Dakar, Senegal switched to Mindelo, São Vicente

[Iloveketo]

Has anyone been to Mindelo? For our South Atlantic crossing next spring, we just got notified of the change in ports. I was wondering if anyone has been there with Viking?

Thanks!

[longterm]

Be glad; we've flown through Dakar twice, and both times we're told that it's extremely dangerous. Granted, the last time was in 2016, but I seriously doubt it's changed much.

 

Mindelo, São Vicente looks like a great place to visit.

[Twitchly]

7 hours ago, longterm said:

Be glad; we've flown through Dakar twice, and both times we're told that it's extremely dangerous.

That’s too bad. I spent some time there in my youth, and it was a fascinating place.

[shipboy]

We ported in Mindelo during last year’s South Atlantic Crossing, Dakar was off limits then too. The included excursion consisted of a hair raising mini bus ride up a mountain, albeit with great views once up there and everyone other than the driver had calmed down, a visit to a deserted ‘beach’ and then a stop next to some sand dunes. All in all, not a place I would rush to experience again.

I have hopefully added some images showing some of the above

[photopro2]

6 hours ago, shipboy said:

We ported in Mindelo during last year’s South Atlantic Crossing

Thanks for that info on Mindelo

My understanding is that yellow fever vaccination is required when travelling between Brazil and Cape Verde. Did Viking point this out to you?

I had a yellow fever vaccination back in the 1980s, but lost the certificate years ago and don't have the details required to get it replaced. DW has not been vaccinated and is not keen as the risk of side-effects goes up steeply with age. 

We are looking to get exemption certificates which, apparently, may or may not be accepted by the port authorities. This is why I was wondering if Viking flagged up the issue ahead of the trip?

[MarkTapley]

3 minutes ago, photopro2 said:

My understanding is that yellow fever vaccination is required when travelling between Brazil and Cape Verde.

We were on the Southern Atlantic Crossing that ended one week ago.  No Yellow Fever vaccine was required to go to Cape Verde.  Not mentioned at all!  (We travel with our yellow vaccine fever card, but not needed.)

[photopro2]

2 minutes ago, MarkTapley said:

We were on the Southern Atlantic Crossing that ended one week ago.

Thanks for that very quick response and the up-to-date information.That was very much what I was hoping to hear 🙂

I see that @shipboy is, like us, in the UK and it would also be interesting to know from them if Viking UK included the requirement in any of their documentation.

 

[PRH]

46 minutes ago, MarkTapley said:

We were on the Southern Atlantic Crossing that ended one week ago.  No Yellow Fever vaccine was required to go to Cape Verde.  Not mentioned at all!  (We travel with our yellow vaccine fever card, but not needed.)

We were on that trip with you!  Actually we decided we were “one and done” with Cape Verde.  Was ok to visit but don’t need to return.

[PRH]

Meant to say we were on the same excursion as ship boy- my husband is in the beach picture.

[shipboy]

57 minutes ago, photopro2 said:

Thanks for that info on Mindelo

My understanding is that yellow fever vaccination is required when travelling between Brazil and Cape Verde. Did Viking point this out to you?

I had a yellow fever vaccination back in the 1980s, but lost the certificate years ago and don't have the details required to get it replaced. DW has not been vaccinated and is not keen as the risk of side-effects goes up steeply with age. 

We are looking to get exemption certificates which, apparently, may or may not be accepted by the port authorities. This is why I was wondering if Viking flagged up the issue ahead of the trip?

We weren’t required to have a yellow fever vaccination and Viking certainly didn’t inform us of the need

[photopro2]

2 minutes ago, shipboy said:

We weren’t required to have a yellow fever vaccination and Viking certainly didn’t inform us of the need

That's reassuring, thank you 👍🙂

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, photopro2 said:

Thanks for that info on Mindelo

My understanding is that yellow fever vaccination is required when travelling between Brazil and Cape Verde. Did Viking point this out to you?

I had a yellow fever vaccination back in the 1980s, but lost the certificate years ago and don't have the details required to get it replaced. DW has not been vaccinated and is not keen as the risk of side-effects goes up steeply with age. 

We are looking to get exemption certificates which, apparently, may or may not be accepted by the port authorities. This is why I was wondering if Viking flagged up the issue ahead of the trip?

