Food on Viking Embla is horrible

[Hoyaheel]

I got the Fear of Missing Out (my grandchildren keep me in the loop on the language) :D What I'm questioning is fear of missing out on...what??

Sorry - your original question was unclear. You spelled out the FOM part so I thought you wanted to know what the last "O" was for;p

Whatever may be happening (discussion-wise) on any given thread.

Yep, many of us need to watch the trainwrecks.

 

But also there are nuggets of information to be gleaned all around us! :halo:

[TravelerThom]

Kath, you were on a different ship with a different chef...We don't know what the chef onboard Embla was doing as we were not there....

It is true that CyberKat or me or you were on this cruise with this chef. However there has been report by rhonpat who was on this cruise with this chef, and who gave the food a 6-7 and reported a satisfactory variety of foods to choose from. I know that food is subjective, but hard to believe from rhonpat's calm and rational report that the chef didn't manage his/her kitchen properly, nor had old food, rancid oil, a filthy kitchen or insect infestation as you speculated. Given a choice between calm and rational reports and a 3 week temper tantrum, I know whose reports I'm more inclined to believe. I will believe negative items without trouble, but when there is an obvious axe being ground that poster quickly becomes unbelievable.

[Mark_T]

Given a choice between calm and rational reports and a 3 week temper tantrum, I know whose reports I'm more inclined to believe. I will believe negative items without trouble, but when there is an obvious axe being ground that poster quickly becomes unbelievable.

 

I am frankly shocked that you can make light of such horrors as the unwarranted lettuce in the pastrami sandwich, or the inexplicable absence of prawn cocktails and American yellow mustard from the ship! :)

 

... but yes, I too am glad that we have a counterpoint view to consider alongside the many outraged posts, and I do hope that those reading this thread will get far enough through to find the alternate perspective at the end...

[Host Jazzbeau]

Quite frankly don't care what others think they were not on the ship. No one we talked to, and we talked to over fifty people, and several that this was their 5 Viking river cruises, gave the food over a 5 except one gave it a 6 on a scale from 1-10 it was just not what we were expecting after all the hype!

 

Just read this thread with interest as my sister and I were on this very cruise... Overall I would give Vikings food a 6-7...

 

It is true that CyberKat or me or you were on this cruise with this chef. However there has been report by rhonpat who was on this cruise with this chef, and who gave the food a 6-7 and reported a satisfactory variety of foods to choose from. I know that food is subjective, but hard to believe from rhonpat's calm and rational report that the chef didn't manage his/her kitchen properly, nor had old food, rancid oil, a filthy kitchen or insect infestation as you speculated. Given a choice between calm and rational reports and a 3 week temper tantrum, I know whose reports I'm more inclined to believe. I will believe negative items without trouble, but when there is an obvious axe being ground that poster quickly becomes unbelievable.

 

 

Rhonpat didn't mention the rating scale. OP's survey was 5-6 out of 10. If Rhonpat's 6-7 is also out of 10 they aren't disagreeing by much.

[nordski]

Rhonpat didn't mention the rating scale. OP's survey was 5-6 out of 10. If Rhonpat's 6-7 is also out of 10 they aren't disagreeing by much.

 

 

I think the disagreement is greater than you suggest.

 

In Post 379, the OP said they talked to over 50 people and none, except for one, gave the food a rating of "over a 5". This implies some (a few, many?) ratings were lower.

 

Only one out of the 50 were at a 6.

 

Regardless, I certainly agree with others that discussion of food is highly, highly subjective. Partially because not one of us samples all of the offerings on menus in the MDR or in alternate venues.

 

I do appreciate those who have made specific reference to what is offered on the MDR's menu. I'm still a bit hazy on the menu in the Aquavit Terrace.

 

 

 

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[ccruzer123]

Quote: "Viking called me again yesterday afternoon with an offer of a voucher for future cruises I thanked the rep and declined and told her that the the food got worse but the wait staff was great! As was our room steward, it's just a shame we had a bad chef and poor quality food, but it's over and we're home safe!"

 

 

Interesting, Viking offered a future cruise voucher. Makes me think that Viking realizes there might have been a problem with the chef and food on the cruise. I doubt very much they would have made such an offer if there hadn't been a problem. Just my thoughts!

