Review of cruise to date

[steve ch]

We were on the ship last week, got off in Athens.

 

Our bags too were removed from the carousel. It's just a shame they didn't tell us they had done it and left us waiting anxiously further down the belt.

[dd57]

2 hours 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.

We used Ephesus Shuttle for 2 days of private tours in Istanbul.  Despite their name, they do group and private tours in Turkey, Spain, Italy, And Greece.  We only used them in Ephesus and Istanbul.  In Ephesus they drove us to the top of the hill and we walked downhill thru the ruins.  We saw the Terrace Houses and so much more because we walked one way.  The guide was very knowledgeable and explained why the city was laid out as it was. 

 

In Istanbul, where there so many varied things to see, the company worked with us to tailor the tour.  The guide was also excellent and changed sites up at the last minute to match local conditions.

[JollyJacqTar]

13 hours ago, steve ch said:

We were on the ship last week, got off in Athens.

 

Our bags too were removed from the carousel. It's just a shame they didn't tell us they had done it and left us waiting anxiously further down the belt.

We had the same thing happen on one of our cruises. We saw one of our suitcases on the carousel, removed it, and waited for the other one, and waited and waited with mounting anxiety. My very plain, ordinary black suitcase was eventually discovered  in the middle of the hall, having been hidden by all the people standing around and was only revealed as the crowds thinned out. I feel if it had been left on the carousel, we would have been quicker out of the arrivals hall and everyone on the coach would have been on their way to the ship far sooner! 

Edited May 16, 2022 by JollyJacqTar

[photopro2]

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

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

Really pleased (but not surprised!) that you are having such an excellent trip, wish we were there with you. However our time will soon come as we are booked on the same itinerary at the end of August.

With regard to that, I do have a question that you might be able to help with when you get to Venice. I assume that, like us, you will be docking at Fusina? If so could you post some details of the shuttle into Venice, how often do they run, what time is the last one on the evening the ship overnights in port and anything else you think relevant?

Thanks

[Vineyard View]

I am curious about the Venice situation as well. We are looking at ‘Italy, The Adriatic, and Greece’ itinerary. It is 15 days with a turnaround of three in Venice. We love Venice, but that is a long time if the transportation is cumbersome. I do wonder if Venice is better to start or end an itinerary with the ability to book a hotel, but we do like the ports on this one. 

[deec]

On 5/15/2022 at 5:08 PM, 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.

[PasadenaDave]

2 hours ago, photopro2 said:

Really pleased (but not surprised!) that you are having such an excellent trip, wish we were there with you. However our time will soon come as we are booked on the same itinerary at the end of August.

With regard to that, I do have a question that you might be able to help with when you get to Venice. I assume that, like us, you will be docking at Fusina? If so could you post some details of the shuttle into Venice, how often do they run, what time is the last one on the evening the ship overnights in port and anything else you think relevant?

Thanks

I will let you know about Venice.  We got a flyer of our post excursion in Venice.  It says that we dock at VeCon Marghera and they will shuttle us to Stazione Marritima.  There is no information about how we get to the Marriott or if our luggage goes straight to Marriott.

 

 I would not want to do this itinerary in July or August as it will be very hot then.

[coachma]

Thanks for the live updates! Happy to learn you will dock at Marghera. We are on a pre-extension in Venice before the June 6 Empires of the Mediterranean on the Sea.

 

Did you receive notification from Viking on the change of hotel to the Marriott? We've not heard anything, yet.

Thanks again.

[zalusky]

7 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

I am curious about the Venice situation as well. We are looking at ‘Italy, The Adriatic, and Greece’ itinerary. It is 15 days with a turnaround of three in Venice. We love Venice, but that is a long time if the transportation is cumbersome. I do wonder if Venice is better to start or end an itinerary with the ability to book a hotel, but we do like the ports on this one. 

Following as well.  We have this Itinerary booked for next year and want to hear words of wisdom not just on Venice but any other ports as well.  My wife does not walk as well as she did in her youth so looking for caveats on that as well.

 

For example has anybody done the private concert I saw listed as an excursion?

Edited May 17, 2022 by zalusky

[PasadenaDave]

7 hours ago, coachma said:

Thanks for the live updates! Happy to learn you will dock at Marghera. We are on a pre-extension in Venice before the June 6 Empires of the Mediterranean on the Sea.

 

Did you receive notification from Viking on the change of hotel to the Marriott? We've not heard anything, yet.

Thanks again.

The description in the pre excursion of hotel says Stucky Hilton or similar.  I saw from the prior opposite cruise they were at the Marriott and then our cruise docs informed us of Marriott.  I overheard two parties who pre excursioned in Athens that they were at different hotels 

[PasadenaDave]

4 hours ago, zalusky said:

Following as well.  We have this Itinerary booked for next year and want to hear words of wisdom not just on Venice but any other ports as well.  My wife does not walk as well as she did in her youth so looking for caveats on that as well.

