As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I belong to a few online travel groups. These can be a welcomed source of information…or they can be a very frustrating and often depressing commentary. It’s all based on your perspective. On your experience. On your expectations for that experience. Years ago, we had file cabinets full of travel books and maps. Today we have the internet. And very opinionated people! People who can’t seem to see the forest for the trees. And this isn’t just the case with travel, it extends to many other life choices and social media as well. But I won’t go there!

When we travel, we base our expectations on the venue, whether it’s a hotel, or a cruise, or an attraction. As we feel we are pretty well-traveled and both come from an extensive customer service/guest satisfaction background, our expectations may be different from others. For example, someone who has never traveled may not have many expectations of what to expect from their vacation, other than that they have saved and planned for months and just want to get away for a while, see the sights and enjoy themselves. They are wide-eyed and like a kid in the candy store! And as I say that, that’s not a bad way to be, even for experienced travelers.

Another difference in the expectation is whether you are traveling with young children or prefer a more adult setting. When we took a Disney cruise a few years ago, we knew there would be children of all ages roaming the ship. So, our expectations of that cruise were adjusted. Still, Disney has a reputation and we were very expectant to not be disappointed by their level of service. And we weren’t! It was a truly amazing Christmas cruise with Mickey & Minnie and their friends.

When we post of our disappointments, it is to advise others of what transpired and the actions that were taken. Remember, these are our experiences. No two travelers on the same ship or in the same hotel or at the same attraction will have exactly the same experience! We do not feel that we are “moaning and groaning” or “whining” or “complaining”. We are simply relaying our experience based on our expectations.

We have sailed the last few years almost exclusively with Viking – both River and Ocean. Viking is billed as a luxury cruise, so of course our expectations are much higher than perhaps they are with a “fun ship”. Yes, we have had disappointments with Viking. But they have all been handled professionally.

Tip: It’s always better to bring something to the attention of staff while you are physically there so they can correct it, rather than wait until you return home.

Which brings me back to my original idea for this post. Travel groups. Many times, I feel that people need to sit on their hands so they can’t type a response. I know I’ve felt that way myself and have refrained from typing a comment. Too often, some of the more seasoned members of a group forget that they were first-time or inexperienced travelers too. They can be impatient with newbie questions. And keep in mind, newbies are joining on a regular basis. They can be rude with their comments. IMHO, this is uncalled for. I have left groups because of the unfriendly, rude or snarky posts that continued to dampen my joy of and interest in travel. I think we all need to be a bit more tolerant before we make a disparaging comment!

I remember renting videos from the stores years ago and the plea was, “Be kind, rewind.” Perhaps this should also pertain to social groups — Be kind. Think before you type. This concludes this ‘public service’ post. IMHO. And, I’m now stepping off my soapbox!

What an epic vacation! Until recently, I never expected to be able to travel to the destinations that I have been fortunate enough to visit. We set sail on a new Viking ship, Jupiter, in late February 2019. We were on their second week of sailing. We expected some “bumps in the road” as it was a new ship and new crew. but I can happily report that there weren’t any! Actually, our cabin steward was the same one we had on our first Viking Ocean trip! I think there were only a couple disappointments. One was the cabin level the agent booked us in. One other was a single bed in the cabin when we always request two. And one was change in a must anticipated port. Without realizing it, until we were on board, we were booked into a Veranda instead of a Deluxe Veranda, as we had on previous sailings. Our cabin was located on Deck 3, over the Star Theater. We heard the practices and shows quite clearly at all times of the day and night. I don’t recommend Deck 3 Forward! We were not very happy with the agent for booking us in this cabin!

You may be wondering what the difference is between a Veranda and Deluxe Veranda on Viking Ocean. It’s relatively simple – it’s the amenities! The Veranda is stocked once for the duration of the trip. After that you have to purchase items. The Deluxe Veranda receives daily refreshing of the mini-bar contents, including beer, soda, mixers and snacks. There’s a coffee maker in the room. And complimentary binoculars for distance viewing. There’s also priority specialty dining reservations and shore excursions. And a nice comfy Norwegian blanket. Here’s a tip: If you don’t eat the snacks or favorite beverage every day, take them out of the mini fridge and put in a drawer so they can be replaced. Some days, like Sea Days, you might feel more snacky than others!

