Viking Sun World Cruise ongoing review/comments

[cruisenfreak]

Thanks for taking us along with you.

[Eaches]

Been with you since roll call days. It’s been interesting to see some personalities evolve - positively, that is. Hard to believe it’s almost over. Porto is a lovely town. Nice place to begin the wind up. OK - where are we going next time?

 

 

 

Jim and I will send a review of Porto- I’ve never been so it should be very interesting!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Eaches]

Jim and I will send a review of Porto- I’ve never been so it should be very interesting!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

Jim, I promised you photos of going by the Rock of Gibraltar but it looks like it at be dark so I’ve taken photos of the sundown over the Rock . I hope you enjoy them

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[eylarson]

Have enjoyed the updates from Role Call through the end. A GREAT help as we plan for WC 2019. Have a safe journey home. Hope al is weel with houses, pets, bills, relatives and friends. Thanks again

[Eaches]

Have enjoyed the updates from Role Call through the end. A GREAT help as we plan for WC 2019. Have a safe journey home. Hope al is weel with houses, pets, bills, relatives and friends. Thanks again

 

 

 

These are not good but it was a party!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Eaches]

[ATTACH]420446[/ATTACH][ATTACH]420447[/ATTACH]

These are not good but it was a party!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone was having an issue getting the Rock into focus . Check our mine !

 

Pretty Good ! Too bad I took it from the Viking Daily Font page

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[SantaFe1]

Have enjoyed the updates from Role Call through the end. A GREAT help as we plan for WC 2019. Have a safe journey home. Hope al is weel with houses, pets, bills, relatives and friends. Thanks again

 

I would have to agree with all the well-wishers. I too, have had coffee with the world cruisers each morning for over four months. And I too have profited from the Help you have given to the next group of world cruisers. I hope you will check in to our 2019 WC roll call from time to time. But—not goodby yet. Two more ports! We loved Porto two years ago, and Greenwich is a favorite place of ours in London—all things Maritime! So keep on reporting!!

[Jim Avery]

[ATTACH]420446[/ATTACH][ATTACH]420447[/ATTACH]

These are not good but it was a party!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

That's my Partner Eaches! Always ready to take one for the team.... Those late night parties on board can be dangerous. I hope everyone appreciates Eaches fine photos and all that goes into providing them. Bravo!. A restful sea day sailing in the Atlantic Ocean then the team invades Porto, Portugal. Actually beginning some packing today....:loudcry:

[Wagnerite]

The main reason Carol and I signed up for this World Cruise was to see certain things, notably to sail through both the Panama and Suez Canals, visit Petra and the Alhambra. We also felt it might be a once in a lifetime experience for the sheer magnitude of spending 4 and a half months on a ship.

We have traveled fairly extensively, although we don't "collect" countries as we now prefer to revisit places that we know and love rather than to go to a new place just because it is new to us. We have been to 70 plus countries and all 50 US states and will, no doubt visit others when time and schedule permits.

Our original itinerary on the world Cruise included Belize and Honduras but a revision nixed those. Along the way, rough seas caused us to miss the Cook Islands(although they may count as New Zealand anyway), and a State Department warning cost us Tunisia.

I'm not certain if the various groups in French Polynesia count as countries but I am grouping Nuka Hiva, Tahiti and Bora Bora under that heading. We lived in Vietnam for two years and have been to Asia so much over the past 25 that there weren't many new places in that part of the world. Our count as we head into the final few days is 16.

Cuba Costa Rica Panama Nicaragua

Guatemala French Polynesia Tonga Fiji

New Zealand Australia Brunei Philippines

Oman Jordan Malta Algeria

 

Many of these were just for a few hours. If I had to guess, I'd say we might revisit Malta, Australia and New Zealand. As for the rest, it's an open question.

We first got to Paris in 1984 and went crazy seeing sights and eating, not knowing whether we would ever return. We have gone back so often that we have "our" hotel and our "local" bar for coffee and late night drinks.

After a trip to Hanoi in 1994, we visited three more times before residing there for two years and visiting nearly every year since. Travel to Vietnam meant that we became regulars at hotels in Bangkok and Singapore so we can never be certain. I think we won't go back to Fiji or Tonga but it could happen.

 

Our next trips are for Wagner Ring Cycles in San Francisco and London and a family getaway to Sicily (not a country) next summer but there may be a side trip in there somewhere.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Wagnerite, I take it you don’t have a dog?

 

I’ve always thought “Götterdämmerung” would be a good name for a dog :)

[georose]

Day 141 is fast approaching. What are your overall thoughts?

Food?

Tours?

Time on your own?

Ports? (Industrial vs Cruise)

People?

Days at sea? (Too many? Not enough?)

Activities?

Entertainment?

Repetition of food and entertainment?

What was your favourite thing to do?

Recommendations?

Anything else you can think of.

[Wagnerite]

Day 141 is fast approaching. What are your overall thoughts?

Food?

Tours?

Time on your own?

