FoggyEthan

On 4/9/2024 at 12:27 PM, CCWineLover said:

Exactly what I say - after many Viking Ocean Cruises.  Things are different post-COVID.

It seems like the math means:

If you like super premium wines, get the package for the 30% discount, and buy at least $175 of wine by the bottle per day.

If you like premium wines, liquor not so much, do not get the package and just order wine by the bottle.

But agreed. The upgraded wines are still not special.

On 3/23/2024 at 6:24 AM, Ibis said:

Totally agree about asking and we did ask. Only sparkling wines in The Restaurant being offered are a rather low quality sweet  Californian sparkling wine and a sweet German sparkling wine. In Manfredi’s we were offered a sparkling wine with a Viking label, also, in our opinion, below even just an average standard. We said no thank you to all three.

We’ll ask again and see if anything else surfaces. I’m not surprised someone tipping  the sommelier with cash early on in the cruise might just be offered other options, but what a pity that’s the way the game is played on Viking. We are just more comfortable knowing up front what is available to all of us, since Viking does advertise wine included at dinner.

The beverage package does include one champagne. Are you saying that it is also too sweet? Or that it isn't available?

On 3/23/2024 at 2:11 AM, hutch1994 said:

Agree with your assessment.  Probably will be looking at Regent or Silverseas as we don't really want to go to the trouble of carrying wines on board.

If the wine-by-the-bottle is of a high enough standard for you, just add in the cost of buying wine to the price of the cruise, and compare that against Regent / Silverseas / etc. If you don't finish a bottle, Viking should hold it for you or let you bring it back to your room.

In Svalbard it's just us. I suspect that Viking just hired SvalbardHurtigruten because Hurti is a big operator and is a one stop shop to handle everything Viking needs. In Tromso it's also just us in port. <shrug>

Also the Henningsen cruise in Svalbard, mentioned a couple messages ago, is only operating a single tour that is to the other town a little west of Longyearbyen, rather than a nature tour, so that's not a big draw for me.

But we will be using private operators in Geiranger (Calm Giant Tours) and Leknes (Heart of Lofoten / XXLofoten). In Bergen we'll probably hire someone local as a city tour.

9 hours ago, CalTrojan said:

No problem at all, Ethan.

 

You can find the tour operator I used in Tromso for the husky hike at this link: https://www.villmarkssenter.no/.  They’re well reviewed on TripAdvisor, and they include transport to and from their dog yard about 30 minutes outside of Tromso.  Although the terrain is fairly flat, it is mushy tundra basically off trail (they’ll provide boots and gear), and it can get moderately strenuous depending on the strength of your dog.  Unlike the Viking tour, everyone had their own dog, and there were eight of us.

 

As for the Walrus Safari, the craft was basically an enclosed speed boat. There’s not a lot of lateral movement, but lots of vertical cutting quickly through the waves on the way when to the walrus colony.  I used Hurtigurten, and both guide and captain were excellent. Again also a smaller tour complement than the Viking excursion norm, nine total if I recall.

 

- Joe

Sigh. Villmarkssenter has no availability for our date -- nor most dates -- in August. And Hurtigruten is entirely unavailable for every activity on our dates, no doubt because Viking bought them out.

4 hours ago, CalTrojan said:

I was on the Saturn last July for the Bergen to Reykjavik cruise, exactly the same as your last leg.  It was a fantastic trip, and I heartily agree with Sailor Sam, pricing is very much on the high side for the Viking excursions, so I would recommend using TripAdvisor / Viator to do it on your own where possible.

 

An advantage of booking independently is that you'll likely get a significantly smaller group.  Whereas I saw Viking groups usually in the 20 person range, my groups were usually 8 or smaller.

 

Here's my long diatribe with my personal favorites:

 

