Frenchberet

My niece will be celebrating her honeymoon on a Virgin Voyages cruise and I’d like to send her a bottle of champagne as a bon voyage gift. I can’t find any info on the Virgin website. No luck with chat, e-mails or phone calls. Is this an option with Virgin? Is there a form or something I can fill out? Appreciate any help.

We did this Viking cruise in March 2020. We arrived in Auckland a few days early and booked a wonderful tour with Auckland Scenic Tours - Hobbiton/Waitomo Glowworm Caves Combo. They picked us up at the hotel (we stayed at the Grand Mercure Auckland) early in the morning in a shuttle bus. We were the first tourists to arrive in Hobbiton and hardly anyone else was there. We got some great photos and, if you are a fan of the books and movies, it was almost like being in them. The glowworm caves were very interesting too. The day was the highlight of our trip. We also had some independent tours booked in Tasmania, Melbourne, and Sydney. Unfortunately, Covid hit, and Australia closed its borders. Our cruise ended just as we were arriving in Tasmania. We had to cancel the rest of the tours.

Thank you for the update!

Any info on the status of Viking Polaris? We were originally scheduled to sail to the Arctic on August 28, 2022 but the cruise was cancelled. Ship not yet completed, supply chain issues.

I don’t use a travel agent because I prefer to have full control over my trips. But, if I were in this situation, I think I’d write a letter to the TA outlining my overall dissatisfaction and documenting the issues, mis-steps, and concerns. Set your expectations for future dealings with them, and give them the option to resign if they can’t meet your needs. They might just “quit” and that would enable you to start fresh and transfer your bookings to another agency. Just my two cents.

Thank you for responding. I’m a ‘planner’ so the uncertainty would probably bother me!

What’s the benefit to booking a GTY cabin? Is there a discount? Is it like flying stand-by?

Thank you for the update!

Hi, I read several months ago that the submersibles were not operational on Octantis. Any updates? Are they being used on the Great Lakes cruises? Appreciate any info.

Anyone known if it’s the same on the expedition ships? The deck plan for Octantis shows the living room and bar on deck 5. Is that where we’d look for ‘fancy’ coffee?

Agree. I'm sure Viking will reimburse you for the missed extension but I would expect trip insurance to cover extra hotel expenses.

Not trying to start anything, just curious. Is there a medical condition that requires a person to wear jeans to dinner?

In my experience (3 Viking Ocean cruises), the Meet & Mingles were not well attended. Each time there were 20 people that signed up on Cruise Critic but only 4 or 5 showed up. I felt very sorry for the crew members and staff waiting with trays of Hors d’Oeuvres and drinks. I think an informal gathering/meet up makes more sense.

Hi jake, lots of advice to help you in the decision-making process. If this is a good itinerary for you, go ahead with it. Viking is great and I’m sure you and your bride will have a wonderful time! You’re going into it with eyes wide open and aware that the other passengers will likely be much older than you. Viking ships are beautiful, the staff is excellent, and the food is very very good. Both the spa and pool are nice. It’s pretty much all inclusive. Nice spa and pool, no extra charge for specialty restaurants, and no photographers roaming around the ship. It’s a low key option (as to compared to a big party ship) but that might be welcome after all the wedding festivities. Please let us know what you decide to do. Congrats!

I love the Chef’s Table! To me, this would be a more special birthday meal. We’ve tried 7 menus and enjoyed them all. Great atmosphere.

For the northern lights, check out GLOD Explorer. This company handled our Viking excursion in Feb 2019. I think you can make your own reservations to do a small group excursion (recommended). After the cruise ended, we took the train from Bergen to Oslo. It was very easy to book our own train tickets (Komfort class). We stayed at the Thon Opera Hotel for a few days. Lots to see in Oslo. Enjoy your trip!

I don’t agree that buying insurance in your own is usually cheaper. We always purchase our own insurance. My travel partner is 10 years older than me so his insurance is several hundred dollars more than mine. For our next Viking cruise (Antarctic expedition), we purchased insurance through Viking. It is a percentage of the total trip costs so we both paid the same amount. His cost is a bit cheaper than the policy we usually buy, mine is a bit more. The total cost for Viking is a little cheaper than our regular company, same coverage. With Covid still looming over our heads, we felt there might be an advantage to booking everything through Viking.

Yes, you need to call the airlines. Be nice but firm. Tell them this change is unacceptable. I bet they can offer a better alternative for you. This type of thing has happened to me, always resolved in a satisfactory manner. Good luck!