CruiseLibra

Non alcohol wine and beer are readily available for a fee. I'm not sure about the non alcohol spirits. I didn't see them on our November Sirena cruise.

We are considering booking our first Viking cruise. But, before we do, can anyone comment on how Viking accommodates vegan or plant-based dining? For health reasons my husband is plant-based. I am not. Unlike some other lines, I don't see any information that Viking is interested in marketing to the plant-based community. Is there a range of options that can be arranged in advance with the food and beverage team? What about the speciality restaurants? Can you order a vegan meal to be delivered to the two specialities? And if anyone has experience with the vegan food, what is your rating of the menu offerings?

On our spring '22 cruise to Alaska we noticed that the average age was much older than what we have experienced on our European cruises. Some of the more elderly people that we met and enjoyed told us that they don't travel internationally any more due to the long distance air travel. Perhaps this is a reason you might see an older average age in the North America cruises including the Caribbean.

You might want to consider adding the Oceania "O" ships to your list for consideration. They do not have any of your noted concerns regarding the "R" ships. We have sailed on both the Sirena and the Regatta and probably would not sail on them again (because of many of the issues you have noted) unless the itinerary was outstanding. We are big fans of the Marina and Riviera which have none of your concerns but still maintain Oceanias price performance upside.

On the Sirena in November we had no problem with the bathroom amenities. When staff noticed that we had opened one of the products they left another for us. There was no rationing.

Agreed! We love listening to the string quartet before dinner there while having a drink. It is a lovely space.

On the November TA on Sirena I filled out the survey using my iPad. No problem. I don't think it took more than 5 minutes. They had an offer for filling out the form and I won $100. Needless to say, I was quite surprised.

Yes, you can check your carry ons at embarcation. When you arrive at embarcation, just go to the area where the luggage is collected, put your luggage tag on your carry on and give it to the porter. If you didn't receive your tags they will make one for you. The carry on will be delivered to the hallway in front of your room with the rest of your luggage. We did this in November when we were on the Sirena.

We were on the recent Sirena TA. The internet was fine with only occasional outages which didn't last long. We paid for the upgraded package and were able to stream video on most evenings after dinner.

We just got off the Sirena and were in 8022. We noticed some minor noises occasionally, but never late at night or early in the morning. There was nothing to be concerned with in our opinion.

This is not exactly correct. They will be offering tubs in some levels. From Oceania recently: Based on feedback from guests, one of the major upgrades to the accommodations is that bathrooms in all category C Oceanview Staterooms, all category B1, B2, and B3 Veranda Staterooms, all category A1, A2, and A3 Concierge Level Veranda Staterooms, and all category PH1 and PH2 Penthouse Suites will now feature an oversized, walk-in shower. The dramatically more spacious and functional walk-in shower was made possible by removing the under-utilized separate bathtub and small shower stall.

Great info, thanks for sharing!

Perhaps this area is Privee. Privee is indicated to be on deck 14, but it isn't noted on the plan in any location. I don't see another space where it could be.

As has been posted previously, speculation is that La Reserve will move to the Culinary Center on deck 14. The dining area is clearly noted in that space:

Back to NA beer, on our recent Regatta cruise the only brand available was Heineken Zero. This was the case on the Riviera in November as well. And we found that not all specialties have it on hand. But they will send someone to get it from the bar for you. If anyone in North America has the opportunity to try Athletic NA beer jump on it. Their IPA is particularly good.

They carry non-alcohol wine and beer. I believe that the wine is Fre and the beer is Heineken Zero. There is a charge for these beverages.

We recently got off the Regatta. About half way through the cruise we noticed a PH room down the hall from us that appeared to be in quarantine. We saw staff in bunny suits coming and going several times. I don't think the guests were forgotten and ignored by anyone.

We just got off the Regatta and the food and service were excellent. There was a lot of variety in both the Terrace and the MDR. The pastries were exceptionally delicious. The food on this cruise was even better than what we had on the Riviera in November.

We also just got off this cruise and it was wonderful in every way. Initially there was some grousing about missing Sitka but after the news of the misery on the ill- fated Celebrity mixmaster we considered ourselves fortunate. The Ketchikan port was inconvenient and very industrial. However there were golf cart shuttles on the dock to transport mobility challenged people to the bus/town shuttle area. The distance was no longer than some of the long docks that we experienced in the Mediterranean.