gardening_diva

First time VV cruiser with a few restaurant menu Qs.

I've seen the sample restaurant menus on the web site. (To me) they look quite limited in choices e.g. only 3 appetiser options. Do the actual on-board menus pretty much match these samples?

Are more options available when you dine there?

Do the menus change daily or is it set for the whole cruise?

Do you get to see the menus when making reservations in the app?

Thanks!

On 11/19/2023 at 8:36 AM, Bo1331 said:

We got the Silver beverage package.  How are the wines on that list.

In terms of which wines by the glass are included in SSBP - we've found it very disappointing on Orion so far. We'd expected to see at least an example of each (popular) grape type available per glass, but nope! Several Italian varieties, 1 or 2 USA red & white. That's about it. When we finally chose a glass that seemed suitable for our meal they'd run out of it. 

We're on a cruise to/around Australia & there's only 1 (yes, 1) Australian wine available in the package. Now that we've made our first stop in Australia we're hoping that they've brought new Aussie stocks onboard. Remains to be seen how many of those will make it into the package though.

Plenty available by the bottle (which SSBP gets you a discount on). But we like to try different labels so by the bottle is not ideal for us.

Also, don't expect to find a sommelier to help you choose. There aren't any (or at least we haven't found any yet!)

On the plus side - the wine pairings with the Chef's Table menus have been reasonable.

We are currently on Orion with a hinged door. I think the slider is more convenient if you want to carry something like a cup of coffee onto the balcony.

One other thing to consider is that for anyone with limited arm strength the hinged door can be quite difficult to push open.

Personally, I would be happy with either. Pro's & con's to both.

40 minutes ago, wolfie11 said:

Not to hijack the post but does anyone know if they have pool noodles and/or dumbbells in the spa or pool area? I will be sailing six weeks after a knee replacement and need to do my exercises.

Currently on Orion. Haven't seen either of those in the pool or spa. You could maybe bring some thera-bands (or similar) to use in the pool? 

4 hours ago, minka34 said:

Wracking my brain... thinking that I saw a regular foam roller but not that type?  I may just be remembering the rolled up yoga mats though. When is your cruise?  I will be on a ship next Thursday and try to get back here to answer, but maybe someone who is on board now will look for you! 

Thanks! We'll be sailing next Sunday, but travelling on Thursday.

Hi, does anyone know if the gym has firm foam grid rollers like the one in the picture?

Thanks!

I've seen it mentioned on other threads/sites that it is possible to purchase a Viking transfer once you are onboard (if you have independent flight arrangements but are flying the same day and from the same airport as the Viking Air passengers!).

Another alternative would be to ask your TA to book a private transfer for you. That way you get a nice car to yourselves. 🙂

When you're at a tender port and the ship is due to sail late evening (11PM), for how long do Viking run the tenders/shuttles from the mainland? Do they stop at sunset or do they keeping going until an hour or two before departure time (even if it's dark)?
I know I can listen to announcements before going ashore, but my question was more about whether Viking has a policy to NOT run tenders when it gets dark. If they stop around sunset, then I know I can't make any plans *in advance* for evening activities ashore. Thanks!

I received a reply from Viking on one of the questions - "The included tour Sailing The Whitsundays will not visit Whitehaven beach and there are no stops on this sailing tour. "

During our Bali to Australia itinerary (Nov '23) we'll be tendered at Airlie Beach.

One of the included shore ex from Airlie Beach is a 2 hour boat tour around the Whitsunday Islands.

Because it's an included shore ex I assume it's much like a panoramic bus tour where you sail past for photos but don't get off.

I'm not sure if this tour has been offered as an included ex before, but if so, I have a couple of Q's for anyone that has done it.

1. Will the boat pick us up from the ship or do we have to tender ashore first?
2. Does the tour 'visit' Whitehaven Beach? The description doesn't specify any particular locations.

There is another shore ex specifically to Whitehaven Beach but that's by RIB and is not recommended for anyone with neck/back issues so we can't take that one.

Thanks!

I've not been able to confirm via the photos, so what type of physical access do the various pools on the ship have (Spa, Infinite, Main) - gradual/sloping steps or vertical ladder?

My husband won't be able to haul himself up the ladder type, so trying to check which pool, if any, he will be able to use.

