The lady posting on FB has such an outstanding attitude! 

27 minutes ago, caviargal said:

 

This was posted earlier but does not change the current situation.  Noro is carrier based, not cleanliness.

I beg your pardon.  I didn't realize that it was posted earlier.  Noro can be carrier based but you can also get infected if you touch an object or surface that has been infected with the virus and then touch your nose, mouth or eyes.  That is why a ship is sterilized when there is an outbreak.

Perhaps this article will set some of your concerns at ease.  https://www.thestreet.com/personal-finance/cleanest-cruise-ships-2019-14853438

On 2/7/2019 at 5:13 AM, terrydtx said:

Why do you feel bad for the HAL staff? HAL suites guests are charged $16pp/day in auto gratuities.

Sorry, I must have I misunderstand you. 

20 hours ago, stretchcruz said:

We did Alla in St Petersburg as well, and booked a private tour for 6 of us. Even though our meeting time was, say, 8:30 (don't remember) we were one of the first off of the ship as we were worried about immigration. So we were at the meeting place an hour early, but our guide and driver were there already. We got an extra hour that day!

We had the same experience.  We got off the ship fast and easy when it cleared.  We had 3 couples and luckily all 3 of us did the same thing.   We got that extra hour as well, both days.

47 minutes ago, Hockeyump said:

In the UK gratuities are included in the price.  The tipping culture in the UK is so very different to that in the USA. From reading many posts tipping in the USA seems almost mandatory whenever a service is received, very different in the UK.

Thank you for your answer.

On 2/3/2019 at 1:55 AM, Parsley Cruises said:

Firstly, unless we have received outstanding service, we do not tip.  

Secondly when we have booked a cruise which states that gratuities are included we don't tip.

 

End of story - it's not a matter of finances, it's just how we are.

I really don't get this 'compulsion' to show-off with tipping.  We were on one particular cruise (not a VO) cruise, and the competition to tip more than others became really vulgar; in the end it all got rather offensive.

How interesting.  I've never been on one single cruise where how much one tips becomes a topic of conversation let alone vulgar and offensive.  Just out of curiosity,  does your paperwork recommend tipping since you are from the UK?  It's so hard for some of us to fathom not tipping.

22 hours ago, terrydtx said:

The surprising thing is that the $15pp/day is less than what HAL charges now for Junior and above suites.

No kidding?  That just surprises me.  Makes me feel bad for HAL staff.

I love not having to worry about it.   I love not having to worry about having enough cash at the end of our cruise or not having to stand in a long line at customer service at the end of our cruise to add it to our account.  If we want to add more we still can.  If we want to slip a favorite person or a few extra we can still do that, too.

24 minutes ago, Frenchberet said:

 

We did Into the Midnight Sun July 2018, great cruise!  Headed back to Norway for In Search of the Northern Lights.  What’s “MO”?

MO stands for Mediterranean Odyssey.  We did the Viking Homelands cruise.  I fell in love with Norway and Sweden but I am 50/50 and both sets of grandparents came from the "old countries".  I truly don't think I could ever get my fill of Norway.  My husband would like to go somewhere else.  Hey, we are on a cruise.  Can't be all that bad not going back, LOL.

2 hours ago, Dauntless said:

 

That's interesting.  Blankets?  I got a small DOP kit--empty the first cruise and the only thing that might be considered a gift the second cruise was a bag that looked more the size of a bank bag that the info came in.  All these other options I have heard about and sometimes, even choices but I would say there is a big difference from you and I described. Maybe yours was better because you started with river.  Please don't tell me they liked you better!  I saw the mention of the MO cruise. ............Just saying, you've got good taste.

I guess the gifts were random and not everyone was offered them.  I have no clue why but they probably like us better 😛!  I have this great friend  that took the MO cruise last year and convinced us that MO should be our next cruise. (even though I want Into the Midnight Sun more) 

Thank you soundcruiser.  I appreciate your time in posting this.  I am pretty sure that this will be our next cruise.

Well that's a bummer.  I sure like our blankets!

I believe that Viking cannot be any clearer and upfront.  It is on their website and I quote:

"Our onboard staff is dedicated to providing you with the best cruise experience possible, and it is customary to give gratuities in recognition of service. How much you choose to tip is a personal matter and completely at your discretion. To save you worry over whom to tip and how much, we automatically add a discretionary hotel and dining charge of $15.00 per guest, per day to your shipboard account, which appears on your final invoice at the end of your cruise. This charge will be shared among the onboard staff who helped support and provide your cruise experience, including the waitstaff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff and others. (Please note this charge excludes bar gratuity; a 15% gratuity is automatically added to bar, beverage, wine and deck service tabs.) Should you wish to make changes to the gratuity amounts or pay in cash, just stop by our Explorers’ Desk at any time. You may also wish to tip your local excursion guides or driver; we suggest doing so in cash at the end of each tour."

