ANOTHER VIKING CRUISE ADVENTURE (or misadventure)

This cruise must be the biggest disappointment we’ve had with Viking! In my previous blogs I described how this cruise company was the best in the industry since everything was “included”, no “under 18 years old” passenger, no casinos, no “nickel and dime charges”, etc. We booked this cruise mainly due to the itinerary: cruise the great Amazon River and the Western Caribbean. But in November we were notified by Viking that the Amazon River’s water level was so low it was not safe for the cruise liner to navigate there. What to do, what to do? We could not cancel the trip since we would automatically lose our money as per the cancellation trip policy.

Prior to the itinerary change notification we were already booked for our side trip in Rio de Janeiro which we could not cancel as it was non-refundable so we went ahead and continued on with the Viking’s new itinerary begrudgingly.

Viking gave us $500 per person onboard expenses and would give us 30% of our paid booking if we apply that for a future cruise! A generous amount to appease us but most of the cruisers we talked to are as disappointed and disgusted as we are for these itinerary changes! Viking also upgraded our staterooms to penthouse veranda with a minibar that is restocked daily – for free!

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – Puerto Rico’s capital and largest city, sits on the island’s Atlantic coast. Its widest beach fronts the Isla Verde resort strip, known for its bars, nightclubs and casinos. Cobblestoned Old San Juan features colorful Spanish colonial buildings and 16th-century landmarks including El Morro and La Fortaleza, massive fortresses with sweeping ocean views, as well as the Paseo de la Princesa bayside promenade. ― Google

Puerto Rico is a Caribbean Island and unincorporated territory of the United States with official Commonwealth status.

We took the included walking tour of the city that started at 2:00pm. The weather was a little more pleasant than Rio (mid-80’s and lower humidity). Right away, you could see evidence of the Spanish influence in the city. Centuries old two-story houses line the streets of Old Town, many of them brightly painted with pastel colors. We visited a very old Spanish fort that has withstood earthquakes and hurricanes.

Our tour guide/driver was a local guy who was extremely knowledgeable with the city’s history, culture and other trivia, He spewed names and dates without hesitation! In our next stop, I asked him if he was reading something to jog his memory and he said that he had been doing this same job since 1998! No wonder.