CDNPolar

Yep - this was exactly the incident. The daughter of the couple came to our table after orders were given and passed her business card to me. They have a business and wanted to send us product as a thank you. I never followed up because I did not move tables for a payoff, I moved because crew asked but if I had others joining us, I would have stood my ground and stayed at that table.

We have done it - just recently - but unfortunately we didn't take pics of the menus... Perhaps we will start. We are doing West Indies in October (ocean) and Grand European in November. We will take pics of all the menus and archive them.

Yes - this is all very interesting to say the least. We have been Viking loyal, but are not opposed to looking at other lines. We really cannot blame any company for wanting to ensure growth or market share, and sometimes for companies to grow they will disappoint some while enticing others... I only think that at the speed that the prices have been going up, and the quality starting to decline that public shareholders are going to want more profits which means squeezing margins where we don't want them squeezed. I think I also feel that the price point that Viking is at now, we expect the same or more in service and quality. That is where their downfall will be. Viking however - in my opinion - don't have the facilities for the mass market. They would have to take out the Planetarium and install a water slide and where would they put the smoke filled casino?

@pontac thanks for the "correction" and why I put "I might be wrong" and always happy when someone comes in and gives a better account of reality. Cheers! I have read that change of Chef does impact sometimes... and that modifications happen from time to time.

Wow... so sorry to hear this... Not a good review for Virgin or solo cruising.

I believe that the menus are always changing. We had a different menu each lunch and dinner (other than the always available) and then there were the locally inspired dishes each day. I think it also depends on the Chef onboard. I might be wrong, but don't think a menu from this year would be any indication of next year for so many reasons.

Viking runs different promotions at different times all year.

I have not done this pre-cruise extension but our first time in Budapest was late last year and we had two days there. We are going back this year and ending our river cruise there again, and I cannot wait. Budapest is an amazing city with so much to discover. Go for it.

The first thing I would do is EMAIL tellus@vikingcruises.com and indicate in detail your situation. Give them the type of wheelchair, the size of wheelchair, whether you also have and use a transfer chair, etc. Why? Whether you are sailing on Viking Ocean or Viking River, the first obstacle is getting that wheelchair on and off the ship. Very few gangways are flat or ramps. Many are stairs and can be quite steep. I agree about posting in Disabled Cruise Travel forum, but first let's make sure you can get on and off the ship before investigating the cruise ports. You may have significant issues as ships do not conform to the same accessibility standards as we expect in many countries around the world.

Nexus is absolutely about "comfort and convenience" for us. No doubt about it. We would pay much more than this new 5 year fee as long as they keep the speed of passage the same. Actually the price increase may well keep the membership numbers low enough for the speed of passing to remain the same!

Too many stories about this.. we were also told by a Cruise Director that they could be applied before final payment, but we would have to call reservations and effectively cancel our reservation and rebook. Good Luck with that! We opted to not even try. We all know that this would never end well. Understand that the vouchers are for future cruises and they do not expire. Keep them for later if that hundred bucks is that important to you.

Totally agree, but I think "management" today is afraid to offend anyone because of the potential social media attacks...

Know that in the World Cafe, you can walk up to the cooking - hot food section - and get a steak grilled to your liking anytime. There may be "hidden" options. Also on some ships around the back of the World Cafe across from the bar there is (on some ships) a cooking station there that offers options too.

We have always gotten the included tour even if it is sold out in advance. Not to worry.

It is not like China is not accustomed to large numbers of people.

I believe that cruise ship departure times from ports and sailing times can be a complicated thing to understand. It could be many reasons, one of which what time they can dock in the next port and the sailing time to the next port. We have been on many cruises where the departure time has been later than posted and never asked anyone specifically. Is there a reason you are asking this?

Yes! This is our experience. You can use this Viking OBC or SBC for gratuities. As long as it is something you are paying for onboard as it will be attached to your cabin invoice sometime after you board.

All due respect.... Viking's food offerings are often so plentiful and so many choices that perhaps if you have not experienced it you would take a limited selection on Gate1 to be plenty of choices. The way Gate1 food choices have been described above do remind us of Hurtigruten and that was our biggest complaint with Hurtigruten. There was not enough choice.

For us Budapest! We cannot wait to get back to Budapest which is where our River cruise disembarks in early December.

Agree... We went to a local restaurant two nights ago for dinner. This is a quiet - no blaring music - white tablecloths, intimate Italian specialty restaurant. Even without wine you are going to be looking at $250 for two with tip. This was always the type of restaurant that you got a little bit dressed up for, and we did. Not a tie, or jacket, but just cleaned up a bit like we would for a Viking evening meal. The guy that was in my view for the full meal was in jeans that looked like they had not been washed in months, and a thin (washed too many times) stretched out t-shirt. I put on better t-shirts for working in the garden. All around him were folks that were in from elegant casual to actually dressed up. This is what we see everywhere today. I am getting to the point of not fighting it or being worried about it. We will dress how it makes us feel good and to heck with everyone else. We will continue to follow Viking's dress code because we tend to be rule followers.

We have been talking about this a lot at home. Our view is that Viking to this point has presented a product that we love and because of that have sailed 10 or 11 times now (have to go back and count) and we have 4 future cruises on the books. We feel that Viking have controlled their product and kept their product reasonably dependable. I do believe that the pandemic hurt Viking like most other companies and had lasting impact, but somehow they kept the product in tact and that we as the guest did not see too much of that impact. We are afraid that with shareholders to please, that the product will start to erode and we will see a decline.

Was looking for this on one of our upcoming tours, but all are still open. There is a Sold Out banner somewhere over the shore excursion tile even before you click. Our experience is to book what you think you want - included or optional - and pay for the optionals immediately. If you decide you don't want one later, cancel it and you will get a refund to your credit card. Don't play the waiting game. Book sooner rather than be disappointed later.

Yes! And we sleep well because of that 30,000 steps a day

Great way to spend an OBC! Make it multiply!

Viking's lunch and dinner menus always have the "always available" at lunch and dinner, then the locally inspired 3 courses, then the dishes of the day... there is LOTS of selection on Viking's daily menus on River Cruises.