imcpa

As I understand it, with the SSBP, champagne is not included because it costs more than $15 per glass, but there is a Viking sparkling wine and a Prosecco included.  As anything sparkling is my go to, I would like to hear the opinion of those who have had either or both on VO ships.  How is each?   What brands would you compare them to?  Which is better/higher quality tasting?  Does anyone have or can point me to a pic of the Viking sparkling wine bottle?

That's a big improvement over Sojourn (the only SB ship I have sailed).  It was a wonderful cruise, but the gym was too small and crowded.

Fortunately we had the SS package and found wines more to our tastes.

I can't find a confirmation of this, but this is twice that it seems to me that if you have the SSBP, there are additional wines by the glass available, at no additional cost, that are not available to people without the package.  Is that the case?

with the Silver Seas Package you can order up-graded wines by the glass with your meals...there were a number although not ALL that are offered by the bottle!

How is this different than people without the package?  I will have the package and from what I read if I want to purchase a glass of champagne (say for $16), I pay the full $16, not just the $1 in excess of the $15 limit.

I liked the upgraded wines in the Silver Seas Package

I'm confused.  Did the package mean you could get upgraded wines by the glass that non-package guests could not get at lunch or dinner, or did you purchase the upgraded wines by the bottle at a discount?

Regardless of how organized, efficient and relaxed it is, I expect to be very sad as they drag me off kicking and screaming....just like all of my prior cruises that I never wanted to end.

Thanks Little Monty.  I appreciate the info.  We are so looking forward to this cruise.  It will be many firsts for us, even after all of the previous luxury/premium cruises we have done over the last 8 years or so.

My wife & will be on the NYE cruise from Auckland to Sydney.  We have sailed SS, Crystal, Regent, PG and Windstar, but this will be our longest trip, given our post cruise plans in Australia (hello Aussie Open and hopefully seeing the GOAT Federer on his way to defending his title).

Because of the length of this trip overall, I am trying to pack light.  We will dress nice each evening (slacks and a nice shirt for me), but will I be OK without a sport coat for the whole cruise?  Given the heat we expect, I am hoping to not even bring a sport coat.  For NYE, I imagine black slacks and a nice shirt, but no coat.

Will I be OK, or will I feel out of place a few nights/venues?  We are in our upper 40s, exercise every day and do try to look our best, FWIW.

We did the train to Anchorage and enjoyed it more than we expected. It didn't leave until 6p, so we had more time than we needed to walk around Seward, but the train ride was fun and smooth with great views. We did purchase the "first class" tickets that provided a meal and 2 drinks.

We spent that night in Anchorage, so we were in no rush to get there and our flight out the next day was not until 8p.

Awesome. Thanks so much for the replies.

My wife & I will be on the Orion on Dec 31 for NYE. We are so excited. The only other cruise we have been on for NYE was the Wind Surf, which was fun and casual.

What will NYE be like on Viking? Will there be one big party and everything else closed? Will there be two or more options? Will the attire be formal, or semi-formal (I am hoping semi)?

Thanks for the replies. We are on the Dec. 30 sailing. We have grand plans for after the cruise travelling to Cairns, Melbourne (for the AO) then back to Sydney to fly back to the US. After visiting the AO, we will only have the FO to go to have hit all four grand slams.

Fed fan.

My wife & I will be on Viking (for the first time) visiting NZ & Australia (also for the first time), ending in Sydney. I am hoping some of the kind people on this board can assist with a question we have...

Our last night of the cruise is in port in Sydney, so I assume there are no issues disembarking on the last morning. We plan to go straight to the airport to fly to Cairns. The flight times are 9am or 2pm. I assume we should not risk missing a 9am flight (especially since we are not morning people), but if we have a 2p flight, what do we do in Sydney before heading to the airport?

Thank you for the posts. I was on Seabourn for the first time in June, from Vancouver to Seward. I have sailed SS, Crystal, Regent, Windstar and PG. Is that the specific cruise you were part of?

I will be on Viking for the first time in January.

I have many thoughts to respond about Seabourn, but as a CPA in public accounting, September 15 is my busiest deadline of the year, so I need a little more time.

I anxiously await. I'm sure I will have follow up comments too. I do enjoy your posts so much.

