Review- Viking Sea: From the Caribbean to the Amazon (Dec 16, 2017 to Jan. 6, 2018)

[LadyImpactOhio]

Off topic: this happened to me on another cruise line. I asked a woman if she was American, and she answered ‘no’. I then asked where she was from and she answered: Pennsylvania. I know this would never happen on a Viking cruise.

 

One of the reason we love.Viking is because we meet interesting intelligent people from around the world. I also hopeViking gets things sorted for their next Amazon cruise. I do know that they seem to be working hard to get it right in future.

 

My husband is a brasileiro and if you had asked him 20 yrs ago before he became a US citizen he would have said "no, I'm not an American but I live in Ohio."

 

So I wonder if it was the same situation. There were a lot of interesting people on this Amazon cruise. Mostly Americans but a lot of Brits and Australians. And of course a few Canadians. :) Sorry I didn't get to meet you, CS.

[LadyImpactOhio]

Actually, I didn't join this thread to talk about Brooklyn, San Francisco or Canada either - sorry about getting off the rails.

 

I did join to hear about the ship more than the itinerary. We are doing the West Indies Explorer on the Viking Sea and I'm always like a sponge before a trip - absorbing everything!

 

I don't care much about the entertainment or lack thereof, but I hope with some more trips under their collective belt, they get the service issues in the dining venues in line. One of the reasons we booked Viking Ocean, was the excellent service we had on our Viking river cruise.

 

And I do really love the design of their ships. The Viking Mani exceeded my expectations in that department greatly. I was ready to move in :D

 

I read some trip reports from people and I wonder if they even read a brochure before booking (not the OP here - on some other threads I've read recently). I become like research junkie - I want to know EVERYTHING!

 

So I'm enjoying this thread. I don't think an Amazon cruise is for me - and I thank you for that. I always did want to see Iguazu Falls - but I don't think that was on your itinerary :D

 

We have been to Iguacu Falls. It's way in the south of Brazil where Brazil meets Paraguay and Argentina. You have to fly to San Paulo and then a domestic flight to the city of Iguacu. We stayed at the Hotel Tropical on the Brazil side, where the rooms overlook part of the falls. The big tour we did was going into Argentina for the day and taking the boardwalk tour. If you've seen Niagra when you see this you will fall over backwards. Over 250 water falls. And then we did the small boat trip into Garganta del Diablo. Devils Throat. Need at least 3 days there. If you want to see the dam, you need 4.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Off topic: this happened to me on another cruise line. I asked a woman if she was American, and she answered ‘no’. I then asked where she was from and she answered: Pennsylvania. I know this would never happen on a Viking cruise.

 

 

 

One of the reason we love.Viking is because we meet interesting intelligent people from around the world. I also hopeViking gets things sorted for their next Amazon cruise. I do know that they seem to be working hard to get it right in future.

 

 

 

I'm betting you've already caught your own error here (re: Americans vs in America).

 

 

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[LadyImpactOhio]

I'm betting you've already caught your own error here (re: Americans vs in America).

 

 

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Well gee. So we have the same person who originated an off topic comment which led to some alienating discourse which was apologized for, now originating another smarmy comment which IMO is totally out of line for this site and discussion. Smh

[Flatbush Flyer]

Well gee. So we have the same person who originated an off topic comment which led to some alienating discourse which was apologized for, now originating another smarmy comment which IMO is totally out of line for this site and discussion. Smh

 

 

 

My bad. Didn't realize one had to "color inside the lines."

Go Buckeyes![emoji458]

 

 

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[LadyImpactOhio]

My bad. Didn't realize one had to "color inside the lines."

Go Buckeyes![emoji458]

 

 

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FYI not everyone in Ohio is a Buckeye fan. Especially those who live on the border and may have attended a school in Michigan. Or works in Michigan.

 

Ever hear of ASSUME. Look it up. Now we are even.

[Flatbush Flyer]

FYI not everyone in Ohio is a Buckeye fan. Especially those who live on the border and may have attended a school in Michigan. Or works in Michigan.

 

 

 

Ever hear of ASSUME. Look it up. Now we are even.

 

 

 

Perhaps not "even." I think the 2018 OSU vs UMich score was a 31-20 win for the Buckeyes. Or maybe it was Michigan State and their loss to OSU 48-3(?)

