Shoalwater

As a CCL stockholder I say go for it, revenue! As a cruiser, I now sail Viking Ocean.

This is an excellent thread and vehicle for reporting on and keeping up with the 2017/18 WC. For those of us considering the 2019 WC can I ask a few questions?

1) How would you rate the sea days activities? What type of activities have been offered? I assume you have had a fair share of enrichment lectures and of course the afternoon bridge games, but any other type of action?

2) How would you rate the evening after dinner entertainment? Has Viking mixed guest entertainers with their on-board ensemble of singers and dancers (1,2 or 3 dance couples?). What type of guest entertainers have you had? Magicians, comedians, singers ( of course Heather is included and well appreciated).

3) How has the table service been in the main dining room in terms of time? Exceptional, adequate, or needs to improve? The staff on our Amazon cruise worked their tails off but IMHO just has too many tables to handle and so things sometimes dragged out.

4) Same question about service at lunch out on the open deck 7 aft of the buffet. We were often finished eating our meal before the beverages arrived or we had even seen a waiter to ask for something. It was a little better at the pool bar.

5) Later as time progresses it would be interesting to get an evaluation of the Chef's Table fixed menus. If I recall correctly, the more traditional include Venetian, Marco Polo, a Chinese one with Peking duck, and a few Nordic offerings. I understand Viking intends to bring aboard new chefs along the way to make new menus available.

Last, when any of you see Heather, could you ask her if she is scheduled for the 2019 WC, and if not, does she think viking will continue to follow the formula used on your cruise? It's very different I hope from what they follow for shorter 1-2 week voyages.

Many thanks for any input, and we'll continue to follow this thread and your comments with great interest as we approach final payment for the 2019 WC.

Shoalwater, May I ask what concerns you expressed to Viking about the 2019 WC and what their answers were? My husband and I just had a lengthy discussion about the cruise and we are about to make a down payment. My only real concern is that there are 73 Sea days to 55 days in port. I worry about cabin fever, and although I don’t go in much for the evening spectaculars (if any) I would like some good education and entertainment during the day. That and a good hair salon, which Viking promises they have!

There is a very lengthy, very informative and very interesting roll call thread for the 2017 WC. We aren’t doing a WC - though I would love to, but I highly recommend that anyone considering doing so, read all the way through it.

Viking Sun 12/15/17 World Cruise

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2411108

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First, Jim Avery currently aboard V. Sun for the WC has started a thread at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2578678. This is sort of a "Live from" thread and lots of info about the current WC should appear there (it has already). I plan to keep referring to this thread for updates about how Viking is managing their first WC.

When talking with the Viking Cust. Relations rep, I raised concerns about dining room staffing, perhaps a general issue fleet wide. I also drilled down about my issues with shipboard activities and worries that a schedule like we had for the Amazon cruise would be a deal breaker for buying the WC. You can read my issues in my review, no point in repeating here (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2582323 ). I'm not asking for glitz and glamour, over the top Broadway extravaganzas. Its more a question of variety, something additional to classical trios playing in public spaces after dinner or audience participation games in the main theater or a "classic" old movie also available on the cabin tv as the evening entertainment. I understand they have a bridge master aboard who is teaching classes and organizing play on sea days The rep did understand my points as she has cruised on other lines, so I am confident she got my drift. She did say that the home office was already planning the 2019 WC, and intended to use the same formula as for this year's voyage. Remember, the Viking WC is not sold in segments, so all passengers are aboard for the whole enchilada. She said it's Viking's intention to keep them interested by adding variety through bringing in variety acts in addition to the Viking singers and dancers, who will perform Viking production shows such as they are. They will also rely on folkloric shows. I imagine these will be more for ports where we overnight of have late departure. They will also be bringing in chefs to change up the dining room menus, and will add new menus for the Chef's Table that are related to the area where we are cruising. I take all these comments at face value and will base my go/ no go decision at final payment on the experience of the 2017/18 WC underway. The ship is great, and very enjoyable on sea days. The enrichment and destination lecturers for all of our three Viking cruises have been outstanding, and these will be changed out as the voyage progresses. So where am I? I trust Viking to do what they have professed, but will use the current WC as my barometer. If things continue as they seem to be doing on this present WC I think most of my concerns will have been answered in their favor.

Hello. I have a question regarding the Deluxe Veranda on Viking Sea. I get the feeling that the accommodations are not identical on all the VO ships. Does the Deluxe Veranda on Viking Sea have electrical outlets and USB ports at the bedside tables? I’ve seen some reviews mention this, but the 360-degree view on the cruise line’s web site doesn’t show them. Also, does the lamp on the desk have USB ports in the base?

