mhb1757

I did try via the Delta App and it told me to contact my booking agent. But just as an update, An agent from Viking Air called me back from within the US last night really late and he had made the needed change to give me a workable connection time and had me booked on the flight I had requested. He apologized for the delay and just stated “It really was more complicated than it should have been”. I don’t know what that meant exactly but all’s well that ends well.

Just a heads up about working with Viking Air… in pre COVID days we used them several times with great service, knowledgeable agents and it was great. Since resuming after COVID Viking has outsourced their Air Plus Department. You will now be dealing with an agent in the Philippines that apparently has an internet connection about the speed of a 1980’s dial up modem. Occasionally you will get someone that actually knows what they are doing, but more often it is someone very poorly trained that has not got a clue about air travel. They are very polite and I’m sure are doing their best but they are not well trained. I got an email over the weekend from Delta with a schedule change for our flight home from Barcelona in April. The new flight times left me with an inadequate connection time in Atlanta. If I had booked the flight myself I could have changed to a later flight from Atlanta-home online in about 3 minutes. But since I used Viking Air, they must make the change and they can’t figure out how to do it. I spent over an hour on the phone with some poor lady who tried to reroute the entire trip, then tried to convince me I needed to pay $350 to change my flight, then got the “supervisor” at my request and between them they couldn’t figure out how to change just the last leg and suggested I just keep my current flight and “if you are lucky the flight from Atlanta to your home will be delayed”. After an hour and 10 minutes they said they would continue working on my “complicated problem” and call me back. But of course they did not. I really don’t think I’m going to use Viking Air anymore unless it’s free or something close to it.

Really? The spa on Jupiter is requiring reservations? We are doing the TA on Jupiter in March and was hoping those reservations were a thing of the past.

I’m not sure if you meant riding the bus from Oslo to Bergen or from the ferry at Gundvagen to Bergen. If you wanted to know the latter I think it was about 2 1/2 hours and a very beautiful ride.

I don’t remember the exact fare but it was quite reasonable. It was less than the train fare from Voss to Bergen was going to be. I want to say it was about 300 kroner for the 2 of us (so roughly $18 per person). We paid the driver in cash, DH said he had exact change because it was an even hundred. But he can’t remember the exact amount either. DH is 6’3” and said the bus was very comfortable. It was more like a standard tour bus configuration than a city bus with center facing seats. But there weren’t more than 6 or 8 people on the bus either time so room to spread out.

We boarded in Bergen, had some lunch, left luggage and went back out again to do a walking tour. Returned to the ship late afternoon. We could come and go as we pleased. This was precovid, so I would check with Viking but I think you should be fine if you do the Flam trip independently.

Pre COVID if you had ship credit provided by a TA or Viking it could not be used before you boarded the ship. Not sure when or exactly why the rules changed but now that credit can be used prior to boarding for excursions, prepaid gratuities etc. or it can be used on board. If you have credit and book shore excursions in advance they are deducted from that credit automatically. If you have voucher credit that must be used before you board (or it is forfeited) anything you book in advance like excursions will be deducted from that pool first. When the voucher funds are exhausted then they will deduct from your shipboard credit. Also as a FYI shipboard credit from your TA will be refunded to you if it is not used. We just returned from a cruise that we paid for with vouchers from a COVID era cancelled cruise. We had enough on the voucher to pre pay gratuities and book all the optional excursions we wanted. Got a check in the mail from Viking less than a week after our return for the unused credit that had been provided by our TA.

Amsterdam is a hot mess these days. And as others have said you will have to go through passport control there. The good news is they do have a line at passport control for short connections. So if you are within one hour of your flight departure time an attendant will let you into that line and they rush you through. But I’d still want 3 or more hours to feel safe.

Personally I’d be uncomfortable with that short a connection. CDG can have long waits for passport control in the morning hours when most of the transatlantic flights get in. First thing I’d suggest is get on line and find flights that would work better for you. Then If you have AirPlus with Viking you can call them and tell them what you want. If you don’t have air plus talk to your travel agent and have them call. Also check your MVJ site and see if there are other options there that would work better for you. Sometimes you can just change it yourself from MVJ online.

