Onboard Neptune now - British Isles Explorer

[Krazy4Kruisin']

4 minutes ago, deec said:

Even a 24 hour cancellation is not helpful as last minute cancellations might happen due to weather!

I have occasionally found tour operators who will let you cancel if weather related.

I would hope that ALL would allow cancelations if weather related. Otherwise, that's not good business. When I am booking private tours, I have been asking that question to be sure.

[Moonlion]

Since we independently extended our stay in Norway, we just got back home this week.  Oh my, it’s such a drag to have to go back to work, cook our meals, clean up after ourselves… my “head” is still back on the Viking Neptune, so I thought I would sum up our experiences.

 

Overall, we had a fabulous time on this cruise and would not hesitate to book another Viking cruise.  In fact, we’re booked on the Viking South America & Chilian Fjords cruise next February which we’re really looking forward to!  Was the cruise perfect?  Absolutely not… but in all our years of travel, land or sea, for work or pleasure, we've never experienced 100% perfection on a trip, not even on expensive, supposedly “luxury” trips.  I think it helps to do our research beforehand and learn from other travelers what to expect, both the good and the not so good.  We go in expecting that there will be a few glitches along the way and, unless major, try not to let it dampen our enjoyment.

 

So, what did we like about this cruise?

 

In our experience, the crew and service on the Neptune were over-the-top outstanding. They were without exception friendly, attentive, went out of their way to be helpful, and quickly learned what were our “likes” (for us, classic real-lime-juice margaritas which the bar staff made perfectly).  We never encountered any staff who were dismissive or in the slightest rude to us.

 

The itinerary of the British Isles Explorer cruise is excellent! It’s a busy – you could say exhausting – itinerary (12 port stops and only one sea day in a 14-night cruise) but we experienced so many different cities, countries, and a lot of beautiful scenery in the UK. It helped that we booked some excellent excursions on the cruise.

 

We loved the quiet, relaxed, subdued environment with only 900 or so other passengers on board and the ship's understated but beautiful décor.  The spa is also a wonderful experience and doesn’t cost extra.  Our cabin was fine and glad we had the balcony.  Although the ship was full, it didn't feel crowded and we could always find peaceful spots to sit and relax (just avoid the Explorer’s Lounge an hour or two before dinner service starts).

 

We really enjoyed the enrichment lectures on the history, culture and wildlife of the region, and the onboard historian was excellent.  We were also very happy with the musical entertainment on board – in fact, we thought that most of the musicians were really good!  The lack of Broadway show-quality entertainment was not an issue for us.

 

The weather in May was great! Despite threats of rain, we had lovely weather throughout the cruise other than a couple of afternoons of light rain.  Temps were in the low to high 60s (F) so we didn’t need all the cold-weather gear we packed.  Even in Bergen which is known for clouds and rain, we had sunshine and warm weather when we visited.  The seas were remarkably calm, like being on a river cruise.  We didn’t miss any ports even in the Shetland and Orkney Islands which are often missed due to winds and rough seas.  We occasionally felt some very gentle rocking motion on the ship, but I didn’t need any seasickness remedies (and I’m very prone to seasickness).  

 

More than 80% of our meals in The Restaurant and Specialty Restaurants were good to excellent and a few dishes were outstanding. However, there were some notable disappointments as mentioned below.  We didn’t book any specialty restaurants before the cruise because we like to see the menus first, especially the Chef’s Table since we like some of their menus but not others.  As soon as we boarded, we went straight to the reservations desk by Manfredi’s to view the CT menus and had no problem whatsoever booking reservations at CT and Manfedi’s, and at the times we wanted. We did note that a couple of days later, the prime timeslots (6-8 PM) at Manfredi’s were booked up.   

 

For us, the Silver Spring Beverage Package was reasonably priced, and we took advantage of the premium wine list along with enjoying a pre- or post-dinner cocktail.  Admittedly not wine connoisseurs, we found 2-3 white and 3-4 red wines that we liked.

 

We found Viking to be well-organized and efficient when it came to embarkation, getting people on tours, tendering, shuttles, disembarkation, etc.

 

We met several lovely fellow passengers on the cruise.

 

What could be improved?

 

Overall, we found that the Viking included shore excursions were limited, not very inspiring and could use some improvement.  Although a couple of the included excursions were excellent (Canterbury) or good (Greenwich), most were “just OK” in our opinion, some just a 2-to-3-hour bus tour with a few brief photo stops.  We would have been disappointed if we had only gone on the included excursions. The Viking optional excursions we took were better, but I thought overpriced for what we got.  Perhaps we were spoiled by the independent tours we booked, all excellent-to-outstanding in quality, and about half the price of the Viking optional excursions.

 

Since most of our meals at dinner were very good and at times excellent, we don’t have major complaints about the food.  However, there was a notable lack of consistency in the quality of some dishes even when DH and I ordered the same item on the same night in the same venue.  Seafood was usually good, but steaks and beef were at times thinly cut, overcooked and tough or fatty.  It seems that Viking could tighten up on the quality control of food preparation in the restaurants.           

Our independent extension in Bergen and Oslo including the scenic train was fantastic.  I’ll post separately about our train experience.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

[LewiLewi]

8 hours ago, Moonlion said:

Since we independently extended our stay in Norway, we just got back home this week.  Oh my, it’s such a drag to have to go back to work, cook our meals, clean up after ourselves… my “head” is still back on the Viking Neptune, so I thought I would sum up our experiences.

