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Tell Me Why.....


Oville
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Question... I'm over on the Viking website looking at a 2018 January cruise. The cabin descriptions all say "king-sized Viking" bed. Do ANY of the cabins have separate beds (can the king be separated)? I travel with my mother and sleeping together would be a deal breaker. LOL

 

Edited to add:

 

I just did the "chat" feature on the website and was told that ALL cabins can be set to two twins instead of one king bed. Also, they do not have any connecting cabins.

 

Great website. I requested a brochure....

Edited by MEcruzr
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From the Viking website's FAQ:

 

Dress during the day is casual including shorts (if the season is warm), pants or jeans and comfortable shoes for walking tours. Swimsuits, brief shorts, cover-ups and exercise attire should be reserved for the Fitness Center, pool areas and Sports Deck. There are no “formal nights” in the evening; evening dress is “elegant casual” for all dining venues after 6:00 PM, performances and special events. On these occasions, required attire for ladies includes a dress, skirt or slacks with a sweater or blouse; for gentlemen, trousers and a collared shirt. A tie and jacket are optional.

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I too believe port excursions are more of a personal 'taste'. My wife and I have cruise on the Star twice (once on the Homelands and once on the West Indies) and both times we mixed both the included and non-included excursions. For example on our Homelands cruise we elected not to take the included tour into Berlin primarily because of the large time commitment, including long stretches on a bus both going and returning. But again, that's us. Most all excursions we've taken, both included and not, have been wonderful.

Interesting comment, because we're thinking the same thing about the "Berlin" POC. (Great minds ......) So what DID you do in that port, and how did you like it? Thanks for advice in advance.

 

Sent from my SM-T310 using Forums mobile app

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Warnemunde is an attractive seaside resort that has developed from it's small fishing village origins.

 

The following video is worth watching:

 

 

 

For fresh fish, one should try the Fischhus Min Herzing:

 

http://www.fischhus-min-herzing.de/menu

 

 

 

 

It is also very convenient to travel from Warnemunde into Rostock either by train or by ferry.

 

The following video provides a flavour of Rostock:

 

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Perhaps I have misjudged, and I'm guessing you folks are the best ones to help me. Cruise Critic is full of nice and helpful posters, and I see several of you are Viking cruisers!

 

I am looking at Into the Midnight Sun for next June, when Mr. B. and I will be celebrating our 50th anniversary.

 

Perhaps I mistakenly presumed that the dining onboard would be truly stellar, from having won the "best mid-size ships" category on somebody's poll.

 

Now two of you have told us here that Oceania's food is better than Viking Ocean's. When we cruised with Oceania, we were astoundingly disappointed with the food. We boarded with very high expectations, and all kinds of things caused these expectations to be sorely unmet. One of our biggest complaints was that the food tasted as though it was designed to be gourmet nursing home fare.

 

Now, we happen to enjoy, pretty much always, the dining on Celebrity, although almost never in the specialty venues. We absolutely adore the dining on Crystal. Now it's sounding as though we should not expect to love Viking's.

 

We have had glitches in specialties on Celebrity, on Holland America, and on Oceania. We also had one of our best meals ever, in an Oceania specialty, as well as in an Azamara specialty. But they stuck out as especially noteworthy in a week or two of disappointing dinners.

 

I look forward to hearing your opinions.

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Food is amazingly personal. One man's meat is another man's poison and all that. Moreover, no kitchen is without its glitches from time to time.

 

Only you can judge whether you like the food or not and you can't do that until you have actually sampled it.

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We have sailed Azamara, Celebrity, Paul Gauguin plus the big ships of Princess and RCL. It has been a while since we did the huge ships but I can speak to food and compare Azamara, Celebrity and Viking river because we have done all of them in 2016.

 

All the food was perfectly fine. Paul Gauguin could not be beat for food and the beautiful Tahitian islands.

 

Azamara and Celebrity are similar except Azamara has a back bar to watch sail aways and we personally liked that there was no formal night on Azamara. Celebrity's Japanese Restaurant was our favorite of any ship so we (and a whole lot of others) went to the Asian restaurant on formal night.

 

Viking river was unique in that they use local, fresh food products and offer local food options so you get an extra feel of the places you visit. The wait staff on Viking is unbelievable. They are so accommodating. You can ask for extras or can ask for substitutions etc. We had the best food on Viking, not because they serve filet mignon or lobster each night, but because they had fresh, authentic food and a wait staff that is fabulous. We did try to see if we could get the same server each night. Food was very good and no one had any complaints and we travel with picky "foodies".

