Fieldofdreams

6 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Yes you are very correct.

In the pre-COVID days the Manfredi's stead was a good steak in the first place.

I have to believe they are now not getting or not choosing to buy the good cut of beef.  I've noticed the distinct difference between 2019 and 2022-23

On our recent Australian/New Zealand cruise I was told by the Executive Chef and other officers the reason that is not as good is because they could only get New Zealand beef and not American imported beef. Not certain if that is correct, but several onboard shared the same information, regardless all four of us could not eat the steaks we were served. 

1 hour ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

We did the Classic Greece pre-extension in Athens last January (see my writeup) everything is included. You enter the venues with the tour guide, who pays all the entrance fees.
 

One thing to note, the extension does the exact Acropolis tour as the optional excursion “Full Acropolis Experience”

offered on the ship when docked in Athens. We mistakenly booked it believing it was different but were able to change to another excursion at the last minute.

There is overlap with the excursions offered while docked in Athens with those included in the post-cruise extension. Read the descriptions carefully. Also the free day on the extension may change so be careful if you plan to book an independent tour on the free day. I cover this in my writeup.

 

BTW Delphi is not to be missed. 

Thanks Joe - I was wondering the same about the included excursion in Athens and if there was any overlap. Appreciate you sharing.

7 hours ago, Geri c said:

We did this cruise in May, 2022 including Athens 4 day extension.  It was fabulous!!   Viking rep and tour guide were excellent.  Tickets were included for all entrances during excursions.  I know you’ll enjoy the whole trip.  

Geri c - Thanks for the clarification I could not imagine Viking not including tickets on this type of excursion.

8 minutes ago, jc522 said:

We took this cruise in March of 2023.

Naples - We docked in Naples at noon so time was short and few excursions were offered. We hired a private driver from AP Tours to see the Amalfi Coast, but we did not have enough time to enjoy it. If you have time, Positano is the most picturesque city to see on the Amalfi Coast.

Bari - Bari Walking Tour

Sibenik - Sibenik Promenade

Split - Split Walking Tour

Dubrovnik - Dubrovnik Walking Tour

Kotor - Highlights of Montenegro

Corfu - Panoramic Corfu & Old Town Walking Tour

If you don't need the history lesson that you get on a guided tour, you might prefer to go into these  towns on your own. Take a leisurely walk around the charming old walled city, and relax at an outdoor cafe while enjoying some of the local food and drinks. The excursions usually don't give you enough time on your own to relax and explore. We might repeat this cruise without guided excursions.

Crotone - Charming Santa Severinas Hilltop Village. Not very interesting.

Katakolon - Ancient Olympia

 

Day 1 Chioggia/Venice - Venice On Your Own. Give yourself plenty of time. Go on the earliest excursion. You don't have to return on your excursion's water taxi, so come back on the last Viking excursion water taxi of the day. We had time to tour the Doge's Palace, walk thru Saint Marks, walk around and have a (mediocre) meal at a very touristy restaurant at the Rialto bridge.

Day 2 Chioggia/Venice - Scenic Chioggia by Foot. This town was the highlight of our cruise. Do a search on this forum for more information.

Day 3 Chioggia/Venice - The ship left port at 8pm. You'll have time to go back to Chioggia to explore and have another great meal, or you can just sit outside a cafe and have some local pizza and ice cream.

 

Enjoy!

Thank you so much.... great information!  Really found your responses very helpful! Question about Taormina, if Viking offers "Taormina on Your Own" as they have on previous cruises, is it possible to hire a professional guide at the Amphitheater or in Taormina for a few hours to take us around? Is it worth it? Alternatively, thoughts on just using the Rick Steve's approach, download a self walking guide and do it on our own?  BTW JC522 I totally agree with you that sometimes in certain situations it is nice not to be a guided tour and just wonder and explore. We have only taken one other Viking Ocean cruise, just recently to Australia and New Zealand and I found most of the paid excursions through Viking not to be a great experience and the included excursions an even worse experience, just window tours riding around cities for a few hours. Obviously everyone has to decide for themselves what best suits there situation but with so little time in each port it's nice to spend time on your own.

