Differences in cabin categories?

[georgio19]

I'm new to Viking Ocean cruises and all of a sudden find myself ready to book a cruise with a small group of friends. I need to call in within 2 hours today. So, can anyone tell me the differences between cabin types?  DV2-6  I see the cost difference, however I'm finding it difficult to notice the actual cabin differences. Any help would be appreciated!

[Jim Avery]

No difference at all in the cabins DV 2-6.  Pricing is based on location on the ship.  Your preference could be forward, aft, midships, or maybe a deck.  That's it.

[georgio19]

Wow! Perfect! Thank you so much.

 

[Clay Clayton]

6 minutes ago, georgio19 said:

Wow! Perfect! Thank you so much.

 

Just an FYI-there is also no difference between any of the Ds and any of the Vs other than location, Vs don’t have a coffeemaker, Vs don’t get the refrig refilled daily (but bartenders are happy to hand you an unopened can of soda for free during meal times so you can replenish it yourself. Oh, Vs don’t get to make reservations prior to being on board and excursion window opens later.  We have never had an issue with any of these. 

[georgio19]

That's great to know as well! So, I think I can save a little $$$ as long as I don't mind the locations.

[BornLucky]

Unlike many other cruise lines I can honestly say from experience that booking a "cheaper" grade on Viking Ocean has zero impact on the way you are treated from the moment you step aboard. First class consideration all the way.

[Clay Clayton]

40 minutes ago, BornLucky said:

Unlike many other cruise lines I can honestly say from experience that booking a "cheaper" grade on Viking Ocean has zero impact on the way you are treated from the moment you step aboard. First class consideration all the way.

Agreed.  Of course never been in a suite so maybe those folks get some considerations that we don’t see but unlike some lines, it’s not obvious like separate (but not equal) dining facilities, early tenders, etc. 

[Peregrina651]

The difference between V and DV is spelled out in detail on the Viking website. They are the same across the fleet. Click on the link and scroll down. https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/ships/viking-star.html

 

 

[Travel R]

If I may break into this thread, I have two questions:

 

1) If you book a D, what are the chances of excursions being booked or for not being able to make reservations into any of the alternate dining venues?

 

2) We are most likely going to be booking with another couple.  If Couple A books a D and Couple B in a DV, can the reservations for excursions be linked together, or would it be the case where one couple may be on one excursion and the other couple on a different excursion (or couple A gets reservations at dining venue ABC, but couple B could not)?

 

Thanks,

 

Travel R

[FetaCheese]

Lowest Cabins are V1, V2, then DV's 1-6.  Both exactly the same size, in several preferrable/not preferrable areas on ship.

 

See Andy's posts (Heidi13) -- for his very knowledgeable opinion on best/worst areas.

 

DV's have Nespresso unit and get mini bar replenished daily (no gratis alcohol).

 

 

[Peregrina651]

22 minutes ago, Travel R said:

1) If you book a V, what are the chances of excursions being booked or for not being able to make reservations into any of the alternate dining venues?

 

Excursions: right now as a general trend we are seeing more sold out excursions than normal. This is an effect of the pandemic and the long shutdown of tourism. In well frequented ports, this is becoming less of a problem. I hope that as time goes on we will see less of this as the infrastructure rebuilds but we can't predict how long it will take.

 

Dining: This depends more on the length of your cruise. A week-long cruise with everyone trying to book dining reservations will have more trouble than a two week or longer. Keep in mind that V cabins cannot reserve until they board the ship.

 

Snagging day-of or walk-up reservations is always a possibility. The maitre'd will fit you in if there is space.

 

37 minutes ago, Travel R said:

2) We are most likely going to be booking with another couple.  If Couple A books a A and Couple B in a DV, can the reservations for excursions be linked together, or would it be the case where one couple may be on one excursion and the other couple on a different excursion (or couple A gets reservations at dining venue ABC, but couple B could not)?