Just foolin' with ya.

 

 

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[Cyber Kat]

Though our main residence was very close to the "center of the known universe" (I.e., "The Junction" - crossing of Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues), I spent much of my childhood in Red Hook. Nona lived just a few doors down from the Cammareri Bros Bakery on the corner of Sackett and Henry (yes, the bakery in "Moonstruck").

As a young lad, I too was traumatized by the Dodgers moving to L.A.. The Yankees and Giants were the "enemy." So, for me, baseball quickly went from passion to afterthought.

 

Here's a little gem for Dodger fans: Why the name "Dodgers?" Multiple trolley tracks lined Empire Blvd adjacent to Ebbetts Field. To get into the park, one had to "dodge" the trolleys. Ergo, the "Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers."

 

CyberKat: depending on your age while in Red Hook, you may have often found yourself at the Saturday morning matinee at the Happy Hour Theater on Columbia Street. That was one of my dad's movie houses.

 

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I may have but I was very young, but I’ve heard one of my cousins speak of it. We lived on Dikeman as did many of my ancestors. I do remember the trolleys.

 

 

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[Cyber Kat]

We have been to Iguacu Falls. It's way in the south of Brazil where Brazil meets Paraguay and Argentina. You have to fly to San Paulo and then a domestic flight to the city of Iguacu. We stayed at the Hotel Tropical on the Brazil side, where the rooms overlook part of the falls. The big tour we did was going into Argentina for the day and taking the boardwalk tour. If you've seen Niagra when you see this you will fall over backwards. Over 250 water falls. And then we did the small boat trip into Garganta del Diablo. Devils Throat. Need at least 3 days there. If you want to see the dam, you need 4.

 

 

 

I would love to stay in that hotel. I’m astounded at the photos I’ve seen. I wouldn’t think Niagara was even close. I’m a big fan of waterfalls.

 

 

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[LadyImpactOhio]

Both the news, CDC, WHO and the family in Brasil is reporting rampant yellow fever in areas which were considered "safe." Were talking about the state of São Paulo, Minas here my husband is from and Rio state.

 

It now looks like the entire country is at risk for YF. While there's more risk in the areas outside large cities I still recommend getting the vaccine, if possible, for anyone traveling anywhere in Brasil.

 

The difficulty with getting the vaccine is its short shelf life since it's a live but attenuated virus; only good for a week or 10 days. So the company who makes it hasn't produced much lately but now with an outbreak they are scrambling. We're talking millions of doses.

[Vineyard View]

Both the news, CDC, WHO and the family in Brasil is reporting rampant yellow fever in areas which were considered "safe." Were talking about the state of São Paulo, Minas here my husband is from and Rio state.

 

It now looks like the entire country is at risk for YF. While there's more risk in the areas outside large cities I still recommend getting the vaccine, if possible, for anyone traveling anywhere in Brasil.

 

The difficulty with getting the vaccine is its short shelf life since it's a live but attenuated virus; only good for a week or 10 days. So the company who makes it hasn't produced much lately but now with an outbreak they are scrambling. We're talking millions of doses.

 

I have been following this as well LIO. There are some very good links on Trip Advisor under Manaus Forums to CDC and WHO with the official announcements.

Getting the YFV is certainly a process, but we did so last year without any issues. That said, everyone should check with their doctors. There is a magic striking of the bell at midnight when you turn 60 and are then considered at higher risk from reactions to the Vaccine. We spoke with a variety of people in the medical field around this and it truly is predicated on your individual health.

Did you encounter many insects during your trip? I communicated with another passenger who said she saw two, and she was out in the forests in two ports.

I am trying to decide on the Malarial medication As it makes me really pretty ill. The aLternative to the medicarion Malarone is one that you shouldn’t be in the sun while taking, and with the Caribbean part of the itinerary I do not see it as practical.

[LadyImpactOhio]

I have been following this as well LIO. There are some very good links on Trip Advisor under Manaus Forums to CDC and WHO with the official announcements.

Getting the YFV is certainly a process, but we did so last year without any issues. That said, everyone should check with their doctors. There is a magic striking of the bell at midnight when you turn 60 and are then considered at higher risk from reactions to the Vaccine. We spoke with a variety of people in the medical field around this and it truly is predicated on your individual health.

