UK Only Viking Venus Cruise

[jtwind]

56 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

On the site which cannot be named, A cruiser aboard the first UK cruise reported that no passengers or crew tested positive. 

How did they know?  Was there an announcement?  Official statement?

 

If a person went to the onboard clinic and tested positive, they would probably quarantine that person and their roommate.  If those people didn't know anyone else onboard, no one would know.

 

 

[FoggyEthan]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

On the site which cannot be named, A cruiser aboard the first UK cruise reported that no passengers or crew tested positive. 

 

On this unspeakable site (il libro da viso?) do you know if they've talked about social interactions on the ship and whether the distancing guidelines made it impractical to talk to other people?

[Clay Clayton]

28 minutes ago, jtwind said:

How did they know?  Was there an announcement?  Official statement?

 

If a person went to the onboard clinic and tested positive, they would probably quarantine that person and their roommate.  If those people didn't know anyone else onboard, no one would know.

 

 

I can only pass along what the cruiser reported.  

[Clay Clayton]

6 minutes ago, FoggyEthan said:

 

On this unspeakable site (il libro da viso?) do you know if they've talked about social interactions on the ship and whether the distancing guidelines made it impractical to talk to other people?

I don’t recall that being mentioned, but I have asked. 

[jtwind]

2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

I can only pass along what the cruiser reported.  

From that wording, it seems like Viking must have actually announced it.  Thanks.

[TayanaLorna]

12 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

I don’t recall that being mentioned, but I have asked. 

Someone reported that they were unable to join others for dining but had conversations with others from a distance.

[Clay Clayton]

13 hours ago, FoggyEthan said:

 

On this unspeakable site (il libro da viso?) do you know if they've talked about social interactions on the ship and whether the distancing guidelines made it impractical to talk to other people?

Here is the response I got back 

[lisiamc]

We’re staying in Portsmouth the night before our cruise later this month.  Does anyone have a favourite restaurant they can recommend, please?

[TayanaLorna]

UK friends.  What is your favorite gin or what you think the best?

[Clay Clayton]

5 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

UK friends.  What is your favorite gin or what you think the best?

Pass the popcorn 🍿 😂

[Minnie29]

Just a quick question regarding embarkation day. 
we have an embark time of 10-10.30am so should be on board by lunchtime. 
can anyone tell me what venues will be open for lunch on embarkation day please? 

[JeriGail]

49 minutes ago, Minnie29 said:

Just a quick question regarding embarkation day. 
we have an embark time of 10-10.30am so should be on board by lunchtime. 
can anyone tell me what venues will be open for lunch on embarkation day please? 

In the "Before Times" it was World Café and Pool Grill, but who knows what will be open now. 

[Strangford]

22 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

UK friends.  What is your favorite gin or what you think the best?

Thumbs up here for Jawbox gin from Echlinville distillery - about 14 miles from us on the Ards Peninsula.  Echlinville won 2 double golds, 1 gold and a silver for their Irish Whiskeys and a gold for Weavers Gin at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. 

[Hazel52]

On 6/1/2021 at 6:45 PM, Clay Clayton said:

I don’t recall that being mentioned, but I have asked. 

Hi Clay - I wanted to ask you about your TA but messaging you says it’s disabled. We were on a transatlantic with you guys  was it 2018? When you 2 were off to spend many months living in Europe. Can you message me?

Thanks - Deb aka Hazel52

[Clay Clayton]

2 hours ago, Hazel52 said:

Hi Clay - I wanted to ask you about your TA but messaging you says it’s disabled. We were on a transatlantic with you guys  was it 2018? When you 2 were off to spend many months living in Europe. Can you message me?

Thanks - Deb aka Hazel52

Messaging doesn’t work on CruiseCritic.  Drop me an email: BigNCBear@aol.com

[Hazel52]

2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Messaging doesn’t work on CruiseCritic.  Drop me an email: BigNCBear@aol.com

Done!

[Clay Clayton]

10 hours ago, Hazel52 said:

Done!

And replied 😊

[Glenndale]

Hi, we haven’t cruised with Viking before.

We are looking at Scenic British Isles leaving on the 12 th.

Will those of you who have cruised with them before please give us a quick run down of not to be missed dining experiences and an overall view of what to expect.

Thanks for any advice you can offer 🙂🤞🏻

Are all the DV1 cabins aft facing?

Are sparkling wines offered at no extra charge with meals?

 

Edited June 6, 2021 by Glenndale

[minka34]

1 hour ago, Glenndale said:

Hi, we haven’t cruised with Viking before.

We are looking at Scenic British Isles leaving on the 12 th.

Will those of you who have cruised with them before please give us a quick run down of not to be missed dining experiences and an overall view of what to expect.

Thanks for any advice you can offer 🙂🤞🏻

Are all the DV1 cabins aft facing?

Are sparkling wines offered at no extra charge with meals?

 

Yes, sparkling wine, red, white, and beer (light and dark).

