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On Viking Orion Now


sherrar
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I have gleaned so much information from CC over the years that I thought it only right to post a few words about our first cruise with Viking Ocean aboard Orion. We have only been onboard for 3 days now so these are first impressions.

 

Our journey from Manchester to Mumbai with BA was a nightmare as was the transfer from the airport to the ship. However, I don't want to spoil my holiday by looking back on this, suffice it to say that we received apologies from BA and Viking.

 

Viking Orion is a really beautiful ship. Having only sailed on 2000+ passenger ships we are beginning to wonder if we have the ship almost to ourselves. There are so many quiet places to sit, plenty of room round the pools and no loud music.

 

The first night, although very tired, we ate in the restaurant. Rather than having to think what I wanted, I went for the destination suggestion - 3 courses based on local cuisine. Glad I did, each course was not something I would have necessarily picked but they were all gorgeous and I was glad I tried something different. I did change the desert for creme caramel - my favourite.

 

The second night, we again ate in The Restaurant and again I went for the suggestion. Again great - when it came to desert I declined to see the menu saying that I knew what I wanted - the waitress (a different one from last night) replied "yes, the creme caramel) - how did she do that?

 

ALL of the staff that we have come into contact with are wonderful - nothing is too much trouble, there is no such word as No.

 

Breakfast in the World Cafe on the first morning and in Mamsends on the second were both very tasty.

 

We have the SSBP and have only been asked for our room number once in each venue - they seem to remember even from one visit to another.

 

We spent a very pleasant couple of hours in the Torshavn nightclub - music not too loud, only about 20 people in there but all of on the dance floor by the end of the evening.

 

We have done included excursions in Mumbai and Goa that were interesting. You have to remember where we are and that the quality of the transport available is not necessarily what we are used to. Both guides were very knowledgeable.

 

First impressions that I think we are going to be spoiled by the Viking experience and won't be able to go back to the bigger ships. Already planning our next Viking cruise.

 

If anybody has any questions - feel free to ask and I will do my best to find an answer.

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Curious....what is the planetarium like? Can that upper level of the Explorer's Lounge still be used.

I really enjoyed both Mumbai and Goa....not so much Chennai and Cochin. So agree that as travelers we must always remember WHERE we are and not expect things to be like home...that is the reason to travel and experience new people, cultures and sites!!!

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Dear Sherrar:

 

Thank you for your interesting and informative post on Viking Orion. I hope that you continue to provide updates as your journey continues. We will be on the Orion in early October (Hong Kong to Beijing) and look forward to seeing your opinions and updates. Have an enjoyable and safe trip.

Joel Barry

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Thanks for taking time to post. Try to get to the spa and do afternoon tea one day. Try all the restaurants and enjoy the evening shows. We waited until the end of our cruise and wished we would have done these things sooner. Beautiful ships. I’ll be following along on your trip! Have fun!

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Dear Sherrar:

 

Thank you for your interesting and informative post on Viking Orion. I hope that you continue to provide updates as your journey continues. We will be on the Orion in early October (Hong Kong to Beijing) and look forward to seeing your opinions and updates. Have an enjoyable and safe trip.

Joel Barry

 

Hi Joel,

 

I have just booked this trip for September 2019 and hope you will post some comments on your return. I have also booked the 4 day extension to the Terracotta Warriors and Beijing.

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Depends on the quality of the service they connect to when in port and what satellite (and where the downlink is) when at sea. When we were in the Baltic on Viking Homelands it was to Madrid. Wish I done a speed test when we were at sea in the Gulf of Mexico last Jan. I was thrilled to get 0.5 Mbps. Which is doable with patience. [emoji4]

 

 

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Dear "Kiwi":

 

I will definitely post comments upon return and if the WIFI works well some "on the ship" commentary. We are doing the pre cruise in Hong Kong and the post cruise in Beijing.

 

Joel Barry

 

Great. It will be good to know about any optional tours that you take.

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The second night, we again ate in The Restaurant and again I went for the suggestion. Again great - when it came to desert I declined to see the menu saying that I knew what I wanted - the waitress (a different one from last night) replied "yes, the creme caramel) - how did she do that?

 

 

Thanks for your report from Orion. After your transit issues, sounds like you are settling in nicely!