Just now, Fieldofdreams said:

Thank you very helpful, sure others on CC will feel the same

11 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

Admitting that what I love ( castles, cathedrals, palaces, hill towns, old towns, some wandering on our own, nice views, good food) might not be what you love. However, you did ask what we did in these ports, and we have been to most of them. In several ports there was more than one place we wanted to go, but these are the places we chose.

 

Naples - missed port due to weather

 

Catania - Enchanting Taormina (could also easily do On Your Own) One of several favorites for us, something absolutely charming around every corner, along with the amazing Greek theater at the top with that spectacular view.

 

Crotone - Santa Severina - a hill town with an inside visit to a castle, nice views, real inhabitants, a church with a 10th century  baptistry and a farm visit with terrific local food -  What's not to love?

 

Bari - Castellana Caves & Polignano a Mare The caves were nice but footing was a little challenging and a scheduling mix up kept us waiting quite a while, which shortened our time at the very beautiful Polignano a Mare. Would have really liked to have more time there.

 

Sibenik - We scheduled the Included Walking Tour, but it was pouring down rain at the time and we turned in our tickets. Sitting in the World Cafe we watched the route the guide took from the ship and later when the rain stopped we went out on our own. We were really glad we did, as it was a nice Old Town, and easy to navigate on our own. If I had known we were going on our own I would have done some research first since we missed out on a guide's input. Still, a nice visit.

 

Venice - Luckily, we have been to Venice by land three times, since our stop was diverted to Ravenna with just a day's notice. Viking did a masterful job of  reworking the excursions to include a tour of Ravenna. That was a place worthy of a visit on its own, famous for mosaics, which were  truly spectacular. 

 

Dubrovnik - One of our favorite ports, the included excursion was very good, with an excellent guide and two inside visits. After the tour we remained behind on our own to  walk the wall and eat lunch locally, before returning on the Viking shuttle.

 

Kotor - Beautiful sail in, even though it was grey and cloudy, and the skies opened up the moment we stepped ashore. We returned to the ship, but from our docking spot right in the middle of town we did get a chance to walk around in the dark after dinner. The night time experience was sort of eerie, as it was dimly lit and mostly empty. Very atmospheric! Looking forward to returning on our trip in the fall.

 

Corfu - The excursion we took when we were there seems to have been eliminated (The Achilleion Palace and the Old Town).

 

Katakolon - Olympia seems to be the only game in town, and that (with the Museum) was an interesting visit, but once  was enough and we will not repeat the visit when we are there in route to Istanbul in the fall.

 

Enjoy your trip. You will be stopping in wonderful places, and should enjoy whatever you do.

         

         Thank you, incredibly helpful!

9 minutes ago, CorgiGuy said:

Naples -  Presuming you dock at Stazione Marittima cruise terminal.

 

Naples is a walking town.  Here are a few suggested sight within walking distance from the cruise terminal.

 

Sansevero Chapel Museum - The Veiled Christ is a 1753 marble sculpture by Giuseppe Sanmartino exhibited in the Cappella Sansevero, Naples, Italy. Veiled Christ is considered one of the world's most remarkable sculptures.  Its remarkable.  25- min. walk  NOTE: ticket needed to enter, can be purchased on line before your voyage.  Highly suggested to purchase because quite often sold out.

One of, if not considered the top sight in Naples.

 

Teatro de San Carlo - Naples opera house.  One of the most famous in Italy & beautiful inside.  15-min walk from terminal.

 

Piazza del Plebiscito - Near opera house, 14-min walk from terminal.

 

Galleria Umberto I - Indoor shopping center, not far from opera house.  Wonderful architecture.  15-min walk from terminal.

 

Castel dell 'Ovo  - 25-min. lovely walk along the water from the cruise terminal.  When you come out of the terminal its to the left.

 

Piazzeria Speranzella - If you want a very highly rated true Neapolitan pizza.  Via Speranzella 84.  Approx. 20-min from cruise terminal.

