Peregrina651

I will say that the signage was good, giving alternative routes, otherwise, we would still be wandering around 'neath the streets of London. (Yes Bostonian's, that is an oblique reference to Charlie, the man who never returned).

Actually we had a lovely lunch in the cafe at the museum and then wended our way to the London Eye. It was a slow day and they let us on the Eye early. Heads up to those using the Underground, lots of clean up and repair work on multiple lines causing station closures.

Pouring rain all day! Hanging out at the National Gallery until we head to the London Eye.

Lovely 7:20am flight out of Boston. Landed at dinner time. Passport control was for US passports entirely automated and we were done in no time. No checked luggage to deal with. Underground to hotel was simple -- and only $2.65pp. Weather yesterday was clear and comfy, low 60s as we wandered out to find dinner. And so ends Day 1 of our adventure. We are near the Earls Court Station, staying at the Twenty Nevern Square Hotel. We stayed here in early 2020 and liked the hotel and its location, so we are back. Piccadilly and District line serve the station, very convenient.

Not so bad for us; we've been with Viking, but it will be a real disappointment for those who haven't been.

My bags are packed. I'm ready to go. I have one more job to do before we walk out the door (in the middle of the night): start this thread (while I still have a real keyboard to type on). @formernuke covered a lot of ground on his thread, Semi-LIVE from Venus British Isles Explorer 4/19 with Churchill Pre-extension, so check it out as well. It is full of great information and vacation-enducing photos. Also note that formernuke did the Churchill extension and took really good notes for anyone who is also doing that extension. For the search engine, let me name-drop the ports we will be visiting by sharing our schedule: THU MAY 09, 2024 Embark in London (Greenwich) on Viking Neptune FRI MAY 10, 2024 London (Greenwich), United Kingdom 02:00 PM SAT MAY 11, 2024 Dover, United Kingdom 08:00 AM 06:00 PM SUN MAY 12, 2024 Scenic Sailing: English Channel MON MAY 13, 2024 Dublin (Dun Laoghaire), Ireland 08:00 AM 08:30 PM TUE MAY 14, 2024 Holyhead, United Kingdom 08:00 AM 06:00 PM WED MAY 15, 2024 Liverpool, United Kingdom 07:00 AM 06:00 PM THU MAY 16, 2024 Belfast, United Kingdom 08:00 AM 06:00 PM FRI MAY 17, 2024 The Highlands (Ullapool), United Kingdom 12:00 PM 06:00 PM SAT MAY 18, 2024 Orkney Islands (Kirkwall), United Kingdom 08:00 AM 05:00 PM SUN MAY 19, 2024 Edinburgh (Newhaven Harbour), United Kingdom 08:00 AM 05:00 PM (always a tender port) MON MAY 20, 2024 The Highlands (Invergordon), United Kingdom 08:00 AM 05:00 PM TUE MAY 21, 2024 Shetland Islands (Lerwick), United Kingdom 08:00 AM 05:00 PM WED MAY 22, 2024 Bergen, Norway 08:00 AM THU MAY 23, 2024 Disembark in Bergen We also have 3 full days of touring on our own in London pre-cruise and another four days of touring after as we make our way from Bergen to Oslo, which I will also talk about for the do-it-yourselfers. So, away we go! 🎉

It's okay to moan and groan here but if we really want to see changes, then we should be flooding the inbox with e-mails asking that there be changes -- and listing those changes we want to see. TellUs@vikingcruises.com

And if it takes longer?? At least by the time you leave the ship that day, you will have a better idea of the arrangements at the port -- and especially the time of the last shuttle back to the ship (especially if it is the only way you can get back to the ship).

Don't forget to allow for the time it will take you to get from the drop off point to the ship. No one has commented if cabs and Ubers can drop you right at the berth. What if it is a shuttle from drop off point to gangway?

Unless you have already bought the tickets for the wedding and if Viking will allow it (sometimes when air is free there are restrictions), use the cruise air to fly you to Montreal, rent a car to take you to Vermont and back (with plans to drop the car near the dock, not at the airport). It is called a "deviation" and it will let you fly into Montreal up to 30 days prior to the start of your trip. There is a fee for the deviation and you lose transfers on any deviated leg of the journey. Otherwise, you need to find out from Viking if they will let will let you book a one-way trip under the free airfare offer. Booking a RT ticket won't work since once you don't show up in Tampa, the rest of your journey is cancelled.

Actually, I appreciate the heads up. I've learned quite a lot from your live thread that has helped me prepare for our adventure. I'm sorry it is coming to an end.

Arrgh, Tom!! I'm packing now and temps in the 70s has completely blown my packing plan! <tearing-hair-emoji>

I figure that any stockholder benefit will be outstripped by possible dividends (which will be paid whether I sail or not) and the profit I will make when I sell my shares.

No shuttle from Rosyth but I believe that a shuttle runs to the nearby train station. You should wait for @fruitmachine to reply. They know the city and can tell you how to get into Edinburgh with the least hassle.

It has not changed. Sorry if my explanation was not clear. Air fare and cruise fare are still separate line items on the invoice and free still means free over and above the stated cruise fare.