Embarkation – The Viking Sky
The Viking Sky exceeds my expectations. These pictures don’t do justice to it’s elegance and comfortable atmosphere. The staff and crew are pleasant and accommodating and most fellow passengers are friendly, but there are a few snobs. Many passengers have cruised with Viking multiple times and know each other. I’m one of the few first-timers.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours exchanging stories with my new friends Dick and Suzy Shaeffer and I unexpectedly ran into Kimberly, a friend from L@Sea fame. I also spent some time with Tamilla, a college professor from Florida who had also lived in Egypt when she was a little girl. Although most passengers are doing smaller segments, around 300 of us are embarking on the complete world cruise and most are wondering about our Red Sea and Suez canal crossing. Unfortunately, the Starlink satellite internet system is relatively slow. It tested at less than 8 Mbps upload and download speeds, probably inadequate for most digital nomads.
Despite the captain’s announcement of “high seas” today, I was pleasantly surprised by the ship’s steadiness, making it feel at times like we weren’t moving at all. The stabilizers must have improved since my cruising days in the mid 80s. I spent the day exploring the ship, attended a bridge class and participated in an ACBL-sanctioned game with six tables. My partner was a neat lady from N. Dakota. Becky and I came in 2nd.
The schedule is packed with intriguing enrichment lectures throughout the day, though it was frustrating to miss some due to overlapping timings. I also had the opportunity to meet the 30 or so solo travelers, and I’m glad to note that women outnumbered men significantly. Several of them were not only friendly but also outgoing, confident, and interesting.
Viking provides good food, excellent service, and there are many friendly people on board. They schedule many classy activities in a wonderful atmosphere. All in all, I think I’m going to enjoy my new lifestyle.
