mhb1757

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. 

2 hours ago, Snowcat1 said:

mhb1757 you mentioned that buses from the dock do not run until the middle of June. We will be doing this trip at the end of May. We were wondering if you, or anyone, knows how often the public bus, which is 5 minutes walk away, runs at that time of the year?

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. 

11 hours ago, claranda said:

Thanks v much for the bus tip; that’s an interesting option for going on to Bergen. We, too, plan to use the Porter Service, but I have to check whether they pick up from the cheapo option of the Comfort Hotel Xpress in the central station….. . 

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! 

1 hour ago, claranda said:

We’re starting a Viking cruise from Bergen next May and flying in three days before to Oslo. Have booked our hotels in Oslo, Flam and Bergen and will book the train down to Flam through the Vy website - both because it allows you to book your seat and because we can get the ‘oldies’ discount. I’ll be keeping an eye on the website about 70 days before I want to travel as, in confirmation of what 2cruisecats reports, sometimes availability comes up early. I’m hoping that May isn’t too far into the tourist season for us to get what we want.

 

We’ll overnight in Flam, do the fjord cruise in the electric boat to Gudvangen, then bus to Voss and train to Bergen. Having ‘done’ Flam and quite a bit of travelling, we’ll probably just chill and spa when Jupiter gets there on the second day of our cruise!

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. 

7 hours ago, bundtkate said:

Hey, that could be an idea. I'd wager Premium Economy would be more likely to be upgradeable and with the base price being free upgrades will probably feel a bit more reasonable. Like another solid option.

Not to be Johnny rain cloud here, but in our experience when Viking offers free air either they cannot get you the premium economy or the price they quote for the upgrade is what it would cost if you booked it yourself. I.e., in June we had a free airfare Danube promo. Viking said the cost to upgrade to PE would be around $3200/ person.  If I just booked the same flights myself in premium economy it was about $3200. So we were essentially losing the “free” air. The good news was after they booked my regular economy seats for free I was at least able to upgrade to the extra legroom seats with the airline which made the long haul bearable. 

Unlike Viking ocean cruises there is not a mad rush to sign up for excursions on the river cruises. Excursions for most cruises are posted months in advance and you can sign up as soon as you are booked and they are posted. I would say close to 75% of optional excursions are available up until MVJ closes and we have often signed up for optional excursions after we were on board. Obviously some have limited numbers and will be full but nothing like occurs on the VO cruises. 

You do not have to pay now. You can add the air plus now or later and you can add a deviation later as well. Personally I don’t think $1299 is a great bargain for air but you can always drop it later if you decide you can do better on your own. 

6 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Like CCwinelover, on our last cruise (Iceland July 2021) we were surprised when we booked our excursions before boarding to find that their cost had been subtracted from our agent’s Shipboard Credit. Not sure if this was a one off or part of a new procedure.
 

We saw it when we booked the excursions and MVJ didn’t ask for a credit card number. 

Same thing happened to us for both the last river and ocean cruises. Always before the OBC funds couldn’t be accessed until you were on board but for the past 12 months or so they can be used before boarding and if we paid for excursions the amount paid was refunded to our cc. 

Can’t speak to the PV cabin location since we always book a DV. Couple of suggestions for the Midnight Sun itinerary…. It is a magnificent cruise. I would absolutely recommend spending some extra time in Norway. The train from Oslo to Bergen is a spectacular trip. Norway is super easy to navigate on your own. I’d highly recommend doing the Norway in a Nutshell route and spending a night in Flam in route to Bergen. Can’t even begin to describe how beautiful it is. 
 

Second, I would strongly advise NOT buying your trip insurance from Viking. You can get much better coverage at a significantly lower price if you buy it separately. There are several sites that will let you compare various policies and you can pick what best meets your needs. I use insure my trip dot com but there are others that do the same thing. 
 

Finally, as for Viking Air, sometimes we use them sometimes we don’t. Sometimes I can do better booking on my own, but often Viking offers significant air discounts that make it more cost effective. It is certainly more convenient to use Viking Air if you are flying in just for the cruise (or extension) and not traveling independently before or after the cruise because then transfers to ship are included. You can always book Viking Air when you book the cruise and then drop it later for a refund up until the flights are ticketed, so you really have nothing to lose by booking it initially. 

