slewis7

We also have experienced Viking applying vouchers without consulting us.  In our case, we had balances on two cruises: one in 2023 and the other in 2024.  Viking applied the vouchers to the 2024 booking.
 

With final payment approaching for our 2023 cruise, we found out about it from our travel agent and asked her to get it fixed.  She warned us that Viking makes moving vouchers between bookings difficult. It took several weeks but she was able to get it done.  

19 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

We seriously considered both the Hawaiian and the South Pacific cruises last year as they were such a bargain (doubly so for Viking).  We said to each other at the time, it’s unlikely they will ever offer these cruises this cheap again.  I think that was a perfect storm that resulted in those great prices. 

 Most likely so, but the resulting Mexican Riviera cruise we experienced, while having a good onboard experience was very disappointing with multiple cancelled ports.  Be glad you missed that, although I know you and Mike enjoy the sea days.

Hopefully, these Hawaii itineraries will make their intended ports.  I think I might hold off booking until closer to the sailing and look for better “offers”.

On 12/21/2022 at 7:56 PM, bunnyette said:

When you’re jetlagged and dragging luggage, a taxi from Paddington to your hotel is not a splurge but a necessity 

True and we will gauge our energy level before selecting our route.  I do feel that the tips in this thread has given me several options.

I was looking at the “Hawaiian Islands Sojourn” as we were booked on this back in December 2021 before the itinerary was altered to the Mexican Riviera (we still went and the altered itinerary was “meh”).  
 

The current offer is EHT22.  Even with this offer, the pricing for the same cabin is around 50% higher than what we booked it for in 2021.  The new cruise is one day longer, but it sure seems like a big price hike.  It was a pretty last minute offering in 2021, so maybe we were getting a bargain then and the new pricing is more typical but it is putting us off of booking.

9 hours ago, Twickenham said:

 

Great plan. The Thames Clipper boats are my favourite way of getting around London. There's also a pier at the London Eye which may or may not be more convenient for you.

You are right!  Thank you for pointing that out.

Considering my selection of a stay at the Park Plaza Westminster Hotel, I just now realized it is very convenient to travel to our cruise embarkation by Greenwich Pier.  There are numerous boats we can take to Greenwich from Westminster Pier which is just a short walk from the hotel (7 minutes)!

We were on the Sky on February 2019.  We did briefly have some very rough seas that caused some interior glass by the stairways to shatter in the Explorer Lounge (no one was hurt).  In general the seas were at times rough but not bad at all.  
 

We saw the Lights on the ship one evening, and even though we made the mistake of going in a low solar activity year, the cruise was magical and my favorite of the handful of Viking cruises I have been on.  
 

We loved Norway and look forward to doing Midnight Sun itinerary next year.  I would do the Northern Lights cruise again, even though I am not nearly as enthusiastic about cruising with Viking as I have been in the past.

22 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

A lot depends on your levels of fitness and enthusiasm - but however fit and enthusiastic you are, I doubt that the Bakerloo Line will work well.

Wow!  That is really helpful and is much appreciated.  I love these forums and the wonderful contributors. ❤️

2 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

There's no way you're getting from Paddington station to the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in 15 minutes, even at 3.00 am!

You are right!  Perhaps I made an error checking Google Maps; it is now showing me it takes 30 minutes by car (there is some bad traffic currently indicated).

We may consider taking the Bakerloo line instead off a taxi, although dragging luggage on the tube might be difficult.

1 hour ago, Island2Dweller said:

Heathrow Express may be a good option if you choose a hotel right beside Paddington station.  But if your hotel is elsewhere (and as Paddington is on the edge of central London, I'd suggest you want to be elsewhere) then it isn't your best choice.

Choose the hotel first then ask for advice on how to get there.  The new Elizabeth line (very comfortable, fully airconditioned) will get you to many locations in central London directly from Heathrow

I certainly will consider other ways of getting to our hotel from Heathrow, given that it is about 15 minutes by car from Paddington Station.  I will be sure to include looking at the Elizabeth line, thanks.

I have gone ahead and booked a room at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.  I went for the higher priced cancellable rate, but was able to get a nice 15% discount by signing up for Radisson Rewards.

Thanks to all who kindly posted here. I did not expect to find something suitable so quickly!  Feel free to post more suggestions.  I can always change my mind!

