Food on Viking Embla is horrible

[E@syPe@zy]

Happy Travels goldenrod! Thanks for bringing us up to date. And for providing a conduit for exploring Viking River cruises a little more than we would get from a review here and there.

Happy Anniversary to you and your lovely bride and safe travels back home.

[MikeyB]

KingofFools-

I was disappointed. But it wasn't a deal breaker for another Viking cruise. I just would never come on this board and rant how the food is "crap". The number of replies and views on the thread is incredible. The people who have written a reply to the OP have been more thoughtful. Life is too short.

[TravelerThom]

...It's all about expectations. Glad it's working out for the OP. Another line might meet their needs better if they give river cruising another try.

IMO there is not a line on this planet or galaxy that would have satisfied this cruiser. They were determined after 2 minutes to hate it. 1 am not a cheerleader for Viking but this has been BS from the beginning. I am very happy to have not been on this cruise.

[SuiteTraveler]

IMO there is not a line on this planet or galaxy that would have satisfied this cruiser. They were determined after 2 minutes to hate it. 1 am not a cheerleader for Viking but this has been BS from the beginning. I am very happy to have not been on this cruise.

 

I don't think so. goldenrod has over 2760 posts here. If you look back at them, there are many positive posts. He wrote a review of a Carnival cruise and said he had a blast on it.

[E@syPe@zy]

IMO there is not a line on this planet or galaxy that would have satisfied this cruiser. They were determined after 2 minutes to hate it. 1 am not a cheerleader for Viking but this has been BS from the beginning. I am very happy to have not been on this cruise.

For what it's worth....he probably doesn't care what you think. But you could try to be gracious enough to understand that he was celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary.

[Kingofcool1947]

KingofFools-

I was disappointed. But it wasn't a deal breaker for another Viking cruise. I just would never come on this board and rant how the food is "crap". The number of replies and views on the thread is incredible. The people who have written a reply to the OP have been more thoughtful. Life is too short.

 

Milky,

 

The OP spent 25K for his first river cruise, and it has not met his expectations. What a shame.

 

So, just curious what was it about your Viking river cruise that disappointed you?

 

How much research did you do before booking on Viking?

 

Enjoy your cruise, and if God wills, grant you continued good health to live and not die before you take the cruise.

Edited April 22, 2017 by Kingofcool1947

[ural guy]

IMO there is not a line on this planet or galaxy that would have satisfied this cruiser. They were determined after 2 minutes to hate it. 1 am not a cheerleader for Viking but this has been BS from the beginning. I am very happy to have not been on this cruise.

 

:cool: I was trying to be nice.

 

I agree, a sour egg can bring everybody down, whether in an office or on a cruise.

[sharkster77]

IMO there is not a line on this planet or galaxy that would have satisfied this cruiser. They were determined after 2 minutes to hate it. 1 am not a cheerleader for Viking but this has been BS from the beginning. I am very happy to have not been on this cruise.

 

AGREE 10,000%. As mentioned, not that he cares, but NOTHING would have pleased the OP. He may have 2700+ posts and many ocean cruises, but it is HIS fault for not realizing that river cruises are a completely different animal. With that many visits to CC, he should have figured that out.

 

Also bothered that this is another gang attack on Viking. They are FAR from perfect, but attacking Viking is just too easy. If Viking is not your thing, well that's OK. But OP should again, have done his homework and seen that with his "luxury" tastes, that Tauck or Scenic may have been more to his liking. He appears to be used to "driving a Mercedes", and is disappointed that a nice "Buick" doesn't come close to that Mercedes.

[MikeyB]

Dear King,

First, thank you for your kind thoughts.

It was the food on one of my Viking cruises that disappointed me. I felt that it wasn't as good as my other Viking cruises. But like I said, I am sailing with them again.

Regarding research- I research the itinerary. You cannot research the food that will be served or the staff that can make a great cruise. My next cruise is Lyon to Avignon. I hope they will serve regional food. But, it will likely not be "crap".

Maybe my next cruise will be to your hometown. Do you recommend it? Sounds like a fun place!

[TravelerThom]

... You cannot research the food that will be served or the staff that can make a great cruise. ...

