Review of cruise to date

[PasadenaDave]

We are on the Sky Istanbul to Venice with pre and post excursions.  Here is a brief review.

 

Flight LAX to Istanbul via Frankfurt on Lufthansa was all on time, no bumps, an easy flight despite lengthy.  Viking was at baggage claim to greet 8-10 people and they already had our bags off the carousel.

 

Pre-cruise nice hotel, good food and great excursion 

 

Excursions:  Great guides.  The excursion we booked for Istanbul was the same as our pre cruise and while we cancelled when we boarded, no refund yet.  We didn’t know excursions on pre cruise when we booked excursions poor form on Viking.  All excursions top notch 

 

Food:  we order room service for breakfast and it is always punctual.  Always eat at World Cafe, food is very good, superior to Princess.  We ate at Manfredi’s last night, good but late.

 

Alcohol:  no package we each have bought three drinks.  Wine and beer at lunch and dinner included is fine for my tastes.  Thanks to Clay’s suggestion, we bought a bottle of gin for the fridge and enjoy a Gin and Tonic in the room, we don’t hang out in bars or Explorers Lounge although they are all very nice.

 

Thermal Spa:  Excellent steam and large jacuzzi I like the snow grotto but it has been down refilling twice.  This is superior to Princess.

 

People:  Staff and guests top notch.  We had a Karen on excursion today who she and husband had no business walking up to the Acropolis, they got transferred to a private guide.  I think they expected an accommodation for disability…..This isn’t the US!

 

Bed:  I can sleep anywhere but these are hard beds and I wake at 0300 with an aching back.  Poor marks

 

Evaluation:  Best cruise ever ship, people, food, excursions, and itinerary I can’t say more good things about Viking

[Clay Clayton]

4 minutes ago, PasadenaDave said:

We are on the Sky Istanbul to Venice with pre and post excursions.  Here is a brief review.

 

Flight LAX to Istanbul via Frankfurt on Lufthansa was all on time, no bumps, an easy flight despite lengthy.  Viking was at baggage claim to greet 8-10 people and they already had our bags off the carousel.

 

Pre-cruise nice hotel, good food and great excursion 

 

Excursions:  Great guides.  The excursion we booked for Istanbul was the same as our pre cruise and while we cancelled when we boarded, no refund yet.  We didn’t know excursions on pre cruise when we booked excursions poor form on Viking.  All excursions top notch 

 

Food:  we order room service for breakfast and it is always punctual.  Always eat at World Cafe, food is very good, superior to Princess.  We ate at Manfredi’s last night, good but late.

 

Alcohol:  no package we each have bought three drinks.  Wine and beer at lunch and dinner included is fine for my tastes.  Thanks to Clay’s suggestion, we bought a bottle of gin for the fridge and enjoy a Gin and Tonic in the room, we don’t hang out in bars or Explorers Lounge although they are all very nice.

 

Thermal Spa:  Excellent steam and large jacuzzi I like the snow grotto but it has been down refilling twice.  This is superior to Princess.

 

People:  Staff and guests top notch.  We had a Karen on excursion today who she and husband had no business walking up to the Acropolis, they got transferred to a private guide.  I think they expected an accommodation for disability…..This isn’t the US!

 

Bed:  I can sleep anywhere but these are hard beds and I wake at 0300 with an aching back.  Poor marks

 

Evaluation:  Best cruise ever ship, people, food, excursions, and itinerary I can’t say more good things about Viking

Glad I could help with the gin.  😂

 

Have you asked your room steward for a mattress topper?  Other folks who like soft beds have reported that makes the bed more comfortable.  For me, the mattresses are already softer than what we have at home 😊

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[PasadenaDave]

Heidi, I have a question for a learned Mariner, yesterday evening upon departure from Heraklion Crete, we stopped about one half mike from the breakwater and the ship did a 360 degree spin before moving towards Athens.

 

why would the Captain do that?  Is it something he has to do on occasion?  It seemed odd 

[duquephart]

Thruster check?

