FoggyEthan

https://www.insuremytrip.com/travel-insurance-plans-coverages/pre-existing-conditions/ pre-existing means "existing before purchasing the insurance". A new condition that develops between purchasing the insurance and traveling is normally covered. Also most insurance without the pre-existing waiver still only looks back for a specified period prior to purchasing the insurance, between 60 and 180 days depending upon the insurer. If during that window of time there are no medical treatments / medications for the condition, then your insurance will also normally cover such conditions if they flare up again. But if you have an ongoing condition with continuing treatment (incl using medication), and the condition could flare up and prevent you from traveling, then you need the waiver which usually means buying insurance promptly after the FIRST travel payment you make. I've been learning a lot about travel insurance in a very short amount of time. What a mess. 8-)

Even when you read every word of a legal document, even when you have a strong education and some familiarity with the law, it is SO easy to miss the edge cases. I realize, though, that the main issue was that I never knew that this was a feature of travel insurance I needed to look for. So now that I understand, I'll just make sure to get the insurance I need in the future. I have a "Chase Sapphire Reserve" which comes with very good travel insurance automatically, but it doesn't cover the single supplement. In the past I never needed to think about insurance, since I had it automatically.

Can you tell me where to look in the policy for the statement that it covers single supplement fees? I had never seen that mentioned in a travel insurance policy, but maybe I just wasn't looking in the right place!

Does Viking ever allow for a change to who is traveling in the cabin? i.e. if I know 1 month out that my friend can't make it, can I swap them out? Or does that count as a cancellation too? -- Ethan

Absolutely true. If they just flake, then you're stuck.

I had a chat with a Viking rep, and I just wanted to clarify one thing that I think was uncertain earlier: the single supplement is at the rate you originally booked. You are not repriced to current rates. But everything else is as stated. I guess I just have to hope that my friend doesn't have any issues that force her to cancel. Because of the way travel insurance works, it would push me to choose to cancel my own cruise too, even if I'm already at the dock when I find out she's not coming. If I cancel because she can't make it, I get paid out a full refund via insurance. If I pay the single supplement and sail without her, I get nothing.

Peregrina -- I'm not the OP. I'm asking legitimately what happens if I'm meeting someone and there is a problem, such as delayed flight, and I check in alone. Or if they have to cancel for a reason that they can claim against their travel insurance -- e.g. death of a relative -- but that may not be a reason why I get to claim against the insurance if we purchase insurance separately. So then I can't get an insurance payout, I'm just stuck either paying double (or more) or forfeiting the trip.

Just to ask about the surprise-single-supplement that was mentioned earlier: if I'm traveling with a friend, and that friend has to cancel at the last minute, then I'm on the hook for paying my entire fare a second time or else abandon the trip? What if their flight is delayed and they won't arrive until a later port, so I'm checking in alone? Maybe I misunderstood. Hopefully!

Some specific points of comparison: Nov '22 I booked July 29th sailing Amsterdam to Bergen, 7 days, category PS1. Was: $8,149pp Now: $10,399pp. Of course, it's sold out, so it doesn't matter. Nov '22 I booked August 5th sailing Bergen to Reykjavik, 14 days, category PS1. Was $12,149pp. Now: $16,399pp. Three cabins still unsold, including the owner's suite. 😎 The first sailing is up more than 25%. The second more than a third. I seem to have done well with pre-payment, except of course that even what I paid 14 months ago seems like a lot. 8-)

Are you interested in suggestions of private guides / companies to work with in Athens? You didn't ask, so I don't want to presume. There are certainly many options of places to go and things to do. And heck the Rick Steves guide has lots of do-it-yourself walking tours.

Is "bouncing over the waves" as high-risk-for-nausea as it sounds?

Maybe there's a reason it's not available, but they do have public bookings for when Viking doesn't buy them out. Might be worth checking. Maybe you have another ship in port that stole all the day's excursions.

Everyone who came back from Vigur Island on Isafjordur seemed very excited by it, so I add to the recommendation. There is a strict limit on the number of visitors, so book it as fast as you can. I used arcticshorex.com in Seydisfjordur to book an excursion driving to the fjord lake above the town, which I enjoyed. Also there's a hot springs spa that people enjoyed. In Djupivogur, if you enjoy light hiking, you can walk straight from the port to some very beautiful trails east and south. The ground is a little uneven but mostly flat and never super steep. But really pretty. You can find a trail map online. But if you don't want to hike then the glacier boat ride was popular, but be prepared because it's a decent long drive.

I can confirm that, if you have an existing booking and you make a second booking, they will reduce the PIF to 6 months out. Also sometimes you can negotiate a little on the PIF date, but only within limits. The policy is annoying, but they still seem to be filling up the ships, so that's why they're doing it.

You haven't met him. 8-) But seriously, I'd thought it was discouraged to wheel around luggage, esp on elevators, when people are embarking. If not, though, then of course that's fine. Thanks!