 

Regarding the server knowing your dessert preference... I'm thinking this has to do with the hand-held devices that they use. I am guessing that when you entered The Restaurant, your room number was associated with the table at which you were seated. This is just a guess, but I have a feeling that Viking tracks everything about you in its system... your preferences, previous food orders, etc., etc. They probably have your picture linked in their device as well. All part of the great technology that exists on VO ships, and how the staff and crew is able to make a guest's experience onboard very personal.

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Thanks for your report from Orion. After your transit issues, sounds like you are settling in nicely!

 

 

 

Regarding the server knowing your dessert preference... I'm thinking this has to do with the hand-held devices that they use. I am guessing that when you entered The Restaurant, your room number was associated with the table at which you were seated. This is just a guess, but I have a feeling that Viking tracks everything about you in its system... your preferences, previous food orders, etc., etc. They probably have your picture linked in their device as well. All part of the great technology that exists on VO ships, and how the staff and crew is able to make a guest's experience onboard very personal.

 

I'm not sure about that. The only way the server would know your room number is if you'd ordered something that's not included like a special wine or you were claiming your silver spirits package. Other than that they don't know your room number. The only place they need to know and do are the specialty restaurants or if you order a drink at the bar. Just assume they're really super. And somehow know who you are.

 

 

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I'm not sure about that. The only way the server would know your room number is if you'd ordered something that's not included like a special wine or you were claiming your silver spirits package. Other than that they don't know your room number. The only place they need to know and do are the specialty restaurants or if you order a drink at the bar. Just assume they're really super. And somehow know who you are.

 

 

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When you check into the restaurant you give the host/hostess your room number and he/she assigns you a table and one of the wait staff escorts you to the assigned table. At that point your name and room number are associated with that table so they do know who you are! I have almost always been greeted by name by the wait staff when I am seated ... and they do seem to have wonderful memories. Last winter we were seated in the Chef's Table and our waiter remembered us from our previous cruise on the Star! He knew our name as it was in the system but he remembered we were from Chicago!

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Just back from the included excursion in Sri Lanka. Interesting coach tour of Colombo with a couple of stops. Independence Square had a Viking tent with drinks and small sweet snacks. Buddhist temple was fascinating. So much is donated to the temples - they had a couple of vintage Rolls Royce, a mercedes, lots of furniture and other valuable items. Not that the value matters at all.

 

Had a lovely meal at Manfredi's last night - the signature rib eye was cooked to perfection and the sommelier did a great job pairing a very presentable Italian red wide.

 

Comments about the technology in use on the ship are spoiling it for me - I want to believe the staff are magical!! They are certainly first class.

 

I attended two lectures this morning - both were very interesting and delivered very proffesionlly by people who obviously knew their subjects.

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Just back from the included excursion in Sri Lanka. Interesting coach tour of Colombo with a couple of stops. Independence Square had a Viking tent with drinks and small sweet snacks. Buddhist temple was fascinating. So much is donated to the temples - they had a couple of vintage Rolls Royce, a mercedes, lots of furniture and other valuable items. Not that the value matters at all.

 

Had a lovely meal at Manfredi's last night - the signature rib eye was cooked to perfection and the sommelier did a great job pairing a very presentable Italian red wide.

 

Comments about the technology in use on the ship are spoiling it for me - I want to believe the staff are magical!! They are certainly first class.

 

I attended two lectures this morning - both were very interesting and delivered very proffesionlly by people who obviously knew their subjects.

 

Thanks for the continued comments. It brings back memories of our first cruise, and gets me excited for the one coming in a few weeks.

 

We thought the Resident Historian and the guest lecturers were real highlights on our trip, and attended as many as possible. I think they may be available on demand on the tv if you aren't able to attend one that interests you, but to be honest I may be thinking about the port talks. I look forward to checking that when onboard next month.

 

Glad you are enjoying your trip as much as we did ours.

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Apologies, missed the question about the planetarium - we haven't actually done it yet - booked for Saturday. There are actually 3 'shows' - space, mars and the Arctic. You have to book a slot at guest services and are given a ticket for your chosen slot.

 

The dome is on the upper level of the explorer lounge poking through onto the open deck above. First time on Viking Ocean therefore can't say how much space is actually lost, but there seems to be room for one level of chairs and small tables around the front of the done and the window (with enough room to walk behind). There is also a small lounge type area to the left with probably a dozen lounge chairs. Hope this helps.

