Live from the Viking Neptune World Cruise 2022-23

[mstadleraz]

10 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

 

Yes, that is the tour. The early tour will leave you at the palace about 45-60 minutes before the changing of the guard. Plenty of time for a restroom break, shopping, and to line up to watch the changing of the guard. As I stated in my write-up, we bought a combination palace tour and Oceanographic Institute tour, went back to the ship for lunch, then walked back up to the palace and stopped at the Institute on the way back. We didn't go to the Casino but we still hit the jackpot.

Depending on your physical condition, everything in Monaco is walkable. After the three hour tour you mentioned, we had lunch at a cafe near the castle, then walked the alley shops close by. Subsequently, we walked to the casino. We remained at the casino about an hour. Then walked back to the ship.

Edited August 21, 2023 by mstadleraz

[Mich3554]

2 hours ago, cruising denise said:

New question for the 22/23 WC gang: 

 

Is the port in Monaco easy access to walking around in Monaco?  We've never been and would like to be able to check it out on our own and still get back to the ship easily.  I know it's a tender port but that's all I know....

Sadly, yes.  I got to look out on everything going on in Monaco from our cabin while I was on Covid arrest.  It was the most painful port for me to miss because we were not docked in a shipping harbor, but in the middle of things.

[Mich3554]

2 hours ago, johnhst said:

We have a question for those past WCrs. We are heading out from Florida in December on the Neptune. This may have been ask and answered before, but I have not been able to find it so please bare with me.  What amount of various pieces of clothing did you really need on your WC?  Items like, men's long pants, shorts, T-shirts, collared shirts, and women's Blouse, Skirt, dresses, shorts, pants and cold wether outer wear. Thanks so much.

On most of your shorter cruises we usually take enough excess to fill one suitcase and put it under the bed for the duration of the cruise.  Then we pull it out and the it home. LOL 

I had 5 pair of shorts, 3 pair of khakis, 2 pair of jeans, one dress, 2 skirts, one dress pants.  I had a combo of 10 sleeveless and ss t shirts, 2 ss linen sweaters, 3 swimsuits, 2 coverups.  I had 2 weeks worth of underwear and socks, 5 bras.  One raincoat, one fleece, 3 sets of workout clothes.  I took a pair of NB sneakers, waterproof Merrill hiking shoes, a pair of Tevas, water shoes, dress sandals and a pair of flats.  DH had 3 pair of long pants, 4 collared shirts, 10 t shirts, 6 shorts, 2 swim trunks, He brought his deceased dad’s Merrill’s, which he buried in Liverpool, a new pair of Merrill’s and a pair of Tevas.  I think he brought 2 weeks of underwear and socks too.  
We also stayed on the ship for 6 weeks after, so I picked up a couple sweaters along the way (badly needed in Norway and Arctic).  DH collects t shirts, and I think he brought back maybe 15 new ones?  
I expected to lose underwear and socks along the way, but didn’t.  There were days where we went through at least 2 sets of clothes.  There was nothing unworn, I was happy with what I took.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, cruising denise said:

New question for the 22/23 WC gang: 

 

Is the port in Monaco easy access to walking around in Monaco?  We've never been and would like to be able to check it out on our own and still get back to the ship easily.  I know it's a tender port but that's all I know....

 

Monaco is great for waking, although it does have lots of hills. If you tender, I'm not sure which pier in the harbour they will use, but if docked, most attractions are about 1/2 to 1 mile walk.

[johnhst]

3 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

I had 5 pair of shorts, 3 pair of khakis, 2 pair of jeans, one dress, 2 skirts, one dress pants.  I had a combo of 10 sleeveless and ss t shirts, 2 ss linen sweaters, 3 swimsuits, 2 coverups.  I had 2 weeks worth of underwear and socks, 5 bras.  One raincoat, one fleece, 3 sets of workout clothes.  I took a pair of NB sneakers, waterproof Merrill hiking shoes, a pair of Tevas, water shoes, dress sandals and a pair of flats.  DH had 3 pair of long pants, 4 collared shirts, 10 t shirts, 6 shorts, 2 swim trunks, He brought his deceased dad’s Merrill’s, which he buried in Liverpool, a new pair of Merrill’s and a pair of Tevas.  I think he brought 2 weeks of underwear and socks too.  
We also stayed on the ship for 6 weeks after, so I picked up a couple sweaters along the way (badly needed in Norway and Arctic).  DH collects t shirts, and I think he brought back maybe 15 new ones?  
I expected to lose underwear and socks along the way, but didn’t.  There were days where we went through at least 2 sets of clothes.  There was nothing unworn, I was happy with what I took.

