Welcome Back Cruises 2021 - Malta & Adriatic Cruises and General Discussion

[MissDaisyRI]

29 minutes ago, gma1 said:

We have been able to book ours...cruise August 30 on the Sea. I would check with Viking for that answer.

We're on the Malta, Adriatic and Greece 21 day trip. We booked on the late side, but....this is ridiculous that we can't book excursions if they have been available. (Excuse the grumping

[MissDaisyRI]

CALLED VIKING -- They claim that no excursions have been booked for this trip. They "hope" to release 30 days prior to sailing

[LindaS272]

2 hours ago, MissDaisyRI said:

We're on the Malta, Adriatic and Greece 21 day trip. We booked on the late side, but....this is ridiculous that we can't book excursions if they have been available. (Excuse the grumping

We are just doing Malta/Adriatic Sept. 12. Maybe they are just sorting out all excursions for the combined cruise. You can do a chat with them through the website or MVJ, and write to tellus@vikingcruises.com. Good luck!

[ammthm]

6 hours ago, MissDaisyRI said:

Not sure if I've posted this correctly, but: we are 55 days away from the 21 day Valletta to Valleta trip on the Venus and our stateroom category should have allowed us to book excursions 22 days ago. What in the world is happening about excursions??????

We're on the Aug 13 Malta, the Adriatic & Greece (Venus) and I called & chatted a couple times about shore excursions & flights.  I was told that I'd get an email when they are available - no worries.  Finally on July 7th when I checked My Viking Journey they were there!  I went ahead & booked the ones that I wanted - never did get an email.  Be aware, though, that the ones for those dates have several errors.  For example, Kalamata shows a tour in Montenegro and one in Kotor!  Both  'Sold Out' - so that's good! 

Finally got our flight info on Friday 7/16 - exactly 4 weeks before the cruise.  So as far as I can see, these 'Welcome Back' cruises have their own timelines.  Just keep checking!

[SusieBytheBook]

We are currently onboard Viking Venus, and we are in port in Split, Croatia.  The ship is fabulous and the crew is amazing as is the food and drinks!  BUT, I can say we are disappointed in the way we are being “handled.”  Just to be clear, we are two guests onboard a vessel with 171 passengers, and we are not alone in our dissatisfaction.  Yes, caution should be exercised, and we are required to wear a mask in any area outside of our staterooms.  We have researched the guidelines in the countries we are to visit, and we are being given much more stringent rules than the ones imposed by the governments.  We are permitted to remove our masks while we are actively eating or drinking.  The Torshavn lounge permits NO dancing of any kind.  These requirements are not asking too much of passengers, however, we are SEVERELY restricted in our off ship experiences.  You may not leave the ship unless you are a part of a Viking tour.  You must wear a mask at all times—even outside in Malta where temps were almost 100 degrees F.  As we walked around in our Viking tour groups, people—unmasked —looked at us as if we were crazy!  You are NOT permitted Any free time to explore or shop in any port.  If you are on a tour and see something in a shop you might be interested in buying, you are NOT permitted to enter any shop to purchase anything.  There is no exploring the areas you visit independently.  You are a required to stay with your group at all times.  Tour guides in the countries we have visited thus far have told us that if a they obey the rules Viking has imposed on them, then Viking will be obliged to return to their areas.  One of our guides told us we could not touch anything while off the ship.  We have not been permitted to purchase a bottle of water or coffee or anything.

If you have not booked a Viking ocean cruise, you need to be aware of the stringent rules prior to making your decision.  Honestly, I knew of the masks and social distancing, but we were not aware of the severe limitations on our movements.  We would have reconsidered our decision to cruise had we been better informed.    

 

[Glenndale]

I'm sorry to hear that you were unaware of the limitations re leaving the ships 'bubble'.

It was always going to be different during a pandemic, but you should have been made aware.

Any one of the unmasked locals could be carrying the virus and the last thing Viking want is an outbreak on board the ship.

Edited July 19, 2021 by Glenndale

[rodilay]

On 7/15/2021 at 5:03 PM, rodilay said:

Hi! We are on July 31st Cruise on Viking Sea. We have contacted an insurance company called Big Cat Insurance and they have emailed us a letter which we have forwarded to Viking and are awaiting response . They will email you a copy of letter confirming cover  concerning travelling against FCDO recommendations.---- this is part of letter -------- I can confirm that Our policy will continue to provide cover if you decide to travel against the advice of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

viking say they are happy with this insurance cover

[CLBSC]

2 hours ago, SusieBytheBook said:

We are currently onboard Viking Venus, and we are in port in Split, Croatia.  The ship is fabulous and the crew is amazing as is the food and drinks!  BUT, I can say we are disappointed in the way we are being “handled.”  Just to be clear, we are two guests onboard a vessel with 171 passengers, and we are not alone in our dissatisfaction. 