 

We are fortunate to live in an area that if we want to dress formally, see an opera or Broadway-type show, we can do it easily. We take these kind of trips for the places we visit and to get a feel for an area, it helps to also see and try foods of different countries. That isn't to say they just have authentic food but we appreciate that it is offered.

 

First time to try Viking ocean. We leave June 3 Viking Homelands and we will see if the river cruise philosophy transfers to the ocean cruises.

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I agree with Peregrina. Food is so subjective. What I like, you may not. I truly believe not to set expectations high and you should never be disappointed.

 

So very true. We actually think much of the food at the buffet is better than the dining room.

 

Are we right, or wrong?

 

All to what folks like, perceive and experience.

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I encourage you to spend time reading through several threads where Food is discussed - most feedback is more than positive with Viking.....

I am guessing that you will find - regardless of which higher, even highest end cruiseline that you sail with....there will always be a few who did not like the food on that cruiseline.

It is subjective as everyone points out.

Personally - We were more than happy on all three sailings - two Ocean segments and one long Rivers trip. We are booked again for a 22 day......we wouldn't do that if we found the food, service, people, ship...etc....to not meet and exceed our expectations.

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HI ,May B.

So glad to see your post on Viking Forum and that you are thinking of booking a Midnight Sun sailing in June.I saw your post on the Crystal thead about the Viking Ocean vs Crystal cruise line and new ships.

I see you liked Celebrity food but are a Crystal devotee. I am coming from Celebrity and loved their MDR and the outstanding service.I have bookd a Viking cruise for 2018.

I say if you like the itinerary book Viking. You will have various options for dining on Viking for no extra charge. As other have said , read the reviews and other threads here about the dining experience of cruisers.

The awards the Viking recently received were from Cruise Critic and UK Cruise Critic.

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HI ,May B.

So glad to see your post on Viking Forum and that you are thinking of booking a Midnight Sun sailing in June.I saw your post on the Crystal thead about the Viking Ocean vs Crystal cruise line and new ships.

I see you liked Celebrity food but are a Crystal devotee. I am coming from Celebrity and loved their MDR and the outstanding service.I have bookd a Viking cruise for 2018.

I say if you like the itinerary book Viking. You will have various options for dining on Viking for no extra charge. As other have said , read the reviews and other threads here about the dining experience of cruisers.

The awards the Viking recently received were from Cruise Critic and UK Cruise Critic.

 

Thx, Azulann and all of the thoughtful CCers who have responded to my query. I have been thinking that I won't be able to really know about the food, until I actually experience it.

 

The reason it's so important to me, I guess, is that we don't dine out often at home, so dining onboard is our opportunity to be enjoying things we don't have at home. Since nobody can beat Mr. B.'s pasta primavera or chicken cacciatore, I don't generally order Italian onboard, and specialty Italian restaurants tend to disappoint us.

 

 

While I do definitely expect that we'll like Viking Ocean VERY much when we choose them, right now we've decided to stick with our shorter cruise on Celebrity for the Norwegian fjords. If we ever get to go again, I'll hopefully have tried Viking Ocean for a shorter cruise and found that we'll love it and feel confident choosing it if we get to go to the fjords for longer, presumably in 2019 when we actually have NOTHING booked yet.

 

Again, thx for all of your help (in both places, Azulann!!!) and I certainly will read with interest any further comments. I've subscribed to a few threads about airfare with Viking Ocean, so I'll be all prepared with plenty of info, when I'm ready to book!

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As others have said, but I would like to echo, a big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post in this thread.

 

As we have gotten....more mature....Our taste have changed so much, we normally cruise twice a year, once on Prince or HAL and once on Carnival (as a group), this past February a group of 16 of us spent 14 days on the Carnival Pride, it had been a couple of years since we had been on Carnival (contradicting myself I know) but we all as a group walked off the ship, I will not say unhappy, but at least for some of us, clearly in the mindset that that would be the last Carnival cruise for us.

 

As was pointed out by Peregrina651 in his (?) list of why, the nickle and diming has gotten to a stupid level, the food (which some people don't believe me when I say some of the best meals afloat have been on Carnival) has gone down hill, just far to much cost cutting, especially considering what we paid for that cruise.

Edit : if you saw the original post, ignore it, in my old age I am going blind and totally missed the calendar section on their website......

Edited by jetwet1
stupidity on my part.
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So very true. We actually think much of the food at the buffet is better than the dining room.

 

Are we right, or wrong?

 

All to what folks like, perceive and experience.

 

Obviously you are neither right nor wrong. We did not rate the buffet on Viking Sea at all. The only way to discover if the food is good for you, is to go on board and try it! We thought the MDR was pretty good and the speciality restaurants were better. We also liked Mamsens for a light lunch. I am sure others will not agree. :D

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  • 2 weeks later...
Try it because you are tired of mindless entertainment.