 

Overall, we had a fabulous time on this cruise and would not hesitate to book another Viking cruise.  In fact, we’re booked on the Viking South America & Chilian Fjords cruise next February which we’re really looking forward to!  Was the cruise perfect?  Absolutely not… but in all our years of travel, land or sea, for work or pleasure, we've never experienced 100% perfection on a trip, not even on expensive, supposedly “luxury” trips.  I think it helps to do our research beforehand and learn from other travelers what to expect, both the good and the not so good.  We go in expecting that there will be a few glitches along the way and, unless major, try not to let it dampen our enjoyment.

 

So, what did we like about this cruise?

 

In our experience, the crew and service on the Neptune were over-the-top outstanding. They were without exception friendly, attentive, went out of their way to be helpful, and quickly learned what were our “likes” (for us, classic real-lime-juice margaritas which the bar staff made perfectly).  We never encountered any staff who were dismissive or in the slightest rude to us.

 

The itinerary of the British Isles Explorer cruise is excellent! It’s a busy – you could say exhausting – itinerary (12 port stops and only one sea day in a 14-night cruise) but we experienced so many different cities, countries, and a lot of beautiful scenery in the UK. It helped that we booked some excellent excursions on the cruise.

 

We loved the quiet, relaxed, subdued environment with only 900 or so other passengers on board and the ship's understated but beautiful décor.  The spa is also a wonderful experience and doesn’t cost extra.  Our cabin was fine and glad we had the balcony.  Although the ship was full, it didn't feel crowded and we could always find peaceful spots to sit and relax (just avoid the Explorer’s Lounge an hour or two before dinner service starts).

 

We really enjoyed the enrichment lectures on the history, culture and wildlife of the region, and the onboard historian was excellent.  We were also very happy with the musical entertainment on board – in fact, we thought that most of the musicians were really good!  The lack of Broadway show-quality entertainment was not an issue for us.

 

The weather in May was great! Despite threats of rain, we had lovely weather throughout the cruise other than a couple of afternoons of light rain.  Temps were in the low to high 60s (F) so we didn’t need all the cold-weather gear we packed.  Even in Bergen which is known for clouds and rain, we had sunshine and warm weather when we visited.  The seas were remarkably calm, like being on a river cruise.  We didn’t miss any ports even in the Shetland and Orkney Islands which are often missed due to winds and rough seas.  We occasionally felt some very gentle rocking motion on the ship, but I didn’t need any seasickness remedies (and I’m very prone to seasickness).  

 

More than 80% of our meals in The Restaurant and Specialty Restaurants were good to excellent and a few dishes were outstanding. However, there were some notable disappointments as mentioned below.  We didn’t book any specialty restaurants before the cruise because we like to see the menus first, especially the Chef’s Table since we like some of their menus but not others.  As soon as we boarded, we went straight to the reservations desk by Manfredi’s to view the CT menus and had no problem whatsoever booking reservations at CT and Manfedi’s, and at the times we wanted. We did note that a couple of days later, the prime timeslots (6-8 PM) at Manfredi’s were booked up.   

 

For us, the Silver Spring Beverage Package was reasonably priced, and we took advantage of the premium wine list along with enjoying a pre- or post-dinner cocktail.  Admittedly not wine connoisseurs, we found 2-3 white and 3-4 red wines that we liked.

 

We found Viking to be well-organized and efficient when it came to embarkation, getting people on tours, tendering, shuttles, disembarkation, etc.

 

We met several lovely fellow passengers on the cruise.

 

What could be improved?

 

Overall, we found that the Viking included shore excursions were limited, not very inspiring and could use some improvement.  Although a couple of the included excursions were excellent (Canterbury) or good (Greenwich), most were “just OK” in our opinion, some just a 2-to-3-hour bus tour with a few brief photo stops.  We would have been disappointed if we had only gone on the included excursions. The Viking optional excursions we took were better, but I thought overpriced for what we got.  Perhaps we were spoiled by the independent tours we booked, all excellent-to-outstanding in quality, and about half the price of the Viking optional excursions.

 

Since most of our meals at dinner were very good and at times excellent, we don’t have major complaints about the food.  However, there was a notable lack of consistency in the quality of some dishes even when DH and I ordered the same item on the same night in the same venue.  Seafood was usually good, but steaks and beef were at times thinly cut, overcooked and tough or fatty.  It seems that Viking could tighten up on the quality control of food preparation in the restaurants.           

Our independent extension in Bergen and Oslo including the scenic train was fantastic.  I’ll post separately about our train experience.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

We’re you aware of any singles activities on board for solo traveler’s? We’re there any opportunities for shared tables or solo traveler’s get togethers?

[Moonlion]

1 hour ago, LewiLewi said:

We’re you aware of any singles activities on board for solo traveler’s? We’re there any opportunities for shared tables or solo traveler’s get togethers?

Hi LewiLewi,

We met and chatted with a couple of solo travelers in the Explorer's Lounge or on excursions.  They seemed to be enjoying themselves and happy with the cruise.  Can't comment on shared tables since DH and I were always seated at tables for two by the hostesses at dinner.  We did note many larger tables especially in the Restaurant but not aware of the seating arrangements (individuals or couples wanting to meet fellow passengers or larger groups traveling together). 

