TayanaLorna

We have used Viking transfers with and without Viking extensions. Viking picked them up outside our stateroom the night before We find them in the cruise terminal and transfer them to the bus Bus personnel load luggage Bus arrives at airport We identify our bags as they come off bus It is at this point where service has differed: One time our bags were put on a luggage cart and brought inside the airport to the check in counter or kiosk and then handed off to us All other times we wheeled our bags into the airport check in area ourselves.

So that is 2 Viking Ocean ships with a nurse who cannot be understood. I hope you complained to Viking about the communication problem. When we are sick or injured we are already stressed and we do not need the additional problem of not understanding a medical professional. Since I am an English speaker in a Spanish speaking country, i know what its like. I speak some Spanish but when in pain or injured, i need the medical details in English as i can't process the translation or know all the medical terms.

The transfers to/from the ship are only included if you fly on ship embarkation and debarkation days OR if you do a pre or post extension with Viking. So if you fly in early or depart late to do yourc own thing, you lose that advantage plus pay extra for Deviation ($100-150 pp) and extra for Air Plus ($100 pp) to have a say in choosing your flights. Sometimes airfare is cheaper with Viking even with the add ons, sometimes it is not. We almost always book our own unless Viking Air is free or really cheap - like $400 to Europe.

Definitely smaller. Looks like there is a sofa but photos sometimes elongate easy chairs. But it has a balcony.

Room looks a bit like a Viking PV. Not bad.

Nothing like Vikings embarkation huh? Glad you made it.

Perhaps the scent comes from people using their own detergents not knowing about the button to push for the Viking detergent.

My deepest condolences.

Still no power but given our location not surprised. Other then that, all is well in our area. South coast and some central mountain areas devastated by the extreme rainfall.

Hope you get out of the Carolinas on time!

Almost everyone wants to do morning excursions and we found afternoon tours to have less people. Comfort stops are shorter, bus has less people, group around the guide is smaller. They are our choice unless there are two excursions we want to do in a day. We can linger over coffee and breakfast, get a massage, walk the promenade deck and generally enjoy an empty ship.

You request a statement and it is sent to your email on record. In the email are several attachments. One is called Guest Statement. If you open that, your extension info should show the hotel. Don't remember which page. Just carefully read through it.

Get reservations at Manfredi's. It's a nice venue for a party and sometimes easy to book for the first night of a cruise. And like Peregrina651 says...

Our documentation when we booked the cruise with extension over one year in advance listed the hotel name on our Guest Statement. In researching the hotel, it's amenities and location I noticed it was still closed from Covid shutdown. Everytime I looked it was still closed with no opening date. About 4 months before our cruise, a new hotel appeared on our Guest Statement with no email notice. An excursion was included in the extension and those details were shared about 2 months before cruise. We made our plans to see what wasn't included in the excursion and hired a private guide. When we arrive to the Viking desk at the hotel, we learned about 2 other excursions that Viking organized for a fee. We had no idea that Viking did that and couldn't join them because we already made plans.

Kathleen must have a spasmodic foot.

Thank you.

We are drinking our wine and hoarding the ice for g&t now. 🙂 Thank you for your well wishes.

Thank you very much for your well wishes.

Road is open today. Yay. Stores also open. This is nothing like Maria. Our only challenge is clean up. Thank you for your words.

Thank you so much for your well wishes.

Thanks. We are up a mountain road with an incredible community. The "chain saw brigade" of local neighbors worked to cut and move fallen trees today and the water company (who has a filtration plant up here) came with a digger to remove the rest of the landslides. Now only if we have some sun for the solar.

Guess this is the Big Drawer Debate. I need a diversion anyways. On the Star in 2018 we had PV 6072 with no drawers in closet. On Jupiter in 2020 we had a DV and were delighted to have drawers in the closet. On Sky in July 2021 we had a DV with no drawers in the closet but i brought my hanging shelf. On the Sea in November, 2021 we had PV 4021 and there were no drawers in the closet. We are on the Sea again in early 2023 and i was hoping the DV closets would be refit but i don't see the ship having any down time before then to do so. Its a warm weather cruise so less to pack anyways i guess. Any PV we have enjoyed did not need drawers in the closet.

Exactly and we have purchased them in advance before. However you cannot fly in, stay at a hotel, do a self pre cruise and then take a taxi to the airport to pick up a Viking transfer to the ship on embarkation day.

PV cabins never had drawers in closet. The early ships Star, Sea, Sun and Sky did not have drawers in the DV or V closets. The drawers were added to later ships starting with Orion. The Sky was refitted with closet drawers in the DV's sometime after July, 2021.

Thanks for thinking of us Clay. We are fine. Our road was closed yesterday due to river out of its banks and over the bridge. It is still closed today from landslides and lots of trees down. We live SE but fortunately a bit North of the heaviest rainfall area. Power will be out for weeks but we got solar after Maria so waiting for more sun. Have enough wine and g&t for a week. 🙂