Onboard cost on Viking Ocean

[BobCatter]

Other than tips (which they add on) and shore excursions, what are some other costs that might creep in?

How much are cocktails? Souvenirs? A Bar of soap? etc.

 

Just trying to make sure we understand anything else we might be missing.

[FetaCheese]

23 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

Other than tips (which they add on) and shore excursions, what are some other costs that might creep in?

How much are cocktails? Souvenirs? A Bar of soap? etc.

 

Just trying to make sure we understand anything else we might be missing.

Bar drinks are very reasonably priced and do include grat. If you have silver spirits pkg, drinks are included up to $15.  If you're booked, and have added MVJ, go to onboard experience, then dining and bev, then silver spirits, learn more, sample menu, and bar price menu will open in a new tab.  You can print it, if you want.  In my opinion, shops are relatively expensive.  Never bought spa treatments, but you can spend $ there. 

 

Edited June 8, 2022 by FetaCheese
Edit

[Clay Clayton]

1 hour ago, BobCatter said:

Other than tips (which they add on) and shore excursions, what are some other costs that might creep in?

How much are cocktails? Souvenirs? A Bar of soap? etc.

 

Just trying to make sure we understand anything else we might be missing.

Soap is included!

 

Can’t speak to the cost of souvenirs.

 

If you want to see bar prices, search on this board for bar menus and you can see pictures I took and posted last July of the menus from  all bars.  If you take a look at Explorer’s Lounge and Living Room ones you should see most anything you want to drink. 

 

Spa access is included-treatments are about the price as on other lines. Sorry I can’t give you specific pricing but seems like someone recently posted a price list.  I know I had a 30 foot and leg massage in the before times and seems like it was $48?  I only did it because we had a tiny bit of shipboard credit left from what our travel agent had provided after paying for  the daily service charge. 
 

Not much else that you can pay for….
 

 

Edited June 8, 2022 by Clay Clayton

[Hockeyump]

We had included gratuities in the price, Paid for the silver spirits package in advance and had a zero bill at the end of the cruise.

[BobCatter]

1 hour ago, Hockeyump said:

We had included gratuities in the price, Paid for the silver spirits package in advance and had a zero bill at the end of the cruise.

How did you have gratuities included? Was that part of your initial invoicing, or a later add-on?

[BobCatter]

Nevermind. Found the info. How do you delete a post on this forum?

[FetaCheese]

59 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

Nevermind. Found the info. How do you delete a post on this forum?

Don't think you can delete outright, but you can edit a post, and delete the body, then save. Not sure how many minutes you have to edit.

Edited June 9, 2022 by FetaCheese

[Peregrina651]

5 hours ago, BobCatter said:

Nevermind. Found the info. How do you delete a post on this forum?

 

Once a thread/topic is started, it is here forever (like all of the roll calls that were started for cruises that were cancelled).  Only stuff that is against the rules (obscene, harassing, etc.) or has nothing to do with cruising gets deleted.

 

Threads/topics take on a life of their own and live long past when the OP has gotten their answer and moved on. OP may be the one to ask the initial question but the answers are for everyone who stops by to read the thread and learn.

 

In other words, don't worry about it. It is out of your hands.  You asked a good questions and people are going to run with it. Let then have at it. It is something to talk about. It is a way of helping newbies. 

 

The edit period on a post is 20 minutes.  BTW, to edit a post, click on the three dots beside the post # and choose "edit."  Use the same three dots to report a thread.

 

 

 

 

[Peregrina651]

8 hours ago, BobCatter said:

Other than tips (which they add on) and shore excursions, what are some other costs that might creep in?

How much are cocktails? Souvenirs? A Bar of soap? etc.

 

While Viking includes a lot of things that have to be paid for on other cruise lines -- like internet, lattes, capuccino, room service, shuttle buses --  there are still some items that guests will have to pay for:

 

• spa services (massages, facials, haircuts, manicures, etc) but not for access to the spa or exercise room, which are open to all guests
• optional shore excursions
• anything in the shops
• anything not included in the mini-bar for your cabin category (i.e. replenishment for V cabins, wine/beer or nip bottles in DV -- none of which is covered by the drinks package)
• dry cleaning and laundry service  BUT not the self-service launderettes or the detergent for them
• cocktails, mocktails and shots 24/7 (either by the drink or by purchasing the drinks package)
• wine, beer, soft drinks, Evian and Perrier when requested outside of meal hours
• specialty coffees that contain alcohol (brandy, Bailey's, etc)
• some on-board special programs such as wine/scotch/aquavit tastings
• caviar
• gratuities

 

Viking has a liberal BYO policy (anything that is legal) and no corkage fee in the dining room (or the bar). BYO may be consumed anywhere on the ship; Viking will supply the glasses and ice but charges for any mixers.

 

A word about gratuities.

 

In certain booking markets (not the US or Canada), gratuities are include in the cost of the cruise. In the US and Canadian market, free gratuities are occasional offered as a perk, but other than that it is expected that guests will ante up.

