Scootoir
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Posts posted by Scootoir
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On 6/4/2023 at 11:51 AM, cmmaxwell03 said:
I was so disappointed when they said we are not stopping in Skagway.
Why did they cancel the stop in Skagway?
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What a fun post. We're booked on Viking's Alaska cruise next year; anyone know what the menus might be on the Orion?
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On 5/27/2022 at 2:04 PM, Heidi13 said:
If sailing from Seattle, the time in Victoria is usually from 16:00 - 19:00 until 23:59, so minimal time to see anything. If heavy weather is experienced, the Victoria arrival is often delayed, so even less time.
Victoria is easy to reach from Vancouver, with hourly ferry service from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay. They have a bus service from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria, on each sailing.
I did find an itinerary on Cunard that has a full day in Victoria (the cruise is round trip from Vancouver). Unfortunately it appears Cunard requires formal dress for dinner.
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3 hours ago, puppymama1 said:
We just got off the Viking Orion on the 10 day Alaska itinerary… had one day in Glacier Bay and one in Hubbard Glacier. Had outstanding weather every single day and it was an incredible cruise. The entire cruise was wonderful.. our first time on Viking but we are now spoiled and only want to sail with them!
Interesting. What did they skip to include Glacier Bay? We have only been on one ocean cruise and are afraid Viking has spoiled us for all other cruise lines. I'm looking at others but we keep comparing to Viking.
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On 5/28/2022 at 11:05 AM, Heidi13 said:
Another consideration I forgot to mention.
When sailing by ferry between Vancouver (Tsawwassen) and Victoria (Swartz Bay) they take a much more scenic and challenging route than the cruise ships.
Please tell me what you mean by challenging? Rough water?
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8 hours ago, Heidi13 said:
Glacier Bay permits are issued for 10-year periods, with cruise lines submitting proposals.
Viking were awarded a permit, as were Seabourne, when last issued in 2019. However, I'm not aware that Viking have actually used the permit, as they are on a 10-day schedule, rather than the mega ship's 7-day schedules.
Interesting, thank you. It seems like it wouldn't be difficult to swap Glacier Bay for Hubbard but I'm sure there's much I don't know about scheduling cruises.
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7 hours ago, GloriaF said:
Whichever cruise line you decide on, be sure it includes several hours of scenic cruising in Glacier Bay. GB is the highlight of any Alaska cruise!
Thank you. From what I have been able to find online, access to Glacier Bay is limited and not all cruise lines have it on their itineraries. I have read that Holland America and Princess have historical access. Viking, Seaborn and Disney visit Hubbard Glacier.
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3 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:
Seattle is a great city, but be aware that Seattle is about 100 miles further from Alaska than Vancouver and you must also visit a Canadian port. Both these factors result in Seattle ships having less time in Alaska. Due to the US PVSA, all Seattle cruises to Alaska must be R/T, so you can't get up to Prince William Sound.
The Seattle ships also spend a considerable portion of the cruise in the Pacific Ocean, as they head out Juan de Fuca and steam up/down the Pacific, West of Vancouver Island to/from Alaska.
If sailing from Seattle, the time in Victoria is usually from 16:00 - 19:00 until 23:59, so minimal time to see anything. If heavy weather is experienced, the Victoria arrival is often delayed, so even less time.
Victoria is easy to reach from Vancouver, with hourly ferry service from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay. They have a bus service from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria, on each sailing.
This is a really helpful explanation, thank you!
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2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:
Other than the Hurtigruten ship Roald Amundsen, I don't see any other small ships out of Vancouver that are comparable to the Viking experience.
Seven Seas Mariner (Regent) does alternating 7-day N'bd/S'bd cruise that only stop at Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway & Icy Point Strait.
Silver Muse (Silversea) - similar alternating 7-day N'bd/S'bd.
Both of those are more formal than Viking.
Regatta (Oceania) has a late season down to L/A
Roald Amundsen - 16-day cruises with lots of small port stops, with much of it is above Seward
Thank you, I will take a look at these. The cruise could depart from Vancouver or Seattle. I read Holland America sails out of Seattle but we're not sure that what they offer onboard is what we are looking for. I would also like to stop in Victoria but would have to do that ourselves post cruise with Viking. I've got some research to do.