Rome – Our driver from the airport to the hotel provided us with a tour as we drove past various places of interest. What a nice touch! Our hotel looked fantastic! Our room was ready. Our first disappointment. We booked two beds, as we always do. The beautiful room had a king bed, and it was unable to be separated. So, change of rooms. The next room also had a king bed! Another change of rooms to finally get the bed configuration that we originally asked for. The hotel was surprised at our complaint as they upgraded us! Very frustrating visit! And they never provided us with our points! We had to jump through hoops later to receive them. Not a nice way to treat elite members.

But on to the real reason we were there! To see Rome! We took the HOHO trolley around the city to get the layout. Then we started visiting the Colosseum, Vatican City, and more. We also did the night HOHO tour to see the sights lit up. Everywhere we went, there was accommodations for disabled or challenged travelers, offering elevators instead of stairs and special entry points. This helped to make me more comfortable and enjoy the sights. If you don’t know where the elevator or special entrance is, just ask any docent or employee. Be advised that many historical attractions have a timed entry. No point in arriving too early as there are few if any places to sit. Standing in line can be very tiresome…even more so if the weather is warm. Note: There aren’t many places to sit in or near the Colosseum.

Actually, the whole idea for this blog came after a long day of sightseeing ending in Vatican City. I was exhausted. And knew we still had a ways to walk to get back to the trolley and then to our hotel. My hips were burning like they were on fire. My favorite cheerleader, Karen, kept encouraging me onward. I made a comment that I’d get there eventually, even if it was 20 steps at a time! Voila! Karen said I should start a blog about how I cope with the challenges I face when we travel. A blog is born! And hopefully you are finding it worthwhile reading, even if you aren’t mobility challenged!

Florence/Pisa – I always wanted to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Yes, it definitely is leaning! What a great excursion visiting the Square of Miracles, a UNESCO Heritage Site. The walk from the bus parking lot to Pisa was a bit longer and faster paced than I care for. That was brutal but thanks to our phenomenal tour guide, she took excellent care to get us back with our group, as well as a taxi back to the buses at the end. We often ask the guides to call a taxi for us. And we’ve had other guests saying that they wish they had done that as well. It’s been well worth the approximate 10 euro to do so. We find that the walking groups tend to have a quicker pace than I am able to keep up with. We walked all over Florence and saw the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. Both amazing!

Monte Carlo – What a beautiful place! We once again took a HOHO and were not disappointed. The background commentary always provides snippets of information to make what you are seeing more enjoyable. We saw markings on the roads for the Grand Prix. We saw the changing of the guards at the palace. We had a Nutella crepe at an outdoor cafe across from the palace. We shopped on a neat little side street/alley. And as always, Karen took many photographs! And we found the bright red post office so Karen could mail her post cards! We totally enjoyed our shore excursion in Monte Carlo.

Marseille – We weren’t quite as enthusiastic about France’s oldest city as we were about other Viking included excursions. Originally when we booked the trip we were supposed to pull into St. Tropez port. This, however, was changed in advance of our sailing. We were docked near the Old Port fort. Our included excursion took us past a monument to Columbus, a large ferris wheel and a lighthouse. It is walkable from the ship into town, which Karen and another couple we met ventured forth to explore, while I stayed on the ship, resting.

Montpelier (Sete) – Another nice excursion and great to see another historic area in France, known as “Venice of the Languedoc.” Lots of fishing boats.

Barcelona – Here we are! The last stop for this itinerary with a visit to Segrada Familia. Lots of pictures of this unfinished Gaudi masterpiece, as well as an informational tour of the city. We enjoyed a cold beverage near the church along with some souvenir shopping. Overnight in Barcelona, with an early morning departure for the airport and home.

I recently created a Shutterfly book of photos that Karen took while on this epic adventure. We will be able to look back on them with memories of another great trip.
Also, check out the photo gallery in the sidebar for some favorite pictures
used for our digital post cards.

Take vacations
to as many places as you can.
You can always make money.
You can’t always make memories.

