Back from my first Viking cruise: reflections

[J80crew]

My husband and I sailed on Viking Sea, 10 days round trip San Juan, last week. While not as experienced as many on this board, we have done 18 cruises since 2012, when we started. Our first many cruises were on Celebrity, various ships including Edge; we’ve also sailed with Oceania 3 times and Crystal twice. With Crystal gone, we were looking for a new option and Viking seemed to fit. It’s the size we like (about 1000 pax), the right demographic, an itinerary we liked, and of course it gets great reviews. We did not use Viking air; we had a DV4 stateroom. All the pre-board business went efficiently (except I was annoyed not to be able to book dinners when DV reservations supposedly opened—but I was reassured by this board that it wouldn’t matter once on board).  We flew in the night before, stayed at the Sheraton in Old San Juan, and about 11:00 the next morning walked to the pier and got onboard. Easiest embarkation ever! No lines, friendly staff in their red shirts everywhere greeting and directing us, straight to the safety briefing (also easiest ever), and then to Torshavn to check our carry on bags. Nice not to have to lug them around while waiting for our room. We loved the look of the ship, with its clean lines and soft colors, and the more sophisticated atmosphere, with no loud music (or loud guests). We chose the pool grill for lunch, taking our food outside (an embarkation tradition for us). First disappointment: my husband, the cheeseburger connoisseur, said his burger was just okay. My veggie burger, though, was really good. I ordered a glass of champagne (part of the tradition), but was told they didn’t have champagne, just Prosecco. DH asked for dark rum, told there was no dark rum. This, unfortunately, was the case throughout the cruise—both wine and liquor selections were seriously limited. There was no Pinot Noir in any bar or dining room, no oaky Chardonnay, no champagne, the only rum was Mt Gay, and other guests said there was no single malt scotch. It’s a little late to be blaming the pandemic, the supply lines, whatever for this level of shortages; we’ve been on three cruises since the pandemic and none of the others have had this problem. 

After lunch, we were able to get into our room. It seemed small (DV) compared to other ships’ veranda rooms, though the square footage is similar. What we really noticed, though, was the lack of storage space. The closet was fine for hanging clothes, but only three drawers plus the two tiny ones in the end tables, and the one shelf in the closet meant that DH used the desk to stack shorts and polos. I’m glad we weren’t on for more than 10 days!  The bathroom was better, plenty of storage, really good light, a hot and powerful shower. And the Nespresso machine was a definite bonus. There was no magnifying mirror in the room, but when I asked our attendant if it was possible to get one, he delivered it right away. Which brings me to the service issue: the staff could not have been more responsive or friendlier; as everyone says, they are Viking’s best feature. When I complained about a couple of issues (including the wine selection) on the mid-cruise comment form, we received a visit or call from the head sommelier and the cruise director. They didn’t change anything, but they did at least respond to my comments. 
 

In general, we found the food (very subjective subject) to be fine, but not great. No outstanding dishes, either in the Restaurant or Manfedi’s. We did not try Chef’s Table, as none of the menus appealed to us. The World Cafe offered a smaller buffet than we’ve found on other ships, and often the hot food was not really hot. Several times they ran out of certain dishes a good while before closing time. We give both Oceania and Crystal (as it was) higher marks for food. 
 

We did the included tours most days and a paid one once. The tours are pretty repetitive, mostly bus rides with a brief stop or two for a vista and a punch drink. The tour guides were all very knowledgeable and friendly, and the tours met but didn’t exceed expectations. I was surprised that Viking did not offer a shuttle into town on the islands where the main town was a couple of miles from the pier. On the ship during the day there was very little activity. We are healthy, energetic 80-year-olds and we found it, well, dull. We played mini golf and lawn bowling. There was a port talk each day and tea time; Viking promotes its intellectual offerings such as Ted Talks, but that’s really just watching a big TV in the theater. We would have liked some trivia, for example, or other interactive pursuits. They did have trivia twice but at 8:00 in the evening, competing with dinner. Evening entertainment was more varied. We loved the guitar player, John, who played listening music early, but later on would do danceable songs and sing-a-longs. The Viking band played late in Torshavn, a crowded room with a small dance floor, doing mostly rock. We found it hard to dance there because there was too little room for movement. A classical duo and a pianist also entertained each evening, and in the theater the offerings ranged from movies to mediocre stage shows (singers with more heart than talent). 