Did you encounter many insects during your trip? I communicated with another passenger who said she saw two, and she was out in the forests in two ports.

I am trying to decide on the Malarial medication As it makes me really pretty ill. The aLternative to the medicarion Malarone is one that you shouldn’t be in the sun while taking, and with the Caribbean part of the itinerary I do not see it as practical.

 

We were both under 60 when we got the vaccine and neither of us had any adverse effects. I looked at the over-60 stuff and the incidence of bad reactions was quite small, but as you say it depends on your individual health. We have a good relationship with the nurse at the county health Dept and we trust her to give us the best advice. She is the one who clued us in that WHO and CDC now say a single dose is good for life so we did not get a booster for this last trip.

 

I did see some large beetles both on and off the ship and some nasty looking flies, no mosquitoes but that doesn't mean there aren't any. I had a bad cold and didn't do 2 of the "jungle treks" and people didn't report seeing any. The one jungle tour I did do we didn't see any mosquitoes but it wasn't very far outside the city.

 

We have both taken Lariam several times in the past and didn't have any issues except some double vision so we opted to choose this drug again. I took 2 pills. One the Friday before the trip and one the Friday which would have been the second day we were in San Juan. We didn't want to take one the day we flew. I had the most severe heartburn I thought my chest was going to burn up and nothing helped, so I didn't take any more. I would have if I had gotten any bites but I decided I wasn't going to spend the trip in misery so took the chance. My husband has been taking his.

 

I did have EMS for him early last week when he passed out and vomited and his blood pressure was in 43/34. Yea yikes. I have high blood pressure and have a machine and I took it before I called EMS. Could it have been the Lariam, yes. He thinks it was food poisoning. He had the most disgusting looking thing to eat at the San Juan airport. I told him he was gonna get sick so yea it could have been this too. We will never know.

 

But I think yellow fever is the more important disease to protect against since it can be a killer causing liver hemorrhage.

[Nippy Sweetie]

Gosh. Quite a worry for a leisure cruise. I don't think we'll be considering this particular itinerary. Thanks for info.

[Vineyard View]

Gosh. Quite a worry for a leisure cruise. I don't think we'll be considering this particular itinerary. Thanks for info.

 

Well, you already know that there are a lot of countries that require visas. Some are more complicated (such as Brazil) and some a lot less. Granted, fewer places where one needs to think about Malaria or Yellow Fever....and many countries where other types of vaccines are recommended (such as Typhoid, Hep).

 

I understand that all this can be a big turnoff for many people and will keep them from traveling to these places. We have friends that take that position. So I get it.

[Vineyard View]

LIO -

 

First, I sincerely hope that your husband is on the mend and doing much better. Scary. I a, sure you are glad of it was going to happen that you were home.

 

I will check into Lariam with my Dr if I decide to take medication. Thank you for the option to look into. We were both over 60 last year and had the YFV with no reactions. We studied several reports with the statistics on over 60 and decided to go for it.....as you said, incident levels are extremely low.

 

There is an updated CDC warning as of yesterday for Brazil as a country, with concern for other S America areas for YF.....residents in the Amazon area have a very high vaccination rate, so that actually lowers the risk, The uptick in YF in Brazil since December 2017 is raising the need for the warnings. This is in part due to the upcoming Carnival, and people traveling into Brazil from other countries who are not vaccinated....possible exposure, then returning to their own countries. The main incident reports are in the State of São Paulo, which is quite a distance from Amazonia. With that said, CDC has raised the alert level for most of the Country.

 

Those nasty beetles must be able to fly if they were on the ship? I read on another cruise line that gigantic moths (described as beautiful) can sometimes be found on the decks of ships very early in the morning....and yep, I hate nasty looking flies....thanks for the continued feedback.

 

I agree with Nippy Sweetie that it is really helpful reading these threads. It does bring to mind the watch outs (as all threads tend to do) so that one can think through whether certain itineraries are appealing or not. Much better to be forewarned on any trip.

[m2mboss]

You may find that the 'Tellus@vikingcruises.com' email now gives a response saying that the person (Valerie) that runs it is now on maternity leave until April 30th. Given recent mail she may have received, I think she is doing the right thing! Apparently you nmow should contact 'social@vikingcruises.com'

[Vineyard View]

M2mboss, thank you for the heads up....interesting, that there is a change in email address.....

