FirstTimeFreddy

We're currently on a 12 day UK cruise on the Regal. Our 4th Princess cruise. We had the opportunity to get a very cheap fare on the Viking Venus for an 8 day Adriatic, when cruising was only beginning to return in 2021. There was only 175 passengers on the ship and it was amazing! It felt like having our own private yacht. We love both cruise lines, but they're very different from one another. In 2023 Viking cruise prices are upwards of 3k pp and for us there's better value for money with Princess. We have no issue cruising with the masses and the Regal even at capacity has never felt too crowded. We would like to try Viking again one day and would highly recommend them. In the meantime, right now we're more price focused and are happy to stick with Princess.

We've all been woken by in room announcements at 5.40am relating to an emergency in the engine room. All in-room electrical power, plumbing and air conditioning was shut off for at least 30 minutes before being restored at 6.15am. As I use a Cpap machine to breath, it stopped working due to the loss of power and that's what initially alerted me to a problem. We're currently off the coast of Ireland close to our intended port stop for Dublin. Have no idea at this stage what is happening, but the ship is at capacity and everyone on board will have been awoken by the situation. 🤷‍♂️

We're currently on the Regal Princess in L301. Balcony is great but the noise is awful. There are two automated doors that are directly beside this room that give access to the Lido deck. The rattling and banging is non stop. It starts as soon as crew/passengers are awake around 6am and doesn't stop until around midnight. Added noise is made from carts being moved from the bars and towel carts through these doorways, as they loudly bang the metal floor guards. We've been on many cruises and you should always expect some noise, but not even our ear plugs prevent us from hearing the noise. My partner was forced to wear noise canceling headphones in addition to the ear plugs just to get some sleep. We requested a room move but to no avail as the ship is sold out. Guest Services said that they are aware of the noise issues related to L301 and we're not the first passengers in this room to report the problem.

So sorry to hear this. We board the Sky on Saturday and this scenario sounds awful. I take it you'll be quarantined until you test negative and/or the cruise ends?

Out of curiosity, did the Princess drinks packages always have the 15 alcoholic drinks limitation? Were they ever unlimited?

Agreed. We're returning to a Mini-Suite on Deck 16 exactly for the reasons you mention. We loved the location on our last cruise on the Sky Princess. The Buffet, Pools, Hot tubs, The Mix Bar, Slice,Swirls and the Salty Dog Grill are all a short walk from your room.

As an aside, what's your experience been like on the Sky? We board on the cruise after yours and wondered if others have enjoyed the Sky.

It puzzles me how Viking UK and Viking US/CA operate different promotions. In the UK airfare is always included in all prices, promotions or otherwise. Yet in North America you have to pay for airfare unless promoted as a free airfare offer, like the one above AFA22. 🤷‍♀️

We're also booked on the November 17th cruise from Istanbul. I didn't realise it was going to be the maiden/inaugural cruise. Now I'm a little worried that the ship may not be ready. What does Viking usually offer if they cancel your cruise?