Azulann

Look forward to your trip report. A group of six should have a great time on this Holiday cruise. BTW, you are missing our snow(8.1inches at airport on Wed) and blizzard conditions for the next 36 hrs. Friday we will have a wind chill of -31 and real high temp of -5 Merry Christmas!

Glad to see the method used by OP still works for booking shore excursions. If one is all sold out do not repair. Go to guest rations once onboard and get on a waitlist. Every cruise I have been on had cancelations by folks for their excursions, and always go the ones I had been wait listed . Especially when there are no or few sea days, peole forget that they need a relaxing day and so they cancel. I myself have canceled an included excursion because I just want to stay on the ship and relax and use the spa.

So happy for you Jim to be back on a Viking Cruise, And a Holiday cruise no less! My first cruise on Viking was on the Viking Sea , a TA from PR to Barcelona. Love old town, and the ship is right downtown. Look forward to your posts !

Off topic, but so good to see you and your wife will be back on a Viking Cruise later this month. I hope you will stop by forum and give us a report.

Loved your trip report and the great photos of Greek ruins. They are spectacular after all these centuries. I also love the way you travel before and after the cruise ends. No need to rush to airport after a cruise. I too love to savor the whole experience at a nice hotel or post extension, before flying home. Thank you again for taking your time to take us along on your adventure.

I am looking forward to the long days into twilight ... I visited NewGrange in Ireland many years ago. I am fascinated by the Winter/ Summer solstice and how the ancients recognized these special days.

Stopping by the Explorer Lounge for a nice Jameson and splash of soda water drink. Cold and dreary outside in my real vicinity, but cozy here with the great fake fireplace going strong. I am happy to have paid the final payment today for my cruise on the Viking Jupiter in June 2023! Lots to look forward to as I dream about visiting the land of my ancestors in Denmark on the Scenic Scandinavia cruise June 12-22. Will be in Denmark for midsummer🥂

I am loving your posts. I have done the Corinth canal and the Corinth ruins and museum. Same engineer who did the Suez Canal . It was a nice sea level passage. I love icons and am impressed with your excursions to the various monasteries and convent. Love your pictures.

look forward to your impressions of this TA. I love these cruises.

The OP has only three posts. So they are getting use to Cruise Critic format and forums. Not like FB at all.

Look forward to the rest of your review. I loved the transit of the Panama Canal many years ago. It is a wonder of the world. My dear friend was on the same cruise. She said she had a great time.

We have been lucky cruising in warm weather. We order room service breakfast before a morning excursion and eat it on our balcony . the table there is proper height, though small, it hold plates and beverages for two. I also love eating breakfast in Restaurant , when it is open, and love when they bring the plate of pastries and the variety offered. I know they are also available in WC but having them served to you I always take one , but not the WC.

IMO , Azamara which has only three ships and run by a hedge fund group, might give more flexibility to their Captain. They also have smaller ships. I have no problem when a port is canceled due to weather. It happens. I hate port fees, which need to be added to cost of a cruise on other lines, here looking you Celebrity, for the grand total. I like the way Viking prices the cruise up front. When I book with Viking , the price is the price for the number of days of the cruise. I do know that there have been occasions when Viking did credit passengers with some credit due to special circumstances. I've never been on one of those cruises. But then I am only been of Thee Viking Ocean cruises.

You need to go to your roll call for this cruise. My friends are on board and having a great time. The roll call for this particular cruise on celebrity is very active. Good luck . Go to main page of CC and scroll down to Roll Call :Celebrity ships.... and follow the links. Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Thank you for your detailed review. Now you know why I and many others love Viking Cruise ships. I had two sets of friends that were on same cruise with you. They also love the ship, Mamsen, the lectures and most of all the outstanding service from cabin attendants, guest relation and wait staff. Glad you booked another cruise while on board. It does help with the on board discount one gets.

Clay, thanks so much for your wonderful trip report. Looks like your were really busy while you were in port. Love your pictures. Enjoy your sea days back to Vancouver.

Many times at the port terminal they have a kiosk or table with tourist information. If they have a map of the town, I pick it up. I definitely like paper maps over using my iPhone map, it always gets wonky on me.

I always book my most important optional excursion first then go pay for it , then return to MJV list of excursion and book the next most important excursions for me and then the included ones. But if they are full , check back before your cruise on MVJ may times they open up. If all else fails ,go to guest relation on first day on board, book any you missed or get on a wait list. I have always gotten the ones I wanted in the end. Enjoy your cruise. It sounds wonderful , 17 days !

I have been on the Constellation three times many years ago. Love the M class ships. ing I am think about a cruise on her out of Tampa this winter. I am excited for you both. Enjoy Rome and have a relaxing TA across the ocean. Look forward to your live report.

Look forward to your trip report. Hope once you are on the plane you can relax, you had a very full week! Have friends on the Eclipse right now. They voted by mail in AZ before they left. Other friends will be on Viking doing a Panama cruise on election day . They also voted by mail already in MN.

Always feel like I am looking at an Ikea instruction guide when looking at the symbols posted in laundry room. I did get a room steward who was nearby in hall to teach me the meaning various symbols. it was the water temp and drying temp symbol I had trouble with deciphering. I love that they have iron and ironing board, because I wear lots of cotton and linen.

Great answers from other Viking Cruisers above . I love the resident historian lectures and round-table discussions. Also on the Itinerary listing on Viking web site there is a Resource category . It included a curated reading list and film list to read and view for the individual sailing. Viking treats their guest as educated adults who love to learn and explore first and foremost. Their offerings of excursions vary. I chose the ones I want based on all my research and what I definitely want to visit or explore at each port. Some of the included excursions walking tours are just fine if you have a good guide. Also having time to just explore the port town after your tour is an option. Viking did have free shuttles at Spanish ports we visited in the past. I am looking forward to my 4th Viking Cruise next June " Scenic Scandinavia" on the Viking Jupiter

Thank you for your very detailed review. I too absolutely loved the ships . For me, the openness, comfortable elegant Scandinavian furniture, and the ability to see the sky and sea from most of the common areas keeps me sailing Viking. I had sailed on Celebrity before and cannot believe how dark some their lounges are and overly glitzy most of the common areas are compared to a Viking ship. Glad you gave tried Viking now you can move on to another cruise line based on your criteria. Thank you again for posting your review and sharing your experiences. My friend just arrived home after doing the same itinerary on the Viking Mars. As a first time cruiser , she had a fabulous time and plan to host a French dinner that she learned to cook form taking the Viking Cooking class with the Chef while on board. It is good there are a variety of cruise lines for folks who love to cruise.

Thank. you ever so much for your wonderful, detailed review and pictures. I felt like I was with you on your excursions and lovely lunches. Great descriptions.

Front page of our local paper today , St Paul Pioneer Press: Viking Mississippi has canceled all upper Miss cruises for the season, due to orders from Coast Guard. Water level too low in various channels. They will still do the Lower Miss. river cruises from New Orleans to Memphis the rest of the year. It turned out Viking Miss River cruises was beset by various factors that was a disaster for most of the folks who had booked this first year of sailing, years ago. I hope we see the Viking ship in St. Paul come early summer of 2023, the ice should out by then and hopefully no major flooding of the river.