Voyage of the Vikings Blog

[esther e]

Is anyone on board posting about this trip?  I'd love to follow it.

[travelers07]

I was hoping someone would step up but I am here if you have specific questions.

 

Lovely so far. Foggy and windy in Red Bay today. I did not go ashore as I had read about the bugs and I don’t like long or rough tender rides. Seems more of an important place to the Vikings as opposed to a port with lots to do. All aboard should be in about an hour but I have not heard of anyone too excited about the port yet.

 

There are about 1100 passengers with 700-800 4 and 5 star Mariners. Laundry was only 1 day the first time.
 

Food and service has been very good to me but maybe others will chime in. The ship seems upgraded and nice except for the tv’s. Went to a talk with F and B director and Hotel director. Great info and the tv wiring is all done but they can’t get the tv’s. Hoping by the Grand Africa, I think he said.

 

Having a great time! Hope others will join in!

[rotjeknor]

Great , thanks. We are coming onboard in Rotterdam for the second leg.

 

Speaking of Rotterdam, I did a presentation on things to do in Rotterdam in a Zoom meeting for our other upcoming TA in October, if anyone is interested mail me : jaap (at) jaap (dot) la and I will send you the pdf.

[secondtime]

I was booked to be on the roundtrip VOV cruise this year as well as in 2020 and 2021.  My prior VOV cruises were my most favorite of 40 cruises.  SADLY, I am not there but hope that word gets out that we would appreciate hearing all about the cruise.  I have been following the roll calls for VOV for the past few years and am now bookmarking this discussion to follow.  If there are other discussions regarding the 2022 VOV, please post the links/addresses for us here so we can see additional information.

 

I hope everyone is having a fantastic cruise.  

[esther e]

3 hours ago, travelers07 said:

I was hoping someone would step up but I am here if you have specific questions.

 

Lovely so far. Foggy and windy in Red Bay today. I did not go ashore as I had read about the bugs and I don’t like long or rough tender rides. Seems more of an important place to the Vikings as opposed to a port with lots to do. All aboard should be in about an hour but I have not heard of anyone too excited about the port yet.

 

There are about 1100 passengers with 700-800 4 and 5 star Mariners. Laundry was only 1 day the first time.
 

Food and service has been very good to me but maybe others will chime in. The ship seems upgraded and nice except for the tv’s. Went to a talk with F and B director and Hotel director. Great info and the tv wiring is all done but they can’t get the tv’s. Hoping by the Grand Africa, I think he said.

 

Having a great time! Hope others will join in!

Thank you!!  I appreciate this.

[happyglobetrotter]

Who is the hotel director on Zaandam right now ???  We will board Zaandam beginning of Sept.

 

 

[aeraen]

Thank you for posting this.  I'll be hopping on the Zaandam in BOS when you return (two ships in the night, so to speak) so I will enjoy following the sailing of "my" ship to Europe.  Enjoy your voyage!

 

 

[rkacruiser]

VOV is a special voyage.  Red Bay, I participated in a shore excursion that was not memorable (meaning, I don't remember what I experienced), but, I can add Labrador to one of the Canadian Provinces that I have visited.  The tour must have been OK.  Nothing negative to remember.  

[J&Dhighdesert]

 Jon Sigurdsson and Valerie Mock are guest speakers. They have had a full house each time they speak.

 

 

Glenn-Michael guest during coffee chat have been hotel manager Florin and food manager Ali.  They have been speaking about their time during and after  Covid. Now they are having trouble with getting supplies to the ship.  Everything seems to be going smoothly otherwise.

[cruzingnut]

Oh, thank heavens this is being posted about!  I was close to asking if anyone was going to post from it.  One of our fav cruises; we've done it 3 times.  @travelers07, any tidbits of info you are able to post will be greedily read by a lot of people, for sure.  Thanks for posting.  But, do be sure to enjoy your trip though! 

 

Red Bay is hard to get into; we couldn't on the 2018 trip.  I've been there by land and by ship and there really isn't a lot there but it's quite unique since it's at the northern end of the only paved road along the east coast of Labrador.  At least it was when we drove it, way back in the 90's...it was only 40 miles long.  After Red Bay, to the north, the road was gravel.

 

Linda R.

[bermuda8553]

12 hours ago, esther e said:

Is anyone on board posting about this trip?  I'd love to follow it.

Hi there is someone posting daily about the VOV, I will be on that cruise nest year so very intersected on what they have to say. The site is : gdjmtravels.blogspot.com

[travelers07]

Hi all-

 

Woke up early so I will share some random thoughts.

 

The crew has been the best. You can tell they know this is a special cruise and they are excited too. All that I have had contact with have been great.

 

Lots of trivia around. I did 4pm in the Crow’s Nest yesterday and it was packed. The lounges have very good entertainment and the bartenders are really trying to keep up. They all seem excellent.