• Geiranger:  Unfortunately there are not a lot of tour operators in Geiranger, and Viking will book up the best quality ones, so I ended up doing two Viking tours.  The included one, the requisite bus tour up the fjord for panoramic photos, is just nice to get to the photo spots, although you'll be jostling for pictures with many others.  The other was an electric bike ride up the winding hillside to the old highway "knot".  I enjoyed this tremendously, but despite the electric bikes, it still is a fairly rigorous ride.
• Narvik:  I love wildlife, so I ended up renting my own car to drive to the Polar Park Wildlife Reserve.  Viking offers the same, but the cost for two people was equivalent to renting the car fot the day, and you could go at your own pace.  It was a great journey, and being independent allowed for seeing the various animals at my own pace.  I also got to explore a bit more and get a local feel.  On the way back I stopped at Narvikfjellet, an aerial tram that takes you up to the highest peak.  It offers great views and a nice are to hike around.
• Lofoten / Leknes:  I took the Viking shuttle into Leknes town, and from there took the local bus to see the Lofotr Viking Museum, a recreation of a Viking long house.  I thought it was excellent, and it is situated in a beautiful location.  You can also hike down to a replica Viking ship, so definitely good outdoor time.  Viking also offers their own tour of the museum, but it will literally cost 5x as much than doing it yourself for the benefit of having a guide take 20 or so Viking guests around.  The included bus tour was pretty worthless, three photo stops to take scenic pictures, and that's about it.
• Tromso:  I booked a Husky Hike independently, met with a group in front of the Radisson which is a block from the dock.  Very similar to what others experienced, dog tied to your waist literally dragging your through the tundra.  I love dogs, huskies in particular, so I really enjoyed it.  Also got back in time to take the included scenic bus tour.  Again, one of those on / off tours with a good overview and some interesting areas, but otherwise not memorable.
• Honningsvag:  There were not many independent operators in the area, so I just took the included bus tour to NordKapp.  Interesting site, unfortunately it was a hot day (in the low 80s) and the bus did not have good air conditioning, as one would expect when north of the arctic circle.
• Svalbaard:  Lots to see and do depending on you interests and time.  I booked a couple of independent tours, one for a "Walrus Safari" to see the Walrus colony on the far side of the bay (1 hour boat ride to and from), as well as get up close to the glaciers.  I thought it was totally worth it, especially seeing a large iceberg flip over in the water (a gentleman who had been on 3 Antarctica journeys had never seen that before and recorded the whole event).  Then in the afternoon I took husky sled ride on wheels, the nice thing being getting the opportunity to travel further into the interior of Svalbaard.

 

Hope this helps.  Happy to share my tour operators, I think all of them did a fine job.

Wow, lots in there! Who did you use for Tromso for the independent husky hike? I was going to book it through the ship, but I'm happy to save money instead. Was it a real hike, or more like a stroll?

So much in Svalbard is already booked, presumably exclusively by Viking. I saw the Walrus trips, but I'm worried that I'll get sick on those ships. I do OK on catamarans, because they don't rock side-to-side very much. 

Thanks again!

-- Ethan

15 hours ago, HUNKY said:

Last summer in Svalbard some folks took an independent tour to the north coast.  Saw several polar bears - which we did not.  It was a long excursion, which I wish I took.  We took a small high speed boat to see glaciers and the coast-but NO polar bears.  😩

Looking around for something similar, I suspect this trip might be by "Henningsen Transport and Guiding". For our date in August I see that they have a 9am sailing that lasts 10 hours.

https://svalbardcruise.com/index.php/en/

And it's less than $250. Tripadvisor reviews are good. 70% 5-star. 

7 hours ago, gymfreak said:

Would love to see a photo of the bottle they are currently offering that’s included in the SSBP 

Anyone who can help?

Thanks

Other people have mentioned at least two brands. So it may not be predictable. Ships may have limited options depending upon where they are when they stock up.

4 hours ago, Frenchberet said:

I’d give the Husky Trek a ‘moderate+’ rating.  You wear a belt and the dog is attached to you as you hike (not jog) through the tundra.  The huskies are energetic and strong and at times can be hard to control.  They are wonderful, friendly animals and we loved seeing where they were housed and playing with them.  

I'd thought I remembered reading that you have the option to hike without a dog of your own. Do you remember if that was an option?

45 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

I don't think you will have a problem in European ports, especially if they are in northern Europe.  Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii are VERY strict.  You cannot transport unsealed food from one Hawaiian island to another even though it is the same state. 

My only concern is Miami, both on and off.

Thanks to everyone who replied. It sounds like the answer is that it varies depending upon country and port, and so is not necessarily predictable.

1 hour ago, FPMoosally said:

 

That must be some seriously special trail mix. 

 

It's mostly for after the cruise, when I'm traveling Europe independently. I'm never hungry in the mornings for breakfast, so it's good to bring some trail mix with me so that I can eat when I need to, and just the amount that I need. Nuts are nutritious, fruit has energy, chocolate chips have happiness. 😎

I was planning to bring trail mix (i.e. nuts, raisins, etc) aboard in a ziploc bag. NCL has a rule that says only sealed food can be brought aboard, and a chat agent clarified that this means sealed by the manufacturer, not a ziploc bag.

Does anyone have experience with this? Is this strictly enforced? I guess my solution is to bring the unopened plastic bags of nuts, raisins, etc, on board, along with the ziploc bag, and then make the mix after I'm onboard.

Thanks!