 

Viking sponsored two events for solo travelers ("Solo Traveler Get Together") at 5:30 PM in the upper level of the Explorer's Lounge on Days 3 and 10 of cruise, which were listed in the Viking Daily.  We weren't in the Explorer's Lounge during these times so can't reported on how well-attended the events were.   

 

Keeping in mind the demographics of most Viking passengers (mostly people in their 60s to 80s), the atmosphere on Viking ships is generally quiet and subdued. However, I would assume that the Explorer's Lounge in the late afternoons before dinner service starts would be a good place and time to meet other passengers.  It seemed relatively lively and busy to us at those times.  The 4 PM Afternoon Tea would be another good venue to meet other passengers.  I went by myself one afternoon (DH was taking a nap) and was seated with other groups.  Also, we went to Torshavn on a couple of evenings and it was very lively and fun with a lot of people dancing.  Hopefully, others on this forum can comment on solo traveler experiences on Viking cruises.

[deec]

13 hours ago, Moonlion said:

Since we independently extended our stay in Norway, we just got back home this week.  Oh my, it’s such a drag to have to go back to work, cook our meals, clean up after ourselves… my “head” is still back on the Viking Neptune, so I thought I would sum up our experiences.

 

Overall, we had a fabulous time on this cruise and would not hesitate to book another Viking cruise.  In fact, we’re booked on the Viking South America & Chilian Fjords cruise next February which we’re really looking forward to!  Was the cruise perfect?  Absolutely not… but in all our years of travel, land or sea, for work or pleasure, we've never experienced 100% perfection on a trip, not even on expensive, supposedly “luxury” trips.  I think it helps to do our research beforehand and learn from other travelers what to expect, both the good and the not so good.  We go in expecting that there will be a few glitches along the way and, unless major, try not to let it dampen our enjoyment.

 

So, what did we like about this cruise?

 

In our experience, the crew and service on the Neptune were over-the-top outstanding. They were without exception friendly, attentive, went out of their way to be helpful, and quickly learned what were our “likes” (for us, classic real-lime-juice margaritas which the bar staff made perfectly).  We never encountered any staff who were dismissive or in the slightest rude to us.

 

The itinerary of the British Isles Explorer cruise is excellent! It’s a busy – you could say exhausting – itinerary (12 port stops and only one sea day in a 14-night cruise) but we experienced so many different cities, countries, and a lot of beautiful scenery in the UK. It helped that we booked some excellent excursions on the cruise.

 

We loved the quiet, relaxed, subdued environment with only 900 or so other passengers on board and the ship's understated but beautiful décor.  The spa is also a wonderful experience and doesn’t cost extra.  Our cabin was fine and glad we had the balcony.  Although the ship was full, it didn't feel crowded and we could always find peaceful spots to sit and relax (just avoid the Explorer’s Lounge an hour or two before dinner service starts).

 

We really enjoyed the enrichment lectures on the history, culture and wildlife of the region, and the onboard historian was excellent.  We were also very happy with the musical entertainment on board – in fact, we thought that most of the musicians were really good!  The lack of Broadway show-quality entertainment was not an issue for us.

 

The weather in May was great! Despite threats of rain, we had lovely weather throughout the cruise other than a couple of afternoons of light rain.  Temps were in the low to high 60s (F) so we didn’t need all the cold-weather gear we packed.  Even in Bergen which is known for clouds and rain, we had sunshine and warm weather when we visited.  The seas were remarkably calm, like being on a river cruise.  We didn’t miss any ports even in the Shetland and Orkney Islands which are often missed due to winds and rough seas.  We occasionally felt some very gentle rocking motion on the ship, but I didn’t need any seasickness remedies (and I’m very prone to seasickness).  

 

More than 80% of our meals in The Restaurant and Specialty Restaurants were good to excellent and a few dishes were outstanding. However, there were some notable disappointments as mentioned below.  We didn’t book any specialty restaurants before the cruise because we like to see the menus first, especially the Chef’s Table since we like some of their menus but not others.  As soon as we boarded, we went straight to the reservations desk by Manfredi’s to view the CT menus and had no problem whatsoever booking reservations at CT and Manfedi’s, and at the times we wanted. We did note that a couple of days later, the prime timeslots (6-8 PM) at Manfredi’s were booked up.   

 

For us, the Silver Spring Beverage Package was reasonably priced, and we took advantage of the premium wine list along with enjoying a pre- or post-dinner cocktail.  Admittedly not wine connoisseurs, we found 2-3 white and 3-4 red wines that we liked.

 

We found Viking to be well-organized and efficient when it came to embarkation, getting people on tours, tendering, shuttles, disembarkation, etc.

 

We met several lovely fellow passengers on the cruise.

 

What could be improved?

 

Overall, we found that the Viking included shore excursions were limited, not very inspiring and could use some improvement.  Although a couple of the included excursions were excellent (Canterbury) or good (Greenwich), most were “just OK” in our opinion, some just a 2-to-3-hour bus tour with a few brief photo stops.  We would have been disappointed if we had only gone on the included excursions. The Viking optional excursions we took were better, but I thought overpriced for what we got.  Perhaps we were spoiled by the independent tours we booked, all excellent-to-outstanding in quality, and about half the price of the Viking optional excursions.

