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Tell Me Why.....

Oville

By Oville,
in Viking Ocean

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OnTheJourney

OnTheJourney

Posted
Posted (edited)

Sounds like the 'under 18' policy is in writing but varies according to ship and itinerary. Viking is apparently doing what they can to discourage including younger passengers on Ocean trips, but yet can't really enforce it. One of the things that attracts me to trying Viking is the idea of not having as many kids on board. Our next cruise is on RCCL's Adventure, and then the one after that on the Viking Sky. Should prove to be quite a contrast! Hoping that we like Viking enough to want to continue on with them. I'm ready for a different kind of experience on a smaller ship.

Edited by three4rd
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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

Posted
Posted

We just got back from doing the West Indies Explorer itinerary on the Viking Sea and it was absolutely fabulous - the food, the service, ship decor, staff everything top notch.

 

As for entertainment, if you are looking for big production shows and they are a must for your enjoyment, then yes, you might want to rethink Viking. But that's not to say there isn't entertainment on the ship. We had a very talented Viking band that could play just about any kind of music and they did. A wonderful trio of classical musicians that were delightful to listen to in the atrium. We had Valentino a fabulous and very versatile guitarist (Spanish guitar is his favorite, so if you like that - he will oblige!). And a very personable pianist who was a tad dramatic, but it added to the show,

 

They brought a steel drum band onboard in St Lucia that were fantastic. They put on a rousing show around the main pool. The Beatles review, also held by the main pool, continued long after the show ended with conga lines going all over the place. The centerpiece Abba show was just plain fun. And they kept Torshaven going strong most nights. The Viking band was our favorite for that venue. They started out guess what people might want to hear, but it didn't take long for them to get the pulse of the crowd and they were rockin' most nights with the dance floor crowded.

 

The food in every venue was excellent. There were some things that were better than others, but no misses. Everything was really good. They even did corned beef and cabbage on St Patrick's Day! Not as good as our local Irish pub, but for a Norwegian flagged ship with a chef most assuredly not from Ireland, NY or Boston - pretty damn good!

 

The Gelato was awesome! The bread - especially in the World Cafe was fabulous - and such a variety. My husband surprised me by agreeing to eat at the Chef's Table and he actually liked it. Manfredi's was excellent. The only place we didn't eat was in the Pool Grill - just never made it. Oh - Mamsen's - great! Success cake - amazing!

 

Viking does a lot of small things right. They have washing stations with sinks, soap and cloth towels in addition to sanitizing stations (which give you a light mist, not glob of goop in your hand).

 

No need to juggle your drinks and a plate at the World Cafe buffet. Fill your plate, have a seat, and they will bring you what you want. If they see you headed out and they are going that way, they will carry your plate.

 

You can request a warmed plate at the carving station (which is the made to order egg station in the morning) - even if you are not getting food from there.

 

They had pieces of bread in the bottom of the bacon and sausage trays to absorb the grease. And everything on the buffet is in small trays so it's not sitting getting yucky forever. Want something you don't see - just ask. Likely they will get it for you. "No," was a word rarely heard for our 11 days on board.

 

There are no towels in your room that must be accounted for. Towels can be found on every lounge chair by the pool. Towels appear in your room if you have a swim or snorkel on your excursion. They get left in a bin as you come back on to the ship. There are also towels next to the door as you leave just in case you forgot one.

 

Bottled water each time you leave the ship. Cool towels (hot towels and a hot drink in cooler climates), sometimes a glass of bubbly when you return. Sometimes a reception committee with music!

 

There are soothing bird songs in the public restrooms, also cloth towels and hand lotion. By the door is a paper towel dispenser so you can use one to open the door, and the waste basket is right there under the dispenser. The baskets for the cloth towels and the waste basket for the paper towels are NEVER filled to overflowing.

 

There are plants, books and little Viking art bits all over. Lots of chairs and sofas and comfy places to sit. No need to always have your ship card out. Just give them your room number and they bring you up on smart phone type devices.