-- Ethan

56 minutes ago, Missmelisk said:

Thanks for the update, SanteFe1! Do you happen to have a copy of the menu or explain more about what is NOT italian?

Are we distinguishing between Italian and Italian-American? Lots of what we (in the USA) call Italian food isn't recognized as such in Italy. Perhaps some Manfreddi's menus are more one vs the other?

59 minutes ago, mwike said:

Certainly, agree with this description for the Restaurant and World Cafe.  Many here dislike the Chef's Table, but we enjoy it because it's not safe as you describe.  I assume Viking is simply catering to their client base with the safe menus.

Actually, I feel like it's more than catering to the base. I think it's the Viking brand. The core isn't the scandinavian blond wood, it's a sense of safety, calm, comfort. Hygge? To be clear, I don't mean this as a negative -- all brands have to have a style of their own.

Food: broad appeal from most dishes without fancy technique (except Chef's Table)

Music: better to be predictable than to stand out. eg: ABBA

Public environment: comfortable furniture, friendly service

You go out for the day and explore, and come back "home" to your ship.

Or else I'm just reading a lot into my own ideas. 8-)

-- Ethan

52 minutes ago, Zippeedee said:

Oh! It will be worth it. The cruiseline is definitely secondary to that event. Enjoy!

Absolutely, but basic Veuve Clicquot will help. 😎

-- Ethan

4 minutes ago, Zippeedee said:

Are you not eligible for the Free at Sea offer with $20 a day drink package? That is all I could barely justify on NCL. 
After sailing on Viking Ocean I don’t think they should be anyone’s first cruise. You have to get thoroughly “nickled and dimed” on a mainstream line to really appreciate the Viking way.

I'm on a Sixthman charter, "The Broadway Cruise", and so we're not eligible for Free at Sea. Or lots of other things. NCL is truly terrible. But I'm on a ship with ten or more Broadway singers, most with Tony awards or nominations, plus professional bands and pianists, so I just have to remember why I'm there 

On 2/15/2024 at 12:45 PM, CDNPolar said:

 

To me wine and art are similar - if you like it, it is good. If you don't like it, it is bad.

 

You think Veuve is Basic, but we like it and think that it is more than basic.  Veuve "fits" our palate.

 

Our tastes are different.

It's actually quite acidic, but Americans seem to like it.

I'm currently debating whether to buy the drink package (God help me) on a Norwegian NCL cruise. You're all debating about $25/day. Their basic package is $87/day. The premium package is $122/day, and it includes your basic non-vintage Veuve. I'm trying to decide if I can drink enough Veuve to make it worthwhile. 8-) And, to see how NCL operates, the $87/day doesn't include anything from the Starbucks nor bottled water. Admittedly it also includes fairly expensive wines and liquors, too.

In the confirmation email after you booked and after each payment you make, there is a PDF attachment that has the entire itinerary for your cruise, including (anticipated) arrival and departure times from each port. A little symbol of an anchor is shown for each port that is at anchor / with tender.

Viking seems to have a dozen disconnected corporate entities, incorporated in countries around the entire world, that control things in ways that make it impossible to hold any piece legally responsible for almost anything. This is, of course, standard operating procedure, so I'm not singling out Viking. But which piece of Viking are we discussing is seeking to IPO?

I agree that it is worrying, since shareholders tend to seek short term results over long term success.

I would guess that they have a smaller kitchen and fewer staff, so they can't handle as well a huge 6pm rush, and they need to spread out arrival times.

22 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

Our experience is that there is only one or two at most "Champagne" options if you are looking for Champagne from the Champagne region of France.

The menus in the link I quoted earlier show more options at the Aquavit Bar, so they might have the most flexibility. Aquavit is shown as having Veuve at $70 and Cristal at $175. The latter seems like a bargain, and the Veuve is barely more than what most stores here charge for it. But I guess that makes sense since we have high import duties on champagne in the USA.

This is a year old: https://www.thepreismans.com/venus_menus.htm

They took photos of menus from everywhere on the ship. There is one champagne listed that seems to be at the price point to be included with SSBP, the Drappier Carte d'Or. But if you are up for a bottle of bubbles, their prices are not outrageous. Taittinger for $65. Wine mark-ups on Viking seem to be much kinder than at a typical restaurant in the US.

Just Google: "297 sq ft in sq m"

Google can convert from nearly anything to anything for you instantly, currencies included. e.g. "297 EUR in USD".

We have one shore-ex version on our upcoming cruise. Is there a standard time for when everyone reunites on board for cooking and eating? The shore-ex is listed as 1-3PM, but I'm guessing that that just covers wandering around going shopping, and then we actually cook it up later?

Thanks!

-- Ethan