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We have not even started our first cruise and I am already thinking about getting off the ship!

Seriously though, I would be interested to know how the process of disembarkation works on Viking Ocean. I think I have gathered that you put your cases out for collection at some point, is that right?

An outline of the process and any tips or suggestions you might have would be much appreciated.

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for the extremely helpful input!

One thing that I have suggested (in the light of what has been said) to those on our roll call is if they have signed up and can't find the invitation when they board to ask the crew. It is possible that they (or Viking?) have made some mistake in the process but if they are "in the know" and planned to attend I don't see why they should miss out.

It will be interesting to see how our M&M goes in about 2 weeks - I will report back!

That is really useful info about Manfredi’s too!

We will try for an extra evening in there if possible.

Thank you :)

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Thank you very much for taking the trouble to type up and post all those menus Lottie.

We will be on the same itinerary as you were from Barcelona to Rome. Did you happen to note which days the menus changed?

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I have been following the reports on Meet & Mingle events in advance of our upcoming trip on Viking Sea and thought it might be helpful to start this thread to gather experiences together.

If you are wondering what a Meet & Mingle is (which might account for why some have been poorly attended) it’s a “private” reception held on board at an early stage of the cruise which is not publicly announced on the ship.

Only users who have filled in the free booking form for their sailing on the Cruise Critic website ( see http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/rollcall/ ) are invited to join with officers (sometimes including The Captain) for drinks and canapés and the opportunity to chat with them and fellow users of this forum.

You may have noticed that Viking, to their great credit, monitor our posts and occasionally respond directly or (I suspect) sometimes make adjustments in the background to address issues raised. I am sure they would find your input, both positive and negative, useful in refining their systems.

With any luck this thread will raise the profile of Meet & Mingle parties a little in general, as well as possibly improving the way they are operated. They seem to me to potentially be a significant free “perk” from Viking to the Cruise Critic community.

I hope they will continue and I that might even get to meet you at an M&M one day :)

So, how was the M&M on your trip?

Yes Kath,

I should have said "it is probably also helpful to the wait staff" because I don't know that is the reason but, like you, I think it makes sense

We are on the Sea in 3 weeks J - I will try hard to remember to post an update to this thread for you!

I must admit to have been rather taken aback at first by the idea of using tumblers for the “table” wine. However, having given it further thought, my wife and I have decided that it is not a serious issue for us even though we do enjoy and take an interest in wine.

The first thing that swung our opinion was the fact that we already happily drink quite good wine from these sort of glasses whenever we fly. Air New Zealand serves excellent wine (both white and red) in this sort of glass, to give just one example

It does not seem unreasonable for VOC to differentiate between those who have taken the Silver Spirits beverage package and those who have not by providing more “basic” glasses for the more “basic” included wine. This is also helpful to wait staff who can clearly see who has opted for the premium wine selection.

As it happens we have not gone for the Silver Spirits package but intend to bring a couple of our favorite vintages and also do the available ad hock “upgrades” in the alternative restaurants and at the bar as the mood takes us.

For us the fact that VOC will allow us to bring our own favorite wine on board and will serve it without a corkage charge more than counterbalances the slight glass issue.

In answer to Jay23 - the likely explanation is that the original “tumblers” had a round bottom and you could not put them on the table before the drink was finished. I also sometimes have a problem putting my glass down but not for that reason ;)

Hello Lottie,

I have to accept your judgement because you are on the ship and I am not but the satellite tracker I am using certainly shows the ship at over 19 knots for most of the leg from Livorno to Civi. I have tried to attach a screenshot so you can see what I see. It should show below as a thumbnail and you can click on this for a slightly bigger version though CC seems to limit the file size I can attach.

As an alternative you can try this link which i think will show the last leg until you depart on the next http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:3710157/mmsi:258215000/imo:9725421/vessel:VIKING_SEA Scroll down on that page for the timeline. You might like to check the site out as you continue on the cruise to see how it corresponds with your experience onboard?

It is also worth noting that the leg was completed in 8 hours rather than the 9 hours scheduled which is not too shabby.

Thank you for the info on the M&M. It is very helpful to know not to expect too much crew interaction.