 

Thanks,

Tim

Yes to 110v outlets and 2 USB ports by each nightstand in DV category, plus 5 USP connections in the desk lamp. Then 2 each (110v/220v) outlets alongside each side of the desk, and a few wall outlets too. Also the arrangement of the closet is different between V1/V2 (alongside the bed, inconvenient to access) and DV (opens along the entry corridor). V1/V2 only have 3 small drawers (some ships may have modified half of the closet by inserting a 3 drawer unit that's half height). DV have 12 drawers, plenty of space.

We are booked on a Viking in Jan with a category V1 or V2. We have been on over 18 other ships but this is our First Viking.

 

Is there is any downside to being in a V1 or V2?

 

Will we be able to eat in the specialty restaurants?

 

Any insight would be GREAT!!!

The V1/V2 cabins have a paucity of drawer storage (3), and the closet is alongside the bed, making it tight to use. We were in one of these recently and I had to keep my clothes on the top shelf of the closet. leaving the drawer space to the Mrs. Some of the newer vessels may have added a 3 drawer set in half of the closet, making it a short hanging side. The PV category is a bit larger, with a total of 12 drawers available plus a shelf. The closet opens up along the entry corridor. There are electrical receptacles in the walls by the bedside nightstands along with 2 USB charging points. There are 2 each 110v/220v outlets alongside the desk and the desk lamp had 5 USB charging points. No problem to reserve the specialty restaurants, especially if you do so at lunch up in the buffet (port side) on the day you board.

Shoalwater, if you are monitoring this thread, there is quite a bit of different evening entertainment and fantastic enrichment lectures. I think Heather, the cruise director, who has done numerous WCs has worked diligently to put together entertainment that works well for this audience.

Thanks. Keep us up to date as the voyage progresses. We had excellent enrichment and destination lecturers aboard our troubled Amazon cruise as well. Viking seems to excel in this area, and we were planted in the theater for most of them. Heather is truly one of the best CDs we've ever had the pleasure of sailing with, and it's our fondest wish that she'll do the 2019 World Cruise. Please ask her for us when you see her. I had a good, long discussion today with a Viking Customer Service rep about things from the Amazon trip as well as the WC for 2019. The rep said the plan for the WC is far different than the other voyages, especially since it's sold as one voyage and not in segments. This means all passengers remain aboard the entire length, and that Viking is sensitive to do what they are able to avoid duplication. I am led to believe that you will have a host of guest entertainers to cover the sea days, and local, folkloric groups for port overnights. The rep also said its Viking's intention to shuttle in new chefs to keep the menus varied and different. My wife and I truly want to take the 2019 WC, and if this promised plan is followed on your WC, we'll be relieved. So, keep your reports coming and have a great cruise.

Very, very unlikely to see any Viking or most other major cruise operator sail to the Antarctic due to fuel restrictions implemented following the sinking of the MS Explorer off the Antarctic Peninsula in 2007. Ships are now banned from burning or carrying heavy fuel oil and must instead use marine gas oil, which is cleaner but considerably more expensive. Story at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/cruise-news/8654371/Fuel-regulations-send-Antarctic-cruise-costs-up.html

Thanks for sharing your interaction with Viking. Was there any acknowledgement that they need to do better in the areas where many have suggested they are falling short?

The rep said she is collecting passenger comments for her report to corporate staff. She had no real answers for why things were as they were, but said her job was to uncover the thin spots so they can be fixed. I said I was glad they were doing this, and that with 6 ships on the ways (under or planned for construction) ignoring passenger comments is at your own peril. The proof will be in the pudding.

I just enjoyed a long conversation with a Viking Ocean representative following up on evaluations of the Amazon cruise. I would say that Viking listens, and the rep was not defensive nor did she try to substitute constructive criticism with excuses. I trust they will take the comments offered by many and use them to build and improve their brand and offerings. She was able to address many of my concerns about the World Cruise in 2019.

Dear Shoalwater. Thank you for taking the time to post your comments. I am in agreement with some of the others in this thread - I don't need to be 'entertained' at night, which is one of the many reasons Viking suits me. In the evenings I am happy to sit and chat to fellow travellers, to watch the world go by, and / or have a glass of wine in the lounge. Broadway productions etc would be wasted on me. I would be interested to read some of the reviews you have completed after your many Princess cruises - it seems to me you might be a glass half empty kind of guy. No disrespect intended - but rather than wanting to change Viking into what you want it to be, why don't you just stick with Princess if they give you what you want and let people like me enjoy Viking for what it gives us. Whatever you choose to do, I wish you safe travels.

