fdpevey

5 hours ago, Cessna140 said:

Just got off the Regal last week. We had flights at 4:30 and were given 9:30 tags. Went to Horizon Court for breakfast and then waited in the dining room till they called our color....the good thing about this is that it is not that difficult to find your luggage since most people disembarked earlier. We went right to our bus and were at Heathrow by 11:15am. Then  we sat in the incredibly crowded airport for five hours :(:(

Yep - if it was after 5 PM you could do something. I try to just accept this is the way. Too bad Princess can't plan a shorter excursion for folks who really don't need to be at the airport until noon - 1 PM.

Thanks, all. Your experienced responses help. 

10 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

We have done the Princess transfer from Southampton several times now.  Your exit time will not be your choice.  You will be given a time to exit the ship.  As best I can recall...it is usually about 10:00-10:30 when we actually roll out on the bus.

That is actually good to hear. I was afraid they'd try to move us out very early - this is reasonable.

It's been a while since we've cruised on Princess, and I don't remember the disembarkation transfer process or selecting a shuttle time.

Our flight isn't until 4 PM so we are in no hurry to get to the airport. Unfortunately that is BEFORE the 5 PM time to enjoy one of the disembarkation excursions. (Advice is to arrive at least 3 hours in advance and excursions don't get you to Heathrow until 2 PM.) 

Can someone with a recent memory remind me how this works - and what would be the latest you think we could stay on the ship and still be on a Princess transfer shuttle? 

We would prefer to enjoy a leisurely breakfast relaxing on board and avoiding the disembarkation crowds then take the last possible shuttle. What time do you think the last shuttle would be?

Thanks!

I hope you enjoy!

This was our message:

Dear Viking Guest,

Thank you for choosing Viking for your upcoming Niagara & The Great Lakesvoyage. We would like to share an update to our submarine operations on your upcoming journey.

Unfortunately, the destinations you will be visiting on your itinerary will not allow us to deploy our submarines. However, we will still be able to offer our extensive shore excursion program and other expedition activities—including the special operations boats, zodiacs and kayaks in select ports along your voyage. 

We recognize that the submarine experience is a popular and highly anticipated opportunity and share in your disappointment. Despite these circumstances, we are confident that your experience will be filled with wonderful memories. 

We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you on board.

Sincerely,

Viking

FYI - We are leaving Wednesday for this cruise on the Octantis (Milwaukee to Toronto) and were told by Viking that the submarines are not permitted to operate in the Great Lakes. I do not know if it’s just for summer - but I know this is not an opportunity on our cruise.

10 hours ago, rosewood jo said:

Here’s what on the website back in Dec when I bought the pre extention

 

This is the 2nd itinerary I was given - but not the one on the website for our cruise. No wonder they - and we - are confused!

8 hours ago, fdpevey said:

I'll let you know when we get back. The Architectural Walking and River Cruise appears to still be a part of the pre-excursion in Chicago. And - who knows - this could just be a blip email and what is on the website turns out to be accurate.

 

After thinking it through, we're going with the plan to have a good time ... no matter what! Isn't that the best idea for any cruise?

Update - a second reply from vikingguestservices@viking.com to my confusion now says that the email I got from Viking and the first response I got from Guests Services were in error and the pre-excursion will follow what is listed on the website. Go figure - we will see! As I said above, we'll plan to have a good time.

I'll let you know when we get back. The Architectural Walking and River Cruise appears to still be a part of the pre-excursion in Chicago. And - who knows - this could just be a blip email and what is on the website turns out to be accurate.

After thinking it through, we're going with the plan to have a good time ... no matter what! Isn't that the best idea for any cruise?

Planning to taking this pre-excursion and the trip beginning our pre-extension in Chicago on July 12. Unfortunately got a email from Viking just yesterday dropping the Art Institute of Chicago and the Pasta Making workshop for - it appears - a second architectural walking tour and a food walking tour. Three walking tours in one day?!  Emailed Viking Guest Services and they referred me to the website ... which still shows the Art Institute of Chicago and the Pasta making workshop ... great response (not). The webpage even states activities could change order ... but not that they would change entire activities!

Very disappointed by the change, the lack of explanation from Viking, and the response by Guest Services. We'll go on the pre-extension and let you know ... but be very aware, as we are now, that if you're taking it for the activities they advertise you could be disappointed.

It's been a while since we've been on Princess, does Guest Services do currency exchange?

We're sailing the British Isles and will need some British Pounds and Euros to cover those land incidentals we can't put on our card (for example, the German Occupation Museum on Guernsey doesn't take cards). It could get complicated to try to figure out in advance what to bring.

Thanks.

The company/service has great reviews on TripAdvisor, but I can't find it mentioned here.

