sleepybobo

6 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

I agree, always have felt this way. I wish they would offer an “excursion package” so to speak at a fair/discounted price for those who would want them, and remove the cost incurred by Viking to include these excursions from standard fares. I think that would be a win-win. That said, a lot of people seem to like the included excursions concept. 

Yes, I'd like either an "excursion package upgrade" for people who prefers to have Viking plan everything for them or an "excursion opt-out discount" for people who want to plan their own excursions.  

I understand why some like the included excursions.  I've heard many times how some people enjoy having Viking takes care of everything.  For me, after so many mediocre included excursions, I'd rather plan our own and pay private tours.  I told my friend who will take her first Viking Ocean next year to budget for optional or private excursions.  

On 10/12/2022 at 9:15 AM, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

In Summary:
 

Regardless of some of the negatives covered above, we had a very nice experience on our first Viking Ocean cruise. The question for us is whether or not we would sail with Viking again. We have to balance the beautiful small ship experience and impeccable service that Viking offers with the fares they charge. We found the food to be good, but not exceptional. For us the entertainment was lacking and even though excursions were included, we didn’t find the included excursions that compelling. I can understand why some people love Viking, but for us, it’s one and done. The things Viking does very well does not justify, for us, the fares charged when including those areas we feel were lacking. We do not mind paying higher fares when we feel we are getting what we paid for and we hope to try other smaller ship cruise lines in the future. 

Thanks for this well written, balanced and detailed review. 
 

My experience from my last VOC (albeit a different itinerary) mirrored yours. Food was so-so and excursions were disappointing. If that was my first Viking experience, I would also be an one-and-done Viking cruiser. I think I still will sail with Viking because I love the ship, the understated Scandinavian elegance and the well-appointed stateroom. 
 

May be Viking can redesign the included excursion or just get rid of such concept and adjust the price accordingly. Most of the included excursions I took were simply mediocre. 

10 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

I really don't want to sound as if I am disagreeing with your point of view, and I would welcome some new variations to the areas you mentioned. However, for me, the familiarity of Viking is comfortable, and the sense of wonder comes from the places we visit. That is where I would love to see some new offerings. 

 

The Mediterranean is my locale of choice, and there are so many options that Viking could work into their established itineraries. I know that repeating ports can allow you to have a totally different experience with a different shore excursion. However, I would love a chance to see some different ports, like Valetta, Palma de Mallorca, Sardinia, or other stops in Sicily besides beautiful Taormina. 

 

I imagine that trying to get everything back on track post-pandemic is currently Viking's main goal. I just mention my hopes for the future!

No disagreement with you at all.  I love the Viking ships.  I'm a big fan of the elegant Scandinavian decor.  I don't advocate for a wholesale change, especially the design of the ships.  But , perhaps some updates to the restaurant offerings? May be more local food in the menu? New shows?  

And yes.  I would love to see new Med itineraries.  But as you mentioned, trying to get everything back on track is challenging enough.  So new itineraries may be too much to ask for now.

And may be I have to be careful of what I wish for, the last time Viking tried something new (i.e. the planetarium), the result was...... 

5 hours ago, Twitchly said:

I like most of these, but I’m unclear about the scooters. Doesn’t Viking already discourage these? And why are scooters a bad thing if they enable people to join us who otherwise wouldn’t be able to? Is it because they get in the way when moving around the ship? Or …?

 

As for suggestions, I too would love to see a change in the evening shows offered. No more Abba/Beatles/sixties/show tunes, please. Our favorite shows showcased the music of the area being visited. Would love to see more of that, though I realize it’s not feasible for every evening. Other music ideas: jazz, Big Band era, choral quartet music …

 

 

Totally agreed with you.  How many ABBA/Beatles shows can returning Viking cruisers see?!?  I like the idea about shows featuring local music.  

I think this is a great thread.  I also feel Viking needs to add some varieties to keep things interesting for returning cruisers.  

For me, I felt diminishing returns with each Viking cruise.  The first one was fabulous.  The second one less so, but still was amazing.  By the third one, everything on the ship felt just too familiar and the sense of wonderment was largely gone.  

I still enjoy Viking and all it has to offer.  But, something new, such as new shows, new menu, to spice things up would be a welcoming change. 

We had a similar experience.  Viking "upgraded" us from V1 to DV6 as the V1 stateroom (portside forward) we booked was used for quarantine.  The problem was that we didn't like the location of DV6 - it's way closer to Torshaven and right across the launderette.  I called Viking and expressed my concerns.  The Viking agent was actually very dismissive of my concerns.  I wrote to Tellus and didn't get any response.  Eventually, my TA helped to resolve this issue.  She was able to get Viking to upgrade me to DV4.  If you use a TA, it's better to have your TA talk to Viking.  Viking pretty much refused to work with me directly.  

8 hours ago, uktog said:

I’ve got to be honest, the morning testing did impact on our cruising enjoyment.  
In normal times, I’d have a cup of coffee made by DH, take my painkiller meds with that, they kick in about 30 minutes later and then up I get.