 

And then there are the things Viking does not have - no crowds. The only time we saw a crowd was at muster drill (which was held in the restaurant and the theater) and on the last day while people were waiting to leave - not because there were lines, but because you fill out a form and tell them when you need to leave (unless you have flights or an extension with Viking and then they know). You get color coded luggage tags. We had black - we could leave last :)

 

There are no lines - well maybe 2 or 3 people ahead of you at the Gelato station :P Even in the buffet. There might be 2,3 maybe 4 people in each section - cold, hot, breads and dessert. You don't have to wait unless there is someone at the tray of food you want. People take what they want and move on. If you forget something, just go back and get it. You might have a person or 2 ahead of you at the made to order stations throughout the buffet, but they tell you how long the food will be and you can go get other food and come back and pick up your order.

 

There are no children running around. We had none on our cruise, but there was a fairly wide age range from people in their 30s to people in their 80s. There were people with canes and walkers, but no motorized scooters.

 

There are no art auctions, no casinos (sorry, if you need one of those, you need to look elsewhere), no gold by the inch, nor 2 for 1 tee shirt sales, no announcements about bingo or slots tournaments or hairy chest contests - very few announcements at all, no inside rooms, no ocean view rooms, no charge for room service, wifi, beer, wine or soft drinks at lunch and dinner, no charge for specialty coffees unless there is booze in them, no charge to use the spa unless you get a treatment, no charge for the specialty restaurants, no hitting you up for a contribution to the company coffers every five minutes.

 

It was a wonderful cruise that exceeded our expectations from our river cruise. We have another river cruise and another ocean cruise booked. Liking it on Viking!

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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

Posted
Posted
Sounds like you quite enjoyed it Cyber Kat! It's really whetted my appetite. Can hardly wait. Excursions booked and restaurant reservations made. Just counting down.

 

Just a fantastic experience all around! They can't do enough for you. And they are always looking for feedback so they can improve!

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Azulann "Live from...." Rare

Azulann

Posted
Posted

Sitting in the Explorer lounge on the Viking Sea right now. Next to my comfy chair is a bookcase with books, pictures in frames, a Viking mask, three art objects magnifying glasses and a small bronze Viking ship.They have these cases throughout the ship . I said to my friend. this place is not kid proof. Can you image a child leaving these things alone and not playing with them? Maybe another reason that this line is not for children below 18 or 16? There are so many other cruise lines for family cruises.

 

 

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Twitchly

Twitchly

Posted
Posted

 

Let me ask.

 

Why no inside cabins is a good thing?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Here are a couple of thoughts:

 

1. Reduces the class hierarchy thing a bit. It’s just nice to know that everyone can see daylight and enjoy fresh air in their rooms.

 

2. When people enjoy spending more time in their rooms, the public spaces are less busy.

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lackcreativity

lackcreativity

Posted
Posted
Just a fantastic experience all around! They can't do enough for you. And they are always looking for feedback so they can improve!

 

Cyber Kat,

 

Even though I have already sailed on Viking river and oceans, I enjoyed reading your comments. It reminds me how much I enjoyed our first ocean cruise, and can't wait for our second!

 

Glad you enjoyed your trip as much as we did.

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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

Posted
Posted
Sitting in the Explorer lounge on the Viking Sea right now. Next to my comfy chair is a bookcase with books, pictures in frames, a Viking mask, three art objects magnifying glasses and a small bronze Viking ship.They have these cases throughout the ship . I said to my friend. this place is not kid proof. Can you image a child leaving these things alone and not playing with them? Maybe another reason that this line is not for children below 18 or 16? There are so many other cruise lines for family cruises.

 

 

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OMG - you're right! All those lovely things - now I can see that! Or that lovely mosaic under the atrium stairs!

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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

Posted
Posted
I'm glad you enjoyed the cruise.

I would add: no climbing walls, no charge for sun decks, no charge for table water in MDR, no water slides, no sports courts, no class segregation, no tickets for tenders, no aqua parks, no skating rinks, and many other no.

 

Let me ask.

Why no inside cabins is a good thing?

Thanks.

 

OMG! Who charges for water in the MDR?

