lackcreativity

On 4/9/2023 at 2:06 PM, bletzinger said:

Arrived in Lyon today. Good news. The strike has "softened" and Hermod is headed our way and we are boarding tomorrow to sail. Assume the other 3 ships are moving as well

Thanks for the update. We are scheduled for this cruise in June, so I am very interested in the situation as it unfolds. Water levels! Pandemics! Strikes! Who knew that vacationing could be so complicated? 

6 minutes ago, longterm said:

I have to agree with you; perhaps we're not the norm, but we don't want to take a cruise where 1/4 of the days are sea days. If I'm going to spend the day reading and relaxing, it'll be on my couch. 

In theory I agree, but the older I get the more those little breaks in the action are appreciated. And the sea days are spread out, so that helps.

Mr. Miggins,

As excited as I am to see this new itinerary, I acknowledge that it is not my perfect itinerary. Perfection, however, is only an idea to strive for, and this one fulfills many of my goals. I agree, I would prefer April or October, but I would much rather be chilly rather than sweltering.

I have been most anxious to see Valetta since my daughter and son-in-law visited there several years ago, and an overnight is a real bonus. I know other cruise lines stop there also, and I had begun investigating other options. I am sure they would be fine, but we have only cruised with Viking and they remain our first choice.

Casablanca and Cadiz are two more new ports of interest. Corsica is unknown to me, so I am anxious to learn more about that stop. Tunis and Algiers seem to have a challenging history of having to be dropped from planned stops, but I would still hope for a chance to learn about these places very different from our usual destinations.

There are still a few other ports that I wish might have been included (Genoa, some places in Sicily that are not Taormina, and Palma de Mallorca) but 16 days with a few sea days is just about right for me. I guess I will have to hope our money and health holds out for a while longer for those!

8 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

You bet!  Booked it on Monday when a friend told us about it.

Rooms are going fast our agent said.

Dec 1 we booked.  Nice too to have a roundtrip from Barcelona.

Someone's already done the Roll Calls for the Nov 16 and Dec 1 cruises.

Uh-oh, maybe I should have waited to post this until we had ours booked! Our calendar is clear for 2024 and 2025, so we have flexibility. I do wish there was an overnight in Barcelona to start, but I guess we will have to come in a day or two early just to be on the safe side. I am very excited. 

Thank you, Viking!! I have been watching (even begging!) for this for ages.

Malta, Morocco & the Mediterranean - Roundtrip Barcelona - Cruise Overview (vikingcruises.com)

For my money, just a perfect mix of brand new ports and old favorites, with an overnight in Valetta. We will be there!

We are booked on this itinerary departing on October 13, 2023. My invoice shows us arriving in Istanbul at 7:00 AM on October 26 and departing the ship the morning of October 27. When I booked the cruise, I asked the agent this same question, and was told there would be daytime excursions. I am not completely trusting that claim, as often the agents are not as informed as they should be. However, I am counting on the arrival time giving us a full day in Istanbul, and will book a private tour if necessary. 

Having followed this thread from the beginning, but having the attention span of a goldfish, has it been confirmed that this new issue of dogs onboard Viking ships is limited to ships embarking  from US ports?

27 minutes ago, -Lew- said:

 

Interesting...and confusing for sure.  You're correct about Fusina being listed in MVJ...I hadn't noticed.  However, Chioggia is still listed as our port here.

 

MVJ is likely accurate at this point in time.  It may boil down to opening the drapes on the morning of the 12th to see where we have docked.

 

There are a few roll calls that cover your itinerary.  Come on over and join us.  We could use some more participation.

Since we are using Viking Air, I guess I will just see where they take us when they pick us up at the airport!😉

I am pretty much a rule follower, always have been. However, in my years on this thread, I have eased my standards of what distracts me about the dress of others in the dining venues. Bathrobes in the World Cafe remains my line in the sand, and unless my mental faculties desert me, that will never change!

16 hours ago, -Lew- said:

@jc522...   Thank you for the detailed instructions.  We'll be in Venice on the Sky October 12, 13, & 14.  It's anybody's guess whether your suggestions will work at that time, but they're a good starting point.

We are joining that cruise on the Sky in Venice on October 13, going on to Istanbul. According to our MVJ, I believe that we are still docking in Fusina. That would mean we have a whole different set of issues for the visit to Venice. Personally, Chioggia would be preferable for us, since we have visited Venice several times and would like a chance to see the smaller town on this visit. 

As you said, who knows for sure what will happen by October. When we took the Barcelona to Venice portion of this entire four leg journey last October, at the very last minute our disembarkation point was changed to Ravenna. Viking did a great job coming up with excursions there on a moment's notice, but excursions to Venice and the trip to the airport were negatively impacted.

Just now, Nippy Sweetie said:

@lackcreativity would you consider a river cruise for a change? Interesting routes and Viking quality.

