CCWineLover

1 hour ago, theduffys said:

Yes, we did pay extra for the business upgrade. We knew that going in. We were subject to their routing and that is why we were so happy to get the routing we wanted. My point in posting was to say that, while it is frequently possible to request a specific routing for business class, it would seem that Viking contracts for a specific number of business seats on a specific flight.  So, the earlier the better.

Thank you so much.

We had been under the impression that Viking booked you in air fare classes in economy that didn't allow for Business Class upgrades.  It is good to know that at least in your case, it was indeed possible to fly business class with Viking.   That had been the primary reason we never used Viking Air - since we had at one time been told you couldn't do business class if you used Viking Air.  So perhaps that policy has changed for the better now!

2 hours ago, deec said:

that would be a great disappointment for us!!!! We love that area of the ship.  Our favorite place for sail-aways with adult drinks. I wonder what can't be fixed before your voyage.  Let us know!!

Yes indeed!  We hope that whatever it is is fixed and/or maintenance completed as we board the Jupiter in Valparaiso on Dec 21st.  We also enjoyed that whole area of the ship.

1 hour ago, Squawkman said:

I’m surprised as the one time we booked on ship, there were posters and handouts that detailed all the benefits. 

Yes, Squawkman.  Not only did the consultant verbally tell us all the benefits, but gave us the pamplets and other items in writing that we went over together.   I did notice that the benefits sheet was available to everyone and was indeed displayed for all to see.  As we had booked an appointment with her right at the beginning of the cruise, we hadn't noticed the posters and handouts yet.    Viking was certainly NOT trying to hide anything, like the previous posted said they experienced, and thus was disappointed in Viking.

On 11/1/2019 at 2:38 PM, theduffys said:

We are flying to Barcelona in 10 days. When we booked our cruise last May, we were given free air and I paid for air plus so that we could upgrade to Business Class.

Nicely done!

However - I have read multiple different posts now with different versions of what works with Viking Air.  Some people say Viking told them if they wanted Business Class they'd have to book air on their own.  Others like you, say that you used Viking Air Plus and then got upgraded to Business Class. 

Perhaps it is in the particulars - did Viking actually procurr your upgraded Biz seats (sounds like it if they did the routing and ticketing) ?    Did they have a specific "add-on" Biz class fare?  Did you use miles, but still bound to the Viking routing?

Does anyone have any particular breakdown of the rules Viking follows for people who want to fly buiness class, but may or may not be able to use Viking Air?     Sure sounds like different experiences abound and that there don't apppear to be any specific rules or guidelines - unique case for everyone.

2 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

Peregrina,

 

You are right that with an onboard booking or a future cruise booked you can get final payment set at six months from the sail date, but on my most recent booking, they did not offer that until I asked. I do find that frustrating, even though I understand that Viking is using our money to build more ships so we can sail more places. It is not enough to stop me from continuing to sail with them by any means, but it is one of my few disappointments with Viking.

Must be the specific ship consultant you dealt with.  On our cruise, our ship consultant (She was from New Zealand) spelled out every single discount and benefit, including the no payment until 6 months and the free change to another cruise anytime up to 4 months out, plus multiple discounts on the booking itself.  So - I guess we were lucky and you were unlucky.   I was not disappointed at all by Viking - in fact, quite pleased!

36 minutes ago, NordicPrince said:

Holland America yearly does a cruise called Voyage of the Vikings which goes east and returns on the North Atlantic beginning and ending in Boston. This cruise is annually sold out ( you can do a segment to Europe and a segment to North America). I'm not advertising HAL but what I am saying is that it would be a missed opportunity for Viking not to offer a similar cruise.

 

Enjoy your cruising days.

Does HAL allow/cater to children?

On 10/22/2019 at 9:10 AM, GeorgesGal said:

Anselmo by Hilton (one of their 'boutique' hotels was lovely when we were there last December prior to our r/t BA down to and around Cape Horn.  Clean, lovely rooms, great staff and breakfast.  Located on a square where there is a market on weekends, as well as performances by tango dancers.  Also lots of restaurants right down the street to the left.  The location is more 'neighborhood' than 'city'.

We were looking at this hotel for our stay post-cruise this coming January.  Glad to hear your experiences.  Was it noisy at night though?  Were there specific rooms or locations in the hotel you would recommend to ask for?

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Not sure if Trip Insurance covers Civil Unrest and Riots.  Just usually Terrorist Acts.  Look at the definitions in the contract.

