Live report of Viking Sea Transatlantic March 27

Trying my hand at a live report of the Viking Sea sailing from the West Indies to Iberia.

We booked this cruise in the summer of 2016! At last,we get to go-Viking.

"The word "Viking" is really a verb meaning to go on waterborne journey whether by river or sea.The farmers would typically "go-Viking during the period after the Spring sowing(while the crops were growing),returning for the late summer harvest."

Norway by AlastairMiller

It is Spring by the calendar but I still see snow here in MN.

Having a prelude of two night in San Juan,staying at the El Convento hotel. Worth the deviation fee with Viking Air.

with air plus, I got the best flights despite the hurricane scrabbling for me the most direct route . I am flying AA to CLT then to San Juan. First flight leaves at 5 am. Glad I live 5 minutes from the airport.

Being of Danish heritage , I was smitten by the design of the Viking Ocean ships interiors.

Coming from Celebrity ships I was ready for a change.

We have a very active roll call. Some are already in San Juan.

We are having gathering on Monday evening at the Sheraton old San Juan. Looking forward to meeting fellow cruisers for this Viking journey of six sea days across the Atlantic Ocean .

Would be happy to answer any questions along the way.

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Bon voyage! Keep us posted.

Look forward to hearing all about your journey. Have fun!

Bon Voyage.

Will follow along.

Keith

I will be watching your report. We will be getting on the Viking Sea in Barcelona as you get off. This will be our first Viking Ocean cruise so I am really looking forward to your report.

Mary

Have a blast.

Have a fantastic voyage. I look forward to your reports.

I also will be Interested in your feedback on El Convento as well as Sheraton Old San Juan, as well as San Juan in general. We head there later this year and I am looking at going in early and deciding which of those two to stay. I realize El Convento will be a step up from Sheraton, but first hand feedback is always valuable.

Safe and fun travels!

Arrived at the hotel tired ,hungry and sleep deprived .

Have a Nun room on the 4th floor ! Twin beds , a partial view of the water and lovely bathroom with a big old proclein tub , Aveda products and a comfortable twin beds.

Put on flip flops clean clothes and sat in 1st floor bar atrium and had my first mojito with lunch

We spilt crab cakes and a light salad with grapes onions and tomatoes

Great beginning to our stay here. Love the elevator and fourth floor pool area with loungers until

It rained

Had a siesta and now going to managers wine and cheese time.

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Loved El Convento! Don’t worry - we are taking good care of your ship and will return her to San Juan in shop shape!

If you eat in the Restaurant ask for Marcelino’s section. He and his team are fabulous! Tell him Kath and Roger sent you!

We did the Salt and Sweet menu in the Chefs Table and loved it. Actually liked it better than Manfredis. Make your reservations and changes with the desk outside of each restaurant rather than the one in the World Cafe.

If you do the included tour in St. Martin/Maarten sit on the right side of the bus. And hope you get T as a guide. He was fabulous!

Sorry to hijack your thread. We are finishing up and I thought I’d give you some tips.

Bon Voyage!

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Have fun!

Have a fantastic trip! :)

Enjoy San Juan Azulann. Sounds like a great start!

CyberKat - glad to hear you are totally enjoying your voyage.

Super to meet up latish last night on the terrace here at El Convento! Our fourth stay, same room (314), and the hotel shows few to no signs of the hurricane. Charming staff, decent food, old-worldish colonial atmosphere, great to be back.

Following your journey since we will be on Viking Sea but not till next April. Planning is half the fun right?

Safe travels and make lots of memories

Elise

Trying my hand at a live report of the Viking Sea sailing from the West Indies to Iberia.

We booked this cruise in the summer of 2016!

at last we get to go-Viking.

"The word "Viking" is really a verb meaning to go on waterborne journey whether by river or sea.The farmers would typically "go-Viking during the period after the Spring sowing(while the crops were growing),returning for the late summer harvest."

Norway by Alastair Miller

It is Spring by the calendar but I still see snow here in MN.

Having a prelude of two night in San Juan,staying at the El Convento hotel. Worth the deviation fee with Viking Air.

with air plus, I got the best flights despite the hurricane scrabbling for me the most direct route . I am flying AA to CLT then to San Juan. First flight leaves at 5 am. glad I live 5 minutes from the airport.

Being of Danish heritage , I was smitten by the design of the Viking Ocean ships interiors.

Coming from Celebrity ships I was ready for a change.

We have a very active roll call. Some are already inSanJuan.

We are having gathering on Monday evening at the Sheraton I old San Juan. Looking forward to meeting fellow cruisers for this Viking journey of six sea days across the Atlantic Ocean .

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Sorry I reposted my first post

Having trouble will uploading my new notes.

Will try later[emoji17]

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Day two of our prelude in San Juan.

Old San Juan reminds me of many other colonial towns or zonas in various Latin American cites, Guatemala, Mexico , Dominican Republic, Columbia .

