ClevelandKid

We have done two cruises on Viking Ocean, with another one signed up for.  We have generally liked the menu options available onboard, and we do recognize the limitations of having a floating kitchen, but as we head into our third cruise (still a year off), I would like to see how much interest exists for some sort of menu variation onboard.  The world cafe has many different kinds of dishes, but they can usually do only 5 to 7 different types of entrees, Manfredi's is Italian, and the Restaurant is nicely done American (steak, salmon, and chicken).  I wouldn't mind a small amount of rotating genres of dishes - Thai, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, etc.  I know the Chef's table does offer specialty dishes, but you take what is offered.  Even if it is only for room service and then only a couple of dishes a night.

We did a cruise in 2018 where the final payment was due 6 months before sailing.  We did another cruise in 2020 where the final payment was due 8 months before sailing.  We just signed up for a cruise in 2022 where the final payment is due 12 months before sailing.  Wondering if people have had the same experience?

Thanks all - today (June 30) is the end of one promo cycle - tomorrow is the start of the next.  Will see what is different (if anything) tomorrow.

On Viking's webpage where the give the details of the itinerary, there is usually a blurb that goes along the lines of "On board ship credit of $1,000 plus airfare from $999", and is then followed by "offer expires June 30, 2020".  I have been following some of the potential cruises for awhile now, and I can't say that I have seen very much difference between a current offer, and say one that shows up on July 1.  I thought I would put it out to this group what their experience is with "offer expires" - have you ever noticed a significant difference (except when the cruise is actually getting closer to the sailing date)?  Is it just a promo pitch to get you to sign up early, or do they really have a different offer?

Greetings all,

Each time a shore excursion wraps up, we fill out a questionnaire about our experiences (you know, on a scale of 1 to 5 how did you like...).

Are those available anywhere even in summarized form?  I am sure Viking won't give it out as raw data, but something/anything would be helpful in avoiding the duds.  Like letting the travel agents see something!

Of course, there is always this forum, but not everyone has done each excursion, so comparison shopping is hard.

Thanks,

Pat

22 hours ago, azdrydock said:

There was a TV story earlier today (don't remember the source) about nationalism and vaccines and the Oxford effort was quoted. The story essentially said that there is an outside chance it can be available in the EU in limited quantities by the end of the year but because of the US attitude that if it wasn't developed here by a major Pharm it can't be any good it is unlikely it will quickly gain US approval. The story went on  to trace the approvals of HIV and SARS vaccines and the offhanded rejection of the South Korean test kits. The US Pharms are making expensive and high risk investments  in development and manufacturing facilities. Oxford is teamed with a second tier US manufacturing company in  Mass. so do you think the big boys will risk a vaccine on the US market before they can grab a piece of the pie? 

The story went on to show how US developed vaccines were treated the same way in other countries around the world.

Not sure what to say to that.  I would think the pressure for a phase 4 clinical trial here in the states would be tremendous.  My guess is the second tier manufacturing company would get a buy out offer that they would find hard to refuse.  What would be far more interesting is to see how it gets priced.  If it is $1,000 a hit here, and it is $100 in Canada, I'm off to Canada.

There is a very promising article in today's NYT on a vaccine for covid-19

Here is the gist:

On 4/22/2020 at 1:41 PM, Redtravel said:

Viking has built their own ships that fit their experience.  In some places, they rent ships. These ships were not built to Viking specs.  

If memory serves me correctly, there is a law that requires ships plying American waters to be flagged as American (not a lawyer but I remember this was a problem getting supplies to Puerto Rico after the hurricane).  I think Viking rented some ships to comply with that.  Their Mississippi river boats are being built in America and will be flagged as American.  Once they come online, I think the rented boats disappear. 

4 hours ago, Squawkman said:

 

Agree - definitely a must-read. I believe all WAPO articles regarding Covid are free with no limit.

 

Notice no mention of anything Viking in the article.

Read it also - great article.  Might end up helping Viking as after reading that article there are definitely some other cruise lines I would avoid.

22 hours ago, PlanoTim said:

Pat,

We enjoy sea days too.  I never felt that the ship was crowded on sea days.  I can tell you that we were able to find deck space every time we tried.  I like shade more and wish there was more space in shade on the upper decks, though.  The lounge beds in the Lanai were usually occupied on sea days, but I usually prefer spaces that are more out in the air.  I was able to spend some time in the Lanai during the Jamaica day when I chose to stay onboard.  We spent some time on the Aquavit terrace (mostly in the sun), which was nice.  There are also some loungers (mostly in the sun) and other comfy furniture on Deck 8 that we used.