Ports? (Industrial vs Cruise)

People?

Days at sea? (Too many? Not enough?)

Activities?

Entertainment?

Repetition of food and entertainment?

What was your favourite thing to do?

Recommendations?

Anything else you can think of.

 

I'm a bad one to follow as my wife and I are most definitely NOT habitual cruisers. We took this one because of the challenge and the "opportunity" to have so many destinations in a short time and to see Petra/Alhambra/Panama Canal/Suez Canal/Cuba. that said, it was a great experience but I don't expect to do much cruising in near future. Actually we have 3 Wagner ring Cycles booked in SF, London and NY plus a plan for a family trip to Sicily so not much time in any event.

 

Food was fine, all things considered. Not as good as in my house or the restaurants that we frequent but more than adequate and they were so accommodating.

 

We went on 45 tours with 14 optional. The included ranged from waste of time to quite good. Sometimes there was no real option but to take some tour as the ports were nearly all industrial or too far from the main city to navigate on your own in the short stay time.

 

The people were fine. We were friendlier with some than others but had no problem sitting in the buffet next to anyone. I talk a lot so it doesn't matter who is on the other end. I can't remember too many people that I preferred not to be with and quite a few that were friendly and interesting. We only had dinner with a few couples but my wife and I are rather private and tend to eat early. I know a few hundred guests by name and at least that many know me. I know at least half of the crew by name and country of origin.

 

I'd say way too many sea days. We enjoyed them but it was nearly half of the trip. On sea days we did get the gym and trivia but we don't go to lectures or port talks. We did see 25 or more movies plus all 6 seasons of Downton Abbey. I spent a lot of time schmoozing the Explorer Desk staff and they were very nice.

 

There are plenty of activities so if you need things to do they are available. Years ago we played serious tournament bridge so if we still played that would take up the whole day!

 

I felt the entertainment was fine. I'm not a big fan of rock music and that was half of the acts, but it wasn't unpleasant and it was fun to observe old people going crazy to the music. There were a lot of comedians and magicians and about 99% of the acts were British but so what.

 

Repetition can't be avoided. I wish I had kept track but some songs were done over 20 times and many jokes were repeated as well. We did have ukeleles, harmonicas, electrified violins and cellos.

 

They did a good job in World Cafe with items made fresh on the patio. We don't like The Restaurant but many love it. Manfredi's isn't a big favorite either but that's probably because we often go to really good Italian restaurants. The staff in both of those places are great and they are giving away the wines! No, really! They are giving away glass wines and the bottle prices are a steal and, with the huge credits they gave us, we drank really well. We went to Chef's Table 13 times and we enjoy it very much, but perhaps because our favorite servers and wine stewards were there. We'd have gone more often but the menus do(literally) repeat every four days.

 

We had our own routine and rarely deviated but you can eat early or late, go to gym or even special gym classes, dance, sing, play games, do crafts. some even read actual books or go to pools, spa etc.

 

We splurged on a suite and it was one of my best decisions. It is so comfortable that we can spend a lot of free time there and I believe this accounts for our never getting sick.

 

Our absolute best days were the ones where we freelanced but the ship's excursions were a way to interact with other customers and compare notes.

 

We enjoyed the Resident Musicians and spent a couple of hours listening to them(piano, guitar, classical trio) in the various venues every evening. Oh, right! There is dancing of some sort in Torshaven but we never went as my wife likes to go to bed after the shows and we don't dance and drink way too much already.

 

Advice would be to pace yourself in eating, drinking, sleeping and activities. Exercise as much as you can. We took the elevators about 5 times in the entire trip, even when going up as many as 6 floors. My wife wasn't thrilled but I think it kept us more alert.

 

Two sea days then we go into London on our own but do return to sleep the last night. I guess we are sentimental lol.

 

We have made a few friends along the way but mainly enjoyed casual conversation with any and all. Crew is first rate including the officers. Everyone has time to chat with the customers and are unfailingly cheerful.

 

It's been a great experience, probably better than we thought it would be. It cost more than our condo, but my credit card points are worth about $10,000 and we got lots of free credits. I will spend $0 out of pocket except for some off-ship purchases, meals and hotels.

[Geosez]

And did you run out of deodorant? :-)

Remembering the packing up days, getting the boxes ready to go ahead of time. Just wondering how well you did with planning ahead.

But! Don’t answer that now! Enjoy every last minute of this marvelous experience.

[Wagnerite]

And did you run out of deodorant? :-)

Remembering the packing up days, getting the boxes ready to go ahead of time. Just wondering how well you did with planning ahead.

But! Don’t answer that now! Enjoy every last minute of this marvelous experience.

 

Wound up buying toothpaste, vitamins and eye drops so only minor miscalculations. Brought a bit too much shaving cream and contact lens fluid. Pretty good planning. Oh, my wife ran out of hair gel and Lancome face stuff. Can’t complain.