 

One off-beat but good-to-know bit: DH had a flare-up of a shoulder problem while we were there and visited the medical center. He was impressed by the doctor and nurse and felt he got good treatment. The doctor called later to see how he was doing. Again, great service—and not expensive!

 

Notwithstanding the outstanding staff, we were in the end disappointed in our Viking cruise. Maybe our expectations were too high, but the bar problems, the lack of dining excitement, and mostly, the lack of activities that we enjoy combined to leave us disenchanted. We’re booked on Oceania in the fall and are looking forward to seeing what the new Crystal will bring. Meantime, maybe we’ll try Seabourn.  Happy cruising, all. 

 

 

 

 

 

[JM0115]

11 minutes ago, J80crew said:

My husband and I sailed on Viking Sea, 10 days round trip San Juan, last week. While not as experienced as many on this board, we have done 18 cruises since 2012, when we started. Our first many cruises were on Celebrity, various ships including Edge; we’ve also sailed with Oceania 3 times and Crystal twice. With Crystal gone, we were looking for a new option and Viking seemed to fit. It’s the size we like (about 1000 pax), the right demographic, an itinerary we liked, and of course it gets great reviews. We did not use Viking air; we had a DV4 stateroom. All the pre-board business went efficiently (except I was annoyed not to be able to book dinners when DV reservations supposedly opened—but I was reassured by this board that it wouldn’t matter once on board).  We flew in the night before, stayed at the Sheraton in Old San Juan, and about 11:00 the next morning walked to the pier and got onboard. Easiest embarkation ever! No lines, friendly staff in their red shirts everywhere greeting and directing us, straight to the safety briefing (also easiest ever), and then to Torshavn to check our carry on bags. Nice not to have to lug them around while waiting for our room. We loved the look of the ship, with its clean lines and soft colors, and the more sophisticated atmosphere, with no loud music (or loud guests). We chose the pool grill for lunch, taking our food outside (an embarkation tradition for us). First disappointment: my husband, the cheeseburger connoisseur, said his burger was just okay. My veggie burger, though, was really good. I ordered a glass of champagne (part of the tradition), but was told they didn’t have champagne, just Prosecco. DH asked for dark rum, told there was no dark rum. This, unfortunately, was the case throughout the cruise—both wine and liquor selections were seriously limited. There was no Pinot Noir in any bar or dining room, no oaky Chardonnay, no champagne, the only rum was Mt Gay, and other guests said there was no single malt scotch. It’s a little late to be blaming the pandemic, the supply lines, whatever for this level of shortages; we’ve been on three cruises since the pandemic and none of the others have had this problem. 

After lunch, we were able to get into our room. It seemed small (DV) compared to other ships’ veranda rooms, though the square footage is similar. What we really noticed, though, was the lack of storage space. The closet was fine for hanging clothes, but only three drawers plus the two tiny ones in the end tables, and the one shelf in the closet meant that DH used the desk to stack shorts and polos. I’m glad we weren’t on for more than 10 days!  The bathroom was better, plenty of storage, really good light, a hot and powerful shower. And the Nespresso machine was a definite bonus. There was no magnifying mirror in the room, but when I asked our attendant if it was possible to get one, he delivered it right away. Which brings me to the service issue: the staff could not have been more responsive or friendlier; as everyone says, they are Viking’s best feature. When I complained about a couple of issues (including the wine selection) on the mid-cruise comment form, we received a visit or call from the head sommelier and the cruise director. They didn’t change anything, but they did at least respond to my comments. 
 

In general, we found the food (very subjective subject) to be fine, but not great. No outstanding dishes, either in the Restaurant or Manfedi’s. We did not try Chef’s Table, as none of the menus appealed to us. The World Cafe offered a smaller buffet than we’ve found on other ships, and often the hot food was not really hot. Several times they ran out of certain dishes a good while before closing time. We give both Oceania and Crystal (as it was) higher marks for food. 
 

