Redtravel

Jim,  elite plus on X.  X got too boring and crowded.  In 2022 we sailed on Summit. It was my favorite X ship. The crowding was awful. We stopped booking X. We prefer Oceania.  We like the variety of ships.  We sailed on Oceania before and after pandemic.  With the exception of our March 2020 cruise stuck at sea, we enjoy the cruises.  Hope to meet you onboard.

We did it from Rouen.  We were doing an overnight in Rouen.  Trains are usually reliable in France.  We were off the ship soon after docking. Took transfer bus to train station.  Bought ticket and went to Paris. We had a full day. Took the 8 pm train back to Rouen.  For a 5 pm sail time, you can get in a 4-5 hour time in Paris. Know what you are going to do.  We went to Muse d’Orsay for a special exhibit.  We had skip the line tickets.  For a first trip to Paris, the hop on off bus is good.  

Ural guy,

I wrote my experience. This wasn’t my first Viking trip. Other trips in Europe were excellent. While I don’t expect perfection, I was shocked by many things that happened on this trip. 
 

The bus ride from Memphis to Rosedale, Ms started at 9 am. We were not given any indication what was to happen that day.  All we knew was that we were on a bus to the ship. Nobody told us the plan of the day. There was no daily sheet until we were on the ship. We got to the ship after 4 pm.  The ride on Rt. 61 was dull and boring. You could see huge empty fields that had been plowed, nothing growing. 

TA service is worth $.  Usually I do the research and call my TA to book. She usually adds value. That doesn’t take much time. However, when problems happen, your TA works to rectify the situation. That may be very time consuming.   Find a TA that will work for you.  

The ship is beautiful.  Our suite was spacious. Teresita was our cabin attendant. She was fabulous. Same day laundry service was nice when they followed instructions and returned the clothes to the correct cabin. Sadly not everyone working on the ship does their job well.  Often in the restaurant, the service was slow, food was cold, orders got mixed up, and nobody seems to care. Some of the wait staff spends too much time socializing. The cafe was a hit or miss affair. We had wait staff tell us that they were short handed. Some wait staff told us to go the coffee station if we wanted refill.  Often dirty dishes were left on table. If you asked some wait staff to clear dirty dishes, they just ignored us.  Food was interesting. Food choices were limited.  They did attempt to include local dishes.  None were memorable.  The best items were the melitta coffee, cookies, and waffles.  The excursions were good and bad. Best one was Vicksburg.  The hotel stays before and after the cruise left much to be desired. At the Peabody, we were given a tiny room supposedly with a queen bed.  It was a double.  At the Westin in Nola, we waited hours until we got a room. At both hotels the included breakfasts was minimal. It was in a private room.  We were disappointed. When we did hotel extensions in Europe, breakfasts were in the regular dining room.  The worst part was the long bus ride from Memphis to Rosedale, MS. I thought that I booked a cruise from Memphis.  The bus ride was very long and boring.  Stopping in Cleveland, MS to buy your own lunch was annoying.  We left Memphis at 9 am and got to ship after 4 pm.  On map, that ride should take 2 hours. We lost a full day.  We also lost day in St. Francisville due to a storm. We were told that St. Francisville tours would operate from Baton Rouge. That didn’t happen. We were told that the cost of the excursion would be refunded.  Didn’t happen. Instead we were told that we could relax. At the price that Viking charges for the cruise, we expected more. I wouldn’t recommend this cruise.

On some cruises, there is no slow walkers.  Just off Viking Mississippi. The various excursions listed the activity level. There were very mild to extremely active. Most included excursions were slow.  There were lots of slow walkers using canes, walkers, and wheelchairs.  Viking did a good job of being accessible.  

Just back. Riverboats are very casual. No dress code.  Wear whatever you want….shorts, jeans, sandals, etc.  When you do excursions in afternoon, people go to dinner  without changing.  Relax and enjoy.  

Just now, Redtravel said:

Good food on Viking.  Most is ok, nothing special.  Maybe the waffles are memorable. 

Food on Oceania is amazing.  Oceania dining venues are all good.  I especially like that the Terrace buffet doesn’t let you place the food on your plate. Sharing the same serving utensil with other guests on Viking is really unsanitary.  

Ship design on Viking is very modern.  I like it.  The space for our cabin was excellent. We had a Penthouse jr. suite. Complimentary laundry is excellent.

Oceania R ships are not my thing. Even suites are not big.   I prefer Marina, Riviera, or Vista.  I like the furnishings.  It is classy. Oceania has better bedding and linens.

54 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

I'd be curious what you thought was better. Food? Shorex? Ship design? service? Really, no judgement or push back from me on whatever your reasoning is.

Good food on Viking.  Most is ok, nothing special.  Maybe the waffles are memorable. 

Food on Oceania is amazing.  Oceania dining venues are all good.  I especially like that the Terrace buffet doesn’t let you place the food on your plate. Sharing the same serving utensil with other guests on Viking is really unsanitary.  

