7 minutes ago, Lilyskittymom said:

If you go back to page 2, post 48, you'll see the review I posted in another thread.

 

Maria

Yes I see it now Maria.  Thank you!  I had already read Peregrina's review in post 48 but somehow had missed that link (probably because it was posted by OneSixtytoOne).

Appreciate your taking the time!

38 minutes ago, Lilyskittymom said:

These are the excursions, and prices, from our cruise in April 2023.  Hope this helps with your planning.  Just a note - we docked in Yokohama, not central Tokyo.  Yokohama is a very nice port area, but it took over an hour to drive into Tokyo.

 

Hong Kong

Postcards of Hong Kong – Included

Hong Kong Walking Tour - $59

Bamboo Monastery & Walled Village - $59

Hong Kong Cultural Discovery - $59

Kowloon Highlights - $59

Taipei (Keelung)

Taipei in Brief - Included

Best of Taipei - $149

Sky Lantern Ceremony & Old Town of Jiufen - $119

Landscapes & Lanterns - $69

Reflexology & Massage - $99

Highlights of Taipei - $99

Yangmingshan National Park & Hot Springs - $99

Nagasaki

Scenic Nagasaki – Included

The Atomic Bomb Museum & Peace Park - $109

Historic Highlights of Nagasaki - $159

Arita & Imari Pottery - $149

Glover Garden & Mt. Inasa Observatory - $249

Battleship Island - $99

Kagoshima

Kagoshima Scenic Ride – Included

Highlights of Kagoshima & Surroundings - $199

Ibusuki Sand Bath Experience - $169

Sakurajima Volcano & Arimura Lava Observatory - $109

Chiran Samurai District & Peace Museum - $129

Beppu

Steaming Sights of Beppu – Included

Yabakei Gorge - $109

Shinto Shrine & Natural Treasures - $99

Buddhas, Castle & Monkeys - $149

Private Hot Spring Bath - $289

The Hells of Beppu - $99

Hiroshima

Postcards of Hiroshima – Included

Itsukushima Island & Its Shrine - $99

Ultimate Hiroshima - $149

Kintaikyo Bridge & Iwakuni Castle - $89

Mitaki Temple & Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park - $99

Hiroshima Castle & Shukkei-en Garden - $79

Japanese Dining Experience - $99

Osaka

Osaka City Tour – Included

Ancient Kyoto - $149

Sights of Kyoto - $169

Best of Kyoto - $159

Timeless Traditions of Kyoto - $259

Osaka Highlights - $99

Shimizu

Stunning Vistas of Shimizu - Included

Highlights of Mt. Fuji - $159

Kunozan Tosho-gu Shrine & Nihondaira - $99

Shiraito Falls & Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha - $99

Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum & Miho no Matsubara - $99

Tokyo (Yokohama)

Tokyo Panorama – Included

Tokyo Highlights - $149

Traditions of Japan - $199

The Temples of Kamakura - $149

Yokohama Highlights - $79

An Evening in Tokyo - $89

Geisha Performance & Dinner - $229

Thank you! 

Which ones did you take?

Which ones did you enjoy and which were not worth it?  (Including the Includeds too)

58 minutes ago, Rotorman said:

We are on the Viking Star for the Viking Shores and Fjords July 22-July 29, 2024.  Has anyone done this cruise and do you know where the ports are located in Flam, Oslo or Kristiansand?  The first day to book was yesterday at 3pm and at 3:03pm the tours we wanted were already Sold Out!  I'm hoping we can do on our own.

We did the Shores & Fjords.  (Note - it doesn't depend on which ship name it is).

Flam-docked right in town.  walked off to everything

Kristiansand-docked right in town.  Included walking tour left from the pier.

Oslo-docked in town facing east, just opposite the Munch Museum.  walking tours left from the pier.  We were lucky though as most Viking ships dock in town but slightly further west at Akershus.  That is also close to Nobel Museum and more.  Easy walking.

Your results may vary depending on which ships are also in port.

Curious as to which tours were sold out that you wanted.  We had no problems.

We also came back to Oslo on our own and walked around ourselves and using trams for several days with no issues, so that's not a bad option.

