Jump to content

photopro2

Members
  • Posts

    807
  • Joined

About Me

  • Location
    UK
  • Interests
    Retired professional photographer with long standing interest in Travel, Aviation and now Cruising
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Viking

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

photopro2's Achievements

Cool Cruiser

Cool Cruiser (2/15)

  1. We are currently on the Viking Jupiter for a TA and there is a resident astronomer on board who will give presentations about the night sky from the top deck (weather permitting) as well as using the planetarium for talks on "The sky above us". We also have the IMAX style shows mentioned previously.
  2. I really do agree with you and I am sorry to hear what @millybess has reported. My suspicion is that there must be more to this story than a simple flat refusal from Viking. Even if that were to be the case, it was obviously a one off negative decision by the management on that particular ship. There is certainly no general policy from Viking as a company to prevent M&Ms We have official Viking hosted M&Ms set up for both sectors of our upcoming BtoB. Maybe our moderator would be kind enough to pass on a message to Cruise Critic management and have them enquire with Viking if the previous M&M system can be restored? I look forward to hearing the response.
  3. This photograph made me smile when I spotted it on the Viking Jupiter Panamax camera yesterday, so I thought it was worth sharing. Maybe there is a keen ornithologist on the board that can tell us what bird this is?
  4. That is the right attitude to take and I'm very sure that you will have a brilliant time. We have had glitches and complaints about the pre cruise experience in the past, but once we step onboard, all that melts away. It is on the lovely Viking ships that we "Feel the love from Viking" 😊 We find that the outstanding environment and service for the duration of the cruise more than outweighs any dissatisfaction we may have had with the onshore management and systems.
  5. Hello @Curx94 I have enjoyed reading your well balanced, and erudite posts. Despite your carefully phrased and clear comments it seems to me that most people have missed the key point: That the advice you are giving about not booking too early is in relation to the Expedition cruises rather than Viking as a whole. We took a moderately priced positioning cruise on an Expedition ship and enjoyed it very much, but feel that most of the regular Expedition cruises are at a price level per day that is beyond what we are prepared to pay. If others in Viking's target market feel the same as we do, that would chime with what you have experienced. It appears that Viking may be having to reduce Expedition prices in order to fill what would otherwise be empty cabins as the date for an upcoming cruise draws near. Looking at it objectively, I can't help pointing out that, of course, your loss will have been someone else's gain. They will have benefited by enjoying the same cruise for substantially less than the price you paid. That is not an unusual situation, as a bargain purchase of any sort will only really be a bargain if others are paying more. It was good of you to take the trouble to bring this information about Expedition cruise pricing changes to the communities's attention. Fortunately, you seem far too sensible to let the issue spoil what I'm sure will be a wonderful Viking journey.
  6. I completely agree with you in that, I would not fly long-distance in a middle seat! Fortunately, we have always been able to fly transatlantic in seat pairs, even in coach. It used to be easy back in the days of the 767 and before the densification of the 777s, but it is still possible even now. Many airlines, BA and AA include, have their 777 cabins configured with seat pairs at the rear of the cabin. The World Traveler section on upper deck of the BA A380s is currently 2-4-2, so there is no middle seat as such. (though that is likely going to change and become a 100% business class area in the next 12 to 18 months) The A330s of Aer Lingus, Virgin and other airlines have a seat pairs the full length of each side of the coach cabin. DW and I have been very comfortable in seat pairs on all our many daytime transatlantic flights. As I mentioned in my original post though, night flights are a very different matter. We have now reached a level of seniority when we really wouldn't want to be sitting up all night in either coach or PE, which is where business class is a wonderful solution!
  7. I was thinking the exact same thing as I read through the thread! My view is that PE is a considerable extra cost for a marginally improved experience. We find daytime flights, even the longer ones, quite acceptable in coach. Night flights are another matter altogether and that is when we look to get business seats. So, for TA flights, eastbound is usually a night flight in business and westbound usually a daytime flight in coach. The total cost is a little more than a PE return but we feel that getting a lie flat seat for the night sector is a huge benefit.
  8. Thanks for your general observations, quite reassuring. The GM's name should be on the digital board displaying photos and names of officers. It is in the corridor that goes past the lift on the port side just across from the piano in the living room, between guest services Chef's Table. It sometimes takes a day or two to update after a changeover day but is usually correct. Hope the sea settles down for you soon.
  9. Ah, yes, I understand now. No one picking up wet towels in the bathroom either 😁 Thanks to you, and @aungrl for setting me straight.
  10. Thanks for the thought 😁 I had heard they might be some issues which is why I asked. But I am sure we will cope, as you did.
  11. Thank you very much indeed for that. We do intend to do some walking, and knowing the startpoint is a great help for planning. I am interested at your mention of the underground, do you know if you can buy tickets using a credit card?
  12. Thanks for the report and I couldn't agree with you more. We definitely need some music from the 80s and even 90s+ added to the repertoire. I don't suppose you happen to have kept the relevant daily or recall where the ship's shuttlebus stop in Buenos Aires was? I think you might need to clarify that, I'm sure you didn't mean to say that no menu was offered at meal times???πŸ˜•
  13. We have done 3 trips in 4034 (across the ship from 4035) and fortunately it is well forward of the tenders so 4035 will be too. We have never had an issue with noise from the lifts or stairs and that area is our preferred cabin location.
  14. You are right of course Clay. I don't know how I managed to completely misread your original post but I'm just going to put it down to old age and move on...... 😁 Expanding the gap between the bed and the closet would certainly be a good use of the additional space.
  15. I am fairly sure that the extra space in all cabins comes as a result of the ship being wider across (in the beam is the nautical term I think) so will only add a little distance across between the cabin door and the balcony rail in each cabin rather than in the direction you are hoping for.
Γ—
Γ—
  • Create New...