Thank you all for your helpful tips.   We are going in December.  We have a tour planned to the Andes from Santiago hotel in Vitacura before our cruise out of Valparaiso.   The tour operator, ILoveChile Tours, has been most helpful.  In fact they sent a note to us on 10/23 giving us their view of the situation.  Specifically of interest is their comment on where to stay in Santiago.

Dear friends!
We want to inform you that in Chile we are having some civil unrest. Government increased the price of public transportation in Santiago and people did not agree. Today we are having pacific protests in Santiago downtown. The president just announced new social proposal and protests are going down. We have had some vandalism and violence in the modest and poor areas of Santiago mostly during the night. The policy and military are in the streets taking care of safety. Santiago and other cities are safe.
We are doing our tours normally. We are not cancelling our tours. We will keep you updated and informed closer the day of your tour.
If you are going to stay in Santiago downtown, we recommend you to change your hotel to Providencia, Las Condes or Vitacura district to avoid protests and noise.
Please let us know any concern. You can send us a WhatsApp message for a quick chat.
We are looking forward to meet you soon!  

2 hours ago, molymoo said:

We have done the Baltic cruise and done many of the tours.  It would be helpful to know which ones look interesting to you so we can comment ... if they were offered on previous very cruises.  We particularly enjoyed the walking tour in Tallin.  The tour was relatively brief but gave us some orientation to the city and its layout.  They had a shuttle to and from the ship so we were able to spend a few hours on our own after the tour.  The other one was the "beer tour" in Alborg ... it was a general walking tour but included stops at some of the cities favorite pubs where we were able to learn about and sample some wonderful brews!  Yes, it was 8:30 in the morning but come on ... it's vacation.  The guide was wonderful ... very funny and the fact that our tour meant that many of the establishments were opening early brought out some of the locals who were wonderful additions to the experience!

We did the included tour in Tallin - and unlike the previous responder - we felt it was one of the best included tours we've ever had on Viking (3 VOC's).   This just supports the notion that - not all tours are created equal - and that, like the food in the restaurants, every person has different tastes, expectations, and more.   Just read the various ship reviews that describe the exact same ship cruise & date - they vary all over the board.

But for us, Tallin was special - we love the full exercise walking tours and we saw a lot with an excellent guide.  We even took the bus back to the ship for lunch and then the shuttle back into town to explore even further on our own.  So we wound up getting the best of both worlds.   A nice walk and education the AM, and then a vigorous walk and exploration on our own in the PM.  And we had fantastic weather!

In the end - you have to decide for yourselves - what are the aspects of excursions or self-guided tours/walks that you like best?  and least?  and focus on that (and not necessarily on other's viewpoints, who may have different needs/interests/expectations than you).

Yes you are correct Peregrina.  On our cruises we had 2 types of credits - from Viking and from our Travel Agent.   The first could be used to book excursions.  The other we got when on board and we immediately asked if we could use it against gratuities since we don't buy much of anything on the ship.  Unlike some of our fellow Cruise Critic Viking people, we never had that much in OBC's - in fact, in each cruise, we had them applied to the gratuities and still didn't cover the tips - so we had no problem using them all up.  (Although we were concerned that it would be a use it or lose it).  

So in truth, yes you do have to make sure that you know what you are doing when you use OBC's.  But per the question, yes either can be used for gratuities.

27 minutes ago, glsebs said:

We leave next week for our Far Eastern Horizons Cruise on the Orion. We have never cruised with Viking before. Can we use our shipboard credit for gratuities.  
I tried to search the forum, but couldn’t find the answer.  Thanks for any help.

 

 

 

Yes you can.  We did so on our past cruises.

On 10/15/2019 at 6:38 PM, Trend said:

It is not a fixed amount but they give you an idea of cost and it was close to that.

i think it was about $60 US equivalent.

Thank you very much for the good idea.  We are headed in mid-January from the BA Hilton to EZE - and we'll probably ask the Hilton to arrange something for us.  I'll let everyone know what it turns out to be.

Given the issues currently going on in Santiago, Chile . . . .

For those of us who are headed there for a cruise (or finishing up there), have you given any thought to making different arrangements for staying in Santiago pre/post cruise?

We were lucky to receive word from the ILoveChileTours group, who gave us their thoughts today, and although they said our Andes Tour would be on as scheduled in December, advised us to make sure we stayed out of town in Santiago.  We are staying in Vitacura (at the Doubletree), so hopefully that will be alright.  Wondering however, if Valparaiso or other ports might suffer issues as well in the next months.

