Our thoughts…1st Viking Ocean

[Jjg34219]

We just completed our first Ocean cruise on Viking aboard Orion. Here is our mini review

The Ship…we simply loved it! The size, the layout, the decor, everything was perfect. We were particularly impressed with how many areas offered comfortable seating for just relaxation or conversation. We were in a DV6, cabin 3054, and had no issues. Yes we did some evenings hear Torshavn below, but nothing that disrupted our night or sleep. And right across the hall from the laundry is a non-issue. And having read reviews of limited storage and few outlets for charging devices, we had zero issues, and being in Alaska we packed a lot…lol

The crew….first of all, our cabin steward was the best! Never have we been welcomed aboard where the steward has enthusiastically greeted us and taken the time to go over every detail of the cabin. Made us feel very welcome immediately. Overall, we found the crew to be very outgoing, and professional, and we found service throughout our cruise to be very good.

Dining….we are not “foodies” and since food is a very subjective thing, our rating would be that we found dining to be good to very good, not great. We always had lunch and breakfast at the World Cafe. Our only complaint was breakfast offerings were the same daily. We ate in the Restaurant the first 3 evenings. We kinda miss not having the same waitstaff nightly, but service and food was good. After 3 nights, we tried World Cafe for dinner, and we found this more to our liking with more options and since we sat in the same area every time, we kinda developed a “relationship” with the waitstaff. We did dine at Manfredi's  once and enjoyed it very much.

Excursions…we were able to book every excursion we wanted. All were very well organized. Two were cancelled, one for lack of transportation people, and one due to weather. Some ports we only had 5-6 hours, so the excursion led to no time to further explore on our own. 
Entertainment…we enjoyed the Viking singers. But our favorite was Allen the guitarist/singer…we grabbed every moment with him that we could get in the Explorers Lounge in the evenings.

I think we sailed with 830 passengers, so not at full capacity, but close. Never felt the least bit crowded. We were one of the few who masked most everywhere, but never did we feel or made to feel”out of place” as has been mentioned by others . We are the lucky minority in todays world who have so far avoided being infected…at least so far as we know. 
 

We were happy enough that we booked Empires of the Mediterranean while on board. We thought the 800 savings was good, and geez how can you not love 25 $ deposits!
 

 

[Clay Clayton]

Glad to hear you enjoyed Orion!  We had been looking forward to boarding her in October, alas her Asian itineraries were canceled so looks like we have to wait for Saturn next July. Welcome to the Explorer’s Society. 

[TayanaLorna]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

Glad to hear you enjoyed Orion!  We had been looking forward to boarding her in October, alas her Asian itineraries were canceled so looks like we have to wait for Saturn next July. Welcome to the Explorer’s Society. 

Oh no Clay.  So sorry.  Not surprised, however, with Covid as well as the instability of that part of the world.

[Azulann]

Thank you for  your review.

I had the very same experience on my first Viking ocean cruise on the Viking Sea. I  loved , loved the various seating arrangements throughout the ship!!!! 

 

All Viking ships are basically the same. I was on the Orion during COVD  sailings and the crew was outstanding in every way. Glad you booked another cruise. I love planning my next cruise, it is part of the the cruise experience for me. 

 

[Heidi13]

7 hours ago, Jjg34219 said:

We just completed our first Ocean cruise on Viking aboard Orion. Here is our mini review

The Ship…we simply loved it! The size, the layout, the decor, everything was perfect. We were particularly impressed with how many areas offered comfortable seating for just relaxation or conversation. We were in a DV6, cabin 3054, and had no issues. Yes we did some evenings hear Torshavn below, but nothing that disrupted our night or sleep. And right across the hall from the laundry is a non-issue. And having read reviews of limited storage and few outlets for charging devices, we had zero issues, and being in Alaska we packed a lot…lol

The crew….first of all, our cabin steward was the best! Never have we been welcomed aboard where the steward has enthusiastically greeted us and taken the time to go over every detail of the cabin. Made us feel very welcome immediately. Overall, we found the crew to be very outgoing, and professional, and we found service throughout our cruise to be very good.

Dining….we are not “foodies” and since food is a very subjective thing, our rating would be that we found dining to be good to very good, not great. We always had lunch and breakfast at the World Cafe. Our only complaint was breakfast offerings were the same daily. We ate in the Restaurant the first 3 evenings. We kinda miss not having the same waitstaff nightly, but service and food was good. After 3 nights, we tried World Cafe for dinner, and we found this more to our liking with more options and since we sat in the same area every time, we kinda developed a “relationship” with the waitstaff. We did dine at Manfredi's  once and enjoyed it very much.