OK, maybe I should have worded my question differently. I'm not trying to get an early flight, I'm trying to work out how much time I need to allow between ship docking and flight departing for a non-rushed experience.🙂 

Typically, what is the latest disembarkation time? I've seen it mentioned that you should leave your cabin by 08:00 but when do they want everyone off the ship by? 9AM, 9:30AM?

(I will also ask Viking - thanks for the contact details).

After disembarking at Sydney we'll be taking a domestic flight to Melbourne & I'm trying to work out what is the earliest flight time we could book.

Ship is due to dock around 06:30 (at White City terminal I believe).

I'm thinking 11:00 should be OK?

Also, does Viking allow you to take your own luggage off the ship at disembarkation?

The description of PV/DV/V categories on the (UK) Viking website says "Ocean-view stateroom with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door opening to full-size veranda". Is that not correct for all staterooms then?

On 9/2/2021 at 8:10 PM, difranco said:

Booked on the Silhouette 11th September. Overall, happy  with the classic drinks package but was wondering if anyone who is currently sailing can confirm what the Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc offerings are.

These are my wife’s preferred drinks so would like to get a heads up before looking at upgrading.

Any info would be appreciated.

The app will give you an idea of what's served, but you'll need to check all the restaurants & bars listed. Even then, this won't be the entire list of wines available. I did find Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc listed for one of the bars, & that is one of my personal favourites 🙂

5 minutes ago, KaryEstelle said:

I saw this online. 'On a cruise to Inverness, your ship will dock at the Invergordon cruise terminal, which is located near Loch Ness. To reach Inverness, you can either take a one-hour train ride from the train station, which is only a short walk away from the cruise terminal, board a public bus, or take a private bus ride to the city.'

Perfect, thank you!

Can anyone confirm whether the port used for Inverness is actually Inverness or Invergordon?

Looks more likely to be Invergordon for Sihouette, but itinerary says Inverness!

Thanks!

3 hours ago, FLACRUISER99 said:

I checked the link you posted and did not see anything about the 3 drink vouchers only this

 

 

Yes, note 6 describes the Exclusive Nightly Event which is the 3 vouchers. Note 7 says there would be no Exclusive Nightly Event (i.e. no 3 x vouchers). So note 7 is saying ignore note 6! My use of the text "(3 drink vouchers on SeaPass card during Happy Hour)" was just to clarify what the Exclusive Nightly Event was. 🙂

Anyway, it looks like this is old info on the website and it is indeed possible to have drinks in the lounge & have vouchers on the card to use elsewhere.

I guess Royal don't update their website very often then! 🙂

On the Crown & Anchor benefits page (https: //www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/discover-cruise-holidays/crown-anchor see footnote 7) it states that there will be *no* "Exclusive Nightly Diamond Event" (3 drink vouchers on SeaPass card during Happy Hour) when the ship has a Diamond Club/lounge, but posters here are saying you can have 1 or 2 drinks in the lounge and then get more elsewhere with the SeaPass vouchers. Is this one of those things where policy varies from ship to ship? Or does it vary based on how many Diamond/Plus/Pinnacle members on the sailing? Sailing on Symphony in November & first time as a Diamond so not sure what to expect!

We sailed in 9281 & definitely had the vibration for the first couple of days (transatlantic from Southampton, UK). You could see ripples in the water jug! We found that the vibration disappeared just by walking fwd by a few cabins or aft by a few more. Checked the starboard side & didn't feel the vibration (in the corridor). Checked deck 8 & noticed vibration in similar location as deck 9. Checked deck 10 & couldn't find any vibration. (We were on a mission!)

By day 3 the vibration went away. Not sure if it was due to change in speed or water depth? Never noticed it again for the rest of the cruise.

Did the same TA the following year in 9221 (similar position to 8281 on the hump) & had no vibration at all.

And the OP never responded after making the original post! I smell a troll ;)

Yes, but not at the same time. You can only connect one device at a time.

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/juneau?month=9&year=2018

 

This is a handy website...you can search by location, month and year.

Thanks Anita!

This will be our first Alaska cruise. For a couple of the stops (Juneau & Victoria,BC) we are there until 10pm. Wondering what we are going to be able to see at that time of the evening!

So can anyone offer any advice on when it gets dark at that time of year at those latitudes?

Thanks!

Chris