 

For example has anybody done the private concert I saw listed as an excursion?

This is a strenuous cruise with a lot of time on your feet with uneven ground and stairs that aren’t uniform.  I suggest that she train for this trip.  If you want to go to the Acropolis in Athens, explore a private tour in order to use elevator which I heard of.

 

We had some people with mobility issues, tour’s don’t wait, The Americans with Disabilities Act doesn’t apply here.

[coachma]

8 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

The description in the pre excursion of hotel says Stucky Hilton or similar.  I saw from the prior opposite cruise they were at the Marriott and then our cruise docs informed us of Marriott.  I overheard two parties who pre excursioned in Athens that they were at different hotels 

 

Thanks for the info - our final documents are due in the next few days. Good to know hotel location will be confirmed then. Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[jhkc54]

On 5/13/2022 at 11:00 AM, 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

Hi,  We have a Homeland cruise in August.  What are the health programs being done onboard?  Do you have to wear a mask onboard, spit in tubes everyday or have your temperature taken?  We just came off a Norwegiian cruise to the Caribbean.  No testing at all once on board.  Only the crew had to wear a mask.  No testing at all or when you came back on board after the ports.  It was just like pre-covid days.

[PasadenaDave]

6 hours ago, jhkc54 said:

Hi,  We have a Homeland cruise in August.  What are the health programs being done onboard?  Do you have to wear a mask onboard, spit in tubes everyday or have your temperature taken?  We just came off a Norwegiian cruise to the Caribbean.  No testing at all once on board.  Only the crew had to wear a mask.  No testing at all or when you came back on board after the ports.  It was just like pre-covid days.

Spit in tubes, get temp taken through facial recognition tablet, crew masked, masks on busses.  In towns you don’t see many masks, fewer than in the US.

 

not an issue, feels like earlier times 

[Laurie17]

On 5/17/2022 at 11:41 PM, PasadenaDave said:

This is a strenuous cruise with a lot of time on your feet with uneven ground and stairs that aren’t uniform.  I suggest that she train for this trip.  If you want to go to the Acropolis in Athens, explore a private tour in order to use elevator which I heard of.

 

We had some people with mobility issues, tour’s don’t wait, The Americans with Disabilities Act doesn’t apply here.

We recently completed Empires of the Med and made the same tongue in cheek comment about ADA.  Lots of walking and steps and standing for long periods of time.  There were clearly folks on excursions with mobility issues who were unable to keep up.  Some in our group were complaining of aches and pains after a few tours.  Do not understand why Viking does not offer slower pace tours as they do on River.  That being said, please be realistic about your capabilities as it is not good for you or your fellow travelers to attempt activities beyond your limits.  

[Jim Avery]

Accurate Self Evaluation is one of the best skills for a traveler.😎

[CCWineLover]

4 hours ago, Laurie17 said:

We recently completed Empires of the Med and made the same tongue in cheek comment about ADA.  Lots of walking and steps and standing for long periods of time.  There were clearly folks on excursions with mobility issues who were unable to keep up.  Some in our group were complaining of aches and pains after a few tours.  Do not understand why Viking does not offer slower pace tours as they do on River.  That being said, please be realistic about your capabilities as it is not good for you or your fellow travelers to attempt activities beyond your limits.  

Dave - sadly we've encountered just this same thing on most of our Viking tours that involved walking, even demanding tours.   Sadly, perhaps it is hard for people to realize they are not as spry as they used to be - the mind thinks they still have it, but the body can no longer keep up.  This causes frustration on those who can't keep up and on those who do wish to have a demanding tour as described.

 

As Jim so accurately states:  "Accurate Self Evaluation is one of the best skills for a traveler".   We all need to revisit that, as painful as the answers may be.  🙂

 

[KBs mum]

4 hours ago, Laurie17 said:

We recently completed Empires of the Med and made the same tongue in cheek comment about ADA.  Lots of walking and steps and standing for long periods of time.  There were clearly folks on excursions with mobility issues who were unable to keep up.  Some in our group were complaining of aches and pains after a few tours.  Do not understand why Viking does not offer slower pace tours as they do on River.  That being said, please be realistic about your capabilities as it is not good for you or your fellow travelers to attempt activities beyond your limits.  

Another useful thing for the traveller is the mk1 gob. As in open it, ask questions about distance and terrain, then decide what the best option is. There is usually an accessible option, but it may not be available unless arranged in advance, eg vehicles with ramps.

We go for independent sightseeing and accept we can't get to some places. 

Google Street View is useful for cobble assessment, and the websites for whatever you want to see usually have accessibility information. 

