Manfredis

[gailellen12]

Is everyone guaranteed one Manfredis reservation. I am on the bottom rung cabin wise in V2. Was wondering if they let other folks double book before everyone gets a chance. Thanks ps. My cabin level cannot book until we are on board. My first time sailing Viking and I am not thrilled with the way they handle reservations🤔

[Jim Avery]

I think the way they handle rez are a joke as well.  Not to worry you will be able to book once onboard.  We also have had good luck simply walking up to Manfredi's.

[OneSixtyToOne]

It’s been my experience that on the first day you board they only accept new reservations from people that have no reservations. As soon as you board use the app or go to the World Cafe host (line is shorter than Guest Services) and make your reservations. Don’t sweat the small stuff. There are typically plenty of tables available. You may not get one at opening time, but you will get one. Same for the Chef’s Table. I always wait until I board so I can see what the menu rotation is.

[lackcreativity]

We always sail in Veranda cabins and have eaten in both Manfredi's and Chef's Table on each cruise we have taken. You may not get the day you want or the exact time slot you would wish, so be prepared to be flexible and you will be fine. If you remind yourself how much less you have paid for the same great service by the same wonderful staff to go the same lovely places, you will enjoy it all the more. At least that's what we do! Enjoy.

[CDNPolar]

We use the Viking Voyager App the moment we are on board and we always get the reservations we want at both Manfredi's and The Chef's Table.  We have never booked in advance of arriving at the ship.

[CCWineLover]

56 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

It’s been my experience that on the first day you board they only accept new reservations from people that have no reservations. As soon as you board use the app or go to the World Cafe host (line is shorter than Guest Services) and make your reservations. Don’t sweat the small stuff. There are typically plenty of tables available. You may not get one at opening time, but you will get one. Same for the Chef’s Table. I always wait until I board so I can see what the menu rotation is.

Likewise.  I don't sweat it and never get advance reservations.

I always wait until I get onboard - and have never had any issues.

Also, throughout the cruise, people:

1. Cancel reservations all the time

2. Was told they have at least a 10-20% no show rate (lots of people are not courteous)

    So just show up at about 5:50-5:55 and ask if you can be seated.  We've done that many times and never had to wait more than 15 minutes.

[makai 7]

We booked some reservations at times we dislike (the only available).  Once on board we were able to change to different times and also from sharing to a table for two.

 

we booked a chef’s table reservation for the first evening after we were onboard.  You can do this through the app on your phone or the TV too.

[FetaCheese]

On Star now.  Have received extra reservations in Manfredis, no problem.  Maitre D, Alex is very accommodating, especially if wanting 7:30 or later.

[Mich3554]

People can only book beforehand how many reservations they are allowed.  So someone in a PS cannot book Manfredi’s every night of a 14 night cruise, even if it was available.  
 

I do not get advanced reservations at any of the restaurants.  We always eat where we want to eat, when we want to eat.  Hell, I have a hard time planning dinner this week, I have no idea what I’ll want to eat 3 months from now!  Usually, I’ll look at the menus in the morning and decide where i want to eat that day.  

[GerryL13]

6 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Likewise.  I don't sweat it and never get advance reservations.

I always wait until I get onboard - and have never had any issues.

Also, throughout the cruise, people:

1. Cancel reservations all the time

2. Was told they have at least a 10-20% no show rate (lots of people are not courteous)

    So just show up at about 5:50-5:55 and ask if you can be seated.  We've done that many times and never had to wait more than 15 minutes.

And if you are experiencing rough seas, there are likely to be a lot of no-shows. So, if you are not prone to sea sickness, head to Manfredi's when the ship is rocking.😉

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, GerryL13 said:

And if you are experiencing rough seas, there are likely to be a lot of no-shows. So, if you are not prone to sea sickness, head to Manfredi's when the ship is rocking.😉

You are absolutely correct!  We don’t get seasick (thankfully).  This last TA on Neptune we went to Manfreds and they did tell us half the people cancelled due to rough seas.  It was a great quiet relaxing dinner there for a change!!!

[FetaCheese]

Manfredis Maitre D Alex at WC podium today lunch. Requested res for 7:30 tonight.  No problem, we're in!

[DrKoob]

We did 21 nights on Viking Sky in the fall and there was not a single night you could not have walked up and gotten a table in Manfredis. We had three getting onboard and cancelled two of them because the first meal there was so bad. Don't sweat it.

[oskidunker]

Not sure why this place is so bad.. you would think they would rake extra care with a specialty restaurant. The rack of lamb was good lastbyear. Not sure if they have it any more

[HUNKY]

I truly believe that Manfredi's is not an incredible, five-star experience due to not charging extra for dining there.  Corporate/HQ/Torstein gives them a set budget and Manfredi's CAN NOT spend more than what they are given.