[Roz]

Sometimes vouchers are given to passengers who are a real PITA.

 

Roz

[E@syPe@zy]

Sometimes vouchers are given to passengers who are a real PITA.

 

Roz

 

If he really was a PITA and was the type of traveler that's going to complain no matter what, I can't imagine why Viking would reach out to him after the cruise to entice him to take another cruise with them. If we as bad as some on here make him out to be, then I would think Viking would put him on a "Do Not Sail" list.

The only other possibility would be that they wanted to offer him something to hopefully soften the after cruise review that the OP is extremely likely to write.

But I have a feeling, something wasn't quite right about the food on that particular cruise. And I don't think a rating of 6 is very impressive from others that were on that cruise.

[Mark_T]

Interesting, Viking offered a future cruise voucher. Makes me think that Viking realizes there might have been a problem with the chef and food on the cruise. I doubt very much they would have made such an offer if there hadn't been a problem. Just my thoughts!

 

Not really, the future cruise vouchers are typically worth a lot less than the cost of the cruise and will still leave Viking with a decent profit on the cruise that is booked using the voucher.

 

So it is effectively a near zero cost option which can leave a dissatisfied customer feeling better and also motivated to spend more money with Viking ...

 

It is the kind of thing that head offices do which can annoy other cruisers and the ships staff as they might well vote for the "Do not sail" list if they had the option...

 

A cash refund might indicate a serious lapse of service, a future cruise voucher is just a standard attempt at getting more money from the recipient in the future...

[TravelerThom]

... I don't think a rating of 6 is very impressive from others that were on that cruise.

Ratings are notoriously hard to interpret. It rather depends what the parameter of the ratings are. If I include Michelin 3* as 10, then that puts Oceania and Regent at about 8 and 6-7 doesn't look that bad. If your 10 basis is Royal Caribbean, then 6-7 is not so good.

 

IMO most survey results are not worth much. I have sailed maybe 30 times on Celebrity, and they ask me to rate from 1 to 10 whether they met my expectations (5 = met, 10 = greatly exceeded, 1 = much less than expected). Guess what: Celebrity did not exceed my expectation, because the cruise I had with them last week was pretty much the same as the one this week.

[E@syPe@zy]

Ratings are notoriously hard to interpret. It rather depends what the parameter of the ratings are. If I include Michelin 3* as 10, then that puts Oceania and Regent at about 8 and 6-7 doesn't look that bad. If your 10 basis is Royal Caribbean, then 6-7 is not so good.

 

IMO most survey results are not worth much. I have sailed maybe 30 times on Celebrity, and they ask me to rate from 1 to 10 whether they met my expectations (5 = met, 10 = greatly exceeded, 1 = much less than expected). Guess what: Celebrity did not exceed my expectation, because the cruise I had with them last week was pretty much the same as the one this week.

 

One survey is not worth much, but multiple results will give a median result. Companies would not submit surveys, if there was nothing to glean from them. It's like taking a pulse. At different times the reading will differ, but over time with several readings, a pattern will emerge.

[lackcreativity]

Kath, you were on a different ship with a different chef. There might be a dozen chefs preparing the exact same menu from the same recipes, but if one of the chefs is not good at what he/she does, the food that chef prepares can be completely different. There are also other problems such as a chef who doesn't manage his/her kitchen properly. When that happens you see things like old food, rancid oil and the kitchen may be filthy. There may even be an insect infestation. All of these factors can affect the quality of food. We don't know what the chef onboard Embla was doing as we were not there nor do we know the condition of his galley.

 

On our Viking river cruise, the entire dining room (in small groups) was invited to tour the galley during a dinner service. I have heard from friends on other tours that they did the same. Your theory that the kitchen could have been insect infested and filthy seems wildly speculative and highly unlikely. We have also heard from other cruisers on the OP's ship for this same cruise, and they did not support his extremely negative comments.

[Mark_T]

One survey is not worth much, but multiple results will give a median result. Companies would not submit surveys, if there was nothing to glean from them. It's like taking a pulse. At different times the reading will differ, but over time with several readings, a pattern will emerge.

 

... and you also have to factor in confirmation bias and the highly likely prospect that the questions were put in a very loaded fashion.