 

Excursions: You would not be able to link them until after you both have booked and you would have to call Viking customer service to do it. The couple in DV book at their schedule time and the V at their scheduled time. Then contact Viking and get the reservations linked so that hopefully you will be in the same time slot (which all that counts). Plan on arriving at the meeting place together so that you will be assigned the same bus.

 

Dining: Since V cannot book advanced reservations, you would have to wait until you board to add the V cabin to the the DV reservation.

[Travel R]

2 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Excursions: right now as a general trend we are seeing more sold out excursions than normal. This is an effect of the pandemic and the long shutdown of tourism. In well frequented ports, this is becoming less of a problem. I hope that as time goes on we will see less of this as the infrastructure rebuilds but we can't predict how long it will take.

 

Dining: This depends more on the length of your cruise. A week-long cruise with everyone trying to book dining reservations will have more trouble than a two week or longer. Keep in mind that V cabins cannot reserve until they board the ship.

 

Snagging day-of or walk-up reservations is always a possibility. The maitre'd will fit you in if there is space.

 

 

Excursions: You would not be able to link them until after you both have booked and you would have to call Viking customer service to do it. The couple in DV book at their schedule time and the V at their scheduled time. Then contact Viking and get the reservations linked so that hopefully you will be in the same time slot (which all that counts). Plan on arriving at the meeting place together so that you will be assigned the same bus.

 

Dining: Since V cannot book advanced reservations, you would have to wait until you board to add the V cabin to the the DV reservation.

 

Thank you!

 

But a little confused. . . . Looking at the link provided above for the Viking Star, it provides:

 

Under V:

 

• Shore excursion reservations 60 days prior to departure

 

Under DV:

• Priority shore excursion reservations 67 days prior to departure

 

Edited: I took a look at a few of the ships, and it seems that the few I looked at all provide pre-reservation for the V category.

 

As per the link, below are all the listed differences between the three categories . . . . .

 

Amenity	V (270 sq ft)	DV (270 sq ft)	PV  (338 sq ft)
Stateroom Access	3 PM	2 PM	1 PM
Pre-reservation for Shore Excursions	60 days prior	67 days prior	77 days prior
Guaranteed reservations for alternative dining	N/A	1 guaranteed reservation for each alt. dining venue	2 guaranteed reservations for each alt. dining venue
Pre-booking Spa	N/A	60 days prior	70 days prior
Mini Bar w/ water, snacks, soda	Water, snacks, soda Not Replenished	Water, snacks, soda Replenished Daily	Alcohol Water, snacks, soda Replenished Daily
Binoculars	N/A	Provided	Provided
Marius-weave blanket	N/A	Provided	Provided
Coffee Machine (in-room)	N/A	Provided	Provided
Welcome Champagne	N/A	N/A	1 bottle
Pressing and Shoeshine	N/A	N/A	Complimentary

Edited August 26, 2022 by Travel R

[Jim Avery]

Nobody ever said Viking management doesn't screw up.😎

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Travel R said:

Under V:

 

• Shore excursion reservations 60 days prior to departure

 

Under DV:

• Priority shore excursion reservations 67 days prior to departure

 

It is the same for every ship. Everybody gets to book excursions prior to boarding according the schedule shown on the chart you shared.

 

If you are traveling with someone in a higher category, you still have to wait for your cabin category to open for booking before you will be able to book your excursions. Any problems have to wait until after the lower category has booked to get them resolved. At that point, you can call Viking to see if they can straighten things out (not always a guarantee that they will be able to). (Even then, the only way to be sure that you will be on the same bus is to check in at the tour meeting point together).

 

For dining reservations for the specialty restaurants,  it is a different story. V cabins cannot make reservations prior to boarding. If you want to sit together, you have to talk with a maitre'd or guest services when you board. If they can't help you Day 1, keep trying; people change their minds.

 

The Restaurant does not require reservations. Seating is first come, first served. There are plenty of 4-top tables. Or you can ask to be seated at a larger table and the host will fill the table with other people who are looking to share a table.

 

I hope this clarifies things for you

[Travel R]

On 8/26/2022 at 2:01 PM, Peregrina651 said:

 

It is the same for every ship. Everybody gets to book excursions prior to boarding according the schedule shown on the chart you shared.