[TeamBAlways]

Are they still doing contact tracing?

[PasadenaDave]

14 minutes ago, TeamBAlways said:

Are they still doing contact tracing?

No

[TeamBAlways]

Just now, PasadenaDave said:

No

That is good news

[CCWineLover]

3 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

We are on the Sky Istanbul to Venice with pre and post excursions.  Here is a brief review.

 

Flight LAX to Istanbul via Frankfurt on Lufthansa was all on time, no bumps, an easy flight despite lengthy.  Viking was at baggage claim to greet 8-10 people and they already had our bags off the carousel.

 

Pre-cruise nice hotel, good food and great excursion 

 

Excursions:  Great guides.  The excursion we booked for Istanbul was the same as our pre cruise and while we cancelled when we boarded, no refund yet.  We didn’t know excursions on pre cruise when we booked excursions poor form on Viking.  All excursions top notch 

 

Food:  we order room service for breakfast and it is always punctual.  Always eat at World Cafe, food is very good, superior to Princess.  We ate at Manfredi’s last night, good but late.

 

Alcohol:  no package we each have bought three drinks.  Wine and beer at lunch and dinner included is fine for my tastes.  Thanks to Clay’s suggestion, we bought a bottle of gin for the fridge and enjoy a Gin and Tonic in the room, we don’t hang out in bars or Explorers Lounge although they are all very nice.

 

Thermal Spa:  Excellent steam and large jacuzzi I like the snow grotto but it has been down refilling twice.  This is superior to Princess.

 

People:  Staff and guests top notch.  We had a Karen on excursion today who she and husband had no business walking up to the Acropolis, they got transferred to a private guide.  I think they expected an accommodation for disability…..This isn’t the US!

 

Bed:  I can sleep anywhere but these are hard beds and I wake at 0300 with an aching back.  Poor marks

 

Evaluation:  Best cruise ever ship, people, food, excursions, and itinerary I can’t say more good things about Viking

Enjoyed your to the point review, Dave! 

Glad your flight was OK - that would be the thing we'd worry about (California to Istanbul).

 

Regarding "Karens" . . .   sadly we get that on every single Viking cruise we've been on (all 10).  I think there is sadly a contingent of folks who mean well, but don't listen to the port talk person or read the fine print, and/or in their head still think they are perfectly mobile.  Glad Viking dealt with it the way they did.  We've had guides who basically penalized the whole mobile group - no doubt they are in a tough no win position.

[Jim Avery]

2 hours ago, duquephart said:

Thruster check?

Showing off for girlfriend on the shore.....

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

Heidi, I have a question for a learned Mariner, yesterday evening upon departure from Heraklion Crete, we stopped about one half mike from the breakwater and the ship did a 360 degree spin before moving towards Athens.

 

why would the Captain do that?  Is it something he has to do on occasion?  It seemed odd 

 

Not something I have done, or seen done, other than in the old days when we had guests up on the Bridge and the Captain would show-off.

 

Best thought I have is they planned on returning, but then had a change of plan/orders, so rather than a 180, they did a full 360.

 

Sorry can't be much more help with this one.

[FetaCheese]

8 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

Heidi, I have a question for a learned Mariner, yesterday evening upon departure from Heraklion Crete, we stopped about one half mike from the breakwater and the ship did a 360 degree spin before moving towards Athens.

 

why would the Captain do that?  Is it something he has to do on occasion?  It seemed odd 

I'm not Andy or a very learned mariner...but on Venus, Dec 2021, we did the 360 one night. ( don't remember what part of Aegean)

Captain announced in advance he'd be doing it.  Explained as recalibrating the ship's compass.  

[Heidi13]

50 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

I'm not Andy or a very learned mariner...but on Venus, Dec 2021, we did the 360 one night. ( don't remember what part of Aegean)

Captain announced in advance he'd be doing it.  Explained as recalibrating the ship's compass.  

