Leaving and rejoining the cruise

[millybess]

We want to leave our cruise in Livorno and rejoin in Naples two days later. Has anyone here done this?  We will of course inform Viking of our plans, but are there any other procedures?  Any firsthand knowledge of Viking cooperating (or not) with this deviation?

[Jim Avery]

It can be done.  Some couples left a WC in Muscat and re joined in Jordan.  I believe they went to Dubai among other places while the ship sailed the Red Sea and visited Egypt.  They worked with the General Manager onboard but I am sure Viking Corporate had to be involved too.  Ask now.  The sooner the better to get all the many ducks in a row.  The countries involved also have a say in what you can do.  It can be done but not at the last minute.

[Haqdeluxe]

5 minutes ago, millybess said:

We want to leave our cruise in Livorno and rejoin in Naples two days later. Has anyone here done this?  We will of course inform Viking of our plans, but are there any other procedures?  Any firsthand knowledge of Viking cooperating (or not) with this deviation?

Not that this will happen to you and I'm not wishing it on your cruise... but on one of our Mediterranean cruises we (the ship) did skip Naples all together because of weather. Will be a good idea to have a alternative plan in your pocket as part of this. 😀

[millybess]

Just now, Haqdeluxe said:

Not that this will happen to you and I'm not wishing it on your cruise... but on one of our Mediterranean cruises we (the ship) did skip Naples all together because of weather. Will be a good idea to have a alternative plan in your pocket as part of this. 😀

That’s a good point.  Thanks. The next stop is Corfu after cruising the Ionian Sea. We’d miss a sea day! 😢

[millybess]

1 hour ago, Jim Avery said:

It can be done.  Some couples left a WC in Muscat and re joined in Jordan.  I believe they went to Dubai among other places while the ship sailed the Red Sea and visited Egypt.  They worked with the General Manager onboard but I am sure Viking Corporate had to be involved too.  Ask now.  The sooner the better to get all the many ducks in a row.  The countries involved also have a say in what you can do.  It can be done but not at the last minute.

Thanks much Jim. We will be on it when our TA returns from her vacation. Our hotel reservation in Sorrento has already been made. 

[chengkp75]

What is the itinerary before you get to Livorno?  Where does the cruise start?  There could be cabotage issues.

[millybess]

4 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

What is the itinerary before you get to Livorno?  Where does the cruise start?  There could be cabotage issues.

The cruise starts in Barcelona and the stop before Livorno is Monte Carlo. So we will be disembarking in Italy and reembarking in Italy. If the worst happens and the ship can’t make Naples, we would have to reembark in Corfu. So if it’s EU to EU?

[chengkp75]

21 minutes ago, millybess said:

The cruise starts in Barcelona and the stop before Livorno is Monte Carlo. So we will be disembarking in Italy and reembarking in Italy. If the worst happens and the ship can’t make Naples, we would have to reembark in Corfu. So if it’s EU to EU?

The problem would have been if the cruise started in Italy.  EU cabotage is tricky, as a non-EU flag ship can transport passengers from one port in an EU nation to another port in that same nation, if it calls at any other nation in between.  So, if your cruise had started in Rome, and you got off in Livorno, that would have been a domestic voyage in Italy, and restricted to EU flag ships (Norway is not an EU member nation, where the Viking Ocean ships are flagged).  Barcelona to Livorno is fine, and then getting back on in either Naples or Corfu is also fine, as you are proceeding to another country.

[molymoo]

I would also check your travel insurance to be sure you are covered while off the ship.

 

[Jersey42]

On 7/29/2022 at 8:13 AM, molymoo said:

I would also check your travel insurance to be sure you are covered while off the ship.

Unless you purchased Viking's insurance, you should be fine.  Assuming you met the purchase requirements (for possibly purchase date and trip amount) any third party policy that I have seen will cover you based on your stated trip dates.

 

Viking's plan will not cover things such as trip interruption and trip delay for the period you are on your own. If you bought their plan, definitely check on medical and medical evacuation coverage while off the ship.

[millybess]

So we were advised that leaving the cruise overnight is only possible on river cruises and the world cruise.  Has anyone had experience with this on an ocean cruise other than the World Cruise?  Thanks.

[Heidi13]

On 8/12/2022 at 1:50 PM, millybess said:

So we were advised that leaving the cruise overnight is only possible on river cruises and the world cruise.  Has anyone had experience with this on an ocean cruise other than the World Cruise?  Thanks.

 

Sorry, that's BS. With respect to leaving the ship overnight, a regular ocean cruise is no different to a world cruise. It is all to do with compliance with local requirements, especially Cabotage Laws.

