So many questions ... starting with Viking air transports.

[KentuckyKat]

My daughter and I will be cruising Florence-Rome in a couple of months on the Viking Sky. We have never sailed on Viking and we have never travelled alone in Europe. She is young and excited. :hearteyes: I am older and starting to panic. :eek: I have so many questions and so little time to figure it all out. First things first ... If we make it to the ship I am hoping everything else will fall into place after that so we booked Viking air -- can anyone tell me what to expect (step-by-step) as far as transportation from the airport to the ship in Venice and vice versa in Rome? Thanks so much! :)

[lackcreativity]

Your travel documents that arrive before your departure will have detailed instructions about where to go and who to find after you get off the plane. The Viking staff all wear red jackets, so that makes them easy to find. Many signs will be in English for the tourists, so that is helpful too. I know is might seem daunting, but Viking will look out for you, and your confidence will grow as your trip progresses. Enjoy your trip!

[dln929]

My daughter and I will be cruising Florence-Rome in a couple of months on the Viking Sky. We have never sailed on Viking and we have never travelled alone in Europe. She is young and excited. :hearteyes: I am older and starting to panic. :eek: I have so many questions and so little time to figure it all out. First things first ... If we make it to the ship I am hoping everything else will fall into place after that so we booked Viking air -- can anyone tell me what to expect (step-by-step) as far as transportation from the airport to the ship in Venice and vice versa in Rome? Thanks so much! :)

 

Viking will take care of you door-to-door when it comes to getting you to and from airport/ship. As soon as you clear customs, they'll be there to greet you with their bright red jackets, as said. Plus, you'll have stickers that identify you as a Viking passengers. These you'll get in your documentation kit that is mailed to your home pre-cruise. Trust me, you'll see lots of other people at the airport wearing the same strickers! There's zero chance of you being stranded at the airport. :p

 

It's equally organized when it's time to go home. You'll get instructions on board. One thing I really like about Viking is that when you're walked to the bus that will take you to the airport, your luggage will be sitting outside the bus. You inspect it and say that it's yours, and only then is it loaded into the cargo hold of the bus. No chance of your bags going astray.

 

What I would do is sit down when you have a chunk of time and read posts in this forum. There's a goldmine of information here that will help you get up-to-speed about your upcoming cruise. We've done 3 Januaries in the Mediterranean with Viking and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. You will too!

[Peregrina651]

First, relax. Viking will take care of you. So now let's take you step by step until you reach the Viking reps. You will be glad to hear that most airports in Europe there is signage in English and that English is spoken by many employees in the airports as it is the fall-back language when two people don't have a common language.

 

The first question is whether you are flying directly into Venice or whether you have landed elsewhere in Europe and changed planes. You will pass through border control in the first place you land in Europe. Follow the signs for Non-E.U. passengers. Have your passports and any forms they gave you to fill out on the plane ready to present. You may have to collect your luggage after border control and walk it through customs before handing back to the airlines; you can ask the cabin attendants what the process will be because each airport handles things differently. After going thru customs, you may have to go thru TSA screening again; it depends on the airport. (BTW connecting flights might also be called "transfers").

 

At your connecting airport. look for the departure boards that list all of the flights and their gates. Gates change even after boarding passes have been printed out; so you must check these boards to know where you are headed. At some airports (like Frankfurt), you might be able to arrange an escort to take you through the process. You may also find that getting an airport map on line is helpful, just to give you a feel for the airport.

 

So, now you have landed in Venice. If you haven't already, you will go thru border control and customs before going to baggage claim. If you have already gone through customs, you will head directly to baggage claim to retrieve your luggage. This is when you should attach the plastic luggage tags with your name and cabin number. Upon exiting, baggage claim, look for the Viking reps. They will now guide you through the process. You will turn your bags over to Viking for transfer to the ship. However, keep your meds and valuables (electronics, money, jewelry) with you.

 

Once at the cruise terminal, you will check in, be given your boarding card/ roomkeycard and then board the ship. Your keycard will not have your cabin number on it. If your cabin category is ready, you will be able to go directly to your cabin. Otherwise, you will be directed to the public areas to wait until the cabins are ready. Lunch will be available in the Pool Grill and the World Cafe on Deck 7. Tea and coffee and light snacks will be available in all of the bars.

