aungrl

Couldn't agree more. "Balance" is the minimum @Heidi13 offers....most of the time, he gives us the definitive information on whatever topic to which he's responding.

Welcome to Iceland! Looking forward to reading about all this week's adventures. And you're right - that little cellophane-wrapped muffin doesn't look like it belongs with the rest of the tray.

Me, too.

Did he swear you to secrecy, or can you share?

Yes, exactly...it's not really useful when it's soaking wet. Tybee Island.

Found it, and they still sell it. Mine is blue. It's possibly the favorite item of outerwear I've ever purchased. https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/119874?page=womens-waterproof-primaloft-packaway-jacket-misses-petite&bc=516567&feat=516567-GN0&csp=f&attrValue_0=Dark Marine Blue&pos=42

That lunch looks fabulous! The roasted chicken with fries combo is one of my go-tos when I'm lucky enough to be in Paris.

Nothing I took was down, and I didn't need it. The key was in having enough light layers to layer on as needed without being constricting. The waterproof rain jacket I got from Bean's and I wear it all the time. It's lightly insulated, and really warm, even though it's lightweight. If I can find the link I'll post it - they still sold it as of last season. I know this because i like it so much that I bought a second one just to have on hand if this one wears out. It's my only winter coat when I'm in our home in coastal Georgia, and it's often warm enough - without being too warm - when I'm farther north in the DC area. So, really versatile, and something like that might end up being something you could use more than just on the trip. Ditto the silk or some type of performance fabric base layer. And then my next layer was just a cotton turtleneck, and for the really cold days, that third layer - over the turtleneck and under the rain jacket, or as the top layer if the rain jacket wasn't needed - was a lightweight cashmere sweater. So also possibly things you would get more use out of. Down is lightweight and really packable, but I don't have much use for it under normal conditions, and my one down coat isn't waterproof, so it didn't make the 'final consideration' cut. I like REI outlet, but all of the stuff I took is available at regular stores, too.

In total agreement on the 'anything other than silk' for a base layer. I was really happy that we were prepared for all the inclement weather; like you noted, I wasn't sure if we'd ever get that way again, and wanted to do everything without being limited by poor clothing choices. One other thing I thought of that's worth noting...we made every port on this particular cruise, including three in Greenland, so we were very lucky. The weather we encountered was after we had docked and gotten ashore and were off on whatever that day's adventure was. This meant that on 2-3 of the days, I had the rain gear packed into a backpack and the warmer layer tied around my waist, and ended up putting it on later in the day as needed/as the weather deteriorated. And to your question about cruising through the Sound, we went through Prince Christian Sound, and it was stunningly beautiful. But it was SO. COLD. out on deck taking pictures. My husband braved the cold and wind and got some spectacular shots, but I couldn't be out there for more than a couple of minutes.

We were in both places in late August/early September a few years ago, and while much of the weather was decent, on the days we got rain, as noted above, it rained sideways. We did have waterproof rain pants and waterproof rain jackets with hoods, and one day in Iceland we were really happy that we did. We also both had waterproof tennis shoes - not hiking boot style, just regular trail-type tennis shoes, but waterproof. These were perfect for everywhere we were, and held up just fine even on the heavy rain days. And we were out and about quite a bit, not just sitting in a van or on a tour bus, so all the gear got 'tested'. It was on the cool side, as well, and we layered with silk underwear on the bottom, and the normal base layer, next layer, warmer layer if needed, waterproof jacket. All of this is easily removed/added back as the weather changes throughout the day, which in our experience, it generally did.

That thought occurred to me. Disappointed, as I'm not on Instagram - my only social media is CC and LinkedIn. I may be the only one who follows you that can't see you on Instagram, but I'm guessing no one would mind if you did a few update posts here, as well. 😉

I take linen for warm weather itineraries, and it's a wrinkled mess about two seconds after I put it on, but I just ignore it.

That looks like a really nice lounge experience! Glad it's all working smoothly so far. That last minute bar bill seems to be a relatively common occurrence, or maybe we're just unlucky. On all of our prior VO trips, we've had a small bar charge added overnight on the last night. Fortunately, we've been able to get these adjusted in person before leaving the ship, but I will say that the last time it happened, the gentleman manning the guest services desk argued with me a little bit about it - politely, but he didn't just immediately accept my assertion that we hadn't incurred the charge. Anyway, looking forward to hearing more about the rest of your journey!

Totally!

This was a great write-up. I've never had much interest in visiting Monaco, but reading your summary and seeing your pictures has totally changed my mind!

Sorry, was responding before reading all the current responses. I saw the post that includes the summary of the Verizon plan. Thanks!

Am interested in this, as well. After seeing the original post, I did a cursory look and couldn't find this on the Verizon website.

Loved reading this, Clay! I had pieced together some/most of it from various Viking posts, but really good to have all the background detail in the right order. Have a wonderful cruise/France/Iceland sojourn!

It's a great example of differences in US language and British language, isn't it? On giving it a little more thought, it seems that we use "chunnel" interchangeably to refer to both the tunnel itself, as well as to the train that goes through the tunnel. So, "You could always take the Chunnel from England to France" would be interpreted to mean taking the train underneath the Channel that goes through the tunnel. 3 concepts in one word. 😊

That's fascinating. The only thing I've ever heard it referred to as here in the States is the Chunnel.

Thanks again! I did notice the Costco info, but this additional detail is helpful. I'm embarrassed to tell you what I paid for my most recent pair, and I'm not really able to wear them at all. Live and learn.

Thanks for sending the tips. Just by reading through them before checking out the site, it's clear how confusing it could be for a newbie. These tips are all great, but particularly the one about needing your PD measurement, so that you can get that ahead of time. Looking forward to watching the video!

This is the first I've heard of Zenni! Would you mind posting your 10 tips? Or if you'd prefer, my email is aungrl at gmail dot com

I'm from the US and I had the same question! 😊

Thanks so much for posting here and alerting us to your fabulous review and website. I just spent the loveliest hour reading through your Northern Lights review and looking at all those amazing pictures.