[Eaches]

Wound up buying toothpaste, vitamins and eye drops so only minor miscalculations. Brought a bit too much shaving cream and contact lens fluid. Pretty good planning. Oh, my wife ran out of hair gel and Lancome face stuff. Can’t complain.

 

 

 

Over did it on the following items

 

Mouthwash

Suntan lotions

Bug Spray

Seasick bands

Toothpaste

The ship is collecting the unused items and donating them to a charity when we dock . I definitely don’t want to lug these items (liquids) home with me. No hidden surprises when we get home .

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Eaches]

Thanks for starting this WC thread for your and other WC'ers observations, comments and humor. I have been following two WC blogs. Looks like they are having a great time and each day is full of activity, even sea days.

 

 

 

Sea days where blessings- you Go Go Go so it was nice not to have to get into the grind on sea days . We loved the route Viking took on this WC - this cruise with the off the ship segments was Great for us . We’ve never seen most of India, Egypt and Cambodia, so it allowed us to do these adventures .

We have decided that it’s the civilized way to see the world so we are doing Viking’s unannounced 245 day WC in 2019/20 but only the first half . God willing !

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Jim Avery]

A gray choppy day in the Bay of Biscay for our next to last sea day. Then one day in London with Viking Sun as our hotel before being summarily kicked off here on Saturday morning. It has been a true adventure. Many thanks to all the posters for adding to the information available to others in the planning stages. I have learned a ton of things to look for in the next long cruise. We have nothing booked at the moment but I am sure that will change after we get home and relive this one a time or two. Many thanks to Eaches fine pictures as they give life to all our stops. I will be doing a recap for sure but not till after we get home and I have a bit of time to sort it all out in my head. We are staying in England for a week to see family so will be back home mid May. Till then, all the best to my fellow world cruisers. :cool:

[Wagnerite]

A gray choppy day in the Bay of Biscay for our next to last sea day. Then one day in London with Viking Sun as our hotel before being summarily kicked off here on Saturday morning. It has been a true adventure. Many thanks to all the posters for adding to the information available to others in the planning stages. I have learned a ton of things to look for in the next long cruise. We have nothing booked at the moment but I am sure that will change after we get home and relive this one a time or two. Many thanks to Eaches fine pictures as they give life to all our stops. I will be doing a recap for sure but not till after we get home and I have a bit of time to sort it all out in my head. We are staying in England for a week to see family so will be back home mid May. Till then, all the best to my fellow world cruisers. :cool:

 

Same to you Jim! You’re an inspiration in the gym. Thanks for your nautical knowledge and cruise experience. I’ve started packing because we have to be finished by around noon Friday since we’re spending most of Friday in London.

[Jim Avery]

Same to you Jim! You’re an inspiration in the gym. Thanks for your nautical knowledge and cruise experience. I’ve started packing because we have to be finished by around noon Friday since we’re spending most of Friday in London.

Thanks Ira. Best wishes to you and Carol. Hope you enjoy your time in England. My second home (English Mother). I loved your line in the gym: "the fittest of the un fit". Classic. Thanks for all your input and safe travels. :cool:

[VPKara]

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful posts and taking us around the world with you! Maybe someday there will be a WC in my future!

[georose]

Wagnerite, aka Ira and Carol. We thoroughly enjoyed your gregariousness while we were on the Cuba/Panama part of the cruise. We also enjoyed your pics on the My Viking page.

 

Thank you for your comments regarding your overall thoughts of the trip . We appreciate your insights. We are having second thoughts regarding our Grand Pacific Voyage. There aren't very many sea days, but it's the industrial ports being so far from where we might want to be that concern us.

 

Have a safe trip home. Who knows, we may meet again. Bob and Rose-Marie

[georose]

Sea days where blessings- you Go Go Go so it was nice not to have to get into the grind on sea days . We loved the route Viking took on this WC - this cruise with the off the ship segments was Great for us . We’ve never seen most of India, Egypt and Cambodia, so it allowed us to do these adventures .

We have decided that it’s the civilized way to see the world so we are doing Viking’s unannounced 245 day WC in 2019/20 but only the first half . God willing !

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

It's been announced! What an adventure that will be!

[SantaFe1]

Yes, I just saw this on Condé Nast Traveler Here is the link,https://www.cntraveler.com/story/the-worlds-longest-cruise-is-245-days-costs-dollar93000

 

And, don’t forget those of us on the 2019 WC Jan-May! Viking has lots happening

[Little Rascal]

That looks like a awesome trip. We are considering a 180 day WC and that seems long, I'm not sure I could handle 8 months away from home. So Jim, would you recommend doing a WC? We are thinking about it when my hubby retires. It's still 4-5 years away but you have to book early at least a year or two. It seems like you would see a lot of the world and only unpacking once. :)

[Jim Avery]

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful posts and taking us around the world with you! Maybe someday there will be a WC in my future!

That's how it started for us: "Someday". We said it 20+ years ago while looking at a World Cruise brochure on board QE2 Transatlantic. If you want it, it will happen. :cool: