Peregrina651

17 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

We passed in the wee hours, but my husband got up at the expected time and stood on our balcony for quite some time. Nothing! Come to find out they no longer light the cliff over night because it disturbs the monkeys' sleep. Oh well.

And here I thought it was to save money on lights and help the conservation effort. I guess helping the monkeys helps the environment as well.

I would love to sail through during day light hours so that I can actually distinguish between the landmasses and the sea. Sailing through at night was eerie, especially after they turned off the lights.

@Lilyskittymom and @Clay Clayton, with your permission, I would like to copy your responses to Cattom into the thread that Maria mentions at the end of her comments, Everything "Far Eastern Horizons": Hong Kong to Tokyo

It is actually because of some off-line conversation with Cattom, that I remember some old notes that I had started in 2020 and found the link to the thread that I had started way back when.

Our cab fare was a lot more than 5 euro when we made the trip 6 years ago.  It was closer to 15.

I would like to think that the sell-out problem was the same problem that other cruises faced post pandemic of not enough guides and drivers back on the job.  Japan was among the last to open after the pandemic. Hopefully, this is less of a problem in 2024 and will be back to normal by 2025.

And hopefully we will hear from 2024 cruisers what they faced.

1 pm is the latest time your cabin will be ready for occupancy. Nominal boarding time is 11am but Viking does not like to keep people sitting around the terminal. They will start check in as early as they can and start boarding arrivals as soon as the ship is cleared for boarding. By 12:15 the morning rush (early morning arrivals coming from the airport) should be over and unless your arrival coincides with the the arrival of a bus load of guests, you will be checked in and on board in no time.

At that point, they will be serving lunch in the World Cafe and the Pool Grill with light fare being served in the Living Room Bar and Mamsens.

I don't even remember starting this thread in 2020 but now that I am booked for 2025🤞, I think maybe it is time to bring this informational thread back up to the top. Some of the information is stale after all these years, so maybe folks who have sailed post-pandemic will share their experiences, tell us about the tours they took, guides they used, sights they enjoyed or didn't enjoy, share travel hints with us, etc. etc.

This is not a roll for any sailing; for those you should go to https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/768-viking-ocean-roll-calls/, and find your ship in the list and then look for your sail date.

While you are looking for your roll remember that Far Eastern Horizons is just one segment of the Aukland to Vancouver/Vancouver-Aukland repositioning cruise. You may find other roll calls that cover the time you will be on the ship and you should "follow" those as well, since you never know where you will find helpful information about your cruise, tour shares for your time on the ship and folks who will be sailing with you.

When I started this thread fours years ago, with plans to sail in 2021, I seeded the conversation with the following questions. I hope those of you who have sailed in 2023 will help answer questions for us.

1. •  Does anyone have the Dailies from their cruise that they are willing to share?
2. •  Does anyone have the tour prices. We know that prices will change by the time get there, but knowing the old prices helps with sticker shock.
3. •  Where did they park the ship in each port. This will change from sailing to sailing but it is nice to know what the possibilities are? Was it convenient?
4. •  Was there a shuttle available? Where did it take you?
5. •  Which Viking tours did you take? What was the highlight of the tour? Where you happy with your choice or in hindsight should you have made a different choice? 
6. •  Is there anything in the port that you regret not having done or would have done instead of what you did do?
7. •  What is the best piece of advice you have to share with us?

3 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

Peregrina,

We have been to Sagrada Familia three times and I never knew there are colorful tiles at the top of the spires. Given Gaudi's other work, I guess I should have thought to look harder!

LOL. That's because you didn't go up the towers and take pictures with a telephoto lens. 😁You can't see all of the detail from the ground. Next time!

I just noticed that there are words on the spire. I can make out Hosana and Excelsis in the picture. There is just so much going on in Gaudi's work, words, mosaic tiles, bas relief, shapes inspired by nature, light and color, transparency. You could spend hours just concentrating on one element.

1 hour ago, 1985rz1 said:

You might want to look at Azamara.  Their ships are the same size as Oceania's R-ships...about 650 px +/-

Azamara Quest is one of the old R ships (R-7).

1 hour ago, ddeprez said:

Thank you! Yes, at this point we are planning to do it on our own as Vikings is sold out and I haven’t been able to find an independent that seems to work within our schedule. Your previous info provided has convinced me we can do this on our own, plus visit additional areas and sites.  My question at this point is between purchasing the ticket for the guided tour at LSF, or purchasing the ticket for the self-guided tour.  I was curious as to if the guided tour is much better than the self guided, keeping in mind that there’s less ticket times available for the guided tour?

I just checked out the website. https://sagradafamilia.org/en/tickets-individuals

The guided tour cost 4€ extra (30 people  max per guide and you still can use the audioguide)). The tower costs 10€ extra.  There is a senior discount on the entrance ticket.

For an extra 4€, sign up for the guided tour. If you don't like the tour, you can walk away at any time. At worst, you have just made a $10 donation to the restoration effort. At best, you get an informative tour of the basilica.

