Cruising choices with an active Pandemic

[Port Power]

Aren't magnet hooks the best! We usually hang caps, lanyards (yes, we two of those people), and we use flat magnets for shoreexcursion tickets etc.

Now I'm going to have a whinge. Viking have this dastardly policy of not opening up any of their excursions to book until 100 days out for Chairmans Suite and then every 10 days the bookings open for the suites in progression and then the minions like me in a DV. And they get booked out before our opening starts. Well, that sucks but what is happening on our cruise is even worse.

There is a cruise before ours that is sold as both a separate cruise, but also as a combined cruise with ours, and then ours which is also sold as a solo cruise, we booked the second cruise only. ok. The issue being that the ones in the lowest category of cabins can book if on the combined cruise before the higher level suites on ours! . This has only just been noticed by some of us on a FB group and only because one of my wanted excursions - Valley of the Kings and Queens - is already sold out and possibly 80% of our solo cruise passengers can't even book yet! So people have bought a high end suite but still can't book.

Im attending a Viking session here in March, my excursions are all available to book by end of Feb. (unless sold out ) so might be an interesting discussion point coz I'm not afraid to speak out. I know. Surprising that, isn't it!

You go for it!
It would have been fairer if each sailing had to follow the same system, wouldn't it, rather than the B2B people having such a huge benefit?

 

[Pushka]

You go for it!
It would have been fairer if each sailing had to follow the same system, wouldn't it, rather than the B2B people having such a huge benefit?

I know. It's so unfair. I wasn't able to upgrade to PV because the cruise has been booked solid for over a year. But was only doing it to secure the excursions I wanted. When the PV start their booking window next week then Viking will get smashed. Because the lowly DV and even the lowest DV have already booked.

 

[VPS]

I know. It's so unfair. I wasn't able to upgrade to PV because the cruise has been booked solid for over a year. But was only doing it to secure the excursions I wanted. When the PV start their booking window next week then Viking will get smashed. Because the lowly DV and even the lowest DV have already booked.

Can you get a group together and do your own tours

 

[Pushka]

Can you get a group together and do your own tours

Yes. I've done that for Haifa for Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and the Sea of Galilee, and in Jordan for Petra.(so for three days). Haifa is an overnighter so no risk for Bethlehem one. It's been a Bit like extracting teeth on the CC roll call though. . Sometimes I think I'm talking to myself. But someone in a very expensive Suite posted today to alert us. They got everything they wanted so they felt bad when myself and another poster said that meant they missed out. The trouble is that these are long excursions, 13 hours of which 7 is driving. it just worries me if something goes wrong and we miss the boat on a non Viking excursion. Think I'll leave a note with the Customer relations person advising them that we were forced to take those tours because they didn't provide enough Viking ones and trust they won't leave without us. It seems though that the private shoreex get back earlier than the buses. Unless there is a problem.

 

[VPS]

Yes. I've done that for Haifa for Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and the Sea of Galilee, and in Jordan for Petra.(so for three days). Haifa is an overnighter so no risk for Bethlehem one. It's been a Bit like extracting teeth on the CC roll call though. . Sometimes I think I'm talking to myself. But someone in a very expensive Suite posted today to alert us. They got everything they wanted so they felt bad when myself and another poster said that meant they missed out. The trouble is that these are long excursions, 13 hours of which 7 is driving. it just worries me if something goes wrong and we miss the boat on a non Viking excursion. Think I'll leave a note with the Customer relations person advising them that we were forced to take those tours because they didn't provide enough Viking ones and trust they won't leave without us. It seems though that the private shoreex get back earlier than the buses. Unless there is a problem.

That is always an issue doing your own. Good luck

 

[Pushka]

That is always an issue doing your own. Good luck

I reckon there will be at least 200 of us in the same boat. Oops. That was an accident. See what I did there.

 

[RooFlyer]

Quantum of the Seas was supposed to go Brisbane to Noumea. But because of the cyclone around there, it’s come to Hobart. As much as I like Hobart, I’ll be quite annoyed at that.

Quantum completely changed their itinerary, abandoning plans to visit Noumea, Port Villa, and Mystery Island on an international sailing, changing them to a domestic cruise with visits only to Hobart and Sydney.

 

[Port Power]

Quantum of the Seas was supposed to go Brisbane to Noumea. But because of the cyclone around there, it’s come to Hobart. As much as I like Hobart, I’ll be quite annoyed at that.

You would think they could at least add Wellington so the cruise still has an international port.

 

[SYD]

You would think they could at least add Wellington so the cruise still has an international port.

The cyclones next stop after NLK is NZ North Island. So likely to cross paths heading their or back… That could give the “Triangle of Sadness” movie scene a run for its money!

 

[odysseus]

You would think they could at least add Wellington so the cruise still has an international port.