 

I'll suggest, yet another un-informed response from the L/A office.

 

Probably best to make the arrangements with the staff onboard.

[ReturnCruiser]

We are on an upcoming Viking Sky cruise that will be in Venice for two nights and departing Venice on day 3, at 5pm. We prearranged with Viking corporate to spend the second night in Venice, at a hotel of our choosing. 

[millybess]

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Sorry, that's BS. With respect to leaving the ship overnight, a regular ocean cruise is no different to a world cruise. It is all to do with compliance with local requirements, especially Cabotage Laws.

 

I'll suggest, yet another un-informed response from the L/A office.

 

Probably best to make the arrangements with the staff onboard.

Thanks so much for this. We will do that and will report back here. I believe Jim Avery said earlier to also let the GM know. So with your advice, I guess that’s where we will start. Thanks again. 

[DrKoob]

We are doing just this off Viking Sky in September. We want to spend the two nights we are in Venice, in the city. We asked our TA to arrange it and it is all taken care of. We have permission from Viking as well as from the Italian government. We are responsible for getting off the ship and into Venice and getting back before they sail. With the ship having to dock well outside of Venice itself, we wanted to experience the city in the late evening and early morning. 

 

Have your TA call and set it up. It can be done. We were also told that we should immediately go to Guest Relations when we get on and verify that it is set up. We don't get to Venice until 8 days after we board so they would have plenty of time to get back to HQ for the permission or deal with any problem. 

 

They also really made a big deal of how we could NOT ask for any kind of refund for meals not eaten on board. That kind of cracked us up. We just aren't that cheap. 😜

Edited August 13, 2022 by DrKoob

[millybess]

4 minutes ago, DrKoob said:

We are doing just this off Viking Sea in September. We want to spend the two nights we are in Venice, in the city. We asked our TA to arrange it and it is all taken care of. We have permission from Viking as well as from the Italian government. We are responsible for getting off the ship and into Venice and getting back before they sail. With the ship having to dock well outside of Venice itself, we wanted to experience the city in the late evening and early morning. 

 

Have your TA call and set it up. It can be done. We were also told that we should immediately go to Guest Relations when we get on and verify that it is set up. We don't get to Venice until 8 days after we board so they would have plenty of time to get back to HQ for the permission or deal with any problem. 

 

They also really made a big deal of how we could NOT ask for any kind of refund for meals not eaten on board. That kind of cracked us up. We just aren't that cheap. 😜

Thanks DrKoob. Our very excellent TA talked to 3 different people at V and they all said it couldn’t be done. I think the only way forward is to talk to the GM once we board.  I appreciate you telling me about your experience. My feeling now is that it is something “corporate” does not want to be responsible for and that in the end it would be up to the GM anyway. 

[DrKoob]

1 hour ago, millybess said:

Thanks DrKoob. Our very excellent TA talked to 3 different people at V and they all said it couldn’t be done. I think the only way forward is to talk to the GM once we board.  I appreciate you telling me about your experience. My feeling now is that it is something “corporate” does not want to be responsible for and that in the end it would be up to the GM anyway. 

It may be the fact that you want to meet them in another port while we are only going to be off the ship while they are in port. Could be?

 

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, millybess said:

Thanks DrKoob. Our very excellent TA talked to 3 different people at V and they all said it couldn’t be done. I think the only way forward is to talk to the GM once we board.  I appreciate you telling me about your experience. My feeling now is that it is something “corporate” does not want to be responsible for and that in the end it would be up to the GM anyway. 

 

May I suggest that when dealing with Viking, the Corporate office is in Basle and they are very experienced and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, on a day-to-day basis, we have to deal with the many incompetents that work in the L/A office.

 

Having a chat with the Customer Service Manager will probably get everything resolved once you get onboard. Assuming your plans don't contravene EU or National cabotage regulations. 

[Twitchly]

2 hours ago, DrKoob said:

With the ship having to dock well outside of Venice itself, we wanted to experience the city in the late evening and early morning. 

Excellent plan. Venice is absolutely magical at night. We spent a few December nights there long ago … it was like living in a dream. Unforgettable. 

[molymoo]

12 hours ago, DrKoob said:

hey also really made a big deal of how we could NOT ask for any kind of refund for meals not eaten on board. That kind of cracked us up. We just aren't that cheap. 😜

Oh you can bet some people are!

[millybess]

Just as a follow-up for anyone interested in this subject, our TA arranged for permission to leave the ship for 2 days with the Port Operations Manager for Viking.  So all is good!