Advice for Traveling with Friends

[lackcreativity]

We had never planned to be cruisers, but after a Viking river cruise led to a Viking ocean cruise, we were hooked. So far, we have always traveled by ourselves, and enjoyed making new friends on each cruise. Now, after hearing us praise our trips, long time friends (also new to cruising) are interested in joining us for a future cruise. Knowing them well, I think they will be great travel companions. They are both social and independent, so we can count on doing lots together, but also some on our own, and with new people in the mix. 

 

We have spoken so highly about Viking that now I want to be sure to give them a heads up about the few issues that may be troublesome. The very early final pay date immediately comes to mind, and the understanding that an included excursion in every port means only the one designated as such, and only one per port, not one per day. 

 

We love Viking (and these friends!), so I don't want to appear to be talking them out of joining us, but best to be informed in advance.

 

Are there any other items for my "We Love Viking Even Though......" list? Are there things I should know about traveling with another couple to assure everyone enjoys the trip?

[Clay Clayton]

If your friends have never cruised before then I think your job is easier, but if they have, I would be sure they are aware of the list of what Viking is not…it’s available online but I’ve pasted a screenshot below. Would be awful for them to expect to play slots and be disappointed for example. 
 

I would want to make sure they understand the dining options and how the Silver Spirits package works. Don’t forget to let them know about the daily gratuities. 

 

I would prepare them for the relatively quiet nightlife and the reduced entertainment options. 
 

Lastly, I would help them understand the pricing differences between Viking and mainline cruises…can come close to a wash if you compare apples to apples depending on how many optional packages one adds to a mainline. 
 

As far as tips for traveling with friends, we have found it’s best not to try to spend the whole cruise doing things together. It’s fun to catch up at dinner on what everyone has done during the day. If you’re going anyplace scenic, we have enjoyed having cabins on opposite sides of the ship so we can use each other’s balconies to enjoy the view. 
 

Have fun!

[Jim Avery]

We have friends that were upset with the lack of casino.  I know, Viking publishes that but we all know people that never read instructions.  Some might miss the elaborate shows.  Thats all I have heard complained about as to missing things found on other ships.  They had us at no kids....🍸

[TayanaLorna]

You are getting some good advice here.  I would add this...make sure they know if they book the V cabin category they will not be able to book specialty restaurants or excursions in advance of boarding.  And that making reservations for specialty restaurants or excursions is according to cabin category with DV cabins reserving last.

 

We too were anti cruise ship travel until Viking.  Friends turned us on and we did our first cruise with them and our second cruise with them and another mutual friends couple.  We all agreed that we did not want to be joined at the hip.  It was fun doing some of the same excursions, catching up over cocktails or dinner if we did not.  When we traveled with the 6 of us it was very economical to do private excursions.

 

Lastly don't forget there is a referral bonus.  You as well as the couple you are referring get $100 off your fare.  Also if you are booking your cruise within one year of your last one, you are eligible for the Explorers Club discount too.

[lackcreativity]

Lots of good advice here, and Tayana Lorna, thanks especially for the reminder about the referral bonus!

 

We book the veranda cabins, so I can let them know about the booking schedule for excursions and restaurant reservations. That has never been much of an issue for us, we have generally  been pretty lucky in those areas, and are also good at being happy with alternate choices when needed. I think our friends are pretty low maintenance too.

 

I was thinking of selecting a shorter, lower cost first trip for this adventure. That way, the early final payment can be less of a shock. If they like it as much as we do, they can book another onboard and get the six month final pay for the second one. Perhaps Iconic Western Mediterranean or Italian Sojourn  might be good options. Those would actually be repeat itineraries for us, but each port has an alternate excursions of interest to feel like a whole new cruise.

[CCWineLover]

2 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

We too were anti cruise ship travel until Viking.  Friends turned us on and we did our first cruise with them and our second cruise with them and another mutual friends couple.  We all agreed that we did not want to be joined at the hip.  It was fun doing some of the same excursions, catching up over cocktails or dinner if we did not.  When we traveled with the 6 of us it was very economical to do private excursions.

 

Lorna: 

We were also anti cruise ship travel until Viking.  Had done the big ships 30 years ago and not our style.  Our friends took the inaugural Viking Star cruise and so raved about it, we had to try it (did Homelands as our first one).   Good advice about traveling with friends (don't be joined at the hip!).  We have seen so many groups of people on Viking that were indeed joined at the hip and never interacted with others.   Each to his own.

 

Lackcreativity -

As to a "first" cruise to get your friends introduced to Viking?   That might depend on when you wish to go - after some of the COVID mess is done with?  or earlier?   what time of season?

We are doing Iconic Mediterranean this November, in front of the Transatlantic Barcelona to San Juan.  Either of those might be a good start for them.   Another one I'd recommend is the 10 or 11 day West Indies Explorer, unless they don't wish the Caribbean.  Even though we'd been to the Caribbean many times before, it was still a wonderful trip (in February).

 

Our other friends who we then recommended, wanted their first Viking cruise to be Montreal to NYC (Sep 2019) and they absolutely loved it.  It can tend to be more popular and more expensive.  We didn't go with them, as it wasn't as much of an interest to us.   Plenty of options!!

Edited September 18, 2021 by CCWineLover

[lackcreativity]

CCWineLover ( a kindred spirit!)