We did the included tours most days and a paid one once. The tours are pretty repetitive, mostly bus rides with a brief stop or two for a vista and a punch drink. The tour guides were all very knowledgeable and friendly, and the tours met but didn’t exceed expectations. I was surprised that Viking did not offer a shuttle into town on the islands where the main town was a couple of miles from the pier. On the ship during the day there was very little activity. We are healthy, energetic 80-year-olds and we found it, well, dull. We played mini golf and lawn bowling. There was a port talk each day and tea time; Viking promotes its intellectual offerings such as Ted Talks, but that’s really just watching a big TV in the theater. We would have liked some trivia, for example, or other interactive pursuits. They did have trivia twice but at 8:00 in the evening, competing with dinner. Evening entertainment was more varied. We loved the guitar player, John, who played listening music early, but later on would do danceable songs and sing-a-longs. The Viking band played late in Torshavn, a crowded room with a small dance floor, doing mostly rock. We found it hard to dance there because there was too little room for movement. A classical duo and a pianist also entertained each evening, and in the theater the offerings ranged from movies to mediocre stage shows (singers with more heart than talent). 

 

One off-beat but good-to-know bit: DH had a flare-up of a shoulder problem while we were there and visited the medical center. He was impressed by the doctor and nurse and felt he got good treatment. The doctor called later to see how he was doing. Again, great service—and not expensive!

 

Notwithstanding the outstanding staff, we were in the end disappointed in our Viking cruise. Maybe our expectations were too high, but the bar problems, the lack of dining excitement, and mostly, the lack of activities that we enjoy combined to leave us disenchanted. We’re booked on Oceania in the fall and are looking forward to seeing what the new Crystal will bring. Meantime, maybe we’ll try Seabourn.  Happy cruising, all. 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry to hear it did not meet your expectations. I am especially surprised at the lack of wines and spirits this far after the pandemic. Thank you for your review.

[OneSixtyToOne]

 

23 minutes ago, J80crew said:

Viking promotes its intellectual offerings

 

Wasn't there a guest lecturer or resident historian giving a nightly talk?

 

Personally I would find any Caribbean cruise boring. Viking's strength is Europe.

Edited February 24, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[Azulann]

Thank. you for your trip review. I am sorry the  rum  and wine was limited.  And the food was just ok for you. Glad the service of crew was superb as usual.   t Was there a resident historian on board or just port talks? I  have only stayed on board on sea days and just  relaxed  on balcony, the area by infinity pool and  the spa area.  I never do trivia . I love the uppermost deck for view and the various option  up there. 

Best wishes for  the New Crystal.

In looking at their forum it is filled with posts fromprevious Crystal cruisers.

Thanks again for your report. 

[oskidunker]

Did you try to buy a bottle of champagne? Usually by the glass is limited. I too like good French Champagne. Not a fan of unoaked french Chardonnay. 

[CCWineLover]

14 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

Did you try to buy a bottle of champagne? Usually by the glass is limited. I too like good French Champagne. Not a fan of unoaked french Chardonnay. 

You know, I wonder if it is the Caribbean.  We've always enjoyed Viking for the wines.  Have always had Champagne, even Pinot Noir, and certainly Cabernet and Zin (California even!), and my wife's favorite - Oaky Charonnday.  (also not a fan of French non-oaked Chardonnay).

Our recent Ft Lauderdale to Panama Canal cruise in Dec/Jan, however, was for us a disappointment in the wine category as they had none of the wines available listed above.  Very limited in liquors as well.  Only the beer seemed stocked.  They claimed to us when I expressed my concern that it was a supplier problem.  Right.  

 

We are off again in June, so we'll see if the spirits and wine situation is any better.

[SJD117]

33 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

 

 

Wasn't there a guest lecturer or resident historian giving a nightly talk?

 

Personally I would find any Caribbean cruise boring. Viking's strength is Europe.

 

I'm always surprised that so few CC commenters bother to mention Viking's guest lecturers and resident historians. To us, this is one of the high points about a Viking cruise (we've been on five). With rare exceptions, we've found the lectures and talks to be excellent -- a great addition to the onboard itinerary.