51 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Totally agree, but I think "management" today is afraid to offend anyone because of the potential social media attacks...

Exactly!   Viking people seem to walk on egg shells all the time, not just in restaurants, but everywhere, so fearful of people launching diatribes on social media at them!  They've lost their backbone.  

43 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Know that in the World Cafe, you can walk up to the cooking - hot food section - and get a steak grilled to your liking anytime.  There may be "hidden" options.  Also on some ships around the back of the World Cafe across from the bar there is (on some ships) a cooking station there that offers options too.

Exactly!  At World Cafe, we often got the grilled to order NY Steak (actually many times) since it was so good. Offered every night!  If it didn't turn out like you wanted, they would happily do it again so you were satisfied!   In addition, every night (and lunch) they featured a meat non-seafood carving station of some sort - either roast beef, flank steak, turkey, lamb, you name it!  Every night!

The Asian Station by the Aquavit bar always had some sort of non-seafood item (often chicken or beef stir fry, or with noodles).  

At Manfredi's there were a number of non-seafood items on our recent voyage.  From the standard menu, we tried the amazing Short Ribs, the Parmigana Chicken, the herb roasted pork chop, the grilled bone-in rib-eye, and the thick cut rib-eye.  In fact, 5 out of the 7 main courses are non-seafood.  So I'm not sure how one can say there were limited non-seafood choices at Manfredi's.  (or the other venues)

At Chef's Table, if there was seafood you could ask for a substitute, like a steak or something.

Absolutely no one who did not like fish was lacking in the number of choices available to them.  In fact, we spoke to a gentleman who was fearful they might not have much since he did not like seafood and he was overwhelmingly surprised by how many different choices he had - at every venue!

12 hours ago, Hockeyump said:

Currently on Viking Orion and the food quality has definitely dropped. It may be the area but seafood seems to dominate in the World Cafe and so if you don't like this, which my husband doesn't, then choices are limited. The couple of times we went to Manfredi's the pasta of the day was seafood, no lasagne so didn't go again. There were quite a few empty tables so perhaps others feeing the same. Our overall view generally is when it is good it is very good but too many off days.

hmmm - you speak of poor quality and then tag on lack of non-seafood dishes.  Both?

It may be a location/itinerary thing.  We've never had an issue with there not being non-seafood choices, even in Manfredi's.  Seafood no doubt is popular on cruise ships since they are on the ocean and dock in ports that have seafood arriving a lot.  However, we've always seen plenty of beef, chicken, and pork.  Curious as to what items you didn't see that you were expecting that were non-seafood.

1 hour ago, rjp50 said:

I was surprised that our "Into the Midnight Sun" cruise for late June that some of the included tours are completely "sold out".  Viking makes a big deal about having included tours in each port, yet anyone booking now will apparently not have included tours available in several ports.  Or, do they routinely add tours so that they can make good on their advertised claims?

Yes - they will ALWAYS provide an included tour to any guest onboard that wishes one.  It may not be at the time you want, but you will get one.  

Viking projects how many will be on a tour and contracts the provider to schedule that many.  If more people want them, they will add more.  You might see them added on MVJ but you might also not see availability until you are onboard.

53 minutes ago, kctwinmommy said:

Here's an example from our cruise. You can see the Included one (which shows our reservation confirmed for booked). Then there's one that's still open in the middle. And the one on the right shows Sold Out.

Ha!

Your example above reminded me again about the inconsistency in Viking tours guides that they hire - particularly for included.  My point is a tip to share with people.

We recently took the Panoramic Corfu & Old Town Walking tour in Corfu.  There were probably about 8 groups that went out at the same time in the morning.  Bus portion was first.  We stopped at a great lookout point with a large large deck area (enough to accomodate nearly all the groups.  Our guide took us to the deck, said a couple words and told us to meet back at the bus in 45 minutes.  We were on our own.  I noticed the other guides all talking quite a bit to their groups.  (ie. the guides don't always do the same thing).  TIP:  I used the quietvox and starting tuning into the number of the guide's lolypop and wound up getting to hear so much interesting stuff!  Went from one to the other in fact.  