[CharTrav]

You may find that the 'Tellus@vikingcruises.com' email now gives a response saying that the person (Valerie) that runs it is now on maternity leave until April 30th. Given recent mail she may have received, I think she is doing the right thing! Apparently you nmow should contact 'social@vikingcruises.com'

 

I would say to still use TellUs - Valerie is not the only person that responds to TellUs. There is also a Joey Zander and a Christina Farah (the ones who have responded to some of the emails I've sent TellUs during the past 3 months). Valerie got married last Summer. Of course, if the email response you got directed you to use the social address instead....

 

 

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[Cyber Kat]

You may find that the 'Tellus@vikingcruises.com' email now gives a response saying that the person (Valerie) that runs it is now on maternity leave until April 30th. Given recent mail she may have received, I think she is doing the right thing! Apparently you nmow should contact 'social@vikingcruises.com'

 

I got that when I emailed them about something. There are people monitoring because I got a phone call.

[Viking Cruises]

Dear m2mboss,

 

In light of the recent response you received when corresponding with us through email, we want to take this opportunity to offer some clarification on the best outlet to use when emailing Viking Cruises with questions or concerns.

 

While in some instances you, along with others, may have been directed to contact us through a different email address, we encourage all to continue to use TellUs@vikingcruises.com. As CharTrav and Cyber Kat helpfully noted, we regularly monitor and respond to email received through this address.

 

Please rest assured, m2mboss, we will continue to assist those who contact us through TellUs. We regret if there has been any confusion surrounding this matter, and appreciate the chance presented here to provide some clarity.

 

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises

 

You may find that the 'Tellus@vikingcruises.com' email now gives a response saying that the person (Valerie) that runs it is now on maternity leave until April 30th. Given recent mail she may have received, I think she is doing the right thing! Apparently you nmow should contact 'social@vikingcruises.com'

[Vineyard View]

Thank you Viking.....we appreciate your continued monitoring of the threads.

We are really looking forward to your progress reports for future Amazon Trips. I believe that your listening to feedback from the maiden voyage cruisers, will be helpful in knowing what changes to implement.

[auspal]

I was quite excited when I saw that reviews had been published for this cruise as we have booked the same cruise for 2018. I as continued to read, my heart sank. This cruise was to be a very special treat for us to celebrate our retirement and not inexpensive especially as we will be travelling from Australia. I cant cancel now either as I would lose our $1000 deposit along with $1500 per person. I chose this cruise for the Amazon component, but don't think we will see much with only 3 ports of call. The colourful toucan in the advertisement is what attracted me to look further at this cruise. Doesn't sound like cruisers saw much wildlife at all. I will contact Viking with my concerns.

[Vineyard View]

Auspal....our itinerary later this year still shows Four stops in the Amazon, including Belem, which is the port not listed on the February sailing. Belem did not go well at all as a port stop and Viking is aware of this.

There are a lot of us who contacted Viking with our concerns, and i have been told that Viking is working hard internally to rectify the misses that occurred on their first sailing. They will not want a repeat of the problems that occurred on their first - for a whole lot of reasons.

There are a lot of us anxiously waiting to hear from Viking on how they will address this, including which port they will replace Belem with. There needs to be a minimum of four ports in the Amazon (other cruise lines include five), which is what attracted all of us in the first place to book this itinerary.

Please do contact Viking. They need to hear of your concerns. Without our voices, Viking cannot be aware of our concerns with what is not acceptable to us, as well as what is working well. The email: Tellus@vikingcruises.com

is a recommended path. Viking will respond to you. Please keep us posted on any updates. We all will do the same.

Edited January 30, 2018 by Vineyard View

[auspal]

Yes will definitely keep you all posted on updates. I believe there is plenty of time to make any necessary changes and there has been some excellent feedback re the itinerary. I really don't want to cancel, and if other cruise lines are having successful itineraries, why re-invent the wheel?

[Canadian Sunset]

It would behoove Viking to find out which ports the other lines stop at. I enjoyed the included tour in Santarem, except for the very hot busses. The Boi Bumba is fabulous and was a highlight for most on the ship. The Manaus included itinerary needs to change so people aren’t seeing how poor and desperate it is. There are some beautiful sights to see. My husband and I were on the recent trip and had many disappointments. We still love Viking though and hope this itinerary gets sorted out for future cruises.