 

 

This was not a well crafted and even-handed survey...

 

I'm with Thom though, a score of 6-7 is about right for Viking I'd say and is a pretty good score given the limited scope that a small kitchen and a single sitting implies.

[SuiteTraveler]

I did some research on Viking. This is how things were done on the Rhine in 2013:

http://tastesandtravel.com/2013/04/chef-interivew-executive-chef-benjamin-hausner-on-a-viking-river-cruise/

 

One of the interesting things to note is that stock is prepared from scratch twice a week that is the base of all sauces and soups. If the stock is not created correctly to begin with, then everything prepared with the stock is not going to be good. This may explain why goldenrod thought all the sauces and soups had no flavor.

 

Another interesting item is that Viking does fly in their meat from the US. (or at least they did in 2013).

 

Nowadays, Viking has a French chef named Anthony Mauboussin overseeing the menus for both Viking Ocean and Viking River Cruises.

https://www.thedailymeal.com/travel/cuisine-world-s-no-1-cruise-line

 

"The job of feeding some 350,000 passengers a year falls on the able shoulders of chef Anthony Mauboussin. The young French chef already presides over the 59 River Cruise ships’ kitchens, and will now expand his reach to include the newest additions of the company’s fleet – 930-passenger ocean cruises. "

 

So we have a French chef, designing recipes and menus that serve American food on a river cruise in Europe. Interesting.

 

"North American favorites like beef Wellington and poached salmon run on a 14-day rotation"

Beef Wellington is a British dish.

 

"Consulting his 250 cookbooks, the chef first develops menu items by working on four a day, and in these days of fusion cooking he demands a certain geographic purity. He researches his dishes to make sure they demonstrate a true representation of local port ingredients. The work hardly stops there as Mauboussin then confirms that his onboard chefs de cuisine can be readily supplied with the ingredients needed to make each of new dishes he creates." But according to goldenrod the lobster and scallops were not delivered.

"Finally, the completed dishes must be scaled up to cook for high-volume restaurants. Once the space and storage limitations for each of the ships’ kitchens are factored into the recipe criteria, the dish goes into Viking’s computer network with product guidelines and rigidly maintained steps. At that point, the on-board cooks have access to each menu item. Then the executive chef aboard Viking Star, Ashley Duff, will make the final decision on which night the seared mahi mahi will be served..."

 

So according to this article, the Executive chef onboard each Viking ship has control over the menu and makes the decision as to what is on the menu.

 

I really hope goldenrod got photos of the menus and food. I would enjoy seeing them.

 

I also found this from a delicatessen in Paris which styles a pastrami sandwich the same way it was styled on goldenrod's cruise with lettuce above and below the pastrami:

https://foursquare.com/v/merguez--pastrami/55829ce8498e16f41b600c64

[RDC1]

I think the disagreement is greater than you suggest.

 

In Post 379, the OP said they talked to over 50 people and none, except for one, gave the food a rating of "over a 5". This implies some (a few, many?) ratings were lower.

 

Only one out of the 50 were at a 6.

 

Regardless, I certainly agree with others that discussion of food is highly, highly subjective. Partially because not one of us samples all of the offerings on menus in the MDR or in alternate venues.

 

I do appreciate those who have made specific reference to what is offered on the MDR's menu. I'm still a bit hazy on the menu in the Aquavit Terrace.

 

 

 

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However the source of that information is from the OP. The reason for those numbers could be for a number of reasons besides the quality of the food. For example. 1. They could be agreeable when asked, knowing that the OP thought the food was bad. Depending upon how they were asked people might be prone to just agree, instead of being confrontational. 2. Could be an exaggeration on the part of the OP. We really don't know if he asked 10 or 50. We also don't know how they answered. He certainly tended to blow off comments here from people that did not agree.

[SuiteTraveler]

On our Viking river cruise, the entire dining room (in small groups) was invited to tour the galley during a dinner service. I have heard from friends on other tours that they did the same. Your theory that the kitchen could have been insect infested and filthy seems wildly speculative and highly unlikely. We have also heard from other cruisers on the OP's ship for this same cruise, and they did not support his extremely negative comments.

