Viking Octantis, some answers while I’m still working on my review

[May B]

Over on the Crystal boards, I was talking about my Octantis last week.
 

Here are some answers to questions a cruiser asked. First, my quick impressions.

 

We liked it very much! It wasn’t perfect but it was quite lovely.

 

Service was great. I think Crystal trained them, from crew all the way up to the captain.

 

Ship is gorgeous with education all over the hallways and lounges.

 

Food went from adequate all the way up to great. First dinner (at The Restaurant) was the best, and since you only have one chance to make a first impression … I think that was a wise choice, either by design, or by randomness.

 

Some glitches in communication but I think everybody survived it fine. 
 

By far the biggest downside is the dining situation. Breakfast and lunch is only buffet. Dinner also has an adequate buffet, or the much preferred dinners at The Restaurant or Manfredi’s. Alas, we only got to enjoy full service dinners four out of seven evenings.

 

We did enjoy it enough to be looking at a Baltic for next summer! That will be a larger ship, not the expedition ship with the water toys and science.

Now to a CC member’s questions.

 

“1.  My understanding is that higher cost suites get priority for booking the "toys" (e.g., the SOBs, which allow pax to board for zodiak-style explorations while still on the ship, thus avoiding balancing problems getting into a Zodiak when the sea is choppy).  Some pax reported in reviews they were unable to get the "toys" bookings they wanted, or even more than one sit-down dinner reservation per week  (e.g., all sit-down dinner venues require reservations, as I understand it). “

 

Me: while it’s true that higher cost suites get a priority booking window, for restaurant reservations as well as shore excursions and water toys, I in my lowliest stateroom category had no trouble booking many things, as well as two dinners, prior to boarding.

 

Interestingly, the time frames published were not strict. Bookings opened earlier than expected, so checking in advance, on a daily basis, was a good idea.

 

The SOB does not give the same experience as the Zodiac. Also, I suspect Zodiacs are suspended in choppy seas. 
 

I was able to add two more restaurant bookings, on embarkation day, just by asking. Also, some toys and excursions are added. They keep wait-lists, too, and you can hang out at an appropriate time to see if you can get on at the last minute.

 

So before boarding, we had one reservation at The Restaurant and one at Manfredi’s. Added one more of each. Menu at The Restaurant changes daily, and is an indication of what you’ll find at the World Cafe (buffet). Manfredi’s menu stays the same, but also has a changing fish of the day and pasta of the day. There are two soups, so I had one the first time, the other the second. I love soup, and these were both fine.

 

“2.  Are there long lines or problems getting a table at the evening buffet?  When I'm tired from an excursion, I don't like standing around in a hungry (sometimes pushy) crowd “

 

Me: absolutely no trouble getting a table, and barely ever a line. On the sides are a salad/fruit area and a hot food area, same on both sides. At the one end, there’s sushi, sashimi, shellfish, but I’m not 100% sure about sashimi. At the other end, at dinner I’m not sure! Pizza of the day? Some kind of sandwich of the day? And wonderful breads, where you can watch the baker knead, set to rise, put in ovens. Fun! That part is at all three meals. And on one side, The Grill with a few choices. At lunch, ahi tuna steak, burgers. At dinner, steak, perhaps two choices, plus some brisket we never tried. A nice place to sit if you like watching chefs at work.

 

Btw, no sit-down option for breakfast or lunch, but a nice little area of Norwegian specialties.

 

“3. 

Are there wine lists (for extra pay of course, though base "wine and beer" are included), and if so, roughly  how many wines and what quality?

 

thx in advance!”

 

There is a list, I suppose, but I spotted exactly what I wanted, as we walked into The Restaurant, and drank it consistently at all three venues. At the two sit-down venues, they even brought us the nice larger red wine glasses. It was the Francis Coppola Zinfandel, just their basic one that retails on the winery web site for $15.99 and I can get at Luekens for $10.99. Interestingly enough, our Total Wine here in Tampa doesn’t carry it. That gives you an idea of the cost of the included wines, which I didn’t bother with, ever. I think if you’re paying, there are pricier ones. I had the Silver Spirits package. (If I didn’t, my Maker’s would’ve been $8, or Jim Beam for $6. Two other bourbons, one at each price point, but I don’t remember what they were.)

 

As you probably can see, I love talking about my past cruises. 😃 

[Azulann]

Welcome to Viking  ships. Your experience on an expedition  ship  I  hope will produce a nice trip review. Glad you are going to the Baltics on another Viking ship in the future. 

Thanks for answering questions from Crystal cruisers.  I have no need to ever sail on a Crystal cruise, but that is just me reading their forum for a number of years.😆

Edited July 27, 2022 by Azulann