 

Since most of our meals at dinner were very good and at times excellent, we don’t have major complaints about the food.  However, there was a notable lack of consistency in the quality of some dishes even when DH and I ordered the same item on the same night in the same venue.  Seafood was usually good, but steaks and beef were at times thinly cut, overcooked and tough or fatty.  It seems that Viking could tighten up on the quality control of food preparation in the restaurants.           

Our independent extension in Bergen and Oslo including the scenic train was fantastic.  I’ll post separately about our train experience.

 

Happy to answer any questions

Moon Lion....do you have a list/contact that you could easily post about your Independent Tours and the optional Viking's that you most enjoyed.    Although this is our first trip to the British Isle, we would prefer not to the "Panorama" bus tours.  We find that Viking's included "walking" tours are usually very good.

[Jim Avery]

43 minutes ago, deec said:

Moon Lion....do you have a list/contact that you could easily post about your Independent Tours and the optional Viking's that you most enjoyed.    Although this is our first trip to the British Isle, we would prefer not to the "Panorama" bus tours.  We find that Viking's included "walking" tours are usually very good.

the Magical Mystery Tour bus ride in Liverpool was fun but we are with yall on the "Panoramic" tours.  Would rather do walkabout by ourselves.

[Moonlion]

3 hours ago, deec said:

Moon Lion....do you have a list/contact that you could easily post about your Independent Tours and the optional Viking's that you most enjoyed.    Although this is our first trip to the British Isle, we would prefer not to the "Panorama" bus tours.  We find that Viking's included "walking" tours are usually very good.

Hi deec,

We booked 5 independent excursions (all excellent to outstanding in our opinion) and did Edinburgh completely on our own (no Viking or independent tours - booked a tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia and then walked down the Royal Mile).

 

Here are the independent tours that we booked, mostly through TripAdvisor but you can book directly with the tour operator (see my post #123 on why we booked via TripAdvisor):

 

Holyhead: Busy Bus Tours: Sightseeing Day Tour to North Wales from Holyhead Cruise Terminal; www.busybus.co.uk/north-wales-trip-from-holyhead/; this tour is also available through TripAdvisor. Note: there were only 8 of us on this tour in May, all Neptune passengers, but could be larger groups in high season.

 

Liverpool: Mad Day Out Beatles Taxi Tours (with Ian Doyle); https://mad-dayouttaxitours.co.uk/; can book through TripAdvisor.  The price is per cab (up to 6 persons), not per person.  This tour was outstanding!  You need to book months in advance since he sells out fast. 

 

Belfast: Odyssey Coach Tours – Shore Excursion: Giants Causeway Tour (Small Group)

https://odysseycoachtours.co.uk/giants_causeway_tour/shore-excursion-giants-causeway-tour-small-group/; can book through TripAdvisor. Note: there were only 10 of us on this tour in May, all Neptune passengers, but again could be a larger group in high season. 

 

Orkneys: Craigie’s Taxi, LTD  http://www.craigiestaxis.co.uk/; Note: the cab drivers are not official tour guides but they know the islands well and will take you to wherever you want to go (£50 per hour for up to 4 passengers in a car; you can pay by cash or credit card after the tour is completed); see my post on the Orkneys for the sites we visited. 

 

Invergordon: Thistle Excursions https://www.thistleexcursions.co.uk/; can book through TripAdvisor (Tour 2: Cawdor Castle, Inverness, Culloden Battlefield and Loch Ness).  Note: there were only 6 of us on this tour in May, all Neptune passengers, but again could be a larger group in high season.

 

We took two Viking optional excursions ("Scenic Assynt" in Ullapool and "Walking the Nature Trails of Mousa Island" in the Shetlands).  However, to be honest, I can't wholeheartedly recommend either of these (see my posts above).  Other passengers we met on the cruise took the "Ancient Civilizations" optional excursion in the Shetlands and all said it was great. 

 

We took 5 included Viking excursions and can recommend Historic Canterbury in Dover and Royal Greenwich by Foot (Greenwich of course) - both are walking tours. The rest (City Views of Dublin, Shetland Panorama & Ponies, and Panoramic Bergen) were "just OK" in my opinion, and are pretty much bus tours. 

 

Hope this helps.

Edited June 2, 2023 by Moonlion

[deec]

Thank you so very much for taking the time to do this for me!

[SteelCity Cruiser]

21 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

We’re you aware of any singles activities on board for solo traveler’s? We’re there any opportunities for shared tables or solo traveler’s get togethers?

We've met several single travelers on our prior cruises in addition to making new friends on virtually every cruise we've done with Viking.  Excursions is one way to meet and get to know others.  Pre-dinner cocktails is another.  And we've had a wonderful time at The Restaurant when offered a shared table - when you get to the restaurant, let the maitre'd know you'd be willing to share - they will ask folks coming in if they'd be willing to share with you.  Done that a few times and have had wonderful dining companions!  I would say: don't be afraid to strike up conversations with others.  One of the joys of cruising is meeting new people and I've found most passengers on Viking cruises are more than willing to share in good conversation, a beverage or meal with new people.

 

[Peregrina651]

6 hours ago, SteelCity Cruiser said:

One of the joys of cruising is meeting new people and I've found most passengers on Viking cruises are more than willing to share in good conversation, a beverage or meal with new people.

