Cruisetones

First time viking cruiser this March; when you say fill up, is it first come first serve or by reservation?

No problems here. Booked excursion seconds after noon when it opened and they went thru without issue on computer.

Sounds like the Wi Fi on the ship is limited. I wonder if anyone rented a pocket wi Fi for a couple of weeks from destination A, used that and returned it at Destination B.

With Day 1 and 2 in Bali, we’ll probably fly in few days earlier and take care of sightseeing. are you embarking on 3/18? If so, we can compare notes. I’m researching while waiting for that day to come sooner. Will you arrive in Bali earlier?

Ummmm Nasi Goreng. My mouth is watering after looking doing a quick search and seeing photos. My anxieties are already starting to disappear. My only anxiety now is just making sure I do not miss my flights. I am glad I read the details about the VISA requirement for Vietnam: eVISA’s are not accepted from cruise boats and our travel agent was going to have us do that instead of the label VISA. Thanks for your Bali pep talk. I am starting to get more excited about the time we will spend there.

On mass transit in Singapore, carrying durian on the train is illegal too. The MRT in Singapore could be the best in the world and is very user friendly. For our only day in Singapore on the boat, I’m most interested in the Orchid Garden tour. I’ve done the Night Safari in my previous visit to Singapore. That is impressive but while I’ve explored just about all of Singapore’s beautiful botanical garden (most is free to explore) I have not seen the Orchid Garden.

Thanks for the tip about Indonesia CurlerRob. I will be in Bali a day prior to the cruise I think at Sofitel. I have a feeling that will be a relaxation day. I will try to sign up for the temple tours u suggested and the Semarang suggestion. I do enjoy visiting temples. For HCMC (ie Saigon), I am excited that we have two complete days to explore and the third day, the ship leaves at 6pm so I have a good long half day 3 as well. Vietnamese cuisine is my favorite food of all cuisines. I may need to book private food tours for at least two of the three days. I don’t care that much about the history only because the food there is soooooo good. I’m wishing that this cruise added Hanoi as well. To my surprise, HCMC seems fairly straightforward given how congested the city is. I am going to put a lot of research to get as much out of that port as possible. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do the cooking class on the boat for HCMC. I really cannot wait to make reservations for everything. For the final day in HCMC, I will do whatever ship excursion is available. But if any of those excursion revolve around food, that is where I’d allocate my time. I do not think so want to lose much time at the once in a lifetime chance to eat and learn as much Vietnamese cuisine as possible. Vietnamese Cuisine is such a high priority to us that we will probably not buy the $20/day drink package as that is $600 that could be used for food tours in Saigon which cost around $60-80 at least because of how far away our boat is from Districts 1 & 3 where all the restaurants are.

Thanks for the details Heidi. Only restriction I see regarding MRT in Singapore is mask wearing requirement. I truly hope that Viking will be parked near Harbour Front or Marina Bay as they offer easy access to the areas in Singapore I like to see like Orchard, Chinatown and the Botanical Garden. We only need three days in Singapore to be content. We mainly go there for the food and some shopping. We have seen the other popular attractions already. Because we’re familiar with Singapore, disembarking at a familiar location appealed to us. I’m disappointed that Ho Chi Minh is so far away but I think with proper planning, this should be manageable. I’m most apprehensive about Bali as I’ve never been in Indonesia so I think my greatest concerns are here. I most look forward to possibly visiting a few waterfalls and seeing the rice fields. The night life has no appeal to me at all. Ko Samui I know very little about but find its exotic location appealing. I’ve been to Bangkok and Pattaya in the past and didn’t really enjoy those places (very oppressive heat!). Thanks for the tip on a “Tender Port.” Never heard of that term. Too bad HCMC does not tender port. I see that I have a lot to learn and thank you for your reply. My cruise IQ went from 50 to 75 thanks to you. As I itinerarize, I should be at 130-140 by March XD

Apprehension, apprehension! My SO and I have paid for our first ever cruise which begins in Bali goes to Ho Chi Minh City and finishes at Singapore in Springtime 2023. I naturally suffer from travel anxiety, but, I have have more positive travel experiences in my life than negative ones with the negative experiences being funny to look back on in retrospect. My greatest anxiety is in missing a detail that makes my experience less than enjoyable. I used to have anxieties that I’d be bored on a cruise but with age, I love the idea of being out to sea for a few days just to unwind and not worry about things to do. I have a few questions: for my cruise, we will be ported at Bali for two days, then Semmerang, then Ho Chi Minh for 3 days, Ko Samui for one day and conclude at Singapore for two days. My question relates to the start and finish of our journey: why is there a (2) stop at the first port in Bali? And then (2) days at the final port in Singapore? It seems rather misleading to be called a 15 day cruise when days 1, 2, 14 and 15 are at points A and Z respectively. I booked the trip knowing this but the more I think about it, it makes little sense to me. Also: where I can I find out where the docking ports are at all destinations and their proximity to important things to see while docked? especially at Bali, Ho Chi Minh Coty, Ko Samui and Singapore? I don’t know where in Singapore City we’ll be docked. If it’s anywhere near MRT lines, then it should be straightforward. Also, if all excursions to, for example Ho Chi Minh City are sold out, does that mean I am just stuck on the boat? Or is there a general Viking shuttle for all to Downtown Ho Chi Minh City with regular pick up times or meet up spots? I’ve chosen Viking primarily because of the 18 years old (I don’t mind a few kids, but more than 3 =‘s Migraine (lol); and over rule and because they don’t nickel and dime. They just hit you with one large bill right up front. Also, they don’t force the social activities which to me always seems rather fake. I prefer to organically make friends. While I am excited, I have no idea what to expect other than I know Singapore very well. I have watched all the vLogs where positive reviews are given but these are from pro’s who probably are paid to cruise. Plus, no matter how much they are enjoying Viking, they aren’t me. so ultimately, I have to like it. This moment is day one of my research for this trip I have already paid for. I look forward to giving an honest review while on board and my conclusion after it is over.