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Shoalwater
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Posts posted by Shoalwater
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Yes, the Delta system compresses first, middle and Mr or Mrs together with no space between, then a space, then last name. (Delta Diamond frequent flyer)
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Originally posted by Jim Avery Something funny has happened to us on our way around the world. We have come to enjoy Sea days the most. Never thought that would happen.
Jim,
Well glad in a way to hear that since there are more sea days than port days, and besides the amenities on board Viking ships are nonpareil. We really enjoy relaxing in the spa pool. A few quick questions for you or anybody on board. I assume the enrichment lecturers are top rate, they have been on our previous Viking voyages. However, what kind of passenger activities are held during the during the day? Also, what has the evening entertainment been like. You said you typically don't partake, but for others that do how would you rate the variety, adequacy of guest entertainers and ship entertainers?
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They gave us a handout of the itinerary which is split into two segmets: London to LA and LA to London. The 2d half is nearly an exact duplication of this cruise, only changing a few ports.
This cruise already cost more than our house, so the long long journey would cost about double!
I guess dedicated cruisers might consider it, but when I consider where I can go for that money, I won’t be joining.
After interacting with so many on this cruise, I’m beginning to understand why someone might do it, but we missed so much by being tied down for 141 days that we won’t be likely to do it again.
I usually plan our trips around cultural events, etc. but on a cruise you have to be lucky to be able to attend a performance or sporting event or even to eat in a good restaurant.
We are enjoying it on one level and don’t regret the cruise. Five weeks to go and time to recheck our schedule. What to keep and what to change will depend on various factors.
Thanks for the heads up. We were stoked about the WC and made a deposit for the 2019 cruise last July before the itinerary was even out, but as we drilled down more into it we reached pretty much the same opinions as you, there were more places we wanted to see than what was available on the WC for the price it takes. Lots to be said about being on-board with the same passengers and forming friendships (which seems harder to do on the viking ships short voyages), and it was with mixed emotions that we cancelled.
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Here is the ice work on board the Viking Sun to announce their next World Cruise. I will let Viking give you the information.
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
Not shown yet on their website. Can the Future Cruise Consultant send you a PDF of the itinerary?
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Three CCL stock ownership OBC for 7-day voyages is $300 vs. $250 for the 21-day voyage. However, many times the 3 separate fares are more than the one fare and eat up this advantage. The booking credit of $25 or $50/cabin based on number of cruises taken may also play into the cost/benefit analysis of 3 B2B vs. one booking.
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The only worry in not stopping would be if people booked non-refundable excursions with a company. Hopefully, people will be smart enough not to do that to themselves. Expect we're not going with the ship's tour on this one so will have to be smart about what we choose. Not worried about the safety aspect but simply missing the port.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-set-to-retaliate-against-u-s-with-more-sanctions-1521187868
While we generally use tours arranged privately as opposed to the ship tour, we used Princess tours in SP some years ago. This paid off when we were granted early admissions to the Hermitage museum 1 hr before opening. No crowds, able to navigate the main collections with ease.
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So how are the evening shows in the main theater and are there plenty of things to do on sea days? Also, are there formal nights as we really don't like getting dressed up while we're on a cruise?
In my opinion, Viking doesn't yet know what to do with passengers during sea days or in the evening. Reviewed at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2582323
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Got it and returned completed. They should settle their Ocean experience first before straying into this specialty market. I guess the questions about price points means they have not yet decided and are testing the waters ( pun intended).
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The operative word in the PR is "ATTEMPT to make......". Don't get your hopes up too soon.
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By "they" I'm saying the Food & Beverage director on the Royal at this time. .
Before getting too POft is this another case where "one" Princess ship officer has decided on a policy that isn't a fleet wide policy? The number of times where a ship's officer has been totally off base about corporate policy requires your fingers and toes to keep track. Not saying it isn't true and of course FLlover heard it from the FB director so he/she is reporting what was told. However as others have said, it seems strange to sell tickets that you then invalidate. Understand the "brewed coffee" thing per voyage. Will be interesting to see how this plays out over time,
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Citizens of Australia, Japan, USA and Canada (but not residents) can now apply for their Brazil e-Visa on-line at the web site link below. It's valid for 2 years from issue, allows a 90 day stay, and does not use a physical page to stamp in your passport. It "appears" that the cost is $40 plus about $5 in processing fees. This could be a large cost savings for most travelers.
BIG COMPLICATION NOT FORESEEN!
Someone checked with their cruise line about the e-visa, and the line said they would not accept it for boarding. I suspect its because they may have no way to verify it electronically at this time since there isn't a stamp in your PP. I have a hard-copy Brazil visa so never checked with the consulate if there was a way lines could verify. DON'T RELY on my post to think you have a good e-visa that will let you board.
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Sounds all great and good , but, at this time will the cruise lines accept the new e visas. I called Oceania yesterday regarding a cruise to Brazil. They said NO, we are not accepting them.
Ah! An interesting twist, one I never thought about. May be a spanner wrench in the clockworks. Good forward thinking. There's may be no way for the cruise line to check the validity of an e-visa. A question for maybe the Brazilian consulate on how to verify having the e-visa.