 

Ferry to Capri - 3-min walk from terminal, ferry ride approx. 30 minutes.  Make sure you visit Anacapri, and take the chair lift to Monte Solaro, views are fantastic.

CorgiGuy - This is fantastic! thank you...

21 minutes ago, dd57 said:

It depends on what you like to see.  We enjoyed doing both.  Perast is a tiny little village and we got the feeling it was where people really lived.  The part of Kotor that most people walk around in is an old medieval town.  A lot of people walk on top of the city walls, which we did, and a lot of people walk up the many stairs up the hill behind the city, which we didn't do.  The views are supposed to be spectacular.  If you want to do this, you should skip the boat tour.

Thank you again, after a bit more research I think for this first visit we will just weave around the streets and alleyways of the old town at a leisurely pace and take it all in. If you have suggestions on any of the other ports I posted that would also be greatly appreciated.

56 minutes ago, millybess said:

We are using get your guide in a few weeks for this tour. 
 

https://www.getyourguide.com/kotor-montenegro-l32202/kotor-perast-old-town-and-our-lady-of-the-rock-boat-tour-t128505/

 

Ours is a 2 hour tour and is similar to the tour dd57 referred to. Get your guide has other longer and more extensive tours. Unfortunately Viking wasn’t offering something comparable. 

Millybess and DD57 and others - Thank you for sharing. Is this a tour you would recommend for a first visit to Kotor or would it be suggested to walk around Kotor for the day?  Thanks for any advice.

3 hours ago, dd57 said:

Kotor is a beautiful little town to walk around in.  We did that in the morning then took a tour over to Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks.  This was in 2015 and I don't remember who we used.  Perast has an interesting little museum and few little cafes.  Our Lady of the Rocks was also quite interesting.

Thank you dd57

Thank you

These are the ports we will be visiting. If you would share what you have done for the day in each of these ports:

Naples, Catania, Crotone, Bari, Sibenik, Venice (2 days), Split, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Corfu, Katakolon

4 hours ago, PaulS said:

I am somewhat dismayed with Viking and my first cruise with them is still two months away.

 

I booked and paid in full under a recent promo that offered free air. The other day I received an email from them with a new promo that reduced the cost of the rooms and offered free air as well. I asked my travel agent if Viking would offer me that same new rate either as a refund or an onboard credit and their answer was that the promo was only for new reservations. I then asked if I could upgrade to a higher category room by paying the difference between the new rate and the rate I paid for a lower category. Again, the answer was no. Cancelling and rebooking was my only alternative, but that was certainly not an attractive option financially.

 

Can those of you who are frequent Viking customers comment if this is in fact their policy regarding promos.

 

I recently had the same experience with Viking for an upcoming September cruise and I was provided the same information as you were that this is their policy. Others on CC have confirmed the same. Certainly does not give one a warm feeling before getting on the ship.

If it helps any I came across a site which I thought was very useful when tipping in Italy

https://mominitaly.com/tipping-in-italy/

4 hours ago, LindaD22 said:

We are using Shared Shuttle next month from Rome to the port. You can email them and ask to prepay by credit card, instead of cash. 

Hello everyone - I have a general question about tipping for shared shuttle services from Rome hotel to port. Would anyone offer what is general protocol. Thanks

5 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

We have used Bob's Limos a number of times for transfer from our Rome hotel to the shipside terminal.  They're excellent and I have no problem recommending them.  Here's a link to their FAQ.

Thank you

22 hours ago, shmabbies said:

I am glad to help.  I was struggling so much for information prior to this cruise and really feel I need to pay it forward, at least, as we agree, for the present time, because I project there is going to be a lot of tweaking.  We sat on the starboard side of the water taxi (right side of the taxi as it faced forward).  I was right up against the window (not sure if it opened, didn't try) and put my flash off.  We were sailing along the island of Palestrina/Pellestrina which is very long.  Yes, there was a queue when we wanted to come back, but this was mostly our fault as initially I don't think there was, but we HAD to sit down at a cafe that was immediately adjacent for an adult beverage and before I could blink my eyes, the line was there.  We managed to get on but I did not have a window seat on the return, which didn't bother me as it was getting dark.  We used no maps in Venice.  We have been there before and didn't stray far from St. Mark's and used the Campanile to orient ourselves.  Any other questions, please ask!

