DianeLikesToTravel

magcruiser29, I'll be on the ship before you. I promise to leave your cabin in good shape!

Diane

I will be in cabin 3084 in September. Happy to hear that being over the restaurant is not a problem. After waiting more than two years for this cruise, I can't wait much longer. Sooooo excited!!

Diane

I am requesting clarification. When we disembark in Barcelona we leave our large bags outside our cabin the night before and retain our carry-on bags. As long as we depart our cabin on time, may we stay aboard until noon (or later) or are we required to leave the ship very early? I booked my own flight and will be staying a few extra nights in Barcelona. It would be nice not to be rushed off the ship.

Do they provide bath gel or only bar soap? If they are providing only bar soap, I'll bring my own bath gel from home.

How far in advance did you purchase your tickets?

I'll be on the Mediterranean Odyssey this year. Port times listed under My Journey:

Venice: over night

Venice: over night - 4pm

Split: 8am - 6pm

Dubrovnik: 8am - 6pm

Corfu: 9am - 11pm

At Sea

Naples: 8am - 6pm

Rome: 7am - 11:30pm

Livorno (Tuscany): 9 am - 8 pm

Monte Carlo: 8am - 11pm

Toulon: 8:30am - 6pm

Barcelona: 8am - over night

Barcelona: disembark

Is this the same bar noted in Rick Steves video?

I read the same comment and was hoping it wasn't true. I look forward to an occasional hour somewhere pleasant reading a book.

Ukalady, I can't wait to read about the adventures you and your mom will will have on the Star. Bon Voyage.

I can't tell the difference between ice cream and gelato, but the few times I asked in World Cafe I was told that it is ice cream. Manfredi's serves gelato, per its menu. I only bring up the ice cream vs. gelato thing because I've seen a couple of other posters mentioning that he/she can't wait for the gelato. Now if only we can convince Viking to keep the "ice cream/gelato" station open longer than just during World Cafe lunch and dinner!

I'm not sure if I'm happy or not that gelato is available every day. Maybe I should pack clothing that is at least one size larger than I wear. Here is a explanation of the difference between gelato and ice cream. I don't remember where I got this.

Gelato is Italy's version of ice cream with three major differences. First, gelato has significantly less butterfat than ice cream. With the lower butterfat content, gelato is less solidly frozen than ice cream. Second, gelato has a much higher density than ice cream. Ice cream is produced by mixing cream, milk and sugar, and then adding air. Manufacturers add air to ice cream because it nearly doubles the quantity of the product. No air is added to gelato. The result is a higher quality dessert with a richer, creamier taste. Third, gelato is served slightly warmer than ice cream. While both gelato and ice cream are served well below freezing, gelato is served 10-15 degrees warmer than ice cream. Because it is less solidly frozen, gelato's taste is further enhanced as it melts in the mouth.

Thanks to responding to my question about tenders. It puts my mind to rest.

I'll be on the Venice to Barcelona sailing in September. I'm wondering if tendering was needed at any of the ports. If tendering not needed, how easy/difficult was it to get from the ship to towns? At this point, I am not signed up for any of the ship's excursions and, based on feedback on CC, I probably will not sign up for any of them. Being in the lowly cabin category V1, I can't sign up until I board anyway.

As an independent traveler, how difficult was it to exit the ship? If hiring an outside company for tours, will we be able to get off the ship in a timely manner?

As long as I'm asking questions, how are people managing with the lack of storage space in the smaller cabins? I bought some suction cup hangers, but that doesn't help with a lack of drawer space. Where are people putting things that can't be hung on a hanger?

Thanks to all who have been keeping us updated. Even with all the problems, I'm looking forward to my cruise.

I could understand $69 to cover transportation, but the free tour also includes transportation into Rome.

I still can't figure out why they offer a part-guided tour for free and charge for a non-guided tour. The departure times and length of time are about the same. People are asked to pay $69 for what?

