WanderingBrit

Based on what we saw in Bermuda two years ago, they'll check you in and take your bags to your cabin. There are staff on duty 24 hours a day in all circumstances, and in port that includes having someone at the gangway.

The Voyager App is intended not to work unless you're onboard - and using a VPN means you are no longer onboard from a network perspective. I'm guessing that they have a host they attempt to contact that is only reachable from the onboard LAN, and they use that to determine if you're onboard or not. It's sometimes called "Trusted Network Detection" when discussing endpoint protection solutions and the like.

We’ve had Brooklyn Lager on Orion before, and enjoyed it. They also typically have a Norwegian Lager - people have recently posted drinks menus here.

We're on what VV calls "Southeastern Caribbean Isles" in February of next year, but the itinerary is different than what you showed? San Juan • Tortola • Pointe-à-Pitre • Bridgetown • Castries • St. John's • San Juan

The end of May was the original "last day of the 25th Anniversary Sale" 🙂 I'll be curious to see if fares really do go back up once July hits.

You made serious accusations of theft, suggesting that the blame entirely belonged to Viking, whereas it simply is not as straightforward as you first claimed - that's what is earning you backlash. Having positioned yourself first as the innocent victim of theft, you now cast yourself as the victim of unearned criticism - a pattern emerges. If you had presented your story as a cautionary tale, a mea culpa for others to benefit from, the reaction would likely have been very different.

That would require legislative action, and lobbyists are keen to prevent that from happening. The contracts I have related to our property in the UK are required to be written according to Plain English rules, and are markedly different than equivalent contracts in the US. But that happened as a result of laws being passed requiring it.

I have a spreadsheet template that I copy for each itinerary I'm comparing, and break it all down to a per night cost - factoring in all the same elements as discussed here in addition to the number of ports. The differences between cruise lines seem to vary depending on destination, and so I've found it pays to repeat the exercise with each trip we contemplate.

When we overnighted in Bermuda passengers were embarking late into the night, but that was likely anticipated due to the challenges around air travel 2 years ago and with Viking arranged flights - they would have known they had incoming passengers at 10pm. I believe we're supplied a phone number for the ship shortly before sailing, perhaps call them and ask?

If you fail to learn the true lesson offered here, you will simply be doomed to repeat it. The T&C of the voucher you used told you that it had no cash value, and once used would not be replaced. That is not unique to Viking The insurance you purchased only covered your cash outlay, not the voucher that you used, and so therefore your claim was rejected. That may not be unique to Tripmate. Whichever service provider you use in the future, for whatever services, they will have Terms and Conditions as part of their contract with you. No one will have as much at stake in understanding the risks associated with those T&C as you do, and so no one should be expected to care as much as you should. I think you know the truth of this, but don't like to accept your own role in the outcome. It's easier emotionally to portray this as an evil corporation stealing your money, rather than accepting that you either did not read or failed to understand the terms and conditions of the contract you entered into.

Just what I was looking to learn - thank you. We've already got a March '25 cruise booked taking advantage of the $25 deposit and the prior guest discount, and I had wondered if perhaps that was good as it was going to get! Kevin

The last time we booked while onboard we saved $450 per person, and received OBC for the sailing we were on. Can anyone share their first hand experience of current discounts? Kevin

Do you want to look at open sea or land - which do you consider "better"? I just look at the map for the itinerary and pick the side that gives us more of what we prefer to see from the cabin.

Using a VPN will allow you to circumvent any filters they have against streaming sites, though of course there still has to be sufficient bandwidth to support what you're trying to access. If you have an Internet VPN service, and even the hint of a concern, just use it to be safe?

Sorry to hear that, definitely not what you want so close to departure. What does the compensation they're offering cover? If they were to bump us from our upcoming cruise I'd need them to include sufficient direct financial compensation to cover non-refundable air fare, for example, in addition to whatever they might do to try and make up for the disappointment. Kevin

Search for "Disposable Ice Cube Bag" on Amazon

If wine is being served at the time you attend, then yes. I don't know if the World Cafe is open for dinner at 5pm on all cruises.

My experience has been that you must register a credit card once onboard, and that balances are charged against that.

Yes, we did this on the "Welcome back" cruise in 2021 around Bermuda, which only had 2 ports. It was interpreted as "one included excursion PER DAY" rather than per Port. Kevin

If you try only one, let it be the Lou Malnati’s Chicago Classic pizza with the butter crust- it’s significantly better than most of the “Chicago style” pizza found elsewhere that’s basically Focaccia. A Portillo’s Chicago style dog with everything is also a local classic.

It would be even better if it was a Concept2 😉

Friends of mine have been sailing around South America in a J46 sailboat, and I would say the weather in Spring there looked to be cool and damp. The scenery is absolutely spectacular, with incredibly remote ports home to some very warm people - it's definitely rugged! Kevin

That's how it worked for us the one time we did it. I just used online chat to request the upgrade when I saw a cabin had come available, and they shared a payment request in the chat which took me to a secure credit card processing page - all pretty simple. Kevin

I had quick and efficient help with online chat, and detailed responses to email queries anywhere from 3 hours to 3 days depending on the complexity of the question.

Same for us, not surprising as Brilliant Lady isn’t in service yet.