“Back in the day” before we had access to computers and smart phones, there was basically one way to book a trip – through a travel agent. The travel section of the Sunday paper posted some fascinating trips that I could only dream of taking.

Today, we have so much information at our fingertips, in the comfort of our own home through search engines, such as Google. It’s easy to type in just about anything you want information on and receive a few suggested posts or websites. Once you find an interesting item, bookmark it for future research or information.

Tip: Create a file on your computer for Travel or for a specific trip. This makes it easy to find information that you have previously found to be helpful.

Here are some of the pages that you may find helpful, that I use on a regular basis:

Booking Companies –
Viking Ocean & River Cruises – viking.com
Carnival Cruise Lines – carnival.com
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines – rcl.com
Norwegian Cruise Lines – ncl.com
Expedia AARP – expedia.aarp.com
TripAdvisor – tripadvisor.com

Feedback/Information on excursions, hotels, cities, airlines, cruises and more –
TripAdvisor – tripadvisor.com
Cruise Critic – cruisecritic.com

Other –
UNESCO Sites – whc.unesco.org
U.S. Lighthouse Guide – unitedstateslighthouses.com
Washington, D.C. Cherry Blossom Watch – nationalcherryblossomfestival.org
Europe River Cruise Water Levels – rivercruiseinfo.com
Port Information – whatsinport.com

I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my bucket list.
–Susan Sontag

Here’s a few tips that I would like to share with you
about this luxury cruise line.
I’ve done your Viking homework for you!

