eddieg07410

We will be on the Viking Orion in February 2023. We would like a small group tour of Hobbitron. It can be out of Aukland or Tauranga/ Can someone please recommend a tour that will take us to and from the port that won't exceed our stay from about 10 am to 5 pm.

Was looking at this cruise and saw at end of cruise there are three days in Sale town. Can we arrange a Safari through Azamar with the ship was our base at this time?

In looking at the airlines available to fly from New York to Ecuador business class is far inferior to what I usually expect. The only advantage seems to be two wider seats. No beds are offered and the food is essentially the you typically get in coach. Are there any quality business class flights that go from New York to Quito?

All the business class I looked at on Kayak are barely above economy plus. service stinks, Seats don't turn into bad. And food is basically coach class.

I have a Ph.D. and thus far I have not found anyone who can explain Celebrity's ship insurance. We are planning a Galapagos cruise on the Flora in December of 2023. I am a diabetic and have had a kidney transplant. I need to know if the insurance that I purchase through Celebrity will cover me for pre-existing conditions. To this point every insurance plan I purchased through a cruise line has covered. But I am getting very mixed messages from Celebrity and no one has given me a hard fast yes or no. My preference is o go through the cruise line because if I cancel I before final payment I don't lose any of my deposit. But if Celebrity won't cover pre-existing conditions I would need to go through a third party. So if the answer is that Celebrity's insurance does not cover pre-existingcionditions I could use assistance in finding a company that does.

On our 11 day trip we have one extra day to do Quito on our own. Is that advisable or can someone recommend a guide to hire.

The price difference between these two tour is about 100 dollars, but I was wondering if there is any real advantage to getting the extra day in Quito. A tour is not offered and you are left on your own. Is there really that much to see in Quito to warrant the extra day. Also, how safe would it be for two non Spanish speaking 70 year olds to be wandering the streets of Quito by themselves?

While most reviews of the Flora describe the meals at the Restaurant as good, I have seen other reviews that state because of restrictions on what can go on the ship meat dishes are not. Could someone post some sample breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, and comment specifically comment on the range of choices? I am on a somewhat restricted diet, no shellfish, low sodium, and low carbs.

I also have a celebrity cruise next year. And that roll call is dead as well. I see roll calls on cruise a couple of months passed and a few months into the future. Maybe five posts in each one. Why do you think this is sp?

Thanks again. By the way, you and I have the same last name.

What a wonderful and uplifting review of your trip. My wife and I just booked a trip on the Flora for December 2023. We are both over seventy with slight balance issues. We are able to walk without a cain but on unloved ground may require assistance. How was the crew and tour guides in providing this type of assistance? I understand the design of the zodiacs and the ship make it fairly easy to get on and off. Id that the case?

On Viking are you expected to tip the staff that brings you room service every time or as part of a general tip at the end of the voyage?

Went to my voyage and noticed that for the ports that had posted excursions there were maybe 5 at each port. This seemed very short to me based upon my pre-covid cruising with other lines.

This post takes a different direction than the previous posters. On a 30 day cruise how many times can we expect to book one of the two specialty restaurants? We are not in a

I just read that Viking runs a Galapagos extension after all but giving up the idea of touring the Galapagos. My wife and I both have slight balance issues and were advised by a Celebrity representative that the trek through the islands and getting in an out of the inflatable boats might be too treacherous as the guide and staff do not offer much support. I was wondering if Viking being Viking might offer more, and make it a possibility for my wife and I.

I just read that Viking is now offering a Galapagos extension. I just read this as I was just about given up on touring the Galapagos. I contacted Celebrity and they advised me that because of my slight balance issues I would have difficulty entering and exiting the inflatable boats and that staff would not be available to help. I was wondering if this true for the Viking Galapagos tour, as usually Viking staff is very helpful with issues like this.

Thank you. Very helpful. While we had to cross the Galapagos off our bucket list this one sounds great.

My wife and I (both 70) are considering an expedition cruise to Antartica. We are most concerned about the horrors we have heard of the Drake passage. Is there a better time to go when the seas are more calm. Also, both of us have mild balance issues are wondering if getting in and out of the boats will be a problem for us.

Can someone recommend private tour companies that provide professional guides to assist in camera setup and viewing the more picturesque sites in these two cities. The ships tours are quite expensive.

The only thing I think I might miss on the boat are the lectures on the ports. Are these available to watch in your cabin. If that's so my contingency plans should work for everything. It might be worthwhile attracting a subcategory on the roll, titled "Maskers", and let those who are serious about covid get in contact with one another. These are the people ou might want to have your meals with and go on excursions with. Might work for every toll call.

It would seem while unable to police inconsiderate passengers that Viking should still remind passengers what to do when coughing and posting signs, much like they do with hand washing. IOf people will act like babies they need to be treated as babies.

I am definitely interested in this topic.

Why should you have to assume a worst case scenario when you cruise. Consider the fact that more than 80 percent of cruisers are over 60, many of who are in the high risk category?very vulnerable to theShould all of these people be excluded from cruising? Should they expect when they take precautions, they get abuse from their fellow pasI guess I am expecting too much from humans.

I don't believe the issue if the op was whether he would be exposed to covid or not, it was the failure of his fellow passengers to exercise common courtesy in this covid world.

I really was hoping that Viking had a better and more considerate class of passengers, based upon price. But this world is full of idiots with money and without. I am in a similar situation as you, and prepared to eat all my meals in my cabin, go to less crowded venues, and do small tours if I have to. I am determined to enjoy this cruise and recognize the ship is just a microcosm of very bad world.