[J80crew]

There was a resident historian. He gave two or three talks, which I confess we did not attend, finding the topics less than intriguing. (I should have mentioned it, though.) We have been on other cruises where we found the guest lecturers very interesting, but they were more in the current events or world affairs arena. All a matter of taste, of course. As to the Chardonnay, it wasn’t even French; it was Chilean. And yes, we could have bought a bottle of champagne if we wanted to spend a hundred dollars or more. 

[WNcruiser]

@J80crew Very nice review and I had a very similar experience on the Jupiter a few weeks ago. Same issues with the beverage selection with many wines and liquors not available. They blamed supply issues but that doesnt cut it when you can find all these items at almost any port. We felt the same way about the burgers at the grill and overall the food was disappointing. 

 

Definitely taking a break from Viking for a while and as our first two cruises with them (31 nights) were just not worth the price paid for us. 

[SJD117]

28 minutes ago, WNcruiser said:

@J80crew Very nice review and I had a very similar experience on the Jupiter a few weeks ago. Same issues with the beverage selection with many wines and liquors not available. They blamed supply issues but that doesnt cut it when you can find all these items at almost any port. We felt the same way about the burgers at the grill and overall the food was disappointing. 

I’m speaking just for myself here, but I have to say: In over 40 years of international travel (50+ trips), I’ve never once judged a travel experience by liquor availability or burger quality. Now, I did get food poisoning once after eating a bad burger in Kathmandu. Just one bite was all it took! But I still had a great time in Nepal — well, most of the time.  🤪

[ebtrip]

40 minutes ago, WNcruiser said:

@J80crew Very nice review and I had a very similar experience on the Jupiter a few weeks ago. Same issues with the beverage selection with many wines and liquors not available. They blamed supply issues but that doesnt cut it when you can find all these items at almost any port. We felt the same way about the burgers at the grill and overall the food was disappointing. 

 

Definitely taking a break from Viking for a while and as our first two cruises with them (31 nights) were just not worth the price paid for us. 

Can I ask did you buy the beverage package. 

[WNcruiser]

1 hour ago, SJD117 said:

I’m speaking just for myself here, but I have to say: In over 40 years of international travel (50+ trips), I’ve never once judged a travel experience by liquor availability or burger quality. Now, I did get food poisoning once after eating a bad burger in Kathmandu. Just one bite was all it took! But I still had a great time in Nepal — well, most of the time.  🤪

It was much more than those things. I have been on over 100 cruises and think I know when one isn’t great. I was just agreeing with her observations. 

[duquephart]

2 hours ago, ebtrip said:

Can I ask did you buy the beverage package. 

 

What difference would that make?

[KBs mum]

We have never been to Torshavn, a trivia quiz, the theatre, any music performance (unless we happened to already be in the room) any organised event or the spa. 

 

We cruise with Viking to try to avoid such things. We rarely go on group excursions. 

 

Our evening entertainment is socialising at one of the bars. Possibly we are boring old farts, but on our last cruise, even with the unplanned 5 sea days, we thought there was too much 'entertainment', it became difficult to avoid. 

 

We agree about the food, it's the equivilent of a UK inexpensive chain pub, a fellow brit compared the buffet to school dinners (not helped by cold rice pudding, 'blanc manger' and the dreaded frogspawn appearing on the menu😝) An Australian opinion I heard would not be allowed by the board moderators😁

 

We noticed a change in passenger demographics, there seemed to be a section obsessed by not missing any event/entertainment and for the first time we saw some boorish behaviour. The standard of dress (dress code aside) was lower, think velour tracksuits and a bloke who tried to get into manfredis in sports shorts and a t shirt. We found this more entertaining than annoying though.

 

We don't mind the wine lists, Chile makes some good wine, what we did notice was lower price substitutions, eg Schweppes tonic instead of Fever Tree. On the plus side the cocktails no longer include sugar syrup. 

 

We like Viking as they do the things we want well, (nice rooms, comfortable bed, tasteful decor, good service) 

The things they don't do well don't really affect us, as they aren't the reason we cruise. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[duquephart]

No dark rum? In that part of the world?

[sundaycreek]

3 hours ago, KBs mum said:

We have never been to Torshavn, a trivia quiz, the theatre, any music performance (unless we happened to already be in the room) any organised event or the spa. 

 

We cruise with Viking to try to avoid such things. We rarely go on group excursions. 