Excursions…we were able to book every excursion we wanted. All were very well organized. Two were cancelled, one for lack of transportation people, and one due to weather. Some ports we only had 5-6 hours, so the excursion led to no time to further explore on our own. 
Entertainment…we enjoyed the Viking singers. But our favorite was Allen the guitarist/singer…we grabbed every moment with him that we could get in the Explorers Lounge in the evenings.

I think we sailed with 830 passengers, so not at full capacity, but close. Never felt the least bit crowded. We were one of the few who masked most everywhere, but never did we feel or made to feel”out of place” as has been mentioned by others . We are the lucky minority in todays world who have so far avoided being infected…at least so far as we know. 
 

We were happy enough that we booked Empires of the Mediterranean while on board. We thought the 800 savings was good, and geez how can you not love 25 $ deposits!

 

Thanks for the great review.

 

We also favour the traditional dining model, so developed a work around for our last Viking cruise. Our preference is to have breakfast and lunch in the MDR (note breakfast menu doesn't change there either), where we experience a number of different waiters/waitresses.

 

They are all great, but once we find one, we really like, we ask which table/section they are at for dinner. At the host/hostess desk, when providing our cabin number, we request a table in our preferred waiter/waitresses section. After a few days, they automatically assigned us to that section

 

We spent almost 100 days on Viking Sun and sat at 1 of 2 tables every evening we used the MDR, with the same wait staff. They were brilliant. When we were down to only 8 pax, we invited the 3 of them + the host, to join us for dinner in Manfredi's.

 

If we were planning to eat dinner elsewhere, we advised the host by lunch, so he didn't try to keep those tables open.

[Clay Clayton]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Thanks for the great review.

 

We also favour the traditional dining model, so developed a work around for our last Viking cruise. Our preference is to have breakfast and lunch in the MDR (note breakfast menu doesn't change there either), where we experience a number of different waiters/waitresses.

 

They are all great, but once we find one, we really like, we ask which table/section they are at for dinner. At the host/hostess desk, when providing our cabin number, we request a table in our preferred waiter/waitresses section. After a few days, they automatically assigned us to that section

 

We spent almost 100 days on Viking Sun and sat at 1 of 2 tables every evening we used the MDR, with the same wait staff. They were brilliant. When we were down to only 8 pax, we invited the 3 of them + the host, to join us for dinner in Manfredi's.

 

If we were planning to eat dinner elsewhere, we advised the host by lunch, so he didn't try to keep those tables open.

Andy 

I often wonder when I read of the incredible services you received on your World Cruise how much is ever provided on a regular cruise. While we have always gotten great and friendly service and suspect we would find it similar to your experience, just wonder how much it might be different but need to actually go on a cruise to find out 😂

[janetcbl]

3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Thanks for the great review.

 

We also favour the traditional dining model, so developed a work around for our last Viking cruise. Our preference is to have breakfast and lunch in the MDR (note breakfast menu doesn't change there either), where we experience a number of different waiters/waitresses.

 

They are all great, but once we find one, we really like, we ask which table/section they are at for dinner. At the host/hostess desk, when providing our cabin number, we request a table in our preferred waiter/waitresses section. After a few days, they automatically assigned us to that section

 

We spent almost 100 days on Viking Sun and sat at 1 of 2 tables every evening we used the MDR, with the same wait staff. They were brilliant. When we were down to only 8 pax, we invited the 3 of them + the host, to join us for dinner in Manfredi's.

 

If we were planning to eat dinner elsewhere, we advised the host by lunch, so he didn't try to keep those tables open.

We did exactly the same thing and had the same waiter for the entire 28day cruise. When he changed table locations, so did we. And if we weren’t going to be gone for a meal, , we let him know. He knew our habits, our preferences, etc., which made for a relaxed, lovely experience.  Missed him when we returned home; had to do everything myself!😁

 

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Andy 

I often wonder when I read of the incredible services you received on your World Cruise how much is ever provided on a regular cruise. While we have always gotten great and friendly service and suspect we would find it similar to your experience, just wonder how much it might be different but need to actually go on a cruise to find out 😂

 

Clay,

 

Great point, unfortunately having never completed a short cruise with Viking, I have nothing to compare. However, I always consider the crew, and how they are led, as being the primary factors in the quality of service we as pax receive.