There can certainly be variations from boat to boat and even cruise to cruise, but some lines get fairly consistent reviews of very good and others have fairly consistent comments about the food being less than hot etc. Everybody on the boat eats the same food whether in a suite or aquarium class. IMO it is possible to have a clue as to what you might expect.

 

Not once did the OP suggest (despite 10 years on CC) that they had done any research, or that maybe, just maybe, the slightest part of their problem was lack of research. Always easier to blame someone else.

[ging98]

Talking about food. Going to do the Nuremberg to Budapest river cruise soon. What are my chances of getting a good schnitzel?

[xmaser]

Not likely. I've done the route twice with Viking. Only on the first trip in 2012 did we have schnitzel. It was not the breaded "chicken fried steak" type we get in German restaurants in the US. It was floured and pan seared and tasted good. I suspect it was the Austrian version. At the time Viking was presenting itself as a provider of 'nouvelle cuisine'. Depends on what you define as schnitzel.

[SuiteTraveler]

AGREE 10,000%. As mentioned, not that he cares, but NOTHING would have pleased the OP. He may have 2700+ posts and many ocean cruises, but it is HIS fault for not realizing that river cruises are a completely different animal. With that many visits to CC, he should have figured that out.

 

Also bothered that this is another gang attack on Viking. They are FAR from perfect, but attacking Viking is just too easy. If Viking is not your thing, well that's OK. But OP should again, have done his homework and seen that with his "luxury" tastes, that Tauck or Scenic may have been more to his liking. He appears to be used to "driving a Mercedes", and is disappointed that a nice "Buick" doesn't come close to that Mercedes.

 

I don't sees this as a "gang" attack on Viking at all. Every cruise line is different. For me, I would not be happy on a river cruise in Europe that serves mostly American food. I believe there are many others who are like me but I also believe there are many others who do not want to try the local cuisine and for them, this would be a huge advantage.

 

If this is true of Viking - then this is something cruisers need to know to make an informed choice. It doesn't make Viking better or worse, IMO. It is just an aspect of their cruises that cruisers need to know about.

 

I am still hoping that Viking will post at least 1 week of menus from goldenrod's cruise so that we will know exactly what was on offer and if it is true that they mostly serve American foods nowadays. I think all of us are aware that cruise menus can change rapidly, so the only way to really know what the facts are would be to actually see the menus.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I have gotten requests to close this thread both because of the attacks on OP and because it is perceived as an anti-Viking thread. As a result I have been reading every post even more carefully than usual, to make sure none go over the line. I feel that my patience was vindicated when Viking came on with a substantive, detailed post and OP reported that they reached out to him personally and have come to a resolution. After everything else that has been said on this thread, that puts Viking in a very good light in my books.

[ging98]

Not likely. I've done the route twice with Viking. Only on the first trip in 2012 did we have schnitzel. It was not the breaded "chicken fried steak" type we get in German restaurants in the US. It was floured and pan seared and tasted good. I suspect it was the Austrian version. At the time Viking was presenting itself as a provider of 'nouvelle cuisine'. Depends on what you define as schnitzel.

 

 

:( I was referring to an authentic German (veal I believe) schnitzel pan seared. Might have to do some research and have lunch at port if possible.

[SuiteTraveler]

I have gotten requests to close this thread both because of the attacks on OP and because it is perceived as an anti-Viking thread. As a result I have been reading every post even more carefully than usual, to make sure none go over the line. I feel that my patience was vindicated when Viking came on with a substantive, detailed post and OP reported that they reached out to him personally and have come to a resolution. After everything else that has been said on this thread, that puts Viking in a very good light in my books.

 

Jazzbeau, I agree with you. Viking showed that they cared about their customer.

[pflorio994]

PLEASE close this thread as Viking has responded to the OP and has made good to his satisfaction. I have cruised with Viking 8 times and never had a problem with their lunch or dinner menus and I am a very picky eater.

[CPT Trips]

:( I was referring to an authentic German (veal I believe) schnitzel pan seared. Might have to do some research and have lunch at port if possible.

 

That's the key. Eat in one of the ports.

[jpalbny]

Talking about food. Going to do the Nuremberg to Budapest river cruise soon. What are my chances of getting a good schnitzel?

