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Myrtle Ave. Mayhem

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Everything posted by Myrtle Ave. Mayhem

  1. I specifically sail Viking for the shipboard experience. Trans-Atlantic crossings are ideal for me. There could be a cruise from Long Island to Rhode Island, as long as it's on Viking, I'm pleased
  2. I spent four weeks aboard Viking Orion as two back-to-backs during the 2021 Bermuda season. New York-Bermuda would thrill me! Viking & Bermuda are ideally suited for each other. Talk about the perfect match between a cruise line & destination.
  3. Viking Ocean ships are perfectly suited for cozy socializing & drinking. The Explorers Lounge, the Living Room, & Torshaven are some of the most beautiful public rooms at sea. If you're in the U.K., I recommend Saga. Their two new ships, Spirit of Discovery & Spirit of Adventure look incredible.
  4. My vote is neither. If you're able, spend some more & splurge on Viking. Seven cruises in with them & I'm hooked.
  5. I vividly & fondly remember the psychedelic interiors of Zuiderdam when she was brand new. Talk about LSD at sea & possible retinal detachment, lol. Very Carnival-esque. Anyone remember the carpeting in the passageways? Shockingly wild combinations of mismatched purple, orange, red, yellow, teal, lime green, blue....& yet I LOVED IT! She's much more toned down in her later years. After Zaandam, my favorite ship in the fleet.
  6. Everyone's cruise experience is highy subjective. 30 years ago my grandparents hated their one Holland America cruise. I thought I'd died & gone to heaven on my first Holland America during the same time as theirs. Viking Ocean isn't a match for some, while I'm besotted & think they're the best cruises I've ever sailed. At the end of the day, has the cruise line, ship, crew, food, service, ect. met the expectations of individual passenger? Celebrity, Holland America, & Princess get a big FAIL from me.
  7. Indeed. I think Torstein Hagen would have steered Royal Viking Line to much smoother favorable waters. Unfortunately the Kloster Co. was the winner. Head office from San Francisco to Coral Gables & everything changed. Too bad the Vlasov family didn't keep Sitmar. I often wish Sitmar didn't get absorbed by Princess.
  8. I'm DONE with the mass market lines that masquerade as premium. This includes Celebrity, Holland America, & Princess. Everything from new ship design, food, service, lack of attention to detail, constant gimmicky revenue production. Been cruising over 30 years & I think the lines I mentioned have become ghostly shadows of their former selves. Enter Viking Ocean! Higher price point, but worth every penny. It's as if the founder(Torstein Hagen) saw my personal wish list for a cruise line then went to work, creating Viking.
  9. Royal Viking Line & Norwegian American Line, but that's cruising history.
  10. @LuAnnI hope you are able to find comfort & peace in whatever spiritual or religious entity you believe in during this time. How wonderful to be able to meet up with friends coming in from Germany! I did a test search on Iberia & nothing came up for Level, so I suggest going to Level directly.
  11. May I recommend Viking Ocean? I too have sailed HAL primarily. In the 20 plus years the cutbacks from year to year have rendered this line to a ghostly shadow of its former self, IMHO. I had repeatedly given HAL second, third, fourth tries hoping that the shoddy experiences were a one off. But no, only to be disappointed & underwhelmed. My last HAL cruise aboard Koningsdam confirmed all that & sealed the deal. Viking Ocean is a different per diem price point. The attention to detail, ships, food, service, & genteel sophisticated atmosphere make it worth every penny.
  12. We missed Funchal on our Neptune trans-Atlantic in December. Gran Canaria was the substitution. I wish more Viking trans-Atlantic itineraries would call at Ponta Delgada instead of Funchal.
  13. IMHO Hawaiian shirts wouldn't be my thing anywhere near, around, in & out of Europe.
  14. First let me offer my sincere condolences to you & your family for your husband. I went on the Level site directly to book. I'm not aware if miles can be transferred Chase/Iberia/Level. The Premium Economy service was very comfortable & got the job done. I'm considering for my next Viking out of Barcelona(Viking Sky, November 2023) of flying Iberia to Madrid, then taking the first class high speed train to Barcelona.