Then the walking portion, after a stop outside the "palace", our guide pointed us to Old Town and said you can walk throughout Old Town and be back in 45 minutes to the bus.  Again as we wondered in and out of the interesting streets, a little bewildered, we noticed the other groups again with their guides walking through the Old Town.  Again I switched to their channel on the QuietVox and heard so much about the churches, history, etc.

So - if your guide is no good, you can try to at least "tag along" on another channel.

I did report this to the Excursion desk when we returned.

Here's our recent Viking Saturn Officers on Rome-Athens trip in Feb/Mar.

Yes, it is posted on the ship itself ahead of each itinerary in the Viking Daily and a picture on the wall on the way to Chef's Table.

It changes frequently from itinerary to itinerary so I'm not aware of any "master" list anywhere.  It is common for people to query those on the ship's itinerary ahead of them as to posting a picture of the officers in case they stay on board for their specific cruise.

45 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

Have 100% seen one... happened to table mates of mine who were upgraded from a D to a B. They were first time Viking travelers and they were clueless on who/what/how/why they got upgraded other than it happened.

What's a D and a B ?

3 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

No. Upgrades are like unicorns, everyone has heard of them, few have seen them or can explained why they happened.

 

It has to be a very specific set of circumstances to occur, such as lack of availability in an easier to sell cabin class and too much availability in a higher class, overbooking, or some other reason for loss of availability (maybe your booked cabin has mechanical issues).

Totally agree, Joe.

We've been fortunate to experience a "free" upgrade from DV to PV - at the check-in desk.  Note - we did not have a choice, it had been done when we checked in.  We often discussed maybe that's not so good, since we had a pretty good DV room location-wise.  There are some PV cabins I would never want over the DV we had.  But fortunately it was a good PV room.  I was querying a Viking Manager about it.  They said it is indeed random, and often passengers have to cancel at last minute (mostly due to illness, injury, etc).  The person who got our good DV had been last minute upgraded from a V, so it often is a cascading thing.

You just never know - and certainly can't count or plan on it!  Or even know the probabilities.

Viking also has been known to "offer" up ahead of time (weeks) an option to pay a fee to upgrade, but those seem to be rare as well.  We had friends who had that happen.

1 hour ago, Jim Avery said:

Is Viking trying to do too many different things with too many moving parts to protect their core business.  Whatever that might be these days...

Maybe so, Jim.  I've seen that happen to so many companies over the years.  Some succeed and some do not.

On 4/4/2024 at 2:18 PM, CDNPolar said:

 

This is disappointing to hear because we have 98% of the time been very happy with Viking food and it is one of the reasons we pay their prices.

 

If food is declining in quality (don't care if the steak is a bit thinner if they cook it well) then that is a concern.

 

Is this Viking's version of "shrinkflation"?  Cut back on the food quality to save money but charge the same?

We asked the Head Chef on a recent cruise about this "shrinkflation".  Whether true or not, his response was . . .   Viking has had SO many comments/feedback that the portions sizes were TOO big and there was too much waster.  People predominately said they wanted smaller portions and the big eaters could just order more.  Interesting, but I'm sure there's truth to that.  In the old days I do remember people complaining that the portions were too large!  Can't please everyone.

We stopped having the steak in Manfredi's.  Instead, we get the Steak to order in the World Cafe.  Nice size - always cooked to my liking!

4 hours ago, kag3120 said:

We were just on the Orion (Feb-Mar).   FYI, the planetarium was there but CLOSED for the duration of our itinerary (Auckland to Sydney, Sydney to Bali). And, I  believe it was expected to remain closed for the duration of this entire cruise (Grand Pacific Explorer—several legs, ending in May in Vancouver). 
 

They did have an astronomer on board, but still, we were disappointed. I do agree it takes lots of space in the upper Explorers Lounge, especially when it’s not open anyway☹️

 

PS. best I could tell, the ship appeared to be in excellent condition. That said, I didn’t really explore all that much. 

IMHO, you didn't miss anything in the Planetarium.  It was worthless (well, not totally, but definitely a 3 on a scale of 10).

Would be nice if they took the 2 of them (with Jupiter) out of the 8th floor and opened it up again.

