Moonlion

If someone requires a service animal because they are blind or have a life threatening condition (labile diabetes, severe seizures or allergic reactions, etc.), then the animal will need to remain with the individual at all times including at night in their cabin (having kennels would not work in these cases); however, the person would also need to bring the animal on excursions to assist them with these conditions. If the individual is able to go on excursions, while leaving animal in cabin, a reasonable person could question the motivations.

The more I think about this, I'm puzzled why Viking can't charge fare for the animal, even if discounted. For example, there are individuals with severe physical or cognitive disabilities who require (human) caretakers to assist them with daily living activities. Does Viking allow a human caretaker on board without charging some kind of fare? If not, then they are discriminating against those passengers who require a human caretaker versus a service animal to assist with their disabilities. My brother, for example, has severe cerebral palsy and would not be able to go on a cruise without a companion to help him. Also, given that some people are severely allergic to dogs, I would suggest that Viking designate one of two cabins that can accommodate service animals. If the ship is sold out except for the cabins allowing service animals, passengers can be informed that these types of cabins are sill available, and perhaps be charged a discounted fare (unless they bring a service animal of course).

For World Cruisers (past, present and future), the travel section of CNN has an article about two sisters who went on the "first" World Cruise 100 years ago: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/laconia-world-cruise-1922-1923-eleanor-claudia-phelps/index.html. Interesting.

This is the difference between expecting to "go on vacation" versus "travel." Both are legitimate, but can be very different experiences.

Yes, but where do you do your "business"?

15C

This exactly. It's the collective gestalt of the experience that feels...or doesn't feel, luxurious to me and DH. That same experience may fall well short of luxury to someone else. Conversely, what may feel luxurious to someone else, may be a disappointment for us. Also, in all my years of travel, for work or pleasure, land or sea, I've never experienced 100% perfection in a trip...never. Even for expensive, "luxury" trips, there are usually a few glitches along the way. Unless major, we try not to let the glitches ruin what otherwise could be an amazing experience. So why do I find Viking "luxurious"? As @uktog said, a thousand different reasons which includes for us the quiet, relaxed, subdued environment with relatively few other passengers on board (DH and I try to avoid crowded, touristy places); the ship's understated décor; good-to-excellent food (for our tastes); a glass of wine or pre-dinner cocktail when we want and at a very reasonable price; fantastic service; interesting itineraries; and we just love those "cerebral lectures" on the history and environment of the region. We don't care about the lack of show-style entertainment on board, and don't let the (usually) disappointing quality of the included excursions bother us (we're comfortable arranging private excursions). But, as I and others have said, that's just us...

Oops, didn't see the above posts before posting. The daylight issue was already mentioned.

The 11:43 AM departure gets into Oslo around 7 PM. But, remember there's daylight until 10 PM or later towards the end of May in Oslo.

I would suggest the latter for BIE cruise in April/May: a base layer, zip-up fleece and an outer rain- proof light jacket. I use this type of layering for temps in the 30-40s F and am very comfortable. Very light rain pants with a base layer would be good too if temps are low.

The transmission of this virus is very strange. I got it last May and didn't infect my husband despite sharing the same bed. I carefully avoided contact with my brother who lives with us and has health issues. Despite the precautions, my brother caught it from me. We both started Paxlovid right away after testing positive and had mild symptoms although it took a few weeks for the fatigue to go away.

Since I never had the "select seats" or "change seat" option in my booking, the only way I could change seats was by clicking the "Change my Journey" link and going through the entire process with another departure time (on the same day). The vy.no website has a lot of glitches.

Thanks for posting the seat map!!! We had been automatically assigned seats 3,4 in Car 1 on the 08:14 departure time (Bergen to Oslo) Looking at the map you posted, these seats are directly in front of the WC and across from the luggage rack which could block views on that side 😬. I tried logging into vy.no again today to see if the "change seat" link was available... but again to no avail. So, I clicked on "Change Journey" and requested the 11:43 departure for the same day. This time, the select seat option and seat map showed up! I booked seats 29, 30 on the left side of train. I was going to try going back to the 08:14 departure (hoping the "select seat" option would be available again) but my husband prefers leaving later and not having to rush out of our hotel so early in the morning. Thanks for the advice on best seats!!

