SFO_FT

Some cruise lines will offer special fares to customers to extend their trips, such as offering an especially good fare to get passengers to stay onboard for another week.   I’ve never heard of the cruise desk on board doing this, but wondering if others have experience with this.

I had heard that Hurtigruten might limit .no bookings to Norway residents only, but I can’t find that information online. 

Noticed that the Norway version of the Hurtigruten website has better pricing than the US and UK aversions for 5 day coastal voyages.  Any experience doing this and are the prices only valid for Norwegian residents?

Understand that Sea’s postponed sailaway from Malta is due to a COVID case onboard. Ugh!

Which airline(s) has Viking been using to carry passengers coming California to its Bermuda cruises?

I was told by my TA that the itineraries heading from Malta to Greece are being booked to only 50% capacity as that was a requirement of either Greece or Malta. Considering that Viking UK was selling cruises on June and July trips with no single supplement (ie, get 2 cabins for the price of one), that makes sense.

Recognize Viking hasn’t been very communicative to allay concerns about whether vaccinated US customers will be enter to Malta, do remember that the cruises currently at sea will have a similar issue when they return to Malta—Americans will need to be able to offload to fly home.  So, if Malta were to NOT allow Americans into Malta, Viking would have to terminate the current cruises somewhere else and then would use that port for remaining cruises.  Don’t believe that will occur, but it is a backup plan for Viking to use Athens or Rome as their hub for the remaining cruises. Don’t think that will be needed however.  Instead, at a minimum, I expect that Viking is securing the same Malta Public Health letters it obtained for the 14 July for its remaining trips.  

Thanks!  Very helpful!  

Has anyone received an email from Viking about the new entry regulations and is able to post a copy of it here?  Have a booking on the 31 July trip from Malta and keen to understand what arrangements Viking is saying have been made for US-vaccinated passengers to enter Malta given official government rules that, as of tomorrow, don’t allow it.  Passengers could be denied boarding of their flights to Malta (either flying nonstop to Malta from the US or from another city in Europe) as air carriers will absolutely deny boarding on their flights to Malta if a passenger is not in compliance with Malta’s official policy.  Otherwise, Malta can/will fine the carrier. The air carriers can only look at Malta’s official policy as to whether to allow a passenger on its flights. 

Has anyone received information from Viking (either from onboard one of the Malta cruises or from Viking US) as to what is happening with vaccinated Americans being allowed into Malta in order to embark/disembark Viking?   I’ve chatted with separate US based Viking customer service agents and neither knew what I was asking about. 

Just off Quest’s holiday trip to Antarctica.  Had actual landings 2 of 3 days in South Georgia and 3 of 6 days in Ant.  The other days were zodiac rides only.  The number of actual landings is dependent on the location (is there even a beach for a land8ng) and weather (do the waves allow for a safe beach landing, as well as loading from from the ship).  There can be, sometimes, days where neither a zodiac nor landing is possible.  

New mattresses. Fantastic.

On the odyssey class ships, the TV doesn't rotate very much--doesnt directly face either the bed or the sofa. Any difference with the Encore TV in standard staterooms?

Have done 4 SB of 14-30 days each. Two on Odyssey (outstanding) and two on Sojourn (disappointing). There's something in the DNA of the Sojourn that just doesn't work. Always feels a bit disaorganized. Management oversight quite lacking. Once a ship or hotel goes off the rails, it's really hard to get it back on track. We avoid the Sojourn as a result.

It was my understanding that only 100 passengers are allowed onshore at any one time -- can anyone confirm if this is true? Assume it applies to SB and other lines.