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Torquato

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Posts posted by Torquato

  1. 8 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

    Free shuttle to the port and any where you want to go within (2 miles?). When you book the hotel, book the pkg for cruises...IIRC it's called something like "cruise and snooze". There's also a pkg that includes breakfast. 

    The breakfast pkg isn't a good deal for us as we frequently share 1 breakfast.

    DT used to be a great place to stay at pre pandemic because of the proximity to the port and the free parking. I just checked the rates. The daily fee is $20 plus tax. Comparing the packages it looks like the price difference between an overnight stay with breakfast and an overnight stay with breakfasts and 7 day parking also works out to about $20/day for parking. We parked at the port parking lot in April for a four day cruise and the total came out to $80. 

  2. 2 hours ago, LisaDee said:

    I prefer to fill out cruise surveys online and AFTER I get home.  I’m not going to waste precious time on board filling out what I thought was a very long multi-page form.  It feels like work.  Mine ended up in the recycle bin.

    It is work! On my last cruise I answered “met expectations” on almost every item and wrote that if they wanted details to call me. On future cruises (two more booked for 24) I will not be bothering with the survey.

    • Like 2
  3. 9 hours ago, photopro2 said:

    There has been some really interesting discussion on another thread about evaluation forms, as a result of thread drift. So interesting, in fact, I felt that it deserved a thread of its own.

     

    I can appreciate the usefulness of these forms and so try to answer them as honestly as I can. 

     

    My own difficulty is the way they generally ask how well the various aspects of the cruise relate to my expectations. For instance, if they were below my expectations, met my expectations or exceeded them.

     

    On our first Viking cruise I genuinely and honestly rated most of the categories as exceeding or far exceeding my expectations. The problem has come with subsequent cruises, where I am again being asked to rate my experience in the context of my expectations. Over time my expectations have become very high, based on my previous good experiences.

     

    The result is that even if I think that a particular aspect of the cruise has been excellent, I feel I can now only honestly rate it in the middle of the range on the evaluation form by saying that it “met my [very high] expectations” By the same token, even a small issue could easily put an aspect into the “below expectations” categories.

     

    I would be interested to know if others have felt the need to adjust their responses on the evaluation forms purely because their level of expectation has changed. 

    I fully agree. After the first two cruises where my expectations were greatly exceeded, they became the baseline and on subsequent cruises, my high expectations were met. The questionnaire does the crew a disservice.

    • Like 1
  4. 7 hours ago, FLORIDA FLOUNDER said:

    All of these in yesterday’s mail. How about eliminating at least half and offer a better incentive to loyal guests with more than 15 sailings?!
    Just a thought 🤪

     

    IMG_0370.thumb.jpeg.4fb0700c048dbde0577ac88068dc1cd6.jpeg

    I like it. But why 15? Why not 10?

  5. 6 hours ago, hutch1994 said:

    Ended up taking the optional tapas tour my viking hotel reps in Madrid.  Thought it was a waste of money.  $105.00 a person which included a total of six different small tapas each along with wine.  For $210.00 could have had a really nice dinner in Madrid.

    Sorry to hear. You can eat really well for 105 pp in Madrid. I hope there is a next time…

  6. On 10/7/2023 at 9:11 AM, OneSixtyToOne said:

    T-Mobile has many different plans. Their basic plan vs one that includes international can be almost double the price.

     

    I'd rather buy an esim for the few weeks I'm out of the country. I'm using Wi-Fi 99% of the time when not traveling. Plans that include bells and whistles are not cost effective for me.

    We are on t-mobile. Our plan includes international data. Free calls in all of North America plus other perks. We only pay $60/month for two lines including taxes. Very cost effective for us. I don’t know if they offer this plan for seniors anymore. 

  7. 21 hours ago, millybess said:

    Yes, Corral de la Moreria.  If you book directly on their website, you will get a better table.  But if @Torquato  has a recommendation, take that one over mine.

     

    I’m not really into flamenco.  Enjoy and post if you go.

  8. Go to Mercado San Miguel next to plaza Mayor. You’ll find all kinds of quality tapas. You’ll see more locals than tourists which is a good sign.  Save room for some Churros (I prefer porras) with hot chocolate at chocolatería San Gives which is two short blocks away. Sleep like a well fed baby…. enjoy!