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When you check into the restaurant you give the host/hostess your room number and he/she assigns you a table and one of the wait staff escorts you to the assigned table. At that point your name and room number are associated with that table so they do know who you are! I have almost always been greeted by name by the wait staff when I am seated ... and they do seem to have wonderful memories. Last winter we were seated in the Chef's Table and our waiter remembered us from our previous cruise on the Star! He knew our name as it was in the system but he remembered we were from Chicago!

 

My bad. We've never eaten in The Restaurant. Always the World Cafe or the specialties. Learn something new every day! When we do the Sea in 2020 will make sure to expand where we eat to include the Restaurant. [emoji4]

 

 

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Thanks for your report from Orion. After your transit issues, sounds like you are settling in nicely!

 

Regarding the server knowing your dessert preference... I'm thinking this has to do with the hand-held devices that they use. I am guessing that when you entered The Restaurant, your room number was associated with the table at which you were seated. This is just a guess, but I have a feeling that Viking tracks everything about you in its system... your preferences, previous food orders, etc., etc. They probably have your picture linked in their device as well. All part of the great technology that exists on VO ships, and how the staff and crew is able to make a guest's experience onboard very personal.

 

This is excellent news for us, as we always opted tor traditional dining, where the waiters quickly learned your preferences, which for us is a pot of tea to finish dinner. The anytime dinner, based on our single experience with another cruise line, was our only negative prior to selecting VO as our new preferred cruise line.

 

However, this report of how they use technology to record your preferences and identify pax consistencies is excellent news.

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My bad. We've never eaten in The Restaurant. Always the World Cafe or the specialties. Learn something new every day! When we do the Sea in 2020 will make sure to expand where we eat to include the Restaurant. [emoji4]

 

 

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The Resaurant, both on the Star and Sun was our favourite for dinner every night!

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This is excellent news for us, as we always opted tor traditional dining, where the waiters quickly learned your preferences, which for us is a pot of tea to finish dinner. The anytime dinner, based on our single experience with another cruise line, was our only negative prior to selecting VO as our new preferred cruise line.

 

However, this report of how they use technology to record your preferences and identify pax consistencies is excellent news.

The ship is very connected. Large touch screens at various places in public spaces can give anything from ship's position to menu in the restaurant. All order taking is on iPad or iPhone. In fact, early on in the World Cruise, a passenger went to the General Manager and complained that the crew was spending too much time on their phones texting.......... True story.:cool:

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Thanks for the continued comments. It brings back memories of our first cruise, and gets me excited for the one coming in a few weeks.

 

 

 

We thought the Resident Historian and the guest lecturers were real highlights on our trip, and attended as many as possible. I think they may be available on demand on the tv if you aren't able to attend one that interests you, but to be honest I may be thinking about the port talks. I look forward to checking that when onboard next month.

 

 

 

Glad you are enjoying your trip as much as we did ours.

 

All talks are available on demand afterwards - port talks and other enrichment lectures . On our Panama Canal/Central America cruise last January we had four onboard lecturers; same number on Viking Homelands.

 

 

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Also onboard Orion, currently beginning 2nd day in Colombo Sri Lanka.

If I may add....we attended the Explorer Dome show “Arctic” yesterday immediately following our included trip into Colombo. The Dome Seats about 25 or so, there were 6 persons attending. Seats are reclined looking up, they hand out 3D glasses, they have blankets on most but not all chairs...hint; grab one at poolside on the way as it was chilly. The program was pretty neat, but I think the upcoming shows “Mars” and “Space” may be better.

 

And I must comment on the issues with arriving and boarding.....It took us 3 hours to get to the Orion from the airport. There was an issue with missing paperwork at the airport which delayed us 2 hours before they would transport us to the ship.

Our arrival at The Orion was also less than ideal. We’ve cruised on Sky as well as 2 River Cruises, but this was the first time we were not met at dockside by someone from Viking. We survived climbing a steep gangplank and locating our cabin all while managing our own luggage.

BUT this has not/will not be the defining moments of our trip. The Orion is great, nearly a mirror image of Sky, and the staff are the usual Viking level of efficiency and courtesy.

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Nolan Dean is the cruise director.

 

We haven't been to any of the evening shows in the theatre - they never seem to fit in with our dinner timing. Not a criticism of Viking, just that we prefer to take our time over eating. We were told that the harmonica player was worth seeing. Luckily he will be on again during our time on board.

 

The various artists dotted around the ship at various time are very good musicians. Classical duo, pianist and guitarist all provide nice unobtrusive background music.

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