Well first off, no disrespect taken. My opinions are what they are, but I can say that a sampling of elevator, table and other discussions with passengers on our cruise indicated I am not alone. Not trying to change Viking, just provide unfiltered feedback. Second, I have not reviewed any of the 37 Princess cruises we've taken, but their package satisfies both preferences, yours and mine, even on the smaller ship. We enjoyed the brand for years, but it has migrated towards the mass market mega-ship paradigm, but not for us ( love the CCL stock price on the shares we bought at $15). We do tend to take longer voyages and enjoy sea days vs. port intensive travel. Not looking for over the top Broadway productions, but something more than Liar's Club or Some Like it Hot in the evening. Lastly, I really enjoy fishing, and there are I would proffer no pessimistic "glass half empty' people who are avid fishermen. Every morning at the boat ramp I am certain we're going to have a great day, and most other common cruising complaints roll off my back and don't detract from my day.

We also prefer a leisurely dinner followed perhaps by a drink while sitting in the explorer lounge listening to music, or the classical trio downstairs. We avoid the cruise lines with thousands of passengers and lots of splashy entertainment as it just doesn't appeal to us. But we have friends who want nothing else, and I am afraid they might be disappointed on their upcoming Viking cruise.

 

We are also thinking about the 2019 WC. It is indeed very different from the 2018 cruise, and Viking told me when I called, that that was intentional, as many doing the 2018 WC are also signed up to do the 2019. So a well-planned marketing tool, I think. I, myself, prefer the 2019 itinerary, but to each her own.

Full agreement with avoiding the mega size ships. Our Princess favorite is the 680 passenger Pacific Princess that manages to have good cabaret style shows in the mini-theater aboard with the singers/dancers doing several production shows and guest entertainers like musical virtuosos, comedians, magicians, hypnotists, folkloric presentations, etc., variety. This was missing on the cruise in question here. There is also passenger participation shows in another venue after the theater, and usually a pop music band for dancing in another lounge, often supplemented by the ship band. We typically cruise by ourselves versus doing it in a group, and so for us at least we look forward to the after dinner interlude for enjoyment. We're not cocktail drinkers, so sipping an adult beverage after dinner at a table for two listening to one of the three "classical" groups Viking had was not of interest. We did enjoy their play during afternoon tea and other times around the ship however. Point is, Princess accommodates a wider range of interests on a similar size ship, and I hope Viking edges over into that paradigm rather than where it looks like it is going.

Wait a minute---you mean when they show movies at night they are showing things like 'Some Like it Hot'?!?!

That's from 1959. Exactly what demographic are they targeting---centenarians?

I am going to have to make sure I have more movies downloaded before I leave.

Sorry if I mislead you. The movie selection on the large, digital in-cabin TV is broad with many options from new releases to classics, and special interest like several Charlie Chaplin, James Bond(s), all 3 Godfather movies, etc. There are also BBC TV shows, a large selection of Shakespeare movies, TED talks..plenty to do if you want to hole up in your cabin. My gripe is none of these substitute for evening entertainment in the show theater.

We are just off the 22-day inaugural Viking Sea “From the Caribbean to the Amazon” cruise (Dec. 16, 2017 to Jan. 6, 2018). While comments about this voyage exist in several threads across the CC boards, I thought I would provide my review in a separate, purpose written site. Having completed 37 cruise with Princess, this was our 3rd Viking Ocean cruise. I’ll try to keep this short and to the point.

Summary: Wonderful ship,excellent pols and spa, nice fitness center, great crew and staff attitude, splendid staterooms, very good food. Long mealtimes (too few table staff), and weak, boring at times entertainment. Only two guest entertainers in 22 days! The Amazon ports are uninteresting and some were plain filthy and sketchy (several passengers were victims of pickpocketing and theft – jewelry pulled from their person resulting in mild injury along the way).

The Good: Cabins are nice size, comfortable beds, excellent TV entertainment system, and depending on cabin class, either plenty of drawer storage or not enough, a binary choice. The ship is nicely laid out and appointed. The Holiday decorations were tastefully done, nothing extravagant. The food quality is by and large excellent, with a few misses but hey, that’s life. Nicely prepared, reasonable portions, and interesting. The two specialty restaurants are a nice, price-included option if you like the menu choices. The steak in Manfredi’s is superb, but be sure to peruse the fixed menu of the Chef’s Table for the day you want to make a reservation to be sure it’s something you like. The buffet, Pool Grill and Mamsens turned out great food, and the nice al fresco eating area on deck was a favorite hangout of ours. The Caribbean ports were a nice visit, and the Boi Bumba folkloric include show ashore in Paritins, Brazil on Christmas Day was spectacular. The enrichment destination lecturers remain a stalwart of strength in the Viking offering, excellent stuff there all the time. There was an excellent couple singing pop tunes for dancing in Torshavn, if you could find room to dance.

