KBourgeois

Tom, 

Guy and I are so looking forward to all being together again for this trip of a lifetime.

May 0f 2022 can't get here fast enough....

On 7/30/2019 at 1:41 PM, Readytogokjs said:

Thinking of taking a taxi for 4 from Barcelona Port to La Sagrada Familia (have purchased tickets on-line).  Any idea of the cost for Taxi? 

I believe I read somewhere Taxi's line up at the Columbus Monument.  Does Viking have shuttle service to the Monument?

Do drivers speak English or do I need to brush up on the Spanish?

We may use a Taxi to a few other locations so all tips and advice are appreciated.  

On 7/30/2019 at 1:41 PM, Readytogokjs said:

Thinking of taking a taxi for 4 from Barcelona Port to La Sagrada Familia (have purchased tickets on-line).  Any idea of the cost for Taxi? 

I believe I read somewhere Taxi's line up at the Columbus Monument.  Does Viking have shuttle service to the Monument?

Do drivers speak English or do I need to brush up on the Spanish?

We may use a Taxi to a few other locations so all tips and advice are appreciated.  

We used Viator tours for the day and they pick you up at your hotel and bring you back....can book 1/2 day or full day.

On 7/27/2019 at 11:29 AM, Peregrina651 said:

 

The price quoted on the Viking website for flights is for Economy and it is for the flights that they are offering at that price; if you want something that is not on that list it may cost more. If you upgrade, the prices go up. That is separate from the Air Plus fee which allows you to choose which of the flights Viking is offering you prefer and from the deviation fee which allows you to arrive early and/or leave late.

 

There is more general information about Air Services on the Viking website (too much to share here): https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/my-trip/air-services/index.html

 

This is also from the Viking website (can be found when you click the Booking Terms and Conditions link at the bottom of the list of sail dates under the Dates and Pricing tab of any itinerary):

 

AIR UPGRADE: Upgrade to Premium Economy air from $999 per person or Business Class air from $2,999 per person based on select gateways and dates. Additional airline-imposed baggage charges may apply; for more information visit Airline Luggage Restrictions. Air prices are per person based on cruise/cruisetour check-in date and include transfers plus all government taxes/fees of approximately $160 and air fuel surcharges. Air seats are limited; airfares are subject to change and are not guaranteed until full payment of air is received. For more information about customized air services and US gateways, visit the Viking Air Plus page.

 

Don't stop looking for your own flights. Be familiar with what is out there. Decide which flight plans are acceptable and which aren't (and hour and half connection time at CDG is NOT acceptable; you might not make it to the gate in time). **Know the prices of your preferred flights so you can decide if you are going to book your own flights because it is cheaper to get what you want on your own (especially since you are deviating which will add at least $200 pp to the cost of your flights -- $100 Air Plus fee + $100 deviation fee + any changes to the airfare imposed by the airlines).

 

**This might not be as important if you are arriving and departing on the first and last days of the cruise and want to fly with Viking because they will handle the transfers and you don't care so much what the cost is because you want the comfort and convenience of letting Viking handle those details. HOWEVER, if you are deviating  arrival and/or departure dates, remember that you lose transfers on the deviated arrival/departure days.

 

Also note that if you are doing pre-/post- with Viking, this counts as part of your cruise for determining your arrival and departure days for your package. Transfers are included if you land on Day 1 and depart on the last stated Day of your package. Arriving/departing before/after those days is a deviation. (Sorry, I hope this is clear; I haven't had enough coffee yet)

After our flights are issued, we then go directly to airline and purchase our upgrades....we have done this for the last 2 Viking cruises.

Reminder that you will need local currency for many of the restrooms......

You may also try Viator, we had great success with them in March on Mediterranean Cruise.

Thanks for the info.  Our trip is more than a year away, yet, I am a planner, so good to know.

On 2/7/2019 at 1:56 PM, philw1776 said:

Here's what we did May-June 2017

1 Did the tram up the hill in Bergen by ourselves. Cheaper & easy.  I walked the 3Km down back to the town.

2 Pulpit Rock excursion is pricey. Just walk past the bow of the ship and take the local Pulpit Rock RODNE cruises. Book it online.

3 At Eidfjord (a beautiful spot) the Flamsbana train trip thru the mountains is expensive but totally worth it. Waterfalls galore. Tunnels thru the mountains have huge roundabouts inside!

Alternatively, folks who just hiked the area on their own had a better time than the local Viking tours offered.

4 In Alborg Denmark, A Day in the Life of a Viking was good fun.

5 In Copenhagen I loved the excursion to the Roskilde Viking Ship Museum. Terrific. Saw old ships & saw new replicas being built using the old tools & ways.

6 Rostok Germany we opted out of long Berlin trip taking included local Rostok walking tour, OK and later the fun trip along the coast Molli Railway.

7 Gdansk Poland wife went to Malbork castle & loved it.

8 Tallinn Palmse Manor Tour (lunch & seaside walk in National Park) included an Upper Town Walk in Tallinn. Excellent!

9 St Pete we joined others on a private TJ Travel 2 day tour. Less $$$ than Viking. Saw more and very personal guise service. Wife added evening ballet alone and had a TJ personal escort. Got back close to midnight. Was well taken care of. Cheaper than Viking, same seats.

10 Helsinki Porvoo tour was OK at best.

11 Vasa Museum & Stockholm by Boat pricey with nice lunch. But EASY to do on your own without advance reservations. Save the $$$.

How was the weather?  We are booked for the Homelands next May 2020.  Thanks for your recommendations.