 

We were never bored on sea days.  We were traveling with my three sisters and their spouses, so we had plenty of built-in entertainment.  I can tell you that we enjoyed the trivia and the Name That Tune in the Explorer’s lounge on sea days.  There were some wine/spirit tastings that were good.  We also had a blast at the Kitchen Table.  Check with the folks at guest services to arrange those.  We did the “Caribbean” Kitchen Table experience on a sea day and thought it was well worth the fee.  The Caribbean one isn’t done as much as the others (French, Italian?), so the chef had fun with it too.

 

As for excursions, we enjoyed each one.  We did the Trolley or Conch Train Tour in Key West.  We rode the Trolley for maybe ¾ of the way and then got off and did our own thing as we ate and drank our way back to the ship.  It was a fun day.

 

In Cozumel we did the Salsa & Salsa excursion and it was really fun.  We hung around the resort for a while after the Salsa & Salsa part was done and then they arranged for a cab to take us the short way back to the ship.

 

 Belize was lots of fun with the Sharks, Rays & Island Getaway excursion.  We all had a blast.  The tour operators were fun and we had good snorkeling with the rays and sharks.  We even came away with all our body parts.  The lunch on the island was nice, too.

 

We arranged our own excursion with Radical Catamaran Adventures on Roatán.  My review can be found here:

 

 

Costa Rica was our major disappointment.  We had planned the ATV Ride & Rain Forest Trek but the tour operator had equipment issues and had to cancel.  We did the included tour in its place which was okay.

 

In Panama the guys in our party did the Panama Canal by Ferry.  It allowed us to see most of the canal and we enjoyed it.  Our wives did the Emberá Indian Village visit.  They liked it and all came back with some souvenirs and nice stories.

 

The Jamaica excursion was the included Rose Hall Great House & Shopping.  I wasn’t feeling 100% so didn’t bother going.  I think it everyone else thought it was okay, but not great.  We had considered doing our own (non-Viking) excursion, but never found anything that looked great.  We’ve done resort day passes before but didn’t do one on this day.

 

Please let me know if you’d like me to expand on any of these.

 

I hope this helps some.
Tim

Thanks Tim,

I am going to print out your reply and store it (because by the time Viking posts 2022 sailings, this post will be at the very back of the boards).  It is excellent to have the input, but I am not sure what shore excursions are going to survive in a post covid world.

I am heartened by your description of life on board on during sea days, especially that there was space on the sunnier decks during the day.  January and February in Cleveland tend to be very dark and gloomy, and I really like getting out in the sun.  As a thought, you could always move your veranda table and chairs into the room, take a towel and just lie on the veranda.

Once Viking posts the 2022 schedules and assuming we can get a spot (I am sure priority will be given to those who were on cancelled cruises), I might contact you and get more info.

Thanks,

Pat

4 hours ago, PlanoTim said:

Hi, ClevelandKid.  We did this cruise earlier this year (Jan/Feb).  I don't really have time to compose a review, but I'd be happy to try and answer any questions you may have.

Tim

Thanks Tim,

I guess I have two main areas for questions - given the number of sea days (which for us is an attraction), I was wondering what Viking does for its passengers on those days?  I was also wondering, with all passengers on board and awake how crowded some parts of the ship got?  Especially the parts of the ship that are out in the sunshine.

The second is, after 2 cruises, we have found that some shore excursions are hit/miss.  In the promo paragraph, they all sound great, but some work much better than others.  Did you  have a favorite?

Thanks,

Pat

4 hours ago, rbslos18 said:

 

Small world. I also grew up in University Heights on Channing Road. I went to Northwood Elementary and then Wiley Jr. High.

 

If you like sea days, this should be great. We are scheduled for the 12/20 sailing. We have done 30+ cruises but the trend toward mega ships and the growing absence of promenade decks isn’t for us. We love sea days. We have done all of these ports multiple times. We can’t wait to do transatlantic cruises with Viking once we retire.

Went the parochial route - Gesu, St. Iggy, John Carroll.  Northwood is gone and is now a city park.

We haven't done a cruise on a different line, so I can't say you will like it more than...  But, we have been very happy with our cruises on Viking, they take very good care of you.  There is enough of a variety to make the meals interesting (check out the Chef's table).

