PlanoTim

You may want to check this thread: And this one:

I didn't know there was a cruisecritic app.

I don't see a date or a check-in button for my 4/27/2024 cruise either. I can't find the check-in date shown anywhere. Maybe because full payment doesn't happen till the end of this month. Not sure.

My son investigates merchant fraud for a major credit-card processor. He has some really wild stories to tell of schemes that fraudsters try. Many times they work with other merchants or just with themselves posing as another merchant or individual to defraud the bank. I'm not suggesting that the OP was involved in the fraud...but how does CCL know that. It could be that they have been burned by this before. Perhaps that is why they have taken this stance. I hope you can get this cleared up.

@TxTeach79, thanks for taking us along on your cruise. I really enjoyed it. Did you happen to notice a venue for dancing (to the band, not a DJ) on board? Ocean Plaza was used for that on Carnival Vista and we really enjoyed it. The dance floor always seemed to be busy in the evenings and I'm wondering if the Excel class ships have a similar space. Thanks. Take care and try to stay warm in our upcoming DFW weather.

You may want to check out this post by Saint Greg:

I'm not a local, but my wife is from the Sebago Lake area, so we get up there a lot visiting family. I second the suggeation of Gilberts Chowder House or Becky's Diner. They are both solid choices. Gilberts has more hole-in-the-wall vibe. I hear Portland Lobster Company is good but I've never been there. If a lobster roll is what I was wanting, my choice would be the food truck at Allagash Brewing. It's about a 15-minute Uber ride from the pier. And since you're not driving, you can check out the other 4 (I think) breweries right there. 🍺 I enjoyed the food at Gilberts (outstanding seafood chowder) and at the food truck just a couple weeks ago. Portland is a great town. I hope you have a wicked-good time. 🦞 Tim

The Texas birth certificates (long form) that we got for our kids' passport applications at the local state or county office (don't recall which) don't have a raised seal. But the paper does have a colorful watermark. 😀 So the raised seal may vary by state.

I agree with chengkp75. Portland is a great foodie town. Street & Co and Fore Street are a couple of our favorites, too. Becky's Diner is good for lunch as is Gilbert’s Chowder House. We like J’s Oyster too. Allagash Brewing usually has a food truck for good lobster rolls and good beer. Maine Brews Cruise has some fun excursion-type offerings like walk, talk, & taste tours and brewery/spirit tasting tours. There is so much to do in and around Portland. A sail on the wooden schooners is fun. There are also lobster boat excursions that can be interesting. Taking the ferry to Peaks Island and renting bikes for a couple hours is a nice way to spend some time. In addition to Crescent Beach mentioned above, we also like Higgins Beach and Pine Point Beach (might need a car). If you have a car and like shopping, Freeport is just 20 miles north. The patio at Jameson Tavern (right by LL Bean) is a nice place for lunch. If you like zany (overpriced, IMHO) museums, then the International Cryptozoology Museum may be for you. Trust me, it is like no other. 👽 Thankfully it has a brewery on one side of it and a distillery on the other. 😜 I hope you enjoy your visit.

I guess I'll be the dissenter here. I've been to a couple of Buc-ees, but it isn't worth the effort in my opinion. The parking lot is over crowded. The store is WAY over crowded. The bathrooms are clean, I guess, but the 5 minute wait (10 minute for the women) just wasn't worth it. I just don't get the Buc-ees craze.

Hey, Judi. In my experience with glacier excursions (but not dog sled), the tour provides overshoes that go over whatever shoes you have on. They sort of wrap around your ankles, zip up, and strap on. Here are ones like I have seen used. I don't believe we were given the option to just wear our own footwear. Perhaps it is possible. I hope that helps some. Tim

I've always liked the cinnamon rolls in the WC, so ooey goey. But on our recent Alaska cruise they were "different" and not nearly as good as usual. Their croissants are good and I like the pistachio bun from the Viking Bar (deck 1). The Lyonnaise potatoes in the WC are good but the hash browns are tooth-breakingly hard - no tender middle at all. The best location for breakfast...the Aquavit Terrace.

True, they pay them to the port, but they aren't charged separately to the passengers, so can't really be refunded. It's just a different paradigm that some (most) cruise lines, I think.

I don't believe Viking charges port fees, so there is nothing to refund.

We did it on our Alaska and the Inside Passage cruise on Viking Orion in early September. It was less interactive than our pre-COVID experiences, but still fun. I almost like the format we had this time better, where the chef did most of the cooking and we were able to help a little. Tim

My wife says she used US Dollars.