Thanks, super helpful! It just brings back one of my nitpicky questions: if we have a leisurely breakfast, what happens to his luggage sitting on the dock of Bergen waiting for pickup, if new arriving passengers are already checking in? And if he hasn't used his keycard to tag himself off-ship by 9:30 or whenever they require, will this create any problems? Someone earlier suggested asking for him to have a guest pass for the day. Obviously I'll check with the ship to confirm their view of all these questions, since you never know, but it's always good to know what to expect! Thanks, -- Ethan

Did you try hiking around from the top of the cable car?

I will definitely take at least one Husky excursion, although prob in Svalbard because there are only just so many options there for our 2 days. 8-) The King Crab connection to the Sami and eating with them is something I hadn't noticed at first, thanks for pointing it out.

Thanks for the favorites! I'm thinking about a husky trek for one of our two days in Svalbard. Do you think the one from Tromso might be better in some way? Did you get to eat the crab at the end of the safari?

I'm doing a back-to-back, Amsterdam July 29 to Bergen Aug 5, then on to Reykjavik Aug 19. So yes, that cruise, but combined with the the first cruise it touches all of the Norwegian coast except I guess the far north where the coast goes east-to-west. As to my interests, what I'm asking for is for any stand-out items, "best in class", "unique". Even if it isn't my specific interest, it might be of interest if it is something truly special. And yes, of course, every fjord is beautiful, all the bus tour drives up from a fjord are amazing, etc. But even so one could say that some specific excursions are the cream of the crop. So I guess I'm asking everyone for their own subjective opinion on which excursions were unforgettable, rather than just highly recommended. And I guess I shouldn't be glib about stopping everywhere, so here's the list: Skagen (Denmark) Oslo Kristiansand Stavanger Flam Bergen (x2) Gerainger Narvik Lofoten/Leknes Tromso Honningsvag Svalbard (x2) I know what I'm going to do in Iceland, so I'll leave those off. 8-) I missed Vigur Island the first time, and don't intend to make the mistake twice. -- Ethan

Almost all of them. Two weeks in Norway, only 1 sea day. Name any shore excursions that stood out to you!

Hello! I'm asking for excursion recommendations like so many before, but specifically Summertime Norway excursions that really stood out as special or unique, not just "it was nice". And not just Viking tours but also private and independent. Sometimes an excursion might not jump out at me, but if it is something special or unique to a place then it's worth it anyway. We'll be sailing all of Norway with Viking, from Oslo to Svalbard. So pretty much any recommendations in Norway would be great. Also Skagen, Denmark. 8-) Thanks! -- Ethan

What is it like on board when transiting? Are there restrictions on where you're allowed to be? Are all the services shut down, like food and drink, spa, pools?

Hello all! I've got a (perhaps) series of uncommon situations and I'm wondering if anyone knows how Viking will handle it. I will be on both the July 29 one-week sailing on the Star from Amsterdam to Bergen, and the following two-week sailing from Bergen to Reykjavik. And yes, same cabin on both legs. BUT I'm switching out cabinmates. In Bergen I'm swapping out my husband for a friend. This means that the two sailings are under independent bookings. Also somewhat unusual is that the ship overnights in Bergen on the second cruise, i.e. days 1 and 2 are Bergen. So my husband will be kicked out and will stay on at a hotel in Bergen for a couple of nights, while I stay an additional night on the ship with my friend. Perhaps I should spend that night with him in Bergen, have dinner in Bergen, rather than on the ship. No potential awkwardness here I'm sure. Anyhoos, anyone seen anything like this before and know how it works? I have questions, but advice for questions that I don't even know to ask would be appreciated! Obviously I will make sure that the staff on board, both room steward and customer service, all know. I'm not sure whether I can get any accurate answers from the Viking USA telephone customer service people. I'm wondering whether I and/or my husband will be allowed to stay on board during the transition time. i.e. will we be kicked off the ship in the morning? Presumably his luggage, which is put out the night before, will need to be picked up from the Bergen pier promptly, before 11am when new travelers start checking in? Any chance that my husband and I can wait about the ship until she boards and meets us, and then we all leave and grab his bags from the pier and go to his hotel? Thanks for any advice! I wish we could just message the ship's own customer service team.

https://www.travelandleisure.com/norwegian-cruise-line-decrease-turndown-service-7091895 https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/12/norwegian-cruise-line-trimming-stateroom-cleaning-cutting-crew-roles/ Hopefully cruisecritic doesn't eliminate all links. Travel & Leisure is highly respected. Cruise Industry News goes into more detail about the staffing changes. It is not fake news, you just don't want to believe it. It's not my goal to convince you, though. We can believe different things, and that's OK. Also in my comment about gratuities I gave the basis of my assertion -- it's NCL's own wording which specifies only some of the 20% is for gratuities. I can't get my money back. But I don't really want to. I'm trying to figure out how to make the best of the onboard experience.