[Ceegeefl]

On 5/19/2022 at 8:27 PM, PasadenaDave said:

Spit in tubes, get temp taken through facial recognition tablet, crew masked, masks on busses.  In towns you don’t see many masks, fewer than in the US.

 

not an issue, feels like earlier times 

On Viking Sea now. There are daily saliva tests but no temp tests.  Majority don't  wear masks aboard or on excursions. Didn't have to wear masks anywhere in Italy, Croatia, or Greece except the Vatican and Viking transports

[PasadenaDave]

We arrived on time at LAX and sprung for an Uber Black to pick up curbside rather than schlep to the lot, money well spent and we did our Global Entry interview thus we were home by 7:00 pm Monday night!

 

I will do a brief recap here noting that all ports after Athens were just as stunning and well worth it. 

 

Length of Cruise:  We both felt that the cruise was about two days too long.  This is not a criticism of the ports, but if we had one day at sea for the second week we might have felt different.

 

Venice on Cruise:  We arrived at Fusina at noon Friday and had a Viking scheduled Gondola Ride.  Yes, cheaper on our own but with transport we liked it.  There were about 5 gondolas on our group and the guide asked for two people to go on the music boat and our hands shot up.  We had a guitarist with amplifier and a singer.  We were on video or photos from onlookers at every bridge crossing.  This was a fabulous experience.  From Fusina we were bussed to the Venice Cruise terminal and picked up a water taxi to St Marks.

 

Saturday we left the ship but early in the morning the ship moved from Fusina to Maghera which is closer to Venice.  We were taken by bus to the Venice Cruise terminal for security off loading and picked up our bags and transferred to post cruise excursion.

 

Venice as a cruise port going forward:  There is very little space on piers at Fusina or Maghera.  I think we moved to Maghera as it was a weekend and a pier was available.  I did note that a ship for MSC lines took our spot in Fusina.  Neither ports have facilities for cruise ships and even the busses have tight security entering and leaving the port.  All cruise lines still use the immigration and embarcation facilities at the Venice Cruise Terminal.  It appears that other than very small cruise ships of which none were in port, very few cruises will ever make a port call in Venice going forward.  I suspect that Viking was quick to line up dock space in Fusina and Maghera and I wonder how long this will endure.

 

Venice Post Extension:  The Marriott on a private island south of Venice is fabulous.  We arrived about 11:30 on a Saturday and while rooms were not available which is understandable, we took their free shuttle to St Marks Square and wandered the island for most of the afternoon having a wonderful lunch.  We had a drink on the rooftop at sunset and to bed early.

 

Sunday at breakfast which is excellent by 8:30, did not make the first shuttle at 0900 but the second at 0930.  Viking also provided a shuttle but we didn't use it as it ran later.  We walked across Venice and took a water bus to Murano and then a second to Burano and had a wonderful lunch.  We reversed direction without getting off at Murano.

 

We had enough time in Venice and it was a nice winddown from the cruise.

 

Viking was attentive with a water taxi to Venice Transport Center and van to airport.

 

My criticism of the post cruise extension was lack of information on the ship as to how we would get to the Marriott.

 

Originally we were to stay at the Hilton but I think in retrospect the Marriott was a better hotel.

 

Alcohol:  As mentioned on my initial post we did not purchase the package.  We were fine with the provided wine and beer and bought a bottle of gin off ship.  The total spent on alcohol including the gin was $94.  We felt we drank as much as we wanted.

 

Other thoughts:  We are not show people and groups are not our thing.  We watched a few port talks on the television but that was all.  We ate at Manfriedi's twice.  Once at 8:00 which was not enjoyable too late, but at 6:00 we really liked it.  All other meals at the World Cafe and daily room service breakfast with cappachino from the Living Room Bar at 0600 thanks to the delivery service known as HubGrub (Husband goes out and brings grub home).  If you don't have the HubGrub app, you should think of installing it.  I hurt my back which I think was partially due to the bed which we did get a topper and I had a massage which helped a lot.  I also spent a lot of time in the steam, snow grotto and thermal pool.

 

We loved the cruise with all of the bucket list stops and essentially no real criticism.  Well worth it and much better than prior cruises, if Viking gets 10 stars, then Princess ( our other cruise experience) gets 4 stars in my ranking.

 

As always, your mileage may vary

[CCWineLover]

Thank you so much for your detailed review!  Especially Venice.  Would you say going your direction would be preferred over Venice to Istanbul?  Sounds like finishing in Venice with a post extension was the way to go!

[PasadenaDave]

13 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Thank you so much for your detailed review!  Especially Venice.  Would you say going your direction would be preferred over Venice to Istanbul?  Sounds like finishing in Venice with a post extension was the way to go!