We took the trolley to San Cristobal, then walked back to our hotel. Brightly colored buildings, iron lattice balconies, cobbled streets,but relatively quiet. it is Monday of Holy Week, all art museums are closed and some shops.

The Fort visitor center has AC, a movie of the history of the fort and island. Tunnel to the main plaza of fort and rooms that explain the strategic location for the Spanish, and even for the US during WWll. Island had 55,000 military during the war stationed in PR.

Walking back to our hotel we stopped at a little bar on a side street. Marilyn had cold beer and a resident cat who groomed herself on the bar while we had our drink. she was not impressed by our presence, but we were very polite to her.Local beer Magna tasted so refreshing on a hot afternoon

FYI! Always seek out a bar/ cafe away from a tourist plaza and down a side street. You will never go wrong in this choice.

It is blue sky , calm sea today. Off to the CC gathering at the Sheraton. I need to find someone who can upload pictures to this review. I tried with my iPhone and it did not work.

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Today is end of our prelude and the beginning of our cruise.

We had fun meeting roll call folks at the gathering last night. We laughed , shared our flights stories and talked about why we booked this Viking Cruise.

Will have breakfast at hotel, walk to the red gate to see the water then pickup and take a taxi to the ship. Hope to be on board by noon.

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Today is end of our prelude and the beginning of our cruise.

We had fun meeting roll call folks at the gathering last night. We laughed , shared our flights stories and talked about why we booked this Viking Cruise.

Will have breakfast at hotel, walk to the red gate to see the water then pickup and take a taxi to the ship. Hope to be on board by noon.

 

 

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We have to be off by 9:30am. Guess we won’t see you, but I’ll be following your adventures.

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Embarkation was easy, quick and no one asking you to take your picture next to a cardboard cutout. Quickly went to guest relation, got the Silver Sea beverage package and proceeded to the Explorer lounge on deck seven

With a glass of prosecco in hand we toasted our good fortune to be on the Viking Sea with some new found friends!

The ship is the perfect scale. The openness of space, the flow of moving from one area to another without going through a casino, other dark spaces in the afternoon is refreshing. Everywhere you look is a view of water , sky.

Had lunch at the pool grille. Louise had grilled tuna. I picked the Nordic Dog, shrimp salad, onions ... [emoji15] I was handed a foot long hot dog inside a brown crusted bun with shrimp salad , onions on top . Amazingly it was delish! And for dessert I had the red currant shot . It was white chocolate mousse with a layer of tart red current .

We have toured deck seven and one. Enough to soak in the classy environment wherever you looked . I love the washing stations at every eating venue, with cloth towels instead of a crew member with a plastic bottle of sanitizer.

Time to find my muster station then unpack before the munch moments at 6pm in the Living room with my pre dinner martini.

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Have a great crossing,, been there (2 weeks ago), done that, and would do it all over again! Get to know the crew these next few days,, have a time!

Have a great crossing,, been there (2 weeks ago), done that, and would do it all over again! Get to know the crew these next few days,, have a time!

Will do. So far we are impressed with the crew we have met. They are very friendly yet professional.

First thing I noticed was the number of women crew members as bartender , in the dining room. They are so positive , upbeat,and willing to answer any question no matter how trivial. Our room steward asked when we wanted ice each day. Took the coffee pot away for more self space . Brought us more hangers .

So glad we will have lots of sea days.

Off to tour St Maartin tomorrow and contribute to the post hurricane economy .

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We’re on board with azulann, and as someone said, what’s not to love about this ship?! While so much has been written about Viking’s aesthetic, you really have to experience it first-hand. We spent the afternoon relaxing in our room ... sublimely comfortable, with its separate sitting area, two tv’s and ample natural light. Then it was off to the gym and the spa ... in typical Goldilocks fashion, we tried the steam room, snow room, jacuzzi/pool, and sauna, but avoided the cold dipping pool. Mood lighting and the gas fireplace/wall cast a magical spell. So this is what a modern ship’s spa looks like!

After dinner (the most delicate Chilean sea bass ever), we walked past guests hunched over a coffee table, drawing in iPad fashion on the table’s built-in screen. They showed us how to bring up games and puzzles, all virtually, and just as easily switched to a real-time map of our journey. Physical board games have become so twentieth century ...

And the two-story atrium with its monumental video screen that showcased Munch’s art ... mesmerizing. We’re not talking over-the-top glitz, but very tasteful use of technology and design.

Of course, we had a few annoying quibbles about the ship, but overall, we can’t wait for tomorrow.

They showed us how to bring up games and puzzles, all virtually, and just as easily switched to a real-time map of our journey. Physical board games have become so twentieth century ...

Loving this thread as I prepare for our British Isles Explorer cruise in August – but I must comment that our daughter and her friends are very into ... physical board games! Settlers of Catan, Dominion ... a new one for every birthday. Everything old is new again!

Azulann, who are Louise and Marilyn? Do you have 2 roommates? Not possible on VO. I think I am confused! Enjoy...our friends Sailoraz are aboard and are having a great time as well. Looking forward to following your adventures!!