Viking Expeditions Thread

[FLORIDA FLOUNDER]

17 hours ago, Frenchberet said:

We sailed to Antarctica on Octantis in February.  We do not normally eat dinner in the World Cafe on Viking Ocean ships but as mentioned above, the WC has been greatly expanded on the Expedition ships.  We loved the steaks and burgers at the Grill, everything was made to order and perfectly cooked.  The salads, bread and bakery items were all exceptional (best chocolate cake ever).  Nice variety of buffet items.  Many tables and lots of room to spread out.
 

We ate at Manfredi’s a few times and thought it was very good.  After seven cruises I figured out how to order half portions, plenty of food for me and I can try different things.  Dinners at the Restaurant and lunches at Mamsens were all very good (great pea soup).  We thought the food was excellent on Expedition.

Agree! The bakery was exceptional and the home-made cronuts were to die for. The stir-fried ice cream was a real treat as well. 🤤

[janetcbl]

5 minutes ago, FLORIDA FLOUNDER said:

Agree! The bakery was exceptional and the home-made cronuts were to die for. The stir-fried ice cream was a real treat as well. 🤤

Please describe the fried ice cream and where you got it. The only fried ice cream I ever had was covered in corn flakes and then deep fried….and melted in under a minute. Thanks!

[FLORIDA FLOUNDER]

9 minutes ago, janetcbl said:

Please describe the fried ice cream and where you got it. The only fried ice cream I ever had was covered in corn flakes and then deep fried….and melted in under a minute. Thanks!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stir-fried_ice_cream

 

I think it was in the dessert section/bakery.

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, janetcbl said:

Please describe the fried ice cream and where you got it. The only fried ice cream I ever had was covered in corn flakes and then deep fried….and melted in under a minute. Thanks!

It’s not fried. It’s similar to the Cold Stone Creamery’s ice cream, where it chopped and combined with your chosen ingredients on a frozen slab, then scraped and rolled into a dessert cup. There are Octantis travel videos on YouTube that show the process.

Edited July 21, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[janetcbl]

Thanks! It is called rolled ice  cream here….usually found in restaurants or free standing booths run by people from Thailand, who are delighted to explain the process, and it is delicious!

[irishwitchy]

After reading this thread, it appears if I splurge on a Penthouse I don’t get first dibs on the expedition excursions, which would be why I spent the extra money.  Would love to hear from anyone that actually spent for those higher end cabins, what did you get besides more space?   

[janetcbl]

42 minutes ago, irishwitchy said:

After reading this thread, it appears if I splurge on a Penthouse I don’t get first dibs on the expedition excursions, which would be why I spent the extra money.  Would love to hear from anyone that actually spent for those higher end cabins, what did you get besides more space?   

We have had no trouble getting excursions when booked in a PV or a PJS. On a trip coming up we have a DV and I booked excursions the minute they opened for our level; no problem this time either. You should have no problem….if you do, check with Guest Services immediately when you board and they can usually work it out. Good luck!

[OneSixtyToOne]

41 minutes ago, janetcbl said:

We have had no trouble getting excursions when booked in a PV or a PJS. On a trip coming up we have a DV and I booked excursions the minute they opened for our level; no problem this time either. You should have no problem….if you do, check with Guest Services immediately when you board and they can usually work it out. Good luck!

This thread is about expedition ships which have none of the rooms you mentioned.

Expedition ships have (NB) Nordic Balcony, (DN) Deluxe Nordic Balcony, (NP) Nordic Penthouse, (NS) Nordic Junior Suite. (ES) Explorer Suite, and (OS) Owner’s Suite.

 

On Expedition ships, NB and DN staterooms book advanced excursion reservations the same number of days out. DN book earlier than NB for restaurant reservations but that is really no big deal. 

[janetcbl]

1 hour ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

This thread is about expedition ships which have none of the rooms you mentioned.

Expedition ships have (NB) Nordic Balcony, (DN) Deluxe Nordic Balcony, (NP) Nordic Penthouse, (NS) Nordic Junior Suite. (ES) Explorer Suite, and (OS) Owner’s Suite.

 

On Expedition ships, NB and DN staterooms book advanced excursion reservations the same number of days out. DN book earlier than NB for restaurant reservations but that is really no big deal. 

You are 100% correct. On the trip  I just mentioned,  (Great Lakes) we have a DN and booked the same time as NB and had no problems as stated above. Hard to keep all the abbreviations/types of ships straight!

 

[Knotagain68]

4 hours ago, irishwitchy said:

After reading this thread, it appears if I splurge on a Penthouse I don’t get first dibs on the expedition excursions, which would be why I spent the extra money.  Would love to hear from anyone that actually spent for those higher end cabins, what did you get besides more space?   

When I compare the Nordic Penthouse description to Deluxe Nordic Balcony, the NP gets to reserve 10 days before DN which is the next lower category. However if you book less than 57 days out, you would lose that advantage. 

[Insanityx4]

Whether or not you are able to take excursions, no matter what stateroom category, is dependent on the weather. On some Arctic Expedition cruises, hardly any SOB's, kayaks, zodiaks, or submarines were able to be in the water due to high waves and bad weather. We were on a Nordic Penthouse and it was nice to have a larger room, two full closets plus the drying closet, and the mini bar. However, we also had the Silver Spirits package so we really didn't use the mini bar much.