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Hi.  I'm not taking a UK cruise, but looking for the answer to a question or two.  Since Venus has (apparently) already gone out, I was hoping someone on here could tell me how easy (or hard?) it was to change reservations at The Restaurant (main dining venue) after those were made on My Viking Journey.  We like to eat at World Cafe a lot, and also like a good amount of freedom on when we eat.  So I was curious when Viking added a way to make reservations for The Restaurant. Is that just an optional thing, or is it advisable that I make reservations?  I don't want to snag coveted (for U.S. pax, anyway) 7 pm dining times if it means others will have to eat earlier or later.  But I also don't want to end up dining at 9 pm.  

 

And I know things are changing, and may change even more before I board in August, but just wanted to find out what I could right now. Thanks. 

[kittycrews]

IMO Viking is being careful to make sure tables are distanced. But even if you have a reservation in the restaurant, you could choose to eat at World Cafe. They have been flexible with passengers dining on previous Scenic Shores sailings. We know Viking does everything to make sure guests have an enjoyable experience. You are right to note that circumstances change all the time to meet the extant situation.

[arlowood]

12 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Hi.  I'm not taking a UK cruise, but looking for the answer to a question or two.  Since Venus has (apparently) already gone out, I was hoping someone on here could tell me how easy (or hard?) it was to change reservations at The Restaurant (main dining venue) after those were made on My Viking Journey.  We like to eat at World Cafe a lot, and also like a good amount of freedom on when we eat.  So I was curious when Viking added a way to make reservations for The Restaurant. Is that just an optional thing, or is it advisable that I make reservations?  I don't want to snag coveted (for U.S. pax, anyway) 7 pm dining times if it means others will have to eat earlier or later.  But I also don't want to end up dining at 9 pm.  

 

And I know things are changing, and may change even more before I board in August, but just wanted to find out what I could right now. Thanks. 

We are currently on Viking Venus docked in Liverpool. I made reservations for the Main Restaurant,  Chef's Table and Manfredi's using MVJ some weeks before our sailing date. However when I got aboard last Saturday the stateroom TV was not displaying any of my reservations in the Calendar. I spoke to Guest Services and they confirmed there was a technical glitch. They said there was no need to book for the Main Restaurant- just roll up when you like and you'll be seated. It may be due to the reduced numbers on our cruise that it's effectively freedom dining. We have also managed to rebook the 2 speciality restaurants but on different nights to our original. There were slots on the dates I chose originally but at much later times - too late for comfort for us.

It's difficult to know what will be the situation on later cruises as the pax numbers may be higher and freedom style dining more problematic. My advice is to to Guest  Services as soon as you board and check out the booking options at that time.

[Dave W 10]

For those yet to travel on the UK cruise, the excursion prices on Myvikingjourney are incorrect. Maritime city of Liverpool which shows as £79 each on MVY is $59 when booked on board (around £42). There is a similar discrepancy on all tours so considerably cheaper than expected. Viking are aware but seem unable to correct.

The cruise last week was fantastic by the way.

Edited June 7, 2021 by Dave W 10

[Marmaduke]

At least two people have now reported that, despite booking restaurants times in advance on MVJ they have found that once on board theses reservations do not exist.  They have then had to go to guest services and re-book often not getting their original preferences which seems to defeat one of the the objectives of paying extra for a deluxe balcony.   Has any one else had this problem or have your MVJ bookings been honoured ?

 

 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

6 hours ago, arlowood said:

We are currently on Viking Venus docked in Liverpool. I made reservations for the Main Restaurant,  Chef's Table and Manfredi's using MVJ some weeks before our sailing date. However when I got aboard last Saturday the stateroom TV was not displaying any of my reservations in the Calendar. I spoke to Guest Services and they confirmed there was a technical glitch. They said there was no need to book for the Main Restaurant- just roll up when you like and you'll be seated. It may be due to the reduced numbers on our cruise that it's effectively freedom dining. We have also managed to rebook the 2 speciality restaurants but on different nights to our original. There were slots on the dates I chose originally but at much later times - too late for comfort for us.

It's difficult to know what will be the situation on later cruises as the pax numbers may be higher and freedom style dining more problematic. My advice is to to Guest  Services as soon as you board and check out the booking options at that time.

Thank you.  No reservations needed in The Restaurant was the norm pre-Covid, and even at full capacity it was never any problem for the two of us to be seated quickly.  But with the likelihood of reduced capacity and social distancing this summer, I imagine things might be different - better or worse!  But I'm sure it will be fine.  I was mostly just curious, because someone on another thread implied we should make reservations for The Restaurant.  I did, but I didn't realize at the time that the system now puts time in between different dinner/other activities to avoid conflicts.  So I could only pull up a 9 PM time for a specialty restaurant because my 6:30 reservation was causing a conflict. When I canceled it I got perfect times. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise.  We love Viking. Thanks for your help.