Bookboss

We have cancelled.  I suggest you call in...don’t try and cancel via online, it appears the waiver of penalties hasn’t been reprogrammed.   

Be sure and cancel any paid excursions, that isn’t in the cruise cancellation...they have to take another action for that, it appears.  My agent looked at the booking and said I can’t do that, he then put me on hold and returned and said he now had a process to do that as well. 

You wont get anything immediately...they are saying it will 5-7 days to get the confirmation of cancellation, 

A few hours later we got the same message for our Egypt/Nile tour for Nov  2020, which we have already had to pay for including their very good price on biz airfare.  

A nice bit of info to relieve some of the questions for this unusual situation. 

A nice email and announcement from Viking today.   We can elect to not take the tour, and they will give us 24 months to use the issued full credit on an Ocean or River or their other travel product.  

I decided  to check in with Delta, regarding our biz class flights,  which I did on my own, since I’m Gold and in bed with them so to speak, and they said if it’s cancelled we get a full refund, on the other hand, if we elect not to go on our own, they have amended the policy to give us 12 months to use a full credit, which won’t be a problem for us. 

So some good news, concerning potential financial issues if we were to bail soon.   Now   if we could get some good medical/health info as to safety on that front that would be reassuring, but I don’t imagine that will happen for at least weeks. 

We did have pretty comprehensive insurance but not for a pandemic alert. 

Thank you so much, GEFFRIC, SUGARSIDE, JIMINYC, AND RESPBJ.

We appreciate the good first hand info.   We always do lots of research....on line, trip advisor,  books, check on “tours with locals” and of course cruise critic, BUT, a firsthand report  from good folks like you that take some time to share personally, weigh heavy in our planning processes.  

Happy Trails (and cruising) 

BOOKBOSS

Would you be so kind to comment upon Vikings Homeland  shore excursions if you have taken this cruise? 

We often book private tours, but are interested in how the quality of the Viking excursions, included or upcharged.

Thanks. 

14 hours ago, Liz Masterson said:

I follow this blog written by a woman married to a Viking Cruise Director. This week's post might be useful to you all. 

 

https://thefortysomethingtraveller.com/cruise_the_baltics/?utm_source=The+Forty+Something+Traveller&utm_campaign=925387a442-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_02_20_07_00&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_864b70cfd3-925387a442-45432733

LIz,  thanks so much,,,,great info..love it. 

On 2/20/2020 at 10:40 AM, Peregrina651 said:

 

Viking has been sailing this itinerary since 2015 and, to date, it has sailed more times than any other Ocean itinerary offered.

Peregrina,

nice info on Homelands, we knew it was very popular, which usually means also well done...as word travels. 

OMGosh...over 10,000 posts. Wow.

  The Ocean we did, with snafus, was southern Med, and they had some small issues that just added up.   Nothing major, but we didn’t feel like we got the attention from the desk. They looked into it, and didn’t provide an acceptable fix.....we went around them and went to the restaurants, and got things corrected.  In addition, We were 3 couples, and they upgrade two and not the third, so that wasn’t cool.....they wouldn’t upgrade the third and wanted them to pay....very uncool....all of us paid the same price and all were Viking Explorers from River Cruises.  It didn’t ruin the trip, but just wasn’t close to the attention received on River Cruises. 

We were a bit perplexed as to the responses, and they kept saying this is Ocean.not River.   

We are over it, it didn’t ruin a great trip, but we remember it. 

Thanks for the info...good luck on your future trips, .

Kriswal,

thanks for taking to time to provide some good info.

we often book our own shore tours on ocean cruises, Azamara, etc., and get some other cruisers to share the cost.  We may  be doing that for a few of the shore tours here. 

Thanks again

BOOKBOSS  

Philw,

thank you so much.  I sincerely appreciate your detailed info.  

The missus had already “marked” most of your recommendations.  

I really appreciate the currency thing, and you confirm what another recent traveler shared in regard to credit cards.   We have never looked at AAA for currency.  Wells Fargo, will put together a small currency package for these short country stops, per a friend that took this cruise last year, so we are going to look into that.

Happy  Trails, and thanks, 

BOOKBOSS

Hello fellow cruisers,

i am looking for info, tips, tidbits etc., on the Viking Homelands Cruise.  We are taking that cruise on 5/11, which goes from Bergen, Norway, to 5/25.

We have done several Viking River and one Ocean.   The Ocean was almost two years ago, and they did not have their act as together as the River Cruises.

Please share about your experience, and any tips, or information regarding restaurants, reservations, shore excursions, etc.

Also I’m interested in currency tips, since we will be in four different countries.   

Thanks so much.

BOOKBOSS