8 minutes ago, cyntil8ing said:

This summer, we stayed at The Clermont, Charing Cross. Lovely historic hotel, steps to Charing Cross station, great rooms, comfortable king beds, great buffet breakfast (included),  mini-bar (also included) for about $275/night (before taxes) via Priceline. I dithered for months reading reviews and looking at airbnbs. We couldn't have been happier with our choice.

Looks nice but much higher pricing in late June.  I presume we are visiting in the high season.  Thanks for providing the link too. 😆

20 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Well, if you get to the point of splurging (or, as the Brits would say "pushing the boat out"), there are some hotels on the south bank side of Westminster Bridge (across from Parliament) that are an easy walk to the Westminster tube station, and within walking distance of much of what you might want to see/do in London.   We stayed at one of them in September, the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.  Can't beat the location.  And we splurged on a "Big Ben view" room.  

Not quite as ritzy as the Conrad, but pricing is more in the ballpark 😆.  This looks like a really good choice and is is available as low as $300 a night during my planned stay, with free cancellation.  Also, a King sized bed which is my wife’s strong preference (although she will reluctantly accept a Double).  I will give this hotel a close look.  Thanks!

Correction: room price is close to $350 with VAT included

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

Conrad St James. Between Buckingham Palace and Westminster. Tube station across the street. Might be a bit more expensive...is a 5 star hotel in a great location.

Wow!  This hotel looks great but would definitely be well above the price point I am hoping to fit within.  I will consider it, if we decide to splurge!  Thanks.

Late next June, my wife and I are taking a Viking cruise out of Greenwich England.  We plan to spend 3 nights prior to the sailing somewhere in Central London and spend two full days sightseeing.  We arrive at Heathrow and will likely take the Heathrow Express to Paddington and then catch a cab from there to our hotel.  We are looking for a reasonably priced 4 star hotel ($200 to $350 a night) within walking distance of a tube station and would appreciate any recommendations.

Thank to everyone contributing to this thread!  My wife and I are booked on Iconic Iceland, Greenland & Canada in June 2024, so hopefully folks booked for the earlier, inaugural run next year of this itinerary will resurrect this discussion and post their experiences here when the time comes.

12 hours ago, Selion said:

So... Basically they voted to let the well-to-do cruisers in, but ban cruisers who can't or won't spend the $$$ on small ship cruises.

The intention is to limit the total number of folks disembarking from cruise ships ona given day.  I was there on a large cruise ship not too long ago and it was very easy to see why many residents would want this limit.  The fact that this restriction allows the smaller ships to go there and that they tend to have higher income passengers is simply a side effect and obviously not the main motivation.

I just booked “Iconic Iceland, Greenland & Canada” for June 2024 using the FDA23 code for some nice savings.  Thanks to @UWDawg for posting that code and everyone else posting here.

We are on this itinerary in June, 2023 leaving out of London (Greenwich).  We just arranged our flights, via Viking Air, to arrive early in London and I am looking for suggestions/recommendations for London (or perhaps even Greenwich) hotels for our 3 night stay.

I never get any promotional emails from Viking.  I do currently have an upcoming cruise booking with them.  I also monitor an email address for my mother, who has previously cruised with Viking, and I went ahead and signed onto their mailing list using her address.  She gets multiple promotional emails a week from Viking!

So my suggestion is, create another email address and sign it up.

On 7/1/2022 at 5:44 PM, 1025cruise said:

In all honesty, you won't get a bad Lobstah roll in Bah Hahbah. Yes, some might be better, but you won't be upset at any choice you make.

We were in Bar Harbor in late September and went to the Dog & Pony Tavern.  While we enjoyed the beer and cider selection there, my wife and I agreed that their lobster roll was mediocre at best.  It was not very flavorful and the texture was off. 

On our recent Maine & Canada cruise stop in Portland, we took the Casco Bay Ferry over to Peaks Island and had outstanding lobster rolls at Island Lobster Company.

7 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

If you arrive a day early you need to stay in a hotel.  Can you imagine the logistics nightmare for Viking to get you from the airport to your hotel and then from your hotel to the ship the next day?  That's why they have the pre cruise extensions.  

Yes, you are right.  My complaint makes no sense. Unfortunately the Viking extensions are pricey, so we tend to avoid them.  Our next scheduled Viking cruise starts in London and we will arrange our own hotel and transport.

Given the current unreliability of airline schedules It is somewhat unfortunate, that even if you book air via Viking, if you arrive early you do not get the transfer.

Last time we stopped in that port, we went to Portland Lobster Company and it was one of the best rolls we enjoyed on that cruise.