The Virtual Explorers' Lounge

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Jim Avery said:

Hi Gang,  Happy Friday.  I guess everyday is Friday here in the Virtual EL.  Or Saturday if you prefer.  Eri, may I have an Irish Coffee please.  I have put in a long day over there with Andy (Heidi 13) working out all the details for the 2022/2023 World Cruise.  As long as we stay here, nothing bad can happen.   🍸

 

Jim - Looks like you booked the Owner's Suite, should be an easy commute to the actual Explorer's Lounge once we get back aboard. 😁

 

I'm pleasantly surprised at how quickly it's selling. After 2 days they only have 1 suite and 3 of the V2 cabins left available.

[Lilyskittymom]

We're booked for 2022 LA to Bergen, after being cancelled for 2021.  It's so tempting to push it back another year, especially since the itineraries are identical, with the exception of Dover and Paris being added to 2023.  The world should pretty much be in a better place by 2023, but it brings up the discussion of how much quality travelling time do you have? Unfortunately, none of us have a crystal ball that'll give us the answer.  My husband is in his late 70's and is still very active and in good health.  How long will this last - we don't know.  Understandably, he wants to get in as much travelling as possible while he still can. We've got our fingers crossed that everything will work out for 2022.  It's great to see 2022-2023 selling so well!

[Jim Avery]

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Jim - Looks like you booked the Owner's Suite, should be an easy commute to the actual Explorer's Lounge once we get back aboard. 😁

 

I'm pleasantly surprised at how quickly it's selling. After 2 days they only have 1 suite and 3 of the V2 cabins left available.

That's me, Owner's Suite material.....  It would be great if they sold this well enough to not put in segments.  I could really get into 4 months a year on Viking.  Not sure where the $$$ will come from but I have always gone by the plan that something will come up....🍸😎

[Heidi13]

36 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

That's me, Owner's Suite material.....  It would be great if they sold this well enough to not put in segments.  I could really get into 4 months a year on Viking.  Not sure where the $$$ will come from but I have always gone by the plan that something will come up....🍸😎

 

Perfect, cocktails and canapes every evening in Jim's pad. Can you fit 930 of you new best friends in the OS?????😁🥂

 

Most of us Canadians are also Owner's Suite material, as the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) is a major investor in Viking. As members of the CPP, we could be considered as part owners of Viking.🙂

[Peregrina651]

5 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Jim - Looks like you booked the Owner's Suite, should be an easy commute to the actual Explorer's Lounge once we get back aboard. 😁

 

I'm pleasantly surprised at how quickly it's selling. After 2 days they only have 1 suite and 3 of the V2 cabins left available.

 

 

Even the first WC did not sell out that quickly.

[Clay Clayton]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:Not sure where the $$$ will come from but I have always gone by the plan that something will come up....🍸😎

I so wish I could live that way!  If I could we would be aboard with y’all.  Unlike the rest of you, I’m hoping for a segment to become available.  Still kicking ourselves for not jumping on the Santiago to Sydney segment two years ago? when it was under $175 per person per day and they offered “free air”.  Oh well, no regrets but hope something is offered from Sydney onwards 🤞

 

#Don’HateUsBecauseWeArePoor

[Jim Avery]

Haha Clay you would be amazed how we live in order to support our Viking addiction.  Remember, I worked in the maritime trades, not Goldman Sachs.....🍸

[CharTrav]

12 hours ago, Lilyskittymom said:

how much quality travelling time do you have? Unfortunately, none of us have a crystal ball that'll give us the answer.  My husband is in his late 70's and is still very active and in good health.  How long will this last - we don't know.  Understandably, he wants to get in as much travelling as possible while he still can.

Stop thinking that way! Think positive! You're only as old as you think you are! Call me a Pollyanna - guilty! But I'm not going to live my life worrying about things like when I won't be able to do what I want to do. I'll live my life like my mother in law did who was going strong - full steam until right to the end just shy of her 91st birthday. She even had a cruise booked for the Panama Canal. She counted her age backward when she hit 60. ☺️

[Ruthieofthesea]

10 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

That's me, Owner's Suite material.....  It would be great if they sold this well enough to not put in segments.  I could really get into 4 months a year on Viking.  Not sure where the $$$ will come from but I have always gone by the plan that something will come up....🍸😎

I like the way you think, book a cruise and make it happen, after I finish my Irish coffee I am going to look into the 2022/23 WC, why not! this is not a dress rehersal you only have one time around. The Spa, lunch, an afternoon nape before star gazing, then back to the lounge for after dinner drinks and sail-away.

 

[Heidi13]

7 hours ago, Ruthieofthesea said:

I like the way you think, book a cruise and make it happen, after I finish my Irish coffee I am going to look into the 2022/23 WC, why not! this is not a dress rehersal you only have one time around. The Spa, lunch, an afternoon nape before star gazing, then back to the lounge for after dinner drinks and sail-away.

