill on a post land tour.  Viking has taken away 2 out of 3 of my incentives to sail on this new Expedition Octantis.  Therefore, I have canceled altogether and taken FCC to apply to any other of my 4 upcoming cruises on Viking.  Just couldn't settle for 1 out of 3!  😪

 

Bon Voyage to all the rest of y'all!

Cindy   

Cindy, what a shame! Enjoy the rest of what you have booked.

[PeabodyMa]

12 hours ago, secretcinderella said:

Got Viking's email notification today that our post excursion Churchill on Hudson Bay has been canceled.  I originally booked this as a B2B cruise (Toronto to Milwaukee, Milwaukee to Thunder Bay) which did not pan out due to the dreaded cabotage law (discussed back in Oct. on CC). But the Big Draw for me was the chance to go to Churchill on a post land tour.  Viking has taken away 2 out of 3 of my incentives to sail on this new Expedition Octantis.  Therefore, I have canceled altogether and taken FCC to apply to any other of my 4 upcoming cruises on Viking.  Just couldn't settle for 1 out of 3!  😪

 

Bon Voyage to all the rest of y'all!

Cindy   

Cindy, what a huge disappointment. The post-extension Churchill on Hudson Bay sounds very special. What reason was given for the cancellation?

[eylarson]

On 4/8/2022 at 7:40 PM, traveld said:

I am wondering how various cruisers are obtaining their expedition gear, i.e. boots, waterproof pants, gloves, mid-layer clothing, etc.  There is a company that rents and delivers to Silversea and Nat Geo ships, but not to Viking ships.  For the experienced expedition cruiser, what are the must-haves and what are the nice-to-haves?

I am thinking about doing a Viking expedition cruise, but not sure how to obtain the necessary gear.  I don't really want to purchase too much since I live in a warm weather location and would have no further use after the cruise.

Any advice or insight would be appreciated.

The boots, parka and waterproof pants provided by Viking are great.  We added lined jeans, long under ware from Target, hooded sweatshirt, ski mittens, and googles (the latter two borrowed) and fairly heavy boot socks.   DW was never uncomfortable cold even at -14F in snowy conditions.  My feet got cold in the kayak, the same day.  The provided dry suit was fine, but the wet suit booties over socks were chilly.  The special ops boat was cold.  No getting around the wind chill and going gloveless to take pictures.  

[sippican]

Any other "short gals" out there that can add information about the pants provided? I am 5'3" and even some petites are miles too long. Was it an issue for anyone?

 

Another hint for finding reasonable insulated wear for under the pants is to shop in the activewear departments of TJMaxx or such. Some of the ladies exercise/yoga pants are fleece lined. I use them under my ski pants.

[secretcinderella]

18 hours ago, PeabodyMa said:

Cindy, what a huge disappointment. The post-extension Churchill on Hudson Bay sounds very special. What reason was given for the cancellation?

"Due to operational changes, the Churchill on the Hudson Bay extension is no longer available. We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause. A full refund for the canceled extension will be credited to your original form of payment within the next 20 business days."

 

That was it.  No idea if it was due to not reaching a minimum number of participants or tour operator issues.  Regardless, the results are the same.  Yes, we were very disappointed after having planned this for 2 years.  But we have plenty of company in that boat due to the last few years. 

 

Thanks,

Cindy 

[LadyVol1]

I just found this board today and haven’t had a chance to read all the posts. I’m on the Viking Polaris “From the Arctic to Antarctica” 9/21/22-11/3/22 roll call.
 

If someone could post a Viking Octantis sea day “daily program” that would be appreciated. Thanks a lot. 

[LadyVol1]

10 hours ago, secretcinderella said:

"Due to operational changes, the Churchill on the Hudson Bay extension is no longer available. We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause. A full refund for the canceled extension will be credited to your original form of payment within the next 20 business days."

 

That was it.  No idea if it was due to not reaching a minimum number of participants or tour operator issues.  Regardless, the results are the same.  Yes, we were very disappointed after having planned this for 2 years.  But we have plenty of company in that boat due to the last few years. 

 

Thanks,

Cindy 

Cindy - For what it’s worth, my husband and I did Oct. 30-Nov. 7, 2019: Natural Habitat Adventures’ Classic Polar Bear tour in Winnipeg and Churchill, Canada and loved it. We like MUCH longer tours (and cruises) but we both agreed that this short tour was just the right length and highly recommend it. Email me if you want more info. 
 

Janet

janet AT haskett DOT org

[LadyVol1]

FYI. My husband and I just received emails from Viking saying that the Viking Polaris Tromsø to Ushuaia (9/21/22-11/3/22) cruise has been canceled because the Polaris build is behind schedule due to Covid. 🤦‍♀️

 

The 110% in future cruise credit offer is a joke considering it has to be used by the end of 2023. We have our travel schedule booked through May, 2024 since we plan our trips ahead. In fact, we booked this cruise on September 14, 2020. 