I'll be on a September sailing, stopping in Rome. I am wondering about two of the excursions Viking is offering -- one free and one for a fee. Both go into Rome. The free tour takes passengers into/out of the city with a highlights tour and, I'm pretty sure, some narration. The paid tour takes passengers into/out of Rome with no highlights commentary. At least that's how I'm reading it. Since those of you sailing now will be stopping in Rome, I am hoping someone can elaborate on how these are different. Why offer commentary on the free tour and offer nothing but transportation on the paid tour?

How was it exiting the ship? How long did it take you to get from the ship to the city? Are they spacing the free tours throughout the day or are they all going out in the morning?

I also was wondering if I'd ever get into Manfredi's since I'm in a lowly V1 cabin. I would like to try it at least once in 12 nights. If they could get the Chef's Table worked out more people would eat there freeing up space in Manfredi's. So far, the Asian menu looked good, but I have no interest in the Indian and Italian, and I like both Indian and Italian food. Reports here are that dining The Restaurant is also good. In any event, there are plenty of dining venues and I'm sure I can put on pounds regardless of where we eat.

I was told by a Viking representative via telephone that wi-fi is complementary but only for a limited amount for those in standard cabins. Above that amount I would need to pay $9.50 per day. Since I'm not sailing until September they have plenty of time to figure out what they are doing, but it was disappointing to learn this. As I'm not willing to pay $9.50 per day I'll just have to adjust to the amount they allow. I just hope there is a way to keep track.

Thank you so much for this information. There are many more planned lectures and activities than I thought there would be. I hope you are having a wonderful time.

I'm cruising in September and would enjoy a game of mah jongg. Viking, please have a set available.

For cabins that don't have much storage, I just had a thought. The Star's laundry service returns folded laundry in 6" tall covered white leather boxes measuring 13"x15". I would think you could ask a steward for some and either put them under the bed or in the closet or on the shelves. Just a thought! Here's a photo of one:

 

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I can't understand how they could build these cabins without adequate storage, and I certainly don't want to store my clothing in a box under my bed. If I was willing to do that I could just live out of my suitcase. The whole point of taking a cruise is to unpack once and sail between ports, at least that is what I've been told.

This doesn't explain why they cancelled the September post-excursion to England.

I like Indian food, but after seeing the menu I would skip this meal. It will be interesting to see if they keep this menu.

Thank you for replying to my post. I'm still not clear what the rules are regarding internet access for V1 cabins. I wish they would figure out what they are doing with this and make it public.

I'm on the Sept. 3 portion Venice to Barcelona. When I signed up free wifi was included. When I looked at the website last week they state that my cabin category has restrictions. My TA looked into this and reported back that I would get 50 megabytes for free. Not sure if that's 50 per day or 50 for the cruise. I could upgraded for $9.50 for the entire cruise, not per day. That sounded strange, so I called Viking and the woman had to get back with me as she didn't have answers. She sent me an email stating that it would be a $9.50 charge per day. I feel disappointed as they offered something else when I put down my money. I'm wondering if anyone on the ship now in a standard cabin can share with me what their situation is. Thanks.

I'll be on the Viking Star and we'll be docking one day in Toulon. Not sure if they actually dock in Toulon. It is a small ship, but maybe they have to dock in the neighboring town. Not only am I reading that Toulon is disappointing, but we will be there on a Sunday when everything is closed. Also reading that there is a major lack of taxis. There will be four of us and we'd hoped to rent a taxi for the day.

How feasible is it to take the train somewhere and where could we go in about an hour that would make sense on a Sunday? Even the trains will be on a limited schedule.

If this doesn't work out, I may spend the day on the ship.

I'm signed up for September Mediterranean cruise. My friends had signed for the extension to England. Found out today that Viking has cancelled that extension. My friends are holding airline tickets from London to home. They used points and did not buy airline from Viking. I'm wondering how Viking will handle that as my friends will either have to fly to London on their own at the end of the cruise or need to change their tickets to fly home from the final cruise destination. Either way I'm sure it will cost them money. Wondering why Viking cancelled this extension. Haven't seen it on their website for more than a year as an option. Was this cancellation just this one portion of the itinerary or will they cancel it for all extensions to England? Just wondering outloud.