Adding a different country is always problematic as not everyone is Australian or NZ, so won't have visas.

Plus on top of that there's the frequent algae cleaning issue that's prevented cruises actually scheduled to go there from going this season.

 

[Pushka]

There's currently a Viking ship in the north sea that has been battling 40 foot waves and snow. It's going to be two days late into Tilbury now. They had to miss a couple of ports and stayed in Tromso extra nights because of storms. The cruise is called Search for the Northern Lights. Fortunately they did manage to see them before the storms. The seas looked massive from passenger pictures. The next cruise is going to be two days late boarding, people are currently waiting in London.

And the fan boys are saying how wonderful it is that Viking is paying for their food and accommodation for those two nights they should be on board. Hell, I'd expect them to pay for those missed nights as they were paid for in the cruise!

 

[Port Power]

And the fan boys are saying how wonderful it is that Viking is paying for their food and accommodation for those two nights they should be on board. Hell, I'd expect them to pay for those missed nights as they were paid for in the cruise!

Exactly! And will those same passengers be just as effusive when they realise their cruise will be two nights shorter and they will miss some ports?

 

[Pushka]

Exactly! And will those same passengers be just as effusive when they realise their cruise will be two nights shorter and they will miss some ports?

I’m betting it isn’t the passengers who have been impacted who are so effusive. Just the ones who can look from afar. They will also lose Amsterdam. One guy who runs his own Viking FB and is the classic ‘Viking can do no wrong’ is on the cruise after the shortened one. People were saying maybe the shortened cruise might take up a day or so of his cruise to make up a day. Suddenly a teeny weeny panic emerged. . He was suggesting that his cruise shouldn’t be impacted just because the next one was. Typical.

 

[RooFlyer]

Viking Neptune in Hobart today, coinciding with Salamanca market and the Wooden Boat Festival on a gorgeous Summer day. You’d have to be happy with that ( as long as it was a scheduled stop )

 

[Pushka]

Viking Neptune in Hobart today, coinciding with Salamanca market and the Wooden Boat Festival on a gorgeous Summer day. You’d have to be happy with that ( as long as it was a scheduled stop )

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It was a scheduled stop. It's doing a 138 day world cruise. Only world cruisers onboard. They've had very rough seas since leaving Auckland so were looking forward to reaching Australia. Their first arrival into Oz and everyone had to pass Australian immigration here - ie everyone had to get off the ship and be 'inspected'. I've been following their blogs that started at the end of December. I'm a tragic. I'll post what one blogger says about Hobart. It's her very first cruise. A world cruise. I need to be that rich.

We are on her 8 month old sister ship for our Passage to India cruise in May. The Viking ships are all identical.

 

[Anna]

More murderous maritime mayhem in The Head season 2 on SBS On Demand. Not a cruise ship this time though.

Can be viewed without having watched season 1 - I hadn't seen it but could still follow season 2 easily enough.

 

[love_the_life]

More murderous maritime mayhem in The Head season 2 on SBS On Demand. Not a cruise ship this time though.

Can be viewed without having watched season 1 - I hadn't seen it but could still follow season 2 easily enough.

We have just started Season 1.

 

[love_the_life]

There's currently a Viking ship in the north sea that has been battling 40 foot waves and snow. It's going to be two days late into Tilbury now. They had to miss a couple of ports and stayed in Tromso extra nights because of storms. The cruise is called Search for the Northern Lights. Fortunately they did manage to see them before the storms. The seas looked massive from passenger pictures. The next cruise is going to be two days late boarding, people are currently waiting in London.

And the fan boys are saying how wonderful it is that Viking is paying for their food and accommodation for those two nights they should be on board. Hell, I'd expect them to pay for those missed nights as they were paid for in the cruise!

Sounds reminiscent of the Coral Princess back in July. Couldn't get into Brisbane - seas were too rough for the pilot to get aboard not that it would have made much difference as the Port of Brisbane was closed. The following cruise became 5 days (?).

 

[Pushka]

Sounds reminiscent of the Coral Princess back in July. Couldn't get into Brisbane - seas were too rough for the pilot to get aboard not that it would have made much difference as the Port of Brisbane was closed. The following cruise became 5 days (?).

And now lots of shuffling for New Zealand as the cyclone approaches. Been a crazy season this one.

 

[drron]

So the new Crystal cruises is in trouble already. Their Senior VP in charge of sales and guest relations is accused and has admitted to stealing documents from Silversea where he worked for 8 years.

Court blocks Crystal/A&K from employing Lira, using Silversea info

Silversea Cruises temporary injunction Matias Lira, who went to work for Crystal, breached non-competition, non-solicitation and confidentiality provisions

www.seatrade-cruise.com

Several other interesting articles if you scroll down.