Our friends are both still teaching, so until retirement, we are limited to January, June, July, or August. This will require some compromise, as my husband and I always go April/May or September/October to skip the heat and some of the crowds. They have expressed an interest in the Mediterranean, which is my favorite area, so I have been thinking of Iconic Western Mediterranean in January of 2023. (We have two scheduled already for 2022.) I could also see Italian Sojourn in June, or Homelands in summer.

 

Your recommendation of the West Indies Explorer is interesting. I have looked at that several times, and we have never been to the Caribbean (never much of a beach person), but I have been tempted.

 

 

 

[millybess]

30 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

Your recommendation of the West Indies Explorer is interesting. I have looked at that several times, and we have never been to the Caribbean (never much of a beach person), but I have been tempted.

 

 

 

We aren’t beach people either. We’ve been to the Caribbean many times and did this cruise with Viking in January 2020. We would very much like to do it again. This cruise really gives you the cultural flavour of the different islands. And they aren’t all the same!  We enjoyed them all and each one had something different to offer. Tortola was our favourite and we booked to go back there in spring 2021 until Covid interrupted our plans. The West Indies Explorer opened up future travel opportunities for us. 

[lackcreativity]

2 hours ago, millybess said:

We aren’t beach people either. We’ve been to the Caribbean many times and did this cruise with Viking in January 2020. We would very much like to do it again. This cruise really gives you the cultural flavour of the different islands. And they aren’t all the same!  We enjoyed them all and each one had something different to offer. Tortola was our favourite and we booked to go back there in spring 2021 until Covid interrupted our plans. The West Indies Explorer opened up future travel opportunities for us. 

Thanks for your support of CCWineLover's suggestion. Though Europe is my first love, it might be nice to try some totally different destinations. The excursions seem to offer cultural and historical aspects to the tours, and the scenery looks beautiful. An added bonus would be the 3.5 hour nonstop flight from our closest airport. That would be a pleasant change from those tiresome flights to Europe!

[Clay Clayton]

11 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

That would be a pleasant change from those tiresome flights to Europe!

You ought to consider a Transatlantic (when you aren’t traveling with your friends). About the cost of business class and so much more comfortable!  Oh and the food is better too😂

[lackcreativity]

16 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

You ought to consider a Transatlantic (when you aren’t traveling with your friends). About the cost of business class and so much more comfortable!  Oh and the food is better too😂

Thanks, Clay. I can see a transatlantic cruise in our future, in particular the West Indies to Iberia with an extended stay in Spain. That will have to wait until I retire, since 15 days is about the most I can manage until then. Our friends have actually expressed an interest in a transatlantic cruise, but the timing doesn't fit the schedule of two professors, nor would I recommend it as a first time cruise for anyone. As a newbie, I was worried about seasickness, but the silver lining about terrible weather we had on our Trade Routes cruise was that I learned it did not bother me!

[Clay Clayton]

1 hour ago, lackcreativity said:

Thanks, Clay. I can see a transatlantic cruise in our future, in particular the West Indies to Iberia with an extended stay in Spain. That will have to wait until I retire, since 15 days is about the most I can manage until then. Our friends have actually expressed an interest in a transatlantic cruise, but the timing doesn't fit the schedule of two professors, nor would I recommend it as a first time cruise for anyone. As a newbie, I was worried about seasickness, but the silver lining about terrible weather we had on our Trade Routes cruise was that I learned it did not bother me!

Ah, didn’t realize you hadn’t joined us retired folks yet. It’s a great way to start retirement.  We left about a month after our last day of work following selling most of our stuff and moving what was left into storage.  Boarding in San Juan felt like taking a big breath and actually being able to relax for the first time in two or three months.  
 

Put Valencia on your list to visit (stay) while in Spain. We spent our first month of nomadic living there and really loved it.  It was in the running for a permanent home except it was too hot in the summer. Otherwise, pretty perfect place with nice people and great food. 

[lackcreativity]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

Ah, didn’t realize you hadn’t joined us retired folks yet. It’s a great way to start retirement.  We left about a month after our last day of work following selling most of our stuff and moving what was left into storage.  Boarding in San Juan felt like taking a big breath and actually being able to relax for the first time in two or three months.  
 

Put Valencia on your list to visit (stay) while in Spain. We spent our first month of nomadic living there and really loved it.  It was in the running for a permanent home except it was too hot in the summer. Otherwise, pretty perfect place with nice people and great food. 

My husband is retired from his actual job but has created an ebay business with around 100 sales a week (records and rock music memorabilia) and I work as a bookkeeper in a florist and gift shop with a nice flexible four day a week from 10:00 ish to 4:00 ish. They are good jobs for two late 60 folks, but we still have to factor them into our travel schedule.

 

We have been to Valencia for a day on a land based escorted tour, and have wanted to go back ever since. We saw the City of Arts and Sciences, but just as a walk through, not a real visit.

 

Have you settled on a permanent home yet?

 

 

[Clay Clayton]

2 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

My husband is retired from his actual job but has created an ebay business with around 100 sales a week (records and rock music memorabilia) and I work as a bookkeeper in a florist and gift shop with a nice flexible four day a week from 10:00 ish to 4:00 ish. They are good jobs for two late 60 folks, but we still have to factor them into our travel schedule.

 

We have been to Valencia for a day on a land based escorted tour, and have wanted to go back ever since. We saw the City of Arts and Sciences, but just as a walk through, not a real visit.

 

Have you settled on a permanent home yet?

 

 

Yes, once we realized that we were eligible for Obamacare (we are 63 and 58) the pressure to reside overseas until we are old enough for Medicare was reduced.  We bought a condo in Raleigh which is close to Mike’s mom and not too far from my family.