Couple of things to consider…. First you can talk to Viking and see if they will sell you an upgrade… usually with the free air promotions the answer is no and you can’t pay for Viking Air Plus to be able to pick your flights, but sometimes they do allow those. If you have Air Plus you can tal directly to Viking and don’t have to go thru your TA (if you used one). 

If you can’t do either of those things you will have to wait until after your flights are posted with Viking and then see if you can upgrade thru the airline. Again whether that can happen depends on the airline and the fare class Viking books you for. We prefer Delta (or their Sky Team partners) and I’d say 80% of the time our Viking Air booked tickets are upgradeable with cash or miles. Sometimes we can only upgrade to economy comfort and sometimes to Premium Economy or Business cabins. Same applies with American (or their partners). I try hard to avoid United so I can’t speak to their policies. Occasionally we cannot upgrade with miles or cash when flying on a Viking booked ticket because the fare class is not upgradeable. 
 

I don’t know what credit card you have points with but you will not be able to use them to upgrade directly thru the CC company. The CC folks will only work with tickets they have booked. What you can do with most CC companies is convert points to frequent flyer miles with multiple airlines. So after Viking tickets your flights you can convert points to miles if you have an upgradeable ticket and use those miles to purchase the upgrade. I am able to do that online without hassle. Beware however, that frequently is not a great use of points and you might be better off paying for the upgrade in cash. Generally anything much less than 1.3 to 1.5 cents per mile isn’t great. 

We will arrive MAD from VGO on Iberia. Departing on AA for PHL. Is there a way to change terminals in Madrid without going back thru security?  It looks like we will have to take a bus and reclear security when I look at the map on line.  Any info appreciated. We have 2 hr 10 minutes connection time and that makes me a little nervous if we have to bus it to another terminal and get back thru security. 

Since you have an android you can use an app connected to the ships WiFi to send texts, messages etc. a lot of people use What’s App, we like Slack (and set up groups for messages, conversations, etc). But there are several others that you can use. Voice calls will be quite pricey if you are out at sea.. We just stick to texts and messages unless we are in port somewhere. Just leave your phone in airplane mode and turn on the WiFi. It will keep you from racking up huge roaming charges. 

1 hour ago, FetaCheese said:

Sorry if this question has already been answered before, but cannot find it now.

 

Can anyone, or perhaps FlyerTalker give a response ?

 

On MVJ -- Air: After ticketing, where does 15 digit ticket # appear ?

 

Thanks

Use the airline confirmation/booking code that is on MVJ and go to the airline website to view your reservation and see the ticket number. Just out of curiosity….what do you use the ticket number for?  

Personally I’d do almost anything to avoid ORD. The AA area is always crowded and dirty.  The UA area looks better but it’s UA so they specialize in changing gates, losing flight crews, mishandling baggage and in general mucking things up. Last week our gate changed 3 times in 2 hours and then we sat there another hour because the pilot “was somewhere in the airport but cannot be located”. 🤪🤪🤪

ATL is much easier to navigate IMHO especially when arriving from an international destination. moving between concourses is easy and quick. DFW isn’t bad…not my favorite but AA pretty much owns the place and it’s not hard to navigate. 

No one is going to be paying any attention to what you wear. Comfort is king on river cruises. No idea when you are traveling but if it’s fall you will likely be wearing a jacket most days and no one will even see what you have on under it. You should be fine with carry ons, especially if you have a few things that you can rinse out yourself or send to the laundry. 
 

We did a 10 day trip in May with just carry ons. Some friends on the same cruise each checked an enormous 50 lb suitcase plus carried on a huge backpack and a roller bag the size of our carry on. No idea what was in all of that but I can pretty well guarantee no one on board noticed any difference in our wardrobes. And they nearly killed themselves getting it all on and off planes, thru airports etc. 

im trying to decide if we can make it 3 1/2 weeks with just a carry on. I think that might be pushing the limit 😂

On past Avalon cruises we arrived as early as 10:30 or 11 am. They have a nice lunch available before noon. We just checked in and left luggage and headed out on our own once and once we were flight weary and just relaxed in the lounge and had lunch until our cabins were ready.