Our fall cruise just had a port-of-call change, and we will be arriving in Zeebrugge (the focus would be for Brussels/Bruges). I will see what the ship offers, but we often have had good luck with local tour companies who have similar tours with smaller groups. I haven't been able to locate any local tour companies in a site search here or on TripAdvisor.

Has anyone used a local touring company for Zeebrugge?

Thanks.

2 hours ago, Iloveketo said:

We did Georgian Bay last May on the Octantis. We regret not going down to the Hide in the evenings, from reports that sounded very enjoyable. We also regretted not signing up for multiple excursions during the day. As soon as something becomes available SIGN UP! We missed out on the lab by waiting until the next morning.
In May it was very buggy, so enjoying the terrace was not possible. 
We did enjoy the duo that played and sang most evenings in the Explorers Lounge!!!

There was live music in the living room at times, also. 
The buffet was so incredible we canceled our reservations to Manfredi’s. Especially if you like steak and lobster or sushi!
I slipped getting into the inside/outside pool, so we missed out on the kayaking. We were able to do everything thing else, including the sub!

Enjoy!!!

Do you remember what time in the evening they had the events in the Hide? we're trying to figure out what time to reserve for dinner.

Taking our first cruise on a Viking Expedition ship (Octantis) this summer through the Great Lakes. Anyone have experience with what sort of evening entertainment that type of ship offers - and what time?

We'll be booking dining times in the coming month, and it would be helpful to know as we consider what times to try to secure.

Thanks.

2 hours ago, TampaGambler said:

You are just trying to fan the flames, ergo attempting to turn this a bigger ordeal than it really is. Hence, you comment on each and every post made in the thread, even on rhetorical questions where you’ve already provided the information. 
 

However, I’ll ask a question…Do you believe the people on cruise critic do not review their credit cards before paying the bill?

I do expect they review their bills since most are helpful folks I've enjoyed reading and interacting with, and I offered my experience to remind to check carefully. (Although I did consider not replying to your question since I appear to have annoyed you with my replies, and that is never my intent.)

3 hours ago, KennyFla said:

If you dispute it, the credit card company should not require it to be paid.  By the time the next billing cycle comes around, it will hopefully be resolved.  There may be a small interest charge.

I took that advice from a poster above - thanks.

I actually called MSC to ask this question for our last cruise, and the answer is no. Just don’t get there before around 10:30 AM.

23 hours ago, TampaGambler said:

Honestly, get over it and handle it…

 

The vast majority have had their “holds” released; perhaps they made a mistake. Maybe they made a mistake, so have them fix it. 
 

You posting on here saying “watch the holds” is overkill. They don’t need you to tell them to watch their charges on their credit cards and you “loving and dying” by every post seems suspicious. 
 

instead of asking, has this happened to anyone else, you shoot out the gate with x,y,z.. 

Not sure what you mean by “loving and dying”, unless it’s responding to questions asked, but I hope expressing your perspective was good for you.

6 hours ago, mmbcater said:

Was it by chance a debit card versus a credit card? Debit cards will have a longer hold and they warn you about that! 

Good thought, but no. Credit card.

4 hours ago, insidecabin said:

 

Are holds not a just a block on your credit limit not a real charge to be paid?

 

AIUI the release is by the CC company, maybe if there is no final charge the CC does not know to release the hold.

 

It was termed a Hold, but it was charged … and we are now expected to pay the bill.

Unfortunately the cold plunge pool in the women’s changing room on the Viking Sea wasn’t deep enough to actually plunge … and too cold to ease into. But we LOVED the Thermal Spa.

Don’t forget the WONDERFUL Thermal Spa! Our favorite sea day “activity”

1 hour ago, jame_g said:

Businesses commonly put holds on credit and debit cards. The bank (not the business) should release the hold when the corresponding charge comes through or within a certain number of days. A hold will typically show as "pending" and does not affect your actual credit card balance, but might reduce the amount of available credit you have. Where people typically have issues is using a debit card for things like hotel stay room charges and onboard cruise accounts. Since the charge is unlikely to match, the bank tends to keep the hold there the maximum amount of time until it is released. This usually isn't an issue for credit cards unless you're near your limit, but can be a huge issue for debit cards because actual funds end up being unavailable until the hold is released. In the meantime you've also likely been charged for the actual fees incurred that didn't match the hold. This can cause big issues for cruisers on nearly all lines using debit cards and why you should avoid doing so.

 

If it was an actual charge, that's a totally different issue. 

That’s the problem. It was an actual charge, not a hold.

1 minute ago, ready2cruzagain said:

Is it an actual charge maybe for your gratuities?? If it is a hold then you need to call your CC company and tell them to release it. Sounds like gratuities to me.

Gratuities were covered by our OBC. It was a hold, according to the concierge, just to ensure that our credit card is valid for any on board charges.