13 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

From SeaTrade Cruise News 05 April 2024

 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/finance-legal-regulatory/viking-ipo-filing-gives-insight-its-financials-and-growth-plans?utm_campaign=SC_News_Seatrade Cruise News Weekly Update_NL_04052024&utm_emailname=SC_News_Seatrade Cruise News Weekly Update_NL_04052024&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eloqua&utm_MDMContactID=9d5bd72d-7f4c-4493-b015-48013d5850ea&utm_campaigntype=Newsletter&eM=aa701701123f0394af13ba72c3450f5afc29342d5a552fc03cb711122d86b6d0&eventSeriesCode=ES_SEATRDCRSCTNT&eventEditionCode=MTM00SCC&sessionCode=S_STRDCRSNEWS&sp_eh=aa701701123f0394af13ba72c3450f5afc29342d5a552fc03cb711122d86b6d0

an interesting comment . . .

we are exploring other products, such as safaris and land tours, that would allow our guests to explore more of the world in Viking comfort.'"

2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

 

At this time in society, I don't care what others think.  I know where the germs come from and if gloves keeps me well when 200+ others are in their cabins sick then so be it. 

We definitely think alike!  Have enjoyed your posts.  Hoping we get to travel on the same cruise together sometime in the future!

11 hours ago, Pigin said:

Rude, really!!!

 

What I, the OP, is saying is that I left a cabin that I believe has ongoing issues that I am willing to point out. 
 

I am not offering advice on how to deal with situations, it’s an adult cruise after all.  What I’m not doing is voicing presumptions.  That would be rude 😂.

 

 

Pigin -

my apologies!  I mistakenly should have looked more carefully as I see you were not the person who said they didn't get action until they got rude.  So sorry!

1 hour ago, WanderingBrit said:

I recently paid in full for a cruise that takes place over our anniversary, and on the updated statement we received after final payment I see that Chocolate Dipped Strawberries now appear under "Gift Orders", with N/A under Paid and Balance.

 

I'm guessing this is related to our anniversary, but for the life of me I can't remember ever mentioning that - but perhaps there was a spot on the GIF where I might have supplied the date? Anyone have prior experience that can shine a light on this "surprise"?

We had this happen to us.  It had been ordered by our Travel Agent (who knew we had an anniversary coming up).   And yes, we also saw it on the invoice so mentioned it to our TA, where we learned what happened.   For us, it didn't spoil any surprise.  It was just nice that the TA thought of us at all!

On 4/1/2024 at 4:59 AM, CDNPolar said:

 

This is how Norovirus spreads.  Folks think that hand sanitizer is good enough, but if you do your research you will find that hand sanitizer does not kill the Norovirus, only hand washing does.

I also have been amazed at the large large number of men (I've witnessed it!) who don't wash their hands after being in the bathroom (next to the World Cafe) and then just walk in and start grabbing the serving tongs....     

We made a habbit of getting our food at World Cafe back to the table and then going and washing our hands again.  Rinse and repeat everytime we went up for more food.    You aren't going to stop the large amount of ignorant behavior so all you can do is protect yourselves.

15 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

We embark on our first TA cruise this October.  Looks like I can go with a carry on only for this cruise.  A couple pairs of cutoff shorts some tank tops and flip flops and I am good to go!

Too funny!  We want photos!!

On 4/2/2024 at 10:28 AM, OneSixtyToOne said:

New Future Guest promotion FV424

Special Future Guest Promotion To take advantage of this offer, simply call us at 1-855-764-9542 or contact your Travel Advisor and ask for offer code FV424. Thank you for putting your trust in Viking. We look forward to exploring more of the world in comfort with you. CALL VIKING NOW 1-855-764-9542

