G. GIRL

Hi,

Im sure they have Tanqueray as I like a little G&T. I also believe they have Hendricks. 

Viking do let you bring a bottle on board, they are very forward thinking and the bar prices are very reasonable. On average we would have a pre dinner drink and a couple of spirits/ cocktails afterwards and we were pleasantly surprised by our bill. I believe if a company isn’t fleecing you for every penny then guests will relax and have a few drinks after dinner. We took a bottle of gin for the cabin and the steward brought us ice and room service brought us lemons so we could sit on the balcony and have a relaxing time. It’s all very civilised! 

2 hours ago, cruisewiththekids said:

When you canceled, did Viking require you to immediately choose another date, or do they keep your funds on deposit for a period of time until you decide on a new sail date?

Hi,

They gave us a few days, when I made the call we were half expecting them to say they couldn’t do anything for us so hadn’t made a decision for anything else. 

14 hours ago, cruisewiththekids said:

I have this cruise booked for 2020, but may need to cancel.  I would feel better about canceling if I knew there would be a future opportunity for this itinerary.    Certainly the question was not motivated by any other reason.   I was hoping those more experienced Viking cruisers might at least know if they would release all 2021 at one time or whether there may be more yet to come based on how releases have happened in the past. 

Hi, 

On the subject of needing to cancel, we have been in that position this year due to ill health. We had to make the call luckily before the date of the final balance and Viking were good at allowing us to change our date to next year. As the flights had been booked and paid for we lost that part of the deposit but the rest was put to the new cruise. 

As for seeing the Northern lights, if you are lucky enough for them to make an appearance it’s an amazing experience but purely down to your luck on the day, we were very fortunate, the people going out the following night were not. We were on a P&O ship which we wouldn’t recommend but Norway is a beautiful, scenic country and we are glad we visited it. 

Hi, 

We did this itinerary last year but didn’t stop at Split. 

We took a ship day in Santorini as we have been lucky enough to spend two holidays there. Oia and the views from that village over the caldera are beautiful but if there are a few ships in port it totally spoils the experience. If you are there when the tomato season is in full swing and are there for lunch try the tomato balls, a local specialty.

An excursion that will show you the countryside of Montenegro would be good, it’s a lovely place. We did the tour that took in the Palace of the exiled Royal Family which was  very interesting. 

We did Dubrovnik by sea which takes a boat around the coast before getting to the city. I’m glad we did it that way as we were disappointed with the city. It was quite crowded and the guide was very political in her views featuring very heavily on the war. I understand it was a bad time but there surely is more to the city than that point in history. The boat trip was the best part of the day. 

Krka National Park was our favourite place, the woodland filled with all those waterfalls was beautiful. 

We had a post cruise stay in Venice and booked a private guide from Tours by Locals. Not cheap but she showed us places we would never have seen on our own and we had her for the day. 

We enjoyed the ship very much, the food and service were faultless and have booked another trip because of it.

On our trip we booked our one visit per restaurant when they came available but enjoyed the Italian restaurant so much we wanted to go again. We just went down to the bar a little earlier than normal and asked at the restaurant reception if they had any spaces. He told us to get a drink and he would come to us when a table came free. We waited about 45 minutes and he came as promised. We didn’t mind the wait, we had a couple of drinks and enjoyed our surroundings and again had a fantastic meal. 

Hi Bruce B,

When we embarked in Athens from the UK we found that many US passengers had been on the ship either the day before or very early that day as we did see people coming back onto the ship in a group as if they had been on an excursion. It maybe something to check with Viking themselves. 

Hi,

We went on our first cruise with P&O and knew they had ballroom dancing so had lessons especially. We hoped there would be some on the Viking Star and there was, a little. We went to Torshavn after the show and the band did a few songs and announced they were a waltz or a foxtrot etc but the floor is quite small. Luckily our teacher had taught us how to dance steps on the spot until a gap opened up to move around!   

I have been reading this topic with interest. Many years ago I got Norovirus on a land based holiday. When I told the doctor what I’d eaten and where it was very likely it came from a cafe where someone in the kitchen was not washing their hands. I was so poorly I've never forgotten it. I always take a brand of sanitising wipes wherever I go, it’s a brand they use in  English hospitals called Clinell and will deal with a whole load of nasties.  The first thing I do when I get on the plane is wipe all around my seat,  tray table, window etc. People may think I’ve got some OCD thing but I don’t care. In public conveniences I have, in the past been asked if I’m a doctor while at the wash basins for the way I wash my hands. Few people realise hand washing should take 20 seconds at least. It is a touchy subject and many find it insulting to question their hygiene practices but Norovirus is dreadful and if you have a weakened immune system (from cancer treatment for example) or are elderly or very young it can hold much worse consequences.

Can anyone tell me about the port when the ship docks at Tallinn. Is it close to the centre so you could get off the ship and wander around by yourself at a time that suits you or is it a coach ride away? 

We didn’t bother with the drinks package and was more than satisfied with the included wines. We did upgrade our drinks the evening we ate at the chefs table which was nice. We found the bar prices very reasonable, we would have a Prosecco at sail away, a pre dinner drink and probably a couple of spirits and mixer after dinner and we have never had such a small drinks bill on any holiday. It was nice to be able to bring a bottle of our favourite gin on board for the evenings we just wanted to relax on our balcony and the steward always made sure we had ice and room service brought us a dish of sliced lemons, what more could you ask for ! 

