CCWineLover

I totally agree! Are we the only ones? This was also true for Ocean. On our Post-COVID Ocean cruises, we kept giving Manfredi's rib-eye a try, but always disappointed. And they would very inconsistent in size, thickness, quality, and accuracy of cooking. However - the made to order NY Steaks at the World Cafe were always top notch! Cooked to perfection and consistenty. AND, you could ask them to put on the plate for you whatever sides you wanted (like vegetables, potatoes, etc) and they would deliver it all to your table - as if it wasn't a buffet!!

All our cruises, MDR was closed on arrival Day. World cafe was open and for longer hours as well. We always went there and had wonderful meals!

Couldn't have said it better than you! And we echo all the other responses as well. It would be nice to hear back from the OP (xiphoid76) on what their reaction is to all of these comments. We sure hope that xiphoid76 does go ahead with your cruise - and that the lucky DH has a fantastic 50th BD on board the SKY next year!

At least you are honest that it is your opinion. Everyone has a different one and really, it is all about expectations. Better that you leave and go back to Seabourn and that makes one less to compete with for those of us whose experience tells us that Viking meets our expectations and lifestyle. Good that you recognize your preferences now.

As Jim said, eveyone has an opinion. Just remember, probably near 100 % of the complainers will post and vent whereas there are thousands of people who had such a great time, but don't post that. You will never know how Viking is until you try it out. From your description, it sounds like Viking will fit the bill for you just fine! Please go, enjoy, and remember also that every travel company post-COVID has its issues. Just go look at the boards on the other cruise lines - they ALL have their masses of complainers - probably even more of them. Nothing is perfect these days and you have to go with the flow (or else just not travel). Cheers! If you go, let us all know how it went! We've done 10 Viking Ocean Cruises and look forward to several more soon. Yes, we have had some various issues here and there, but overall I wouldn't go anywhere else!

Great! Am starting to read it now. Someone spoke of Bill Bryson. this is a little off topic but since my dad's family is all in Iowa (Fairfield/Cedar Rapdis), I really enjoyed Bryson's memoir book on Iowa called "Thunderbolt Kid". (and also The Lost Continent) 🙂

Thank you for taking the time to write a very honest, detailed, and long review, and for making it so well organized by various topics. Very impressive. Again, I only know you from you many helpful previous posts on Cruise Critic and your knowledge of travel ins and outs and tips. We've been on 4 Ocean Cruises pre-COVID and 6 post-COVID. And there certainly is a large difference. Some good and some not so good. I for one appreciated the fact that, like myself, you can enjoy a cruise line and even a specific cruise for many aspects, but do have some that you wished were different or were improved. As you said it is all about expectations. I think you will enjoy the London-Bergen cruise, which we just finished, as it likely will be completely different from what you encountered. (Particularly as it is not the Back To Back to Back variety. We have been on those and do agree with you vis a vis the different groups and personalities that get on board). Also appreciate that you discovered the World Cafe for dinner - we feel the same as you regarding it versus The Restaurant. And the views are spectacular. Remember that when you go to the Fjords! Just a tip - we would always go sit down first (before getting food), order some drinks, and then get the food. Also, as I'm sure you may have noticed, there are certain main dishes (such as NY Steak) that you can order at the counter, and they will bring them, along with side dishes, right to your table - steaming hot! We learned to appreciate that! And also not having 2.5 hour meals! I like too, your description of comparing restaurants to ones at home and would you go back. We do feel that way about Manfredi's (would not return). So sorry regarding the allergies for you at Chef's Table. That restaurant, which we enjoy sometimes, is definitely different. Seems people either really like it or really don't like it. My impression is that it was fantastic pre-COVD and has gone downhill and a bit tired post-COVID. I'm wary of it now. All in all - one of the best reviews I've seen written. Thank you again! (from an ex-Seattleite - near UW).

You bet! Thanks for sharing some interesting books! We are off to Iceland next June! I just got "How Iceland Changed the World".

Our friends on our July Midnight Sun cruise did exactly the same thing. It was easy they said. Same points - they were not on Viking Air. They bought the transfers for $49 apiece while on board. They put their luggage out early, went to the attrium, along with over hundred people, at 2:45 in the morning, and followed what you did to get to the airport. They however, did not have Delta, and had no problems checking in and getting to the gate. Again, it is a little bit of a walk to the gates from security - but not bad compared to some of the major US airports. Also - there should be no expectation that Viking, upon arrival at the airport, will shlep your bags to the ticket counter line and hand hold you to your gate. We've encountered so many people who mistakenly believed that Viking would take care of them to the plane. Just set your expectations. If you took a taxi to the airport, would the taxi driver take your bags through the airport to the ticket counter? No.

Hi Dee - we are in the same boat, so to speak! We are thinking of waiting a little bit so to get maximum affect for our late Dec-early January cruise out of Ft Lauderdale, followed by a week seeing our friends in Naples, Florida. Of course - who knows if there will be much to see in SW Florida even in January!

Yes - what a nice, well-written review - and just for Day 1! Don't forget to spend some time enjoying the cruise and not too much putting the daily reviews together 🙂 We've always enjoyed the World Cafe - it has the best views! Hoping you'll get to experience it more on future cruises. We've also enjoyed Mamsen's at breakfast and Pool Grill for very informal lunch. We've often brought the hamburgers or ahi steaks from the pool grill into the World Cafe and added additional items to the plate! (Especially if it was hot out by the pool!). Look forward to your trip reports!

We stayed on Thon Rosenkrantz in Oslo this past August. VERY nice hotel and great location. We did a D.I.Y. post cruise after getting off the ship in Bergen. Only disappointment - had to fly to Oslo since the train tracks were under repair when we went. But we arrived in Oslo well-rested! Loved Oslo - spent 4 full days on our own touring around, sampling foods, and enjoying the culture.