  15. If you should choose to do your air independently, I recommend the Iberia subsidiary Level. The only(I believe direct flights LAX-BCN). Flew Level in December to sail out of Barcelona for my Viking Neptune trans-Atlantic. The premium economy was very comfortable, food delicious, flights attendants cheerful & attentive. I always do independent air because I don't like cruise line air routing.
  16. Lovely review & pictures! A Norway cruise is on the bucket list! I agree that the lack of variety of breads, cookies, & World Cafe menu is disappointing.
  17. I don't blame Covid-19 for the things I didn't like aboard Neptune. Having sailed four weeks aboard Orion during the Bermuda season, I can attest that things were more on point then aboard that ship. Did I still enjoy my Neptune cruise & appreciate the many wonderful hard working crew? Yes of course! However the difference was noticeable to me. As Viking is a higher price point, I have a higher expectation for the attention to detail points. I don't buy the "any day on vacation, on a ship....., means you shouldn't complain" reasoning. In the hospitality industry it's "the little things" that matter & make a difference. I look at my years sailing Princess & Holland America & the slow gradual changes veering into mediocrity with those two formerly fantastic lines. That's the whole reason I moved exclusively to Viking.
  18. @J80crew- Thank you for your honest review. I'm sorry your Viking Ocean experience wasn't to your liking. As much of a Viking cheerleader that I am, I have to agree with you. I sailed aboard the Neptune trans-Atlantic in December. It was my seventh Viking Ocean cruise. When I first sailed Viking, I thought they were the best cruise line since Sitmar. This Neptune crossing was the first time I stepped off a Viking ship slightly disappointed & underwhelmed. The impression was that Viking is resting on their laurels. On previous cruises the bar was set very high by the precision attention to detail. There were a few food, service, & crew member issues.
  19. Trans-Atlantic crossings are my favorite itinerary!! As most Viking cruises are port-a-day, I find that exhausting. With all those sea days, the ship becomes the destination. Have done several aboard Viking, most recently Viking Neptune.
  20. I work in the transportation service industry(Amtrak dining car attendant). The dining room manager should have & could have taken control of the situation by informing the passengers politely that playing personal music in the dining room is not allowed. A firm but polite "You need to turn the music off at this time please", is simple effective communication. If then there is further push back from the passenger & not immediately complying, ship security officers addressing the passengers is the next level of involvement.
  21. This is even happening on the upper premium lines like Viking. I noticed definite cutbacks in food, service, & entertainment aboard my Viking Neptune trans-Atlantic in December. Perhaps not to the extent of Celebrity, Princess, HAL - but still noticeable. My first time in seven Viking cruises stepping off feeling underwhelmed & slightly disappointed.
  22. Viking Sky, Viking Ocean. Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale. November 2023. 13 nights.
  23. I previously thought this was an issue only happening on the mass market & budget cruise lines.......but I just returned from a 14 night trans-Atlantic aboard Viking Neptune of Viking Ocean. There were some obvious cost cutting & a few "little things" I found disappointing, not up to standards of previous cruises aboard Viking. You are not alone.
  24. Just home from Neptune TA & can report that there is no piped music played outdoors by the two pools. This is absolutely GLORIOUS & creates a very calming experience. Only the ambient sounds of the pool sloshing, other passengers talking, & of course the wake if you're at the Infinity Pool. On this cruise, the piped music in Explorers Lounge was on an extremely short loop, repeating about every 20 minutes. Irritating for those of us who like to spend extended time there. Also IMHO, the live music by the pianist, classical duo, & guitarist was overkill. Each had several sessions very night. How about one set of each a night? That's enough. The guitarist playing in Explorers Lounge was amped, the volume making it too loud to hold a conversation. Unplugged would create a more relaxing cocktail hour.
  25. @Jim Avery- Just home from the Neptune TA & also noticed service issues & below par crew I haven't experienced on other Viking cruises. It will be interesting to read your final summary. Hope the rest of your cruise is enjoyable!
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