Try it because you don't need a casino.

Try it because you are sick and tired of the nickel-and-diming.

Try it because you can live without other people's children.

Try it because you are more interested in the ports of call than in partying until dawn.

Try it because you are never asked to pose for photos.

Try in because you like cruising among friendly people.

Try it because you are invited to BYO wine, beer or other potables.

Try it because you don't have to hide in your room to drink your BYO.

Try it because there is no corkage fee in the dining rooms.

Try it because specialty dining is included.

 

 

 

You had me at Try it!

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Hello May B,

Here are my comments.

 

Itineraries - Purely (100%) subjective.

Can cruises be boring? I cannot imagine that. The only exception: Baltic cruises and Fjords.

Just my opinion.

 

Viking ships are among a few best cruise ships of all sizes.

I am giving them 4.5* overall.

They are not floating hotels.

They are not floating nursing homes.

They are not floating restaurants.

They are real cruise ships.

(For the record: Oceania best ship - 4.0*, Celebrity best ship - 3.5*, Crystal best ship - 4.5*, Azamara - 3.0*).

4.5* overall - yes, it means that the food quality is good to excellent. Not necessarily "best of the best".

 

What is food quality?

"Food is subjective" - we've heard this 1,000,000 times.

Is it true?

Yes and no - depending on what we are talking about.

I like overcooked chicken, you prefer undercooked meat. Yes, this is subjective.

Can we compare food quality on different cruise ships? Yes, we can - on condition that we utilize objective criteria.

"Food quality" on a cruise ship (aka "dining experience"): dining options (MDR, specialty dining, buffet, alternative dining options included in the price), accessibility (location and setting, hours of operation), menu options (fixed or variable), food presentation, served hot or lukewarm, ingredients used (best cuts, delicacies - caviar, fois gras, etc.), and...... the only one item that is subjective: how it tastes (at least to you, or in general - if you have a taste in food).

Sometimes I am a regular cruising passenger that is enjoying a relaxing cruise with the family and friends.

But sometimes I am a cruise critic. I share my evaluations when I do "my job" well (I check all the dining venues, I taste the food a few times a day in each venue - even if I am not hungry, I check menus, I take pictures, I see what other people order, I see what is left on the plates).

So unless we act as cruise critics we should probably be more careful about global statements like "Food on the Blue Cruise Line is better than on the Green Cruise Line".

 

Another thing to remember...

Yes, it's the annoying "A cruise is what you make of it".

They won't bring us the whole world in a plate as we sit in MDR like monuments.

A good cruise ship has much more to offer. To get the best of it we have to be here, there, and everywhere.

We don't hesitate to start a dinner in a specialty restaurant and then move to MDR to finish.

 

Mille pardons... What Oceania did you cruise with? There three different Oceanias (the Riviera, the Marina and the rest of Oceania). These three Oceanias provide different cruising experience...

 

I can repeat it again and again: Viking ships are among the best resort ships available (probably 15 ships or so).

If the itineraries and prices are good for you - don't wait.

 

My Viking Star review:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2473826

 

We were on Riviera. Food was incredibly bland. Steak was overcooked in the steak restaurant. Third night, mussels were available upstairs at their Lido (whatever the name) but the mussel dish offered at Jacques was unavailable, as they were out of mussels.

 

 

If there were an itinerary that appealed to us on Oceania, we'd go, but with much lower expectations for dining. The rest of the experience was stellar.

 

And for Viking, we definitely have friends who are ready to try it with us, so we probably will, but it won't be that fjord one, as we've chosen to be bored on Celebrity in May of '18 rather than on Viking in June of '18.

 

I'm looking forward to reading your review on the Star, and I appreciate all of your thoughtful comments. Thx!

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May b, it appears that you have high standards, what appeals to us will probably not appeal to you. So there is not much to offer to tell you why you should try Viking. Only you can decide after trying Viking whether or not it suits your standards. Good luck in your travel choices.

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This thread response has me baffled - Why would anyone 'have chosen to be bored' on a cruise? :o

 

It is one of those say the opposite of what you actually mean kind of responses. One poster wrote

Can cruises be boring? I cannot imagine that. The only exception: Baltic cruises and Fjords.
and MayB was just throwing it back at him. She has not chosen to be bored and in fact it is qute the opposite.

 

 

 

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Well as the Original Poster of this thread I'm so happy to see it still it going on with so many helpful suggestions.

 

Someone early on dissed me about my title "Tell Me Why" saying "some subject titles are so short and not descriptive?" Well all I can say to that is I've learned so much from all of you who understood my question and thanks so much.

 

 

Katie

Edited by Oville
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