 

Someone mentioned the names of the speakers so I won’t repeat. They both have had must-see presentations. I feel my sea days are even busier than the ports. Three more talks today so I need to watch my time. And another coffee talk too so a busy day. A few years ago on this ship we did Antarctica and loved all the presentations and I feel the same with these.

 

The seas have gotten a little rougher but not bad here in the Labrador Sea. My app Marine Traffic shows a storm ahead on the way to Greenland but the Captain did not seem too concerned. I am not being thrown out of bed anyway so all good. Walking may be a little more challenging today but that just adds to cruising.

 

I have not been to any shows but have heard they are good. Someone else will need to speak about those. 
 

Went our half hour ahead overnight and at 5am it is getting light. The air temp is in the 50’s and falling to the 40’s today. I need to put away the sandals and find my socks. Everyone seems appropriately dressed- except for the robes in the Lido early morning. But to each his own.

 

Wifi seems useable if not speedy. I upgraded to the fastest- $100 extra for the 35 days. Not sure if it helped but I like to stay connected. Streaming seems a big stretch though so doubt that will work.

 

Loving the chat feature on the Navigator app. Easy to use and you get a notification. Just set up with friends and you can find each other as needed.

 

One mention about check-in back in Boston. Very organized and the people lining us up said there was no need to worry about Verifly or ArriveCAN- there was help available. But I had mine complete and was sent to the much shorter line. Saved at least half an hour boarding. Cabins were ready before noon and I made it to the dining room for lunch.

 

Sure hope some of my fellow cruisers chime in!

[esther e]

10 hours ago, bermuda8553 said:

Hi there is someone posting daily about the VOV, I will be on that cruise nest year so very intersected on what they have to say. The site is : gdjmtravels.blogspot.com

Thanks!!!

[Tbay]

8 hours ago, travelers07 said:

Everyone seems appropriately dressed- except for the robes in the Lido early morning. But to each his own.

Did this cruise in 2019. one man said he forgot his suitcase at home. Wore the same clothes for the entire cruise. Every day. Everywhere.  Black shirt with dragons and black jogging pants. First stop was Bar Harbour  and the second was Sydney, where there was a shuttle to WalMart. Could have picked up another outfit!

[princessdi]

Hi!  I too am on the cruise and loving it.  As stated the crew has been awesome!  Very friendly and helpful.

I’ll speak a bit about masks.  They are well respected whether you decide to wear them or you don’t.  Everyone does what they are comfortable with.  I find for myself I wear mine out and about when moving through the ship.  Then when I sit down to eat or relax I take mine off.  All crew wear masks.  If I feel the place I am in or going to is too crowded I either distance or don’t attend.  

One point I would like to share.  If you are doing eMed testing and it is antigen you can only test 2 days before embarkation no earlier.  We had to redo the test in Boston because we believed 72 hours would work.  That is only for the PCR test.  If antigen only 2 days before.  
If you have to retest in Boston you will get charged for the pleasure.  Holland and VeriFLY are not connected digitally so be aware you have to get/gather your information yourself. If all is in order VeriFLY can save you time.  All can be very frustrating and I found it took away from the experience.
The talks on the World Stage have been packed. But as mentioned they are great.

Bottle water is now ‘canned’ water. It is strange but it’s just the container.  The water is great however I have only tasted it once I pour it into a glass.  
After leaving Boston we stopped at Bar Harbor. It was a nice place. They had been celebrating a week of great weather.  Walking town was easy and the lobster rolls tasty.  
It has been lovely getting back to sailing and cruising. Those few years were long too long. I am so grateful for the opportunity to enjoy a Holland cruise once again.  
Red Bay was interesting however the weather started to turn on us and the bugs made it difficult.  They say it rains there every day.  Every day.  It was a tender port so it was a bit rough in the small boats but all was fine.  
The two days at sea were perfectly relaxing.  I do love my sea days.  
Since boarding we have moved the clocks forward 3 times.  For one hour then two 1/2 hours.  I think it effects the crew more than the passengers but can be a pain.  I am sure there are more time changes in our future. 
There are definitely cut backs throughout the ship and it’s processes.  While disappointing it is the ‘as is’ of life.  
I am one grateful passenger who is enjoying this with a joyful heart.

More later….

[cruzingnut]

30 minutes ago, princessdi said:

Hi!  I too am on the cruise and loving it.  As stated the crew has been awesome!  Very friendly and helpful.

I’ll speak a bit about masks.  They are well respected whether you decide to wear them or you don’t.  Everyone does what they are comfortable with.  I find for myself I wear mine out and about when moving through the ship.  Then when I sit down to eat or relax I take mine off.  All crew wear masks.  If I feel the place I am in or going to is too crowded I either distance or don’t attend.  

One point I would like to share.  If you are doing eMed testing and it is antigen you can only test 2 days before embarkation no earlier.  We had to redo the test in Boston because we believed 72 hours would work.  That is only for the PCR test.  If antigen only 2 days before.  
If you have to retest in Boston you will get charged for the pleasure.  Holland and VeriFLY are not connected digitally so be aware you have to get/gather your information yourself. If all is in order VeriFLY can save you time.  All can be very frustrating and I found it took away from the experience.
The talks on the World Stage have been packed. But as mentioned they are great.