Any suggestions for booking shared transfer from Rome to  Civitavecchia? Meeting cruise ship Viking Jupiter on the 27th of September, 2023. We will be at the Rome Marriott Park Hotel. Thank you for any suggestions.

6 hours ago, jc522 said:

As stated earlier, go to Chioggia during the day and at night for 2 very different and authentic old-world Italian experiences. It was the highlight of our cruise.

Thank you

On 3/23/2023 at 10:40 AM, jc522 said:

Since I started this, I thought I should close it out. Despite the problems that I've mentioned, we had a very nice cruise.

 

The ship and crew are excellent.

Music onboard appears to have gone a little less classical and a bit more pop. That is an improvement, but the house band and singers are not very good.

Wifi has been greatly improved. I was able to stream Amazon Prime on my PC.

Naples being reduced to 1/2 day goes unexplained.

Venice sorted itself out because Gioggia is so nice.

The Cap'n assured me that there was 35 knots of wind in the harbor at Messina which caused the Pilot to advise against trying to dock there (despite what all the reporting stations said).

The urgency behind replacing floor tiles on deck 2 is a mystery.

The food didn't improve.

jc522 - Viking is stating that there is a free water taxi running 24 hours from Chioggia port to St. Marks Square. Have you found that to be true?, if that is not correct are you able to provide some information on what Viking is offering to get to Venice/St. Marks square area? Thanks so much

On 3/15/2023 at 8:13 PM, jc522 said:

I have had much better food on Azamara and others, including some pretty decent lobster. The problem isn’t limited to some bad lobster. At the price Viking charges for a cruise, there is no excuse for what they are serving in The Restaurant or the World Cafe. 

jc522 - Agree with everything you have said so far. Just back from our first Viking Ocean cruise Australia/NewZealand and found the same for all that you have expressed. Going on our 2nd Viking Ocean cruise Italy/Adriatic/Med late September on Jupiter have a feeling it will be pretty much the same. Having said that very much looking forward to the itinerary and the ports.

6 hours ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Which cruise line will you be sailing on? As you would know, many of the lines have had issues with not being able to enter NZ ports or areas (such as the Fiordland NP) due to the biohazard from hull contamination.

 

I shouldn't think Auckland as a port would be affected but then I don't know if there are supply issues or port damage. I know the island ferries are still running from the Port of Auckland. Wellington has just had an earthquake in the last couple of days but it sounds like there's not been much if any damage from it. The flooding is still continuing in some areas.

Thank you for additional information

Just now, Fieldofdreams said:

Also, hope that all is well with you. Heart goes out to all those that might be affected.

5 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

The cyclone damage news from NZ is awful.  I hope they get as much help as possible from other countries, and good to see Australia is contributing.  I'm on a NZ cruise in three weeks and expecting to hear that the itinerary has changed. Definitely looks like Napier will be cancelled, with so much damage.

www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/cyclone-gabrielle-hawkes-bay-napier-residents-queue-for-hours-to-fill-up-cars-and-gas-bottless/OZIIRQBNPFGNTJBAMFHURVL77U/

 

Hello - Aside from the possibility of Napier being cancelled, which I agree with, are you hearing of any other ports in North NZ possibly being cancelled. We fly out in 12 hours to catch our cruise in  few days.

7 minutes ago, amtatom said:

@Relaxing Rita Unrelated question, if you don’t mind: Do you remember if Viking offered a shuttle bus from White Bay to Circular Quay in Sydney?

7 minutes ago, amtatom said:

@Relaxing Rita Unrelated question, if you don’t mind: Do you remember if Viking offered a shuttle bus from White Bay to Circular Quay in Sydney?

We are on the same cruise, also interested if there is a shuttle from White Bay to Circular Quay.

We recently completed for Australia/New Zealand, we completed it  directly through the country sites, very easy and I believe $20 or so per country so there is some cost savings.