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Has anyone come up with a way to block the hinged balcony door in the open position long enough to maneuver a tray or drinks to the balcony?

Is Bourbon available or is it Scotch, Gin Vodka or Rum only?

Many thanks. This is very helpful.

1 hour ago, PasadenaDave said:

I live here.  Regardless of which hotel, I find Century City to be a pain when I have to go there.  The area is very expensive and not walkable or at least until the subway construction is completed in a few more years.  
 

LAX will be a zoo that week as will all airports.  
 

LA is easy to get around with or without a car.  My suggestion is that you decide what you want to see and book an appropriate hotel near where you want to be and do the pre visit on your own.  
 

Suggestions: Downtown and subway to LACMA and Peterson Auto Museum.  The Broad, Chinatown and Olvera Street.  Subway up to Universal Studios or Hollywood Blvd.  Light Rail to Science Center to see the Space Shuttle.  All of this is in a small area.  
 

My view is that in easy to understand cities which for me includes all of North America, New Zealand and Australia you are much better off and save money doing your own pre or post.  When other languages and exhaustive flights are involved the scenario changes.

 

Despite what many say. Los Angeles has a lot to offer and you won’t be bored.

Would you expect less animals in the zoo on Tue. or Wed.?

Though not for the first time, Viking has managed to confuse me. Perhaps someone can help. We have booked the November 28, 2024 Hawaiian Sojourn cruise out of Los Angeles. We are considering adding the two day extension, especially since the 28th happens to be Thanksgiving in 2024 (not realized until after booking). In checking Extensions in My Viking Journey one finds the hotel offered to be the, “Inter Continental Century City located on the Avenue of the Stars.” From what I can learn, the Inter Continental Century City has been closed for some time. In looking at our cruise on Viking's web site, the Sofitel is shown as the hotel used for this extension. Having spoken to two Viking reps, I have been told by one that Inter Continental Century City is open and is used by Viking, and that Sofitel is being used by the other. Perhaps someone out there has used this extension or plans to do so. And yes I know it is too expensive but I am willing to pay for the convenience, especially as transportation may be hard to come by on Thanksgiving day.

Touché !

El Convento in San Juan is quite nice. In Barcelona I would highly recommend The Serras, one of my very favorites and close to most places of interest. 

Perhaps Viking should paint half their ships red and the others blue and we could book accordingly!

One of my very favorite hotels on all of this planet is The Pillars in Ft. Lauderdale. In my book, as close to perfection as you will find. Though small, they have an outstanding chef as well as top notch accommodations. In any case, have a look at their website.

Perhaps a good indication of the health of the cruise industry!

Thank you Ray. Not a beer drinker so no need for the keg! However, do like my wines. Is there as wine list for purchases other than the "free" offerings?

Again, many thanks.

Please advise if there is bar service on these ships and, if so, when available. I see none in the photos and no mention of beverage service, ??? Thanks.

We were extremely pleased with Dancing Bear Tours in St. Petersburg. We engaged them for a two-day individual tour (just 2 of us, a knowledgeable guide and a driver). With this arrangement we were able to plan an extensive itinerary as the guide was always with us while the driver was able to drop us at the entrance of all attractions and, by communicating with the guide, pick us up when ready to leave. There was no waiting and no long walks from and to parking lots. A look at their website and a quick email to Julia would be worth while. Undoubtedly the best treatment we have ever received on any tour, anywhere.

Though posted elsewhere, I'll repeat here.

Kudos to Viking!  We canceled our paid December 2020 cruise on April 27. Though we were then told that our refund would take “about 45 days” the full amount was electronically deposited to our account on May first. We have not yet received the promised voucher covering the cancellation and travel protection fees. Viking's response could not have been more prompt or gracious. We will be booking again when the coasts are clear (and open).

Kudos to Viking!  We canceled our paid December 2020 cruise on April 27. Though we were then told that our refund would take “about 45 days” the full amount was electronically deposited to our account on May first. We have not yet received the promised voucher covering the cancellation and travel protection fees. Viking's response could not have been more prompt or gracious. We will be booking again when the coasts are clear (and open).

5 minutes ago, rbslos18 said:

Small world. I also grew up in University Heights on Channing Road. I went to Northwood Elementary and then Wiley Jr. High.

 

If you like sea days, this should be great. We are scheduled for the 12/20 sailing. We have done 30+ cruises but the trend toward mega ships and the growing absence of promenade decks isn’t for us. We love sea days. We have done all of these ports multiple times. We can’t wait to do transatlantic cruises with Viking once we retire.

We too have a booking on the 12/20 sailing but are a bit apprehensive with regard to COVID being "over" by then. Also concerned with the possible lingering COVID situation in the ports of this itinerary. 100% sea days would be fine with me but probably not with the Mrs. Have you no concerns?