 

As tough as this sounds, these were our expectations when we booked during a pandemic. Our main goal was to be on a ship. Do you have to wear a mask outside around the pool?

[jsam949]

20 hours ago, izmackar said:

Those onboard the Malta cruise now (the ship is currently in Greece) are reporting on another social media site that the passengers are back in the bubble, unable to leave the ship unescorted. They cannot go into any shops or restaurants either. It’s unclear if this is a Viking policy or Greece’s. 

 

19 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

I don’t think it’s “back in the bubble”— that was the advertised deal for all the Welcome Back cruises. Conditions can change for each cruise. Bermuda and Iceland are still on a cruise by cruise basis for independent excursions as far as I know. Greece, by the way, is currently experiencing a surge in cases.

What Linda says is correct. I know for certain it is stated in an email regarding shore excursions that we are NOT allowed to do any independent exploring. I am sure it is mentioned elsewhere too. Kind of a drag but it is what it is. 
Greece is making attempts to enforce more covid rules because of the increasing covid rates. And probably to save face.. They’re being deemed “high risk” by other EU countries such as Germany, who is advising citizens not to travel there. From what I read recently, Greece will require that restaurants and bars with indoor operations only allow vaccinated guests. This might apply to shops as well but I haven’t really looked into it so I can’t say for certain. My guess is that the new rules are just being put into place and that it’s a bit of a disaster over there trying to figure out how to enforce the rules and check for proof of vaccination? 

[Wheelhouse]

3 hours ago, SusieBytheBook said:

We are currently onboard Viking Venus, and we are in port in Split, Croatia.  The ship is fabulous and the crew is amazing as is the food and drinks!  BUT, I can say we are disappointed in the way we are being “handled.”  Just to be clear, we are two guests onboard a vessel with 171 passengers, and we are not alone in our dissatisfaction.  Yes, caution should be exercised, and we are required to wear a mask in any area outside of our staterooms.  We have researched the guidelines in the countries we are to visit, and we are being given much more stringent rules than the ones imposed by the governments.  We are permitted to remove our masks while we are actively eating or drinking.  The Torshavn lounge permits NO dancing of any kind.  These requirements are not asking too much of passengers, however, we are SEVERELY restricted in our off ship experiences.  You may not leave the ship unless you are a part of a Viking tour.  You must wear a mask at all times—even outside in Malta where temps were almost 100 degrees F.  As we walked around in our Viking tour groups, people—unmasked —looked at us as if we were crazy!  You are NOT permitted Any free time to explore or shop in any port.  If you are on a tour and see something in a shop you might be interested in buying, you are NOT permitted to enter any shop to purchase anything.  There is no exploring the areas you visit independently.  You are a required to stay with your group at all times.  Tour guides in the countries we have visited thus far have told us that if a they obey the rules Viking has imposed on them, then Viking will be obliged to return to their areas.  One of our guides told us we could not touch anything while off the ship.  We have not been permitted to purchase a bottle of water or coffee or anything.

If you have not booked a Viking ocean cruise, you need to be aware of the stringent rules prior to making your decision.  Honestly, I knew of the masks and social distancing, but we were not aware of the severe limitations on our movements.  We would have reconsidered our decision to cruise had we been better informed.    

 

Sounds like lots of fun - not.   They couldn't pay me to go on a cruise like this.    

[jsam949]

2 hours ago, SusieBytheBook said:

We are currently onboard Viking Venus, and we are in port in Split, Croatia.  The ship is fabulous and the crew is amazing as is the food and drinks!  BUT, I can say we are disappointed in the way we are being “handled.”  Just to be clear, we are two guests onboard a vessel with 171 passengers, and we are not alone in our dissatisfaction.  Yes, caution should be exercised, and we are required to wear a mask in any area outside of our staterooms.  We have researched the guidelines in the countries we are to visit, and we are being given much more stringent rules than the ones imposed by the governments.  We are permitted to remove our masks while we are actively eating or drinking.  The Torshavn lounge permits NO dancing of any kind.  These requirements are not asking too much of passengers, however, we are SEVERELY restricted in our off ship experiences.  You may not leave the ship unless you are a part of a Viking tour.  You must wear a mask at all times—even outside in Malta where temps were almost 100 degrees F.  As we walked around in our Viking tour groups, people—unmasked —looked at us as if we were crazy!  You are NOT permitted Any free time to explore or shop in any port.  If you are on a tour and see something in a shop you might be interested in buying, you are NOT permitted to enter any shop to purchase anything.  There is no exploring the areas you visit independently.  You are a required to stay with your group at all times.  Tour guides in the countries we have visited thus far have told us that if a they obey the rules Viking has imposed on them, then Viking will be obliged to return to their areas.  One of our guides told us we could not touch anything while off the ship.  We have not been permitted to purchase a bottle of water or coffee or anything.