 

As for the other stuff, yes, so true. Everyone on Viking has their "own" little piece of outside with some peace and quiet - not that you have seek peace and quiet very hard on Viking.

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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

Posted
Posted
Here are a couple of thoughts:

 

1. Reduces the class hierarchy thing a bit. It’s just nice to know that everyone can see daylight and enjoy fresh air in their rooms.

 

2. When people enjoy spending more time in their rooms, the public spaces are less busy.

 

Good points!

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nancyshaw

nancyshaw

Posted
Posted
We just got back from doing the West Indies Explorer itinerary on the Viking Sea and it was absolutely fabulous - the food, the service, ship decor, staff everything top notch.

 

As for entertainment, if you are looking for big production shows and they are a must for your enjoyment, then yes, you might want to rethink Viking. But that's not to say there isn't entertainment on the ship. We had a very talented Viking band that could play just about any kind of music and they did. A wonderful trio of classical musicians that were delightful to listen to in the atrium. We had Valentino a fabulous and very versatile guitarist (Spanish guitar is his favorite, so if you like that - he will oblige!). And a very personable pianist who was a tad dramatic, but it added to the show,

 

They brought a steel drum band onboard in St Lucia that were fantastic. They put on a rousing show around the main pool. The Beatles review, also held by the main pool, continued long after the show ended with conga lines going all over the place. The centerpiece Abba show was just plain fun. And they kept Torshaven going strong most nights. The Viking band was our favorite for that venue. They started out guess what people might want to hear, but it didn't take long for them to get the pulse of the crowd and they were rockin' most nights with the dance floor crowded.

 

The food in every venue was excellent. There were some things that were better than others, but no misses. Everything was really good. They even did corned beef and cabbage on St Patrick's Day! Not as good as our local Irish pub, but for a Norwegian flagged ship with a chef most assuredly not from Ireland, NY or Boston - pretty damn good!

 

The Gelato was awesome! The bread - especially in the World Cafe was fabulous - and such a variety. My husband surprised me by agreeing to eat at the Chef's Table and he actually liked it. Manfredi's was excellent. The only place we didn't eat was in the Pool Grill - just never made it. Oh - Mamsen's - great! Success cake - amazing!

 

Viking does a lot of small things right. They have washing stations with sinks, soap and cloth towels in addition to sanitizing stations (which give you a light mist, not glob of goop in your hand).

 

No need to juggle your drinks and a plate at the World Cafe buffet. Fill your plate, have a seat, and they will bring you what you want. If they see you headed out and they are going that way, they will carry your plate.

 

You can request a warmed plate at the carving station (which is the made to order egg station in the morning) - even if you are not getting food from there.

 

They had pieces of bread in the bottom of the bacon and sausage trays to absorb the grease. And everything on the buffet is in small trays so it's not sitting getting yucky forever. Want something you don't see - just ask. Likely they will get it for you. "No," was a word rarely heard for our 11 days on board.

 

There are no towels in your room that must be accounted for. Towels can be found on every lounge chair by the pool. Towels appear in your room if you have a swim or snorkel on your excursion. They get left in a bin as you come back on to the ship. There are also towels next to the door as you leave just in case you forgot one.

 

Bottled water each time you leave the ship. Cool towels (hot towels and a hot drink in cooler climates), sometimes a glass of bubbly when you return. Sometimes a reception committee with music!

 

There are soothing bird songs in the public restrooms, also cloth towels and hand lotion. By the door is a paper towel dispenser so you can use one to open the door, and the waste basket is right there under the dispenser. The baskets for the cloth towels and the waste basket for the paper towels are NEVER filled to overflowing.

 

There are plants, books and little Viking art bits all over. Lots of chairs and sofas and comfy places to sit. No need to always have your ship card out. Just give them your room number and they bring you up on smart phone type devices.