Having a butler can be nice.  Best butler got our suitcase fixed, carried my laundry back and forth to the laundry room, and got us dinner reservations at some specialty restaurants.  Some butlers never do anything. On one cruise, we saw the butler on the last day. He was looking for an extra tip. $0. I don’t book a suite for the butler. I book it for location and space.  On R ships, only book suites.  The regular cabins are very small. On O ships, Marina, Riviera, or Vista, regular cabins are ok.  They have adequate space and nice bathrooms.  

Just off Viking.  In January, we were on Vista.  
While both do a nice cruise, I would prefer Oceania.
 

September can be good or really bad.  It is the middle of hurricane season. I have been to Bermuda many times on cruises and by flying in. My favorite time is spring. May is perfect.  Summer can be very hot and humid.  On my most recent Bermuda cruise in June 2022, we left Bermuda 2 days early because of an impending hurricane.  Hurricane season is June 1 to Nov. 30.  

Miami has changed. Last year, we had no problem getting Ubers. This year, waits for Ubers was long.  Uber has fewer drivers. Many former drivers have found better jobs.  

When I stopped in Ravenna, the port had a free shuttle bus into the city. It was very close to the cathedral and old part of town. We enjoyed the cathedral. The mosaic designs are beautiful.  We also walked in old town. Shopping was good.  Enjoyed Ravenna.

You cannot compare prices for a November cruise to a January cruise.  I like cruising in the Caribbean in January.  I wouldn’t cruise there in November. It’s still hurricane season.  November weather is often very wet.  January is usually sunny.

The included wines run from ok to terrible.  Reds are better than whites. Soda and beer are better choices. If you really like good wine, bring it.  

I wish that I had known this before I sailed.  I am on Viking Mississippi now.  Cruise is good. However, there is definitely a lack of info. We never know what the time frame will be until the evening before we dock. 

I enjoyed Ember. Of course, I missed Jacques. I like that there are differences among the fleet of ships. Our favorite ship is Marina.  I will be on Marina in May.  Looking forward to Jacques. Perhaps onboard I will miss Ember.  I enjoy all of the dining venues.  Food on Oceania is superb.  I am on Viking now.  Viking has good food.  However, Viking food offerings aren’t as good as Oceania. 

30 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

MVJ closes right before your cruise (48 hours?). You need to use the Viking Voyager app once you are on the ship. It has you calendar as well as other information, such as menus, and allows you to make reservations.

 

All your information is in your final document email. I always store the PDF locally as a file on my phone so I can have offline access whenever I need it.

 

Viking informs you of the inability to access MVJ after a certain date and tells you to install the app. Maybe you missed it in the email.

 

 

Thanks.  Nobody on trip tells you.  Found it

I am on a Viking cruise tour now. . Flew on the Viking included air.  Staying in a Viking cruise extension hotel.  I went online to access “My Viking Journey”.  I wanted to see the calendar.  I was surprised to find message, “ you have no active Viking account.” The Viking hotel rep gave me maps, local info, restaurant recommendations , transfer bus tickets, My luggage tags are on my bags for pickup.  Why do they make My Viking Journey inactive?  Could it be inactive while we are in Viking hotels?  Will it return once we embark?
I had thought that I could see My Viking Journey calendar once I was on the ship. I was wrong. 
My spouse asked me what time we had booked a tour. Not being in our cabin, I pulled out my phone and tried to access My Viking Journey.  No access. In our cabin, we had a printed list of tours and times. However, I don’t carry those printed lists with me.  Before the trip, I had really thought that Viking website was very helpful.  Now I am wondering what happened.  Am I doing something wrong?

We have been on many cruise lines. While, years ago many men wore ties, jackets, or suits. On Oceania, it is seldom seen.  Men usually wear collared shirt at night. That’s ok.  Women tend to be more dressy. Most wear slacks or capris and a nice top. A cruise is a place to be comfortable and relax.  Wear whatever you want. It’s your cruise. Last year, on Marina, I saw a man wearing shorts in the GDR. His party was seated next to us. Then he was told to change into longer pants.  He left and came back wearing long pants.  

The only thing that I have seen them ban was shorts in GDR at dinner.  Sandals are worn everywhere.  Jeans are also seen everywhere.  Most guests dress neatly.  During the day, anything is ok.  At night, guests dress casually most nights. You may see dressy clothing for the Captains reception.  Relax and enjoy.

I used to book gty.  My experiences were good. I really didn’t care about location. I usually got the category cabin that I booked.  I never got a bad location. I saved money.  Times change. Now, I book a specific cabin.  Since mobility has become an issue, location is important.  I have never waitlisted a cruise.  I have booked very late.  It can be a way to save money. However, airfares may be high.  Last year, we booked a cruise a few weeks before it sailed.  Got a good deal. Couldn’t find good air at any price. We opted to let Oceania book the air. The price was good. The flights were crazy.  Changing planes and flying in a crazy routing was bizarre. However, we got to the cruise and got home.  We had a great time.

No survey.  Offering a survey gives the appearance of being concerned.  Even if they ignore the results, it makes guests opinions seem worthwhile.  On past cruises, when I complete a survey I don’t just complain. Often guests have good ideas that cruise lines have implemented. While I don’t expect perfection, my experience with Oceania has been mostly good.  I have experienced a few hiccups.  However, considering the whole cruise experience, mine has been very good.  Oceania fits my style.  

If you have a cold or cough, avoid sharing tables.