Sorry you are bitter and feel that way. Perhaps time to go back to what you feel comfortable with (Celebrity and Oceania). I'm only sorry that you didn't at least give Viking one chance. The only consolation is that there will be one less customer to compete with for popular Viking cruises for those of us who do like Viking (and don't like casinos).

Not unexpected - they just finally are making it official. Those who know Key West know that the cruise ships won't be going there. Not sure why Viking put it on there in the first place. To us it is no big deal - we weren't expecting Key West so it is no loss. We will enjoy 6 days out of 14 on Viking - sea days are wonderful!

I would hesitate to say that Viking "dumps" you. If you are on your own (no Viking transfers or Viking Flights), then your baggage is in the terminal for you to pick up - no different than getting off an airplane. There has NEVER been any expectation that they will take care of you beyond that if you don't have their transfers or air. And I'm not sure where that expectation would have come from. However, if someone does have Viking transfers and/or Viking Air, then they WILL take care of you, and your luggage. As they say, there is a price for everything and a choice to be made. If this had not been their expectation, then the fault lies with communication and understanding between Viking/Travel Agent and the customer who mistakenly expected being taken care of if it was not purchased.

Yes, Twitchly, that is true. It has always been true (even before COVID) that if you don't do Viking Air or book their transfers, you are responsible for yourselves and your own transportation once you pick up your luggage in the terminal when you leave the ship for the final time. Similar to airline flights - there should be no expectation that the airlines will usher you from picking up your bags to a taxi stand or the metro or whatever. In fact, if you do your own flights and don't buy Viking transfers, your luggage will always have the black tags. You just pick them up and go on your way (either to a hotel or the airport on your own). We've done it both ways (transfer with Viking and on our own). We prefer flying on our own to Viking Air now that COVID has relaxed. I like the control. As I said before, we have the luxury of spending some time in the final city on our own - no stress. We did it once (get up at 3 AM to do the Viking transfer to airport). Will never do it again as it kind of spoiled the last day and evening on board.

What is V Plan? Haven't heard of them. It is true the most companies DO go by age tiers, so it will cost you more the older you get (sadly!). Getting that first payment down before a birthday is paramount and can save a lot. I learned this from Steve at The Insurance Store.

This confirms our decisions are the right ones - we always try to stay a day or two when we finish a cruise. Too much hectic and everyone trying to get out of town. We've always used the extra day(s) to unwind, lessen the stress, see some sights since usually the arrival port is not seen unless you do stay on. Of course we do not do Viking Air. And we have the time to stay a few nights. For others out there, you might consider this option if you have the means and time to do so - it makes it much nicer. (Still no excuse for Viking to do this however, we've seen it before which is why we never leave town directly when the cruise is over). We were told that usually only about 15 to 20 % of passengers do what we do, so with that large a mob leaving, they probably ought to fix things or communicate better.

I believe every ship later than the Star, Sea, and Sky have the drawers now. (Jupiter, Orion, Venus, Mars). We've done Sea and Sky and will be on Star in a couple months. Personally I don't think it is that big a deal. Every ship is nearly identical but yes, there are several little differences among them.

We will not use Viking 's Tripmate now that COVID testing is gone - for obvious reasons (do a search on Tripmate and you will see quite a bit of discussion). We use a broker and they are quite good (small easily understandable choice of companies to use) - called The Trip Insurance Store. Steve has had a forum on CruiseCritic. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2558-qa-cruise-insurance-with-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom-janfeb-22/

As usual, Andy, an Excellent Explanation! You sir are a wealth of knowledge and thank you again for sharing.

Yes, this is exactly what I was saying. For all those of you are letting this "Get you off to a bad start", relax, breathe, take a chill pill, and rest assured things will be fine when you get there. Remember - a lot of things have changed and are still changing from the advent of COVID. Remember, we still are only 15 months from the first Viking cruise back - and it was 15 months that they were shut down. We have to give Viking a bit of a break, as they are still also suffering from staffing and supply shortages, as well as trying to adjust to the new world.

Yes, this topic has been discuss many times in these forums. A hint - do a search on the Viking forums for any topic you are interested in and you'll find lots of prior posts and great answers - on any questions you may have. With that in mind, however - here is the scoop. Post COVID, Viking has set aside a huge number of tables at the 2 specialty restaurants - for reserving when onboard. That is why when you try to reserve at the days your reservations are available, they often show full, or just 8:30 or 9:00. Please do not get discouraged. There will be plenty of spaces. A couple points to consider: 1- When you board, after having downloaded the Viking Voyager app ahead of your cruise, log in and immediately go to the dining reservations section in the app. There you will find many open reservations now that you are on board. If you are not on the app, go in person to the restaurant reservations desk in the attrium area immediately. 2. People often overbook on the front end and by the middle of the cruise, have cancelled the many reservations they have - either because they found they didn't like a particular restaurant, or had other plans. The back half of the cruise often really opens up for times. 3. Visit the concierge on the evening you wish, especially at about 5:50 PM and ask if there are any openings that night from last minute cancellations. We've found there are always late cancellations. We've NEVER had any issue getting into a specialty restaurant. Enjoy!

For us, the big thing for SSP is that you can have drinks any time of day included. Since we are wine and beer people, no worries on the expensive drinks that aren't included. Thus, on a port intensive cruise, it sometimes does not pay for us to get SSP. But on a cruise with sea days, it often does. Keep that in mind as well.

Andy - On our cruise back in July (it happened to be a nice day), we anchored rather close, and our tender ride was just 10-15 minutes max. We anchored off the jetty behind where the Royal Britannia is. I happened to take a snapshot of our location (Viking Venus), plus Charlotte Square, where the free shuttles would pick up/drop off.