Insanityx4

12 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Very sorry but the list is correct.  I personally verified and checked nearly every room.  This is the Viking Star Class (Star, Sea, Sky, Orion, Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Neptune, Saturn).   The rooms are the same for all these ships.  Personally I wouldn't trust anything a rep at Viking tells me - as they've been wrong so many times on information I know to be correct.

Best of luck!

Totally agree about the Viking reps!

I called Viking and they said the list is wrong so reaching out to my TA to be sure. Could be things have changed on the newer ships.Thanks for the info on the trip.

We almost always choose the port side but this trip is Canada and New England Scenic Shores and it's recommended to be on the starboard side as we go down the New England coast and through Nova Scotia. We changed from 5030 to 5031 but might change back since it's still open.

Apparently they hug the Nova Scotia coastline and Prince Edward Islands but we do spend most of the time during the day in the Explorers Lounge or up on deck so probably doesn't make a difference.

Just checked and 5030 also has a door!

27 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Good luck.  I don't know which itinerary you have, but for all the ones we've had, it didn't make any difference starboard or port.   The ships are far from land in nearly all itineraries between ports.  If/when they are closer, we find it more fun to be above deck where you can go from one side to the other easily, or be in Explorer's Lounge and see it all (such as South America or Norway Fjords).

We prefer sliders over doors and have made that exact decision - choosing a slider over the "supposed" preferred starboard or port side.  

They are already all booked on the Starboard side which is recommended for our trip. As we get closer to the cruise hopefully something will open up.

It's not a big deal but we would prefer the slider.

We just realized after we booked cabin 5031 that is not a slider. Hopefully we can change. We have had a PV before with the door and the curtain kept getting caught in it plus the view is not as good with the split windows.

My sister sails on Celebrity and has mentioned that some people visiting the buffet do so with disposable gloves! They definitely stand out but maybe not a bad idea. Clear plastic would be the way to go, not surgical blue!

This topic has definitely gone off course but is getting interesting!

58 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

This is who Steve Dassios put us onto in 2024.  They are offering some good plans now as you discovered (Travel Insured International FlexiPax).   One big benefit is they are good up to 3 years out and you can transfer from the original cruise to a new one at no charge as long as the new one is 3 years or less from the date you put the insurance deposit down.  Flexible is right!

Didn't know the 3 year part. I did find the information from Steve however.

My point is that Viking customer service is the best once you are on the ship. Sound's like you got a bad apple once aboard. However most Viking reps before the cruise are clueless and totally unhelpful.

The FlexiPax plan is not offered on the USAA website even though they carry Travel Insured International. I was able to find it through Travel Insurance Center.com. I was looking for quotes and they contacted me. You won't find it on the Travel Insured International website either because of the huge discount. I purchased it today and it immediately showed up in my Travel Insured International account!

I'm really surprised to hear that. Customer Service has always bent over backwards to solve any issues we have ever had on any of our cruises with Viking. The best service we have ever encountered out of all the cruise lines we have sailed with. Sounds like you got a rep who should not be working for Viking.

Not trying to start a new topic here but we had a similar problem several years ago on a VO cruise and we reported it to our room steward. Maintenance tried to fix the problem without success and we were immediately moved to another cabin the next day. Maybe because they had a cabin that was empty in the same category. The problem had been reported by a previous passenger and apparently it wasn't an easy fix. Our room steward was aware of the problem before we arrived.

Thanks for all of your input and information. We found a plan through Travel Insured International that has really good benefits including $500,000 medical evacuation and Repatriation of Remains for much less than Viking's Tripmate and a lot more benefits. It's called FlexiPax. We used Travel Insured International on our last cruise when we got rained out in Ft. Lauderdale (flooded runway) at the end of the cruise for two days and had to fly out of Miami. They covered pretty much all of our added expenses. Our travel agent gave me a quote for them for our upcoming trip that was about the same cost as Tripmate so I started doing my own research and found FlexiPax! We are going to go with that plan and save almost $400!

We are not fans of Viking's travel insurance. Especially now that they only gives cash refunds if cancellation is for medical reasons, otherwise a voucher.

I'm sure this has been discussed many times in the past but I am looking for recommendations for an insurance company that people have used, are reasonably priced, and that they are happy with. Thanks!

I really think it depends on your travel agency as to when the OBC in added to your account and available to be used. With us is when we board the ship.

4 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

So funny!  We just watched again the movie Bottle Shock for the first time in 10years or so.  We first visited Napa in 1976 to wine taste so it brought back those memories as well.  And don't forget Chalone (down towards us in Paso)....

Will have to stop by our next visit to Napa 🙂

Have enjoyed Trefethen (and Freemark Abbey)  as well as Stags Leap (which won best red in 1976).

Have to put a biased plug in for our region in Paso Robles though.  There's some good wines here too 🙂

 

Husband went to school with Gary Eberle. We have known him since the mid 70's. UC Davis. 

1 minute ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

We’ll be at Grgich Hills next week.

I’ll bet they have a bottle or two of Chateau Montelena still around!!
Also going to Freemark Abbey - it’s going to be a great week!!

The weather should be good! We have had a rainy winter so far. Have a great trip!

1 minute ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

For display only, of course! 

Still in the bottle!

10 minutes ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

Where the 1976 vintage was declared “The Best Chardonnay In the World”in Paris in 1979!! Nice.

Haha, I think we might still have a bottle or two of that left!! Likely over the hill by now though!

9 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

How interesting!  May I ask, what winery in NorCal?  

I've met so many winemakers who are really more beer drinkers.  One told me it takes good beer to make good wine, so to speak!

Trefethen Family Vineyards in Napa. Hubby worked for them for 43 years and moved from winemaker to VP over the years.

48 minutes ago, CJANDH said:

Can you buy the SSP with OBC ahead of boarding or do you wait until on board?

It depends where your OBC comes from. Ours was from Viking because they changed ships and dates on us so the Polaris could be repaired after the rogue wave. It was already in our account. If it comes from a travel agent as a perk it's not usually added until you board the ship or a few days before.

We don't drink hardly any wine at all anymore. Married to a winemaker for 50 years. He prefers beer and good scotch these days! We have cases and cases in our garage which we mostly give away. We were part owners of a winery so still get all of the new releases. On the expedition ship they kept delivering wine and champagne to our cabin. We gave most of it to our room stewards!

On the Octantis, as much grilled lobster and steak as you want from the WC grill in the evenings, also the sushi and seafood buffet in the WC. Much larger than on ocean ships.

We were on the Orion and the planetarium was meh at best for entertainment! Also the main problem was that the Explorer's Lounge was freezing and we had to wear a jacket whenever there. Crew said it only a problem on the two ships with a Planetarium.