Jim Avery,

Where can I find you Viking vs Seabourn review/comparison? I just sailed Seabourn for the first time (after 3 SS, 2 Crystal, Regent, PG and Windstar) and will sail Viking in January. I would love to read your thoughts on the two.

For me it boils down to this...I don't like that they do this and I wish they did not, but it does not stop me from sailing them. I have sailed SS three times and all were wonderful and I hope to sail them again.

I have also sailed Crystal, Regent, Seabourn, Paul Gauguin and Windstar. They all have their many positives and few and minor negatives. I hope to sail any of them again as well. I will sail Viking for the first time in January 2019 and expect it will be great too.

As for room service - I ordered via our butler every morning. It arrived perfect every morning. I explained exactly what I was looking for from my butler (Tarik from Egypt). He delivered and did it perfectly every day. Also asked if he could do anything else or get anything else. He took good care of us and we took good care of him. We frequently bring chocolates or pastries or treats from port stops for our butler and cabin steward. They work so hard and seldom are able to enjoy the ports.

Ahhh, memories. Tarik was our butler on our last Spirit cruise and he was wonderful.

I did not stay in one, but did visit one. From the bed and other areas inside the suite, you have to look past the top of the railing to the distance to see water, but while sitting on the verandah, it was not as big of a deal. I am glad I was on deck 6 instead (on the Sojourn), but would take deck 5 any day if it was the only option or all I could afford.

Thanks Peregrina651 and deec.

We are definitely excited about our upcoming trip. We will give up a casino for no kids (guaranteed) any day of the week. We have not done a river cruise yet, but am getting more and more intrigued.

Peregrina651, you seem to know your Viking stuff.

We are cruising Viking for the first time this coming January, after sailing SS, Crystal, Regent, Paul Gauguin and WS. We love using our verandah every day and having several drinks there (mainly sparkling wine/champagne). What is the best way to do this in a DV on deck 3? Seeing how we are purchasing the beverage package, paying for bottles off the ship to bring on rubs us the wrong way. Can we call room service multiple times for drink(s)? Do I plan on going to a bar and bringing it to the suite? If I do that, will they serve me one and one for my wife or will she have to be there with me?

We had 'the package' and at dinner usually ordered a glass of other wine from what was the daily included pour. With the package you get a discount on a whole bottle .... usually the opened a bottle for us with our first glass ... and if we each had a second that killed the bottle! (it is a nice pour!) ... We were never charged the bottle price ..... In general I'd say Vik' is pretty liberal with the rules about alc' sales.

That's interesting. My wife & I will be on Viking in January and had not considered this happening.

We are purchasing the beverage package and will be in a DV cabin. If we order room service, can we ask that a glass of the included sparkling wine and red wine be included with the food at no additional cost?

We are just off 26 days on the Sojourn. Vancouver to Seward and back. Despite the cold and occasional rain we used the Pool deck extensively, had lunch there most days and at no time was the pool deck a problem as it is confined to two areas either side of the Pool both of which are covered by Potted Fern Trees. Many functions were held there such as sail away parties and even a singing and dance party one evening. None of this was affected by the two areas of teak boards which are bulging slightly so frankly to all those concerned CC`s stop worrying about it! In fact we had very Sunny and even hot days ( 85F ) which we were told is very rare for Alaska. All in all we had a wonderful trip.

My wife & I were on the first 12 days of this cruise as well (Vancouver to Seward). It was our first SB cruise, after sailing Crystal, SS, Regent, Windstar and Paul Gauguin. It was a wonderful cruise and we too spent a lot of time in or around the pool, including the lounge chairs, lunch, dinner and more time that I want to admit at or near the pool bar. While we noticed the pool deck and the plants, it in no way reduced our enjoyment. The sail away party and the officers on deck events went on without a hitch. I would sail the Sojourn tomorrow if I could.

Thanks for posting your thoughts. It was a pleasure to read. My wife & I have sailed the pre-stretch Spirit twice and hope to sail the new Spirit in the next few years.

If we are in a V or DV, have purchased the SSP and order room service, will they include a drink with each meal if we request it (such as a glass of champagne for each of us with room service breakfast or lunch), or will I have to walk to a bar and bring a drink back to the room?