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lackcreativity

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  1. Are you talking about my husband or our friends?😁
  2. We will actually be on a Viking river cruise, but this thread is where I spend most of my time on Cruise Critic. I find this cohort of people to be the most helpful. At least we won't have to worry about coordinating dinner reservations! I expect we will enjoy our Lyon & Provence cruise, since we did enjoy the first Viking river cruise we took. However, all our cruises since then have been ocean cruises, so that might take some adjustment. It shouldn't be too hard, since we accepted an offer made when the previously scheduled cruise was overbooked. They have moved us from our planned "aquarium class" cabin to the Explorer's Suite and our friends have the other one. Should be quite the experienced!
  3. We will be travelling with friends on a Viking cruise this summer. We have often made friends on board, but this will be the first time we will be going with a couple we have known for many years. I anticipate the value of acknowledging up front that we don't have to do everything together, but any other advice?
  4. We passed in the wee hours, but my husband got up at the expected time and stood on our balcony for quite some time. Nothing! Come to find out they no longer light the cliff over night because it disturbs the monkeys' sleep. Oh well.
  5. Since the new Malta & Morocco itinerary has yet to sail, I assume this was an alternate itinerary. With four sea days on this new 16 day cruise, I am already leery about port cancellations (especially Tunis and Algiers). Can you recall why Casablanca was canceled on your cruise? In spite of my initial enthusiasm regarding this new cruise, we have yet to book it. The mostly winter time frame and the price in comparison to similar cruises on another line have left me unable to make a decision. Still, it is our favored Viking and I love the overnight in Valetta. Not sure what we will eventually decide.
  6. Peregrina, We have been to Sagrada Familia three times and I never knew there are colorful tiles at the top of the spires. Given Gaudi's other work, I guess I should have thought to look harder!
  7. Potential new Oceania cruiser here with a question about excursions. The lists of port excursions seem quite varied for most stops in my area of interest (the Mediterranean). Will the list of excursions for an actual booking usually match what you see beforehand? I want to have realistic expectations when making a decision on itinerary.
  8. We traveled with Globus on our first trips to Europe in our fifties (now 70's), and we selected that company because our in-laws had traveled with them years before that. Globus has been doing this a long time, and they know what they are doing. I know that escorted bus tours are a major turn off for some people, but we enjoyed every one we took. As of our last one ten years ago, the group size was usually around 30/35. I don't remember the large coach busses ever being completely full.
  9. One extra hint about the included tours: in many ports, Viking provides free shuttle bus service to and from a designated spot throughout the day. We often have taken the included tour and notified the guide we would return on our own (so they aren't waiting for you to get back to the bus). Then we wandered on our own or had a local meal before taking the shuttle back to the ship.
  10. In our younger years we travelled by land, and thoroughly enjoyed it. That is how we saw England, Ireland, and Scotland. When we got older, we began ocean cruising as it seems much easier than moving from place to place. The experiences are quite different, and we enjoy them both. For England, I would recommend touring by land. London of course takes several days at least, then a Cotswold village or two, and Bath. Edinburgh is a must for me, and Dublin should give you plenty to cover in one trip. Of course, your choices may differ. Finally, I really don't know anything about the smaller ports you mentioned. However, over the years, we have gone to many places we didn't know anything about prior to selecting a trip, and some of those were truly a delight. Still, for a first visit, I would go by land.
  11. Claranda, Your comparison was just what I was hoping to find here. It seems very even handed, and the things you liked about Viking are some of the same things that have kept us cruising with them. Like Vineyard View, we have become very familiar with the Viking Mediterranean itineraries and are in search of some variety. Viking did introduce one new itinerary that at first seemed appealing (with Malta and Morocco) but the time of year, the number of sea days, and yes the price caused me to look elsewhere. I acknowledge that losses during the pandemic require changes, but I still have to watch our personal bottom line too! Oceania and now Seabourn are of interest. Thanks for your input.
  12. This thread is a good illustration that even reasonable people can misinterpret what they read, that sometimes what gets posted in one part of a thread gets clarified later on, and that sadly, Viking agents on the phone still do not always have the right answer!
  13. We also had a stop at La Sagrada Familia (outside only) as part of the included tour, even though it wasn't listed in the description. Our guide took us to a small park area on a different side of the church, which gave a different view entirely. The bus had dropped us off, we spent some time outside the church, walked to a little gift shop (bathrooms available) and then walked back to the bus pick-up spot. From there we rode to the Gothic Quarter to continue a walking tour. Our guide that day was spectacular, so we had a great tour, but then we had been inside Sagrada Familia twice before so we were okay with just an outside visit.
  14. Viking Homelands - Dates & Pricing - Stockholm to Bergen | Viking® (vikingcruises.com) You can just check the itinerary for each individual sailing of that cruise. I only checked a sampling, but the ones in 2025 seem to show Tallinn . ( go to Dates and Pricing. Select a date in 2025 and then click More Info on the right and then Itinerary on the left.)
  15. Thank you so much for doing this! I am still impressed by the considerable number of really helpful people here on the Viking thread. I have been considering trying another line, predominantly related to more varied Mediterranean itineraries, but my ties here remain strong!
  16. shmabbies, Have you tried posting this question in the Ports of Call portion of Cruise Critic? Istanbul is under Europe - Other Mediterranean Ports. Galataport opened in 2021. Certainly you are not the first person to be seeking this kind of assistance. Maybe you can find definitive information there.