 

Another tip is to get involved in the roll call for your sailing. If you are lucky enough to have an active roll call, you may get to know some of your fellow guests in advance of sailing.

 

15 hours ago, deec said:

Thank you so very much for taking the time to do this for me!

 

Ditto the thanks. I've already copied and pasted the information into my notes for next May.

[PRH]

We had lots of OBC to use, so we did a number of Viking optional tours.  We tended to take the included tours in the morning and optional in the afternoon.  Take train from the airport into Oslo- super convenient, cheap and frequent.  We did go into Oslo early so we went to the Flam and Kontiki museums and the HOHO bus.  Then the train to Flam, overnight in Flam, the ferry to Gud through the fjords (incredible!!!), then train to Bergen.  Lots of skiers on the train in mid April and we went through a whiteout snow storm along the way!  We stayed in the Bergen Thon Orion for one night and walked to the ship.  Taxis and Uber available between train station and hotel.  We were there for One Ocean week and got to see the arrival of the Norwegian exploration ship and the King from our ship.  Loved Bergen.  Ate at “the Unicorn” (don’t ask me how to spell it In Norwegian) for an inexpensive and excellent dinner.  Yellow building with a unicorn horn on the front.

The next we did the panoramic Bergen which was fine.  Then did the “Charms of Nordnes” which was a walking tour.  Also fine but not outstanding.  It was the first time it was offered so a few missteps but we enjoyed going into the fish market, etc.

 

Shetlands we did the panoramic which included Carol’s ponies.  We had an excellent guide and this was a great tour.  In the afternoon, we did “Ancient Civilizations” which was also an excellent tour.  Went out to Jarlshof (500 BC!).  You have to cross the airport runway to get there which was an experience!

 

Invergorden we took the included “tour” to Inverness.  Essentially they drop you off near the Cathedral and you have 2 hours to walk around.  Inverness is worth seeing if you haven’t been.  We took the Portmahomack tour in the afternoon.  Interesting to see the ancient stones, to see more of the area and visit a church with foundations dating back to BC.  It was a beautiful day so spending it seeing the lovely countryside was great.

 

in Orkney, we took “Stone Age Orkney” which was great.  Impressive guide.  Saw WW11 RAF areas, the countryside and the stone rings.

 

in Ullapool we took the “Inverwe Garden” tour.  Terrible guide but absolutely amazing gardens.  Essentially you are taken to the gardens and given several hours to wander.  Loved it!  The ship is very nice too with local items.  Well worth taking!  Besides, the trip there introduces you to the very varied landscape of this part of the world.

 

Liverpool included tour was very nice.  We really enjoyed it, especially the park.  In the afternoon, we took the “Maritime Walk” tour which was very good, albeit a little slow because some were slow walkers.  But a very nice tour nonetheless.  The city was preparing for EuroVision so things were a little crazy.  Our guide used to go to the Cavern Club pre-Beatles so she had lots of stories.  Liverpool is well worth spending time wandering!  Probably our favorite port.

 

on Holyhead, we did the morning “Scenic Anglesey.”  Nice one—there is a stop at the town with the longest name at a huge market.  But your scones from the little produce shop outside—cheaper and much fresher than those inside.  The orange flavored gin is outstanding.  Then “BeauMaris on Foot” which included an excellent afternoon tea.  Lovely little town and amazing castle.

 

in Dover, we did “Britain at War.”  Amazing tour!  Highly recommend if you have any WW11 interest.  (We’ve already been to Canterbury, btw.). Delicious pub lunch included.

 

The big exception was Belfast where we used Tours-by-Locals, Frank, in Belfast for a historical & political small tour.  Frank lived during the troubles and after all the turmoil and personal experiences, he tries to give a balanced view—the true danger when good movements go terribly wrong and bad people are allowed to get into power.  It was a powerful tour of neighborhoods, the various political wall paintings (including the peace wall), and seeing schools and hospitals surrounded by high walls and razor wire—still.  There are 22 miles of wall still in Belfast from 22’ to 45’ high!  Because we were in his small Mercedes van (he picked us up at the ship), we were able to go through alleyways and see things the big buses cannot get you near.  We had our 23 year old nephew with us and he said afterward how much this tour affected him—making him think deeply about how fragile democracy and peace truly are.  The movie “Belfast” used pictures from Frank’s neighborhood and he and his childhood friends.  See the movie before you go!  Then took the panoramic Belfast that afternoon—it was certainly very pale compared to the morning!  

took “iconic London” included tour.  Amazing to be in London right before the coronation.  Everything was spiffed up and we got to stand at Buckingham Palace gates at guard change.  It was a good overall tour of London with two stops.

 

This was a great cruise!  Our 4th attempt due to Covid.  Questions?  Ask away.  Dee—we met you on the transatlantic last year at the first deck bar……

[PRH]

Here are a few photos from the trip.

[Peregrina651]

Great pictures! Thank you! It just makes me wish that next May would come even faster than it is!

[Cathyvee]

On 6/2/2023 at 12:15 PM, Moonlion said:

Hi deec,

We booked 5 independent excursions (all excellent to outstanding in our opinion) and did Edinburgh completely on our own (no Viking or independent tours - booked a tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia and then walked down the Royal Mile).