9 minutes ago, BruceB NYC said:

Hi G. GIRL,

Enjoyed the review, thanks. On past VOC dining we also tended to go to the World Cafe for meals as the choices were great. Wondering on this cruise, did they have a selection of Greek themed items??

Any info appreciated. 

Hi, to be honest I don’t recall a big Greek theme in the food. They often had wines from the country we were visiting but I don’t recall seeing a Moussaka or I would have had some! They did have a fantastic choice in the world caffe my husband was very impressed by the seafood on offer. We enjoyed everything we had and the food was way better than anything we were served in Venice.   

On 1/24/2019 at 5:21 AM, Marguerite-a-Ville said:

G. Girl, can you please post a link to your review?  TIA!

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=620462

Hi I hope this works. 

Regards

Gill

It was in Venice. Like everything in Venice it’s expensive but the guide was very good.  They offer various itineraries and you can tailor them to your needs. 

Hi we’ve done the northern lights cruise but not with Viking. It was February and up in Tromso and Alta it was -18/-20. It was also very snowy so not that easy to walk around. That may have something to do with it?.........

18 hours ago, sherrar said:

Also in the UK - out of interest did you book through a Travel Agent or direct with Viking?

We are booked on Magnificent Mekong in March 2020 and if the price is right we will want to upgrade.  Hopefully get emirates as well - just had an horrendous experience with BA (19 hour delay!!!). 

We booked direct with Viking. We booked quite soon after returning from our first one and got extra money off for doing so. 

We did this itinerary the other way around. We chose to do the excursion that took you by a smaller boat around the coastline and come into Dubrovnik harbour. I’m glad we did as we didn’t actually enjoy Dubrovnik itself. Too crowded. The boat trip there and back was the best part of the tour. 

We are in the UK and this will be our second Viking cruise using their Air service. As we booked over a year in advance the flight schedules had not been released but we asked for them to note we wanted to upgrade. 

Again, just as last year a very professional lady rang with excellent flight times and a reasonable price to upgrade to business class. Within ten minutes I’d got email confirmation and was able to go onto BA ‘s website and choose our seats. 

They must have contacted me the instant the flights were announced as only four seats had been pre booked when I logged on to chose mine. 

I again am very impressed with the prompt and professional service from the Viking team in the UK. 

We are from the UK and our booking didn’t have any on board credit. However we have never had such a tiny drinks bill at the end of a holiday. The bar prices are very reasonable.

Hi, this is my review of the cruise you have booked. We loved it.

Hope you can open it.

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=620462

We were in Tromso and Alta for temperatures of -20 and yes we are from the UK. We couldn’t believe how silly people were with their clothing. We picked up a couple on the shuttle bus in Tromso and she was literally in tears because of the cold but wearing just a coat etc for a chilly day in England, totally unsuitable.

If this is a bucket trip and you are not likely to come here again, be prepared and make the most of it and be prepared.

We did the northern lights in February 2016 with P&O. We would not travel with them again now we have experienced Viking.

A few tips though. Be well prepared for the cold, it was -20 when we were there. We invested in proper arctic coats, trousers, hats and Sorel boots that were thermal to -40. We totally enjoyed every excursion because we were warm, many people were complaining that the tours were not suitable, the tours were lovely they were just wearing ridiculous clothing.

When we went into the wilderness to try and see the lights we were out for over four hours in those temperatures. After two hours the lights came out big time but many had gone back to the ship because of the cold and missed everything.

If you get the chance to go dog sledging go, even if the only times available are after dark. Our slot was after dark but the sledges had lanterns on them and it was quite magical.

I’m sure you will love the ship and I hope you are lucky enough to see the lights.

We had a DV cabin. There are about 6 cans of soft drink in the fridge as I recall and some mini chocolate bars. These are replaced daily. The water is provided in your cabin in a carafe and is changed every day. Your steward will also provide an ice bucket if you ask, we asked once and he did it every day thereafter. In the world cafe they have a water station with both still and sparking and you can help yourself whenever you like.

On our cruise as you left for excursions there was a big cooler by the exit filled with bottles of water which the staff handed out freely, if you wanted to pick one up on your return they didn’t mind at all.

From our experience the drinks are provided free if you are actually eating not just because it’s lunch or dinner time. On one occasion we went up to the terrace at the back of the ship, we were not ready to eat but wanted a glass of wine. We sat at one of the tables and a waiter came to us, we asked for two glasses of wine and he said “will you be dining?” so we said we would in a little while so he brought us some cutlery and two glasses of wine, no charge. So there is a bit of flexibility in the dining areas. When we had pre dinner drinks in the bar they were charged for.

We were on the Star in May and had no complaints what so ever. A lovely ship and a fantastic cruise.

Hi,

We found the drinks at lunch and dinner were pretty free flowing if you wanted them. Of course in all establishments some staff members are more on the ball than others but should you find yourself with and empty glass just attract someone’s attention and they will deal with it.

Your cabin grade will determine if your mini bar has alcohol or not. We took advantage of Vikings relaxed policy and got a duty free bottle of Gin for our cabin and kept it in the fridge. Our steward brought us an ice bucket every day and room service brought us sliced lemons.

You can of course pay to upgrade to the silver spirits package and you will have cocktails etc included. We didn’t and were more than happy with the bar prices, cheaper than pubs and restaurants in the UK.

We are from the UK and used Vikings flight service. We were flying to Athens and wanted a direct flight so they advised us to fly from London. We also wanted to upgrade so they made a note on our booking and as soon as the schedule came out they rang us and sorted it out over the phone. They used B.A. and all we had to do was log onto their website to choose our seats. We were happy with the service and the price.