Live from the Viking Sky (Ft Lauderdale to London) December 20, 2023 - May 6, 2024

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, DogSaysStayHome said:

Not sure it's feasible given bandwidth limitations but we have been able to stream from our iPads to the TV sometimes when she's paid for a NFL app subscription

Your subscription is most likely only good in your home country/region. Unless you use a VPN, the NFL app restricts access based on the location of the ip address. The NFL has licensing agreements around the world. On my satellite radio subscription, I could listen to anything except the NFL.

[wine-wine-wine]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

The TV's don't have any accessible ports to connect an external device.

While this is generally true of DV and PV, the second tv (the one near the balcony) in our PJS in November on the Sky had the ports accessible. We didn’t use it but someone else sure had. I spent a bit of time getting everything hooked back up so we could watch Viking content. 🤣 

[SteelCity Cruiser]

Don't know if this would be relevant - but last year on our Australia/NZ cruise, they did have the Super Bowl game broadcast on the stateroom TV's (and also on big screen in the Star Theater).

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, SteelCity Cruiser said:

Don't know if this would be relevant - but last year on our Australia/NZ cruise, they did have the Super Bowl game broadcast on the stateroom TV's (and also on big screen in the Star Theater).

 

Last January we had the some of the NFL playoff games in our rooms as well as a pool party for one of the games. In March they carried the Final Four.

[Penspack]

On 1/21/2024 at 1:16 PM, OneSixtyToOne said:

Last January we had the some of the NFL playoff games in our rooms as well as a pool party for one of the games. In March they carried the Final Four.

Cruise Director said Viking has the rights to show the Super Bowl live and also show 2 replays. They are planning a Super Bowl party for one of the replays. They do not have the rights to the playoff games.

[Clay Clayton]

LCR tomorrow (Tues 23rd) at 3:30.  If the roof is open or it’s miraculously no longer a sauna we will meet at the pool bar.  Otherwise (and likely) at the Explorers’ Lounge at the tables in front of Mamsen’s.  

[Azulann]

Question for the WC's :  How is the night sky  when lookin at stars?

I  expect you really can see the brilliant's of night sky on a sea day night.

[Clay Clayton]

38 minutes ago, Azulann said:

Question for the WC's :  How is the night sky  when lookin at stars?

I  expect you really can see the brilliant's of night sky on a sea day night.

It’s been cloudy so haven’t seen much. Last night was beautiful but it’s almost a full moon so more like daytime than dark enough to see stars. 

[DogSaysStayHome]

Regarding stars, my experience has been it is hard to see them because of all the lights onboard. Took 2 south of the equator cruises (Antartica and New Zealand/Aus) and hardly saw any stars. Partly due to it being light so much of the day, but mostly because the ships are lit up like a Christmas store, both for passenger safety and navigation safety. Was hoping that since we were on both Viking ships with planetariums that we would have some start gazing opportunities, but that ended up mostly being in a comfy warm chair looking at the overhead screen. 

 

On land after dark it can be amazing. There are some non-Viking options for this in Aukland where we overnight, and one could always set up something on your own out of Sydney too. If you really want stars, Viking has the Northern Lights cruise, which is really tempting us. Not often ships sail to cold climates in winter when it's dark.

[Clay Clayton]

Hallelujah! Finally the sky roof is open😀

[aungrl]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

Hallelujah! Finally the sky roof is open😀

I wish there was a clapping hands emoji to select! Wait, I can just add one....👏

[SantaFe1]

1 hour ago, aungrl said:

I wish there was a clapping hands emoji to select! Wait, I can just add one....👏

Yea. And I want a thumbs up and thumbs down.  

[Clay Clayton]

Wow! The Crepes Suzette afternoon tea today was incredible!  Thank goodness we prepared by having barely any breakfast and a salad for lunch.  (Supper is unlikely!)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 25 by Clay Clayton

[Heidi13]

8 hours ago, DogSaysStayHome said:

Regarding stars, my experience has been it is hard to see them because of all the lights onboard. Took 2 south of the equator cruises (Antartica and New Zealand/Aus) and hardly saw any stars. Partly due to it being light so much of the day, but mostly because the ships are lit up like a Christmas store, both for passenger safety and navigation safety.

 

The lights from cruise ship outer decks is actually detrimental to navigation safety. Any light, especially those fwd or below the Bridge, reduce the Bridge Team's night vision. The lights aft impair the visibility astern.

 

All the deck lights may make a cruise ship more visible to other ships, but it negatively impacts the visibility of the masthead lights, side lights and stern light (navigation lights). Knowing another ship is there is only part of the collision and close quarters avoidance measures, you need to see the navigation lights to know the aspect, which is critical in determining if you are the stand-on vessel, or the give way vessel.

