The Virtual Explorers' Lounge

[SantaFe1]

3 minutes ago, bookbabe said:

Is the tone on those dress code threads reflective of the majority of Viking travelers?

No!  Most people just change out of their day wear and don’t think a thing about it.  I find all the discussion of what to wear in the evening very strange.  We don’t like formal nights either, and Viking is a perfect fit.  Dress up from your daywear if you want, eat in the World Cafe in jeans if you want a more casual evening. 

[Clay Clayton]

13 minutes ago, bookbabe said:

Okay, hopefully it’s safe to ask this here…

 

DH and I have our first Viking Ocean cruise booked for 2023, with final payment in December.  However, I’ve been reading the “jeans to dinner” thread, and a couple of similar threads on FB, and many of the supposedly long-time Viking cruisers that are posting are harsh, downright mean even.

 

We have been avoiding Regent because of the level of dress required and the snob factor of many of the cruisers, and thought Viking might be a good alternative.  We can live with “smart casual” dress on occasion, and we really like the itineraries and the look of the ships.  I’m just worried now that we are going to get stuck on a ship full of snobs who criticize everyone else’s wardrobes.

 

Thoughts?  Is the tone on those dress code threads reflective of the majority of Viking travelers?

I don’t find the tone at all reflective of folks onboard. It’s interesting that you mention this as a fellow cruiser (we met onboard our first Viking cruise) were just discussing via email that there seems to be a while new crowd of folks posting on the Viking threads that weren’t reflective of typical Viking cruisers. I decided it was perhaps due to COVID induced boredom. LOL

 

I have generally found that most Viking passengers are laid back, interesting, and not at all snobby.  Of course there is always one or two who get aboard without doing their research and are disappointed. On our first cruise, we heard someone complaining about the lack of a casino and another agreeing and stating if they had known they wouldn’t have a butler then they wouldn’t have booked….I suspect they were really upset when they found out there wasn’t going to be any karaoke! LOL

[Eggtuary]

I haven’t even been on a Viking cruise yet. However, I’ve been reading through tons of old threads here, like this one and the one with tips for first time Viking cruisers, and I’m thinking that the snarkiness we are seeing at times is a recent phenomenon. Folks have been dying to get back to cruising and there have been some hiccups as cruise lines start back up. This is especially true with the increase in COVID cases, which is causing fear that things aren’t as close to getting back to normal as we had all hoped, and it is just putting folks on edge. I see this throughout social media, so, while certainly unfortunate, it’s not too surprising that it has surfaced here. 
 

On a more positive note, people tend to be nicer in person, and less frequently misunderstood. So I am optimistic that I am going to meet a lot of great, down to earth, fellow lifetime learners when I take my first Viking cruise in March!

[Jim Avery]

Eggtuary you are right on.  I see most of the snarky posters have yet to sail Viking.  Refugees from HAL, Princess, etc.  On those mass market boards snarky is the rule of the day.  Of course there is always the difficult fellow passenger but on Viking they are thankfully few.  Welcome aboard.🍸

[photopro2]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

I think PasadenaDave and Photopro2 ought not to be able to wear the same virtual outfit at the same time. 

🤣 Nice one Clay!!!!

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Jim Avery said:

Toga, Toga, Toga........🍺

 

Haha!! Now that brings back memories of Aussie cruising back in the 70's aboard SS Oriana.

[Twitchly]

I find people are nearly always more pleasant and personable in person than online. There’s something about the internet that brings out the worst in folks. And dress code discussions bring out the worst of the worst! Right up there with wearing masks and declawing cats. 
 

I hereby declare that everyone who wants to talk about jeans, vaccines or quarantines must first share a drink together. Or three. 🍷
 

 

Edited August 17, 2021 by Twitchly

[Squawkman]

In all my Viking cruises, I witnessed only one person who was snobby. She was staying in the owner’s suite and thought she was better than everyone else. I saw more snobbery on the  one Princes cruise I went on.

[Jim Avery]

36 minutes ago, Squawkman said:

In all my Viking cruises, I witnessed only one person who was snobby. She was staying in the owner’s suite and thought she was better than everyone else. I saw more snobbery on the  one Princes cruise I went on.

That's the truth.  We took a Princess to Mexico a couple of years ago for a quick getaway.  Nice big suite but the endless crowds of obnoxious Black Card waving "elites" were more annoying than the hordes of kiddies...😱 More reasons to love Viking.🍸

Edited August 17, 2021 by Jim Avery

[Peregrina651]

4 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Nice big suite but the endless crowds of obnoxious Black Card waving "elites" were more annoying than the hordes of kiddies...😱

 

 

I have always felt that on Viking we are all treated as if we were traveling in the owners' suite.  There are no segregated public spaces. There are no "Black Cards" to wave around. There are no rewards for having cruised more times. First-come-first-served and everyone waits their turn in line to be served. It is hard to be snobbish when the on-board culture doesn't promote it.

 

[CharTrav]

11 hours ago, Hockeyump said:

As long as you take your hat off!

and wash your hands -- at least!  no different than when -- after spending a day priming the walls of our under construction house -- we stopped at the local pub for dinner wearing our paint splattered clothes.  We ate on the informal pub side and made sure our hands and faces were washed!

