Hobson1754

Really - I looked for a magnifying mirror but couldn’t find one & I used that desk/slots for my makeup. We were on Mars in a DV wonder if they’re not doing it on new ships!

That sounds different - must try that on my next cruise, followed by a Mamsens waffle of course😂

I get that - for us however we have to fly to go anywhere outside UK & if it meant not being able to afford Viking now that we’ve discovered it (which is quite likely in the future by the way) we would probably just holiday in Spain, Italy etc. - basically anywhere we can get to from our local airport - while we can be bothered with the hassle.

Many thanks - I’m sure we will. Really excited now that we’ve experienced Viking.

Delighted that they also enjoyed it - we met so many lovely people on this cruise, lots from US (only 40 Britains on board) that we may have spoken to them 😂

Yes - hope he’s on our next cruise

P&O were our last cruise pre-Covid before this Viking cruise & we did have a great time but in our opinion there really is no comparison. The biggest plus is because it’s smaller it definitely is more personal with unbeatable service & attention to detail.

Yes - although the carpenter had done as much as he could & it was much better, my husband used 3 pairs of socks to wedge doors each night to ensure it was completely silent 😂😂

Apologies - forgot to mention our take on the Entertainment. We aren’t ones for big production shows we’ve had previously on other ships and thought the shows in the theatre were ok - we don’t always stay all the way through. I will give mention to one show however, where they performed Queens Bohemian Rhapsody - I was very pleasantly surprised- they did a great job of it. We prefer the individual guitarists, singers etc and found them excellent on this ship. The singer on Mars was Paulo who we thought was great and also the Viking Band were very good. We spent most nights finishing off in Torshavn listening and dancing to these entertainers and much preferred it to entertainment we’ve had previously on other ships. In fact we think we’ve enjoyed our after dinner entertainment more on this ship than at any cruise before - even though it was probably more limited. The guest speakers were also very good. One of them was so funny, he was asked to do a spot in Torshavn when the guitarist took ill and went down a storm. All in all very happy with entertainment.

Just as Poulsbo Cruisers, we have also just returned from our first Viking cruise - Viking Mars, Trade Routes of the Middle Ages on 27th September, also from Bergen. I’ll start by stating categorically that we absolutely loved it and (me in particular) didn’t want to get off!! We have cruised on and off now for 30 years or so, with a variety of cruise lines - Celebrity, P & O, RCC, Holland America, Premier etc and in our opinion - and of course it is just our opinion - Viking are head and shoulders above the rest. When we first started to cruise we always felt there was a ‘wow’ factor, particularly at dinner and over the years this has diminished and to a certain extent I feel Viking has put this back into cruising for us. I’m not saying there wasn’t a couple of niggles but by and large everything was fab. First off the Ship - it was beautiful with furnishings that are classy, quality and elegant. Think it’s also just the little things about the ship e.g. beautiful throws, some cashmere, over most of the sofas and chairs as well as the sculptures etc. dotted around the ship. We were still finding little quiet spaces dotted around the ship the day before we got off. We stayed in a DV cabin and whilst it would have been nice to have a PV, for the amount of time we spent in our cabin it was fine with everything we needed. Spotlessly clean and again quality furnishings with touches we’ve never had on other cruise lines - bathroom in particular was super. If I had one issue it would have been to have more wardrobe space but we managed. We also had an issue with the wardrobe doors rattling quite a bit during some stormy nights, but when reported they were on it immediately, with the carpenter out a few times until it was sorted and followed up by the chief housekeeper to see if we were happy. The fridge was restocked every day with the soft drinks we wanted and as requested at the start of the cruise, our Cabin Steward brought ice and lemon/lime every afternoon for the drink we usually have getting ready for dinner. Cabin Steward and in fact all staff were exceptional and couldn’t do enough for you and I did feel that the staff wanted to go the extra mile. The happy, smiling, friendly faces of all the staff as you walked around the ship are a testament to Viking and speaking to many of them, they definitely feel happy working for Mr Hagen as opposed to other cruise lines - particularly as they get free WiFi to contact their families. By day 3 the hostess at the restaurant, drinks staff and some waiters weren’t asking for our Cabin number and were calling us by name - amazing!!! Personal service went above and beyond. Now food - apart from the first night when I just chose the wrong meal, we didn’t have a bad meal. Apart from 3 nights in Chefs Table and 1 night in Manfredi’s the rest of the time we ate in the Restaurant, which we found really good. Manfredi’s was our least favourite, which just goes to to prove that it’s all down to personal preference and I would guess different ships. We never ate in World Cafe apart from 1 breakfast, as we aren’t especially keen on buffets, although other passengers we spoke to were singing it’s praises. We also loved Mamsen’s - the waffles were amazing and afternoon tea in Winter Garden was lovely - finding the space in my stomach for it not so good however. Excursions - apart from 1 (Honfleur at Le Havre) we also used the included tours and some were better than others. We especially loved Bergen, Honfleur and Bruges. We’re not overly keen on sitting on a coach for a long time and waiting around for latecomers getting back to the coach - in a couple of ports we didn’t bother with tours as we’d been many times before and knew the area well. The excursion at Amsterdam was another little niggle as the organisation was chaotic. Think the tour provider had let them down and, after waiting nearly an hour for the canal tour we gave it up as a bad job and did our own thing, Viking were very apologetic. I appreciate Viking is a lot more expensive than other lines but because we has the SSP, our onboard bill at the end was zero so I think what is included within the overall price has to be taken into consideration. On previous cruises our bill at the end has always been around $1200 - 1500 for excursions, drinks etc. As I said previously think it’s all down to personal preferences and experience. I could go on and on and as you will guess from my review we’re now big Viking fans and in fact have booked another for next year - roll on September. We’re not wealthy and, after next year we don’t know when or if we’ll be able to afford another Viking cruise but, having experienced Viking I’d rather not cruise than go back to the large lines with 4000 - 6000 passengers!