If you have not booked a Viking ocean cruise, you need to be aware of the stringent rules prior to making your decision.  Honestly, I knew of the masks and social distancing, but we were not aware of the severe limitations on our movements.  We would have reconsidered our decision to cruise had we been better informed.    

 

Yikes! When my mom originally told me she wanted to book the Malta and Greece cruise, I joked  that I don’t wanna pay a ton of money to pretty much be a prisoner - stuck on the ship except for during viking excursions.. and while off the ship feel like I’m constantly under watchful eyes of a babysitter. I saw the fine print somewhere and so I expected strict rules for these cruises… but wow.. sounds a lot more intense than what I was imagining! I know that we cannot venture off the ship on our own but I was hoping that during some of the excursions (depending on the type of excursion/activity) there would be at least a little bit of free time for shopping or maybe sitting down at an outdoor cafe for a drink. I can see this being pretty torturous for me. Sounds like a whole lot of mask wearing too 😐 I will be sure to add an additional box of disposable masks to my shopping list.

Travel is tough right now. It’s going to be a different experience if you are traveling on a cruise or with a tour company that does escorted group trips — some of us enjoy traveling this way as everything is taken care of for us. The downside is that currently there’s so many potential liability issues and risks for the companies..sooo there’s gonna be a heck of a lot of rules in place. Keep in mind too that if one person in your group gets infected with covid then it could potentially affect your trip. 

It’s not ideal but I am just happy to be able to dust off the ol passport. I’m staying a few days after the cruise too so I can at least get some my own exploration in.

[Glenndale]

25 minutes ago, jsam949 said:

I will be sure to add an additional box of disposable masks to my shopping list

Good news is that Viking will provide you with face masks 😁

[Tom.in.nc]

I contacted our Viking rep and she said Viking’s policy through Sept 30 is no independent travel off the ship on the Malta cruises.

I am not sure if this is totally correct, but it was and is my assumption. I have a Viking excursion booked for every port, some two.

 

Tom

[LindaS272]

2 minutes ago, Tom.in.nc said:

I contacted our Viking rep and she said Viking’s policy through Sept 30 is no independent travel off the ship on the Malta cruises.

I am not sure if this is totally correct, but it was and is my assumption. I have a Viking excursion booked for every port, some two.

 

Tom

I guess the issue might be whether you can eventually go into shops because you’re masked up. I expect this will change before Sept. 30 as it did on the other Welcome Back cruises. Viking really needs to be a little more transparent here about what are it’s requirements (and why) and what are the requirements of their contracts with the respective countries.

[CLBSC]

You are so right, with this being the 1st Malta/Croatia cruise they want it to go perfectly. Things will probably change from cruise to cruise.  Some changes we might agree with and some we won't. Anxious to hear our onboard video friends perspective...... 

[travelguy19]

I’m not saying that it makes up for a lack of independent travel, but these Welcome Back cruises are a really good deal. If you look at the cost per day vs. similar cruises in the future, these are a bargain. That’s not even taking into account all the promotions. Some people got free air, I got a free drink package, and my TA also got us a significant discount. Plus you’ll never be able to go again on half empty cruise ships, or be in quiet tourist destinations that are normally extremely crowded. It’s an individual choice, I realize that no independent travel is a deal breaker for many people.

[jsam949]

1 hour ago, Tom.in.nc said:

I contacted our Viking rep and she said Viking’s policy through Sept 30 is no independent travel off the ship on the Malta cruises.

I am not sure if this is totally correct, but it was and is my assumption. I have a Viking excursion booked for every port, some two.

 

Tom

Knowing ahead of time that we most likely won’t be able to leave the ship on our own, I made sure to review all the available time slots and book my shore excursions carefully to maximize my time off the ship. I have two excursions booked for every day that it was possible to fit in two. I believe the only stop in which I have only one excursion is Rhodes.

 

[wjcruise]

20 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

We are just doing Malta/Adriatic Sept. 12. Maybe they are just sorting out all excursions for the combined cruise. You can do a chat with them through the website or MVJ, and write to tellus@vikingcruises.com. Good luck!

 We're on the same cruise as Linda - Malta/Adriatic Sept. 12. We just booked two additional excursions a few minutes ago after reading that we won't be able to wander on our own. Looking forward to it even with the restrictions. We've been to a couple of the ports before and it's a beautiful area. We're just waiting to see the flights Viking has arranged for us. We've been told there are Viking exclusive flights direct from Newark to Valletta and back. Looking forward to meeting Linda.

[CLBSC]

3 hours ago, CLBSC said:

You are so right, with this being the 1st Malta/Croatia cruise they want it to go perfectly. Things will probably change from cruise to cruise.  Some changes we might agree with and some we won't. Anxious to hear our onboard video friends perspective...... 