Hi, Liz. My wife and sisters really enjoyed the Emberá Indian Village excursion. Their guide was from that village and they thought the interaction with the people there was very informative. They had an opportunity to interact with the villagers and learn a bit about their life. I remember them remarking how they felt they connected with the children there. There was an opportunity for them to purchase some woven items. They enjoyed their time in the village and didn't feel it was exploitive.

We did the Panama Canal & Central America cruise aboard Viking Sky immediately before COVID. We had a really good time. I and my 3 brothers-in-law did the Panama Canal by Ferry excursion while our wives did the Emberá Indian Village visit. It was interesting to see the canal operation from a much smaller vessel. We left the ship (in Colon) for a very-early, pre-dawn motor coach ride to the Pacific end of the canal. We immediately boarded the boat and had a nice continental breakfast as we left the marina in the early rays of sunrise. The Viking passengers (less than one bus load) were the only ones on the multi-level boat and it could have easily held 4-6 times as many passengers. We went through the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks with a tanker ship. We spent most of our time in the outside spaces at the front and back of the boat. This allowed for a very up-close view of things. Traveling through the locks is rather slow going, so I wouldn’t exactly call it exciting, but it did allow us to see the operations from a nice point of view. We had a nice buffet lunch and there was a small cash bar and a few gift items for sale. After exiting the locks, we traveled through the canal to Gamboa, where we boarded another motor coach for a ride back to the ship. We all enjoyed the excursion, but agreed that our less-geeky wives may have been a bit board. The Sharks, Rays & and Island Getaway excursion in Belize was really fun. It was pretty much as described and the tour operator did a good job. The snorkeling with the sharks and rays is mostly in a sandy area, so there isn’t much to see other than the stars of the show. We did the included Tortuguero Canals excursion because our planned ATV Ride & Rain Forest Trek was canceled by the vendor. The canal excursion was just okay. It was fairly short, but we saw a crocodile, monkeys, and sloths. There were a number of bird sightings, too, but birds don’t do much for me. I hope that helps some. Tim

On all of our Viking cruises the Viking Band had two singers (a male and female) and a 4-piece band - drums, base, keyboard, and guitar. We have always thought they did a good job.

We’ve had plenty of times when we’ve had great Viking service. Here are a couple form our recent cruise. We were eating dinner in The Restaurant on the first night of our Alaska and the Inside Passage cruise. The menu didn’t have a chocolate dessert selection. My wife kidded the waiter that that shouldn’t be allowed. He said he would take care of her and she chose one of the non-chocolate options. When dessert came, she was severed what she had ordered and he also brought her a chocolate mousse (from room service?). There was another night or two that didn’t have chocolate and he brought her a chocolate option without being asked. The wine steward also had fun with my brother on this cruise. My brother prefers beer (Coors light) rather than wine and he was presented his beer bottle like it was a bottle of rare wine – draped on the sommelier’s arm for approval. I think he even gave my brother the cap to inspect and poured him a sample to taste. It was fun.

My wife and I sailed on Carnival Vista earlier this year. We had the lobster in the main dining room and it was very good - the best lobster we have had in 30 years of cruising. My wife is from Maine, so we are quite familiar with good lobster. Carnival Vista's lobster wasn't quite on par with the best lobster dishes we've had at home or in Maine, but it was very good.

If I were in your situation, I would purchase the lowest level Wi-Fi plan (or higher if you wish) and use WhatsApp or iMessage (if you have an iPhone) for initial contact. Then you can call back from your room at $1.99/minute or do a Wi-Fi call using your phone or via WhatsApp or turn off airplane mode and make a cell call. We were on Carnival Vista earlier this year and this worked for us. We had the Social Wi-Fi plan and were able to use WhatsApp to make a video call on a sea day.

It was a few days into our cruise before we saw the first destination menu. I think it was only on 2-3 nights that we noticed. My wife chose all the selections one night and had a crab cake, baked fish (halibut?), and a chocolate dessert. She said all three were good. I think another night had borscht on the destination menu (maybe the day we were supposed to go to Sitka?). We ate in the specialty dining rooms two nights, so the destination menu may have been offered those nights.

Depending on when you have your pre-dinner glass, it may be meal time already and the included wine would be available at no cost.

Here is the count of wines by the glass available on our Alaska and The Inside Passage cruise on Viking Orion a few weeks ago: Sparkling - 1 White - 13 Rose - 2 Red - 13 Port - 1 I hope that helps some. Tim