Areas for improvement: One needs to remember you are not cruising the Med, and the ports have neither the history nor the ambiance of a Barcelona or Florence. However, the Amazon ports were generally reflective of an impoverished area. Dirty streets, crumbling infrastructure, and a populace looking to make a living off of the visitors, either by selling to or taking from. I had one tour-stop store submit a $480 charge to my credit card bank for a $43 purchase. This issue is under dispute now. A few passengers fell victim to theft and mugging. Some of the price-included Viking tours were crude walk-bys while others were very well done. We took only one extra excursion, Meeting of the Rivers and it was fine.

My biggest gripe remains the poor entertainment package. On some nights it consisted solely of a movie in the theater that was also available on your TV. How does the movie “Some Like it Hot” qualify as ship-wide entertainment after dinner? We had only one couple for dancers and three male and three female singers. They were talented and put on a good show, except three of the shows set in the theater were previously done on earlier cruises as specialty acts in Torshavn, the inadequately small, windowless box of a nightclub with a very tiny dance floor. The two production shows were fine. Guest entertainers were limited to two. Mel Mellers is credible funny-man magician who did 2 acts, and Lee Bradley wowed us twice with his operatic tenor singing. He was outstanding. But…that’s it for 22 days. Oh, they threw in two sessions of Balderdash and one of Majority Rules. Seriously, do audience participation games really make up a credible evening main entertainment? Surely not for the prices paid for this cruise they don’t. Sea day afternoon activities were also seemingly light.

Recommendations: Return to the earlier dining room staffing levels so it doesn’t take 2 or 2.5 hrs to have dinner. Have more waiters roaming the open air dining tables on deck 7 so you can get your drinks with your meal and not have to wait so long that either you have finished before they arrive, or you wait till the food is cold for the beverage to come. And find a useful purpose for Torshavn, but move the dancing up to the Explorers Lounge. This is a much better venue. And please improve your afternoon and after- dinner activity offerings beyond just one at each time. Also, link the live TV to the gym video screens equipment rather than the street scenes making it seem as if you are cycling among the pedestrians.

I have never written such a negative review of a cruise in all our voyages, and it pains me to have to write this. We have a reservation on the Viking Sun 2019 World cruise made last July while sailing the Into the Midnight Sun aboard Viking Star, but this Amazon River cruise has badly shaken us and we are re-considering. We could not stand 127 days like the 22 we just endured.

The ship hosted a great New Year Eve party last night, good music and plenty of champagne as midnight approached. Very enjoyable. Today they had a nice brunch.

Shoalwater, I am curious - there were optional excursions into the rainforest in both Manaus and Santarem. Were you unable to secure space on these? It is my goal to getout of both of those cities - either With VO or private.....

 

 

Sorry, I don't remember about other tours offered. However, there were no shipside instant tour offerings like inn the Caribbean, and even if there were I would strongly recommend against them. Crime is a problem here, and several passengers have been robbed, mugged, pick-pocketed at these stops. Taking any tour offered by someone not an official tour operator would IMHO be risky.

Unique Location is what we are hoping for....as long as it is providing the cultural and nature's offering of the Amazon. I am sure we will enjoy our free time on the ship and don't care about entertainment!

The "culture" of the Amazon is hard to experience unless you are able to score one of the appropriate extra tours, unless you want to experience the poverty of the cities. We did enjoy an excellent folkloric show in Parintins, but that is about it. We have "mixed" with the citizens during several price-included ship walking tours of cities, but unfortunately several of the tour persons had possessions forcibly removed (e.g., necklaces ripped from their person), or pockets "picked". Brazil is a poor place with many people living on the brink. We were unable to get any tours into the rain forest, and so had to rely on price-included tours. There we saw very little in the way of indigenous fauna and fawn. The sentiment of several people we talked with mirrors our disappointment.

Schoalwater,

We are booked on the Amazon Cruise next November. Are you feeling like you are experiencing the AMAZON River itself or has it been more like Caribbean Island ports of call. I know it can not be like the small ship Peruvian Amazon experience but was hoping for flora/fauna/ rainforest. Comments?

Cruising the river is okay, but much like cruising along any body of water near land. Its a muddy river, like some we have in Texas and the shoreline visually isn't much different from say approaching Costa Maya or Cozumel. Aside from the unique location this has been a low level cruise.