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Oh and Mr. Wonderful does not want to dress up for dinner. Slacks, a collared shirt and perhaps a sweater are the limit. 😉
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Mr. Wonderful and I are considering a cruise to Alaska next year. We have primarily been independent travelers but loved our one and only ocean cruise on Viking. We are considering Viking to Alaska but they have only one itinerary. Are there other cruise lines to Alaska comparable to Viking that we should consider? We liked Viking's cabin comfort, excursion options, spa, opportunity to dine outside on deck and included specialty restaurants. We are not interested in a casino or a huge ship. Thanks in advance for your advice.
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Bruges is lovely and easy to stroll on your own. If Viking offers a shuttle or another way to get there take it. I bought this little book in London before our train left for Belgium and it is with my sister now for her visit to Bruges. Very helpful maps that fit in a pocket. https://www.amazon.com/Bruges-PopOut-Map-Maps/dp/1910218316/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=bruges+pop+out+map&qid=1567112240&s=books&sr=1-1
I posted a few photos I took in 2012. I am hoping to create our own Bruges extension to our Danube cruise next year.
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On 7/28/2019 at 4:12 AM, 4774Papa said:
We have never booked Viking because their cruises were never the best value, considering price, number of days, tours included, etc. Also, this payment policy is ridiculous.
What river cruise lines would you recommend?
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1 hour ago, Michael219 said:
Scootoir, thanks so much for your comments, suggestions and review - all appreciated!! We are quickly approaching the dreaded 12 month in advance final payment date but that also means we're getting close to this fantastic trip!
That payment is a killer. Not being a cruiser I did not expect to have to book so far in advance and make that payment so early. I guess if they had trouble filling the ships Viking would change that model.
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1 hour ago, sabrefan said:
Scootoir,
Our Cruise does start in Copenhagen. We are planning on arriving in Copenhagen one or two days before embarkation. We have also decided to go to Rekyjavik, Iceland from Bergen. Icelandic Air have afternoon departures from Bergen. The flight time is just over two hours and we will spend a couple of nights there. We have been to Iceland three years ago on another cruise. Then just a short 6 hour flight to Toronto, not too bad. At least we can take our time leaving the ship in Bergen.
The flight from Iceland to Toronto sounds easy to us! Traveling to Bergen from southern California was tough. Had I to do it again I think I would look into to flying to London and spend a couple of nights in Windsor to adjust then fly on to Bergen.
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On 7/4/2019 at 12:46 PM, Michael219 said:
Scootoir, looking forard your post-trip review!!
I had issues when trying to post so it made me evaluate children's programs (of which there are none) and would not allow me to add photos.
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1 hour ago, sabrefan said:
Hi Scootoir,
Thank you for the detailed information and trip report. This is very helpful and much appreciated.
You are very welcome. Your cruise leaves from Copenhagen doesn't it? I would consider arriving early to recover from jet lag and have more time to tour the city. I would have liked visiting Tivoli at dusk (did that 35 years ago) and spending time at Rosenborg Castle and shopping on the Stroget.
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On 7/11/2019 at 5:20 AM, sabrefan said:
Scootoir,
Thank you for the response. How did you like this cruise? What was your favorite port? Did you have some favorite excursions? Of all the ports on this cruise my wife and I have only previously been to Bergen on another cruise.
Thanks
I had only been to Copenhagen and that was many years ago so it was all new to us. My Swedish friend recommended we sail in June or July and in June we had the midnight sun which was interesting. We did 4 excursions, 3 included and 1 optional. We toured Bergen on our own including the funicular (go there first if the weather is good and avoid lines). Sailing in Eidfjord is beautiful. We did the included tour to the nature center. The included tour of Oslo was interesting and we had an excellent guide. The second day in Oslo we went to the Viking Ship and Folk Museums on our own. We had Viking customer service call a taxi for us and it worked out for us to share it with another couple. We met a friend who toured us in Gothenburg and we did enjoy the botanical gardens.
DH and I were feeling some pain at the end of the trip so decided to take a bus excursion in Copenhagen. Between aches, pain and the weather (was 85 degrees the day we spent there) we would not have enjoyed touring on our own. Jens, the guide, was very good and the tour stopped at the Little Mermaid, Amalienborg Castle and the opera house for photos and to hear more from Jens. We returned to Nyhavn via the Viking shuttle in the afternoon but the area was hot and crowded. We took some photos then tried to walk away from that area but were confronted by a large area of Metro construction and gave up. We went back to the bus and relaxed on the ship.