 

Anyway, this is a heads up. If you booked the Polaris, check your email.

 

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by LadyVol1

[noe4laj]

While our sailing on the Polaris has not yet been canceled, given the news today that all sailings until just a few weeks before ours are now receiving notice that their cruise won’t happen, I’m not optimistic about our chances of seeing Antarctica.
 

I don’t see that we’d be able to rebook if ours has to postpone due to work obligations.

[CharTrav]

we got ours too and we booked for the first sailing of the Polaris. trying to decide what to do given that part of the arctic trip was was paid for with a voucher from a cruise canceled in 2021. And we have stuff booked already for next year. 

[Heidi13]

6 hours ago, LadyVol1 said:

FYI. My husband and I just received emails from Viking saying that the Viking Polaris Tromsø to Ushuaia (9/21/22-11/3/22) cruise has been canceled because the Polaris build is behind schedule due to Covid. 🤦‍♀️

 

The 110% in future cruise credit offer is a joke considering it has to be used by the end of 2023. We have our travel schedule booked through May, 2024 since we plan our trips ahead. In fact, we booked this cruise on September 14, 2020. 

 

Anyway, this is a heads up. If you booked the Polaris, check your email.

 

 

Since Viking cancelled the cruise, hopefully you were also provided the option of a full refund, or the 110% FCV

[LadyVol1]

18 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Since Viking cancelled the cruise, hopefully you were also provided the option of a full refund, or the 110% FCV

Yes, we can get a full refund, but I booked the cruise so early that even getting the 10% additional future cruise credit will not make up for the increased cruise fare on a new booking. I am hoping they will do a price protection towards the October 2022 Octantis New York to Ushuaia cruise.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

I too just found out about this board.  We are on Octantis in August.  I do not know if anyone would know the answers to this question, but I'll give it a try.  I've called Viking and they said they would get back to me, but I've not heard anything.

 

Does anyone know the UV rating is on the windows on Octantis?  

 

LadyVol1....a fellow Kansas City cruiser here....

[LadyVol1]

Sunflower & The Scientist - I don’t know your UV answer. We live in Lee’s Summit. I would love it if you would email me a copy of a sea day daily program and take a photo of the non-treadmill cardio equipment in the gym in August. (Does each piece have a tv with it?) I’m interested in free “sweaty” fitness classes (if there are any) and the daily program should show this. Thanks in advance! janet AT haskett DOT org

[deec]

We just saw the Octantis in Detroit!!!  She is bigger in REAL life than I thought she would be.  The ship was NOT docked in a very nice area.  I had hoped she would be berthed at the Port of Detroit right on our beautiful riverfront and walking along the river!  We could not get close!

 

Excited for our New Year's Eve in Antarctica!

[CurlerRob]

51 minutes ago, deec said:

We just saw the Octantis in Detroit!!!  She is bigger in REAL life than I thought she would be.  The ship was NOT docked in a very nice area.  I had hoped she would be berthed at the Port of Detroit right on our beautiful riverfront and walking along the river!  We could not get close!

 

Excited for our New Year's Eve in Antarctica!

Nice picture - had one yesterday from a friend in Kingsville.

 

There are worse docks - as in just south on Zug Island. Long time since I lived in Windsor, but I wondered if the "don't come ashore" signs are still on Zug! 😈        Cheers, 🍺🥌

[surfcitygirl]

On 4/17/2022 at 10:45 AM, secretcinderella said:

"Due to operational changes, the Churchill on the Hudson Bay extension is no longer available. We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause. A full refund for the canceled extension will be credited to your original form of payment within the next 20 business days."

 

That was it.  No idea if it was due to not reaching a minimum number of participants or tour operator issues.  Regardless, the results are the same.  Yes, we were very disappointed after having planned this for 2 years.  But we have plenty of company in that boat due to the last few years. 

 

Thanks,

Cindy 

I would say it was cancelled because it is not polar bear season on the Hudson Bay. I noticed the tour option when we booked and wondered why it was offered. Polar Bear season starts in late September but the peak is mid to late October. We were on a NatHab tour to Churchill in late October 2022 and it was fantastic. Had at least 23 encounters, with quite a few close up, the a bear leaning against our Rover. NatHab is an expert at these tours and would highly recommend them. 

[deec]

On the Antarctic explorer are all excursions included or will there be some optional?

[eylarson]

8 hours ago, deec said:

On the Antarctic explorer are all excursions included or will there be some optional?

In Antarctica ALL expeditions/excursions were included.  On options, no extra charges at least this season.  They included Zodiac landings, Zodiac and Special Operations Boat cruises, kayaking, and the submersibles.  Please read my earlier post about all the limitation on submersible operations.