Hi Clay, would you be able to post the seating map for Car 1? As mentioned above, I'm not able to access the seating map or change our seats. TIA!

Interesting. I definitely did not get the "Change Seat" option when I booked, nor when I downloaded the vy.no app on my iPhone. I ended up emailing the helpdesk at vy.no, and agent said the seats we were assigned are forward facing and on right side of train. She asked if I wanted to change, but we are fine with those seats. All is good 🙂

On February 28th '23, I was able to book Bergen-Oslo train tickets on vy.no for a May 24th departure date, almost 90 days in advance. I may have been able to book earlier (wasn't checking the vy.no website) so can't say how early out booking would have been possible. I booked Plus Refundable tickets (in "comfort class") but oddly was not able to select seats or view a seat map, either online during the booking process or after booking online or on the vy.no app. We were automatically assigned seats in Car 1. Anyone else having this issue when booking online from the US on the vy.no site? Also, I was not able to use a credit card to purchase tickets, tried a couple different cards (ended up having to use PayPal).

Hi Lmg1950, you may be interested in joining our roll call for this cruise: May 9, 2023 Scandinavia & British Isles London -Stockholm (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2803433-may-9-2023-scandinavia-british-isles-london-stockholm/page/5/#comment-64979807). It's fairly quiet right now but may become more active as we get closer to the departure date.

Margaritas are one of my and DH's favorite cocktails too! On our January 2022 cruise, we asked the bartenders if they could make with fresh lime juice instead of lemon. They did and it was pretty darn good! Soon, all the bartenders/servers knew our preference and we no longer had to ask! Just ask and the fabulous Viking crew will go out of their way to accommodate.

Thank you @Australia08 for sharing your adventures with us. I've really enjoyed "traveling" along with you! When you traveled to Iguazu Falls, did you book a private tour or was this a Viking extension? We are looking to book a multiday tour to Iguazu for our February 2024 South America & Chilean Fjords cruise with Viking, and would love any suggestions. TIA!

Some possible reasons: 4.Which way does the bed face in cabin xxxx? Some people are more prone to motion sickness if facing the rear when moving. 6. Can someone post the hours all the restaurants are open.. Maybe to coordinate with excursion times. 8. What restaurants are open for lunch on embarkation day? To decide whether to board early and have lunch onboard or have lunch at a local restaurant before boarding.

When did Viking notify you of the port changes? Some of the other Viking roll call and FB posters reported that they were notified in October. Honestly, if it were me and I was that unhappy with a product as expensive as a Viking cruise, I would cancel and find other options. If your cruise is in August, you should still be able to cancel without a large penalty.

From Viking Roll Call and Viking FB reports, it seems that only the August and September 2023 BIE cruises have dropped Belfast. Those in earlier cruises (April to July) have not reported - at least yet - that Belfast has been dropped. If this turns out to be the case, the big mystery is why Viking modified the itineraries in the August/September BIE cruises but not the earlier ones??

Prior guest could have taken umbrella from the room and left it on the bus during an excursion.

Which sailing are you on? We're on the May 9, 2023 sailing and to date haven't received notification from Viking that Belfast (or any other port) has been dropped from our itinerary. In My Viking Journey, Belfast and all the included/optional excursions for Belfast are still posted and we're 107 days from our cruise. On some of the FB groups, members have posted that Belfast was dropped on their August 2023 sailings and replaced with Isles of Man; members sailing in May said they have not been notified that Belfast was dropped.

Thanks. Cocktail prices have increased to $9.50, up from $7.50 on our January '22 cruise (a little more than 25% increase).