Bottle water is now ‘canned’ water. It is strange but it’s just the container.  The water is great however I have only tasted it once I pour it into a glass.  
After leaving Boston we stopped at Bar Harbor. It was a nice place. They had been celebrating a week of great weather.  Walking town was easy and the lobster rolls tasty.  
It has been lovely getting back to sailing and cruising. Those few years were long too long. I am so grateful for the opportunity to enjoy a Holland cruise once again.  
Red Bay was interesting however the weather started to turn on us and the bugs made it difficult.  They say it rains there every day.  Every day.  It was a tender port so it was a bit rough in the small boats but all was fine.  
The two days at sea were perfectly relaxing.  I do love my sea days.  
Since boarding we have moved the clocks forward 3 times.  For one hour then two 1/2 hours.  I think it effects the crew more than the passengers but can be a pain.  I am sure there are more time changes in our future. 
There are definitely cut backs throughout the ship and it’s processes.  While disappointing it is the ‘as is’ of life.  
I am one grateful passenger who is enjoying this with a joyful heart.

More later….

 

Thanks for chiming in on this thread!  If you've never done this trip, you will LOVE it!.  Enjoy it all...even the rocking!  Like you said, it's part of the cruise experience.

 

Linda R.

[rkacruiser]

7 hours ago, Tbay said:

one man said he forgot his suitcase at home. Wore the same clothes for the entire cruise. Every day. Everywhere

 

I was on a cruise where this happened to a gentleman who boarded wearing a lime green suit.  He wore that throughout the cruise.  

[RiciRicardo]

Thanks for the blog, some great info on here.

 The VOV is one of my favorite cruises and I love Amsterdam. Many Dutch folks say that Rotterdam is nicer, LOL.

We sailed with Glenn Michael pre covid and he is a very special host.

Cheers 

R

 

[travelers07]

 

First sight of Greenland and icebergs! Beautiful morning after a bumpy night.

 

[rotjeknor]

6 hours ago, RiciRicardo said:

Thanks for the blog, some great info on here.

 The VOV is one of my favorite cruises and I love Amsterdam. Many Dutch folks say that Rotterdam is nicer, LOL.

We sailed with Glenn Michael pre covid and he is a very special host.

Cheers 

R

 

Luckily the ship has an overnight in Rotterdam, as it is much nicer than amsterdam 😉

[travelers07]

 

We have an iceberg between the ship and town. Captain opened the bow of the ship for viewing but I am out back now. No tendering yet but it is early.

 

Temperature is near 50 and not much wind so very pleasant. Love the beauty of this area!

 

[BetsyS.]

Thank you for the beautiful pictures!

[GeorgeCharlie]

TJR Cruises has an ongoing review of this cruise on their blog. July 2022 – Voyage of the Vikings – TJR Cruises (wordpress.com)

 

In addition, I did a review of our 2019 cruise, which visited most of your ports in Iceland and Greenland. 

 

The Iceland/Greenland section starts at post #74.

Edited July 15, 2022 by GeorgeCharlie

[princessdi]

Hi!  Today we tendered into Qaqortoq Greenland.  The ride wasn’t hard at all.  What was hard were the bugs.  Black flies and big mosquitoes. Much worse than at Red Bay.  I highly recommend getting the head netting if you can. They bugs are relentless.  We put tons of bug spray on before leaving the ship…really didn’t help much although it did help.  They were hungry for sure.  We did see one gentleman using the mesh bag that the bathrobe came in on his head.  Definitely going to find where I put mine.

Many large icebergs could be seen as we cruised into the harbor.  I find them so interesting and can’t wait to see more.
The bow of the ship was opened so we could go out there.  Great place to take pictures.

The town was nice.  Easy to walk. The church and fountain are a must see.  The bright colors of the homes were a delight. The carvings in the rocks were unique. Not sure what the wintertime is like here.  I would imagine cold and dark. 
Coming across the Labrador Sea last night was quite rocky, windy and cold.  We were rocking and rolling all night long. 

We have the internet and drink package. The internet mostly works with patience.  The drink package is great when you remember to order.  I am sure I will get better at that as the days go on. 
We cruise Prince Christian Sound tomorrow then a day at sea before hitting Iceland.  The icebergs should be amazing.
So far this cruise has been wonderful and I look forward to the days ahead….

[Cat in my lap]

We are enjoying cruise!  Lectures have been very informative- with great photos!  Entertainment is good - comedian last night was really funny, male singers were really good too!  One night it was the bbc movie of animals with live music- we did not see it.  

 

Food has been good in dining room and lido.  For gala night in dining room included  lobster and filet were perfectly cooked to order!  
 

tender operation is working well - very efficient!