The Other Tom

We used frequent flyer miles and flew business class LAX to Brisbane.  That's not as popular a route as LAX to SYD so maybe you could get a deal.

You might investigate consolidator tickets.  There are pros and cons so do your homework if you go that route.

Other than that, I would do what @rljan said above...fly to Hawaii, spend a few days there, and then on to SYD.

4 hours ago, Hobson1754 said:

Yes thanks I looked at that but it’s a 13 1/2 hours flight from UK which really fills me with dread

If you have the time, you could break up the air portion.  Fly to , say, NYC, spend a few days, then to Miami, spend a few days, then to BA.

3 hours ago, WCB said:

Next to that is the 1200 student high school, which burned down in 2000, but was rebuilt by the Chinese government

I've seen in other reports that the Chinese are helping with infrastructure (roads, schools, bridges)  in remote areas. 

5 hours ago, WCB said:

In our opinion, if one is tested, then we all should be tested

Agreed.  Even if 90% are tested, the remaining 10% could infect everybody.

Could it be that they are testing capacity limited?

4 hours ago, rmalbers said:

I didn't read all the replies but my wife said the instructions were only in one spot off to the side so she said one person read the instruction well the other pushed buttons.  This was on octantis exp. 

That's one way to do it, but I would've taken a picture with my cellphone.....

I know you don't like/want a cell phone, but you might consider an iPod touch.  It's similar to an iPhone but without the phone part.  So you can connect to the internet, use it as a GPS device, text, etc, all for free since there's no "phone bill" or contract. Apple discontinued the iPod touch but you can still get them at WalMart and Amazon and probably other places.

58 minutes ago, edward01ca said:

On each of your posts, you mention pictures on on parts.  Is it possible to see them and where are they located.

 

Thanks,

Dale

Here's a link to their blog.  Scroll to the bottom of each blog for a link to the pics.

"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann (cruisingwithbillandmaryann.blogspot.com)

It was warm in BA and Santiago when we went in February, but cold and windy in the Falklands.  Layers are best.  We also encountered hurricane force winds (75 mph) and heavy seas after we exited the Beagle channel into the Pacific.  It lasted for about a day.  The captain said it was worse the week before.  We were on the NCL Sun which is a larger ship than Viking.  Although the ship was rocking and rolling, my wife, who normally gets sea sickness in that type of weather, was fine.  Maybe it was because we were excited about the adventure.

Edit:  We did a private excursion to Volunteer Point (Falkland Islands) to see the Penguins.  We used Patrick Watts and it was one of the best excursions we have been on.  Highly recommended.

31 minutes ago, SoBaycruiser said:

We went with GLØD Explorer.  I read some good reviews about them from people last winter.  Groups of 8 and the guide is a photographer who helps you set up your camera for the good pix.  They provide extra warm clothing.  
 

Which cruise will you be on?  We’ll be on the 8th of Mar.

Thanks for the info.  We're going in Feb. 

1 hour ago, SoBaycruiser said:

We have booked a private NL chasing tour in Alta

We are going on the NL cruise. Which tour did you book?

3 hours ago, WNcruiser said:

Every plan Steve offers covers Covid. 

I, too, purchased the IMG plan.  Note that you have to be diagnosed by a doctor for the covid portion of the insurance to pay.  Steve explains all this on his website but sometimes people may skip over the details.

4 hours ago, minka34 said:

I cannot really snorkel well unless I can wear glasses.

They usually have masks that have "corrective lens" faceplates.  I can't see the big "E" on the eye chart but they gave me a mask that worked.  I'm not sure all tour operators have them, you should ask.

7 hours ago, WCB said:

Greetings all!

 

Regarding our comment that the crew members had no choice but to seek other employment, was the fact they were not getting called back to work as they had hoped.  They had no choice but to seek new jobs elsewhere.  Hope this clears up the confusion.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

Thanks for the info.

11 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I imagine they found other employment.

Yes, the original post states that "He shared more info on his friends that left for other cruise lines.  Many of them had no choice."

The puzzling part is why they had no choice.

5 hours ago, WCB said:

He shared more info on his friends that left for other cruise lines.  Many of them had no choice.

So they were booted by HAL?  

Following

I haven't done it but I have read good things about Norway in a Nutshell, which is a boat/train trip from Bergen to Oslo or vice-versa.

1 hour ago, junglejane said:

Any pros or cons about doing Viking Air?

Viking air is similar to other cruise air fares.  You get what you get, usually flying in the day of the cruise with sometimes short connections.  If you decide to go with Viking air, absolutely pay the extra fee and get air+.  This allows you more control over your connection times, etc.  You can even fly in a day or two early and extend your stay for a few days.  

Apparently, you don't need to fill out the form if you are vaxed and boosted.  See this thread from the Princess board

Edit:  If you're like me, you'd go ahead and fill out the form.  I'd put the ship name in place of flight number.

10 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

I expect the DG's will be dual fuel engines, which can use hydrogen or diesel. When they can't bunker with hydrogen they will probably revert to diesel.

See post #3, which indicates they will be powered by fuel cells.  Fuel cells aren't engines and can't use diesel.

Fuel cells generate electricity, which is typically stored in batteries, which power electric motors.  I'm assuming the motors on Viking ships are electric, normally powered by diesel generators.  If this is true, then using hydrogen is just another way to generate electricity.  

We did B to A because we wanted a direct flight back to the US.  You have to change planes if you fly back from B.

We used Viking air+ which allowed us to pick our own flights, layover times, etc for an extra fee.  Most times, though, we prefer to deal with the airlines directly.

We did a pre stay in B on our own which I recommend.  B is a delightful small European town with some good museums. 

A post stay in A is a no brainer (which we also did on our own). You've already paid for your air to get to Europe, so stay a few days extra and enjoy what Europe has to offer.   

If you can, go in the spring when the Kukenhof Gardens are open.  Our hotel (Hilton near the train station) arranged a tour for us.

I haven't looked at excursions that Viking offers, but when we did the partial transit with NCL a few years ago, they had an excursion where you transferred off the ship in Lake Gatun and were bussed to a point about halfway through the canal, where you boarded a smaller ship and sailed all the way through to the Pacific.  Then you were bussed back to the ship in Colon.  Well worth in, IMO.  Seeing the canal (and actually touching it) was quite the experience from the small ship.

I'm not sure I would want to cruise on a ship with hydrogen tanks on board. 🤔

1 hour ago, Mich3554 said:

My suggestion when you go shopping for them is to pay attention to the weight, the grips and the length they collapse to.  REI has a pretty good selection to try out before you buy.

Good advice, especially the length they collapse to.  They have to fit in your luggage.

Also good advice about REI.  They have expetrs in store to help and they have a generous return policy.  If you don't have an REI near you, you can order online.

Simple instructions:

1.  Put your phone in airplane mode (this also turns off wifi)

2.  Go to your wifi settings and turn wifi back on

3.  Use the ship's wifi  (or public wifi onshore) for text/email.  Note that it might not be secure so think twice about sending sensitive information.