Viking in General

[mskaufman]

We have be ocean cruisers for decades and are considering our first river cruise. In considering Viking I have read a lot of negative reviews (which I tend to discount as people who have problems tend to be louder than people who don't). However, one thing I did want to ask about is the variety of items on the lunch/dinner menu. Posters seemed to indicate that often there was only one choice on the menu and there was really not a vegetarian options.

 

Thoughts?

[jacksonnh]

There is usually 3 choices which varies daily including a veggie option. There is also steak, chicken, salmon and caesar salad on the daily menu.

[rjscott]

Lunch offers a salad buffet in the dining room, along with a daily fresh pasta option. Menu choices are a soup, a sandwich and a hot meal. In the Aquavit Terrace a light lunch buffet is served, with a choice of sandwiches on freshly made breads, a soup of the day, and a choice of several salads.

 

Becki

[nana541]

Remember the kitchen facilities are very very tiny on these boats and they are literally serving upwards of 200 meals to the guests at one time!

Go on YouTube and watch some of the videos for different companies, a lot of them show the buffets on various ships....

Someone also not long ago on the board (last Fall??) posted some wonderful "foodie" pictures from their Uniworld Cruise... Looked fabulous !!

 

 

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[jojocmcla]

Can't give any advice on Viking lunches, as we just returned from AMA. But, usually @ lunch there were a lot of salads and salad makings available. Then, there was a pasta. You could order soup and/or prepared dish from the menu.

 

Just wanted to say "Hi" from one Ms Kaufman to another! :)

[jiminyC_fan]

I am not a vegetarian but I found Viking had plenty of choices. We loved Viking and I think your attitude is right. People take the time to complain but not praise.

[TW6cruiser]

A group of 6 of us took the Viking Tulips and Windmills trip last month. For lunch, they had a salad bar, soup, two sandwiches and a dessert on the terrace (buffet). In the main dining room for lunch they had a salad bar including soup. They also almost always had a past of the day (that you could order from the menu or go up to the pasta station to get it customized how you liked it). They then also had about three main items you could order. Usually a hot sandwich, or fish n chips, or something else. For dinner they had a choice of three appetizers, two salads, and then usually three entrees, usually one fish, one beef or chicken and one vegetarian. They also had three or four "always available" items you could pick from which were the same every night. One was a steak, one was a very good bone in chicken breast. Dessert choices varied. I have an allergy to mushrooms and many of the sauces had them so I just had to ask for no mushrooms and it was never a problem. One in our group thought the portions were not enough (the rest of us did though) and whenever he asked for a second portion, even of the main dish, the waiter obliged with no problem. We thought the food was very good.

 

 

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[mskaufman]

Thanks everyone. What are some of the other things I should consider before booking Viking?

[nana541]

Thanks everyone. What are some of the other things I should consider before booking Viking?

 

 

Remember the 2 for 1 pricing is not really a sale.... You need to pay in full very shortly after booking even if your sailing is 18 months away!

 

Have fun researching your trip and there is sooooo much great info on these boards so get to reading!

 

And note to self: never say never, given the right circumstances I would happily sail with Viking!

 

 

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Edited May 28, 2014 by nana541

[TravelBugM]

TW6's overview of Viking's offerings is the same as we experienced last year. We are "foodies" and thoroughly enjoyed the food.

 

Breakfasts were also buffet and absolutely wonderful.

 

You will be spoilt for choice.

[4774Papa]

I have never cruised Viking, but I expect they provide a good river cruise.

However, their prices are always higher than our favorite Vantage. Do a comparison with at least three cruise lines and list what you get for $$$$.

[mskaufman]

Remember the 2 for 1 pricing is not really a sale.... You need to pay in full very shortly after booking even if your sailing is 18 months away!

 

Have fun researching your trip and there is sooooo much great info on these boards so get to reading!

 

And note to self: never say never, given the right circumstances I would happily sail with Viking!

 

 

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Not really a ringing endorsement. We would probably book six months in advance.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Not really a ringing endorsement. We would probably book six months in advance.

 

Six months in advance may be too late. River cruises sell out fast -- especially the popular itineraries and the newest ships.

[nana541]

Not really a ringing endorsement. We would probably book six months in advance.

 

 

My Sept 2015 is Sold Out as of 3 weeks ago....

 

You would have much better luck with Oct & Nov sailings but choice of cabins may be an issue.