 

The standard amount is automatically added to your ship board account at the end of the cruise unless you stop by Guest Services to say that you do not want them added to your account. They do it this way because more people want the grats added on than wish to opt out; it makes for less traffic at guest services.  Or you can pre-pay on MVJ.

 

All bar tabs and spa services already include a 15% gratuity in the pricing.

 

 

[BobCatter]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

[BobCatter]

8 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

 

• anything not included in the mini-bar for your cabin category (i.e. replenishment for V cabins, wine/beer or nip bottles in DV -- none of which is covered by the drinks package)

 

 

We're in PV. It says the minibar gets replenished once a day, but it doesn't say if those drinks are included with the cabin fare, or if they are charged. Would we pay fort hem as we go, or are they included in the Silver bev package.

[Squawkman]

5 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

We're in PV. It says the minibar gets replenished once a day, but it doesn't say if those drinks are included with the cabin fare, or if they are charged. Would we pay fort hem as we go, or are they included in the Silver bev package.

They are included in the fare regardless of whether or not you have the SS beverage package.

[Clay Clayton]

25 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

We're in PV. It says the minibar gets replenished once a day, but it doesn't say if those drinks are included with the cabin fare, or if they are charged. Would we pay fort hem as we go, or are they included in the Silver bev package.

You’ll also get some snacks that get replenished when the mini bottles and mixers do. If you ever book a V-you don’t get replenished. In a DV, you get topped up daily but only with the non-alcholix mixers and snacks. 
 

You might want to take a look at this thread-lots of good tips and advice to make the most of your cruise:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2416372-tips-for-new-viking-ocean-cruisers/page/62/#comment-62141739

Edited June 9, 2022 by Clay Clayton

[BobCatter]

21 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

You might want to take a look at this thread-lots of good tips and advice to make the most of your cruise:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2416372-tips-for-new-viking-ocean-cruisers/page/62/#comment-62141739

That's a very long thread! Dang. 🙂

[janetcbl]

53 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

We're in PV. It says the minibar gets replenished once a day, but it doesn't say if those drinks are included with the cabin fare, or if they are charged. Would we pay fort hem as we go, or are they included in the Silver bev package.

And if you prefer wine instead of the liquor, you can request that as well. 

[BobCatter]

1 minute ago, janetcbl said:

And if you prefer wine instead of the liquor, you can request that as well. 

For the minibar? That would be great. 

[Clay Clayton]

20 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

That's a very long thread! Dang. 🙂

It is but worth reading, IMHO. Don’t have to binge it…unless you’re leaving tomorrow 😂

[BobCatter]

33 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

It is but worth reading, IMHO. Don’t have to binge it…unless you’re leaving tomorrow 😂

We have a couple of months. Still not sure I'd get through it! 😉

[Clay Clayton]

6 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

We have a couple of months. Still not sure I'd get through it! 😉

Well I would try, but I’m crazy that way.   It would only take reading two pages a day to finish it in two months. 

Edited June 9, 2022 by Clay Clayton

[duquephart]

"Free" mini bar is of no value when you have SS. Except for the tiny snacks that is.

[Peregrina651]

31 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

That's a very long thread! Dang. 🙂

 

Don't read it all!!!!

 

Start at post #1 and read for a couple of pages; you'll know when it is time to stop. Then fast forward to April, 2021 and continue reading from there to the end in order to catch up on the post-pandemic changes.  The, if you feel you have missed something, double back and read what you skipped.

 

1 hour ago, BobCatter said:

We're in PV. It says the minibar gets replenished once a day, but it doesn't say if those drinks are included with the cabin fare, or if they are charged. Would we pay fort hem as we go, or are they included in the Silver bev package.

 

For clarity --

 

all cabins come with a stocked mini-bar that is yours to consume. The contents depends on your cabin category. Once daily replenishment is included for all cabins except V, who can pay for replenishment a la carte. (However, it is easy to get an extra can or two of soda at meal time and do your own replenishing -- or stop by my cabin, where the soda goes unopened).

 

The drinks package does not cover the minibar.  However, anyone can order drinks from the bar to be delivered to the cabin; they will be put on your tab if you don't have the drinks package.

[janetcbl]

3 hours ago, BobCatter said:

For the minibar? That would be great. 

Yes, for PV and above. We discovered this little “secret” our first Viking trip. Good to share these bits of information!😁

[Clay Clayton]

4 hours ago, duquephart said:

"Free" mini bar is of no value when you have SS. Except for the tiny snacks that is.

It is if you don’t want to wait for room service to deliver! 😂

[BobCatter]

1 minute ago, Clay Clayton said:

It is if you don’t want to wait for room service to deliver! 😂

Or Mimosas in the morning....😆

[Clay Clayton]

3 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

Or Mimosas in the morning....😆

As long as you don’t need oj for the mimosa-that you have to get from room service.  And you’ll only have one bottle of champagne in your room. And just an fyi-champagne isn’t included in the SS package. There is a sparkling that is good enough for my plebeian tastes but others feel differently.  

Edited June 9, 2022 by Clay Clayton