 

If you have any other questions, you can contact me via the e-mail address in my signature. I am happy to answer ANY question I can that will help you to feel more comfortable about your upcoming adventure.

[Azulann]

A helpful suggestion for air travel to Europe or anyplace these days: download the airline app on your smart phone.you can do it now.

You have your comfirmation # so able to see if any flghts times are changed.

On day of departure, you can even have your boarding pass on your phone. you can track your luggage, check for any gate change and even view the airport map.

I find I have a better peace of mind when I have this for my travel day...

[KentuckyKat]

Thanks so much for the information! Gosh, I never thought about having to go through customs in Paris on the way to Venice. Thanks for mentioning that. Yes, I am pouring over the boards every free moment and trying to take notes - now the question is when will I ever get to review all my notes? Probably not till I get on the plane! :o

[Fpacifico]

Thanks so much for the information! Gosh, I never thought about having to go through customs in Paris on the way to Venice. Thanks for mentioning that. Yes, I am pouring over the boards every free moment and trying to take notes - now the question is when will I ever get to review all my notes? Probably not till I get on the plane! :o

 

You are in for a great vacation. By the way, the pool grill has great food, lol. Happy travels

[sunbrookgal]

We did the Fantasy 2014 & 2017, guess we crossed paths. Couple of things. First when you are there consider it a large American City when it comes to your safety. Keep your wits about and you will have a wonderful time. Second, when you land in CDG (Paris) , if you have the time once waiting for that connecting flight, head to the nearest Bank ATM. Bank is the key here, not a small ATM, a Named Bank. Anyway pull out a couple few hundred EU's. Most all places take CC, however. Our BB&T would get us EU's if we wanted here in GA, just that we pay a big exchange to get them. Take an extra CC with you, one that stays onboard while you travel about.

All I'm not trying to scare anyone, the opposite. We lived overseas and loved every minute. We did figure out real quick people are the same all over the world. Have a great time, I know you will.

[jollyjoyce]

If you are flying with the same airline all the way to Venice you should be able to check your baggage all the way through to your final destination. Only if the flights are with different providers should you have to collect your luggage in Paris.

[Peregrina651]

We did the Fantasy 2014 & 2017, guess we crossed paths. Couple of things. First when you are there consider it a large American City when it comes to your safety. Keep your wits about and you will have a wonderful time. Second, when you land in CDG (Paris) , if you have the time once waiting for that connecting flight, head to the nearest Bank ATM. Bank is the key here, not a small ATM, a Named Bank. Anyway pull out a couple few hundred EU's. Most all places take CC, however. Our BB&T would get us EU's if we wanted here in GA, just that we pay a big exchange to get them. Take an extra CC with you, one that stays onboard while you travel about.

All I'm not trying to scare anyone, the opposite. We lived overseas and loved every minute. We did figure out real quick people are the same all over the world. Have a great time, I know you will.

 

Good tips.

 

Also, because ATM cards these days are also debit cards, we have a separate travel checking account with only a couple of thousand in it that has its own ATM card. We have it set so that retail purchases will not be allowed on the card (in other words, the retail limit is set to $0). The ATM card can access only the travel checking account and not any of the other accounts that we have with our bank. Debit cards do not have the same protections as credit cards.

 

And, if you anticipate future travels to Euro-land, come home with a couple of hundred in euros to seed your next adventure (the better the rate, the more you should consider bringing home). It will eliminate the need to have to find an ATM in the airport.

[nanface]

Thanks Peregrina for your usual great advice. Also thanks to Azulann, Sunbrookgal and Joyce and everyone else for all the help to make us newbies a bit more relaxed in the planning process!

 

 

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[KentuckyKat]

Thanks so much! Great advice - I'm taking notes!

[Folkaltered]

Just traveled from Barcelona (Madrid pre-stay) to Rome with Viking. Your travel documents are great, and they come in a beautiful wool pouch, and with leather Viking luggage tags and Viking stickers to put on your shirt when you arrive. The Viking driver met us with with our names on a sig, drove us to the hotel, where a Viking representative checked us in, gave us info and was always available. If you are going straight to your ship, the driver will take you there. All of our transfers were quick and easy with Viking.