Go ashore in Vienna and eat at Figlmüller. Here is a link to one of their locations, which might be convenient to the river boat docks. https://goo.gl/maps/R8mopjiipSE2 It's somewhat of an institution in Vienna.

Though plenty of tourists go there, the schnitzel is huge and hangs over the sides of the plate. They have pork or veal at a minimum. More information: https://www.figlmueller.at/en/ We went to the one located on Bäckerstraße. Here's the schnitzel we shared, compared to Chris' hand for size. BTW, the traditional (and much cheaper) Schnitzel is pork.

 

 

It's a few blocks from the Schwedenplatz stop on the U1 line. The U1 line is easy to catch at Vorgartenstraße, about 5-10 minutes from the most common docking location by the Reichsbrücke.

[sharkster77]

I have gotten requests to close this thread both because of the attacks on OP and because it is perceived as an anti-Viking thread. As a result I have been reading every post even more carefully than usual, to make sure none go over the line. I feel that my patience was vindicated when Viking came on with a substantive, detailed post and OP reported that they reached out to him personally and have come to a resolution. After everything else that has been said on this thread, that puts Viking in a very good light in my books.

 

Jazz--

 

I feel that if the OP had used a different tone (avoided crass language such as "crap", "slop" etc), he might have been treated in a kinder manner. Many come here to complain and aren't treated in that way.

 

Also, despite what some have stated, there are some posters who take every opportunity to trash Viking, despite having never cruised with them. They made themselves known in this thread.

 

Good idea--shut it down!!

[SuiteTraveler]

Go ashore in Vienna and eat at Figlmüller. Here is a link to one of their locations, which might be convenient to the river boat docks. https://goo.gl/maps/R8mopjiipSE2 It's somewhat of an institution in Vienna.

Though plenty of tourists go there, the schnitzel is huge and hangs over the sides of the plate. They have pork or veal at a minimum. More information: https://www.figlmueller.at/en/ We went to the one located on Bäckerstraße. Here's the schnitzel we shared, compared to Chris' hand for size. BTW, the traditional (and much cheaper) Schnitzel is pork.

 

 

It's a few blocks from the Schwedenplatz stop on the U1 line. The U1 line is easy to catch at Vorgartenstraße, about 5-10 minutes from the most common docking location by the Reichsbrücke.

 

That looks amazing!

[CPT Trips]

Go ashore in Vienna and eat at Figlmüller. Here is a link to one of their locations, which might be convenient to the river boat docks. https://goo.gl/maps/R8mopjiipSE2 It's somewhat of an institution in Vienna.

Though plenty of tourists go there, the schnitzel is huge and hangs over the sides of the plate. They have pork or veal at a minimum. More information: https://www.figlmueller.at/en/ We went to the one located on Bäckerstraße. Here's the schnitzel we shared, compared to Chris' hand for size. BTW, the traditional (and much cheaper) Schnitzel is pork.

 

 

It's a few blocks from the Schwedenplatz stop on the U1 line. The U1 line is easy to catch at Vorgartenstraße, about 5-10 minutes from the most common docking location by the Reichsbrücke.

 

There are Cheesecake Factories in Europe?

[ging98]

:D(y)

Thank you!

Go ashore in Vienna and eat at Figlmüller. Here is a link to one of their locations, which might be convenient to the river boat docks. https://goo.gl/maps/R8mopjiipSE2 It's somewhat of an institution in Vienna.

Though plenty of tourists go there, the schnitzel is huge and hangs over the sides of the plate. They have pork or veal at a minimum. More information: https://www.figlmueller.at/en/ We went to the one located on Bäckerstraße. Here's the schnitzel we shared, compared to Chris' hand for size. BTW, the traditional (and much cheaper) Schnitzel is pork.

 

 

It's a few blocks from the Schwedenplatz stop on the U1 line. The U1 line is easy to catch at Vorgartenstraße, about 5-10 minutes from the most common docking location by the Reichsbrücke.

[Mark_T]

There are Cheesecake Factories in Europe?

 

I had a similar reaction, looks very much like chicken-fried steak in a Texas diner :)

[ExpatBride]

There are Cheesecake Factories in Europe?

 

I wish!