David

If you are talking about the Restaurant and not Manfredi's or Chef's Table, all you need do is appear at the Restaurant with your party at whatever time you want to dine and they will seat you pretty much immediately. Not sure why some sailings allow advance reservations at the Restaurant and others do not, but it is irrelevant. Getting into the Restaurant when you want to without a reservation is not a problem. As for Manfredi's and Chef's Table, because Viking allows suite passengers 3 reservations in each restaurant, often the best dates and times are not available for DV passengers to reserve in advance. But if you go straight to the dining reservations desk at Customer Relations as soon as you board the ship, they will probably be able to accommodate you for at least one reservation at each specialty restaurant at a time that is suitable for you. To dine a second or subsequent time at one of these restaurants, you will probably need to see the maitre' d for each restaurant when it opens.

We are scheduled to Board Viking Venus in Bergen on June 3. Originally we were going to fly from Newark to Bergen via Frankfurt on June 2, arrive June 3 and Board the ship. But we were able to get a nonstop flight from Newark to Bergen on June 1, so we switched our flight (not with Viking) and booked a hotel in Bergen overnight on June 2. I have had several conversations with a very reliable Viking rep (i.e., I deal with her often and if I have a question, she will often seek confirmation regarding her answer before our conversation ends). She advised me to be certain to get our PCR COVID tests not earlier than the afternoon of May 31 to ensure we had our tests within 72 hours of boarding the ship. I had previously made appointments to get our tests at 9:30 a.m. on May 31. When I asked her if that was going to be too early, at first she said she thought that it would; but then I reminded her of the 6-hour time difference between EDT and Bergen. In effect, even if we Board the ship at 2 p.m. Bergen time on June 3 (and we plan to Board right at 11 a.m. when check-in begins), at 2 p.m Bergen time it would be 8 a.m. EDT, which means the 9:30 a.m. appointment on May 31 would still fall within the actual 72-hour timeframe. She then checked with a supervisor and confirmed this. Of course our flight arrangements do not required an intermediate stop in the US before connecting to an international flight. Also, the place where we are getting tested provided results of full PCR tests within a few hours, so we should know by later on May 31 if we tested positive -- before we leave for our 3-hour drive to Newark airport. Having taken several Viking ocean cruises and over 50 cruises since 1995 -- but none since March 2020 -- and both of us being in our mid-70s with at least one of us immunocompromised, we do recognize the risk of cruising at this time. We also recognize the likelihood of being tested daily while on the ship and the requirement of isolation for 10 days if we test positive. And we recognize that the daily tests aboard the ship, while unique to Viking and providing a two-way safety net for both the cruise line and passengers, also elevates the chances of any passenger testing positive during a multi-week cruise. Had this not been our 50th anniversary, I think we may well have at least considered opting for some other type of travel which did not require continuous testing virtually throughout our trip. But this is a special one, with a bucket-list itinerary that includes a private 4-day tour of western Ireland after the cruise, so we plan to go, wear masks at the airport, during the flight and in busy indoor locations to the extent that is possible, and hope for the best.