rmalbers

On 6/2/2024 at 5:51 PM, NMTraveller said:

But not as the predominant cabin ...

The lines that do have them,  they are a much smaller percentage...

Viking Exp ships are almost all IV's.  The new RCL ships have a lot of them to but I don't pay much attention to that line.  It's a trend for sure.

OP: Look at the pictures of the ship close.  I think you'll find the lifeboats (and tenders) are 'tucked' into the ship a little more than you might be thinking.  They have to come 'away' from the ship a lot to be lowered.  It's a little different that some other cruise ships.  There will be noise when lowered but that affects a lot of cabins in the area so avoiding that is not easy.

It seem to like on the small VO ships there really isn't a bad room right?  Maybe across from one of the laundry rooms but I've also heard people say that that was ok also.

I haven't been thru the whole thread but it amazing to me that, at least from what I've seen, no one has been able to find out what the 'safety' reason is.  Someone onboard now has to ask the captain or head of hospitality.  We need to know!   

X isn't the only one, there are other cruise companies that have IV on their new/er ships.

On 5/27/2024 at 6:52 PM, jwlane said:

It seems that most of those that diss the IV have never actually stayed in one.

Actually, it seem like most people commenting have stayed in one.  Time flies and E class has been around a while now. 

Ya, I guess that's 'highly leveraged'.   Having said that, I started a very small position, just for the fun of it.  No matter what happens, it won't affect my bottom line.  I haven't found what the interest rate is on their debt and when it has to be refinanced.

Interesting, I guess I thought (I'm not sure from where) that the train station was across the street from the hotel they use, so I figured it was a 'roll your own'.

6 hours ago, jalves said:

I believe it is highly dependent on which ship and where it is sailing from.  

Ya, where the ship is provisioned has to affect this.

I had a IV on a Viking Exp ship in the Great Lakes, shoulder season and I was ok with it because it was cooler, especially at night.  I didn't think I would like it but it worked ok for that trip.  One thing is that they had already (it was brand new) were cases where bats flew into the HV/AC vents and they had a heck of time with that.  They might have to put pull down screens on the IV's.  That would really make it strange.  Anyway, I think a big factor in X putting them in is fuel savings.

On 5/29/2024 at 4:20 PM, Mlb4chris said:

you can also buy an interesting bottle in port to enjoy with your dinner, no corkage

This is an important point.  If you are on a cruise that has very few sea days and the ports are towns or cities, and you like to try local stuff this is a great option.  With Viking you can bring booze/ beer aboard, it's allowed.

I can add to this topic: Just because a drug store in Europe says, 'English speaking' on the door, doesn't mean, there is someone in there that speaks and understands English.  Like others have said, bring what you might need.

Maybe I should add, people did meet by the elevators and talk. I did hear that, but not really during my normal sleep schedule.  If you go to bed really early or sleep in late then I can see how that might be a factor in your cabin location decision.

18 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

I meant dinging.  Geez, if we heard singing I would have been pounding on Guest Service’s door, lol.  

LOL, I was wondering about that, 'singing'.

It's such a small ship that there really isn't a 'bad' cabin but I would say that if there are 'mobility' issues, the cabins/decks close to the buffet/etc level or close to the restaurant level would be the best to consider, no matter what the room type is.

FWIW: I've been in 5033, just sort of 'beside' the elevators and never heard beeps from elevators. 

I didn't read all the comments but I'll just add  (without any real proof), I think X has more short sailings than they have ever had before.  As many have said, length of cruise is a big factor with working people and having a younger crowd.  Last cruise I met 2 couples on their honeymoon, I've never run into that before.  I'm also in the 'marketing' camp on this one, they are marketing to a younger crowd for sure and I guess it's workign.

46 minutes ago, jwlane said:

There are those that unnecessarily quote an entire post, and there are those that choose portions that are germane, trusting that readers are intelligent enough to refer back for supporting deets.

Actually, from what I've seen on here, it sure looks to me that most people read the OP, then skim threw the comments and maybe add something.  It's no big deal but that's why I posted what I did, so no one got misled.

2 minutes ago, jwlane said:

The sentence I quoted from was referring to VR.

Well then, I guess you should have had that in your quote so you don't mislead people.

7 minutes ago, hcat said:

I am quite sure we will feel the same way!  it was such a nice unspoiled location..not now from what we hear

Ya, I with you people on that one.  I was there probably around 1992 also, we walked around the bend from the beach were everyone was and had a spot that really was like being on a private island.

In addition to the excellent post above.  A couple of other points, viking also has expedition ships that are smaller than their ocean ships.  The expedition ships tend to have a slightly younger demographic because the excursions can be more on the 'active' side. I only say that so that when you are reading info about viking you keep their different 'products' in mind.  Also, like all cruise ships the itinerary makes a 'little' difference on some of the type of people on board. I like the viking product a lot, both VE and VO.  The river cruise thing, I have not done.  It's really hard to make a comparison with X retreat product, they are just to different, mainly because of the small ship vs. large ship thing. 

2 hours ago, jwlane said:

No separate buffet (they do occasionally serve from a buffet in the main restaurant).

There is a difference between viking ocean and viking river, VO has a buffet, and a restaurant. 

13 hours ago, Ellaleah said:

Can someone please explain the benefits of Concierge class vs balcony? Wondering if it’s worth it.   Thank you.

It's mainly the more desirable cabin locations, more than anything.  The other thing is lunch in the dining room on the fist day so you can avoid the hectic scene in the buffet. 

21 hours ago, CJANDH said:

You might want to check out Google Fi as your service provider. Their service includes 10 cents per minute calling from virtually every country in the world with no upcharge or pre-registration required. When you get to a new country you get a text message from Google saying: "Welcome to XYZ. Calls are 10 cents per minute."

 

Only available on Android phones however.

and as someone talked about above with phone networks, google fi uses t-mobiles network

OK, I saw some pictures in this thread, I didn't know about that and really have not seen any discussion about it.  I do know about the FV on M class, I stayed in one, it was great.