 

If you are traveling with someone in a higher category, you still have to wait for your cabin category to open for booking before you will be able to book your excursions. Any problems have to wait until after the lower category has booked to get them resolved. At that point, you can call Viking to see if they can straighten things out (not always a guarantee that they will be able to). (Even then, the only way to be sure that you will be on the same bus is to check in at the tour meeting point together).

 

For dining reservations for the specialty restaurants,  it is a different story. V cabins cannot make reservations prior to boarding. If you want to sit together, you have to talk with a maitre'd or guest services when you board. If they can't help you Day 1, keep trying; people change their minds.

 

The Restaurant does not require reservations. Seating is first come, first served. There are plenty of 4-top tables. Or you can ask to be seated at a larger table and the host will fill the table with other people who are looking to share a table.

 

I hope this clarifies things for you

 

Thank you so much, it definitely clarifies! - much appreciated.

 

As a newbie, the way the articles/videos make it seem is that you just walk into the Restaurant and find your own seat.  I did not realize that a host seats you - or missed that during my research.  I would expect us to be with our friends for most of the dinners. Personally, I am the type that loves to sit at a 10-top with a bunch of other strangers, but will talk to our friend and see if that would be an option for a few of the evenings (of course, we would play it by ear).  

 

I am looking at a corresponding itinerary to what we are considering for Aug. 2023 (we are waiting for the Aug 2024 to open), which is only a $300 difference between the V and the lowest D ($150/pp), but trying to figure if the perks are worth it or not. To tell you the truth, the two benefits of a D for me would be the guaranteed reservations for the alternate restaurant and the daily replenishment of the soda, water and snacks.  My DW would not care much about the later, but may be interested in the early reservation for the spa IF there was going to be a "sea" day.

 

Thanks again for your help,

 

Travel R

 

 

Edited August 29, 2022 by Travel R

[Iloveketo]

For me the biggest advantage in booking a higher cabin category is being able to book excursions sooner. DV and V cabin categories might only be able to book the included one at each port. Our cruise next month was totally SOLD OUT of all the non included Barcelona excursions by the time we were able to book anything being a DV category this cruise. So, for our Northern Lights cruise in March we moved up to PV to hopefully get a better choice of excursions. 

[Fieldofdreams]

3 hours ago, Iloveketo said:

For me the biggest advantage in booking a higher cabin category is being able to book excursions sooner. DV and V can categories might only be able to book the included one at each port. Our cruise next month was totally SOLD OUT of all the non included Barcelona excursions by the time we were able to book anything being a DV category this cruise. So, for our Northern Lights cruise in March we moved up to PV to hopefully get a better choice of excursions. 

Hello Iloveketo - Were you able to book any of the sold out excursions once on board given some folks may have cancelled their excursions or did you not have any luck trying that? Thanks for any feedback.

 

[Iloveketo]

6 minutes ago, Fieldofdreams said:

Hello Iloveketo - Were you able to book any of the sold out excursions once on board given some folks may have cancelled their excursions or did you not have any luck trying that? Thanks for any feedback.

 

We don’t leave for a month still, so I don’t know about getting any of the SOLD OUT ones when we get onboard…

My husband booked a post in Barcelona, so we booked the excursions we really wanted with Viator. We have never used a tour company before. I would be nervous about using it while on the cruise in case something happened and we missed getting back on in time. But since we will be staying and entire day extra… we thought we would try. 

[Squawkman]

11 hours ago, Iloveketo said:

We don’t leave for a month still, so I don’t know about getting any of the SOLD OUT ones when we get onboard…

My husband booked a post in Barcelona, so we booked the excursions we really wanted with Viator. We have never used a tour company before. I would be nervous about using it while on the cruise in case something happened and we missed getting back on in time. But since we will be staying and entire day extra… we thought we would try. 

I totally agree with your reasoning. Over the years, we have had delays getting back on time with Viking excursions. But if you’re going back to a hotel, it’s not going to sail away and leave you in Spain 😊