1. Remember the old adage, “You get what you pay for”. Included in your fare are meals, WiFi, excursions in every port of call, wine/beer/soda at lunch and dinner, educational seminars about the ports of call. We’ve added these items up on other cruise lines and truly there is no comparison. Think luxury vs. fun ship. BTW, there is no casino on board!
2. All transportation to and from included excursions is provided by motor coach with a Viking approved guide and driver or boat taxi, as was the case in Venice.
3. The ships are small – only 930 passengers. This makes it easy to walk from dinner in the aft to a show following dinner in the forward. It also makes it nice boarding after a long day of sightseeing in port. You must be 18 to sail. There tends to be a younger crowd on Viking lately than when we took our first river cruise years ago. Then, we were the youngsters on board! Generally speaking, the adult atmosphere is our preference.
4. Viking senior staff is empowered to ensure that you are happily enjoying your cruise. Have a question or concern? Guest services will listen and resolve or elevate if necessary.
5. There’s a certain pride among the staff to be working on a luxury ship. They remember your name as well as your preferences at meal time.
6. There is a cruise director on board. We’ve enjoyed some pretty amazing talent as well. When we were on our first cruise with Viking Star, we checked out the shows in the Star Theater and recognized some of the talent that were on our next cruise on the Viking Sea!
7. If you miss lunch in the MDR, the Pool Grill is open later than MDR. They offer made-t0-order salads and sandwiches/hamburgers from a limited menu. There’s also a small salad bar with soup. Great way to get that complimentary wine/beer/soda by 2PM too! We usually manage to get a refill to go!
8. Looking for late night pizza or ice cream or a snack? Well, the buffet closes at 9PM. So you are either going to have to order from room service or visit Mamsen’s.
9. Your reservation also includes a couple of opportunities for other dining venues, such as Manfredi’s Italian or Chef’s Table. We love eating at Manfredi’s. But, be sure to get a reservation in early as it’s a popular place and is only open from 6PM-9PM. I didn’t care for the menu at Chef’s Table. Be aware of the menu offerings at the Chef’s Table as they do not change daily.
10. Pre- and Post-Excursions through Viking can be rather expensive in my opinion. But that’s a personal choice only you can make. We normally do not have time to extend our vacations beyond the cruise dates.
11. Viking Air – if you decide to use this service, consider paying the $50 fee to choose your own flights. Often Viking Air will include one or two layovers and middle of the night flights, which we do not care for. Do your homework before you speak with a Viking Air agent. Ask them about your preferred flights to see if they can accommodate your request. Booking with Viking Air provides luggage service and transportation from the airport to the ship.
12. Included Excursions – Walking Tours – These are a great way to see the area with a local, knowledgeable Viking guide. But be aware, these tours often move faster than you may wish to walk.
13. Included Excursions – Motor Coach Tours – Depending on the distance, there may be a ‘pit stop’ scheduled. Be aware that there are often many buses traveling together so the restroom lines may be long. We have found that sometimes the driver has decided that the onboard restroom is not to be used. So you may want to limit your liquid intake! Some excursions combine a motor coach tour with a water cruise.
14. Excursions in general – Most allow for some time to explore and shop on your own. A meeting time and place is identified for return to the ship. Or you may wish to stay longer and take a taxi back. A comforting thought is that you can tell who is on a Viking cruise by either their red umbrella or their Quiet-Vox lanyard, or by the tour guides red jacket. If you do get separated from your group, feel free to approach any Viking tour guide for assistance. Also, see my previous post about gratuities for Viking Excursions.
15. Afternoon Tea is served daily at 4PM in the Wintergarden. A nice tiered display of sweet and savory goodies is provided. I’m not a hot tea fan, so I order a glass of ice cubes for my tea!
16. As this post is all about Viking Ocean, be sure to sign up on Cruise Critic for the Meet & Mingle for your selected cruise. It’s a great way to meet fellow travelers and senior cruise staff. And get a complimentary drink and passed hors d’oeuvres! We have enjoyed these M&Ms in the Explorer lounge as well as in the Wintergarden.
17. Dining – We generally prefer the World Buffet over The Restaurant. Both serve very similar daily menus. The World Buffet has an omelet station in the morning and a grill at lunch and dinner for more personalized food service. The desserts can have familiar names, such as Carrot Cake, but look different from what you expect. The Restaurant offers table service and a full course menu. Generally, be prepared to order all your courses, including dessert at the beginning of service. And don’t be shy! If it’s lobster night and you want two tails, order them! Early riser? Check out Mamsen’s for a delicious breakfast. There is interior as well as exterior (weather permitting) seating available for dining al fresco at the back of the ship, past the buffet.
18. Tender Operations – It is not always feasible for Viking to use a stationary docking pier. Some ports require using the lifeboats to tender you to shore. Assistance on and off the boats is provided by some great and muscular guys. I was virtually lifted from the boat to the ship during one rough water transfer.
19. Bottled water is provided as you leave the ship for excursions. And you are welcomed back on board with a warm refreshing towel.
20. There are game tables with a variety of electronic board games available which are pretty popular on Sea Days.
21. A library is provided with books relating to the voyage you are taking.
22. There’s plenty of quiet places on board to read or just nap. A favorite seems to be outside of the Wintergarden.
23. Entertainment is available in the Star Theater. Here you can hear informational port talks discussing local currency and destination history and culture tidbits and educational seminars as well as see nightly shows featuring musical talent and dancing. There is also music in the atrium on a regular basis – usually piano, guitar or string quartet. The nightclub features the house band which is pretty good.
24. The Explorer Lounge on select ships features an astrology seminar.
25. No photographers! You only have to pose for an ID picture for your room key/ship ID at check-in. Karen has the selfie process well in-hand and other passengers are only too happy to allow you to take their photo or to take yours as well.
26. Some cabins have an in-room amenity of binoculars. While these are pretty basic, it’s nice to have them available and they have come in handy on past trips.
27. If you need extra hangers, just ask your room steward. You can get as many as you need! No need to pack them from home in your luggage.
28. Nice golf-sized red Viking umbrellas are available in your stateroom or upon disembarking the ship on a rainy day.
29. There is a complimentary self-service laundry available on each deck. No need to bring soap! But you may wish to add a few dryer sheets to your packing list. It is usually quite a busy room at times. There is also an iron and ironing board available. And a folding table.
30. People love the hot tubs, Nordic wellness spa, steam room, sauna, fitness center, Snow Grotto, hair salon and more. We aren’t really “spa people” so have not partaken of this area of the ship, but the reviews from guests who have enjoyed these facilities are great.

Bonus: All cabins have balconies! There are no inside cabins. And yes, there are suites on board, but the price can give your wallet a shock!