3 hours ago, Cyber Kat said:

This is around the corner from the Viking Bar in the Living Room and one of our comfy spots 

Ah yes!  You found our chairs!  🙂 

We loved the Explorer Lounge.  Our friends just got home from your Montreal - NY cruise on the SEA and as first time VOC'ers, were totally enamored with the Lounge - they kept sending us pictures of sitting having cappuccino's from those comfortable seats facing the front windows!  Made us envious for sure - til our next cruise.

2 hours ago, Krisval said:

When we include Viking Air in our trips I research flights in advance and find ones I think are best. Simultaneously, our travel agent is working with the Viking Air department to get their recommendation. For our upcoming flights to Australia, Viking had the perfect schedule and a great price, less than I could find. At other times our travel agent and I will have a 3-way conversation with Viking air people and go through the flight options. I usually have flights in mind and ask if those will work for Viking. 

Because we are going to Sydney a few days before the cruise, we made reservations for transport to our hotel. If I were going to China I’d be more likely to use Viking air and their transportation from and to the airport. 

Great tips, Krisval.  Will be interesting to hear from you how your adventure went.  We are doing NZ/Australia in Feb 2021 so will follow you.   Interesting to hear that Viking Air had a good price to Australia (as I've heard otherwise on other posts).  Are you going via LAX?  Connections?  Did you upgrade to Premium Economy or Business?

I like your idea of having a 3 way conversation with flights desired already prepared - sounds much easier and efficient!  We will have to try that.  Thanks!

4 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

It's true, most cruisers are not even aware of Cruise Critic let alone participate in its roll cals.  However, we're flying to Rome in about 10 days in advance of the Sky Princess 28-day inaugural TA...as of this morning there are 7400+ posts on its roll call.

 

Have a great trip Lew!   How many passengers on the Sky Princess?  Perhaps that is why they have so many posts.  Plus, Princess has a large, long, and loyal following.

11 hours ago, ClevelandKid said:

Greetings!!

the last Viking Ocean cruise we did would often have shuttles to go between a point - like the entertainment district - and the ship. 
 

I can understand why Viking doesn’t want to publicize its shuttles, as it would undercut its shore excursions. Which is why I am asking you good folks if you have been on this trip if you can remember the island and the destination for any shuttles. 
 

thanks

Pat

We did the West Indies Explorer cruise this past February 2019.

CyberKat is correct - the Caribbean is recovering from the hurricane - still.  Not really entertainment districts - at least on the Viking itinerary.  There was a shuttle in St Thomas that people who went shopping used, but most people did the included tours or the optional tours. 

I can also heartily recommend the Barbados Photographer tour - I learned so much and the guide/teacher was a long time photographer, photo-journalist and Barbados native.  Outstanding!

Also enjoyed the Train in St. Kitts - quite different from what one might normally do.

To sum it up - there really were no pure "Shuttles" on this cruise.  On other Viking itineraries I have seen them however.

16 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

I'm thinking you're correct...

 

I notice the roll call for the Rome to Lisbon segment of our TA in 2020 was started in February of this year, so it looks like it will be early in the next year at the earliest.  I'll just have to keep checking...

Hi Lew - since we started the Oct 2020 Rome to Miami Roll Call on the Sky, I can give you at least some more data points.  We are also looking at future transatlantic cruises, but are thinking about trying the other direction next time.

We first noticed the Lisbon to Miami Oct 2020 cruise (and then saw that you could also do Rome to Lisbon ahead of it) around the Christmas time frame, as I remember (nearly 2 years ahead).  It could have been available before that.   We decided to wait until we went on a Caribbean cruise on the SEA in February to actually book the trip, getting the on-board discounts.  There were already several rooms taken so others had also been looking at this.  As Peregrina said, we who do Cruise Critic must be a small minority, since when I looked for the Roll Call, there was none, for which I was somewhat surprised.

My thought is to keep looking at least every week to see if anything new in fall 2021 pops up!

See you on the Sky in a year!  By this time next year we will have left Rome and be well on our way to Barcelona. . . Speaking of which, hoping things will have settled down some by then 🙂

On 10/12/2019 at 6:18 AM, mlkb said:

Thank you very much for the detailed information on Malaga!  This will be very helpful in planning our day in the city.

 

Thanks again,

MLKB

We were not able to get to the Alhambra, but instead booked a tour that went to Nerja, where had a very unique experience touring underground the magnificent caves!  Quite amazing and extensive.  It was a highlight of our cruise for us.  Just do a search for "The Caves of Nerja Spain".