In response to lextrvlr, I think what Viking will do, is first (obviously) lock down the ship, making sure everyone coming on is clean and clear.  How they do that I am not sure, but if I was an investing man, I would be on blood tests getting a lot better.  Next, they will have to lock down the shore excursions - shopping will be out, beach time (on appropriate cruises) will be on isolated beaches.  Tour guides will have to be clean and clear, and tour vehicles will have to be disinfected between uses.  And no mixing with the local populace, no matter what.  I suspect that will be the norm through at least the early part of 2021.  Hopefully by then a vaccine will either be ready or nearing the end of clinical trials.

Fingers crossed!!

34 minutes ago, rbslos18 said:

Yes. We have been to all of the ports. They are nice to visit. The attraction of this cruise for us are the days at sea and it's  the exact days we have off!  It is also a chance for us to experience our first Viking Cruise. Did you go to High School in Cleveland. I'm a Heights High Grad.

Life long University Heights resident (so I would be in the Heights High district).  My wife and her siblings all graduated from Heights High (I think she was in the class of '77), I am a St. Iggy grad myself.  Except for the model of cars, the Heights would look very much the same as when you went to school here.  However, Heights High got a complete makeover so it looks very different.

The first cruise we did in 2018 had a couple of unplanned sea days because bad weather kept us from going into the port.  The second cruise we did in February we did a shore excursion every day, and while it was fun we realized we liked the days off, hence our interest in this cruise.  Prior to Covid, I am not sure if this was a cruise Viking would offer again, as shore excursions are a large part of both the attraction and revenue stream. They do not have it listed for 2022. Now with Covid, I suspect they will offer it again, and have other cruises with more sea days.

On 4/18/2020 at 9:59 PM, rbslos18 said:

We have done this cruise on Princess 2 or three times. If you haven’t been through the Panama Canal, it is a thrill and fascinating. There is some great (and disturbing) history to learn. We are taking this cruise late December. It’s our first with Viking.

Thank you - did you hit the same ports as Viking will?  Any tidbits on those?  Once again, thanks for sharing your experience!

Hi,

Looking for any reviews/feedback for anyone who has been on this cruise.  I understand there was a version of this a couple of years ago that included Cuba - looking for info on the non-Cuba part.  Costa Rica is the only stop I am familiar with as a tourist.  I have been to Honduras, but that was in the central part of the country, not up by Roatan.

Thanks for any info!

4 hours ago, rbslos18 said:

 

As a former born and raised Cleveland Kid myself, I would be careful with the comparison between the seasonal flu and CORVID-19. The seasonal flu does not reach the level of being a pandemic. CORVID-19 spreads fast and is around 10 times more lethal according to Fauci. My guess is the percent is higher for seniors. I have never seen the CORVID-19 type drain on hospitals made by the seasonal flu. I for one do not want to risk a treatment not working. By the time the treatment is given, the damage may be done. I also can’t recall the flu season being a national emergency. Sadly, I believe we will all have to wait for a vaccine or widespread testing. But even with testing it only shows who has the virus at that moment. What if the virus does not show on tests fo a few days. This is a tragic mess but we will get through it!

RB

Sorry if I gave the impression that I thought it was as bad as the seasonal flu - it is not, it is much worse.  I was trying to highlight what we don't know.  We don't know the denominator! The University of Washington model (the one most often cited) is now showing 61,000 deaths in the US, down considerably from the earlier estimate of 100k - 240k deaths.  Here is Ohio, our death rate is .2%, compared with 1% for New York.  Is that because of Ohio's aggressive closures early on, or a difference in testing, or an indication of other factors?  We just don't know because testing is so limited.  In the Cleveland area you can't get tested unless you have symptoms, so the true count is much larger, which may mean the death rate might be much lower. Testing, testing, testing, testing.  

There are a lot of unknowns behind most of these assumptions - without accurate testing, we are guessing what the death rate is.  What happens if it is no worse or slightly worse than the seasonal flu? That is the direction that the updated modeling is heading towards.  How does that change people's calculations?

It would take 18 months to develop a vaccine, but that is in the US with clinical trials, double blind studies, and other measures that are in place that make sure the vaccine works and is not worse than the disease.  But if another country (let's say China) develops a vaccine, skips the tests and distributes the vaccine and it works.  