 

So no, cruise ships being lit up at night does not enhance navigation safety. The outer deck lights can also be considered a contravention of the Collision Regulation, as no other lights should impair the visibility of the navigation lights.

[philbob84]

what are those red things?

[Twitchly]

44 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Wow! The Crepes Suzette afternoon tea today was incredible!

I think I just gained 5 pounds looking at those photos.

[stretchcruz]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

 

The lights from cruise ship outer decks is actually detrimental to navigation safety. Any light, especially those fwd or below the Bridge, reduce the Bridge Team's night vision. The lights aft impair the visibility astern.

 

All the deck lights may make a cruise ship more visible to other ships, but it negatively impacts the visibility of the masthead lights, side lights and stern light (navigation lights). Knowing another ship is there is only part of the collision and close quarters avoidance measures, you need to see the navigation lights to know the aspect, which is critical in determining if you are the stand-on vessel, or the give way vessel.

 

So no, cruise ships being lit up at night does not enhance navigation safety. The outer deck lights can also be considered a contravention of the Collision Regulation, as no other lights should impair the visibility of the navigation lights.

We were once on a Princess cruise and were upgraded to a cabin below the bridge with a balcony that was not listed as a balcony (no furniture out there but a large balcony). One night we were inside the cabin with the drapes open and got a phone call from the Bridge (Bridge on the caller id) to shut our drapes! We had no idea. No signs, cabin steward didn't tell us ...from that time forward drapes were closed at night and I would slink out there trying not to open the drapes!

[Clay Clayton]

Just now, philbob84 said:

what are those red things?

Presuming this was directed to me and isn’t about navigation lighting, they are delicious!😂

 

Not sure of the name, but it is raspberry mousse on a sugar cookie covered with (learned this last part from Great British Bake-off) a mirror glaze. 

[Jim Avery]

Those red things are only available on the port side.😎

[TayanaLorna]

22 hours ago, DogSaysStayHome said:

Regarding stars, my experience has been it is hard to see them because of all the lights onboard. Took 2 south of the equator cruises (Antartica and New Zealand/Aus) and hardly saw any stars. Partly due to it being light so much of the day, but mostly because the ships are lit up like a Christmas store, both for passenger safety and navigation safety. Was hoping that since we were on both Viking ships with planetariums that we would have some start gazing opportunities, but that ended up mostly being in a comfy warm chair looking at the overhead screen. 

 

On land after dark it can be amazing. There are some non-Viking options for this in Aukland where we overnight, and one could always set up something on your own out of Sydney too. If you really want stars, Viking has the Northern Lights cruise, which is really tempting us. Not often ships sail to cold climates in winter when it's dark.

We too were disappointed with too much ship light to see stars in SA.  The Planetariums are not for live star gazing but for ceiling shows.  One night on our cruise there was a star gazing lecture on Deck 9 where the lights were turned off for the duration.  Due to an almost midnight sun down there, it was much too late for us to attend given our early and long excursions.

[Clay Clayton]

The Sea Trials for the Boat Building are scheduled for 10am on Sunday morning at the main pool.  Hope everyone will come cheer on our boat!

[DogSaysStayHome]

Using TV magic, we can enhance, enhance, enhance the reflection off the glasses and determine the plans. Now to sell them to the highest bidder...😉🤣

[UWDawg]

On 1/26/2024 at 9:50 AM, DogSaysStayHome said:

Using TV magic, we can enhance, enhance, enhance the reflection off the glasses and determine the plans. Now to sell them to the highest bidder...😉🤣

Unfortunately, the plans/blueprints are of little value without materials and supplies and looking at ShipTracker I can't seem to find a supply ship anywhere between Fr. Poly and NZ... supply chain problems in the South Pacific.  A clear example of why it took so long for NZ to be discovered by the Moari.

[Liz Masterson]

I’d love to know more about the rules for the ship building contest. I hear they also do them on the Chilean Fjords cruise we are taking next year… and my hubs is an engineer so this could keep him busy for months perhaps scheming. 😂

[Clay Clayton]

On 1/26/2024 at 7:39 PM, Liz Masterson said:

I’d love to know more about the rules for the ship building contest. I hear they also do them on the Chilean Fjords cruise we are taking next year… and my hubs is an engineer so this could keep him busy for months perhaps scheming. 😂

From what we can gather, rules vary between ships, cruise directors, and itineraries.  I’ve tried four times unsuccessfully to upload rules for this completion-damn wifi!  I’d suggest doing a YouTube search to see previous entries. 

The trials are confirmed for 10am on Sunday morning on the pool deck, so it should be quite the scene-boat trials and brunch!  

Also, swing by the Explorers’ to see the artwork guests have created….

 

followed by Patricia and Yogi’s final Trivia at 12:15…

 

and then at 3:30 we have LRC at the pool bar if it’s cool/Explorer’s lounge if it’s hot…
 

busy busy day!