Yes you should be fine - as previous contributors have stated staff bend over backwards to help you. Service is fantastic.😀😀

Hi ‘bookbabe’ - we are now on our Viking Mars cruise and as promised I’m letting you know re Pillow situation. Well I ‘bit the bullet’, took a risk and left my pillow at home🥲. When we boarded I asked for a memory foam neck pillow & they did provide a memory foam pillow but nothing like my Tempur shaped neck pillow - yes, should have listened to you Molymoo. Mine does weigh nearly 1 & half kilos and that was the issue in packing it for a cruise, but now regretting leaving it at home, however it isn’t the end of the world. This is our 1st Viking cruise & as I write this only Day 3 of 15 and so far loving it. It’s head & shoulders above other cruise lines we’ve been on. Pillow issue is only a very minor blot on the landscape.

We go tomorrow & it’s the 1st stop for us - Manfredis & Chefs Table 😀

I agree. We also feel that dinner should be quite leisurely & for us take up best part of the evening, chatting & socialising. I suppose that individual ships & chefs will impact to some degree on taste & presentation. As a Viking newbie, I think I was more concerned with the aspects of waitress ‘being too busy to bring drinks menu’, and being ignored for 20 minutes etc. Nevertheless I’m going with a positive open mind. 7 days & (still) counting. 😄😄

Stay safe & enjoy your G&T’s

That’s great, thanks. Doesn’t look as if the prices have increased since the last price list I saw on CC.😀

Thanks - pleased to hear that. I was quite concerned when I read Dr Koob’s report of his cruise experiences.

Thanks for that - whatever cruise we’ve been on I’ve always managed to fill all closets, drawers etc. I really should try to pack more efficiently/frugally but like to have lots of choice 😂😂

Good to know Twitchly, we’re going to be on Mars starting 27th Sept. but only in DV so hoping if you’re not using all your space, DV is going to work out for us - bearing in mind I’m not a light packer 🤪 Hope you’re having a great time. BTW how has the restaurant service & food been?

How awful - a bit scary for all on board I’m sure. Hope everyone’s ok, the ship inspection shows no damage & you’ll be on your way soon 🤞🤞 Keep us posted.

Can’t wait to try their famous waffles - 11 days & counting 😜

Excellent news, many thanks. The tempur neck pillow is exactly what I have. It will save weight & so much space in my case if I don’t have to take it.😅😅

Yes thanks for this - it’s more the firmness of the pillow rather than the content. I suppose it’s just what you get used to.

Yes will do that - think I’m probably going to take my Tempur unless someone comes back with something more definitive, but will ask whilst on board. Certainly worth knowing if Viking meets expectations and we want to cruise with them again.

Yes, thanks for the replies - I’m always fearful that I won’t sleep well on uncomfortable pillows, so, if no-one has any experience of being provided with one I’ll take my own - just a little bulky to pack😂