Yes, we loved Istanbul and would return but for relaxation plus exploring Venice has it beat

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, PasadenaDave said:

We arrived on time at LAX and sprung for an Uber Black to pick up curbside rather than schlep to the lot, money well spent and we did our Global Entry interview thus we were home by 7:00 pm Monday night!

 

I will do a brief recap here noting that all ports after Athens were just as stunning and well worth it. 

 

Length of Cruise:  We both felt that the cruise was about two days too long.  This is not a criticism of the ports, but if we had one day at sea for the second week we might have felt different.

 

Venice on Cruise:  We arrived at Fusina at noon Friday and had a Viking scheduled Gondola Ride.  Yes, cheaper on our own but with transport we liked it.  There were about 5 gondolas on our group and the guide asked for two people to go on the music boat and our hands shot up.  We had a guitarist with amplifier and a singer.  We were on video or photos from onlookers at every bridge crossing.  This was a fabulous experience.  From Fusina we were bussed to the Venice Cruise terminal and picked up a water taxi to St Marks.

 

Saturday we left the ship but early in the morning the ship moved from Fusina to Maghera which is closer to Venice.  We were taken by bus to the Venice Cruise terminal for security off loading and picked up our bags and transferred to post cruise excursion.

 

Venice as a cruise port going forward:  There is very little space on piers at Fusina or Maghera.  I think we moved to Maghera as it was a weekend and a pier was available.  I did note that a ship for MSC lines took our spot in Fusina.  Neither ports have facilities for cruise ships and even the busses have tight security entering and leaving the port.  All cruise lines still use the immigration and embarcation facilities at the Venice Cruise Terminal.  It appears that other than very small cruise ships of which none were in port, very few cruises will ever make a port call in Venice going forward.  I suspect that Viking was quick to line up dock space in Fusina and Maghera and I wonder how long this will endure.

 

Venice Post Extension:  The Marriott on a private island south of Venice is fabulous.  We arrived about 11:30 on a Saturday and while rooms were not available which is understandable, we took their free shuttle to St Marks Square and wandered the island for most of the afternoon having a wonderful lunch.  We had a drink on the rooftop at sunset and to bed early.

 

Sunday at breakfast which is excellent by 8:30, did not make the first shuttle at 0900 but the second at 0930.  Viking also provided a shuttle but we didn't use it as it ran later.  We walked across Venice and took a water bus to Murano and then a second to Burano and had a wonderful lunch.  We reversed direction without getting off at Murano.

 

We had enough time in Venice and it was a nice winddown from the cruise.

 

Viking was attentive with a water taxi to Venice Transport Center and van to airport.

 

My criticism of the post cruise extension was lack of information on the ship as to how we would get to the Marriott.

 

Originally we were to stay at the Hilton but I think in retrospect the Marriott was a better hotel.

 

Alcohol:  As mentioned on my initial post we did not purchase the package.  We were fine with the provided wine and beer and bought a bottle of gin off ship.  The total spent on alcohol including the gin was $94.  We felt we drank as much as we wanted.

 

Other thoughts:  We are not show people and groups are not our thing.  We watched a few port talks on the television but that was all.  We ate at Manfriedi's twice.  Once at 8:00 which was not enjoyable too late, but at 6:00 we really liked it.  All other meals at the World Cafe and daily room service breakfast with cappachino from the Living Room Bar at 0600 thanks to the delivery service known as HubGrub (Husband goes out and brings grub home).  If you don't have the HubGrub app, you should think of installing it.  I hurt my back which I think was partially due to the bed which we did get a topper and I had a massage which helped a lot.  I also spent a lot of time in the steam, snow grotto and thermal pool.

 

We loved the cruise with all of the bucket list stops and essentially no real criticism.  Well worth it and much better than prior cruises, if Viking gets 10 stars, then Princess ( our other cruise experience) gets 4 stars in my ranking.

 

As always, your mileage may vary

 

Thanks for the great review.  Maybe a little generous on the Princess rating😁😁

[PasadenaDave]

14 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Thanks for the great review.  Maybe a little generous on the Princess rating😁😁

Andy you might be right about too generous of a rating for Princess but I do see them as ok for a quick four day getaway from San Pedro or a quick sojourn from Vancouver to San Pedro.  After Viking, nothing more than 4-5 days.

[Heidi13]

6 minutes ago, PasadenaDave said:

Andy you might be right about too generous of a rating for Princess but I do see them as ok for a quick four day getaway from San Pedro or a quick sojourn from Vancouver to San Pedro.  After Viking, nothing more than 4-5 days.

 

You're braver than us.

 

The ships are just way too big for us, so our 2015 WC was our last ever on Princess. Totally sad, as I have many great memories of time aboard P&O/Princess ships over 40 yrs, both working and cruising with them.