Nippy Sweetie,

Thanks for thinking of this. Our first cruise of any kind was a Viking river cruise on the Danube. We enjoyed that so much that we when we learned on that cruise about the not yet sailing Viking Ocean, we decided to give that a try. We actually slightly prefer the ocean cruises, but do have another river cruise scheduled for this June in the south of France. (Hoping that French can get their retirement related issues settled before then!) 

5 hours ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

Last October we were on an Azamara cruise. I well remember arriving at the airport and not finding the Azamara rep. We walked up and down, eventually a Viking rep pointed out what looked like a small riot going on. Yes it was the Azamara rep struggling to control the group of disgruntled passengers. We were lined up with our luggage and marched for what seemed miles to a bus in an outlying car park. As we trailed along a lady behind me was loudly and repeatedly saying, 'This certainly isn't a luxury cruise company'. We loaded our cases into the bus for the trip to the pier then unloaded them ourselves from the bus. A very bad start.

Contrast with Viking. Our flight was delayed but a Viking rep cheerfully met us and took our cases. We didn't see them again until in our cabin. On departure at Bergen airport as we're were struggling to work out the auto check-in system a little Viking rep bustled up and took over. She expertly checked us and our baggage through several flight changes then put our heavy suitcases on the belt for us.

That, for us, is the Viking difference. We felt very well looked after. Azamara? No thanks. They can't even answer the phone. Viking is a slick operation.

Oh dear! I just left the Azamara thread where I have been browsing (along with Oceania) recently. Viking has always been the right amount of luxury for us. It is the only cruise line we have ever sailed.  The only reason I have started to investigate other options is solely to find some different ports of call, particularly in the Mediterranean. Not surprisingly, I have seen some familiar names from our Viking threads showing up there too. 

This is not the first time I have brought this up here at Viking, but I am running out of cruise options of interest that we have not already sailed. At the resumption of cruising right after Covid restrictions eased, Viking did a great job creating new cruises out of Valetta. Since then, with so many different ports in the Mediterranean, the itineraries are all the same ones we have seen for years. I realize there are likely expenses involved in creating new cruises, and minimizing expenses after the Covid era is a reasonable goal. However, at some point I imagine that Viking will be losing perfectly happy customers in pursuit of new sights to see. 

On 3/24/2023 at 9:29 AM, Azulann said:

 Exactly what I am looking for in terms of the onboard culture among passengers.

Azamara is now on our list of  cruise line to try next. We love cruising Viking but their itineraries in Europe have not changes over the years. Looking to some different ports of call. 

Thank you for your  informative posts in this summary review. 

Azulann,

I am here from the Viking threads, for the same reason. Love Viking, but need some new itineraries in Europe, especially the Mediterranean. 

Brazilgirl,

Your review has been very helpful. I will continue investigating Azamara.

16 minutes ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

Good review. I agree with your opinions. We took our first (and only) Viking cruise last September from Bergen to Barcelona. We were really looking forward to it after hearing so much good about Viking. We loved the ship and the service, but like you found the food, entertainment and excursions lacking at this price point. I don’t find it too much to ask when paying for a luxury cruise to have a luxury experience. 

I understand that sometimes first impressions are hard to get over. From my experience with Viking, and from what I have read on other cruise lines threads, I think that judging any line in these first years after the covid shutdown is perhaps a harsh judgement. Maybe Viking was never going to be a good fit for you, but we enjoy Viking cruises very much and are willing to make some allowances for unusual circumstances right now. Perhaps you might check back again in the future. Wishing you happy sailings!

Sorry to report that Frankfurt is our "never again" connection point. Two hours may work, as our successful but by the skin of our teeth experience was at 90 minutes. The failed before we began experience was a 55 minute connection which we accepted as newbies before we knew better. Oddly enough, on the day after the missed connection when we returned to the airport to try again, it was deserted!

Live and learn, and what I have learned is that too much time is better than not enough, always have a back-up plan, and never arrive on the day of departure. We often have arrived on embarkation day, but only if there is an overnight in port that day. Good luck!

4 hours ago, pavementends said:

Can't see any point in having a recommended gratuity if more than that is expected.

I would certainly not say it was expected, but I assume it is always appreciated. We have only routinely done it for our cabin stewards, and once for a server on a river cruise at whose table we sat every night. 

In my opinion, the recommended gratuity is computed to acknowledge the service of both the people we see, and those who work behind the scenes. Any individual tip would usually go to someone who left a real impression on you during your cruise.

Liberty Bella,

Interesting that you always go to the Gustav Moreau Museum. We have a three night stay in Paris coming up, and that is one place that I am hoping to fit in to our schedule. With Versailles, Musee d'Orsay, and Sainte Chapelle on our schedule so far, it all depends on how our energy holds out with the first day really being the travel day. Fingers crossed!

On 4/11/2022 at 4:16 PM, hutch1994 said:

I'm in total agreement.  Want to see interesting sites, not to go shopping for souvenirs.  Never buy any souvenirs on any of our trips.

It is so interesting how the same tour can vary, I guess mostly based on the guide, the logistics of the day, and the interests of the person taking the tour. We never buy souvenirs either, and did not spend any of our free time on the Nice, Eze, and Monte Carlo excursion shopping. In Eze, we spent our little free time to hike the rest of the way to the top of the hill to visit the Jardin Exotique. The admission fee was nominal and the view was priceless. 