Would like to know the mask situation on board...do you have to wear it outside on deck, by the pools, and if you can bring your own masks or do they prefer their disposable ones?

[Heidi13]

11 hours ago, SusieBytheBook said:

We are currently onboard Viking Venus, and we are in port in Split, Croatia.  The ship is fabulous and the crew is amazing as is the food and drinks!  BUT, I can say we are disappointed in the way we are being “handled.”  Just to be clear, we are two guests onboard a vessel with 171 passengers, and we are not alone in our dissatisfaction.  Yes, caution should be exercised, and we are required to wear a mask in any area outside of our staterooms.  We have researched the guidelines in the countries we are to visit, and we are being given much more stringent rules than the ones imposed by the governments.  We are permitted to remove our masks while we are actively eating or drinking.  The Torshavn lounge permits NO dancing of any kind.  These requirements are not asking too much of passengers, however, we are SEVERELY restricted in our off ship experiences.  You may not leave the ship unless you are a part of a Viking tour.  You must wear a mask at all times—even outside in Malta where temps were almost 100 degrees F.  As we walked around in our Viking tour groups, people—unmasked —looked at us as if we were crazy!  You are NOT permitted Any free time to explore or shop in any port.  If you are on a tour and see something in a shop you might be interested in buying, you are NOT permitted to enter any shop to purchase anything.  There is no exploring the areas you visit independently.  You are a required to stay with your group at all times.  Tour guides in the countries we have visited thus far have told us that if a they obey the rules Viking has imposed on them, then Viking will be obliged to return to their areas.  One of our guides told us we could not touch anything while off the ship.  We have not been permitted to purchase a bottle of water or coffee or anything.

If you have not booked a Viking ocean cruise, you need to be aware of the stringent rules prior to making your decision.  Honestly, I knew of the masks and social distancing, but we were not aware of the severe limitations on our movements.  We would have reconsidered our decision to cruise had we been better informed.    

 

 

This is most unfortunate, but must admit I am surprised that you weren't aware of this, as this has been common knowledge since Viking posted their Health & Safety Policy in Dec 2019, which is promulgated as being the most comprehensive in the industry. It has been discussed extensively on many threads on this platform.

 

The Shore-ex bubble has also been used by other cruise lines in Europe. Last year, MSC made headlines when a family departed the shore-ex bubble and were denied boarding upon return to the ship.

 

Cruise Lines must meet the minimum standards of the ports they visit, but must also adhere to Flag State requirements and are free to set any standard higher than the minimum. Viking routinely set higher standards than the minimum requirements.

 

Here is a copy of the relevant Viking document, which is found with a simple Google search. The website also has a section on the health & safety requirements.

 

https://docs.vikingcruises.com/pdf/14-210511_COVID-19PoliciesAndProcedures-US.pdf

[Tom.in.nc]

Viking Updates Pre-Cruise Information 

 

See: https://docs.vikingcruises.com/pdf/14-210719-RestartPreCruiseRequirement-Malta-US-UK.pdf

 

Tom

[NC1989]

1 hour ago, Tom.in.nc said:

Viking Updates Pre-Cruise Information 

 

See: https://docs.vikingcruises.com/pdf/14-210719-RestartPreCruiseRequirement-Malta-US-UK.pdf

 

Tom

Thank you very much for sharing this important information. 

 

[CLBSC]

Where are our Mediawise Ken and Martha video friends? Have I missed an update since they got on the ship the first day?  Looking forward to hearing their perspectives  and off ship excursions on the 1st Venus Malta Adriatic cruise....

[les37b]

On 7/19/2021 at 3:34 PM, CLBSC said:

You are so right, with this being the 1st Malta/Croatia cruise they want it to go perfectly. Things will probably change from cruise to cruise.  Some changes we might agree with and some we won't. Anxious to hear our onboard video friends perspective...... 

 

My Welcome back Malta cruise had to be cancelled for me - so I rebooked the 22 September. The rep read out the Conditions of travel and one of those were that there no DIY tours and that you could only leave the ship if you were part of a ship excursion. I'd already ready on the Iceland tours, they were enforcing "no shopping" or "straying away from your group", so knew it.

 

I can understand the thought of that is draconian, but being locked down and isolated is worse IMHO and Viking wants to ensure everyone is safe - and they dont get shut down!

[LindaS272]

1 hour ago, CLBSC said:

Where are our Mediawise Ken and Martha video friends? Have I missed an update since they got on the ship the first day?  Looking forward to hearing their perspectives  and off ship excursions on the 1st Venus Malta Adriatic cruise....

You haven’t missed them. They haven’t posted since embarkation, not sure why. They had said they were going to post frequently—but no videos since the 14th.