 

 

Brilliant outlook. Hope to see you onboard Viking Neptune in '23.🙂

[Clay Clayton]

14 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Haha Clay you would be amazed how we live in order to support our Viking addiction.  Remember, I worked in the maritime trades, not Goldman Sachs.....🍸

I am sure that is the case. We will start our third year of retirement in early 2021 and are trying to follow the rules of carefully watching our funds for the first five years especially. Given our lack of a private qpension and our crappy USA healthcare system (and costs) we have to rely completely on our savings and therefore are afeared of getting too far ahead of ourselves.  
 

plus, after four months aboard I suspect I would really just want to sell the condo and make the ship my legal residence.  LOL

[Lilyskittymom]

8 hours ago, CharTrav said:

Stop thinking that way! Think positive! You're only as old as you think you are! Call me a Pollyanna - guilty! But I'm not going to live my life worrying about things like when I won't be able to do what I want to do. I'll live my life like my mother in law did who was going strong - full steam until right to the end just shy of her 91st birthday. She even had a cruise booked for the Panama Canal. She counted her age backward when she hit 60. ☺️

I'm definitely with you when it comes to thinking positive.  But, it's one thing to experience the world and another to watch it go by.  The good thing is my in-laws lived into their 90's, so I expect my husband and I have many years of travel adventures to come!

[Jim Avery]

Clay, after 4 months onboard it truly is home.  Having to leave is a sad event for us.  When we first arrived on the Inaugural WC, we met a woman who was starting her 15th WC!  We couldn't understand spending that to go back to so many places.  After the first 4 months we got it.  It's being on the ship at sea.  Ports come and ports go.  Manfredi's is forever.......😎

[lackcreativity]

11 hours ago, CharTrav said:

Stop thinking that way! Think positive! You're only as old as you think you are! Call me a Pollyanna - guilty! But I'm not going to live my life worrying about things like when I won't be able to do what I want to do. I'll live my life like my mother in law did who was going strong - full steam until right to the end just shy of her 91st birthday. She even had a cruise booked for the Panama Canal. She counted her age backward when she hit 60. ☺️

That idea about positive thinking only works up to a point. I am 67. I think I am 42. My arthritic hip has its own idea. 

 

I also want to cover as much territory as we can as soon as we can!

[CharTrav]

2 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

That idea about positive thinking only works up to a point. I am 67. I think I am 42. My arthritic hip has its own idea. 

 

I also want to cover as much territory as we can as soon as we can!

We're the same age! 😃  Understand your point. Sorry about your hip. 

[deec]

Jim ...Was the 15 world cruise lady by herself???  We would love to go again too!

We will get a taste in 2022 and spend 50 days on board for a couple B2b's and a TA that will close that circle. 

 

[CharTrav]

7 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Viking Neptune

A made up name? Would make sense after Viking Mars. 

[Heidi13]

6 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Iplus, after four months aboard I suspect I would really just want to sell the condo and make the ship my legal residence.  LOL

 

Clay - that gives you 2 yrs to sell the condo, so we will see you on Neptune in '23🙂🙂

[Jim Avery]

1 hour ago, deec said:

Jim ...Was the 15 world cruise lady by herself???  We would love to go again too!

We will get a taste in 2022 and spend 50 days on board for a couple B2b's and a TA that will close that circle. 

 

Yes she was by herself.  Want to say from the Philippines but might be wrong on that.  But definitely remember it was her 15th!!

[Heidi13]

5 minutes ago, CharTrav said:

A made up name? Would make sense after Viking Mars. 

 

This is from the Viking website, as Mars & Neptune are now listed under the list of Ocean ships. Wonder which, if any of the 10 new ships, will be Viking Earth🙂

 

Currently the maiden voyage is scheduled Dec 24th from Ft Lauderdale. Once she actually starts the build process, and delivery dates are firmed, I would expect to see a TA from Barcelona to Ft Lauderdale.

[Heidi13]

2 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Yes she was by herself.  Want to say from the Philippines but might be wrong on that.  But definitely remember it was her 15th!!

 

Wow, 15 World Cruises, beats anyone we have met. From our 1st WC, I seem to recall 9 previous WC was the record. We thought that was incredible.

[Jim Avery]

I suspect there are lots of crew that don't have 15 world cruises under their belts..

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Jim Avery said:

I suspect there are lots of crew that don't have 15 world cruises under their belts..

 

I spent 7 yrs with P&O/Princess and our son did 10 yrs with Princess. Neither of us did even a partial WC.🙁

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Stop!  You’re all making me jealous!  We’d book a WC in an ES1 if they would let us bring a dog...

 

we had planned to do a WC when our doberman went to the great bark park in the sky.  Sadly, he departed in August and the cursed covid is keeping us locked up 😞   
 

Happily, there will be puppies available from his line in early spring, and we have one reserved.  But that means no WC for another 13 or so years, since we never leave our hounds for more than two weeks.  So here’s hoping Viking reads this and recognizes the potentially huge untapped market of dog slaves 🙂  They could sod the sports deck and make it a bark park!  And having a well-behaved doberman in Manfredi’s couldn’t be any worse than having Jim in there...

[Jim Avery]

Woof!💩