 

Swinging the compass is a potential reason, but it normally takes about an hour and we always stay well away from the shipping lanes, It also requires more than a straight 360 turn, as we would rotate back and forward.

 

It also requires stopping at certain courses and taking sights to compare the gyro and magnetic bearings. They may also adjust some of the compass spheres and magnets to reduced errors.

 

 

[stretchcruz]

13 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

We are on the Sky Istanbul to Venice with pre and post excursions.  Here is a brief review.

 

Flight LAX to Istanbul via Frankfurt on Lufthansa was all on time, no bumps, an easy flight despite lengthy.  Viking was at baggage claim to greet 8-10 people and they already had our bags off the carousel.

 

Pre-cruise nice hotel, good food and great excursion 

 

Excursions:  Great guides.  The excursion we booked for Istanbul was the same as our pre cruise and while we cancelled when we boarded, no refund yet.  We didn’t know excursions on pre cruise when we booked excursions poor form on Viking.  All excursions top notch 

 

Food:  we order room service for breakfast and it is always punctual.  Always eat at World Cafe, food is very good, superior to Princess.  We ate at Manfredi’s last night, good but late.

 

Alcohol:  no package we each have bought three drinks.  Wine and beer at lunch and dinner included is fine for my tastes.  Thanks to Clay’s suggestion, we bought a bottle of gin for the fridge and enjoy a Gin and Tonic in the room, we don’t hang out in bars or Explorers Lounge although they are all very nice.

 

Thermal Spa:  Excellent steam and large jacuzzi I like the snow grotto but it has been down refilling twice.  This is superior to Princess.

 

People:  Staff and guests top notch.  We had a Karen on excursion today who she and husband had no business walking up to the Acropolis, they got transferred to a private guide.  I think they expected an accommodation for disability…..This isn’t the US!

 

Bed:  I can sleep anywhere but these are hard beds and I wake at 0300 with an aching back.  Poor marks

 

Evaluation:  Best cruise ever ship, people, food, excursions, and itinerary I can’t say more good things about Viking

Are there a lot of Covid cases onboard? On the forum that shall never be discussed here there are several people reporting being in quarantine. One reported 40 cases after an excursion in Capadoccia? Must be an exaggeration, I'm thinking.....

[PasadenaDave]

1 hour ago, stretchcruz said:

Are there a lot of Covid cases onboard? On the forum that shall never be discussed here there are several people reporting being in quarantine. One reported 40 cases after an excursion in Capadoccia? Must be an exaggeration, I'm thinking.....

I overheard another passenger speak of seeing crew in hazmat suits outside an open cabin door.  Don’t know if it was Covid or something else.  I also saw a hazmat suit at the bottom of stairs cleaning what looked like blood and the next day I saw a passenger with a recent bad laceration on the bridge of her nose….. I think she fell on the stairs.

 

 I heard many including me clear their throats on the bus to the Acropolis yesterday.  That is expected due to allergy season and the fact that we are tired after so many intensive tours. Today is rest day in port for many of us and we get new passengers today 

[deec]

thanks for the report Istanbul is on our list of places to visit!  Glad to hear Viking did a good job with the extension!

[PasadenaDave]

19 minutes ago, deec said:

thanks for the report Istanbul is on our list of places to visit!  Glad to hear Viking did a good job with the extension!

Besides the amazing history and architecture, seeing tens or hundreds of thousands of people between the mosques all respectful of each other and orderly even when entering congested entrances.  At one point it was so crowded that The Who concert in Cincinnati incident crossed my mind.

[FetaCheese]

11 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Swinging the compass is a potential reason, but it normally takes about an hour and we always stay well away from the shipping lanes, It also requires more than a straight 360 turn, as we would rotate back and forward.

 

It also requires stopping at certain courses and taking sights to compare the gyro and magnetic bearings. They may also adjust some of the compass spheres and magnets to reduced errors.

 

 

Thanks for researching this and presenting a more thorough explanation.  