 

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Edited May 29, 2014 by nana541

[ReturnCruiser]

We have be ocean cruisers for decades and are considering our first river cruise. In considering Viking I have read a lot of negative reviews (which I tend to discount as people who have problems tend to be louder than people who don't). However, one thing I did want to ask about is the variety of items on the lunch/dinner menu. Posters seemed to indicate that often there was only one choice on the menu and there was really not a vegetarian options.

 

Thoughts?

We've traveled with Viking on trips to China and on the Danube. In both cases, we thought Viking did a great job in regards to itinerary, guide services and support. The breakfasts were fine and lunches offered a variety of choices. We are not vegetarians; however, I don't recall any complaints about the dinner menus from our dining tables.

 

We were particularly impressed by the Viking organization and quality of staff for the China land/river trip.

 

Bob

[banditoo]

Remember the 2 for 1 pricing is not really a sale.... You need to pay in full very shortly after booking even if your sailing is 18 months away!

 

Have fun researching your trip and there is sooooo much great info on these boards so get to reading!

 

And note to self: never say never, given the right circumstances I would happily sail with Viking!

 

 

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For our recently booked September 2015 Rhine Getaway, I was able to negotiate the final payment date for 2015. The agent readily agreed to deferred final payment and we were still able to maintain our early booking discount and our new Viking passenger referral discount. Ask someone on the boards here to provide a Viking referral if you are new to Viking...$100.00 discount per passenger.

[milling73]

For our recently booked September 2015 Rhine Getaway, I was able to negotiate the final payment date for 2015.

 

How late in 2015 were you allowed to defer? Up to 90 days out from cruise? Just wondering, because I know that has been a big sticking point with Viking for some considering booking, and thought maybe they are relaxing their policy.

 

Thank you!!

[jojocmcla]

With AmaWaterways, we booked in August for the April 28 (embarkation of May 2) Prague to Budapest. We were told there were only 2 cabins left in the class we wanted.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

There are about 6 River Cruise Co.

[banditoo]

For our recently booked September 2015 Rhine Getaway, I was able to negotiate the final payment date for 2015.

 

How late in 2015 were you allowed to defer? Up to 90 days out from cruise? Just wondering, because I know that has been a big sticking point with Viking for some considering booking, and thought maybe they are relaxing their policy.

 

Thank you!!

We will be making final payment 7 months before the cruise which is a lot better than 15 months before though not as good as 3 months (90 days). The Viking agent said that was the latest she could defer to at her level without escalating the request for deferred final payment. I did not ask her to escalate the request. A number of categories for our cruise were already sold out 15 months in advance. River boats have limited numbers of staterooms unlike ocean liners which somewhat limits negotiating power when the demand exceeds the supply.

[Ozjohnno]

We will be making final payment 7 months before the cruise which is a lot better than 15 months before though not as good as 3 months (90 days). The Viking agent said that was the latest she could defer to at her level without escalating the request for deferred final payment. I did not ask her to escalate the request. A number of categories for our cruise were already sold out 15 months in advance. River boats have limited numbers of staterooms unlike ocean liners which somewhat limits negotiating power when the demand exceeds the supply.

 

As my Business Accountant wife notices a company that requires payment so far in advance displays all the symptoms of a company that has a severe cash flow problem.

[jiminyC_fan]

Someone earlier somewhat compared Viking to Carnival. I just want to add that by no means is it close to Carnival. I have never cruised with Carnival and have no interest in it. I have several ocean cruises under my belt, however. Viking river cruise was superb.

[cannockfrodo]

We did a Viking Elbe cruise and really enjoyed it. We found the food excellent offering a wide range of options.

The crew also are excellent and the day trips are of good quality.

The pre/post stay hotels were also very good. We enjoyed the Berlin hotel, but preferred our evening in Prague.

Our only negative was the evening entertainment, while it is tailored to the theme of the cruise and the places visited, we found it lacking. We do understand that the boat is of limited size and entertainment options are therefore not of cruise quality but we've done small cruise ships that offer a range of interactive entertainments that act as icebreakers and help build a camaraderie onboard.

We know that these types of entertainment are not everyone's cup of tea, so maybe the low key, cultural offerings would be more your sort of thing.

On the whole it was a good holiday for us and we made some new friends we hope to keep.

The age of the cruisers was 50+

 

 

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[TiredCPA]

 

As my Business Accountant wife notices a company that requires payment so far in advance displays all the symptoms of a company that has a severe cash flow problem.

 

Probably from launching so many new Longboats.

[anandaindonesia]

Oh! My bucket list!

 

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