I still have a few posts from our last cruise to catch up on, but I’ve been spending much of my time in a research mode for our upcoming World Voyage. We will be on our ship for 180 days and are expected to visit 37 countries. We will have an opportunity to take approximately 83 excursions, and there will be at least five, and sometimes many more, options from which to choose in each port.
Excursions open for booking on September 3, so the plan is to have our selections made before then. Although we won’t know which excursions will be available for another month or so, we do know which ones were available for this year’s cruises.
My goal, therefore, is to research the possible excursions in each port, see which one appeals to Tim and/or to me, see what the physical requirements might be, think about how the weather might affect a tour, and look at the costs. Since I know virtually nothing about most of our destinations, this is a mammoth job. Luckily, I have several sources which will be extremely helpful – blogs, forum posts, and guidebooks.
Blogs
Every morning after breakfast, I try to make time to read about the current adventures of the passengers on Viking’s 2023-2024 world cruises. Yes, there are two this year, one on the Viking Neptune and one on the Viking Sky, which we will be our ship.
Nine couples are blogging, and I am enjoying reading their posts. It’s fun comparing how each couple reacts to the same or similar situation, and I have learned so much from them.
The blog posts provide a description of the outings for the day, and many posts are quite detailed, with beautiful photographs of the sites visited. One blogger even provides a summary writeup of each excursion for future cruisers, with a general rating and tips. Posts include Viking-sponsored excursions, tours with private companies, and on-your-own visits.
I have been so impressed that most of the blogs are being kept up to date. That has certainly not been my strong point, and I’ve yet to figure out how I’ll manage.
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| Lots of Excellent Blog to Enjoy and Learn From |
Cruise Critic Forum Posts
Another great resource has been the “Live From …” forum posts on Cruise Critic from both the Viking Neptune and Viking Sky. Some of these posts include descriptions of excursions with photographs, which provide another perspective.
Members have also been very helpful in answering questions that I have posed, particularly about the updated itinerary around Africa. (Because of the current situation in the Red Sea, Viking made the decision to reroute the cruise from India and sail around Africa, thus skipping the Mediterranean ports. We don’t know if our cruise will follow the same itinerary.) I was so appreciative that two members scanned the list of excursions, with descriptions, for the new ports.
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| Cruise Critic Forum Posts Provide Tons of Useful Information |
Guidebooks
Guidebooks are the old standard for researching a particular destination, and I have scoured thrift shops for various guides. I haven’t made much use of them so far, but that will likely change as the time for departure gets closer.
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| I'll Get to the Guidebooks Eventually |
Historical Novels and Travelogues
I am a huge fan of well-researched historical novels and travelogues, and I have found that I can get a better understanding of a destination that way. I’ve already read a few, and I am adding more to my list.
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| So Many Great Novels and Travelogues to Read |
How to Organize the Research
I have only recently discovered Google Drive, and that is how I’m organizing all the research I’ve been gathering from these various sources. I started with a master folder for “Viking World Voyage.” Within, I created a separate folder for each port we’ll visit. I numbered each of these folders with the day we’ll be in port and added the name of the port. Then, within these folders, I’ve included Google Docs for cruisers’ descriptions of the various excursions, as well as any other relevant information or tips about the ports.
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| I'm Loving Google Drive |
Hopefully, this plan will make it easier for Tim and me to review the list of excursions in each port, read about what people liked and disliked, and make our own decisions. Wish us luck!
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