This battle has been fought previously. SeePre-set Tables in World Cafe Is Creeping Me Out

first posted April 6, 2019.

29 minutes ago, ReaderGirl57 said:

Getting concerned about Sky again. I follow her on Cruisemapper and it looks like she may have skipped Progreso, Mexico and is headed back early to Miami. I’m hoping it’s weather related and not a recurrence of the engine problems.

 and making way at only 7 kn in calm seas. ???

You might want to consider using this as a “sea day” especially after 4 busy days on a pre-cruise extension. We did this after an Umbria extension and were delighted enjoying the ship with very few other “stay-aboards.”

Thanks chengky75.

Now Viking, any chance of circumnavigating the marketing department and telling us what is going on?

Viking Sky has been noticeably missing multiple ports on its recent 7-day cruises out of Miami. Also, she seems to be making progress at less than normal speed. Is the Sky having propulsion problems?

4 hours ago, Meldrum said:

We sailed with Oceania many times, both on O and R ships. This year we sailed in July with Viking and in August with Oceania. We did appreciate Viking a lot, also for its excellent cuisine. We had a number of the same dishes on both cruises and sometimes Viking was better (e.g. Beef Wellington), other dishes were better on Oceania (e.g. Soufflé Grand Marnier) but most dishes were very good on both ships. Viking’s speciality restaurants are included and those on Oceania as well. We like Red Ginger on Oceania a lot, Chef’s table on Viking not so much. Toscana (OC) and Manfreddi’s (VI) are both excellent Italian restaurants. The buffet restaurant is slightly better on Oceania, and way better on special nights, like the Italian night. We found the pool grill on Viking better than Waves on Oceania, but both have excellent gourmet style burgers! Afternoon tea is much better on Oceania, however during tea time you can also visit Mamsens on Viking for excellent waffels, cakes and open sandwiches (smörrebröd). 

We found breakfast room service better on Oceania, but only on a higher category cabin (concierge level and above) a hot breakfast is served. On Viking every cabin category can order hot food (e.g. Eggs Benedict) during breakfast room service, but their morning Coffee is almost undrinkable. Luckely, most cabines have a Nespresso Coffee machine on Viking (not so on Oceania).

In 2020 we have another cruise with Viking as well as a cruise with Oceania. We prefer Viking for cruises in the North (British Isles, Iceland, Alaska...) or in a cold saison and Oceania in warm regions like the meditteranean. The reason is this: Viking has a pool area that can be completely covered when it is cold or raining. On a cold or cloudy day, on a Viking ship we can still read a book, listen to some music, take a swim or step in to the jacuzzi and have some drinks. Holiday style! When it is raining or too cold, there is not so much you can do on an Oceania ship. That and the large indoor Wellness area on Viking with sauna, steam room and thalasso pool, makes it the perfect cruise line for us for all seasons and regions.

Thank you for these forthright observations. They are quite helpful.

From my earlier post:

Just returned  from our first Viking cruise which included the Umbria extension. As promised here are my thoughts on same.

Outstanding in almost every way. Having made our own air arrangements, we were immediately met by Viking representatives while waiting for our bags at the carousel. Our bags were gathered by them and we were introduced to two others  who had arrived . It was about 8:30 AM local time. We were informed that the arrival of four others would be delayed because of flight delays. We were escorted to the airport Hilton where we where provided a nice buffet breakfast. With the arrival of the delayed four, we were bused to our castle with our host  Andrea (male) who was indeed with us throughout.

The Castelo Monterone was all that could be expected and then some. We were greeted and individually escorted to our rooms by members of the staff. While we rested, others arrived, some late airport arrivals via shuttle and others independently from Rome. We were 18 plus Andrea.

Dinner that evening at the castle. It should be noted that the schedule was not as shown by Viking. According to Andrea it never has been. Another Viking communication breakdown. First two nights dinner at the castle. Third night dinner at a delightful winery. Tour of Perugia replaced Todi. Todi has not been included because of problems getting up to it. All else as given.

All included meals, breakfast lunch and dinner, were outstanding with lunches and dinners properly served on linen and included three or more courses.

I will not spoil the many wonderful surprises. I will note that the only possible negative was that the final lunch lasted so long that our bus didn't reach our ship until 5:00 PM, just a half hour before muster drill.

This for me was the best part of our Viking experience. On a scale of 1 to 10, the Umbria extension gets a 10 while I give the cruise itself an 8+.

Hope this helps.

Try http://www.kualalumpurtraveltour.com/

If in St. Petersburg you are interested in a truly private tour over 2 or 3 days (just you and your spouse with a driver and a knowledgeable guide) I would suggest contacting Dancing Bear Tours. We were extremely pleased with these folks and they will work with you in planing every aspect of the tour, replete with suggested reading.