aungrl

That top photo is mesmerizing! I just keep staring at it. You should frame it when you get home.

Yes, I looked forward to each of these!

So excited for you! Can't help you with the specific questions, but will be watching as others weigh in, since this particular itinerary is at the very top of our list. We've been up and down the other side of South America a couple of times over the years, but never this coast/the Chilean fjords. Unfortunately, we couldn't take advantage of this offer, which is probably one of the lowest prices/best combination of add-ons that we're likely to see in awhile. I hope you'll have the time to post occasionally (or frequently) as you go!

Really enjoying your updates and photos so far! Internet seems to be working pretty well at this point. Looking forward to hearing all about Day 3.

Well, we definitely don't want to give him a job at this stage! But yes, email on it's way.

Seriously, Mike needs to sell these bags. (If I keep saying it enough times, maybe it will happen! 😉)

Could not agree more! I've actually back-tracked from DC area to Chicago in order to catch the ORD-LHR daytime flight, when BOS-LHR wasn't available. Flying across in the day time makes all the difference for me in terms of avoiding jet lag. (People always argue that I'm 'wasting a day' on the airplane. For me, at least, I waste the first day anyway if I fly overnight because I feel yucky.)

We were on this sailing back in September of 2018, and it remains one of our all-time favorite cruises. We had wonderful weather, mostly smooth(ish) seas, and we made all of the ports. There's was some confusion at one port regarding our ability to dock due to a supply ship having our berth - I believe this was in the Faroe Islands - but the captain managed to find a spot elsewhere on the island, and buses picked us up there for our shore excursions. The weather, combined with not missing any ports, made all the difference, I'm sure. (We spoke so highly of this trip to friends of ours that they booked the trip for two weeks later in September, I believe for the following year. Their experience was absolutely the opposite of ours, with miserable weather, high and rough seas, and missed ports.)

I don't meet your criteria, having never done either of these excursions with Viking. However, we've been to Rome a number of times. Keeping in mind @TayanaLorna summary of how to interpret the Viking excursion summaries, which in our experience is spot on, you might want to research each of the sites that you will either drive by, or get to actually go in to, on these two excursions, and then choose the one that lets you actually visit those things that are most important/appealing to you. For us, one of the highlights of every trip to Rome is a visit to the Forum, especially when we can arrange to go in the evening, but that's entirely personal preference. Just be sure to throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain backwards over your shoulder to ensure you get to return to the city someday!

Such a great offer! Great that you could take advantage of it.

Sorry, I thread jumped and didn't see all of your other posts before I wrote the one above. I'm glad that you have been able to resolve so much of it so quickly, and I hope the credit card company gives you some satisfaction now that you've filed the dispute.

So so sorry to hear this. As a long-time (decades) AA flyer, I was following this thread closely and couldn't imagine how what you were describing could have happened. I hate it for you that this what it turned out to be. All good luck in getting it resolved, and please come back and let us know how it worked out.

Very excited to follow along! Have a fabulous voyage.

Good point! So, off to Costco in September. 😊

Thanks! I love Costco, and I didn't know they carried merino items. Will check that out later this week.

Sounds like a perfect packing list. What brands are your merino pieces?

Thanks for this info! And for the pictures, @cruisemom42.

Would love to see a picture!

Welcome to Cruise Critic! In our experience with Viking, your concern that "the bars onboard look like brief stop off points rather than places to while away a few hours" couldn't be further from the reality. the Explorers Lounge, in particular, is a very welcoming venue, and while it's decor is definitely Scandinavian, it's filled with warm comfortable throws on the love seats and chairs, a (fake) fireplace, and - most importantly - lots and lots of small and large groups of people spending time together before and after meals during port days, and on sea days. So not austere and unsociable in the least. Another livelier spot is Torshavn, which is a smaller venue that is open later, with live music, sometimes dancing, and lots of convivial conversation. As far as the drinks menu being more classic than fun/adventuresome, the bar tenders we've experienced are in general very skilled and completely accommodating. If you can describe the cocktail, they'll likely be able to make it. I'm sure others who have sailed with Viking will be weighing in shortly. In the meantime, enjoy your planning and exploration. I'm confident you'd enjoy Viking very much from what you've described you're looking for.

Mike could teach people how to make those gorgeous red carry-ons.

I was there once with two friends when the Trevi was dry and under some minor maintenance. We threw coins in over our shoulders anyway, as did many others. This was at a non-peak time of year so it wasn't hard to get close and look at the fountain detail. My friends liked being able to do this as it was their first visit.

Agree. Thanksgiving day itself is always, in my experience, the least expensive and the least crowded. Any other day that week will be some of the worst travel days of the year.

Direct or non-stop? If non-stop, that's a great price.

But according to Jim's post in the earlier thread, it actually doesn't penalize anyone if you have the auto-fee removed. This money doesn't go to the crew on any type of individual or group basis anyway.

Given how measured and thoughtful you and Judi are in all of your decision-making, the fact that you've come to this conclusion is a big deal, in my view. I know that you have contacts at the highest levels of the Viking corporate structure, so I'm assuming you've escalated this to their attention, and even with that, you've come to this decision. Very sorry you've had to deal with this, sorrier still that you won't be posting here as frequently, and concerned about the seemingly continued decline in Viking's pre-departure experience.