I'm having lunch today with someone in my area who is going on Star next year. She has little cruising experience, so I decided to write out some info to give to her to take home. That info is below. It may not cover all of her questions, and also may repeat some things I've said in other posts, but I figured more info is better than less. Keep in mind that it's based on my experience in late September 2015, Venice to Istanbul, and things may change by the time you cruise. Feel free to comment, correct, or add more info!
Excursions: We were in a deluxe veranda, with booking window toward end of booking cycle, but before people in verandas. I think My Viking Journey gave a countdown as to when we could book. About a week after our window opened, I booked included tours. I got times I wanted, many early or mid-morning and one in afternoon. (Note there are dropdown boxes for times.) There were a few paid excursions on MVJ that I either didn’t notice before or were new – might want to look out for that. I don’t think any dropped off, but with cruise line shore excursions, that’s always possible. I booked one paid excursion a week later. It went out with only 12 people – I was thankful. Once booked, you can view your choices on MVJ, although keep in mind there’s a chance you may be moved to a different time slot and/or times will change a little.
Once in cabin, check tickets. Mine were fine, although in many cases it looked like meeting times were a little earlier than MVJ tour times (especially if demand was high for included tours). Tours were generally described pretty well in terms of exertion, but Europe has lots of cobblestones, and “old towns” require a lot of walking, so those excursions could make even the easy tours a little tiring, especially in summer. However, everyone in our groups kept up fine. If they hadn’t, I suppose they would have caught up with the group during the free time which often came before the end of each excursion. Guides were great, but they don’t count bodies at every step of tour, just at start, and definitely at end if buses are involved. You might want to plan where you’ll meet if the 4 of you split up or get lost, and tell guide if you’re not going back to ship or tender pier with him/her.
In most ports, it appeared to be easy to get a cab to and from port and end of included tour. I’m not sure how to assure 100% that you get on same included excursion as other people you’re traveling with. If that’s important and booking window for all in the group is open, go online and book at same time when window opens. (For paid excursions, it’s simpler, as there will likely be only one time choice. You have to pay for those with credit card at time of booking.) If you want a smaller tour group for included excursions, might want to consider afternoon tours, as I think they attract smaller numbers of people. Some people really wanted first excursion in morning, but keep in mind that first few days, or on days when ship gets into port quite early, you may still be groggy given the time difference in flying to Europe from home. In many ports, it’s possible to get out to the city by shuttle or taxi and come back for lunch and go out for a tour (or vice versa). For us, worrying about being able to book the first tour was a non-issue. If you’re taking a non-ship’s excursion in a tender port, allow extra time for the tendering process, and keep in mind that tender seats for non-ship’s tour passengers may be limited for the first hour or two. If you have a private tour, however, (or the ship is late getting in) a reputable tour guide will monitor the situation and wait for you.
Departure of each excursion is announced, but not in rooms. Best to go to deck 1 around 5 minutes before “meet by” time. (Deck 1 has “living room,” lots of chairs, Explorers’ Desk (usually 3 people seated at tables), grand piano, restrooms with rain forest theme, computers for guest use, etc.) 4 of you might want to plan to meet somewhere (for example, deck 1 across from piano, port side). Whether on a tour or on your own, it’s probably best to go off ship together, as might be shuttle to port, bus to city, tender to city, etc. to complicate things. There are wall phones on the ship to call someone’s room if necessary. Just dial 4 digit room number. Bring your stateroom card, tour ticket and in many ports (as stated in Viking Daily) an ID. We took driver’s licenses but left passports in safe. I was only asked once for ID (in Venice after I went back out) but of course, port terminal personnel set their own requirements and they can vary depending upon security considerations, so anything’s possible. For most included tours, there were at least 3 meeting times and tours; pay attention to number (e.g., 01A, 01B) printed in Viking Daily and on ticket. When tour announced, go downstairs to deck A (always for us, but could be different depending upon port). (Follow others or take elevator). Grab bottle of water (free) before giving your card to security to scan and return. Vox Boxes were great – if tour group was getting farther away, sound was weaker, so I knew to stop dawdling and catch up. Just be patient when guide is starting up – takes a little while to find right frequency, and if groups are close to each other, you might hear another guide speaking until you and guide are on same frequency. Don’t forget that boxes need to be charged. We just turned them off after the tour and then put them in the charger box every night. They’re needed for most but not all excursions; this is outlined in Daily. I’m a little crazy about stuff, so I made a list every night of what to do/take in AM – suntan lotion, meds, Vox box, light shirt, cap, camera, number of agent, key card, money, ID, ticket, rain hat, onboard time, couple aspirin, etc.