As you can see by the above, we enjoy cruising with Viking. I have taken 2 river cruises (Tulips and Windmills & Danube Waltz) and 3 ocean cruises (Iconic Western Mediterranean, In the Wake of Vikings & Empires of the Mediterranean). And as of this writing, we have one more river cruise and 1 more ocean cruise booked for 2020 and a cruise idea for 2021. We’ve always booked direct with Viking in the past and have hit or missed with the quality of the agents. Our latest booking is through an agency that offers many additional perks that Viking does not offer. So, we are getting a much better deal for our money than ever before! Email me if you would like the name of our new agent. And, if you have questions about Viking cruises, please don’t hesitate to ask me!

The Viking Difference
Destination focused. Culturally enriching. Carefully curated.

Karen and I try to travel on or near our individual birthdays every year. Last year, we were in Cuba for Karen’s birthday. This year we headed to Tennessee…Nashville. Home of the Grand Ole Opry, BBQ, Hot Chicken and country music. I’m sure we’ll find other things to enjoy in the area, but we definitely plan to partake as many as possible! We are flying Southwest again – it’s a short 2-hour flight from DCA. It’s been many years since we were there so it’s going to be a very busy 3 days!

Our Southwest flight was a bit turbulent on the way to Nashville. But the crew was friendly. I love that the pilots wear American flag neckties. The ride from the airport to our hotel was fairly short; our room was ready when we checked in. We noticed that the balcony door (facing the main road) did not lock properly. A maintenance worker could not fix it so it was time to switch to another room, in another tower. Not what we wanted to do! Karen has Elite status with the hotel chain. We were very disappointed in our overall stay from the front desk to housekeeping.

The afternoon that we arrived in Nashville, we had tickets to visit Belle Meade Plantation. This was a renown horse breeding farm with many famous steeds in their stables over the years. Karen actually fed a peppermint candy to Seattle Slew’s grandson! The tour of the mansion was very interesting and our historian, Jeff, was knowledgeable as well as entertaining. Afterwards, we headed to the winery for a tasting of 4 Belle Meade wines. Karen and I enjoyed a delicious cheese plate at an outside table. I wish we had planned to spend more time at Belle Meade. All too soon, various buildings were closing and we were done way before we wanted to be!

Our next day started with a delicious breakfast at Puckett’s Grocery. Hand’s down, the best sausage gravy and fluffy biscuits I’ve ever had! And Karen enjoyed her Southern breakfast that included fried chicken, eggs and potatoes. We wandered the area and checked out a Woolworth’s restaurant, complete with original chairs. There were bands playing in many of the bars along Honky Tonk and Whiskey Way. It was a sight to see a tractor pulling a bar wagon full of patrons down the main drag. Day drinking is definitely alive in Nashville! Lots of bachelor and bachelorette groups partying on similar rolling bars. The rooftops of historical as well as newer buildings are full of bars, bands and patrons as well. We enjoyed bar-hopping and band-listening at John Rich’s Redneck Riviera, Blake Shelton’s Ole Red, Nudie’s Honky Tonk, Tootsies and a couple other places. We also enjoyed some great and unique bar food, such as homemade tater tots at Ole Red’s. YUM! Oh and Goo Goo Clusters! YES! We found a package with mini bite-sized Goo’s to enjoy. My Dad loved this candy and introduced us to it on our first trip to Nashville, many years ago.

We visited the Ryman Theater and Grand Ole Opry Backstage Tour, two very big venues for the Nashville area. If you do plan to purchase tickets for these venues, be aware that there is a distance between them. We took a 20-minute Uber for the trip. We had our picture taken on the Opry stage with the original circle of wood from the Ryman stage. We saw the dressing rooms for the stars performing at the Opry and heard stories about the Opry inductees.

Thankfully, there were no real mobility challenges on this trip. The sidewalks were wide and basically smooth. There are some elevated (hilly) areas to navigate depending on your destination. To get to the rooftop bars or basement rest rooms, simply ask an employee. They are only too happy to assist using the service elevators. Unless of course you prefer the stair-step exercise! All too soon, our visit to Music City was over. Time to start thinking about our next trip!

Don’t forget to check out the photos in the Nashville gallery in the sidebar!

Sign in a Bar:
WARNING
You are entering a Redneck Area.
You may encounter American Flags, Armed Citizens,
The Lord’s Prayer & Country Music.
Enter at your own risk!