TERRIER1

When we tendered in St Malo a number of years ago with Oceania there were no excursions offered to Mont St Michel. You were on your own if your wanted to go.

Morning. I love following your trips. They are very enjoyable and I thank you for taking the time to share. I notice that you fly in the day of departure. Have you ever had any problems with delays? I too leave from JFK.

If O needs the cabin for a handicapped person than they will move you to another cabin. I had the same situation since it was the last cabin left. I told them I was not handicapped and they responded if they need it we would be moved. Unfortunately I had to cancel the cruise so I never experienced the cabin.

On 4/21/2023 at 8:41 PM, Lance&Jen said:

just got an answer from Oceania.  For this cruise it anchors off Positano, which agrees with the on-line port schedules.

We have gone once to Positano, once to Amalfi and once to Sorrento. The Sorrento tendering was not planned but it was to windy/rough to tender in either Positao or Amalfi. I would just have some backup plans for Positano in case they change the port due to weather. The other backup is Naples.

What everybody has said is true. We took our first river cruise because we had a voucher from a failed Viking Star voyage. The voucher covered the cost of the 7 day Amsterdam to Basel trip. What we didn't like about Viking river was the limited times you were served meals and the space. We felt like we were eating in a high school cafeteria. It was oftern crowded and hard to find seats. 

1 hour ago, Hobson1754 said:

Thanks for this - think it was Gray Line I contacted on FB but no response. When you say it’s only part of the Golden Circle can you expand - I thought all the Golden Circle tours were the same and took about 8 hours (excluding Blue Lagoon)?

You might want to contact them via the web page and not FB. 

On 3/5/2023 at 4:23 PM, KBs mum said:

UK banks stopped converting currency many years ago, a currency conversion account with an international bank is now needed. If another currency is needed in advance a bureau de change in a high street or supermarket is the usual way of getting it, or converting unused cash back when returning. Usually costs less than bank exchange rates + account fees

I am somewhat confused. I will be going to Scotland in 2024. I normally get foreign currency at my bank in the U.S. before I leave to have some on hand. Do I ask my bank for Sterling? Or should I wait and get local currency at the airport in Edinburgh? Will the ATM provide Sterling or Scottish notes? Sorry if I sound befuddled.

8 minutes ago, Jancruz said:

Ok that was  the only problem the rest was a really nice review..I bet that lady isnt on a cruise you go on..and if she is report her..

LOL

Jancruz1

????  All I said was that the reviews I read were recent. I have no idea what "lady" you are referring to.

8 minutes ago, Jancruz said:

Oh for heavens sake..James just became President and relaunched a few  months ago..dont read old reviews ..he is changing up everything on the ships..and I know it will be wonderful..

Didnt you ever just try something because you wanted to without going to the computer..I only believe a small portion of what is written and always important whos writing it..

Thats my last word on this subject..I repeat if you need to know anything ask me..

Jancruz1

8 minutes ago, Jancruz said:

Oh for heavens sake..James just became President and relaunched a few  months ago..dont read old reviews ..he is changing up everything on the ships..and I know it will be wonderful..

Didnt you ever just try something because you wanted to without going to the computer..I only believe a small portion of what is written and always important whos writing it..

Thats my last word on this subject..I repeat if you need to know anything ask me..

Jancruz1

The sail dates were recent.

6 hours ago, Mrs f. said:

Anybody know anything about ATLAS CRUISE LINE?    Don't know if they are new. Looks interesting.     Going to check them out

Their reviews on the Cruise Critic Member Reviews aren't that great. 

11 minutes ago, MSEm said:

Are wine and beer included with lunch and dinner or must you purchase a beverage package?

Wine and beer are not included with lunch and dinner as it is on Viking. You must pay by the glass or buy a beverage package. FYI, the wine and beer on Oceania cost much more than on Viking by the glass.

3 hours ago, LaCroisiereS'amuse said:

 

I must have imagined the 2 cruises I did on Marina which both had overnights in Bordeaux......😁

You aren't imagining it lol. We were on the Marina and we were told it was due to our size but it probably had to do with a combination of the draft and the tides. 

There is a train station but it is a 2 hour ride to Bordeaux. The Marina and Riviera are to big to go down the river to Bordeaux. We ended up taking a private tour with others from our call to several wineries in the Medoc.

Although 100% reimbursement via voucher sounds generous there are actually issues with this compensation for some. The voucher will not cover air that was booked independently. Also, some will not or cannot sail again with Viking as previously mentioned. The vouchers also have an expiration date. We were fortunate in that we received 65% cash back to our method of payment plus a 50% voucher when our Viking cruise was terminated due to engine problems. Also, insurance companies consider the voucher as sufficient reimbursement so you can't claim it - at least that is what happened to us. 

1 hour ago, downsmead said:

This is the issue! It will be interesting to see what Viking offers. We have missed ports before on Viking and have been given some OBC but this is completely different.