We have booked air ourselves and via the cruise line. Generally if it’s less expensive or about the same price I book with the cruise line. When we book with them they meet us at the airport and provide transfers to and from the ship (assuming you are arriving and departing at the beginning and end of the cruise). By booking with them then if the cruise line changes or cancels the cruise they are responsible for any airfare change costs. However if it provides substantial savings we often book our own. It gives us more flight options and the flexibility to arrive early or remain after the cruise at no additional cost (no dreaded deviation fee). Either way will work. But a word to the wise about insurance…. It is never a good idea to purchase it thru the cruise line. You can get a much more comprehensive policy for less cost if you buy a separate policy. You insure the entire cost of your trip, including airfare, cruise, additional hotels etc. you do not need a separate policy for airfare. There are several sites that will let you compare policies. I use insure my trip dot com but there are others that do pretty much the same thing.

I have asked for a topper several times. They always are happy to put an egg crate on the bed. I just ask the cabin steward and they always bring it promptly. I’ve done this on both river and ocean. It certainly helps but honestly the beds are still firm. But the egg crate takes the edge off.

The Rivers of Gold roll call site might be quite helpful to you. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2759591-all-2022-viking-portugals-river-of-gold-douro-cruise/page/12/#comment-64168516

If the airline changes the flight by more than 2 hours (or less if it results in inadequate connection time) Viking nor the airline will charge you a change fee and they will work with you to find an acceptable alternative. Viking charges the change fee if you decide you want a different flight or date, etc. (not related to a change in the flight schedule) after the flights have been ticketed.

We were there the first week of June one year and last week of May the other time. When we got off the ferry on the first trip there were many buses sitting there waiting on the ferries but all were charters. The lady at the information counter told us the Skybuss didn’t run from there until the middle of June. She told us to walk down to the bus stop down the road. We did and the time table was posted there. We had to wait about 45 minutes as I recall. I think the bus ran about every 75 minutes. It came within a few minutes of the posted time. The next time I asked about the bus again at the same desk and was told it wasn’t running yet. So we just went back to the same bus stop. Both times a few other ferry riders joined us but everyone else on the bus was Norwegian. It definitely wasn’t the tourist bus! I don’t remember what the fare was but we just paid the driver when we boarded. we took the bus all the way to Bergen. It was a beautiful drive. And was easier than getting off at Voss and waiting for another train.

I’m sure they will. They will pick up from any of the hotels in the center of Oslo. We were staying farther out so they pulled their van right up on the platform at the train station and got our bags. That would work for you too since you are already at the station. They were great!

You will love this trip. We have done it twice. Always booked it via the Vy website. I second the opinion to pay a bit extra for comfort class. The ferry ride to Gundvagen is beyond spectacular. And a night in Flam to take in the beautiful views is such a delight. But here’s a heads up about the bus at Gundvagen…. The bus that runs from the ferry dock to the train station in Voss does not run until mid June. However you can walk about 5 minutes from the ferry dock to the bus stop (covered shelter with a bench right across the road from a beautiful waterfall) and the public bus will take you to the train station in Voss or you can stay on all the way to Bergen. You will arrive sooner if you stay on the bus into Bergen and it is a beautiful ride. You just tell the bus driver how far you are going and pay him when you board. The bus station in Bergen is connected to the train station. We used, and I highly recommend, a luggage service called Porter Service Norway. They will pick up your luggage either from your hotel in Oslo or on the platform at the Oslo train station. Then they will deliver it to your hotel in Bergen. It was quite reasonable and saved a lot of hassle getting luggage on and off 2 trains, up a gravel road to the hotel in Flam, on and off a ferry, on and off a bus, etc etc. we just had a small overnight/carry on sized bag that we took on the overnight from Oslo to Bergen. It was great. This trip is amazing. You will love it!