    • Like 3
  9. We bring out large suitcases with us when we embark. The scanners are large enough for them. Up to now we never had a problem. We also have AirTags in them. Once inside the ship, we go to our cabin and leave the bags there. The one time the cabin door was closed, we left them in the hallway. 

    • Like 2
  10. On 1/14/2024 at 6:21 PM, SantaFe1 said:

    Absolutely agree. Viking has some weird recipes. I once asked the chef about the Peking duck at Chef’s Table that wasn’t. He said he knew how to make Peking duck and to come back. He then made it perfectly for us !  

    I agree as well. The one that always get my blood boiling when I see it is “California couscous paella.”

    I’ve lived in California for over 40 years. Never seen it. I was born in Spain and have been eating paella since I can remember. Never, absolutely never with couscous. Why not just make it with Spanish short grain rice?

     

    BTW: I was on a princess cruse a month. Saw paella as I was walking through the buffet. Tried it. It was probably the best restaurant paella I’ve had outside of Spain. That good.

     

     

     

    • Like 2
  11. 1 hour ago, KarmaCruisers said:

    I’ll be on the ship too

    i I tried to start a trip report…but it went off the rails and was deleted lol

    Looking forward to seeing you all on board…

    we’ve sailed from San Pedro multiple times. Have driven the day prior and stayed overnight at the doubletree. This time we decided to fly down from San Jose To LAX tomorrow morning since we are doing a B2B2B.. We arrive at 11:30AM and will take an Uber. Seeing that tomorrow is Saturday, we are hoping that traffic won’t be as bad as a weekday…. We have 3 hours to make to the ship. 🤞

    • Like 3
  12. I’m starting a new thread to keep track of Carlos the bartender who is currently on the Viking Star as we sail back to LA from Hawaii. We, and others on board, want to know which ship he is on so that, if possible, we can book a cruise he is on or will be on… who knows, maybe if we get critical mass Viking may even come up with Carlos-centric cruises … “the Carlos Mexican Riviera Adventure” or something similar.😃

     

    Carlos makes great hand crafted Margaritas. You can taste the love he puts into them.

     

    All the barmen and women on board and across the fleet  do a great job and maybe this thread can be expanded to include others, we could mention many names,  but for now we’ll start with Carlos…

     

  13. My wife has a gluten problem also. All the restaurants on Vinny will accommodate people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Just tell the hotel manager Viking has a dedicated person that will find you and present you the menu for the following day. You choose what you want and they will prepare your choices gluten  free. Talk to the pastry chef and he’ll have freshly baked gluten f free almond cookies delivered to your room. Enjoy!

    • Like 1
  14. We were on the Star two  months ago from Montreal to Ft. Lauderdale and will be on the Dec 28 cruise to Hawaii. After having been on 8 previous cruises with Viking, our experience at Manfredi's was also very disappointing. The menu has radically changed for the worse. Gone are my favorites like the Lasagna, Sole, Lamb chops, Veal, and may others.. The original rib eye has been replaced by two types of rib eye steaks (Why two relatively similar rib eye steaks on the same menu? I don't know.). Neither steak measures up to the original steaks that we have hade multiple times on previous cruises.

     

    Our experience at the Restaurant was also disappointing and we ended up having most of our meals at the world cafe where the food seems to have improved relative to previous cruises in terms of quality and variety.

     

    None of the above should reflect badly on the staff. I think these issues stem from corporate decisions. 

     

    On the positive side, the crew on the Star was probably the best we've had out of all the cruises we've sailed with Viking. David Lecumberri, the Hotel Manager,  was the most attentive, approachable, and congenial HM we've had the pleasure to sail with. Unfortunately, he won't be on our next cruise. Kate, the Cruise director, was without reservation, the best we have ever had on any cruise ship we have ever been on. We won't forget them, and most of the crew anytime soon.

     

    Viking should use the Star crew as the standard that crews on all Viking Ocean ships should aspire to and we're looking forward to seeing most of them on our next cruise...

    • Like 1
  15. In most restaurants, the price you see on the menu is the price you end up paying. Includes taxes and tips. Most people will leave a  small tip such as 5 euros on a 100 euro bill but there is no expectation that you should leave something.

  16. 2 hours ago, friendlyfifer said:

    We have a holiday home in the Murcia region and have been to both cities. With limited available time, my advice would be to stay in Barcelona. There is so much to see both within the city and also the surrounding area.