 

Our evening entertainment is socialising at one of the bars. Possibly we are boring old farts, but on our last cruise, even with the unplanned 5 sea days, we thought there was too much 'entertainment', it became difficult to avoid. 

 

We agree about the food, it's the equivilent of a UK inexpensive chain pub, a fellow brit compared the buffet to school dinners (not helped by cold rice pudding, 'blanc manger' and the dreaded frogspawn appearing on the menu😝) An Australian opinion I heard would not be allowed by the board moderators😁

 

We noticed a change in passenger demographics, there seemed to be a section obsessed by not missing any event/entertainment and for the first time we saw some boorish behaviour. The standard of dress (dress code aside) was lower, think velour tracksuits and a bloke who tried to get into manfredis in sports shorts and a t shirt. We found this more entertaining than annoying though.

 

We don't mind the wine lists, Chile makes some good wine, what we did notice was lower price substitutions, eg Schweppes tonic instead of Fever Tree. On the plus side the cocktails no longer include sugar syrup. 

 

We like Viking as they do the things we want well, (nice rooms, comfortable bed, tasteful decor, good service) 

The things they don't do well don't really affect us, as they aren't the reason we cruise. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In regards to boorish behavior, we are currently on the Viking Neptune and have been amazed ~ appalled? ~ by the number of times we have seen bare feet on seats, pillows, cushions, etc, not to mention lots of feet ~ in shoes thankfully ~ being rested on the chairs/cushions in front of them in the theatre.  As much as I would like to have my feet up, I would never think of putting them on the backs of other person’s seats!

 

[sabrefan]

Very nice review and I would agree with your findings of Viking. We have been on two Viking cruises, a transatlantic in 2018 and again on a Alaskan cruise in 2022. It seemed that food quality decreased on our second cruise. We have been on 21 cruises since 2010, we are Elite on Celebrity and have been on 5 Oceania cruises. We are going on Vikings Homeland cruise in May, it will be interesting to see how this compares to our previous two Viking cruises.

[bookbabe]

I’ll tag in here, hoping @J80crew doesn’t mind, as we were also on that same cruise, and it was also our first experience with Viking.

 

DH and I are experienced cruisers in our mid-50’s, and if you were on that cruise you can likely ID us easily as we were two of the maybe a dozen under-60yo passengers who were not traveling with older relatives.  We’ve cruised NCL (including the Haven) the most, with a few Disney and even a couple of Carnival cruises thrown in when we were traveling with friends or family who preferred those lines.

 

Embarkation/debarkation and getting off the ship in the various ports was unbelievably easy, quick and painless.  We arrived late afternoon to San Juan on embarkation day, and initially thought that the comparatively empty terminal and smooth boarding process was just because we had arrived later than we usually would have, but no, that ease continued all week.  We even took a few pics to share with friends of us virtually alone on a pier even though it was first thing in the morning and theoretically prime time for people leaving to tour ports.  Disembarking was just as smooth, and we were impressed by the fact that Viking arranged a hospitality room at the hotel by the port for those of us with transfers and late flights.

 

Service on the ship, overall great, similar to what we’ve experienced most times with NCL’s Haven.  Our cabin steward and his assistant were both awesome, very personable and competent, willing to go above and beyond.  Most servers in the various dining areas were good, a few seemed new and uncertain but nothing too glaring that would put us off dining there again.

 

Our cabin was great, but we were in an Explorer Suite so that’s to be expected. 😉 

 

Didn’t really partake in any of the entertainment or enrichment options, weren’t many things we were interested in.  Loved the decor of the ship, especially the displays of Norse culture and history.  Excursions had some hits, some misses and one epic fail, but most were the included ones and those are so dependent on the guide it doesn’t bother us at all.

 

Food is where we have worries about the future Viking cruises on our schedule.  
 

We did Xiang at Chef’s Table but canceled our other two reservations as the menus weren’t ones we were interested in.  Did Manfredi’s twice, food and service was good enough but I don’t know if I’m as wowed over it as many seem to be.  Ate in the Restaurant once, again, food and service was okay, but we really aren’t fans of long drawn-out dinners, so we did the buffet most nights other than one night where we ordered room service.  I should add that we abhor the “foam and swirls” trend in dining, and due to food allergies I have to be careful about what I eat.  I also prefer buffets where I have lots of opportunity to have small portions of a bunch of different dishes, DH says I have Dining Commitment Issues. 