Not on this cruise, I found it impossible to provide the required “amount” without waking about an hour before I should have, get a glass of water then an hour later, provide the sample. Only then could I have the painkillers. 
I would not have minded if testing was every second day or whatever, but if you take day 1/2 we had a test at our expense to meet their boarding requirements, a test on embarkation and a morning test so three tests in 36 hours and two within 12 hours - it’s overkill if we are living with covid.

Unlike other lines where there is transparency Viking tell you nothing about level of cases onboard- don’t assume no news is good news. We know there were cases onboard but no official statement 

I hear you.  Daily test did affect our enjoyment when we cruised in December.  While I had no problem in producing enough saliva, it's a challenge for my mom.  Poor mommy struggled every morning to fill up to the first line.  Yet, she did it to her best every morning.  It's not the most relaxing way to start your day.

I appreciate this safety measure.  But it's a double-edge sword.  

I don't want to sail on Viking again until the daily testing is ended.  To us, a Viking cruise is a splurge. We want to get the most out of it.  It's hard to enjoy fully when we constantly worried about the test results.  My heart skipped a beat whenever the stateroom phone rang or when someone knocked the door.

Perhaps those of us who want Viking to end daily testing can write to Viking to express our concerns?  Spitting into a tube every morning is no big deal.  But the worry about being tested positive took away some joy of cruising.  I actually decided to postpone my next Viking cruise to next year hoping daily testing will end by then.  

Breakthrough cases happen often.  There are surges in Omicron BA2 cases in Europe, but Viking is making mask wearing optional.  It seems the odd of being infected is higher now.  

18 minutes ago, longterm said:

We loved the ship, loved all the beach excursions and the snorkeling, but the towns just don't have much to show to tourists--not their fault, just a sad reality of the state of the towns on these islands. When the best thing the tour guide could point out was the gas company, you knew that interesting sites were sparse... 🙂

But we had a great time; the crew was first-rate, as all Viking cruises are. In 6 days we leave for Rome, then on the 5th we start the Italy-Adriatic-Greece trip, which we're really excited about. LOTS to see in Italy and Greece, for sure!

Enjoy!  We were on the Sun's inaugural sailing from Venice to Athens in 2017, which was my favorite Viking cruise.  I'd like to do the Empires of the Mediterranean (a similar itinerary) in the future.  The ports are all very interesting.  Dubrovnik is amazing.  The sail into Kotor is breathtaking.  A fabulous cruise with interesting destinations, great food and phenomenal service.

On 2/19/2022 at 1:08 PM, Moonlion said:

We were in 3039 and would chose again.  It was quiet and very convenient to the forward stairs/elevator and the Star Theater on deck 2. 

 Is 3039 right by the stair/elevator waiting area or slightly away? I really can't tell from the Deck plan.  

On 2/19/2022 at 2:26 PM, mhb1757 said:

We almost always book a DV6 on deck 3. Once or twice they have “upgraded” us to a DV on deck 5. Frankly I much prefer Deck3 near the forward stairs/elevators, or closer to midship by the atrium. We have never had any issue with noise from below, even when directly over Torshavn. On our first cruise I was afraid being right across from the elevators would be noisy as people would chat….but never heard anything there either. 

I also prefer Deck 3.  For my last cruise, we had a DV4 on Deck 4.  I had a V1 on Deck 3 on our first two Viking Ocean.  To my surprise, I actually like Deck 3 more.  Deck 3 feels more airy because of the Atrium.  I also like being near forward closer to the spa.  For my next one, I book 3038.

On 2/20/2022 at 1:46 PM, longterm said:

Would we do the Caribbean again? Probably not.

Same here.  I still like Viking.  But would not do Caribbean with Viking again.  I agree with the people who said Caribbean is not Viking's strong suit.

I think Viking can definitely make improvement in the excursions offered (both included and optional) in this itinerary.

For me the issue in my recent sailing on the Sea wasn't the mattress, it's the lumpy too-thin-in-the-middle comforter.  I originally asked for one more comforter, but found it too heavy to sleep with two comforters (I don't like the wool/cashmere blanket).  I ended up asking our room attendant to try his best to find a fluffier comforter for me.  Also the room thermostat seemed to have a mind of its own, I couldn't find a good setting.  Some nights, it got too warm.  Some night, it got too cold.  

I slept like a baby on the Sun and the Jupiter, but not on the Sea.  

We had a V1 on Jupiter in 2019.  I can confirm V rooms have drawers in the closet.  I much prefer having drawers.  If there's a choice of ships, I would select newer ships (the first 3 Oceans ships do not have drawers.)

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

After reading this thread I agree with you all.  Funny though, I never once gave a thought to being hungry on board....🍸

It's the opposite for us.  We had to pace ourselves.  If we planned to have afternoon tea or waffles at Mamsen's, we would have a lighter lunch and later dinner.  There's only that much room in my stomach.  

2 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Wintergarden tea on last cruise (Dec) extended open times 3:00 to 5:00 in order to have more social distancing.  It had been for us 4:00-5:00 pre-COVID.

The WIntergarden open times didn't get extended in the 12/23/21 WIE sailing.  I wish they did.  The staff had to set us up at Mamsen's twice because we couldn't find any available table.  We never had trouble finding available table at Wintergarden in our previous two pre-Covid cruises.  With about 700 guests, the ship did feel crowded during most afternoons.  

