A&D Cruising

Did anyone travel from Denali to Whittier by train to catch the ship? What time did you leave Denali and what time were you able to board.?  How was check in?

Thanks, in advance, for any info.

3 hours ago, SunandShade said:

You may want to see how far in advance they will let you check your luggage for your airline. I’ve run into problems if it was more than 3 hours. Not to say it will be a problem, but better to know now if it is. Maybe Vancouver has a baggage storage service.

@SunandShadeThanks for the tip. I had thought of checking that out. I can reserve luggage storage space online in advance for the day in the Vancouver airport. Also eliminates problems with delayed or changed flights if you have already checked bags.

37 minutes ago, A&D Cruising said:

@Denise TWe will be disembarking the Nieuw Amsterdam on Sunday, July 2. Our flight home does not depart until midnight. We are hoping to use our prepaid transfer to the airport to drop off/check luggage as early as possible and then have arrangements to be picked up from the airport for a Vancouver City tour. What kind of time frame do you think we are looking at for such a plan? At what point do we go through Canadian customs since we are arriving in Canada for the first time when we dock in Vancouver?  Has anyone else done anything like this? Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

@Denise T

11 minutes ago, Denise T said:

I think a lot depends on how many cruise ships are disembarking with yours. There was a total of 3 ships when I disembarked. If you are using a prepaid transfer, you will get information as to when you will be disembarking. My sister and I took a cab while my brother and sister-in-law took the transfer. We were staying at the same hotel post cruise. Despite waiting in a long line for the cab, we got to the hotel first before my brother and sister-in-law. Once you get off the ship, you retrieve your bag then go through customs. Prior to disembarking, you will be getting a customs form to complete. Bring that and your passport to go through customs. We breezed through. They took our forms and didn't even check the passports. There are signs numbered 1, 2, and 3 when you disembarked and there are staff that will guide you. 

 

I think your plan is doable. I had late disembarkation at 9:15 and the ship pretty much kept to that time. I think we got to our hotel about 11. 

@Denise TThanks so much for the quick response! I think we will hope to be picked up from the airport between 12 & 1pm. That should give us time to get everything pre-tour done without too much rushing.

So glad you enjoyed your journey and took the time to post your review.

If anyone else viewing these posts  has more suggestions, bring them on. Happy Sailing!

On 6/6/2023 at 2:23 PM, Haljo1935 said:

Disembarkation in Vancouver is not the issue - the struggles are at embarkation. 😓

Will certainly let @Denise T answer for herself, but we find we really use the balcony a lot - rain, cold, and all. We have had some great wildlife sightings from our balcony.

@Denise TWe will be disembarking the Nieuw Amsterdam on Sunday, July 2. Our flight home does not depart until midnight. We are hoping to use our prepaid transfer to the airport to drop off/check luggage as early as possible and then have arrangements to be picked up from the airport for a Vancouver City tour. What kind of time frame do you think we are looking at for such a plan? At what point do we go through Canadian customs since we are arriving in Canada for the first time when we dock in Vancouver?  Has anyone else done anything like this? Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

6 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Article on travel weekly: https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Historic-floods-in-Europe-have-little-impact-on-river-cruise-lines

 

notamermaid

 

Unfortunately, I see no mention of Viking--just other lines.

Just back from Iconic Cities of the Western Mediterranean (Barcelona to Rome). So much good food!! In the World Cafe --King crab legs with drawn butter on the last 3 nights, the live pasta station. On the Aqua Vit Terrace there was something different every night cooked right in front of you -- the steak au poivre, the bouillabaise, the paella. Hubby loved the osso bucco in Manfedi's. There was the success cake from Mamsen's... and the freshly baked cookies... burgers at the pool grill....and so much more!

So, my suitcase was pullled and I had to go down to the 'naughty room' to retrieve it because I was caught smuggling in a power cord (I wasn't sure if there were enough outlets to charge everything). When I went to retrieve my power cord at the end of the cruise, I saw an assortment of things that made sense to bring - irons, power cords etc. But what set me wondering was the full set of kitchen knives - why on earth would you need that on a cruise? any ideas?

So you can't pack power supply cords/charger cords in checked luggage?

Just wondering why the roll call for the July 15, Viking Orion sailing from Barcelona has been removed when the cruise is still 3 weeks away?

Just realized--it's been renamed.

Just wondering why the roll call for the July 15, Viking Orion sailing from Barcelona has been removed when the cruise is still 3 weeks away?

AstroExeter, thank you for joining in on this forum! This sounds really pretty amazing. It appears that Viking designed it technically beyond anything out there, while still allowing for the upstairs space to be used as in the past. What a win-win.

With seating for 24 people at a time, do you have any idea how Viking is going to allow passengers to ‘book’ these viewings? I am guessing that piece is not part of your involvement, but curious as to whether there is any data released around that piece as of yet?

I am also very interested in the answer to this question, AstroExeter. We are on the July 15 sailing out of Barcelona and will be arriving at the ship early and would like to know what we can do to reserve a spot, if anything.

