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ekkc10753

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  • Posts

    433
  • Joined

About Me

  • Location
    PA
  • Interests
    obscure food and drink
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    HAL, Viking, Atlas
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    earth

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ekkc10753's Achievements

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Cool Cruiser (2/15)

  1. I’ve finally been able to sign back in. Thank you for all your support and helpful suggestions. I’ve followed up on them all, so far crickets chirping from Viking. I’m currently on the Viking World Journey from LA to London. Live TV is kaput and has been since we boarded in LA (so no Iowa caucuses or play-off games) Viking is “working on it” but we’re a week into the cruise and leaving American waters with no resolution. Several washing machines and dryers on each deck are out of order and were reported by the passengers boarding in Florida. Leaving the land of Home Depot and Lowe’s today so getting them fixed seems unlikely before our next port in 5 days in French Polynesia So, bottom line, I don’t know what’s going on here. The voucher issue is not going to change it would seem. But things here on this journey seem to be slipping a bit ☹️ and that’s worrisome given the political situation in several of our future ports
  2. Long story short, I have slightly over $52,000 in vouchers from Viking. I have them due to cruise cancellations by Viking due to Covid or cruises cancelled by me upon the death of my husband. Sort of the lemonade from all those lemons, right? so I want to use those vouchers to book two cabins, one for my sister & her husband and one for me. I'll be leaving a good bit on the table because of Viking's "use it or lose it" rules and the cruise I chose for us is around $10,000 pp (plus my single supplement) So it comes out to around $40,000, leaving $12,000 on the table. I was willing to do that. But Viking say NO, split the vouchers between 2 people, all others must pay cash! Which means I get $26,000 voucher and may use my voucher (or cash) to pay for my no longer existant husband ( 'The Single Supplement') My sister also gets a $26,000 voucher, but MAY NOT use it to pay for her flesh and blood husband AND all voucher value not redeemed BEFORE EMBARKATION is lost! ...... That'll be a lot!!! These vouchers represent real cash that Viking has held since Covid times; I think I should be able to use them within the company the way any sane person would imagine. I don't think I was being unreasonable, but Viking said NO DICE, THESE ARE OUR RULES (today?) Am I the assh*ole here?
  3. Having cruised with AOV in the Mediterranean, I can tell you that “making a big show” will not be a problem at all; they’re very good at that.! The problem your parents might encounter though is that despite the small size of the ship, there are a surprising number of tendering ports in the Mediterranean. The staff are very helpful getting everyone on and off the tenders, but the stairs down to the tendering platform are steep and the part of the step that you actually step on is fairly narrow. Also the gangway that was used for the majority of our non-tendering ports has slightly curved steps with unstable handrails. Staff helped my friend down and up, she uses a cane and is a bit wobbly; but it might be a serious challenge for a person who needs a walker to get from here to there
  4. If you count 3 B2B cruises as 3, I’ve been on 5 AOV trips beginning in 2021 (barely post Covid) and continuing until this month. A number of issues that existed in 2021 continue, namely: the bare functionality of the website, the abysmal communication between corporate and passengers, and between front desk and passengers the ridiculous on-board Wi-Fi situation, the unnecessarily complex shore excursion brochures and booking procedure, the clear impression that certain guests who complain vociferously are rewarded with some really nice perks (like getting to stay onboard for the next cruise for a reduced fare when the ship isn’t full…I heard about that, thought it was idle gossip, but watched in dismay as I saw it was fact And the over-all feeling that the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing and doesn’t much care what you think either. Don’t misunderstand, I really like AOV but AOV seems unsure of what it wants to be and how to become that vision. The atmosphere on each of the cruises I’ve been on has been wildly different, from an excellent on-board Independent Film festival complete with directors and writers, screenings and lectures to a grotesque half-naked exotic dance troop bellying up to guests as they were dining, women collecting tips in their bras and the men in their little pants. Very athletic, but not really fine dining appropriate So, what’s the vision here? Where are you headed? Which tier of cruising are you hoping to join?
  5. I think, if they keep this up, they're going to price themselves out of the market. Without a "deal" like the one I'm taking advantage of, I wouldn't consider sailing with them as much as I truly enjoyed my first cruise with them ~ but truth be told, that was a "deal" too so what can I say/
  6. just because that seems like a (or possibly THE) major subject of discussion, it'd make it easier for those seeking information about Atlas's Antarctica expeditions. It'd also make it easier for those of us who've been there (or who don't care) to share info about ATLAS in general
  7. My sister and I sailed with Atlas in October of 2021 on a deal "too good to be true" and all in all we had a fine time. Covid was still an issue and that created extra hoops to jump through. Atlas's airfare, which was included at that time, didn't work out as well as we'd hoped either. But both of us are well travelled and could adapt. The Ship is very intimate so you get to know pretty much everyone fairly quickly. On our cruise there was an Independent Film Festival, which brought film makers on board for screenings and talks. and there was a sports personality that many people knew,: he spoke as well. Other than that and a very fine piano player, there's nothing to do on board but chat with your fellow passengers, or create your own amusement, which was fine as far as we were concerned. The food was very good, I thought, with portions small enough that you didn't feel bloated after dinner. Extensive accommodations were made for folks with dietary issues. The cabins seemed smaller than average but my experience is limited to HAL and Viking; the bathroom (especially the shower) is lovely and there's ample storage for all your stuff. When we sailed with them, they stocked your free mini bar with your personal preferences and spirits flow freely outside your cabin if you desire them. I suppose the fact that I have two more Atlas cruises booked for 2023 , one solo and one with friends speaks to my general satisfaction, . this is such an old post that you may not be following anymore but I'll tag it and follow in case you come back with questions that I can answer
  8. Oh Thank you all! I'll get to work on these suggestions tomorrow, a three day weekend is a lot of time to tackle all my questions!
  9. I've booked the Grand Pacific Voyage for 2023, It will be the longest (by far) cruise that I've ever taken and also my very first solo cruise. (I had a LOT of vouchers after my husband died) What is there to do on all the sea days; I'll bring my books and my cross stitch (but that only goes so far.) What's there to do on board? Are there any activities specifically for solo travellers? Are the passengers who are doing the entire 90+ days introduced to one another somehow? If you've done this cruise before, do you remember any particular highlights? or anything you wished you'd packed? or brilliant things you're so glad you had? I feel reasonably confident in the general cruise department, but this one is very long and covers a lot of weather types to say nothing of cultures. I'm excited about it but a little freaked out about what I've done in booking this and any helpful tips, thoughts or soothing would be much appreciated!
  10. well, I must've either screwed this up or my travel agent isnt as great as the ones you guys seem to have, I transferred a Grand Pacific Viking cruise reservation that I'd made directly with Viking to a travel agent who was recommended by a family member, (Grand Pacific is 90 + days and I'm paying the crippling single supplement as well) Any time I ask her about OBC or a small financial bone that could be tossed to me, she says "It's sold out and Viking isn't offering any OBC on this" Admittedly, I don't sail until September of 2023 so things could change, but I was feeling grouchy about this before and now, after reading these posts, I think I really screwed up by transferring my booking to her. This is my first big trip since i lost my husband (he's not misplaced, dead is what he sadly is) Any one have any useful advice for me? I'd really appreciate the help!
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