 

If you are a fan of fish, you will love the menus on Viking.  If you are allergic to fish, like I am, dining will be challenging.  And as much as everyone on the boards assured me that they would be happy to customize dishes, that seemed to only be an option if you prebooked your dinner choice by 9am that morning.  Not a fan of that system.  Even in Manfredi’s, the waiter hummed and hawed and had to consult the chef about swapping out a sauce in one of the pasta dishes for just plain garlic butter and Parmesan.  And, if you have food allergies, be very careful in the buffet because things aren’t always labeled correctly and repeatedly a conversation with the crew member behind the counter brought to light different ingredients than were on the sign above the dish.  And once he insisted crabstick was crustacean rather than fish.  So, diner beware.

 

Overall, the food we ate was generally well-prepared, but some items felt like they were “lost in translation” as we eventually named it.  Curries, Philippino dishes, British dishes, most were surprisingly good for buffet food.  But some ingredient choices were odd, such as Mexican night with spiceless fajitas made using naan bread instead of tortilla wraps, and chicken cordon bleu with only a vague hint of cheese and ham inside.  Our joking analogy was that a Norwegian language cookbook was handed to an East Asian chef and recipes were run through Google Translate in order to figure out what they were.  However, the seafood night was an impressive surprise when I discovered a whole grill full of lobster tails out by the pool grill and no line at all for them.  Just walk up and fill your plate as many times as you want.  They definitely weren’t trying to cut costs there.

 

Our next cruise is In the Wake of the Vikings this fall, and we’ll make final payment on that because we are really interested in ancient Norse culture and history.  The stops are such that they will outweigh any reservations we have about the food.  Our 36-day Istanbul to Bergen in spring 2024 is still iffy, though.  We’ll see how the one this fall goes.

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2023 by bookbabe

[duquephart]

First quality/quantity declines and then price goes up. Sound familiar? Looking for the "choke point."

[dd57]

We have taken 2 Viking Ocean cruises:  Alaska in 2018 and Majestic Iceland in 2022.  We loved the ship, service, excursions,  but the food was hit or miss.  At Chef's Table, a piece if fish could have been used as a doorstop (how did they do that!).  The server saw I wasn't happy, and they immediately replaced it, but that shouldn't have happened.  But we were still impressed with Viking.  That was our 30th cruise across 6 cruise lines.  The food last August was really good.  I think the chef makes a lot of difference.   We are doing Alaska again this summer on Viking, our 4th cruise to Alaska.   It will be interesting to see how the food is.

[BlairsvilleCruiseGirl]

6 hours ago, KBs mum said:

 

We agree about the food, it's the equivilent of a UK inexpensive chain pub, a fellow brit compared the buffet to school dinners (not helped by cold rice pudding, 'blanc manger' and the dreaded frogspawn appearing on the menu😝) An Australian opinion I heard would not be allowed by the board moderators😁

 

I've got to ask... what is frogspawn?   I'm thinking... "they served tadpoles?"  LOL!

[CCWineLover]

40 minutes ago, bookbabe said:

I’ll tag in here, hoping @J80crew doesn’t mind, as we were also on that same cruise, and it was also our first experience with Viking.

 

DH and I are experienced cruisers in our mid-50’s, and if you were on that cruise you can likely ID us easily as we were two of the maybe a dozen under-60yo passengers who were not traveling with older relatives.  We’ve cruised NCL (including the Haven) the most, with a few Disney and even a couple of Carnival cruises thrown in when we were traveling with friends or family who preferred those lines.

 

Embarkation/debarkation and getting off the ship in the various ports was unbelievably easy, quick and painless.  We arrived late afternoon to San Juan on embarkation day, and initially thought that the comparatively empty terminal and smooth boarding process was just because we had arrived later than we usually would have, but no, that ease continued all week.  We even took a few pics to share with friends of us virtually alone on a pier even though it was first thing in the morning and theoretically prime time for people leaving to tour ports.  Disembarking was just as smooth, and we were impressed by the fact that Viking arranged a hospitality room at the hotel by the port for those of us with transfers and late flights.