 

Here are the independent tours that we booked, mostly through TripAdvisor but you can book directly with the tour operator (see my post #123 on why we booked via TripAdvisor):

 

Holyhead: Busy Bus Tours: Sightseeing Day Tour to North Wales from Holyhead Cruise Terminal; www.busybus.co.uk/north-wales-trip-from-holyhead/; this tour is also available through TripAdvisor. Note: there were only 8 of us on this tour in May, all Neptune passengers, but could be larger groups in high season.

 

Liverpool: Mad Day Out Beatles Taxi Tours (with Ian Doyle); https://mad-dayouttaxitours.co.uk/; can book through TripAdvisor.  The price is per cab (up to 6 persons), not per person.  This tour was outstanding!  You need to book months in advance since he sells out fast. 

 

Belfast: Odyssey Coach Tours – Shore Excursion: Giants Causeway Tour (Small Group)

https://odysseycoachtours.co.uk/giants_causeway_tour/shore-excursion-giants-causeway-tour-small-group/; can book through TripAdvisor. Note: there were only 10 of us on this tour in May, all Neptune passengers, but again could be a larger group in high season. 

 

Orkneys: Craigie’s Taxi, LTD  http://www.craigiestaxis.co.uk/; Note: the cab drivers are not official tour guides but they know the islands well and will take you to wherever you want to go (£50 per hour for up to 4 passengers in a car; you can pay by cash or credit card after the tour is completed); see my post on the Orkneys for the sites we visited. 

 

Invergordon: Thistle Excursions https://www.thistleexcursions.co.uk/; can book through TripAdvisor (Tour 2: Cawdor Castle, Inverness, Culloden Battlefield and Loch Ness).  Note: there were only 6 of us on this tour in May, all Neptune passengers, but again could be a larger group in high season.

 

We took two Viking optional excursions ("Scenic Assynt" in Ullapool and "Walking the Nature Trails of Mousa Island" in the Shetlands).  However, to be honest, I can't wholeheartedly recommend either of these (see my posts above).  Other passengers we met on the cruise took the "Ancient Civilizations" optional excursion in the Shetlands and all said it was great. 

 

We took 5 included Viking excursions and can recommend Historic Canterbury in Dover and Royal Greenwich by Foot (Greenwich of course) - both are walking tours. The rest (City Views of Dublin, Shetland Panorama & Ponies, and Panoramic Bergen) were "just OK" in my opinion, and are pretty much bus tours. 

 

Hope this helps.

Were your independent tours smaller groups than what Viking tends to get? On our recent Iconic Med, we got weary of the 30+ on the tours. Hopefully, independent tours = smaller groups?

[Moonlion]

Just now, Cathyvee said:

Were your independent tours smaller groups than what Viking tends to get? On our recent Iconic Med, we got weary of the 30+ on the tours. Hopefully, independent tours = smaller groups?

Yes, all of our independent tours ranged from 4 to 10 passengers at most. However, you will need to check carefully with the tour operators for the number of passengers expected on your tour   We went in May and the numbers could be higher in peak season.  All of the Viking included and optional excursions we took were more than 30 passengers and some close to 50. Others have reported that some of the Viking optional excursions may have as few as 10 passengers but this wasn't our experience unfortunately. 

[Cathyvee]

5 minutes ago, Moonlion said:

Yes, all of our independent tours ranged from 4 to 10 passengers at most. However, you will need to check carefully with the tour operators for the number of passengers expected on your tour   We went in May and the numbers could be higher in peak season.  All of the Viking included and optional excursions we took were more than 30 passengers and some close to 50. Others have reported that some of the Viking optional excursions may have as few as 10 passengers but this wasn't our experience unfortunately. 

Thank you. Way too many people on the Viking tours - especially the included ones.

 

[Moonlion]

54 minutes ago, Cathyvee said:

Thank you. Way too many people on the Viking tours - especially the included ones.

 

I don't think Viking has much choice. With 900+ passengers on board - most choosing included or optional excursions offered by Viking - the best they can do is to offer excursions with 35+ people. There are just so many tour operators they can find at a price that people are willing to pay.   Most Viking passengers seem reluctant to book independent excursions - either because they fear they may miss the sail away if the tour doesn't return on time or they don't want to go through the hassle of researching independent tours. If the majority of Viking passengers started to book independent tours, the prices would sky rocket and/or the number of passenger on these independent tours would substantially increase. For those of us willing to take the "risk" of going on independent excursions, we reap the benefits of low prices and fewer passengers. It's simple supply and demand. 

[Cathyvee]

1 hour ago, Moonlion said:

I don't think Viking has much choice. With 900+ passengers on board - most choosing included or optional excursions offered by Viking - the best they can do is to offer excursions with 35+ people. There are just so many tour operators they can find at a price that people are willing to pay.   Most Viking passengers seem reluctant to book independent excursions - either because they fear they may miss the sail away if the tour doesn't return on time or they don't want to go through the hassle of researching independent tours. If the majority of Viking passengers started to book independent tours, the prices would sky rocket and/or the number of passenger on these independent tours would substantially increase. For those of us willing to take the "risk" of going on independent excursions, we reap the benefits of low prices and fewer passengers. It's simple supply and demand. 

 

Makes sense. I am not blaming Viking. It's just we have this British cruise tacked on to a 121 day world cruise. I have followed 3 people who just got off the 2022-2023 and I get the idea that people get tired of the overcrowded tours for a multitude of reasons. 

