island lady

The non-refundable deposit for WC was a tough pill to swallow. Be darned sure you are going! 😮

Agree...get some nasty looks sometimes from the "sweet people" when we do that. And then when we go incognito...we are just sneaky. 😄

Good to hear ^...thanks! 🙂 We are booked in 8018 for 30 days on Venus, then transferring to same cabin on Orion for 15. Which will be our first Viking Ocean cruise.

Each ship has a limited number to Pinnacles in non suites. If the Pinnies exceed that number, the ones not in full suite will not have access to CK/SL/CL. This is very common especially for Pinnacle heavy TAs. On our Wonder TA, Pinnies were welcomed into the Solarium Bistro for meals, only being able to access CK by day to day reservations for dinner only...much like JS pax. They DO set aside an area for Pinnacles to gather, with a table of evening munchies. I love that they are doing that, which indeed helps to relieve the crowding in CK/SL/CL. Since I sail in suites, it did not affect me, and in fact enjoyed bouncing back and forth from both venues.

Out of curiosity...how did you know for certain of which every Pinnacle you saw in the CK and SL were in full suites or not?

Perfectly stated, and I can definitely relate to that. When we first started cruising as newbies, we met many Pinnacles that sort of took us under their wing. We learned so much about cruising from them, and adored the passion they had doing so while they still could. They were so welcoming. Had many lovely conversations with them in the DL and CL years ago. Many of which we are still friends with and in fact try to match up our cruises with them. Would love to finally meet you in person on another cruise sometime. 🙂

Your post confirmed my point...thank you. No one knows for sure...thus the Pinnacle bashers who see a Pinnacles in the SL/CK, and then immediately assume they are not in a full suite...ah..huh.

You are such a bad boy my friend. 😄 😄

I hate to break everyone's Pinnacle bashing bubble...but how many of those Pinnies in the SL/CK are in full suites? Do anyone of you have a detector that lets you know for sure that they are just sailing on the cheap in inside cabins...or are they actually in a full suite? Also please remember...Pinnacles are simply pax that happen to enjoy cruising...a lot of cruises. Try not to demonize the group as whole. There are bad and good in all walks of life. Simply ignore the bad and embrace the good. You may be missing out on some really wonderful people when you read that book by the cover.

We have done Karlita's Kitchen 3-4 times. First couple of times at their old upstairs apartment. Not sure they are doing it any longer. Karlita and Otto have been spending a lot of time in the winter in NY, taking care of a friend's apartment and birds. We last saw them in November just before they left. It was only the two of us at the class and was like spending the afternoon with good friends (which they are).

I buy the round or oval ones from the gift shop on various ships, mostly to use up odd ball left over OBC. I love them not only as souvenirs, but for doing the same thing as you....holds up my notes, invites, itinerary, etc.

We never saw the Madhatter either on Harmony. But we did totally enjoy the bar area on the second level. Our favorite bartender from the SL was transferred there. Some pax don't realize you can come in to enjoy that great bar/lounge without eating at Wonderland on Oasis class. Whole area used to be the former CL (which we adored)...then became the DL on Oasis....before they put Wonderland in there.

OK...I might have to use that to wash and hang my parka when we visit Antarctica later this year. 😂 😄

Try a B2B in Vancouver. They don't seem to know what to do with us there. Most B2B pax do their turn around in Seward. We were the odd balls, along with a "not really happy" high ranking RCI officer that day. Just the three of us. It was a total cluster.

We hung out at Giovanni's wine bar. Loved the bartender there...big comfortable chairs for "people watching". 😉 "Pinnacle Lounge" set up upstairs at Music Hall was a joke. Most of the time loud with bingo games or band practice. The DL had no atmosphere or view, and terribly small. SL was all the way down to the aft, past a long hallway of cabins .....in another country. 😄

You got that right!! 😉

The B2B pax are treated so differently on different ships. I like the one where they have us wait in one of the lounges, bring the customs officers on board, then ding out and back in on the ship and free to go. Though I think that is all determined by the local port authorities how it is handled.

They like their Ducks kept in a row for sure. 😉

Agree. Love the location of Giovanni's and especially the wine bar...but Izumi and Wonderland seemed like an add on that they decided later had to be fitted in.

Worst placement of a specialty restaurant I have ever seen. Seemed more like a sidewalk cafe/bistro..or worse actually.

Now where did I just read that. 😉 ^

OP: Think of all those pax anxious to board the ship as you disembark. Ship has to be cleaned and restocked, cabins have to be cleaned and sanitized. The team works very hard on "turn around day" to get it ready. New pax cannot board until they have "passenger zero" count, with everyone off the ship before new pax can board. New passengers will start boarding by 10:30 or just after. No way can you stay on the ship that late. Indeed as others have stated...you need to be out of your cabin by 8:00 am and won't find very many venues (even some bathrooms) open for use.

As it should be...but for some reason they don't change the menu any longer. They used to change it every couple of months...but now...has been the same for years. Totally agree it should be a Chef's choice special menu. No creativity on Chef's Table at all.

Totally agree...and felt the same way about the placement of Izumi.

It was fun (mostly for the entertainment factor), but it is a "one an done" for my DH. I could go again, especially if I have a lot of OBC to use up, but it won't break my heart if we don't go again. On a semi related issue, we have done Chef's Table many times over the years, but won't do it again unless they change that tired old same menu they have been stuck with for years now.