Thanks so much. That is very helpful.

[Cathyvee]

19 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Same with us - we docked in Monaco on Iconic Med. in May. Very easy to walk.

 

 

19 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Out last cruise listed Monaco as a tender port but we actually docked there. 

We walked back and forth to the ship twice.

It's a great port.

 

Here is my write-up

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2927474-almost-live-viking-sky-mediterranean-odyssey-april-2023/page/2/#comment-65245954

 

 

[Cathyvee]

17 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

Sadly, yes.  I got to look out on everything going on in Monaco from our cabin while I was on Covid arrest.  It was the most painful port for me to miss because we were not docked in a shipping harbor, but in the middle of things.

Oh so sorry.

[Penspack]

Did any of you from the 2022-23 WC do the wine tasting and/or Mixology classes? Was there a fee for these?

[Paul73]

There were wine tastings about every 2 weeks during the WC.  No charge.  They did fill up quickly, but several times we put our names on a wait list and they did a second wine tasting the next day.  We did a rum tasting and a scotch tasting.  No charge.  I don't know about mixology classes.

[Clay Clayton]

10 hours ago, Penspack said:

Did any of you from the 2022-23 WC do the wine tasting and/or Mixology classes? Was there a fee for these?

On our recent cruise aboard Saturn, they had two types of tastings. Only those labeled "Premium" had a charge for those of us with SS.  We had signed up for a gin tasting scheduled for late afternoon. But the day before they called and changed the time to 7:30 which conflicted with our dinner plans so we didn't attend😢

[JaMa1991]

On 8/21/2023 at 5:31 PM, cruising denise said:

New question for the 22/23 WC gang: 

 

Is the port in Monaco easy access to walking around in Monaco?  We've never been and would like to be able to check it out on our own and still get back to the ship easily.  I know it's a tender port but that's all I know....

Walkable but not “navigable”.   We took an extremely long walk that day due to the fact that there were bleachers and barriers all over the place, as they were setting up for the Grand Prix.  My husband and I could see the ship all morning, but kept getting “blocked” from getting there.  It was actually very funny.  At one point, my phone told us to walk 500 ft. and go up the stairs (which were also closed).  When I got tired, we had no choice but to sit down and have a few overpriced drinks!😂

[millybess]

20 minutes ago, JaMa1991 said:

Walkable but not “navigable”.   We took an extremely long walk that day due to the fact that there were bleachers and barriers all over the place, as they were setting up for the Grand Prix.  My husband and I could see the ship all morning, but kept getting “blocked” from getting there.  It was actually very funny.  At one point, my phone told us to walk 500 ft. and go up the stairs (which were also closed).  When I got tired, we had no choice but to sit down and have a few overpriced drinks!😂

Haha!  You must have been on our cruise. Because of the F1 race it was impossible to get back to the ship. I loved watching the trucks bring in the cars from all over the world and talking to all the security people when we were walking the track. Most of all, I really enjoyed taking all the great photos from the track and sending them back to our F1-loving sons. That was a fun day with many unexpected detours. 👍

[Clay Clayton]

Interesting that the GrandPrix was going on while you were there. It isn't until the end of May this year so well after both WCs are in town. 

[OneSixtyToOne]

50 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Interesting that the GrandPrix was going on while you were there. It isn't until the end of May this year so well after both WCs are in town. 

We were there in April and they had already set up the temporary grandstand and repaved the streets. It takes over a month to prepare for the May race. Here is a picture of the temporary grand stands and finish line from The Rock.