Because it appears that you are wanting statistics to help with your view of tips, may I suggest you google.  Many of us here believe in the tipping the staff and you seem not interested in the answers that you are getting.

We've sailed close to 20 cruises with Disney and we've always had great cruises even with other people's little ones.  (We've only sailed with adults.)   We've tried a couple other lines as well but once we sailed Viking I don't think Disney will work for us any longer.  The size of the ship, no loud speaker nonsense, no bingo, no pool games, no loud music, small ship, free internet, free wine, free specialty restaurants, free laundry, smaller ships, screams Viking is better.  Viking ship is not broken up by concierge only.  Everyone is treated equal on Viking and that I love.  I feel that Disney is going back to the days of Titanic with class separation.    So for us, Viking wins.

I commend you for taking care of the Coast Guard.   I urge everyone to remember that there are many other government employees outside of the Coast Guard that needs help just as much.

16 hours ago, Islandbc said:

We had the very unfortunate issue of being next to very inconsiderate neighbors.  They obviously had another couple visiting in their room with them on the first night and the partying went on until at least 2:30 a.m.  At one point I thought that there might be a medical emergency,  as we heard a woman screaming, but it later turned into very loud laughing.  We didn't complain, as we thought that this behavior was just due to the excitement of the first night.  

The second night was quiet.  On the third night we had a repeat performance of the first night, so I called security,2:15 a.m.  After the phone rang next door the noise level went down a bit, but didn't end until about 3 a.m.

The next morning after our early tour off the ship, we visited customer services on level 1.  When we revisited them at about 3 p.m.  The second person looked up the record of our previous visit and found that an alternate cabin had been found for us.  As it was a lower level than the one we were in, I suggested that the people causing the problem should be moved.  Apparently this was not possible, so we moved.  

We were most appreciative of the two people in customer service who assisted us. We were told that the guests who were so inconsiderate were "very young."  I don't believe that this is an excuse for inappropriate behavior.  

Young age is not an excuse to be rude.  I agree with Heidi.  Security should have checked on them nightly. 

4 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

Was there enough drawer space for you?

There definitely was enough and we didn't even pull out the luggage once to store anything.  With that said, we did ask for the coffee maker to be removed which gave us a lot of room for other things.   We under utilized the storage in the bathroom. 

On 1/17/2019 at 9:18 AM, coralfriend said:

I was solo in a DV cabin on a Viking ocean cruise.  Closet is very awkward to get to

and way too small.

That really surprises me.  My husband and myself are heavy packers and the DV closet was just fine for our 14 or 15 day cruise.  That included heavier coats and clothes for the colder climate.  Getting to the closet really wasn't an issue with either one of us or for that matter sometimes both of us wanted in it at the same time.

For us, we absolutely understood the difference between the "included" tours and the tours for charge.  Viking definitely explains it well. 

3 hours ago, moatenote said:

I've tried all the dining options but prefer the WC for all meals (just weird, I guess!).  For breakfast, loved the area where you could order omelets, etc. made just the way you wanted them; the crispy bacon, etc.  Dinner--liked the salad area where the guy would make a Caesar salad to order.   We would sit there for a short time if in a hurry or stay for extended periods of time and have an extra glass of wine (or two).  Love their pizza that's made right there.  I guess what appealed most to me is the big variety of foods available.  And if I chose something I didn't especially like, I could just go back and select something else.  Did I mention the fantastic gelato station?

We ate primarily in the World Cafe ourselves with the exception of Chef's Table and the Pool Grill for lunch.  So you aren't too weird, LOL. 

I can honestly say that I have never been on a ship's bus tour with dirty windows.

I'm sorry but that's just too funny.  Dirty windows and wanted the tour leaders seat......LOL.   I bet a million bucks all she wanted was a front row seat.  I mean, who wouldn't!   Sheesh.  I sure hope she didn't get her way.

Count me in with Alla provides the best tours.  I would not hesitate to book with them again.  We only had 6 people in our group and was very thankful for that.  Larger groups tend to have longer bathroom breaks, longer time to round everyone up at a meeting point on free time,  longer time boarding the bus.  You lose a lot of your time waiting for others on a ship sponsored excursion.