Don’t be afraid to arrange your own excursions. It’s unlikely you’ll miss the ship.
Cities:
Free shuttles to and from port city were provided in many places, roughly on half hour, roughly whole time ship was in port. Occasionally you may have to take a shuttle to the outside of the port. Check tomsportguides.com to see how close to the city you’re likely to dock. Cities like Rome, Florence, Berlin and Seville are not close to an ocean cruise dock and require extra time on a bus or train. Ports with an anchor on itinerary indicate tendering on a small boat to shore is usually needed. Usually the need to tender is known pre-cruise, but occasional surprises occur, especially when multiple ships converge on a small place with limited docking space. Ocean cruise ports can be far from city center. Tendering and proximity to city center affect your sightseeing time. In general, “on board ship” time was half hour pre-sail time, including tendering days, but pay attention, as this could vary. Generally, people could depart the ship on their own 20 – 40 minutes after pulling up at the dock, but this can vary as well.
Venice: Very easy to get lost even with a map, unless you just stay in St. Mark’s Square. Leave lots of time to get anywhere. If going to ship or hotel on your own (not with Viking), pre-plan how to get there. I found site Venice for Visitors very helpful. You can’t just take a (land) taxi in many situations. If exploring on own, keep in mind that maps, no matter how good, may not show every block or street, and names of “streets” may not be marked on buildings. We had lots of fun just riding vaporettos. Good news is that Venice is relatively compact, so once you’re on the island, you can see a lot in a half day or night. It’s also relatively safe, day and night.
Dubrovnik: Plenty of things to do, but I hear hours of sightseeing activities are curtailed a bit in early spring and late fall. Included tour is long but worth it. If want, can sit part of it out at Dominican Monastery. Can take cable car on your own – not a terrible walk from top exit of old town. Keep in mind a credit card or Croatian kunas are needed for cable car or to walk the city walls. Tzdubrovnik.hr is good site; Rick Steves is good resource too.
Food: Dinner reservations at Manfredi’s & Chef’s Table: Once you can get on MVJ, check to see how many more days you have to wait until you can book. I book as soon as the window opens up. Works well for me on Oceania and it worked well on Star. The night before, I think about what’simportant to me. I look up sea days and think about where we’re likely to be during dinner time each day (in port? Sailing away from a pretty port city? Exhausted after a long tour?) On MVJ, choices will be Manfredi’s or Chef’s Table, day, time, and table for 2 or shared - but I forget the order of selection. If you don’t like your first try, don’t book, go back out, and start again. (Didn’t change any reservations, so don’t know if you can do that online.) Viking sends emails once you book. Reservations won’t show up on MVJ, but can go to Explorers’ Desk on board, or perhaps call. I can’t advise how to book for travel companions with a different booking number and/or different booking window, but I believe there’s a thread about this on CC, or you can call Viking for advice.
Chef’s Table menu now changes every 3 days. If you can reserve more than one night, try to reserve 3 or 4 days after your first reservation so menus will be different. Don’t panic if menu on day you’ve reserved doesn’t sound great. I’m not a spice lover, but really enjoyed the “Route des Indes” (spices) menu. Menus are not strictly one type of food, and unless you’re 100% a meat and potatoes person, or have really unusual tastes or restrictions, I think you’ll be happy at Chef’s Table. Mamsen’s is nice for occasional breakfast, late night snack or (when open) light lunch. Waffles with toppings are quite good; didn’t try lunch or snacks. Living Room on 1 has pastries and coffee for breakfast. Room service breakfast (hot, good menu) is done by hang tag placed on door the night before.
In World Café, Mamsen’s and I think Pool Grill, just get plate at one of the stations and get your food. Don’t have to worry about silverware, glasses, napkins and drinks. Those are on table or provided after you sit down. World Café has one or two hot entrees at dinner that are made to order; may be same situation at lunch (I forget). One side of WC at night has sushi with pizza on the other. There may also be a few subtle differences between sides (not sure). We liked eating outside at WC, but there are plenty of inside or half inside tables as well. The bees in Dubrovnik bothered us; someone who took an excursion there told us there’s a reason for that (good for Croatia but bad for cruisers!)
The Restaurant has some “always on the menu” items like salmon in addition to daily offerings. Our wait at around 7 or so was usually about 5 minutes, and availability of 2 person tables was good.
Tea: Just say no to the mini tray of goodies they offer & eat 2 warm scones!