Aboard the Viking Sun into the Amazon as well. The evening main dining room issue seems to be a result of trying to spread out fewer wait staff over more tables, or at least that's what two waiters told me. I stated facts about slow service (one night dinner took 2.5 hrs.) to the ship on a comment card and they responded nicely. We have found that showing up at opening before a crowd results in a better experience, so can't say what happens say at 7 PM. The food however is very good and well prepared. Agree with the OP abut the included tours, but again, there is not really much ashore to see. The places we are stopping are relatively poor and not much in the way of historical things to see. It's not like a Danube river cruise for sure. The Amazonians are friendly and trying hard to show us their culture and what not, and are proud to do so, so we need to be sensitive IMHO. Manaus was once a lovely city. but nearly 50 years of poverty has resulted in most of the older 1900's colonial buildings being weathered and not maintained, with many vacant. If you look hard you can imagine how nice it once must have been, but not now. Our local guide warned against walking out of the port into town, not safe especially at night. One passenger on the included day tour had a necklace ripped off her neck by a young thief. This is not unusual for Brazil unfortunately. Don't wear jewelry ashore. The on board enrichment lecturers are superb, but the evening entertainment has been a disappointment. We are on day 17 of the trip and had only one guest entertainer (who was put on for 2 nights), 3 shows by ship staff, male and then female singers and our cruise director. There have been 2 evening game shows (Balderdash), a movie and nothing. This seems to be the main complaint or area for improvement expressed by several passengers we have talked with. As for waiting to book a cruise. the future cruise consultant gave a talk today and I was shocked at the number of 2018 VO trips either sold out or having only a few cabins remaining. She spent most of the time pushing 2019 reservations!

I'd not expect the typical Viking Ocean passenger to be loud or a late night partier! No kids pushing all the buttons on the elevator for fun or drunks staggering down the corridor trying to find their cabin only to finally realize they are on the wrong deck .....

 

At least I HOPE NOT ... just booked 'Midnight Sun' for July .....

We embark Saturday on our third Viking Ocean cruise, and you have the situation nailed down correctly. Corridors are church quiet at night.

We were just there on a Regent cruise. As has been mentioned, there will probably be no scheduled excursion. You will tender to Ile Royale, where you walk around on your own. We were given a map (in French) by Regent, which shows the various buildings and ruins. By the way, there is a hotel, restaurant and gift shop on the island.

Were you asked by the local authorities, or anyone for that matter, to produce the YF vaccination certificate to be allowed onto the island?

Viking has not posted any shore excursions for this port (now 60 days out) Has anyone stopped here with Viking Ocean or other cruise line?

Biggest question is whether or not you need a Yellow Fever vaccination within 10 yrs. There is some info that says the authorities require this despite the WHO stating one vaccination is good for life. Never mind that at least for the near future the licensed YF vaccine is not available in the US, and supplies of the substitute are hard to find.

As “Desert Cruizers” said they will cash Travelers checks. I used to bring most of my money in traveler checks but for the past couple of years I haven’t been able to find any place that issues them. If you can find a place that issues travelers checks it is a good safe way to bring money on the cruise.

Try to find a place that will accept a traveler check. The buggy whip of the travel scene.

The dumbing down of Princess continues.....This Princess related cheapening tea thread is another example of the mass cruise lines ever cheapening the product. .....It will continue to happen until long time customers, in particular, move their business to higher quality lines....

IMHO, the "long time cruisers" demographic may be a lower priority to the mass market cruise lines, and they may not really care if we move our business elsewhere. We have seen much of what the mass market ship(s) have to offer, and we generally don't spend money on photos, "art auctions", specialty restaurants, on-board shopping, and we tend to bypass the ship land tours in favor of private bookings. On a profit/passenger basis I suspect they do much better with new cruisers. Lower the cruise fare as much as possible to get you aboard, even if it means cutting out much of what once was price included to get the basic fare low, and then start the per item charging once you have sailed. It's all about getting you on board before the real profit model begins. Hey, I'm okay with that as a stockholder, but have graduated beyond it for my cruising enjoyment. My wife and I enjoy the price include model, and in fact for "budget" travelers it may even be a better play since you know pretty much what the cost will be before boarding versus a cost-plus model.

I don't drink tea - or coffee....... Anyway, I do get concerned about this product and that product and all the dumbing down apparently in quality. Personally, I would rather pay to keep up the quality in food and drink according to market price changes, than pay the same or lower and get poor substitutes. ......Am I the only one not willing to keep up with inflation and pay more to keep quality?

No, you are not. That's why after around37 Princess cruises we have moved over to Viking Ocean ships.

It is 100% cheaper.

Excellent answer!