Offer FV424: Offer only valid for guests with one or more future bookings made prior to Apr 1, 2024. Up to $1,000 per couple savings valid on any new 2024–2026 booking; excludes World Cruise itineraries. Save $1,000 per couple ($500 per person) for itineraries 15 days or longer, or save $500 per couple ($250 per person) for itineraries 14 days or less. Valid with Past Guest Discount: Past Guests who have sailed with Viking in the past 12 months save $400 per couple ($200 per person) on listed cruise prices; all other Past Guests save $200 per couple ($100 per person). A limited-time $25 per person deposit is due at time of booking for select 2024–2026 itineraries; remaining deposit is due with final payment (excludes World Cruise itineraries); call for details. 2024–2026: Book and deposit by March 31, 2024. 2024: Pay in full by April 30, 2024 or at 120 days prior to departure (whichever comes first). For itineraries 35 days and longer, call for payment details. 2025: Pay in full by July 31, 2024. 2026: Pay in full by February 15, 2025. Offer is not combinable with other offers and cannot be booked online. Offer may be withdrawn at any time without prior notice. Additional restrictions may apply. Offer expires Apr 30, 2024.

This sounded pretty good, unitl I read the fine print about paying really early . . .

A limited-time $25 per person deposit is due at time of booking for select 2024–2026 itineraries; remaining deposit is due with final payment (excludes World Cruise itineraries); call for details. 2024–2026: Book and deposit by March 31, 2024. 2024: Pay in full by April 30, 2024 or at 120 days prior to departure (whichever comes first). 

On 4/2/2024 at 3:13 PM, Insanityx4 said:

I'm really surprised to hear that. Customer Service has always bent over backwards to solve any issues we have ever had on any of our cruises with Viking. The best service we have ever encountered out of all the cruise lines we have sailed with. Sounds like you got a rep who should not be working for Viking.

I am also surprised!

Sounds like the OP is saying you have be "Rude" to get anywhere with the onboard Viking people.  We've had our share of issues and NEVER encountered that.  I always approached Viking with a smile, being courteous and polite, but firm and stating things in a business and facts sort of way.  I've always had good responses and fixes to the issues without ever having to be "rude".  

Perhaps you had a very isolated incident.  I haven't hear the need to be rude so much.  Certainly many passengers are rude onboard to the Viking people, but Viking staff seems to handle it well.  We always say that to work on Viking you must have thick skin!!

1 minute ago, RobinB13 said:

Has anyone been on both ships?  I know they are supposed to be identical but with Sea a couple years older, is it showing more wear?  Trying to decide on a date for a cruise and not sure if that should be a factor.  Thanks.

We've been on all the Ocean ships (not counting Sun).

The 9 (not counting Sun) Viking Ocean Ships currently sailing are the "Star" class.  They are all nearly identical with some slight differences.  Viking made changes to improve things as they moved from each group of three -  1st group: Star, Sea, Sky   2nd group:  Orion, Jupiter, Venus  3rd group: Mars, Neptune, Saturn

There are some differences between the ships you mention Sea and Orion.  Orion is really not that much younger than Sea.  However, Orion was the first that has a Planetarium on Deck 8 of Explorer's Lounge (Jupiter is the only other one with it.  It was cancelled on future ships).  Orion also was the first to implement a food "station" in the World Cafe that you walk up to.  (Around the corner from the Gelato area and across from the Aquavit Bar in the back).  Now it serves Asian dishes Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.  Quite popular.

The first group (Sea included) also did not have drawers in the closets for DV and V rooms - just shelves.  They were added on the later groups.

As for showing wear, people who've been on VERY recently would have to answer that.

Between these two I'm not sure I'd be too worried, but no doubt there will be strong opinions one way or the other from folks.

On 4/2/2024 at 11:56 AM, Insanityx4 said:

Thanks for all of your input and information. We found a plan through Travel Insured International that has really good benefits including $500,000 medical evacuation and Repatriation of Remains for much less than Viking's Tripmate and a lot more benefits. It's called FlexiPax. We used Travel Insured International on our last cruise when we got rained out in Ft. Lauderdale (flooded runway) at the end of the cruise for two days and had to fly out of Miami. They covered pretty much all of our added expenses. Our travel agent gave me a quote for them for our upcoming trip that was about the same cost as Tripmate so I started doing my own research and found FlexiPax! We are going to go with that plan and save almost $400!

This is who Steve Dassios put us onto in 2024.  They are offering some good plans now as you discovered (Travel Insured International FlexiPax).   One big benefit is they are good up to 3 years out and you can transfer from the original cruise to a new one at no charge as long as the new one is 3 years or less from the date you put the insurance deposit down.  Flexible is right!