Doing the towers is a more complicated decision. It is elevator up and walk down --and, oh my, did my leg muscles have something to say to me the next day. Still I love going up the towers. I love the view. I love seeing the spires and their tile work up-close and personal.  However, I have probably been up the towers for the last time.

1 hour ago, ddeprez said:

Any opinion as to whether a guided tour would be much better than the self-guided?

Here's my take.

Do a guided tour if you want to see more Gaudi architecture than La Sagrada Familia. The tour will handle all of the logistics of getting you from place to place (and with much less time wasted), getting you into any of the sites that are available for tour, etc. Downside: you are on their schedule.

If all you are interested in is LSF, do it on your own. A cab from the ship to LSF and back plus your entrance fee will be much less than the cost of a tour, where the paid guide can't even give a tour.  On your own, you will have time to take the elevator up into the towers (unless you have bad knees) and you will have time to explore every nook and cranny of the building, including the basement, without feeling rushed.  

This is what LSF looked like in 2004:

Here is is 15 or so years later:

Changes on the interior were even more drastic but I hadn't taken any photos in 2004 to show the changes.

24 minutes ago, KathyA said:

Regarding Gibralter, when they tell you not to feed or touch the apes, believe them. One member of our group (not Viking) did not heed that advice, got bitten, was hospitalized, and had to leave the tour.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Viking does not have excursions to Gibraltar. Anyone who wants to go there is going to have look for an independent tour. Heads up, if this is your plan, there might be border issues and you will definitely need to carry your passport with you.

IMHO, I think this Explore More is great approach to doing Rome on your own. It doesn't limit you to just one area of Rome. It doesn't waste your time when what you really want to see is on the farside of Rome. 

My one question is whether this is available on other than turnaround days -- because we are doing Malta/Morocco/Med which calls in Rome mid-cruise and this would be a great option for us. 

2 hours ago, BravoTango said:

I have a listing for Feb 26 for this Med cruise, anything before appeared to be unavailable for us Antipodeans.

I just checked the Viking US website --

There are only two sailings prior to the Feb 22, 2025 --  Nov 16, 2024 has one PS3 left. Dec 1 has one DV2 left -- and that is only if the data on the website is up to date. I also believe that these are the first two sailings of the itinerary.

Or, do you mean Feb, 2026? In which case, never mind.

BTW, my sister and I, and our respective DH, are booked for January 19, 2026 and the roll call is up and running: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2985821-january-19-2026-malta-morocco-the-mediterranean/

2 hours ago, Murt22 said:

We decided to cancel our Viking Air and pre-tour and book our own pre-tour.

I just want to point out to readers that it is possible to use Viking Air AND do a pre or post stay on your own. Viking calls it a "deviation"; there is a fee involved and you do lose transfers for any deviated arrival or departure (i.e. if you arrive early but go from ship to airport on departure day, no transfer on arrival but yes transfer on departure).

Why am I point this out? Because sometimes the VikingAir fare (if it allows deviations) is a significant savings over what you would pay on your own even with the deviation fee and paid transfers. You just need to do the math before you decide how you want to handle it because each case is different.

Also note that arranging your own extension can usually get your more nights for the same cost as a Viking extension.

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

If you haven’t already found this thread, I highly recommend it:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2416372-tips-for-new-viking-ocean-cruisers/page/62/#comment-62141739

Agreed but start with post #1115 on page 45.  Anything earlier is stale information and will just confuse things.

1 hour ago, TwinMamainMN said:

We envision touring during the day, coming back to the ship, having dinner, and getting ready for the next day and going to bed at a decent hour.

Sounds very much like what we do. Viking is not a party ship and many folks follow the same plan. Viking is our floating hotel -- unpack once and see a lot of places.

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

You will likely be among the youngest guests onboard but most of us old folks are fun and interesting. 🤞😂

I say, so what if you are among the youngest. Age is just a number.  It is attitude that counts.

2 hours ago, TwinMamainMN said:

We would do a Med cruise

First questions to ask yourselves: What part of the Med do you want to see first and how long do you want to be away?

For the most part, Viking divides the Med in to four segments: Barcelona to Rome, Rome to Venice, Venice to Athens and Athens to Istanbul-- and you can do as many contiguous one week segments as you want. Each1, 2, 3 and 4 week combination has a name. Then there are the rest Med of the itineraries.

If you want a more intensive stay in one of the cities named, consider a one week cruise bookended with 3 or 4 nights in the embarkation and disembarkation ports (which can be done with a Viking extension or on your own -- and in the Med "on your own" can usually get you more nights than a Viking extension).

BTW, even if you choose a one-week cruise, plan to arrive at least a day early just in case there are snafus with the airlines.

Please list the ports you are visiting. Viking has many named itineraries in the Med all going to basically the same ports and anyone who was been to a port with Viking can answer your questions.

1 minute ago, Lemondrops said:

Sadly, the one day we have in Rome will be a Sunday.  I was so hoping to see the Sistine Chapel but it will be closed.  Our trip is in the middle of July.  Will it be crazy to go to the Trevi Fountain?  Although all excursions are currently posted for my trip on MVJ, Rome remains empty.  I'm assuming we will get options for Rome once we arrive onboard.  Is this how it works?