Wonderful!! Sailing from Barcelona on July 15, 2018!!!

With a 2 night pre-stay in Barcelona!!!

Ask away! There are a number of us who have done this itinerary and are happy to answer questions.

How easy is it to get back and forth from the ship in Marseilles & St Tropez in case we have to do afternoon excursions and must meet at the ship for the start of the tour? Are there shuttles that run throughout the day? I understand it's walkable in Sete and Monte Carlo.

Thanks for any info you can impart.

Did you find out what by what time you have to be on board? Probably you will have to be checked in two hours before departure. IMHO, plan on storing your luggage at your hotel until you head to the ship, aiming to push off check in for as long as possible. That way, you will have all morning and some of the afternoon dedicated to touring. Trying to embark and then do some touring is just time wasted going to and fro. Leave a couple of places near to the hotel for embarkation day touring.

That's a plan we are considering. As part of our pre-cruise stay made through our TA we have pre-arranged transportation to ship. We need to check how flexible that timing is. We've also heard that we should get on board early to make arrangements for specialty dining and deal with changing times for excursions if our desired times are sold out.

After speaking with a Viking rep today it seems that this change is very likely only for the July 15 sailing. It's some sort of port authority issue. Luckily we are flying into Barcelona 2 days early.

Well I am stumped! Where are you docking? Port-Vendres?

Docking in Sete, France.

I'm curious...they are still 3 months away from their sailing, if someone wanted to change their flights to arrive earlier so that they can explore Barcelona, would the associated fee be something that Travel insurance would typically cover?

Can't say for sure,but doubtful! If you used Viking Air they might be able to do something this far out -- especially if you are not ticketed yet.

Really, calling to complain will get you nowhere, other than on a list of complainers. They already know that people are upset about this change but there is nothing that they can do to change it back if the port authorities have told them that they must leave that day. Of course you would not have booked the itinerary as it stands now but unfortunately these things happen and there is nothing that you can do to change it back. In fact, if you had taken the time to read the fine print of the contract, you would have seen that Viking (and most other cruise lines) reserve the right to make whatever changes to the itinerary they see fit. As it states quite clearly in the terms and conditions:

 

Viking reserves the right to withdraw and/or cancel a tour or to make changes in the itinerary and hotel accommodations whenever, in its sole judgment, or in the judgment of the vessel Carrier or owner, conditions warrant it. In the event of charters of the vessels, adverse weather or water conditions, mechanical or other issues with the ship, docking issues, government or other authority actions, truces, lockouts, riots or stoppage of labor from whatever cause or for any other reason whatsoever, the Carrier or Owner of the vessels identified herein may, at any time, cancel, advance, alter, substitute or postpone any scheduled tour and may, but is not obliged to, substitute another vessel or itinerary and shall not be liable for any loss whatsoever to guests by reason of any such cancellation, advancement or postponement except as specifically set forth in the Passenger Ticket Contract.

So, really don't call to complain. Instead, call to request that shuttle buses be available that day if Viking is not already planning them and to find out what time you have to be back on board for departure. Then move on to making plans to see what you can see with short amount of time you will have in Barcelona. My suggestion is to use one of the hop-on-hop-off buses that stops on the Esplanade in front of the World Trade center (same place the shuttle buses drop off) and just ride the loop. My other suggestion is to pick one place to see -- Sagrada Familia or the Cathedral or a tour of the Palau de Musica or Parque Guell or even just a walk down Las Ramblas from Placa Catalunya to Monumento Colom--taking a cab from the ship to the destination and then back again. If you are planning on Sagrada Familia or a tour of Palau de Musica, buy tickets in advance.

 

Yes, it is very unfortunate that Viking has had to take away time in Barcelona but really, and this I can tell you from personal experience, you will be a lot happier if you accept the fact that things are not going to happen exactly as planned.

Peregrina 651-- As always you are the voice of reason and are a source of good advice and suggestions. I know that you have sailed this itinerary and am hoping that you have the time to communicate and answer some specific questions. You are a wealth of information. Thanks

I think you are heading straight to Marseilles, not Montpellier, for your overnight. This will give you 2 nights in Marseilles rather than 2 nights in Barcelona. We were on the same itinerary as you in January and we missed San Tropez because of weather. We ended up staying 2 nights in Monte Carlo instead.

 

 

Things like this happen with cruises for any number of reasons. It's disappointing, sure, but it gives you reason to book another cruise to revisit what you missed. I'll never forget the cruise we booked specifically because Malta was on the itinerary and we missed it because of a storm. It didn't take me long to find another cruise the following year and that time we did make it! Or look at the people who missed Algiers and Tunis because of unrest in those countries. What can anyone say but sometimes ship happens. :cool:

I understand that things like this happen and may be out of Viking's control. We will certainly try to make the best of it. But we are definitely (if things don't change again) in Montpellier on Day 2. MY JOURNEY has all of the shore excursions listed for that port. I'm still wondering if this change is specific to our sailing only. General info for the itinerary still lists 2 days in Barcelona on Viking's website.