 

I received my first Yellow Fever vaccination in the 70's and recall I had to visit a special NHS clinic in Dundee, as my GP and local St Andrews hospital didn't provide that service. By checking your NHS #, they might be able to find your vaccination record, if you do end up requiring the YF jab.

 

However, I have not found definitive proof that the older vaccinations get the lifetime validity that is available for the more recent jabs, as YF was originally only good for 10-yrs.

[photopro2]

1 minute ago, Heidi13 said:

By checking your NHS #, they might be able to find your vaccination record

Thanks for the suggestion Andy. Unfortunately, my vaccination was for a business trip and so done through a private clinic rather than the NHS. I think that's why I have not managed to locate it on my NHS health record, which I do have access to online.

[mariners]

We will be on the October 2024 crossing and received the same e-mail about the change in itinerary.  

 

It has been many years since we were in Mindelo (on a previous cruise in 2006), but I am very excited about going back to Cape Verde.  I suggest that anyone who will experience this change in itinerary  check on different travel sites and blogs to find out more about the port and island.  

 

I understand why some people would not choose to go to Mindelo, but then I also wonder why they would choose this itinerary.  Many of the negative issues one might experience in Mindelo/Cape Verde are the same issues that might be experienced in Casablanca, Recife, Rio and Buenos Aires. 

 

IMO, I am very happy that Viking has already provided the information that Dakar will be changed to Mindelo. We love Recife, Rio, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires.  

 

The unknown, to us, is Viking Ocean Cruises, and we can't wait to experience our first cruise with the line this December. 

[Iloveketo]

49 minutes ago, mariners said:

We will be on the October 2024 crossing and received the same e-mail about the change in itinerary.  

 

It has been many years since we were in Mindelo (on a previous cruise in 2006), but I am very excited about going back to Cape Verde.  I suggest that anyone who will experience this change in itinerary  check on different travel sites and blogs to find out more about the port and island.  

 

I understand why some people would not choose to go to Mindelo, but then I also wonder why they would choose this itinerary.  Many of the negative issues one might experience in Mindelo/Cape Verde are the same issues that might be experienced in Casablanca, Recife, Rio and Buenos Aires. 

 

IMO, I am very happy that Viking has already provided the information that Dakar will be changed to Mindelo. We love Recife, Rio, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires.  

 

The unknown, to us, is Viking Ocean Cruises, and we can't wait to experience our first cruise with the line this December. 

I will be checking back in October for any updates on your cruise. We are trying to see as much of the world as possible while we are still healthy!
We have only ever sailed with Viking, so I don’t know how you will like it compared to other lines. We took our first cruise in January of 2020, then a postponed one in December of 2021 both to the Caribbean. We enjoyed them so much that 3 days after getting off the 2nd one we flew to LA to get on a 33 day cruise to French Polynesian with them. Then, a Great Lakes expedition cruise in May of 2022, followed by our first Mediterranean cruise in November. So far this year a Panama/Central American cruise in January and a Northern Lights cruise in March. Next will be an Eastern Seaboard in September. Next year South America and the South Atlantic crossing!
I hope you enjoy Viking as much as we do!

Edited April 13, 2023 by Iloveketo

[mariners]

I loveketo, we, too,  made the decision to try and travel/cruise the "world".   For us, it was the right decision; and, as you stated, "We are trying to see as much of the world as possible while we are still healthy!" From reading the Viking Ocean board, it appears that most of the posters feel the same way.

 

Unfortunately, it will be 2024 when we will take the South Atlantic crossing on Viking so I won't be able to provide information to you before you leave.  This year, we will be on the crossing from Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale on Viking.  

 

So far, every contact that I have had with Viking Oceans has impressed me.  I cannot wait to be onboard the ship for the Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale crossing this year, and see, and experience all that is offered.  Thanks so much for your response and obvious enjoyment of Viking Ocean.

 

 

[mariners]

Heidi13, our yellow fever vaccinations are older, much older, than 10 years, but we carry our vaccination booklet/documents with us.  The "old time jabs" are, from our experience, considered effective.  In fact, where we live in central Canada, travel clinics will no longer provide any additional yellow fever vaccination for those who have previously been vaccinated.  They will, however, if there is an issue, provide an additional letter that you can provide when travelling that states one cannot have another vaccination.