[Moonlion]

35 minutes ago, Cathyvee said:

 

Makes sense. I am not blaming Viking. It's just we have this British cruise tacked on to a 121 day world cruise. I have followed 3 people who just got off the 2022-2023 and I get the idea that people get tired of the overcrowded tours for a multitude of reasons. 

Lucky you to go on a WC next year!  Please keep us posted.

 

I too kept up with some of the '22-23 World Cruise bloggers and got the same sense.  At first, they went with the Viking excursions and then got tired of following the "red lollipop" around with 35+ other passengers.  Many started to book private excursions or just explored places on their own. I completely understand that. 

 

 

[katreinmuth]

On 5/15/2023 at 2:35 PM, CCWineLover said:

Moonlion - sure love your wonderful attitude about everything. You are going to really enjoy your whole cruise - i can tell that!  Wish more were like you.

 

Interesting regarding The Restaurant.  DW and I have speculated on this phenomena.  As has been said before, every cruise and itinerary is very different in passenger behavior.  There often are no common practices.  We've had Viking cruises where Manfredi's was so popular you could barely get in, and CT was begging for people.  Then the next cruise it was just the opposite.  We've seen lines for washing machines early in the morning on some cruises, and then nobody there early on others.  Who can say?

 

On our 2 cruise out of Florida however (Ft Lauderdale), we did note the common thread was this habit of lining up really early for the World Cafe and The Restaurant for dinners.  Like up to 30 minutes early.  In the WC, people would go in (even while they were still setting up) and sit down at the tables waiting.  Such an odd thing.  Speculated that perhaps lots of Floridians are used to going to dinner and the buffets early and it is just part of their habit to wait in line for dinner. 🙂

 

We've had other cruises where we could walk up at 6:00 the Restaurant and be immediately seated!  It's a crap shoot!  Once a certain behavior pattern is observed on a particular cruise, it seems people, as it the case in human behavior, experience that FOMO feeling (Fear of Missing Out) and rush to line up (whether it is for food, drinks, washing machine, excursions, etc).  We've even seen people pack the Star Theatre 45 minutes before showtime.  

Isn't human behavior interesting?

Love your comments about people lining up especially in Florida.  I lived there when I was in highschool and into my  late 20s.  My husband & I saw linning up at popular restaurants at 4:30pm and we vowed we would never be like this when we got into our 70's+  Well, here I am in my 70's and I still will keep the same vow!  However, I don't want to sit down to eat at 9pm either.  Ha! Ha!

[SteelCity Cruiser]

Just FYI:  We are currently on the Oslo/Bergen with Scenic Train pre-extension for the June 10 BIE.  We arrived in Oslo around 6 pm last night and checked into the Clarion, The Hub hotel (very nice but very small rooms.  The breakfast buffet is astounding!)  and the itinerary we've given is:

Today: 10-1 Viking provided sightseeing tour of Oslo.  Do not know what sights we'll be visiting yet.

Luggage outside the room by 9 pm tonight

Tomorrow 6/8:  Meet in lobby at 11 am to walk to train station (which is across the street) for the 12:03 train departure.  We've been assigned Car 2, seats 7 & 8 which I think are forward facing thank goodness..    Arrive Bergen around 7 pm and transfer to hotel

6/9:  Viking provided sightseeing tour of Bergen from 10:30 to 1pm. 

6/10: Luggage outside room by 8 am.  Transfer to ship at 11:45 am for boarding.

 

The weather here in Oslo is spectacular. Sunny with a high of 75 for today and tomorrow.

 

[CCWineLover]

4 hours ago, SteelCity Cruiser said:

Just FYI:  We are currently on the Oslo/Bergen with Scenic Train pre-extension for the June 10 BIE.  We arrived in Oslo around 6 pm last night and checked into the Clarion, The Hub hotel (very nice but very small rooms.  The breakfast buffet is astounding!)  and the itinerary we've given is:

Today: 10-1 Viking provided sightseeing tour of Oslo.  Do not know what sights we'll be visiting yet.

Luggage outside the room by 9 pm tonight

Tomorrow 6/8:  Meet in lobby at 11 am to walk to train station (which is across the street) for the 12:03 train departure.  We've been assigned Car 2, seats 7 & 8 which I think are forward facing thank goodness..    Arrive Bergen around 7 pm and transfer to hotel

6/9:  Viking provided sightseeing tour of Bergen from 10:30 to 1pm. 

6/10: Luggage outside room by 8 am.  Transfer to ship at 11:45 am for boarding.

 

The weather here in Oslo is spectacular. Sunny with a high of 75 for today and tomorrow.

 

Enjoy Oslo and Bergen, Jill,  and the great weather.  And the cruise of course!

[katreinmuth]

On 6/1/2023 at 7:50 PM, Moonlion said:

Since we independently extended our stay in Norway, we just got back home this week.  Oh my, it’s such a drag to have to go back to work, cook our meals, clean up after ourselves… my “head” is still back on the Viking Neptune, so I thought I would sum up our experiences.

 

Overall, we had a fabulous time on this cruise and would not hesitate to book another Viking cruise.  In fact, we’re booked on the Viking South America & Chilian Fjords cruise next February which we’re really looking forward to!  Was the cruise perfect?  Absolutely not… but in all our years of travel, land or sea, for work or pleasure, we've never experienced 100% perfection on a trip, not even on expensive, supposedly “luxury” trips.  I think it helps to do our research beforehand and learn from other travelers what to expect, both the good and the not so good.  We go in expecting that there will be a few glitches along the way and, unless major, try not to let it dampen our enjoyment.

