Clarifying beverage options

We'll be on our first Viking Ocean cruise (Into the Midnight Sun, Viking Sky, form Bergen on June 17) and I'm still a bit confused about what's included and what has an extra charge, as far as food and beverages go.

*In addition to meals, are all snacks (ice cream, pastries, afternoon tea, etc) available at no extra charge?

*For a DV cabin, is whatever's in the mini-fridge already covered?

*It looks like coffee and tea are included and available most of the time. Do other non-alcoholic drinks sometimes involve a charge? For instance, what's the expectation for the following situations?

- Club soda or ginger ale, poolside

- Specialty coffees (like a mocha) any time

- Sparkling water with a meal

*Are the included wine and beer only available during mealtimes in certain locations?

We weren't going to do the drink package because we probably wouldn't consume $20 of wine/alcohol a day, But if soft drinks are added to the tab it might be worth it.

Thanks for any advice!

You sound like us. We decided the drink package wouldn't work for us because we seldom have a drink. Soft drinks are a part of the package however. We go to a grocery store in the first port and just bring on pepsi for him and diet coke for me. Just makes more sense for us. If your time is limited in the port and you want to sight see then my way probably wouldn't work for you. We will be in Stockholm for 2 1/2 days before we board so we will do it right after boarding.

Wine, soda and beer are served for lunch and dinner. We aren't coffee drinkers so I can't address that but I know many here do drink their coffee.

Don't think I can answer all of your questions but I'm sure others can fill in what I miss...

In your DV cabin there are 6 cans of complimentary soft drinks, a couple of candy bars and a snack size bag of chips as well as pods for the coffeemaker that are refilled daily. No charge.

At lunch and dinner in all venues including the World Cafe there is no charge for wine, beer or soft drinks or sparkling water.

If you want a soda, wine, cocktails, etc at other times then you pay for them. You are welcome to take your wine or Diet Coke (or other beverage) from lunch at the buffet out to the pool with you or back to your cabin. And you are welcome to bring a club soda or coke from your cabin to the pool with you. Unless you are drinking a LOT of soda between meals I think you'd be better off just paying for what you want.

We are just off the Viking Sky. Soft drinks in the minibar in the DV cabin are replenished every day, 6 of them. I usually took the diet cokes out in the morning so they'd be replenished and I built up a little stash in case I wanted a few extra during the day. There was also tonic water in the minibar that could be substituted for ginger ale. Sparkling water is available at all venues, all the time. If I was at Explorers I'd just ask for sparkling water, it was free. At all meals they ask if you want still or sparkling water. There is a drink station open in the World Cafe all of the time...juices, water, coffee. We don't drink coffee but I saw several people order special coffees after dinner and they weren't charged for it. Beer, wine and soft drinks during meal times. If you weren't eating you could go and just ask for one to go. Several times I'd go to the World Cafe and ask for 2 white wines to go and take them to the show before dinner. It was done with a smile. And if you went to the pool bar, they served drinks until 3. Since lunch is usually till 2:30 (pool bar till 3) and dinner starts at 6, plenty of time to get what you want. All snacks, meals, and pastries are included. On Deck 1 there is a bar that has cookies and pastries all day...also little sandwiches and cheese plates at some times. Any food you find anywhere is free.

We'll be on our first Viking Ocean cruise (Into the Midnight Sun, Viking Sky, form Bergen on June 17) and I'm still a bit confused about what's included and what has an extra charge, as far as food and beverages go.

 

*In addition to meals, are all snacks (ice cream, pastries, afternoon tea, etc) available at no extra charge?

 

*For a DV cabin, is whatever's in the mini-fridge already covered?

 

*It looks like coffee and tea are included and available most of the time. Do other non-alcoholic drinks sometimes involve a charge? For instance, what's the expectation for the following situations?

- Club soda or ginger ale, poolside

- Specialty coffees (like a mocha) any time

- Sparkling water with a meal

 

*Are the included wine and beer only available during mealtimes in certain locations?

 

We weren't going to do the drink package because we probably wouldn't consume $20 of wine/alcohol a day, But if soft drinks are added to the tab it might be worth it.

 

Thanks for any advice!

Okay, let's work down your list.

Except for caviar, all food on board is free in all venues.

All cabins are supplied twice each with carafes of filtered water--still and/or sparkling. Bottles of water are always on the gangway as you depart the ship. Nobody counts how many you take.

All cabins have a mini-fridge that is stocked on day one with 6 cans of soda and two candy bars (and a bag o chips by the coffee maker. PV and above are also stocked with alcohol. Except for V category cabins, all are restocked once a day gratis. You may also buy what is not already supplied complimentary.

TIP: You may always carry a can or two of soda out of the buffet at lunch or dinner. There is plenty of room in the fridge for them.

Coffee of any sort (except with alcohol) and tea are free at all times in all venues. The best coffee is in the bar on Deck 1--at the foot of the grand staircase. Darned good hot chocolate as well. If you breakfasting in the MDR, stop by the deck 1 bar to get your coffee.

Club soda/seltzer water by the pool and at the bars is free. Other soft drinks are not.

At all meals, the wait staff will offer you water, sparkling or still filtered water. I don't know if they offer bottled sparkling water because I was fine with the sparkling filtered.

Wine and beer are free in the MDR and the buffet. I'm not sure how it works in Mamsen or the deck 1 bar because I've not gone there during mealtime.

Soft drinks are $3.75 (including tip) so, if you are going to drink 5 glasses each of soda each day in addition to the 6 cans in your room and the free soda at lunch and dinner, then it might be worth your while. But take a good look at your schedule and figure out how much time each day you will be sitting at the pool or in the bar. Here are pictures of the bar menu from last summer--and all our Midnight Sun pictures as well.

Thanks, all! Exactly the information I was looking for. From the picture of the bar menu it seems like when there are charges for things, they're clearly priced - and the costs are reasonable.