[CharTrav]

6 hours ago, Eggtuary said:

On a more positive note, people tend to be nicer in person, and less frequently misunderstood. So I am optimistic that I am going to meet a lot of great, down to earth, fellow lifetime learners when I take my first Viking cruise in March!

true true -- it's so hard to communicate body language with just the written word.  and also too, it's so much easier to let your "not nice" out when you're hiding behind a user handle and not looking somebody in the face while you're being "un-nice". Hopefully .. and I mean this truly .. my behavior here is no different than how I behave in person.  At least that's my goal.  Whether I've succeeded is for you to judge.

[Peregrina651]

6 hours ago, bookbabe said:

Thoughts?  Is the tone on those dress code threads reflective of the majority of Viking travelers?

 

IMHO, they are a vocal minority. The rest of us don't care enough about what other people wear to get involved in the conversation or to argue with people whose opinion isn't going to change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Clay Clayton]

This made me think of all of you and the Explorers’ Lounge today. 

[deec]

Clay, this will become a favorite of mine forever....so true for so many aspects of our lives!!

 

[CharTrav]

FYI to folks on this thread who I know like World Cruises. Viking is scheduling two world cruises for 2023-2024 starting about a week apart. They have just scheduled the Sky to do this itinerary along with Neptune. Just noticed today. Am pretty sure it was not on their schedule earlier this week. 

[Jim Avery]

Right you are.  There is a discussion of this on the '22/'23 WC roll call.🍸

[CharTrav]

8 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Right you are.  There is a discussion of this on the '22/'23 WC roll call.🍸

Just scheduled this week or did I just miss it when checked last week?

[Jim Avery]

It was being discussed last week.  I got it from my guy at Viking before it was on the website.  Also the same with the Hawaii cruises.  It pays to stay in touch with your person.

[CharTrav]

54 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

It was being discussed last week.  I got it from my guy at Viking before it was on the website.  Also the same with the Hawaii cruises.  It pays to stay in touch with your person.

I love love my Viking TA but sometimes I'm more on top of upcoming cruises than she is. 🙄 However to cut her some slack, I've never asked her to keep me informed of new cruises. 

Edited August 23, 2021 by CharTrav

[Jim Avery]

Yes, I have found out that one size doesn’t fit all.

[Mich3554]

1 hour ago, CharTrav said:

I love love my Viking TA but sometimes I'm more on top of upcoming cruises than she is. 🙄 However to cut her some slack, I've never asked her to keep me informed of new cruises. 

 I got an email from my Viking TA when we were in Belize, to inform me that the 23-24 cruise was about to drop in a few days and did I want to book it?  Then I got a call from him when we returned to make sure I got the info.  This was after a discussion I had with him a few years ago about World Cruises, and we’re anticipating doing it then.  As it turned out, we snagged a cabin for 22-23 instead as DH retired earlier than he thought.  So he was pretty much on the ball.   I think if the route was different, DH might have really been tempted!

[CharTrav]

16 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

 I got an email from my Viking TA when we were in Belize, to inform me that the 23-24 cruise was about to drop in a few days and did I want to book it?  Then I got a call from him when we returned to make sure I got the info.  This was after a discussion I had with him a few years ago about World Cruises, and we’re anticipating doing it then.  As it turned out, we snagged a cabin for 22-23 instead as DH retired earlier than he thought.  So he was pretty much on the ball.   I think if the route was different, DH might have really been tempted!

I'm sure if I'd asked my Viking TA to alert me to certain cruises coming up -- she would be doing so.. she is that attentive.  But since I haven't -- I can hardly fault her for not doing what I never asked her to do.  In any case, my hubby so NOT NOT NOT interested in a World Cruise .. the idea of being stuck on a ship for that long just simplyl doesn't appeal to him .. at all.  He cites his weeks long research cruises. So who am I to argue otherwise? Of course -- the experience onboard a research vessel (amenities, quality of ship, etc.) doesn't hold a candle to a passenger cruise ship. 🙂

[photopro2]

I seem to have had the strangest dream.......... 

I was back on a Viking ship sailing through the Scottish Isles in calm seas and brilliant sunshine.

Then Clay mentioned our "lovely cruise" with the McG's on a separate thread and I now suspect it might really have happened. 😉

Seriously though, my recollections of last week have a real dream like quality to them. I think this is because the trip came together so quickly.

In contrast to the normal multi year build up to a cruise, this time booking to sailing happened in less than three weeks. A couple of months ago we were on the west coast of Scotland looking out to sea with no plans to cruise this year at all. Then last week we were out on the same sea, Prosecco in hand, looking back at the rocky shoreline from the Aquavit Terrace. 

Those of you who have had chance to cruise this year will know how fabulous it is to be back and for the rest of you, your turn will come and it's getting nearer day by day.

 

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, photopro2 said:

I seem to have had the strangest dream.......... 

I was back on a Viking ship sailing through the Scottish Isles in calm seas and brilliant sunshine.

Then Clay mentioned our "lovely cruise" with the McG's on a separate thread and I now suspect it might really have happened. 😉

Seriously though, my recollections of last week have a real dream like quality to them. I think this is because the trip came together so quickly.

In contrast to the normal multi year build up to a cruise, this time booking to sailing happened in less than three weeks. A couple of months ago we were on the west coast of Scotland looking out to sea with no plans to cruise this year at all. Then last week we were out on the same sea, Prosecco in hand, looking back at the rocky shoreline from the Aquavit Terrace. 

Those of you who have had chance to cruise this year will know how fabulous it is to be back and for the rest of you, your turn will come and it's getting nearer day by day.

 

 

Haha !! Are you sure it wasn't a dream, as the Scottish Western Isles, calm seas & brilliant sunshine are rarely used in a single sentence. 😁 😁