And finally, we don't know how many people may use this as an excuse to retire.  There is always churn in the retirement age group - and there may be a large bump of the newly retired (and relatively healthy) people looking for something to do (assumes the stock market does bounce back in some fashion).

For anyone hopping on the tail end here, just a recap -

Several people think the cruise industry is going to contract, perhaps more so among the cruise lines that cater to 10 trillion people onboard at any one time.  

There is some concern about Viking because its base are older people who would be more at risk to the cornovirus than younger people. 

European countries, which depend on tourism, but not to the extent that Caribbean or South American countries do, may either restrict cruise lines or ban them all together.  That would put a major cramp in Viking's River Cruises.

Viking is a private company, and is not required to produce financial documents, and as such there financial health is unknown, but people who have knowledge of their current operations say that they are going the extra mile to keep their employees.

And a final thought of my own - I would not be surprised if a lot of ocean cruises will have itineraries that feature more days at sea than they have in the past at least for the first couple of post covid years.

6 hours ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

But on a high-density cruise, with shore excursions, pax (and crew) would have to be tested every day, and could be far out at sea, so much harder to do isolation if positives are found.  And to find a port willing to take the sick.

 

 

I am going to be more than a bit cynical here - the cruise industry is worth billions of dollars, with a strong lobbying capabilities in a lot of countries.  I am betting that some laws get changed that would allow cruise lines to do things like changing what you can sue them for, etc.  Shore excursions may change so you are required to stay with a group and are not allowed to mingle except with fellow passengers and the tour guide.  And for the quite foreseeable future, you will be required to sign a waiver acknowledging the risks.  I am 65, in good shape with few health concerns - I may take that risk.

We did the West Indies in February, and had a norovirus scare onboard.  Viking really turned the screws as to what you could do onboard (no self serve anywhere, no pool, and other restrictions).  Just some thoughts from someone who thinks companies have different priorities than us individual people do.

10 hours ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

And that will likely be several months after an effective vaccine is widely available.  No one should expect any cruises to happen before that.

 

12-18 months seems to be the timeline to get an approved vaccine.  Then there will need to be some months for the cruise community to get vaccinated.  And likely more time for ports to be accepting of ships full of cruisers coming ashore for shore excursions.  Expect to have to have proof of vaccination.  And likely the ships will have to do periodic passenger/crew tests, etc.

 

Bottom line, no cruises likely for 18-24 months.  Sorry 😞

 

 

There is a scenario where it comes back sooner - but it is dependent on universal testing with quick (15 minutes) turnaround time.  That may be pie in the sky, but that is what a lot of land based businesses (at least in my neck of the woods) are hoping for.

Hanoj - thanks!  A strong light on financial operations, and certainly something to worry about.  Viking has been expanding at a tremendous rate, and may have overstepped its abilities to meet future debt payments.  A thought based on your post - I wonder if they would delay the completion date of the expedition ships.  If the shutdown is 2 - 3 months, I would guess no, but if it is longer they may have to.

13 minutes ago, blacksmith said:

Viking and every other cruise line will do exactly what they always do. They will charge the highest fare they can and still be competitive. Their prices will be dictated by what it takes to fill their ships. 
I suspect that many will attempt to cut operating costs and hope nobody notices. Risky.

One area that isn't given a lot of thought, is Viking is only partially in the cruise business.  In a very real sense, they are also in the banking business.  They collect their fares in full 6 to 8 months in advance, and then they invest those funds (or at least I assume they do - they may just use those funds to pay the expenses that hit today).  So there may be a lot of incentive to fully book as many cruises as possible once things get back to normal.

Here is a question that can help while away the time - 

Once Covid-19 has run its course and Viking is back in business, do you think they will up their prices to make up for lost revenue, offer deals to entice people back, keep their prices unchanged, or some variant of all three?

On a more pleasant note - we are interested in doing the Caribbean in January or February 2022. Viking has released the dates for some of their longer cruises (3+ weeks) but not yet for the 10 to 15 day cruises. Does anyone know about when Viking releases their full schedule for that time period?

thanks!!

I was a bit disappointed in the prices for the Great Lakes cruises.  I live right on Lake Erie, so the attraction of doing something unique close to home is there.  However, for what they are charging, we could drive that route, staying at first class hotels, dining 5 star every night, and still spend a lot less than the fare for just one person.  I think we will let them sail a few years and have them recoup some of their investment (which hopefully will allow them to drop their prices).  If it was in the same ballpark as the ocean cruises (on a per night rate), we would consider it.