 

I'm sure that the pax on Viking Sun prior to the World Cruise received the same great service we did, as it was mostly the same crew. They wouldn't get the same level of personalisation, such as drinks already at the table when you arrive for dinner, as it takes quite a few days for the crew to get to know the pax. We are also creatures of habit, sitting at the same table, ordering the same wine and for beers I had the stout or IPA. Sometimes they would bring 1 can of each. Pax that don't request the same table and enjoy sampling different wines, just can't experience the level of service we received.

 

However, based on the reports I've read, I'll suggest that Viking do step up the quality of the victuals for the World Cruises, especially things like Tomahawk Steaks, etc. I believe we also have more special events, as the galley has more time available, with increased number of sea days. 

[Mich3554]

4 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Andy 

I often wonder when I read of the incredible services you received on your World Cruise how much is ever provided on a regular cruise. While we have always gotten great and friendly service and suspect we would find it similar to your experience, just wonder how much it might be different but need to actually go on a cruise to find out 😂

When we went on the South American leg of our cruise last year, the only pair of shoes (his other footwear was Tevas) that DH brought with him deconstructed.  The sole totally disconnected from the shoe.  We wound up doing a frantic shopping trip in Montevideo to try to find him new walking shoes. We also bought glue to try to fix his old shoes.  
When DH went to try to repair them, his shoes were missing.  We tore our cabin apart looking for them.  No shoes.  Later that evening, our cabin steward brought them back fixed better than new.  They also cleaned them up.  

[lackcreativity]

13 hours ago, Jjg34219 said:

We were happy enough that we booked Empires of the Mediterranean while on board. We thought the 800 savings was good, and geez how can you not love 25 $ deposits!

Jjg,

So glad to hear how much you enjoyed your first Viking cruise. Empires of the Mediterranean was our first one. It's a terrific itinerary and I suspect you will agree. We have continued to sail with Viking, and are looking forward to our next two cruises next year. Welcome to the club!

[Ingnacious]

12 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Glad to hear you enjoyed Orion!  We had been looking forward to boarding her in October, alas her Asian itineraries were canceled so looks like we have to wait for Saturn next July. Welcome to the Explorer’s Society. 

Hi Clay,

 

We are on the Orion in November in Asia Bangkok to Bali. We just got confirmation of our flights. What segment were you hoping to take?

[Clay Clayton]

2 hours ago, Ingnacious said:

Hi Clay,

 

We are on the Orion in November in Asia Bangkok to Bali. We just got confirmation of our flights. What segment were you hoping to take?

Hong Kong to Bangkok.   We are still hoping they add a segment from Hawaii to Bangkok but so far they have been mum on what they are doing with Orion between mid October and when embarkation starts in Bangkok in November. 

[JollyJacqTar]

We were on the Orion earlier in the year on our 3rd Viking cruise and agree that Allen is a definite asset, great singer and charming, funny personality. On our previous cruise the Torshavn singers were fabulous, Paula & Sammy (If I remember their names correctly) Although Viking positions itself as a “thinking (wo)man’s cruise” I think a lot of us are there for the fun! 

[Heidi13]

6 hours ago, JollyJacqTar said:

We were on the Orion earlier in the year on our 3rd Viking cruise and agree that Allen is a definite asset, great singer and charming, funny personality. On our previous cruise the Torshavn singers were fabulous, Paula & Sammy (If I remember their names correctly) Although Viking positions itself as a “thinking (wo)man’s cruise” I think a lot of us are there for the fun! 

 

If this was the singers with the band, then affirmative it is Paula & Sammy. This is them on Viking Sun

 

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

17 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

When we went on the South American leg of our cruise last year, the only pair of shoes (his other footwear was Tevas) that DH brought with him deconstructed.  The sole totally disconnected from the shoe.  We wound up doing a frantic shopping trip in Montevideo to try to find him new walking shoes. We also bought glue to try to fix his old shoes.  
When DH went to try to repair them, his shoes were missing.  We tore our cabin apart looking for them.  No shoes.  Later that evening, our cabin steward brought them back fixed better than new.  They also cleaned them up.  

I LOVE hearing these kind of stories. It would be great to start a thread of these.  We had a Jr.Suite and when my husband was out kayaking I slipped in to do a quick load of laundry, as I really enjoy doing laundry. (I know, I'm sure I need to be in therapy for this.) Our steward saw me in the hall and said that HE was supposed to handle my laundry, not me. I told him I loved doing laundry, but I could tell his was really offended.  So we left my husbands shoes for him to polish!