Peregrina651

This may be one of those times when it is best to get on the phone and talk with the various insurance companies and ask your questions. The insurance and voucher thing is so confusing that trying to find and understand it in the fine print is impossible. Let the insurance company explain to you what their policy covers.

We did this pre-Covid and in January; things may be different now. We were let off the bus twice. The first stop is at the Circus Maximus for 10-15 to take pictures and stretch your legs. The second and last stop is at the Vatican, where you have a long hour or more. The entire tour is 6 hours and that includes travel time, which is about 70 minutes each way. You will have to be back at the meeting point in Vatican City about an hour and half before the end of the tour. If the bus leaves the dock at 8:30 am, it will arrive at Circus Maximus somewhere between 9:40 and 10am (later if there is a pit stop before you get into Rome) and will you will have to be at the meeting point in Vatican City by 1pm (that includes time to round up stragglers, walk to the bus, load the bus and drive back to the ship by the scheduled ending time of 2:30 pm). That would give you approximately 3 hours touring time in Rome -- maybe a bit more or maybe a bit less. The times I have just given are approximations only. What time you leave depends on which tour times are available when shorex booking opens. The pace of the day depends on the traffic. Another option, if it is offered on your sailing, is the "Rome on Your Own" excursion which is basically a shuttle bus to the Vatican and back. It is listed as a 10 hour tour but in truth it depends on what time you are due to depart Civitavecchia if a 10 hour tour can be fit in.

Worth repeating!!

Aha! That's a good point to know for folks who need an elevator (no matter how much luggage they have to deal with).

Actually, you can't just wander around the port; if you are walking, you have to take a shuttle at the front gate, which will take you to your ship. I've never done it before but I assume that from the Civitavecchia train station, one would take a cab.

I would ask Viking directly; they know best what they can dig up from the unseen depth of their stores. When you have something out of the ordinary to contend with don't even bother with the phone center or chat. Start with an e-mail to tellus@vikingcruises.com. Include your booking number and your phone number. BTW, one fellow member, in a thread now deleted for some unknown reason, suggested a sling for travel, not because you might need it but because it signals to all that see you that there is an issue with your shoulder/arm and they will be less likely to do something they shouldn't.

Having the drinks package does not change this for DV & V guests; the minibar is not covered under the drinks package. But alcoholic beverages can be purchased a la carte for the minibar; the purchase form is in the cabin (or ask your steward if it is missing).

These Covid protocols seem to change faster than the webmasters can keep up with. Give it a week or so and then try again to make contact with Viking.

They aren't really travel documents in that you don't need them in order to board the ship. Receiving them isn't as critical as it was back in the days when we had to present vouchers at check in. That said, cruise docs are now e-mail to us or our travel agent about two weeks before we travel. They contain basically what we see on MVJ and include important information such as where the ship is expected to dock for embarkation, the ship's phone number and e-mail. We also get a snail-mailing with Viking luggage tags, the personalized tags with name and cabin number for deliver to our cabin and a transfer sticker -- none of which is actually required for travel. The airport greeters have blanks should your package not arrive. Still, it is so disappointing when these tradition milestone fail to appear. The snail mail arrives early than the e-mailed doc, maybe 3-6 weeks prior to sailing.

A folded piece of paper will also work

It is there, buried deep and almost impossible to find unless you know where to start looking.😖 It is buried in the FAQ. Here's a link directly to the document: Prohibited Items List. I suggest that everyone downloaded it. 20190826-Prohibited-Item-List.pdf And here is what it says: Prohibited Items List* for Luggage Loading * The above list is subject to change without notice. Any such items shall be surrendered to the Ship’s Security Officer (or delegate) at embarkation and may be disposed of at the sole discretion of the Ship’s Security Officer. PROHIBITED ITEMS ø All firearms (working, nonfiring, replicas, imitations & air/pellet guns) ø All forms of ammunition ø Stun guns, Tasers or any electroshock devices ø Cricket or archery bows & arrows; crossbows; darts; diver’s spearguns; catapults; any bats, hockey sticks, etc. ø Axes, ice picks or cleavers ø Knives or scissors (if the blade is longer than 3 inches or 7.6 cm) ø Scalpels ø Shaving knives or blades ø Wallpaper knives ø Martial arts or self-defense gear (pepper spray, knuckle-dusters, rice flails, clubs, nightsticks, batons, etc.) ø Handcuffs ø Illegal drugs ø Hookahs ø Candles or incense ø Coffee makers ø Flammable liquids & all explosives (lighter fluid, fireworks, flares, etc.) ø Hazardous chemicals (bleach, paint, etc.) ø Extension cords (USB and laptop charging cables are exempt) ø Any electrical device that produces heat, such as: - Clothes irons, including steam irons - Hot plates or heating kettles - Electrical air humidifiers & refreshers - Heating pads ø Any electrical device with a surge protector ø Ham radios ø Aerial drones not allowed to be operated from the ship ALLOWABLE ITEMS √ Cigar cutters √ Disposable razors √ Knitting needles √ Crochet hooks √ Knives or scissors (if the blade is shorter than 3 inches or 7.6 cm) √ Nail files & clippers √ Tweezers √ Syringes for medical use √ Umbrellas √ Curling irons Updated 08/26/2019

This is what dd57 wanted to post. Anyone who wants to know how to use a link/URL to paste a picture into a CC post, I'm happy to explain -- just as long as you are working on a PC/Windows desktop or laptop (anything else and I'm useless). E-mail at me peregrina651- cc7 @ yahoo.com (delete three spaces to make this address work) I don't want to explain here because that would be hijacking the conversation If you have trouble with the link above, it is because somehow the final period got attached to the link and is upsetting the apple cart. In your browser delete the final period and it will take you right to the bag.