    Having said that I never tire of Madrid. It is just so Spanish (I hope that doesn’t sound stupid). The food is amazing, the people lovely and there is a myriad of buildings and museums to visit. You can also tour the Royal Palace if the royal family are not in residence.

    I agree with your assessment of Madrid. Just to clarify, the royal family  residence is the Palacio de la Zarzuela in the outskirts of Madrid. The Royal Palace can be visited year round except for a few holidays and when used for official state functions.

    See https://tickets.patrimonionacional.es/en-GB/informacion-recinto/6/palacio-real-de-madrid

  17. 39 minutes ago, LibertyBella said:

    Well, if you think you will not be returning to Spain, I would recommend extending your trip pre-cruise and then definitely going to Madrid for at least three-four days (fly in to Madrid), so you can see a bit of the city (city overview tour, Royal Palace, Prado Museum), and do one or two bus day trips (Toledo & Segovia first/then perhaps Avila & Salamanca), so you will have more of a taste of the country. Then head to Barcelona (by high speed train) for one (or two) day(s) pre-cruise.  Overall Spain is not extremely expensive, although Viking always selects high-cost hotels for their extensions.  

     

    You do have a LOT of sea days on your cruise, so it seems they are crossing the Atlantic VERY slowly.

    For us, we prefer more port time than sea time, because we are avid sightseers. 

    if you end up going to Madrid for a few days and you like museums, just a few hundred yards from the Prado museum you'll find the Reina Sofia Museum where Picasso's Guernica is exhibited. Impressive and definitely worth a visit. 

    • Thanks 1
  18. 59 minutes ago, LibertyBella said:

    Well, I am a person who has studied, worked, and traveled extensively in Spain, and on my upcoming cruise (Rome to Barcelona) I am definitely NOT going to Madrid, only because the temptation to see and do more would be overwhelming!

     

    Yes, Barcelona is very nice, and touring the Gothic quarter, La Rambla, the museums, and all the Gaudi creations will definitely use up two of your days.  With an extra day I would head to Montserrat and/or Girona on a day trip.

     

    Barcelona is about two-three hours from Madrid on the train, but in many ways it is a bit isolated since it sits somewhat alone on the northeastern coast. However, once in Madrid one can make a circle of great historic cities to visit all nearby, which I would not be able to resist!  Of course I could spend two days just touring in the capital, but I could not leave without going to Toledo, or Avila, or Segovia, or Salamanca, and then I would want to go south to Sevilla and Granada, and maybe see Cordoba.  By that time more than a week has passed, and I still will not want to leave. (I have been to all of those places multiple times and even have favorite hotels, etc., but they are wonderful to see again and again.)

     

    If you have never been to Spain before, you will find so much to see in Madrid and surroundings that two days is almost not worth the bother.  So I agree with all above--just stay in Barcelona!

    As a Madrid native, I mostly agree with all of the above. If this is your first time to Spain and you want an overview of the country, then a combination of Madrid and Barcelona will give the broadest exposure given the limited time you'll have. if you want to take it easy and get more of a local immersion, stays in Barcelona and don't dilute you limited time traveling form one city to the other along with the attendant checking in and checking out of hotels, traveling from one city to the other, etc.

     

    Madrid, the nearby cities listed above, the south, the north west, and the rest of Spain deserve to be seen at a more leisurely pace.

     

    Enjoy!

    • Like 4
  19. 2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

    Good Luck. We have never been successful in having this done. Not a big deal, we just asked at a bar at lunch for our preferred soda and replaced them ourselves. 

    Every time we’ve stayed in a V cabin we had the drinks replace with the ones we wanted by just asking the steward.
    Every time we’ve stayed in a DV cabin we left  a note in the fridge stating the soft drinks we wanted and the fridge was restocked everyday with the soft drinks we requested. 

    Also, every time we’ve stayed in a DV cabin we have asked the steward to remove the coffee maker. We never coffee makers because I don’t trust the cleanliness AND there is good coffee available in the WC. 

  20. 8 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

    And any time they mark a dish as California something, we run the other way!

    LOL, LOL, LOL. Im originally from Spain and have lived in California during the past 40+ years. Every time I see “California Couscous Paella” on the menu it drives me nuts. Never seen that abomination either in Spain or in California.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
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