Your wife has made a wise decision. We have always done the lower level cabins because of the huge price difference. On our last Viking cruise they spontaneously upgraded us to a veranda cabin on the second level. We enjoyed sitting on our little balcony the day we boarded but don’t think we ever went out there again. 5 of the 7 nights we were rafted to other ships and the curtains had to stay drawn. Had we booked that cabin ourselves it would almost have doubled the cost of our cruise. I’d much rather go on another cruise than have the fancier cabin. Some friends we were traveling with had a French balcony cabin and it seemed even smaller than the cabins on the lower level. And since there is no place to sit at all in those cabins except on the bed you can’t really relax in your cabin and enjoy the view if you want to remain upright. I have 2 suggestions for minimizing noise in lower level cabins. First those lovely foam ear plugs that cost about 50 cents a pair 😁. And second we have found that the cabins farther forward on the lower hallway are midship and don’t get as much noise. They are $50-100/pp more than at the back of that hallway but it is worth the small increase for us.

When you get off the plane you will have to follow everyone to passport control. There is only one path to follow so just tromp along with everyone else. At passport control lines can be long. At CDG there are 2 sets of lines, one (usually much shorter line) for people with EU passports and the other for All Other Passports. That’s your line. If you fly business class or have Higher frequent flyer status with a Sky Team airline (Delta, Air France, etc) there is a SkyTeam Elite Plus line you can get in that moves you to the front of the line. After you get your passport stamped you just follow the signs to baggage claim and get your suitcase/s. From there, there are 2 exits into the arrivals hall. The green door that is “Nothing to Declare” and a red door that is only if you need to declare something at Customs (you do not unless you are bringing more than $10,000 or some weird contraband into the country, which seems unlikely for a Viking cruise 😂). As soon as you exit the green door with your luggage you will be in the arrivals hall. Just look around and you will see one or more people in red Viking jackets with a little lollipop sign with the Viking emblem on it. Give them your name and they will take care of you from there. It’s quite simple really. I always feel like my vacation has begun when I see the Viking guy in the red jacket! You can use those giant red stickers they give you if you want, but they kind of scream “crazy tourist” to me. You don’t really need them. And since you are doing a pre cruise extension with Viking you don’t need to put the paper luggage tags that they send you on your suitcase until you are ready to leave the hotel to board the ship a few days later.

I strongly suspect the “new regulations “ were port fees they did not want to pay.

I don’t think it was a stupid question at all but here’s my take…. Having cruised on a few different river lines I think there is a lot of similarity in itineraries and life on board. I have benefited from helpful tips from posters that have traveled on other lines that I might have missed if only reading Viking posts or Avalon posts, etc. And while a Viking river board would likely have lots of posts/participation other, smaller lines likely would not.

Agree with travelingman. They have big golf umbrellas in your cabin and available at the exit as you leave for excursions which provide great rain protection but they are big and hefty. I use theirs on days when it’s pouring but like my little travel umbrella for light rain/drizzle. Also on Cities of Light you have some hotel days don’t you? And Viking umbrellas wouldn’t be available then.

There is no mandatory testing anymore. If you are symptomatic on a river cruise they can arrange for testing at your request. If someone tests positive I’m assuming they would follow local advice for isolation but that would be on the honor system. I doubt if many people with minor symptoms would elect to test. There is no way to know if people on board are testing positive at this point in time. Just as there is no way to know on an airplane, a bus or at the grocery store. All you can do is mask and maintain distance whenever possible.

If you have paid for air plus you can just watch your preferred airlines to see when they post flights for your dates, pick out what you’d like (have a back up option or 2 handy). Then call Viking Air and ignore the “We are only working with guests whose flights depart in the next 60 days…” message and see if your chosen flights are available. Generally United/Lufthansa/SAS, American/BA or Delta/Air France are available on Viking contracts. The only hang up might be the flight home from Bergen. Options there are very limited.