Peregrina651

On board the ship wear what you would wear at home during the winter. Bring an extra layer with you in the evening in case it is cooler than you like.

Welcome! You have gone to MyVikingJourney.com, opened your account, added you cruise and booked you shore excursions, right? Even the included tours should be reserved in advance. You can do this up to 8 days before departing. BTW, everything on MVJ will be deleted by the time you board the ship. Make copies of anything there that you want to save for future reference before you leave home. Winter along the Med is like winter in D.C. but perhaps a smidgen warmer. You need a winter coat and you need to keep your feet warm when you are out and about -- hats and gloves, too. It is not like doing the Caribbean in winter. At the same time, you can get temps into the 60s, so layers are helpful. Rain even snow are possible, just as are bright, sunny days. I wouldn't waste space trying to pack shorts; I believe you have zeros days at sea and it will never be warm enough to tour in them. Yes to bathing suits, nonetheless, especially if you are planning on checking out the spa facilities (free to all guests; changing room and lockers included). Seas, like weather, are unpredictable. Never leave home without seasickness remedies. The ports. Viking runs free shuttle buses in most of the ports.How far they take you depends on the port. Someone started a thread about them. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2984008-mediterranean-ports-with-viking-shuttles/?do=getNewComment This is a start. Others will jump in with more information and to fill the holes I'm sure I left.

Sometimes they have used Brooklyn.

It should say on your Viking Guest Statement the earliest time you should book flights. It is not on page one but in the section where they talk flights and offer you Viking transfer (for a fee). If not, contact Viking. Regardless, plan for the worst possible scenario and give yourself plenty of time. It is New York City trafiic you are dealing with. Better sitting at your gate than in traffic or a TSA line or both. OR, buy Viking transfers and let them worry about the timing.

Hold on a second! I never said liked the industrial cleaner smell but at least I can tolerate it. Anything is better than the reaction I get to the flower fragrances.

I'd rather the industrial smell to the reaction I get to many perfumes added to mask the the industrial smell. I believe that Viking uses one detergent throughout the fleet. Don't conflate grey water treatment with sewage treatment on board. They are handled differently.

I'm all for carry-on only. Could he find something handle free that would allow him at least a minimal workout if not his full routine? If not, when I pack belts, I don't roll them; I take the belt and run it along the inside perimeter of the suitcase. One layer of belt takes up no space. Could you do something similar when packing his equipment?

Most importantly, the button to push is not on the washing machine. It is on the dispensing units on the wall by the door. The tanks are numbered and so are the washing machines.

I've never done an extension where they didn't take us to the hotel and get us checked in. They aren't going to get you to the hotel before 3 pm. They want to be sure that all of the rooms are ready. They will keep you busy We landed in Istanbul on a snowy January day. The snow was still on the ground when we headed to the Blue Mosque (our first visit to a mosque). It was strangely eerie -- in a nice way. We were traveling with my parents and one of the things they wanted to see was the mosaics at the Chora church. Istanbul is earthquake prone. The only reason that the mosaics on the walls survived was because the Muslims plastered over them when the church was turned into a mosque. Glad we went.I still have the souvenir book on my shelf. Dinner on your own? Try a restaurant that overlooks the Bosporus. No suggestions because we were there 25 years ago.

Based on what I have read in this forum, swapping is usually not allowed. It doesn't mean it never happens; it just means that I have never read about it happening. Does that count as a cancellation? According to the T&C, it is a cancellation. Does it always work that way? I don't know. I just know that it is a tricky situation that may or may not be resolve to the guests' satisfaction. Control what you can control.

Yes, but then there are things you can't control and that is what the insurance is for.

Happy New Year, Everyone! Time to bring this very, very helpful thread back up to the top in the hopes that past guests will continue to answer questions for those who are about to sail. Let's start with Liverpool! If you took a Viking tour in Liverpool, which one did you take? Would you do it again? Any accessibility warnings that you can share -- steep inclines; rough going; too many, too steep, no handrail stairway, no accessible toilets (meaning toilets that people wouldn't be able to get to at all as opposed to no wheelchair accessible stall available or even worse buses without toilets)? If your wandered on your own or did an independent tour, what did you? Thanks in advance for jumping in to answer our questions.

In the article, for Isafojordur, the ship shown docked in the picture is a Viking ship.

Yup. That is why it is the nightmare situation. There are lots of moving parts-- Viking, insurance, timing of the cancellation, separate insurance for each party occupying the one cabin, etc..

Exactly. And it isn't just the travelers' existing conditions but those of business partners and relatives described in the coverages as well.

Interesting Cruise Critic article about the 8 most cancelled cruise ports including Isafjordur: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/8-cruise-ship-ports-of-call-that-get-canceled-often There are a couple of other ports that Viking visits also on the list.

He sounds like a one man crusade. Does he really think that he is going to change anything by complaining to the tour guides?

Only motorized scooters are specifically mentioned. Here's what the FAQ says about wheelchairs. There is a separate question that covers disabilities, and they aren't consecutive in the list: Guests who have a disability, physical or otherwise, must travel with an able-bodied companion who can assist them as the staff is not permitted to lift guests or push wheelchairs. Guests need to provide their own wheelchairs, except in an emergency. Wheelchairs must not exceed 22" in width. For details regarding bringing a wheelchair on board, guests must complete the Accessibility Form and return to Viking no later than 30 days prior to departure. Motorized scooters are not typically suitable for international cruises and cannot be accommodated. While our ocean vessels have elevators, there may still be thresholds that could make movement difficult.Contact a Viking Expert at 1-855-884-5464 (1-855-8-VIKING) directly with additional questions and to obtain a copy of our Accessibility Form and policy statement.

CC has not resumed the sign up for these events on any cruise line but Viking will host for any roll call that asks. Roll call has to do the asking and the collecting of names and Viking will handle the rest.

I just love this post and the thread it has engendered. Puts a big smile on my face. I sent a link to the post to LauraS because I thought she and her staff would enjoy the kind words of the CD. I hope she got it and read it and shared it. It was so hard writing a subject line that didn't sound like SPAM!

That happens probably for all the languages. Otherwise the files are too big for users to want to download and they are too big to search quickly.

Opinions expressed on that other forum are only one side of the coin. We were on a Viking River cruise last year. There was a couple on our bus who both had issues. She had her first stroke when she was a teenager and has had close to a dozen in the intervening years and he has Parkinson's. It did not stop them. They did everything. It took the two of them to get her up and down steps but they had a system -- and a lot of practice. It did not slow us down . Fellow guests helped as needed where needed. No one ever complained because we were in awe.

Do you need to download the language to your phone? Its a longshot but if Croatian doesn't work try Bosnian and Serbian, two other languages spoken in Croatia.

Get the Google translate app for your phone. Pick the languages then aim your camera at the words on your computer screen. Read the translation on your phone. Use same for menus when you travel.

The solution is simple. Don't arrive at 6pm. Arrive after the line has been seated, 6:30ish. Or go to the World Cafe for a sushi appetizer (and maybe a glass of wine/beer) and then head to The Restaurant when you are ready. Doors open at 6pm but you can arrive whenever you want -- without fear that they will be kicking you out at 9pm.