indigosails

You never know what conditions you’ll encounter at sea, but February is early summer below the equator.

No need for adapters on the ship. Hotels in NZ/AUS will have hair dryers and shaver outlets.

No. There are no fires in that region.

We put our daily meds in tiny zip bags made for that purpose...you get them at the drugstore. It takes some time to make up the bags before the trip, but it’s very convenient on a daily basis (grab and go) and by the time we’re on the way home, we have none left.

Soft toilet paper.

WARM clothes!

We aren’t HUGE drinkers but we got the drinks package one time and felt it was worth it. As someone else pointed out, it’s good for things like specialty coffees. We will do it again.

Where does your cruise go from Galveston? New Orleans is always a good time, Cozumel and Cancun are great. Maybe a stop at Key West. Do those places interest you? Since you’ve never done it, go for it. But Vegas is awfully nice, too. You can take a helicopter to the Grand Canyon, and the shows are beyond belief. There is a lot to love about Las Vegas.

Take the cruise.

Everything you will need on board, the ship will provide for you but socks. So if you or your kids want to go roller skating make sure they have socks, same for the ice skating rinks on the other Royal ships.... You will also need socks for the rock wall. And I believe for all of the activities they require you to be dry, so make sure you don't come directly from the pool.

Just imagining skating on the high seas...😳

I live in coastal So Cal. It’s likely to be cold and blustery. And wet if we’re lucky. Sorry.

Sometimes Med cruises consist of two legs, each one week, some people get off and new passengers embark.

We have crossed the Drake twice (December). On the way south it was smooth as glass. Three days later, on the way back north, waves were crashing against the 12th floor windows! Captain told us to secure everything in our cabins that night. We didn’t get pitched out of bed, but we were sore and achy the next day. Totally worth it.

While I appreciate Viking"s efforts, we decided to cancel this cruise, and transfer our booking to a February South America/Caribbean cruise. There have been too many negatives, hoping maybe someday we can try again.

We cancelled this trip also, for the same reason...too many negatives. Felt like a giant weight had been lifted.

Been on several...WE LOVE 'EM!

We are booked on that same cruise and we had the same issue with the red-eye flight including 3-hour layover in the wee hours, so we bought the pre-cruise pkg. This is our first experience with Viking and I can already say I will NEVER do business with them again. We are seasoned travelers (70 countries, 25 cruises), so we know how things are supposed to be done. And Viking Ocean misses the mark!

Thanks everyone, that's kind of how I thought it would shake out (we're cooked), but you never know and it doesn't hurt to ask. Happy cruising!

We are scheduled to cruise to Cuba in ten weeks. Meanwhile Hurricane Irma has devastated the island. So far there's been no word from the cruise line other than they are considering other ports and they are sensitive to the economic needs of the island people, who they consider to be their partners.

We booked this cruise to go to Cuba, so if they change up the itinerary and take Cuba out, in your opinion would that let us out of our contract? Also of note, travel.state.gov has issued a warning to avoid Cuba...for now anyway.

Another thing is I am looking at knee replacement surgery very soon and, barring a miracle, I will be unable to make the journey anyway. We did not purchase trip cancellation insurance. Would a doctor's note suffice to at least get some of the money back?

What do you think? Which scenario offers the most hope? Ironically, we have always bought insurance in the past and have never used it.

Many thanks.

Your last question about using a travel agent vs. booking through the company itself, if you book through an agent, if you have an issue or a request the cruise line will not help you directly, your agent must handle it. Not that it's a problem, just something to be aware of.

Have a wonderful time! Welcome to the world!

It has been my experience that the two lines are very similar. It's a coin-toss.

I like 'em both. I don't think there's a wrong answer to your query.

We haven't been to Ensenada for years, but we used to go several times a year (we live in So Cal). I don't recall many lovely scenes in Ensenada, but you might look at Estero Beach, which is about 20 minutes south. Happy Anniversary. (I'd do it on the ship...they make a nice little ceremony for you.)

Second the Sheraton Four Points. That's where we stayed when we disembarked and stayed on in NOLA. It was convenient to everything. Including the port/dock.

Meclizine! Trade name Bonine.

Nowadays they have contoured sleep masks so nothing touches your eyes. You will be glad to have one!

Wallie, that was a terrific explanation. We don't usually get a drink package because we usually go with a cruise company that doesn't charge for water or specialty coffee, so this package thing is a new concept.

My question: Your description sounds as if there is no limit to the quantity of wine you can get in a day. True?