 

And then there are the things Viking does not have - no crowds. The only time we saw a crowd was at muster drill (which was held in the restaurant and the theater) and on the last day while people were waiting to leave - not because there were lines, but because you fill out a form and tell them when you need to leave (unless you have flights or an extension with Viking and then they know). You get color coded luggage tags. We had black - we could leave last :)

 

There are no lines - well maybe 2 or 3 people ahead of you at the Gelato station :P Even in the buffet. There might be 2,3 maybe 4 people in each section - cold, hot, breads and dessert. You don't have to wait unless there is someone at the tray of food you want. People take what they want and move on. If you forget something, just go back and get it. You might have a person or 2 ahead of you at the made to order stations throughout the buffet, but they tell you how long the food will be and you can go get other food and come back and pick up your order.

 

There are no children running around. We had none on our cruise, but there was a fairly wide age range from people in their 30s to people in their 80s. There were people with canes and walkers, but no motorized scooters.

 

There are no art auctions, no casinos (sorry, if you need one of those, you need to look elsewhere), no gold by the inch, nor 2 for 1 tee shirt sales, no announcements about bingo or slots tournaments or hairy chest contests - very few announcements at all, no inside rooms, no ocean view rooms, no charge for room service, wifi, beer, wine or soft drinks at lunch and dinner, no charge for specialty coffees unless there is booze in them, no charge to use the spa unless you get a treatment, no charge for the specialty restaurants, no hitting you up for a contribution to the company coffers every five minutes.

 

It was a wonderful cruise that exceeded our expectations from our river cruise. We have another river cruise and another ocean cruise booked. Liking it on Viking!

 

I am so glad we have the Viking Sea booked for next February. Really looking forward to it. Thank you for this review. Kath

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harbourside

harbourside

Posted
Posted
Love this thread!

 

Like many, I want to try Viking Ocean cruises, but Viking is very expensive for Australians with our current weak Aussie dollar ($1US = .77cAus).

I am in New Zealand, and we pay the Australian price, so it gets dearer again, by the time we convert Aust to NZ.

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jiminyC_fan

jiminyC_fan

Posted
Posted
Here are a couple of thoughts:

 

1. Reduces the class hierarchy thing a bit. It’s just nice to know that everyone can see daylight and enjoy fresh air in their rooms.

 

2. When people enjoy spending more time in their rooms, the public spaces are less busy.

 

I agree.

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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

Posted
Posted
I see your points.

However, I don't see the class hierarchy thing (suite vs balcony vs inside) as it's the accessibility of public areas is what defines class hierarchy.

Inside cabins give more options to those who see no reason to pay for a balcony.

More price options give people with tighter budget more chances to "see daylight and enjoy fresh air" on board of Viking ships.

 

Viking ships are relatively small with narrow superstructure, so there is no space left for inside cabins.

That said, I believe it's neither good (due to reasons above) nor bad (due to techincal reasons).

 

 

 

All balconies is Viking’s selling point. You don’t pay more for a balcony. It has nothing to do with the structure. We are booked on an Azamara Journey cruise and the ship is even smaller. They have inside cabins.

 

 

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OnTheJourney

OnTheJourney

Posted
Posted (edited)

Kat....loved your review. So looking forward to sailing on the Sky next year! Wish it was sooner! I think Viking is going to be a great fit for us. I surely do not need many of the things you mentioned - crowds, lines, casinos, 2 for 1 tee-shirt madness, kids running around, people acting like idiots in the various contests, etc. If one is looking for that sort of thing, fine, but I cruise for the destination primarily. I must say that I probably will miss not having the big production shows, but if it's anything like on our recent riverboat trip where, as you say, they bring on quality entertainment, that's fine too. Thanks again for sharing all that.

Edited by three4rd
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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

Posted
Posted
They put it upfront as a selling point to make the list longer. All balconies or not - this fact alone does not make a ship better or worse.

 

Balcony cabins are more expensive than inside cabins on cruise ships.

 

Viking ships are designed in a different way, so they have different structure.

 

Even smaller ships (smaller than Azamara) may have inside cabins.

 

 

 

Viking ships are designed to have all balcony cabins [emoji41]

 

We don’t cruise in anything but a balcony so Viking suits us just fine. If that’s not what you want there are plenty of other lines. Viking suits us to A Tee!

 

 

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