 

Even though it may be "nickel & diming" I'd much rather pay out of pocket and have an over-the-top, hands-down spectacular dining event.

[FetaCheese]

5 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Not sure why this place is so bad.. you would think they would rake extra care with a specialty restaurant. The rack of lamb was good lastbyear. Not sure if they have it any more

On Star now.  Rack of lamb not on menu.

[duquephart]

19 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

On Star now.  Rack of lamb not on menu.

 

Maybe just as well. I've yet to have lamb on a Viking ship that was not totally devoid of any detectable flavor. Not sure how they manage that but I don't think it's just me.

[makai 7]

I found that practically all the food onboard was devoid of flavor.  The two best things at Manfredis were the Parmesan and the bread.  Every other dish was bland except for too much salt.

[CannotSwim]

The maximum number of advance reservations per stateroom is fixed (except for very long cruises), so the number of pre-reserved dining slots per day is lower on longer cruises. I checked Alaska (one week) and Australia New Zealand (two weeks) -- both had 4 advance for OS, 3 for ES, and so on. So you will have better luck reserving when you board on Australia/New Zealand than Alaska.

 

For the Mediterranean there are overlapping 1, 2, 3, and 4 week cruises. If you have a reservation on a 1 week cruise some people at a lower cabin level on a 4 week cruise might have reserved before you. But not many -- ES1 on a 4 week cruise (at least the cruises I checked) gets 3 reservations for four weeks, the same number as an ES1 for a 1 week segment.

 

While

[CCWineLover]

4 hours ago, CannotSwim said:

The maximum number of advance reservations per stateroom is fixed (except for very long cruises), so the number of pre-reserved dining slots per day is lower on longer cruises. I checked Alaska (one week) and Australia New Zealand (two weeks) -- both had 4 advance for OS, 3 for ES, and so on. So you will have better luck reserving when you board on Australia/New Zealand than Alaska.

 

For the Mediterranean there are overlapping 1, 2, 3, and 4 week cruises. If you have a reservation on a 1 week cruise some people at a lower cabin level on a 4 week cruise might have reserved before you. But not many -- ES1 on a 4 week cruise (at least the cruises I checked) gets 3 reservations for four weeks, the same number as an ES1 for a 1 week segment.

 

While

People discount the fact that there are reasons why you can always get into the specialty restaurants when onboard (not withstanding all those pre-booked reservations).

1.  Viking only sets aside about 40% of available seats for pre-booking (from one of the Restaurant Managers)

2.  So many people cancel reservations, especially as the cruise goes on, freeing up spots.  Lots of those who could book multiple ones decide they have other plans, or don't care for CT once they try it.  The nice people actually call and cancel

3.  Lots of folks just Don' Show up (No Shows) - roughly 10-20 % (from the Restaurant Manager).  They don't have the courtesy to call and cancel

4.  If there are sea sickness days, lots of people also cancel or don't show up.

 

So that is why we never book ahead and never have any issues, particularly as the cruise goes on.  And we are not particular about having to go the first couple nights.

[lisiamc]

We try to book the very first night in Manfredi’s which seems to be the least popular night. We can nearly always get the time we would like, or very close. Other less popular times are port days with a late sailaway time. As @Jim Averysaid, we have also had good luck just walking up and asking. We do eat late, though, and I’m sure that helps a bit.

[cmvikinger]

leaving aside the "should you/would you want to" element... 

 

if you could get a table every night, would they let you eat there every night?

[bookbabe]

23 hours ago, CannotSwim said:

For the Mediterranean there are overlapping 1, 2, 3, and 4 week cruises. If you have a reservation on a 1 week cruise some people at a lower cabin level on a 4 week cruise might have reserved before you. But not many -- ES1 on a 4 week cruise (at least the cruises I checked) gets 3 reservations for four weeks, the same number as an ES1 for a 1 week segment.

That’s not necessarily the case.  We’ve got a B2B Iconic Med Treasures and Trade Routes cruise coming up in March/April in an ES2, and MVJ allotted me 12 advance reservations for each of Manfredi’s and CT.  I didn’t book anywhere  near that number, but I could.  I can post screen shots of the calendar showing my bookings if you like. 😉
 

Assuming that Trade Routes is the standard three reservations since it isn’t made up of multiple segments, that’s nine for Iconic, so I’m assuming three segments?

Edited January 15 by bookbabe

[Mike07]

I went to Manfredi's once on the Polaris. I haven't been on a VO ship. Wait staff was very kind, but IDK if I'd pay even $5/person for this place. (Yes, I know it's included). I was not impressed with any of the food or entree items. It took me a while to find something that looked palatable.

[duquephart]

Manfredi's taking a lot of hits lately.