I have myself and 33 other clients on this same sailing. Be sure to call the customer relations number and complain. I made 2 phone calls this morning and sent an email stating that they literally took any chance of seeing Barcelona out of the plans for any late flight arrivals. I have asked them to arrange some of the optional city tours for the early flight arrivals and to hopefully delay the ship's departure to allow others to at least have a few hours in Barcelona. What a disappointment and I would have never booked this itinerary the way it stands now. For others who have this booked, I would book the precruise stay in Barcelona if sailing to Barcelona to Rome to guarantee you will see the city. If you know of anyone else sailing on this date, please encourage them to call and complain as well.

Is your group on the July 15 sailing from Barcelona to Rome?

Sorry to hear about the itinerary change. Please let us know if Viking gives you a reason. We are taking the same cruise next summer, July 2019 but it starts in Rome and ends with two days in Barcelona.

Message said "logistical considerations". Who knows what that means! Perhaps too many ships in port?

Our sail date is July 15, 2018. We specifically chose this itinerary because of the 2 days in Barcelona.

Disappointed to receive a message from Viking that the overnight Docking in Barcelona has been cancelled. Montpellier, France is now scheduled for Day 2. So glad we are arriving 2 days prior to cruising. Not much chance to discover the wonders of Barcelona if you set sail on the first day.! :(:(

Thanks for sharing. Which company provided the tour ?

We have had positive experiences with ArtViva, http://www.artviva.com/. However, we were spending a week in Florence on a pre cruise stay. ArtViva's offices are centrally located about a 10 minute walk from the train station. We used ArtViva for a skip the line tour of the Uffizi.

ArtViva's 2 day Best of Tuscany and Florence looks wonderful. We will be in Florence for 2 days during our Viking Orion Cruise from Barcelona to Rome in July. Would love to hear from anyone who has had experience with this company or this particular tour. And we'd need to make sure the timing is right for getting back to the ship before sailing for the next port.

Hi there. Just seeing your post now for some reason. We did go ahead and book the cruise in a PS3 cabin. Now just a little over a year to wait.

Hello doctorj2--I have started a roll call for the July 15 sailing and registered a Meet and Mingle. There has been no activity to date on the roll call--except for me. There are quite a few "views" though. Hoping that we will see something soon. We are interested in looking at sharing private tours for some of the ports since it seems that some of the included tours may not be what we are looking for. We are doing a 2 night pre-cruise in Barcelona and will do some "on our own tours" there.

Just a couple of notes on the included excursions we took. Remember that we have been to all of these ports on numerous occasions, so my thoughts may be different to others.

Barcelona:

Included excursion was useful to us but I do not think it was a very good introduction to this splendid city. We drove to Port Olympic and had 15 minutes to walk round. Bear in mind this was the end of December. nothing much open and very breezy. We actually went into the fabulous Hotel Arts for a quick look around, but others found little to see. We drove past the Parc de la Cuitadella and the Arc de Triomf to the top of Las Ramblas and got off the coach for a walking tour of the Gothic quarter and Cathedral. We left the tour at that point but that area is lovely. There was absolutely no mention of Gaudi and we did not even drive by any of his buildings. However other coaches did, so I do not know who actually sets the route. We returned to the ship after a lovely afternoon in Barcelona on the included shuttle bus. If it was my first visit to Barcelona I would have been a little disappointed

Marseilles:

Included tour took us from the Port to the Old Port then around the Corniche Kennedy with a short photo stop to view the offshore islands. We then drove through along the coast around a copy of Michelangelo's David and along a lovely avenue with many embassies etc. Then back to the old Port where we were dropped off. We did not drive up the hill to Notre Dame de la Garde although of course it can be seen from a distance. The weather was lovely and there was a Christmas market in full swing. We liked this tour but I think if it was my first visit I would probably go to Aix en Provence.

St Tropez:

Included tour does a quick walk around the port then a coach to Port Grimaud. St Tropez was in full swing but Port Grimaud appeared more or less closed. Not my favourite place. Returned to St Tropez and we enjoyed sitting in the sunshine, people and dog watching. Lovely atmosphere with two decorated horse drawn carriages circling the town. Some of the really high end shops closed but it was New Year's Eve.

Livorno:

Included tour to Pisa. Havent been inside the Cathedral for many years so this was interesting for us. Also went into the Baptistry. Very little free time and the Meeting Point was badly situated at the far end of the Piazza dei Miracoli. There is a walk to the area from the coach park and it seemed unnecessary for the Meeting Point to be at the furthest point rather than at the entrance to the Piazza. Just managed to buy a ticket for the Cemetery and run round it. DH sat and enjoyed a coffee. This tour suited us but if you have decided not to go to Florence then I would suggest Lucca is a great option.

 

Peregrina thought it would be a good idea to review these tours, but again I would say my perspective is slightly different from first time visitors. DH does not walk too well so we really used these tours mainly for the transportation. The ports and surrounding areas are wonderful. There is a huge amount to see. My recommendation would be to take private tours, or even DIY, to see much more than the included tours offer.

Thanks so much for your insights. They will go a long way to help us decide on tours.