14 minutes ago, crimmj said:

I have seen the hours for the World Cafe posted as breakfast (6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) and dinner (6 p.m. to 9 p.m.). If a person wanted food earlier in the afternoon -  Is any food available in the WC before 6 PM?  Or elsewhere?

Wintergarden (English style afternoon tea) is open from 4pm to 5pm.

Mamsen's (desserts, waffle) is open from 4pm to 5pm.

26 minutes ago, millybess said:

South America?

Curious about the current flash sales promo (FL22), I did a live chat with a Viking agent.  Basically only sailings in spring 2022 are on sales, including Mediterranean, Adriatic, and even Alaska.

1 minute ago, FetaCheese said:

Can confirm.  Got an email offer from V last week, Flash sale, free air, Bev pkg, 1 cat upgrade, then got a quote from TA, and would receive $400pp discount also.

Wow... I never got email offer from Viking.  May I ask what sailings are on sale?

For the Bergen to Barcelona sailing, does it matter which side of the ship to book?

@ssaxsma Thanks for sharing your experience.  Best of luck to you, your husband and all other people who are in quarantine.  Hope you can exit quarantine and get home safely as soon as possible.

Reading all these stories can easily make my head explodes.  I wonder how Viking makes money with the current sailings.  They are sailing at very limited capacity.  There are additional costs for daily testing, PPEs, quarantine accommodations, future vouchers, etc.... May be all the cruise lines are simply trying to tough out this trying time and get ready for future pend up demands?

22 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

I read posts like this and am pulled in the direction of doubting whether I truly want to subject myself to all of it by boarding a ship. Then, there are posts from people who just came back from recent trips and indicate that all went well, they felt very safe, safer than at home, etc. and then that pulls me in a different direction.

 

No use following all these protocol changes too closely right now since I'm a landlubber at least till mid-March. One of the most worrisome things that has been expressed in several threads is not having ready access to a required PCR test and then getting the results in a timely fashion before embarkation. 

Getting PCR test 48 hours prior to embarkation was stressful.  It's no fun standing in a line for over an hour and worrying about whether the lab can provide result in time.

I did feel safe on the ship.  Yes, it's safer than my neighborhood grocery store.  But the concern was not about getting Covid.  I trust the vaccines and booster would protect me from serious illness.  The concern was always about being tested positive and subject to quarantine in the stateroom, or worse, in a less than desired location in the next port.  There are stories from people having fantastic time to people isolating in a foreign hotel room.  You just don't know which end you will fall onto.  Now that we know breakthrough cases are common.  

The onboard experience was nice, but just not the same as pre-Covid.  I think my experience was more stressful because of timing of the sailing.  We sailed during Omicron surge.  I am sure people who sailed in the post-vaccines, pre-Omicron period would have a more relaxed experience.

I will definitely sail with Viking again.  But will wait until Covid becomes less of a concern.  

24 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

And the funny thing is, I didn’t feel this way at all on our Iceland trip this past summer.  We were the first cruise doing Iceland, there were virtually no cases there then.  A month later all that changed.  But on this one, I stressed over pre cruise tests, I stressed over flights (the next day 5000 were canceled) every morning I stress when we spit in a tube.  I don’t want to be isolated on the ship, or worse, in a foreign country.  Yet this is what we signed up for.  We are taking a break.  If things are better in the fall, we will try to book something.  We are doing Alaska in 2023.  

I guess timing is important.  We just had the bad timing of being on a cruise during a bad Omicron surge.  When I booked the holiday cruise back in 2020, I thought the pandemic would be over by summer of 2021.  Oh well... Who knows when this craziness will finally be behind us.  

Like you, we are taking a break.  For the first time I didn't book any future cruise onboard.

1 hour ago, SantaFe1 said:

Though not on this WC, we are on the FLL to LA segment.  Two of six ports canceled.  Constant masking.  Constant worrying.  This morning we canceled our Sept. 22 Med. cruise and rebooked for 2023.  I told my husband this cruise just feels “joyless.”  So sorry to have to report this. 

I had the same feeling.  I came back from the 12/23 West Indies Explorer.  We just had one port canceled.  The Covid safety protocol is very important.  It's the right thing to do.  But the constant worrying did impact my overall experience.  I'm thinking about canceling our June Alaska cruise if things are not improved by then.  I don't want to sail on another cruise feeling more stressful than carefree.  

@JeriGail thanks for the pictures. I wish we did the chair lift. 

1 minute ago, JeriGail said:

I disembarked the Sea in San Juan on 12/13 after our TA from Barcelona to San Juan.  St. Maarten was our last port, and I chose the optional chair lift excursion.  The bus was small and uncomfortable, but luckily the ride to the chair lift was short.  The chair lift itself was fantastic with cooler breezes and incredible views from the top.  There's also a zipline at the top so you can watch brave souls rocket down the hill.  The excursion itself could have been a bit shorter, but I would do it again.

I considered doing the chair lift.  But my mom is a bit afraid of height.