 

Service on the ship, overall great, similar to what we’ve experienced most times with NCL’s Haven.  Our cabin steward and his assistant were both awesome, very personable and competent, willing to go above and beyond.  Most servers in the various dining areas were good, a few seemed new and uncertain but nothing too glaring that would put us off dining there again.

 

Our cabin was great, but we were in an Explorer Suite so that’s to be expected. 😉 

 

Didn’t really partake in any of the entertainment or enrichment options, weren’t many things we were interested in.  Loved the decor of the ship, especially the displays of Norse culture and history.  Excursions had some hits, some misses and one epic fail, but most were the included ones and those are so dependent on the guide it doesn’t bother us at all.

 

Food is where we have worries about the future Viking cruises on our schedule.  
 

We did Xiang at Chef’s Table but canceled our other two reservations as the menus weren’t ones we were interested in.  Did Manfredi’s twice, food and service was good enough but I don’t know if I’m as wowed over it as many seem to be.  Ate in the Restaurant once, again, food and service was okay, but we really aren’t fans of long drawn-out dinners, so we did the buffet most nights other than one night where we ordered room service.  I should add that we abhor the “foam and swirls” trend in dining, and due to food allergies I have to be careful about what I eat.  I also prefer buffets where I have lots of opportunity to have small portions of a bunch of different dishes, DH says I have Dining Commitment Issues. 

 

If you are a fan of fish, you will love the menus on Viking.  If you are allergic to fish, like I am, dining will be challenging.  And as much as everyone on the boards assured me that they would be happy to customize dishes, that seemed to only be an option if you prebooked your dinner choice by 9am that morning.  Not a fan of that system.  Even in Manfredi’s, the waiter hummed and hawed and had to consult the chef about swapping out a sauce in one of the pasta dishes for just plain garlic butter and Parmesan.  And, if you have food allergies, be very careful in the buffet because things aren’t always labeled correctly and repeatedly a conversation with the crew member behind the counter brought to light different ingredients than were on the sign above the dish.  And once he insisted crabstick was crustacean rather than fish.  So, diner beware.

 

Overall, the food we ate was generally well-prepared, but some items felt like they were “lost in translation” as we eventually named it.  Curries, Philippino dishes, British dishes, most were surprisingly good for buffet food.  But some ingredient choices were odd, such as Mexican night with spiceless fajitas made using naan bread instead of tortilla wraps, and chicken cordon bleu with only a vague hint of cheese and ham inside.  Our joking analogy was that a Norwegian language cookbook was handed to an East Asian chef and recipes were run through Google Translate in order to figure out what they were.  However, the seafood night was an impressive surprise when I discovered a whole grill full of lobster tails out by the pool grill and no line at all for them.  Just walk up and fill your plate as many times as you want.  They definitely weren’t trying to cut costs there.

 

Our next cruise is In the Wake of the Vikings this fall, and we’ll make final payment on that because we are really interested in ancient Norse culture and history.  The stops are such that they will outweigh any reservations we have about the food.  Our 36-day Istanbul to Bergen in spring 2024 is still iffy, though.  We’ll see how the one this fall goes.

 

 

 

Thank you very much for your very well written review and points.  We think alike (and also like Norse culture) re the good and not so good.  I do feel post Covid has definitely been a different experience and like you, we will be monitoring and seeing how Viking does or doesn’t improve moving forward.

[KBs mum]

26 minutes ago, BlairsvilleCruiseGirl said:

I've got to ask... what is frogspawn?   I'm thinking... "they served tadpoles?"  LOL!

Schoolchild name for sago pudding. Tapioca was known as wallpaper paste. 

 

 

[Mrs Miggins]

29 minutes ago, BlairsvilleCruiseGirl said:

I've got to ask... what is frogspawn?   I'm thinking... "they served tadpoles?"  LOL!

In the UK, especially in the school canteen, this is generally a tapioca milk pudding.

[Mrs Miggins]

1 minute ago, KBs mum said:

Schoolchild name for sago pudding. Tapioca was known as wallpaper paste. 

 

 

Ok you live and learn - I have never heard of sago pudding.   I am from the south of England !