[OneSixtyToOne]

45 minutes ago, Insanityx4 said:

Whether or not you are able to take excursions, no matter what stateroom category, is dependent on the weather. On some Arctic Expedition cruises, hardly any SOB's, kayaks, zodiaks, or submarines were able to be in the water due to high waves and bad weather. We were on a Nordic Penthouse and it was nice to have a larger room, two full closets plus the drying closet, and the mini bar. However, we also had the Silver Spirits package so we really didn't use the mini bar much.

Expedition cruising is more akin to scenic cruising than port intensive ocean cruising making me question the importance of pre cruise booking.

[FLORIDA FLOUNDER]

18 hours ago, irishwitchy said:

After reading this thread, it appears if I splurge on a Penthouse I don’t get first dibs on the expedition excursions, which would be why I spent the extra money.  Would love to hear from anyone that actually spent for those higher end cabins, what did you get besides more space?   

I can't remember how far in advance our excursion list opened up but we had no issues pre-booking the expedition excursions we wanted on our Antarctica trip. After all, everything is weather dependent in the Antarctica region as people have mentioned in this thread.

We booked an N1 Nordic Balcony room (guarantee cabin) and were upgraded to a Nordic Penthouse (room 4002) when we boarded. Yes, the room was larger and yes, we had a mini bar but other than that, there's no real difference. All of the rooms have the same set up and all of the rooms are absolutely beautiful. Plus, we weren't in the room much except to shower and sleep.🤪

In my opinion, the difference of $4000 per person for a Penthouse is not worth it as you can spend that $8000 on another trip somewhere else in the world. 🌎😃

[Knotagain68]

18 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Expedition cruising is more akin to scenic cruising than port intensive ocean cruising making me question the importance of pre cruise booking.

The Great Lakes cruises are the exception. There is a variety of excursions in most ports, kayak, zodiac, and SOB rides in Canadian locations, and various times available for included excursions, so the earlier you book the more likely you are to get what you want.

[irishwitchy]

Thanks to those that have actually been on the expedition ship in the  Antarctic.  The pre booking doesn’t apply to those ships at all - hence my question.  I may need to rethink my cabin choice.  If I’m not going to jump the queue,  I can think of other things to do with the significant difference in money.   Thanks, all.  

[emileg]

On 7/23/2023 at 6:14 PM, irishwitchy said:

Thanks to those that have actually been on the expedition ship in the  Antarctic.  The pre booking doesn’t apply to those ships at all - hence my question.  I may need to rethink my cabin choice.  If I’m not going to jump the queue,  I can think of other things to do with the significant difference in money.   Thanks, all.  

 

We were supposed to be on an Antarctic expedition in February 2022, but due to one of us getting a false positive covid test, we were quarantined in Miami. For that cruise, we booked the Penthouse Verandah. However, for our upcoming South Georgia Island, Falklands and Antarctic expedition, we decided to book a DN6, where you have the same priority bookings as a DN1. We are saving $12,000 by not booking the penthouse verandahs. In 2022, the prices for the penthouse were only a couple of thousand more.

[lpmpsail]

Taking the Antarctic Explorer cruise in December 2023 on Viking Octantis.  Does anyone know if they provide walking sticks for shore excursions?  I seem to recall seeing that they did, but now can't confirm that.  Thanks in advance!

[Frenchberet]

50 minutes ago, lpmpsail said:

Taking the Antarctic Explorer cruise in December 2023 on Viking Octantis.  Does anyone know if they provide walking sticks for shore excursions?  I seem to recall seeing that they did, but now can't confirm that.  Thanks in advance!

Yes, Viking provides walking sticks on shore excursions.

[kchand]

Don't forget to get the Rolled Ice Cream table next to the Gelato.

[emileg]

On 8/11/2023 at 10:23 AM, kchand said:

Don't forget to get the Rolled Ice Cream table next to the Gelato.

 

Oh boy! I can see the pounds now gained from the ice cream, but lost from trekking on land!

[Shinydiamond]

Getting ready for my first cruise on an Expedition ship. We have 5 Viking Ocean cruises under our belt.  I have a question.  Is there a barista on board like there is in the Living Roomon ocean cruises?  I’m a big iced latte fan and want to set my expectations. 

[Insanityx4]

There is a bar/coffee area in the Living Room/Library area. I never used it but saw others getting coffee throughout the day as well as mixed drinks. On ocean ships there are also pastries, cookies, and small sandwiches offered in the living room bar, but on the Expedition ships you have to go to the World Cafe or Mamsen's for those. 

Edited August 23, 2023 by Insanityx4

[zelker]

Looking at Longitudinal V on Octantis in 2025. Can someone tell me what is located on Deck 1, forward of Guest Services and directly below the N2 staterooms on Deck 2, please?

[CurlerRob]

2 hours ago, zelker said:

Looking at Longitudinal V on Octantis in 2025. Can someone tell me what is located on Deck 1, forward of Guest Services and directly below the N2 staterooms on Deck 2, please?

 

Interesting question. The Octantis 360 tour ( https://www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/content/expeditions-360/start.html ) confirms that the Zodiacs, sub and kayaks are stored aft in the Hangar, so it's not them, if you're concerned about noise.

 

The deck plan is not informative, but I would expect the galley to be aft of the restaurant and Manfredi's. So, my bet would be crew quarters / space  - but I've not been aboard so it's a pure guess. Hopefully a past pax will know the answer. 🍺🥌

[OneSixtyToOne]

22 minutes ago, CurlerRob said:

So, my bet would be crew quarters / space  - but I've not been aboard so it's a pure guess

The area is not public and if you look at a picture of the ship it has portholes. My guess is also crew quarters.