minka34

Response above was to @CDNPolar We also love the Chef's Table nearly every menu.

Funny, the only thing I liked for the GB Chef's Table menu was the fish! 😆

@Camden lady I'm on the Sky and I checked the gym for kettlebells and did not find any. Several sets of dumbells, bands, rollers, medicine balls, etc plus the machines as pictured earlier.

Ruthie has email addresses for all the Viking ships and also for some of the back office folks apparently. We mentioned to her your hope of arranging a WC M&M. She saild it is challenging on the WCs because there are so many parties on the WCs... 😁 I think she will reply in our Nov 17th thread or maybe here. Edit: Clay, Ruthie probably will wait until after our cruise to reply.

I think that Ruthie sent the list, but had to stop at guest services to really get it set up. I suppose in 30min, I won't have to guess anymore since I hope to see the elusive Ruthieofthesea in person. 😊

Just a follow up in case of future pax wondering... yes, foam rollers similar to the one pictured are available in the fitness center.

So close but alas the timing is off. I just realized that I was mistaken earlier; I leave on Thursday but don't board until Friday. I guess you will find out on Sunday either way. VO ships are super nice and there is a lot of equipment in the fitness center, so I hope that you'll find a roller there!

Wracking my brain... thinking that I saw a regular foam roller but not that type? I may just be remembering the rolled up yoga mats though. When is your cruise? I will be on a ship next Thursday and try to get back here to answer, but maybe someone who is on board now will look for you!

I noticed that no one mentioned the fitness center... 😁

I love the Haven on Epic, but have taken to only booking when a good deal comes up. We found a decent one, and are on the Epic end of Feb. Really looking forward to another Haven trip. Thanks to SthrnGary, we are probably going to get the premium drink package for the first time with our onboard credit, even though it reportedly isn't what it used to be. But nothing is what it used to be at this time. Understandable changes due to supply chain and worker shortages, which are prevalent in every industry. Going to just be happy to be on vacation on the Epic and in the Haven! I especially love sail away up in the Haven bar up on the open deck... As Gary would say, I just want to feel like a rock star and that will happen in the Haven. Cheers!

Hi Sthrngary - Did you get any status transfer to Oceania? We are NCL Platinum until after this next cruise on Epic when we will bump up. We chose Viking for our "whole ship is a Haven" experience. It is peaceful - no constant announcements about shopping opportunities or art auctions. We are not bored on Viking, but did run into one couple that was bored on our last cruise. DH likes the expert lectures and we like having the entire ship be Haven-like. I'm curious about Oceania though - wonder how it compares to Viking. All in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. On our last Viking cruise, we sat at dinner between 2 couples and had different conversations going at once. One insisted that the food on Oceania could not compare to Viking (as in it was not as good), and the other couple (nearly at the same time) was raving about how much better the food on Oceania was! I should look to see if there is a cc forum for comparisons of different cruise lines... if not, maybe there should be? In any case, I have enjoyed the two posts that I have been following started by you here - the premium plus debate and the Haven experience. I know you said you were out, but I see that you still come back sometimes! 🙂

I've never seen zumba offered on NCL. I do solo zumba on every cruise - usually in a remote deck area in the shade, or in the fitness center. I look a little weird since no one else can hear the music from my earbuds, but oh well; I have fun and get a great workout! Cheers to you - I hope you get your dance workout(s) in on your cruise! If you try "Fun Fitness", please report back on what it is!

I agree! I would like to hear more about the Epic adventure!

Ohio boomer - love your humor. I appreciate you taking the time to entertain us while on your vacation! We are on the Epic for the Feb 26th sailing out of SJ. I'm considering the Taxi Excursion. 😉

Thank you Gumpella - I logged in today just to find Epic boarding info. Was happy to find your post!

I too often hear the music in the background that no one else notices. I am just off the Mars Bali to Sydney and I do not remember hearing the usual background music, at least in most places on the ship. When I read, music often is too distracting for me - I think that I would have noticed as I was reading in many places on the ship. The fitness center music was really loud on my previous Viking Ocean cruises, but with regular earbuds, I could just make my music louder to cover their music. I was worried about this, since I now have to use bone conduction earphones (not in the ear). The really good news for me was that they no longer had piped in music in the fitness center. I was very pleased with this change! There were still forest noises in the bathrooms.

Mrs Miggins, Thank you for the summary review. It's great to get a flavor for your trip. I'm sorry for some of the disappointment. For me, in the World Cafe it's the coffee that needs an upgrade. I feel it is sour, so I drink a lot in the room before going to breakfast! I expect that many cruise lines and tour companies are reinventing themselves a bit with staff and procedures as things finally get back to normal (whatever that may be going forward). I hope the bugs get worked out quickly. Wishing for you another great Viking adventure (and not the kind that was described by the CD🙄 ), just a great cruise that makes you want to book the next while on board! Thanks again for taking time to review!

Thanks Jim and Mitina for sharing your impressions! It helps to hear impressions and ideas from those that have already been there. Much appreciated.

There is an excursion from Cairns - Catamaran to snorkel the GBR. It says something like, or "you can snorkel, or join a semi submersible tour..." I'm wondering if anyone knows if that would be an extra charge? If so, approx cost? The tour is $349 already and I cannot really snorkel well unless I can wear glasses. DH really likes to snorkel - would it be a waste for me to go on the tour and not snorkel? The semi submergible would be fine for me but depends on the added cost. Hoping that maybe a past cruiser (maybe from the World Cruise?) would have some answers on this excursion? Thanks!

Your whole review was wonderful, but seriously, all I could think as I read the comments was "why has no one mentioned the hairdryer???" I was truly amazed with the Viking hairdryer. Those of us that need a good one know the value in that TOTAL SCORE! It was nice to take the virtual trip with you. Great review and photos! I feel like we would get a long great if we ever met up on a cruise (of course I am biased because of our shared love of the hairdryer... LOL 😁).

Thanks for starting this thread, Clay! Chef's Table is one of my favorite Viking features. I had no idea that there were so many menus! Can't wait for the next cruise! 🙂

So far, haven't heard much political chat on Viking cruises. But then again, we might not notice unless it was in our face. We tend to just try to have fun on vacation. 😊

Our plan is to go for the 2 in the 2-4-2 in PE, but if not available, all options are on the table! If the exit row has reclining seats, we might try for that option - DH does not like to have non-reclining seats though so need to be careful. Let the games begin! 😁

Nice bump up Clay! We should be so lucky. Thanks to all that have commented and shared your experience. We are booked on the "free" Viking air, but added Air+ and plan to pay for Premium Economy... with the thought of booking on our own if a better deal before ticketing.

Thanks CDR2001, we are skymiles members also. We have had trouble in the past with Viking booking tickets that cannot be upgraded. We can usually upgrade to Comfort+ based on skymiles member status, but we are interested in Premium Select for the longest overseas leg of our trip. That is more difficult without an upgradeable seat. We are willing to pay the upgrade with Viking if we can be sure that it means that we will be ticketed in Delta Premium Select. Just looking for any experience that can help us in advance. We won't be able to talk tickets with Air+ for several months yet.