31 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

 

Thank you for the menu.  It is odd that there is only one Californian wine (premium) on a California menu.

 

The Mer Soleil Chardonnay is quite prevalent on Viking Ocean Cruises.  They likely have struck a good deal with them.  They've been on every single cruise we've had and our friends also commented that it was quite common on theirs as well.  And they have/had lots and lots of it.  Probably pretty typical of cruise lines to contract with specific wineries for volume and pricing.

5 hours ago, stretchcruz said:

Here is a thread from the cruse that we were on. We did Auckland to Bali and stayed on our own in Bali afterwards with a private guide and driver (cheap!)  We enjoyed the cruise.

 

 

Thanks so much Stretchcruz from Tucson!    I seem to remember vaguely your post.  Will take a close look as we are doing that same cruise feb-mar 2021.    Meanwhile looking forward to meeting you on the Sky from Rome to Miami in a year!!

On 10/11/2019 at 12:06 AM, Cleopatra99 said:

I have been thinking about the same cruise .. I found this thread which might be of interest.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/2624223-australia-new-zealand-dec-jan-review/?tab=comments#comment-56570777

Interesting review - doesn't make it sound a very enticing cruise, especially if you are headed all the way from the US down under just for it.  There doesn't seem to be much "slack" time built in - such that everything needs to be perfect in order to make the port schedules.

We, however, are taking this cruise next year, and partly for the following reasons, despite reading all the negative reviews (there are many others beside this one).    For one, we've been to NZ and Australia many times and thought it would be interesting to see it a different way - by cruising - so if we miss a port it is not that big a deal to us.  Secondly, we also booked the follow-on cruise from Sydney to Bali, so we at least have a longer cruise time for coming all the way from the US.   Third, by the time we do this in 2021, Viking will have hopefuly tuned the logistics and operations aspects of ports and excursions and Kiwi wine tasting 🙂

so that things will be a little smoother.  Fourth - we have been on several Viking cruises and just simply this line fits our interests and style  best - and we thoroughly enjoy everything.  There will always be minor annoyances, but life is too short to focus on anything but the good things that can be enjoyed.

I received an email as well as a beautiful packet in the mail from Viking, announcing the new Expedition ships. In the multiple pages inside the brochure, there were similar pages to those that Clayton took pictures of in his presentation.   The big surprise to me was how large the Expedition ships were - not that small than the current Ocean liners, but quite a bit fewer people.  Will be interesting to see the specific prices when they come out - and also how many people go for it.  My bet is that Viking is figuring that so many people have taken so many Viking cruises they are looking for the next new thing.  I would guess that a majority of the people on board would be repeat Viking cruisers.

4 minutes ago, Cienfuegos said:

On our recent Trade Routes of the Middle Ages cruise, Viking Ocean offered Dr Sherry Hutt, Wing Commander Bill Simpson, and art historian Brian Healy.  Each was excellent. Exuberant, informative, etc.

 

One port visit (Falmouth UK) was cancelled, which required an extra day at sea.  Each lecturer had a packaged presentation ready to fill the suddenly opened gap.

 

The cruise ship enrichment site has a fine background / bio on cruise lecturers:  http://www.cruiseshipenrichment.net/

Wow, Cienfuegos!  This is a wonderful site!  Thank you so much for sharing.

3 hours ago, Etexvrc said:

We too enjoyed Jeremy Paterson's lectures.  I believe he was on our Majestic Iceland cruise.

 

But I've a question for you philw1776, you seemed to have a source for lecturers for upcoming cruises.  Did you 'just ask' Viking?  Or is it available publicly somewhere?

 

I'd be interested in this information for upcoming cruise in South America coming up in late Dec.  Wondering who the lecturers will be. 

 

Thanks in advance.

Me too, philw1776!   Etexvrc are on the same South America cruise on Jupiter.

In our 3 Ocean Cruises, the lecturers have easily been one of the most outstanding things!  It would be great to know who's going to be coming up, but I know that sometimes things change at the last minute.

We met one of the most outstanding lecturers, Russell Lee, a fellow Californian, on our May Jupiter Cruise from Barcelona to Copenhagen.  He was absolutely mesmorizing, and with help from his wife Gail, put on the most amazing and entertaining learning sessions....  I know that he did several other cruises this summer, often called in at what seemed to be the last minute.  Do a search on Viking forum for Russell Lee and you'll see several posts.