Edited August 25, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[Clay Clayton]

Just now, OneSixtyToOne said:

We were there in April and they had already set up the grandstand and repaved the streets. It takes over a mont to prepare for the May race. Here is a picture of the temporary grand stands and finish line from The Rock.

Ah, so we will likely have the same issues as we are there on April 25th

[OneSixtyToOne]

2 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Ah, so we will likely have the same issues as we are there on April 25th

If you are going to Monte Carlo (that is a district in Monaco, akin to Beverly Hills being in L.A.), there is a public boat shuttle service that takes you from the dock area right across the small harbor to the general area where the casino is.

[Clay Clayton]

Previous World Cruisers we have just made our first pass through the excursions and I'm hoping you can help me understand a couple of things. 🤞

 

As I read the descriptions of the 3 included tours to Rome they appear to mostly be transport to Rome and a system of shuttle buses for those who wish to get from the Vatican to the Coliseum or to Piazza del Popolo. Two are 8.5 hours long while the third is 10 hours-any idea how it is different. The descriptions all make mention of lunch (usually after lunch go do this) but it's not clear if lunch is included or just time or suggestion if when to have lunch. There is also mention of having to make some detailed selections about which of the particular tour you want after we are  onboard. How does this work?

 

We are considering the Uluwatu Temple and Dinner which says the BBQ dinner is on the beach. Can anyone advise about this dinner? We don't usually do excursions with meals preferring to spend the money likely a better meal in a restaurant rather than a banquet type. Do you recall how seating is handled?  
 

Do you know if it's possible to book the included tour to Ho Chi Minh City but spend the night on our own and come back the next day with another tour group. I'm gonna presume not but figure if I don't ask they can't say yes.  Another alternative is to book our own transportation back. 
 

In Istanbul, does the included Bosporus Cruise use the public ferry or a private boat?

 

The two tours in Jeddah are very similar but one is focused on women's role. Would men be out of place on this one?

 

Were different excursions added onboard. We find it surprising that some excursions we expected aren't offered. Capri in Naples, Mont St Michael in Honfleur, etc. 

 

TIA!

[BobCatter]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

 

 

The two tours in Jeddah are very similar but one is focused on women's role. Would men be out of place on this one?

 

 

 

I don't think men are allowed on the women's focus tour in Jeddah.

[Dcsfuture]

I heard there was a shuttle provided to HCM city from the ship. Would love to confirm that as we are doing what you suggest. In any event we’ll make it happen. 

[Wavetripper]

6 minutes ago, Dcsfuture said:

I heard there was a shuttle provided to HCM city from the ship. Would love to confirm that as we are doing what you suggest. In any event we’ll make it happen. 

Yes

[Clay Clayton]

34 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

 

I don't think men are allowed on the women's focus tour in Jeddah.

That would be a good thing to note in the description 😂

[Clay Clayton]

24 minutes ago, Wavetripper said:

Yes

How often does it run?

 

So we could take the included tour and notify the guide we aren't going back to the ship and take the shuttle back the next day?

[LindaS272]

We did not do the WC but when we were in HCMC on the SE Asia cruise, we were in port for three days. One of the excursions, BTW, was two nights in a hotel in the city (which we did not do.) There will be a published schedule for the shuttle. We took it into the city on our own one day and the last shuttle was something like 5ish I think. So you should have no trouble getting a shuttle back to the ship the next day.

[mstadleraz]

1 hour ago, Dcsfuture said:

I heard there was a shuttle provided to HCM city from the ship. Would love to confirm that as we are doing what you suggest. In any event we’ll make it happen. 

Yes, there was a shuttle. This occurred because so many wanted to stay in town.

[LindaS272]

@Clay ClaytonYou asked Dave and I last year for suggestions on excursions, tours & guides for the SE Asia cruise. Unfortunately, the WC is only stopping in HCMC in Vietnam, but we can highly recommend a young fellow named Xuan (pronounced like “sue-un”) at https://www.tourwithxuan.com. We had eight people from the cruise who toured with him first at Hoi An, & then in HCMC. He’s from the Mekong Delta a few hours outside HCMC. His email: tourwithxuan@gmail.com.

 

Also at TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293925-d12204583-Reviews-Tour_With_Xuan-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html