I am really glad you are enjoying the sunshine and thank you again for taking the trouble to post answers to our questions - knowledge is power :)

Hello Lottie,

I am really sorry to hear about the delay but more especially about the lack of information given on board.

It is worth noting that ship did keep up a good speed and pulled back a little of the lost time so if there was a mechanical issue it seems to have been fixed.

Thanks for the "heads up" on the tumbler issue - I am following that with interest too!

Just one more thing - did you get to the Meet and Mingle or, to be more exact, do you know when it was scheduled for?

Enjoy the sunshine and I hope that the rest of the trip goes more to plan.

Update as of 9:45 local.

Departure was delayed approximately 7 hours. Ship is currently making good speed (19.5 knots) with an estimated arrival of 12:30 (5.5 hours late)

This would suggest that the delay is likely to have been weather related rather than a mechanical issue.

All the best to those on board and I trust your trip is soon back on schedule.

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I tend to plan down to the most minute detail too, but I try to keep in mind the great quote from General Eisenhower, who said that in his experience all the plans were useless, but the planning was invaluable.

Great quote!

Many of us on the CC message boards are "enthusiastic" planners which is a kind word for obsessive ;)

The only reason I started this thread was because I was looking to see exactly where the ship had birthed in Toulon when I discovered it had turned around and was heading back and wanted to know what was going on.

I am so glad Viking seems to have stood by its clients and that it has worked out reasonably well for most people. I think we can all take a lesson from Peregrina in making the best of whatever is thrown at us.

All the best to everyone leaving the ship this weekend - safe journeys and enjoy your rebooked cruises.

What is the site?

The site I am using is http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:3710157/zoom:10

but a google search for "ship trackers" will give other options too

Thank you for the update and, in advance, for the additional information I know you will pass on to us all as it becomes available.

All the best with the re-planning, you have shown such a positive attitude throughout your posts I am sure you will make the most of the unexpected opportunities!

Hello there,

I see from a ship tracker site that the Sea left Barcelona last night and sailed towards Toulon but seems to have done a U turn and is now heading back towards Barcelona. I wonder, was this planned?

I think Peregrina651 is on board and maybe they can give us an update?

Thanks Becki, that was exactly the information I was looking for!

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One of the first things we plan to do on embarkation is to check the menu for The Chef's Table on the night we have booked. We can then see if we are able to book for an alternative night/menu if that seems like a good idea.

Where would be the best place to do this? - Is there a general dining "desk" or is there likely to be someone at the restaurant in the early afternoon that we could see?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Isn't it funny how you can sometimes miss the obvious!

I had somehow overlooked the possibility of simply paying for a "listed" wine by the glass or bottle just as in a conventional restaurant. That would seem to be the answer in Manifredi's and we will take the upgrade option at The Chef's Table where trying something new (food and drink) is part of the experience.

Thank you all for the excellent input!

Hello everyone and thank you for sharing all your great experience and knowledge with novice cruisers like ourselves.

I've read that there is a premium wine option in the alternative restaurants for $25 each per meal I believe.

Does anyone have any experience or comments on this option?

Wine choice is very subjective I know, but I am trying to get a sense of the extent people might have found this to be a worthwhile "upgrade"?

Thanks!

And where are you :)

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Thank you Jim Zim for this very detailed review and for the excellent video too. I have been a professional photographer for around 40 years and appreciate the quality of the visual content!

They were both very useful to us as we are at the other end of the cruising scale to you and looking forward to our very first cruise (on Viking Sea) early next year.

What made them especially helpful was you putting your trip in the context of your experience with other cruise lines.

This has helped confirm for us that Viking really is doing something different and is likely to suit us in a way that other cruise lines probably would not.

Thanks again and enjoy your tube rides and jacuzzi :)

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Yes, thank you Peregrina that was helpful for us too. Do you know if adding to the wishlist in advance changes the booking process at all?

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Have you also seen the great 360 panoramas that are available of the viking ocean website?

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For a great free offline map app Google Navmii

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Next year we will have 4 Days in New York (fly in trip) and seven days in the Mediterranean on sister ship viking sea. You have got me excited about both in one picture thanks to your quick thinking in getting that great shot!

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