We upgraded our cabin one level and were glad we did for the extra space. The ship is beautiful and rarely felt crowded. Food and service were good, I especially enjoyed The Restaurant for its quiet and attractive space. DH preferred World Café in part because we are not used to having the level of service offered on Viking and felt sort of fussed over in the other restaurants. We dined outside of World Café on deck as we sailed out of Oslo--just wonderful.
My review was just posted, I'm happy to answer any questions that you have. https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=660288&et_cid=3214772&et_rid=24473151&et_referrer=NULL
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On 6/26/2019 at 12:27 PM, sabrefan said:
Going on the Majestic Fjords & Vibrant Cities cruise on 5/23/2020 from Copenhagen to Bergen. Just starting to look at flights connections and plan on flying in and out of Toronto, Canada. I see some flight departures from Bergen at 10:00am on disembarkation day. Fortunately the ship will already be in Bergen the day before. I am wondering if there will be any problem getting off the ship at 6:00 am on disembarkation day? We would plan on keeping our packed luggage with us in our cabin. Just wondering if this would be a problem?
My husband and I just completed this cruise and we had to put our packed luggage out side our room by 10pm the night before disembarking. We were allowed to keep our carry-on bags with us overnight and took them on the Viking Shuttle to the airport our selves. Our assigned time to leave the Viking Sky was 5:45am for our 9:40am flight from Copenhagen to Paris so no problem getting off the ship at 6am. In Paris we boarded a nonstop for Los Angeles.
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On 7/4/2019 at 12:46 PM, Michael219 said:
Scootoir, looking forard your post-trip review!!
Michael219, I submitted my review to Cruise Critic but have not heard that they have posted it yet. Would not allow me to post photos along with the review. If you are interested send me a message and I will send you a link to the blog I wrote during the cruise.
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1 hour ago, CCWineLover said:
Is that a 2nd Viking Ship in port of Eidfjord with you guys?
We were in Eidfjord on our Homelands Cruise last year - it was fabulous! Did the 2 railways thing and Flam.
Yes it was. I think it was the Viking Sea. It arrived ahead of our ship so got the premier landing. We had to tender to our excursions. We did the nature center and just enjoyed the views. The railways and Flam sounded great but just too long a day.
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1 hour ago, Michael219 said:
Scootoir, looking forard your post-trip review!!
I'm working on it but jet-lag hit me hard! Here's a photo from Eidfjord where we tendered to the shore.
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12 hours ago, CharTrav said:
They sorta do have the start in Edinburgh approach but you'd be doing the Edinburgh pre-extension instead (the way I was thinking) and cruising London to Bergen. Which would mean flying out of Bergen. And losing the Churchill extension. What they need are more sailings. Maybe 2022? 2021 is a bust for sure.
I don't think I could work in the Churchill extension with that. Wish I could skip Bergen and the islands and start in Scotland. Better yet Viking could combine Churchill's Britain with the Oxford & Highclere Castle extensions for a really nice land tour. 😉
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On 5/30/2019 at 12:00 PM, CharTrav said:
What I want is to a sailing in July. If Viking is listening -- and after Venus is added to the fleet -- it would be great to have more than just 2 sailings of British Isles Explorer in 2022 & beyond. Please??
Anyway -- with this somewhat despondent (whining??) preamble -- the reason I'm posting is that despite the situation described above -- I went ahead and prepared a report that consolidates the descriptions of all the excursions offered for British Isles Explorer plus info on the pre- and post-cruise extensions we're thinking of doing (Iceland & Golden Circle and Edinburgh) that we (DH and I) can use whenever a sailing date opens up (someday!! soon??) that works for us. I also posted it to my DropBox as a resource for those of you who are doing this cruise (have already booked) or are thinking of doing it. You can access it using this link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/e378ojpkbpp2m54/British Isles Excursions with Extensions.pdf?dl=0. No DropBox account is required.I'll join you in whining CharTrav. I am interested in a British Isles cruise with the new Churchill extension from London but I really don't want to fly to Bergen again (doing that next month with Viking). Wish they had an option to fly to Edinburgh and join the cruise in the Highlands. Thank you for sharing your research.
Current Alaska Sailings
in Viking Ocean
Posted
Thanks for that info.