In Nice, we spent our free time at the Flower Market. I suppose that could be called shopping, but in my case it was research. I work in a florist shop at home, and was very interested in the variety and pricing of the flowers at the market. Browsed the other area of the market with interest, even though I had no intention of buying. Could have walked along the beautiful Mediterranean beach instead!

In Monte Carlo, we did take time to have a nice Salad Nicoise and a glass of wine at an outdoor cafe after the tour of the Prince's Palace. Our free time at the Casino was just resting up and looking over the extremely high end cars parked out in front. We could have wandered through the surrounding streets, but were pretty tired by that time!

9 minutes ago, Vagabond51 said:

 It's Venice. There is only one. Probably one of the top 6 significant cities that comprises Western civilization. I'm told by people whose opinions I hold dear the art of Florence is better, but that debate has been going on for 500 years. Hope this helps your plans.

We are untrained but appreciative of art in its many forms. After three visits to Venice by land, I would say that the city itself is a work of art. I believe that I could spend an entire day there without setting foot in a building (oops, bathroom breaks don't count) and say I had a wonderful day!

We are scheduled for a three night pre-cruise stay in Paris in June (hoping that all the protesting is done by then) before a Viking river cruise in the south of France. This will be our second visit, and we pretty much have our plans for the time there worked out.

Our first trip covered the Eiffel Tour, Notre Dame, six hours at the Louvre, the ride around to see the city, and a lot of just walking the streets of Paris. This time we will visit Versailles, the Musee d'Orsay, and Sainte Chapelle. Reading all your comments has really reminded me of how much I am looking forward to this trip!

40 minutes ago, Hobson1754 said:

Yes that’s what I’m seeing - just seems strange they’re not staying the 2 days in Rome.  You’re right that it’s at least 1 1/2 hours from Civitavecchia (if traffic is good) to Rome but hey ho I guess Viking knows what they’re doing. I would also say that for those already on cruise who decide not to go into Rome there’s not an awful lot to see/do in Civitavecchia. I joined one of roll calls a while ago as it’s only been a few weeks since I realised they were all 1 week cruises B2B2B🤪

We did the Barcelona to "Venice" portions last April, and there is an overnight in Livorno. Rome is the turn around day, but not an overnight. Those of us who were continuing on to Venice (which unexpectedly became Ravenna for us instead of the planned on Fusina), we were offered excursions once on board for Rome. The included one was a panoramic Snapshots of Rome (6 hours) with a driving tour and one (?) photo stop, followed by around 90 minutes of free time at St. Peter's Square. They also offered a 10.5 hour Highlights of Rome & the Colosseum and a 10 hour Sistine Chapel & Vatican City. I don't recall the pricing on those optional ones, nor any information about the ease of securing spots on those two tours.

We had been to Rome twice before, so just did the included excursion for a relaxing way to see the sights again. We were there on Easter Saturday, which was an interesting time to be in the Vatican. Of course, there was no time to go inside, but it's still a nice view. We even had time to go to a pizza place nearby that we knew from a prior stay. Honestly, we enjoyed ourselves, but for a first time visit to Rome I would recommend one of the optional excursions.

7 hours ago, springtravel said:

Did you have a long wait by buying your ticket at the wall?  We are planning on taking the included tour, and then walking the wall as well.  

There was no line at all at the ticket kiosk. I can't promise that would always be true, as we were traveling in April and crowds were minimal. 

2 hours ago, zalusky said:

My wife and I completely burned through our 5GB on our last cruise.  I was negotiating and signing a solar panel expansion contract,  Checking security cameras during heavy rainfall in our area, calling for Ubers, general map tools.

You can download specific city maps from Google Maps onto your phone, and then use them without using any data. I always do that for each port before we leave. First I research each port and use the Starred Places feature to mark restaurants and sights I might want to visit in the location. ( I just might do more research than the average person, but it helps the pass the time between cruises!)

5 minutes ago, formernuke said:

 I would add the in Dubrovnik we did both the included tour and the walk the walls tour and highly recommend both. 

We scheduled just the included tour in Dubrovnik, which was very good. We notified the guide that we would not be returning with the group and remained behind for several hours before taking the free Viking shuttle bus back to the ship. During the time on our own we bought our tickets to walk the wall and followed that up with a very nice lunch. Without a guide on the wall walk we missed having any commentary, but the views are the main thing so we didn't mind. 

What people enjoy about an excursion can certainly depend on personal preferences. I would highly recommend the Nice, Eze, and Monte Carlo all day optional excursion. It is a long day, with admittedly not enough time in any of the places you visit.  However, I absolutely loved Eze (especially the Jardin Exotique at the top of the climb) and the Flower Market in Nice was so charming. If you enjoy high end shopping or gambling and fancy cars, then Monte Carlo might be the more your style. 

We covered most of the same ports on a slightly different itinerary. I think you will really enjoy it.