If you have special food needs, I think Viking wants to know that a couple months in advance, and then again once you board (see website). Also, if you’re celebrating a special occasion on board, that requires advance notice. Our TA’s request for us did not make it to the ship – might want to check once you’re on board! Then again, we talked to someone who received something in her cabin recognizing her birthday – unrequested but appreciated. Can’t comment much on drinks, as we are both practically teetotalers.
Other:
Pre-cruise: There’s a FAQ section on website, but it’s kind of buried. There are also a checklist to help plan your cruise, plus basic maps in MVJ (also available at Explorers’ Desk). If you’re a true explorer like me, you’ll want more detailed maps. I use Google, openstreetmaps.org, OSMand app for Android, etc. For info on common cruise port cities, I use tomsportguides.com, Port Guides section. He also has good general info, although his experience is based on large ships (Princess) so your experience on Star will a little different/better.
Embarkation: Personalized cruise booklet didn’t state, but website says can board any time after 11, with rooms available at time stated in booklet (according to category). Lunch was available at World Café. If you plan to board after 4pm, check with Viking to make sure terminal and Viking folks will be there, and ask when muster drill will be. If embarking at Venice and getting to ship on your own, might want to confirm ship’s location day before you embark. After cruise booklets were sent out, port apparently assigned us to San Basilio instead of the usual passenger terminal at the maritime port. In a place like Venice, it pays to be prepared for anything – unique city with some unusual challenges!
Once on ship, I figure out how to orient myself to find my cabin easily. It was easy for me on Star, since the elevators closest to my room (front half of ship) faced only one direction. However, if you’re closer to aft elevators, might want to look for something to orient yourself (are you on elevator with glass in rear & view of atrium? Is there a piece of artwork or phone near elevator on same side of ship as your room?) Of course, there is electronic signage at some locations, plus the usual deck placards telling which rooms are which direction, and there are diagrams of the ship in your cruise booklet.
Plastic stateroom card has phone # of ship; can call it if need help or get lost. (Also shows assembly station and group # in event of an emergency.) Also, Viking posts an “agent” phone in the Viking Daily (agent usually changes for each port). Because I go off alone in many ports, I take agent and ship numbers with me in case I need them.
Note that hours of certain “things” like access to shore excursion personnel or restaurant hours can be slightly different day to day. Times are posted in Viking Daily.
Ship’s stores are required to be closed when the ship is in port, and for a short while afterwards. The stores were low keyed and lesser-stocked compared to other cruise lines we’ve been on, and there weren’t endless flyers coming with the Viking Daily to let us know of specials. I personally found these things refreshing, but others might want more. If you need aspirin and whatnot, call the medical clinic. If you need something that can’t wait until the ship is out to sea, I suppose you ask about it and the Explorers’ Desk.
Disembarkation was excellent. Some people were unhappy with early transfers to the airport, but that’s typical on cruise lines. If you have to depart the ship before 6:00 AM that day, check on breakfast availability, as people reported different things on CC after our cruise. People could stay on the ship until 10, I think, which is quite generous, as long as they were out of staterooms by 8. Viking Daily, plus info you’ll get a couple days pre-departure, gives you plenty of info on what you need to do the last night, etc. If you’re traveling independently, you can depart any time, with or without your luggage, but you’ll need to give Viking a time on the disembarkation questionnaire so they can make sure your luggage is ready in the terminal. Keep in mind there could be a bit of a walk with luggage before you get to taxis and transportation. If you let Viking take your bags the night before, the walk with bags may be much easier. If you’re planning an extremely early departure from the ship on the last day, or want to depart the night before, check with Viking on this. Also, if you’re booking your own air, don’t make it for too early on your disembarkation day. It takes a while to get the ship tied up and cleared by authorities, and people on buses and cabs. If the ship gets in late, you may not make your flight.
Some cities require a visa or entry/exit document; check with your TA and also check a second source (Viking, State Department, each applicable country’s national website, etc.) Turkey’s visa website is misleading. Despite what it says, if you’re departing from Turkey after a cruise, you WILL need one. If you’re only stopping for 72 hours or less on a cruise, you won’t. Also, not sure of Viking policy, or the policy in every city Viking visits, but some cruise lines hold your passport for some or part of the cruise to comply with countries’ requests. Don’t be surprised. Also don’t be surprised if you have to give your passport to Viking for a day or so.
Some new cruisers get a little overwhelmed by the constant eating, and the constant people around. Remember, there’s always room service, and alternate dining venues. Also, some people over-plan and find themselves getting a little weary. Think about whether you really want to do all-day tours day after day after day and plan accordingly.