 

So, what did we like about this cruise?

 

In our experience, the crew and service on the Neptune were over-the-top outstanding. They were without exception friendly, attentive, went out of their way to be helpful, and quickly learned what were our “likes” (for us, classic real-lime-juice margaritas which the bar staff made perfectly).  We never encountered any staff who were dismissive or in the slightest rude to us.

 

The itinerary of the British Isles Explorer cruise is excellent! It’s a busy – you could say exhausting – itinerary (12 port stops and only one sea day in a 14-night cruise) but we experienced so many different cities, countries, and a lot of beautiful scenery in the UK. It helped that we booked some excellent excursions on the cruise.

 

We loved the quiet, relaxed, subdued environment with only 900 or so other passengers on board and the ship's understated but beautiful décor.  The spa is also a wonderful experience and doesn’t cost extra.  Our cabin was fine and glad we had the balcony.  Although the ship was full, it didn't feel crowded and we could always find peaceful spots to sit and relax (just avoid the Explorer’s Lounge an hour or two before dinner service starts).

 

We really enjoyed the enrichment lectures on the history, culture and wildlife of the region, and the onboard historian was excellent.  We were also very happy with the musical entertainment on board – in fact, we thought that most of the musicians were really good!  The lack of Broadway show-quality entertainment was not an issue for us.

 

The weather in May was great! Despite threats of rain, we had lovely weather throughout the cruise other than a couple of afternoons of light rain.  Temps were in the low to high 60s (F) so we didn’t need all the cold-weather gear we packed.  Even in Bergen which is known for clouds and rain, we had sunshine and warm weather when we visited.  The seas were remarkably calm, like being on a river cruise.  We didn’t miss any ports even in the Shetland and Orkney Islands which are often missed due to winds and rough seas.  We occasionally felt some very gentle rocking motion on the ship, but I didn’t need any seasickness remedies (and I’m very prone to seasickness).  

 

More than 80% of our meals in The Restaurant and Specialty Restaurants were good to excellent and a few dishes were outstanding. However, there were some notable disappointments as mentioned below.  We didn’t book any specialty restaurants before the cruise because we like to see the menus first, especially the Chef’s Table since we like some of their menus but not others.  As soon as we boarded, we went straight to the reservations desk by Manfredi’s to view the CT menus and had no problem whatsoever booking reservations at CT and Manfedi’s, and at the times we wanted. We did note that a couple of days later, the prime timeslots (6-8 PM) at Manfredi’s were booked up.   

 

For us, the Silver Spring Beverage Package was reasonably priced, and we took advantage of the premium wine list along with enjoying a pre- or post-dinner cocktail.  Admittedly not wine connoisseurs, we found 2-3 white and 3-4 red wines that we liked.

 

We found Viking to be well-organized and efficient when it came to embarkation, getting people on tours, tendering, shuttles, disembarkation, etc.

 

We met several lovely fellow passengers on the cruise.

 

What could be improved?

 

Overall, we found that the Viking included shore excursions were limited, not very inspiring and could use some improvement.  Although a couple of the included excursions were excellent (Canterbury) or good (Greenwich), most were “just OK” in our opinion, some just a 2-to-3-hour bus tour with a few brief photo stops.  We would have been disappointed if we had only gone on the included excursions. The Viking optional excursions we took were better, but I thought overpriced for what we got.  Perhaps we were spoiled by the independent tours we booked, all excellent-to-outstanding in quality, and about half the price of the Viking optional excursions.

 

Since most of our meals at dinner were very good and at times excellent, we don’t have major complaints about the food.  However, there was a notable lack of consistency in the quality of some dishes even when DH and I ordered the same item on the same night in the same venue.  Seafood was usually good, but steaks and beef were at times thinly cut, overcooked and tough or fatty.  It seems that Viking could tighten up on the quality control of food preparation in the restaurants.           

Our independent extension in Bergen and Oslo including the scenic train was fantastic.  I’ll post separately about our train experience.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

Did you go to Edinburg?  I think not in, reading your wonderful detailed post.  Most large cities, we like to explore on our own after the included tour.  Transportation will be a logistic question for us in the ports we have to tender in.  So, I am trying to get information ahead to prepare for this challenge.

[Peregrina651]

28 minutes ago, katreinmuth said:

Did you go to Edinburg?  I think not in, reading your wonderful detailed post.  Most large cities, we like to explore on our own after the included tour.  Transportation will be a logistic question for us in the ports we have to tender in.  So, I am trying to get information ahead to prepare for this challenge.

 

multiple bus stops within walking distance of the tender dock, including a stop for the HOHO (hop-on-hop-off).

[Moonlion]

3 hours ago, katreinmuth said:

Did you go to Edinburg?  I think not in, reading your wonderful detailed post.  Most large cities, we like to explore on our own after the included tour.  Transportation will be a logistic question for us in the ports we have to tender in.  So, I am trying to get information ahead to prepare for this challenge.

Yes!  We went to Edinburgh and did on our own (no Viking or independent tours).  We toured the Royal Yacht Britannia and then Ubered to the top of the Royal Mile and walked down.  Great day!