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Do NOT wear a purse with reinforced strap or with an embedded cut-proof wire. One of the favorite ways thieves use grab-n-go is from a motorbike, and if your strap doesn't break....something in you will as you are knocked down and dragged along the pavement.
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Thanks! Do we need it aboard ship?
Linda
Typically no.
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Brazil visa- easier, less expensive way to obtain. See my post at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/show....php?t=2594159 to learn how to apply for the new, Brazil e-visa on-line over the web if you are a citizen of Australia, Japan, the USA or Canada. Residents of these countries are ineligible.
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Citizens of Australia, Japan, USA and Canada (but not residents) can now apply for their Brazil e-Visa on-line at the web site link below. It's valid for 2 years from issue, allows a 90 day stay, and does not use a physical page to stamp in your passport. It "appears" that the cost is $40 plus about $5 in processing fees. This could be a large cost savings for most travelers.
From the FAQ page:
- What is the procedure to apply for a Brazil visa online?
To apply for a Brazil visa online you must have a valid machine readable passport. You can start the application process- Click On www.vfsglobal.com/Brazil-eVisa/
- Applicants need to register
- Complete Visa Application Form
- Upload mandatory document
- Answer set of questions asked during the visa application process
- Make online payment.
- Click On www.vfsglobal.com/Brazil-eVisa/
After your application is complete, we will contact you within an average of 5 working days with the results of your visa application.
- What is the procedure to apply for a Brazil visa online?
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But as we continue to age (been seniors for a while) we do find that, more and more, we enjoy the better things in life :). Trying to find the "perfect" cruise line/ship has proved elusive....so we will simply have to keep looking :). The more I think about this topic is occurs to me that the ideal (for us) would be a small luxury ship (less than 300 cabins) with big time entertainment (including decent production shows), great cuisine, and not having to battle for a deck chair. Must admit that DW and I are looking for an opportunity to try Viking Cruises. ......
Hank
We have taken 3 Viking Ocean cruises. Great ships, wonderful crew and staff, superb food, but if you like more traditional cruising evening entertainment like production shows you will probably be disappointed. They even used audience participation games like Liar's club or a screening of a classic movie like Guys and Dolls as the main theater evening show. This, along with sea day daytime activities is IMHO one of their areas needing improvement. It was instrumental (along with itinerary) in our cancelling the 2019 World Cruise with Viking and moving to the Pacific Princess.
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Hmmmm.... There are about 70 cal in 1 ounce of gin, and 70 cal in 5-6 oz of tonic water. Next trip I'm going on a diet and will have two G&Ts, with diet tonic please;p.
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Sounds familiar, we tried Celebrity last June and MSC in August in our tryouts for a new favorite cruise line and found Celebrity about the same as Princess except Celebrity had more loyalty levels than Princess and shared with Royal, and MSC was OK except for a terrible dining room. Top of our list so far is Norwegian, they have become much better than when they used to be our first choice in the 1990's, when Princess took over as first choice. But we are looking because overall quality and service have declined with all the cutbacks, Elite benefits have been degraded, and Princess offers no higher levels for those who have more cruises than 15 or days of 150, we are considerably higher than that.
"Dr. John", It's been awhile since we enjoyed sitting with you in the Princess Art Auctions back when Princess and not Park West ran them. We have the same sentiments as you about Princess and where it's headed. Like Tessio told Tom Hagen in Godfather 1 "Tell Michael it was strictly business. I always liked him.". Princess is chasing a different demographic, so we've moved on to another line you might like and would be happy to tell you more. Email me at gebetti@yahoo.com.
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It was a fun day. I have an amazingly identical shot. We were on the deck forward of Explorer's. Note the drone in the picture which was taking a crew picture. That afternoon they had us all out on the forward decks for our very own "Family Photo" taken by the same drone. A picture perfect day in Bora-Bora with plenty of breeze to keep you from melting.;p:cool:
How unique and it has all the earmarks of a Heather idea. A very creative CD.
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Where is this heading? Just look at the airline business model.
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Bath gel and shampoo/conditioner are both provided in the shower, attached in dispenser bottles. No more individual small packets.
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Shoalwater, I will try to answer your questions soon. All this doing nothing is taking a lot of time..:cool: We have a local Polynesian dance troupe on board doing an encore performance before sailaway later today.
Jim,
Appreciate any input, and take your time...you have plenty of it. Looks like all are having a good cruise.
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Dear Etexvrc
I now exactly what you are saying about Chef's Table and agree with you 100%. My partner and I were quite surprised how unpleasant some of the dishes were. There was one tuna(?) dish where the spice was so odd when we tasted it, we did not like it one bit - it tasted like it was doused in some cheap perfume - I nearly fell off my chair at the shock of having such terrible item in my mouth!......
I know the one you mean. It upset my wife's stomach for 3 days to a point she could barely keep food down :(. I liked it!:eek:
Wadi Rum Excursion From Aqaba
in Viking Ocean
Posted
We did the Wadi Rum tour while sailing aboard the Pacific Princess in March, 2017. About a 1.25 hr bus ride from Aqaba through desert when you begin to see dramatic monolithic mountains rise from the desert floor. A very interesting tour in the area where Lawrence pestered the Ottomans in WWI. Well worth it if you have already been to Petra, but if not...then I would go to Petra.