We were on the Viking Star in it's inaugural year when there was a "mechanical" issue. We made it to Tallinn but the problem could not be resolved so everyone was off loaded. We missed 6 of the scheduled 11 ports. Viking originally said they would only reimburse us 50% but there was a furor since more than half the ports were missed. We were finally reimbursed 65% plus a 50% voucher. I am curious as well as to how Viking will handle this. 

On 12/23/2022 at 7:59 PM, sfocruiser said:

It may depend on how many other ships are in port.   We had one cruise in high season.  5 ships.  We had been to Dubrovnik before so we walked through down to the dock hopped on a boat to Cavtat and ended up having a great peaceful afternoon.  Once you see those waters you understand where the expression crystal clear comes from. 
 

This was also 10 yrs ago so Cavtat may have changed

We did the same thing. Dubrovinik was very crowded and it was our second time there so we hopped the ferry to Dubrovnik and toured Dubrovnik in the afternoon when the other cruise ships left port. Our ship stayed later so it worked for us.

It depends who is doing the rating and therein lies the problem. I learned my lesson from hiking trails in Iceland and Switzerland. Whoever rated the trails as moderate was 25 years old and obviously ran up and down Mt Fiji without a huff or puff. I now go on youtube and pull up videos of trails and hikes to see for myself how "moderate" they are. Stairs and elevations are problematic especially in hot weather. I have been to Mykonos but both times headed to beaches and just walked the town. There can be lots of stairs getting to the beach. Delos is a ferry ride and not that strenuous but there is NO shade. Rhodes Town is relatively flat and not a problem. Has lots of cobblestones. However, if Lindos is included in the tour than that is a different story since there are lots of stairs. Enjoy.

I think both cruise lines are good but there is a lot to consider based on individual tastes and expectations. Viking inlcudes wine and beer at meals and Oceania doesn't. Viking includes an excursion in every port however I have found that the included excursion leaves a lot to be desired depending on your wants and needs. It is usually a panoramic pass through on a bus or a walk in town that you can do on your own. Oceania has a tendancy to be more diverse in the ports that they visit and stay longer. Food is subjective and I have  had no problems with either line but Oceania is better but than you can always get a cruise with food not up to expectations. When we sailed Viking in its inaugural year it wasn't that different in price but now it appears to be more expensive than Oceania so I agree with you. 

3 hours ago, netpj said:

@the more ports the better Thanks very much for taking the time to post such a helpful response.  There is lots for us think about as we start planning.  

We used many of the same guides as @the more ports the betterand had a great time. The only advice I would give is that they book up early so don't wait. 

27 minutes ago, Keeria said:

Interesting also, that her books have never been translated into Italian. 

I watched the television series on tapes borrowed from my library. The take place on location in Venice and have English subtitles but the whole crew and language is German. It was produced by Germans for German television lol.

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

So the laugh of the day, one has to laugh instead of cry. We’re on Day four and have now had 3 of 4 ports cancelled. I think we have the JV team in the bridge! If it’s windy, they cancel ports.

 

Anyway back to food. Went to the GDR today for lunch and ordered the veal piccata. I got veal in a ( tasteless) brown gravy. It was a mostly forgettable meal, but I complained to the head waiter that it wasn’t what I ordered, and if one checked the menu, there is no veal with brown gravy on it. 
 

Upon returning to our room, I promptly received a call from the Executive Chef and explained the issue. He told me he was from Italy and knew exactly what piccata is and that dish isn’t. However, the orders from Miami are to call it veal piccata! 🥺 

 

He told me he would relay my comments to Miami. I asked “ if I ordered chateau briand “ should I expect a hamburger and French Fries if that is how Miami chooses to label it. He assured me he understood the issue!
 

 

This is not news. Pre-covid I ordered the veal piccata in the GDR. I was served what you were. I told the waiter that I think they delivered the wrong dish. I was told it was veal piccata. They have had this issue for years and it has not been corrected.

If I recall, in our veranda suite (category B) the narrowest portion of the room is between the bottom edge of the bed and the desk.

2 hours ago, janetcbl said:

Has there been a CC site established for the Mississippi River cruises yet? If so, where is it, please?

There are several Viking Missisippi roll calls on Cruise Critic by date of sailing. The are in the Viking River Roll Call section.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/851-viking-river-roll-calls/

I totally understand your position of this my be the only time you get to see Paris. However, as someone else said Paris traffic can absolutely mess up any free time you may have and that is not considering if there are strikes, protests or just a holiday. It take 2.5 hours each way without any traffic. Do you know the ships disembark and embark times? If it is not late embark then the trip into Paris may not be worth it. If you do go then maybe a hop on hop off bus to see the sights is the way to go. As others have said, I would go closer to Le Havre. Honfleur is beautiful.

4 minutes ago, Serendiptydesign said:

Wow what a lot of information thank you for your response Terri, I will be following all  these links thru to see what I can find.

Too bad a couple are no longer doing tours since they were really great.