 

We have had to show proof of vaccination twice on cruises because of locations where we had travelled:  Richard's Bay, South Africa; and also Barbados. In South Africa, they would not allow passengers off the ship unless they had been vaccinated.  As quite a few passengers had safaris planned (others chose not to get off the ship), the ship's doctor was kept very busy and those passengers who had not previously been vaccinated and wanted to leave the ship were quite unhappy.      

[friendlyfifer]

We sail  in November 2023. It is disappointing that Senegal is being dropped from the itinerary. It would have been one of a number of highlights of the cruise. I understand that passenger safety is important but petty crime seems to be the biggest threat. Viking dropped Dakar last year, this year and next year. Perhaps they should say at the time of booking that certain ports are likely to be dropped.
Cape Verde is hardly a worthy substitute. It is a little like cancelling Rome and substituting Mallorca. However I will read up on Cape Verde and make the best of the visit.

[mariners]

friendlyfifer, Senegal was one of the reasons we wanted to book this cruise.  I have no idea why Viking has chosen to drop the port but it seems that some other cruise lines made the same decision.  Perhaps it is because of insurance, difficulty in ensuring docking, health concerns, or something else rather than passenger safety.  There seem to be quite a few posters on this board who have an extensive understanding of marine safety and issues and they might be able to give some insight.

 

Cape Verde offers a lot when it comes to culture, landscape, snorkelling, music, and some shopping/fish market experiences.  It's definitely nothing similar to what I expected to see or experience in Senegal, but our choice is to cancel the cruise because of this change or try and embrace the change and find out how to make the most of our time in Mindelo.  

 

Here is a link to a CC thread that might be worth reading:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2919546-mindelo-cape-verde/

 

I hope that you will post information about the crossing either while on the cruise or when you get back home.

[SJD117]

1 hour ago, mariners said:

friendlyfifer, Senegal was one of the reasons we wanted to book this cruise.  I have no idea why Viking has chosen to drop the port but it seems that some other cruise lines made the same decision.

 

Viking sent us a note about the port change. It was made due to, quote, "civil unrest" in Dakar. That's ample justification for Viking's decision. 

[friendlyfifer]

1 hour ago, mariners said:

friendlyfifer, Senegal was one of the reasons we wanted to book this cruise.  I have no idea why Viking has chosen to drop the port but it seems that some other cruise lines made the same decision.  Perhaps it is because of insurance, difficulty in ensuring docking, health concerns, or something else rather than passenger safety.  There seem to be quite a few posters on this board who have an extensive understanding of marine safety and issues and they might be able to give some insight.

 

Cape Verde offers a lot when it comes to culture, landscape, snorkelling, music, and some shopping/fish market experiences.  It's definitely nothing similar to what I expected to see or experience in Senegal, but our choice is to cancel the cruise because of this change or try and embrace the change and find out how to make the most of our time in Mindelo.  

 

Here is a link to a CC thread that might be worth reading:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2919546-mindelo-cape-verde/

 

I hope that you will post information about the crossing either while on the cruise or when you get back home.

Many thanks for your response and for the link. I especially wanted to find out more about the slave trade on the visit to Dakar. Sadly  Mindelo is a very poor substitute. I think a brief walk around town or a beach stop will be all we do.

[milling73]

On 4/12/2023 at 10:53 AM, MarkTapley said:

We were on the Southern Atlantic Crossing that ended one week ago.  No Yellow Fever vaccine was required to go to Cape Verde.  Not mentioned at all!  (We travel with our yellow vaccine fever card, but not needed.)

Was Senegal dropped on the just ended March cruise as well? What were your overall thoughts on this cruise? Weather & temmps nice enough for sun deck? We are looking at the Nov cruise - simply because never done a crossing and the few ports looked interesting. But ????

Thanks for assist!

[MarkTapley]

On 4/15/2023 at 3:44 AM, milling73 said:

Was Senegal dropped on the just ended March cruise as well? What were your overall thoughts on this cruise? Weather & temmps nice enough for sun deck? We are looking at the Nov cruise - simply because never done a crossing and the few ports looked interesting. But ????

Thanks for assist!

Yes, Dakar was dropped on the recent crossing and we went to Mindelo.

 

We enjoyed the cruise very much, as did the passengers we interacted with.

 

Weather was generally warm and sunny.