LOL. Like minds -- and posted within minutes of one one another. To clear any confusion, we are both talking about the same spreadsheet. Use Heidi13's link to go directly to the spreadsheet. The link I gave will take you to the topic; if you "follow" it, you can keep track of when CharTrav updates her spreadsheet because she always posts an announcement.. Every thread has a "follow' button either at the top of the page or the bottom depending on your device. When you click on it, you have to do two things before you close the box. First you have to click 'follow' and then you have to choose what kind of notification you want to receive. I suggest that for this thread, you choose "daily digest," if you don't already use an activity feed and check it regularly.

Have you looked at the 360° tours of the cabins on the Viking website? It is under the SHIPS tab. All the cabins are the same from ship to ship. They don't show cabins with the twin bed set up but it isn't hard to imagine how things will be moved to accommodate twin beds. For the most part, the night stand and the bed closest to the bathroom will stay where they are while the other bed and night stand will swap positions. However, if you have a another configuration in mind, just ask your steward if it can be done. They are usually quite happy to indulge our whims.

Try here: Viking Ocean - Combined Cruise Schedule This is a labor of love from one of our fellow members.

I bring a couple of adapters so that I can the 240 outlets as well as the 120s.

If you are putting it under the seat (which will work unless the airline has already filled the space with the electronics equipment😖), two things to keep in mind: size (there's not much room under the seat) and zippers to keep everything inside the bag. Also, look for a bag that has a luggage handle sleeve that will slide over the handle of your carry-on to help keep the bag in place. Otherwise, gravity will help the bag that you have balanced on top find its way its way closer to the floor (and in my case, usually with a jolt as it swings down and starts dragging on the floor). This is smaller than I think you are looking for but it shows the sleeve idea:

Viking will be happy to answer these questions for you. What I paid for transfers may differ from what is being charged for your sailing. As for giving them your luggage and then taking the tube, that is a policy question that you want Viking answer not us. For those docking in Tilbury, there is rail transit from Fenchurch Street Station (which connects to the tube) to TILBURY TOWN Station. Thirty-five minutes to Tilbury. It is a 10-15 minute walk to the terminal (from the London-bound side of the station, exit the station, walk to the road and turn left) -- or take a cab. While I wouldn't want to wander around London all day with my luggage (not even with the little that we carry), we did use rail and tube to get ourselves from the ship (Tilbury) to our hotel and then from the hotel to Heathrow a few days later without any problems. Actually, it was really great not to find ourselves stuck in traffic worrying that we didn't leave enough time to get to the airport. We stayed a block or so away from the Earls Court tube station; hotel check out to airport check-in was under an hour.

Am I In an Alternate Universe?? Of course you are!! Don't question it. Don't jinx yourselves. Just keep enjoying it.

Since you have bought your own flights, as long as you are arriving at Heathrow along with the rest of the embarking passengers on Day 1 of your itinerary, you can buy Viking transfers in advance. Same goes for the return as long as your return flights are scheduled for the last day of the cruise (including any Viking run post-cruise extension). We've done this a couple of times. On arrival, Viking takes your luggage at the airport and you don't see it again until it is delivered to your cabin. If there has been a last minute change in departure port, you are covered. Our last cruise, we used it on departure. We were on the red-eye from LAX (not what we had planned but the airline had cancelled our noon flight and it was our only choice). We did not know until a day or so before disembarkation that our transfer included, at no additional cost!, a day room at a hotel and the hotel shuttle the rest of the way to the airport. Yes, I am a fan of Viking transfers, as long as our knees continue to be up to the job. They are cheaper. They handle our luggage. They cost a whole lot less than than a cab or private options. (And, in countries where I don't speak the language and/or can't decipher the alphabet, having Viking there to take care of us, makes things so much easier). NOTE: Viking will not sell transfers to those have bought Viking Air and are deviating arrival or departure dates.

Last summer, we shared a Grayline van to the airport. Shared with a couple from our roll call. Because it was a minivans they were able to pick us up at the hotel.

Yes. One of our Viking Med cruises stopped there and we docked.

They will in the MDR. There is a regional special each night of the cruise. The Chef's Table menus are, for the most part, not tied to the itinerary.

Or, you could luck out and get one of the Monte Carlo berths. I guess it depends on how many ships in port that day.

It is the worst case scenario and changes for the better have been known to happen.