If your day in Civitavecchia is a turn-around day (with guests departing and arriving) , then you will have to wait until you board to find out what tours will be available for continuing passengers.

Yes, imho, it will be crazy to go to Trevi Fountain. Summer time is no time to visit Rome. Have a relaxing day instead; choose a tour that stays local or book an independent tour to take you to see Etruscan Necropolis outside of Tarquinia and the Archeology Museum in Tarquinia OR to Ostia.

2 hours ago, ericosmith said:

Can someone help ease my fears so I don't have to go beer shopping in town and haul my own cooler to dinner?

No cooler needed, though you might want a carryall. There is plenty of space in the mini-bar to keep it chilled until meal time. Then hand it/them to your waiter or the maitre'd and ask them to keep it chilled for you until you are ready to drink it.

BYO can be consumed anywhere on the ship. Bartenders will supply any needed glassware and they will keep things cold for you.

Viking actually encourages guests to shop on shore for wines, beers and other local specialties. There is no corkage fee in the dining rooms.

Chef's Table might be a challenge, since the meal is about the wine pairings. (I wonder if it would freak out the chef were one to ask him to consult on which beers one should choose to go with the evening's courses?)

2 hours ago, ericosmith said:

can you upgrade for an upcharge? 

No. If we don't want any of the complimentary choices, we may purchase off the bar menu and pay list price.

I just booked our reservations for our upcoming cruise. To make your reservation you started by choosing one of three options: table for 2, shared table and shared with specific booking number.  I did not check out the shared table option, so I can't tell you exactly what they were offering.

2 hours ago, Moby_Spout said:

From experience with cruises in the Northern European part of the world, about how many of the Viking ship's passengers take an excursion (paid, free, own)?

 

And about how many ships tend to be in port, in general.
 

I'm just marveling at what a whopping logistics effort it must take to accommodate the sea of humanity!

You have asked some of those "no definitive answer" questions. Each port is different. Every time  of year is different.  Each sailing has its own vibe.

You can find out how many ships will be in a given port on a given day on the port/harbormaster's website. There are third-party websites that do similar but they aren't always reliable. 

As to how many Viking pax take tours, again, no way of knowing.  But the ship is pretty much deserted on port days.  The included tours are a draw for many and the optional tours are a draw for those who would rather let the cruiseline handle the research and logistics.  On the other hand, there are others who just want to explore on their own.

As you said, "whopping logistics effort" no matter what port you visit.

You will be fine.  If you don't get what you want on the first go-round.  Keep checking. People change their minds right up to the last minute (which is 7 days prior to Day 1 of your cruise, when all transactions are halted until you board the ship).

1 hour ago, brosen1 said:

We booked this cruise for December 19 2024.  It includes Christmas in Val and New Years eve and day in Seville and Granada.  Now we're wondering we made a mistake - we found out that Alhambra is closed on New Years day - a big disappointment. Is everything closed on those holidays?

Bars and restaurants will be open and busy. Most museums and tourist attraction are closed on Christmas and New Year's day.  In Spain, the ship will be docked in Cadiz and Malaga, with Sevilla and Granada (both inland cities) being an hour or so drive away.  Sevilla will be open for business on NYE but Granada will be closed on Jan 1. 

IMHO, as much as I love Granada, there is plenty to see  (but not visit) in wandering distance of the Viking shuttle in Malaga, which will also be warmer than Granada (which is nestled in the Sierra Nevada).

2 hours ago, Moby_Spout said:

IE, the tours in your cart aren't 'protected'?

Exactly, a seat on the bus isn't your seat on the bus until you have paid for it.  A really popular tour can sell out in the first few minutes.

That is why Viking veterans, especially those who travel in DV &V cabins, suggest working with a prioritized list of tours that you are interested in and at booking time (noon PT) paying after you have selected one or two tours, then repeat until you have everything you want.

23 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

For both included and optional (paid for) excursions, when you choose them you must go to the cart and pay for them at the time you book them.  

12 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

 Included ones get reserved on the spot - no cart)

I just booked excursions. As CCWineLover said, I did not have to go to the cart to confirm our choices for the included tours; they were confirmed as we chose them.

When I did the paid excursions, I grabbed them two or three at a time and checked out. I did the ones I wanted the most, first. Then I came back and did more until I had booked everything I wanted. Since I wasn't picky about times for any of the included excursion, I reserved them last.

However, if you are trying to book two tours in one day, book your included at the same time you do the paid, to make sure you have enough time between the two.

1 hour ago, PRH said:

The Britannia is about a 15 to 20 minute walk from the tender.  Buy tickets in advance.  Will take about 45 minutes to an hour.  We then took the HOHO bus into town.  It stops near the Castle and takes you through the old town and back to near the tender.  The rail system may be operating now and that would certainly cut time as traffic can be horrible. 

The same HOHO bus stops at Newhaven before it reaches the Britannia stop.