[PasadenaDave]

On 5/13/2022 at 6:06 PM, Clay Clayton said:

Glad I could help with the gin.  😂

 

Have you asked your room steward for a mattress topper?  Other folks who like soft beds have reported that makes the bed more comfortable.  For me, the mattresses are already softer than what we have at home 😊

 

Enjoy your cruise!

We now have an egg crate topper and it was nice during an afternoon movie,  hopefully the 0330 time awake will be only for pee, not back ache 

[Jim Avery]

Haha, this reminds me we have bought 5 new mattresses in the last 9 years.  Trying to find a "good" one.  Finally it dawned on me.  They are all comfortable.  It's the body thats uncomfortable at night.  Heck, I used to sleep on couches or floors in College.  Even in a bathtub one Spring Break.  No problemo.  Getting older is just full of surprises isn't it?🍸

[PasadenaDave]

46 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Haha, this reminds me we have bought 5 new mattresses in the last 9 years.  Trying to find a "good" one.  Finally it dawned on me.  They are all comfortable.  It's the body thats uncomfortable at night.  Heck, I used to sleep on couches or floors in College.  Even in a bathtub one Spring Break.  No problemo.  Getting older is just full of surprises isn't it?🍸

Or on the steel deck in a corner of an overnight ferry!

 

I’m glad that budget travel is far in the rear view mirror 

[Vineyard View]

On 5/14/2022 at 4:20 AM, deec said:

thanks for the report Istanbul is on our list of places to visit!  Glad to hear Viking did a good job with the extension!

Hi Deec!  We had two days in Istanbul several years ago. We hired a private guide for both days and had zero regrets on doing so. It allowed us to see so much more and avoid the groups of busses. I do not know how Covid may have impacted independent guiding , but we employed them in several Turkish ports and it was a great decision for us. I don’t remember the name of the company but they arranged guides for multiple ports. I found them on CC ports of call. 

[deec]

47 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Hi Deec!  We had two days in Istanbul several years ago. We hired a private guide for both days and had zero regrets on doing so. It allowed us to see so much more and avoid the groups of busses. I do not know how Covid may have impacted independent guiding , but we employed them in several Turkish ports and it was a great decision for us. I don’t remember the name of the company but they arranged guides for multiple ports. I found them on CC ports of call. 

Thanks...you got us a great guide in the Amazon !!!!!

 

We had a private guide in Amsterdam this Spring through tours by locals and she was fabulous.  Have to figure out a time to schedule the cruise.  glad you are doing well and back to traveling.

[CCWineLover]

51 minutes ago, deec said:

Thanks...you got us a great guide in the Amazon !!!!!

 

We had a private guide in Amsterdam this Spring through tours by locals and she was fabulous.  Have to figure out a time to schedule the cruise.  glad you are doing well and back to traveling.

Hi Dee -

We are looking at this cruise (Istanbul to Venice) in the future too (2023 or 2024) and come in early to Istanbul and see it independently.  It's why I'm following Dave's post and others here.   Let us know your plans.  We'd love to cruise with you and Pat again!

Kent

Edited May 15, 2022 by CCWineLover

[steve ch]

On 5/13/2022 at 4:00 PM, PasadenaDave said:

 Viking was at baggage claim to greet 8-10 people and they already had our bags off the carousel.

 

 

 

[deec]

55 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Hi Dee -

We are looking at this cruise (Istanbul to Venice) in the future too (2023 or 2024) and come in early to Istanbul and see it independently.  It's why I'm following Dave's post and others here.   Let us know your plans.  We'd love to cruise with you and Pat again!

Kent

We would too...NO plans yet other than Antarctica and the Douro River in fall of 2023.  It probably won't be until 2024. I wish it had more stops in Croatia.  I am also wondering about "Venice" and the inability to dock close to the city.

Was the end of your River Cruise any better than the beginning?  I guess you don't want join us in Portugal. 

Glad you returned home safely without covid. Hope your Midnight Sun Cruise is great fun.  Please give my best to Pam.