  17. In October, we docked at Galataport in Istanbul for an overnight with disembarkation the next day. The entire complex is amazing, but there is considerable walking down a ramp into the underground complex, and there are long corridors to be walked once there. There is a website for Galataport Istanbul with some pictures. I was not able to imbed the link here, nor could I find any information about the availability of wheelchairs at the facility. Given the size of the complex, I would almost assume they must have assistance available, so I hope someone else can provide confirmation of that for you.
  18. We have always done this is the past, and have had very good luck getting what we wanted with no additional charge (except for Air Plus of course). Since we fly out of BWI whenever possible, we have routinely gone Baltimore to London to final destination through British Airways. For our South of France river cruise this summer, everything was different. I knew that there was an itinerary that fit the bill, but I could see the price was more expensive than usual. Watching it over time provided no decrease. When I contacted Viking Air, they wanted to charge us an additional $600 per person for those flights. Since that was still well in advance, we held off, but prices never came down. When Viking finally sent us our flights, at first it seemed preposterous: fly from Baltimore to Detroit to Paris to Lyon. The return flights were the ones through Heathrow we would have chosen. Upon reflection, we decided to accept those outbound flights as well. Even though there are three flights instead of two, at least the flights begin in the morning, so we will be traveling at a time when our bodies are used to being awake. Total flying time is no longer than my original choice, because that one had an 8 hour layover in LHR and we would have wanted to book an airport hotel. Jet lag upon arrival will still be a problem, but at least we will avoid the torture of sitting upright in coach when my mind (body?) is consumed with thoughts that I should be sleeping. Sorry, very longwinded way of saying flying after Covid is not what it used to be!
  19. Included excursions in Rome have had a recent upgrade. I think there are currently four choices. One is a panoramic bus tour, and the others are on your own drop offs to one of three different locations in Rome (Colosseum, Piazza del Popolo, or Vatican). Minivan shuttles will transport between those three spots during the day. There are even optional guided tours available for prior purchase as part of the included on your own time. (For instance, you can book a Caravaggio in Rome guided tour for the free included drop off at Piazza del Popolo. Total time for the daily trips is 6 hours for the panoramic and 8.5 hours for each of the Rome in Brief Included Excursions. Of course, that does include travel time from Civitavecchia. There are also at least ten Optional Rome excursions on the master list that could appear on any individual cruise. For a port that Viking has been visiting from day 1, this is a welcome revamp of choices. I am still wishing for a few new itineraries in the western mediterranean. I thought Malta, Morocco, and the Mediterranean was going to be the one, but the off season timing, the four sea days, and (sad to say) the price are drawbacks for me so far.
  20. We always travel in veranda cabins. Be flexible, book upon arrival, and then check back later in the cruise. You might even have luck just walking up on a given night. Most of all, don't fret. There are plenty of good places to eat on board, and keep in mind we paid less than all those other guests to go the same places they are going!
  21. As a loyal Viking cruiser, my consideration of Oceania is not driven by disappointment with Viking per se, but rather a search for new itineraries. From what I have learned from the Oceania website, it was looking like a promising option. Even the change to the new Simply More seemed more a bonus than a turn off for us. However, I must admit that spending too much time on this Cruise Critic thread has been raising all kinds of questions in my mind. I never put much stock in the "Best Cuisine at Sea" claim, but all the distress over port changes and times, along with the description of the ships as lacking the Viking openness to sea views are cause for concern. Casinos and Concierge Suites and butlers are more of a turn off than a draw for us. Still, several itineraries and pricing are of interest. I will certainly work to manage expectations if we do decide to give Oceania a try.
  22. Okay, I see that I didn't explain that very well. We have limited vacation days from work, so can't easily add extra days for a pre-cruise. Knowing better than to fly in on the day a ship leaves port, that built in overnight on a Viking cruise saves us the cost of a pre-cruise stay. That is still true (I think) even if we are paying more for nights on Viking than we would a hotel in port. I am not sure I have done any better explaining myself this time, but it makes sense in my head! 🤪
  23. I love the overnight ports also, as they tend to be favorites of ours with lots of things to do. We don't generally do pre/post cruise stays, so that extra day at the beginning is a bit of a cost saver for us. We use that as a cushion in the event of flight related problems on arrival. Arriving a day early and booking a hotel on our own might save some money for us, but our time is limited and we accept the additional cost in favor of the convenience.
  24. We dine differently on a cruise than we do at home. (At home we eat, on vacation we dine!) We are more adventurous in our selections when traveling. Sometimes those choices turn out wonderfully, and sometimes we would not choose a particular item again. We love Chef's Table, and will continue to eat there even though our rating on the individual menus varies widely. Only once did we stop at the World Cafe for a little something afterwards. Once we had perhaps my most memorable meal ever. I will risk one to experience the other. Manfredi's fits the same bill. Our first meal there was disappointing. I think we were just learning that American Italian food is often not the same as true Italian (and Vikings is not always either). However, we gave Manfredi's another chance and have had some wonderful dishes there since that first meal. Generally, we are very pleased with Viking's food, but I don't expect perfection every time. But that's just me.
  25. I am not the original poster, but since this is the River Cruising thread and Viking is the line, I suspect the cruise is from Avignon to Lyon, France. Perhaps the OP has only heard the names and never seen them in print.
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