 

I have no theory that the Embla's galley is dirty. My comment was just describing various aspects that could impact the quality of food in a restaurant kitchen. I was saying we don't know what the chef was doing or the condition of his galley. We DON'T KNOW. "Not knowing" means, we have no information and don't know not that I'm assuming anything one way or the other.

[Cyber Kat]

However the source of that information is from the OP. The reason for those numbers could be for a number of reasons besides the quality of the food. For example. 1. They could be agreeable when asked, knowing that the OP thought the food was bad. Depending upon how they were asked people might be prone to just agree, instead of being confrontational. 2. Could be an exaggeration on the part of the OP. We really don't know if he asked 10 or 50. We also don't know how they answered. He certainly tended to blow off comments here from people that did not agree.

 

 

Exactly. I'm glad I wasn't on a cruise with him. If I had someone harassing me about a "survey" while I'm trying to enjoy a vacation. I'd be inclined to say "yeah, whatever." Then I'd make a fast get away!

 

Plus we only have his word for how many people he talked to and what they said.

 

I mostly feel bad that there are people who have their first Viking cruise booked and are concerned over one review and comments from others who have never set foot on a Viking ship.

 

All I can tell them is that the food on my cruise was wonderful, and I've talked to others who have said the same (and if you are going to put credence in the OPs "survey" mine should carry the same weight [emoji12]

 

 

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[Cyber Kat]

Kath, you were on a different ship with a different chef. There might be a dozen chefs preparing the exact same menu from the same recipes, but if one of the chefs is not good at what he/she does, the food that chef prepares can be completely different. There are also other problems such as a chef who doesn't manage his/her kitchen properly. When that happens you see things like old food, rancid oil and the kitchen may be filthy. There may even be an insect infestation. All of these factors can affect the quality of food. We don't know what the chef onboard Embla was doing as we were not there nor do we know the condition of his galley.

 

 

Where in my post did I discuss the food on the Embla? I must have missed that.

 

I'm done with the whole Embla discussion and want only to let those who have cruises booked on Viking to know there are other opinions on the food, so I was joining in the discussion of the type/style of food that Viking serves. I merely related FIRST HAND about the kind of food that was served on MY cruise.

 

I certainly did not engage in totally wild speculation about conditions on a ship I didn't sail on.

 

Unless you have spent a considerable length of time on Viking ships, and most especially in the kitchens of those ships, it is my opinion that your speculation is completely out of line!

 

 

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[nordski]

However the source of that information is from the OP. The reason for those numbers could be for a number of reasons besides the quality of the food. For example. 1. They could be agreeable when asked, knowing that the OP thought the food was bad. Depending upon how they were asked people might be prone to just agree, instead of being confrontational. 2. Could be an exaggeration on the part of the OP. We really don't know if he asked 10 or 50. We also don't know how they answered. He certainly tended to blow off comments here from people that did not agree.

 

 

Just to be clear, I don't take the position that the survey was valid. I was pointing out that I think there appeared to be a significant gap between what the OP posted as the results of that survey and the evaluation of the other cruiser on this ship.

 

That, of course, is not surprising.

 

I agree with the points you have made.

 

 

 

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[Cyber Kat]

It is true that CyberKat or me or you were on this cruise with this chef.

 

 

Was that a question for me? If it was - I was not on the cruise with the OP. I have mostly been commenting on the food we had on our Viking cruise - which was excellent.

 

 

 

 

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[Cyber Kat]

 

Interesting, Viking offered a future cruise voucher. Makes me think that Viking realizes there might have been a problem with the chef and food on the cruise. I doubt very much they would have made such an offer if there hadn't been a problem. Just my thoughts!

 

 

I worked in customer service for many years. It's what you do in the hope that if you can't satisfy the customer, you can get them to go away... preferably quietly. [emoji12]

 

You learn to recognize fairly quickly that no matter what you do some people will never be happy, yet you try anyway. Most times your company has done nothing wrong except in the perception of this particular customer. I could fill volumes with stories of people who decided we were wrong when we were not.

 

Usually the people you have wronged are the most easily satisfied and it's a shame because they are the ones you should be jumping through hoops for.

 

For every one who makes a big loud negative fuss, there are generally a lot more perfectly satisfied customers who go quietly about their business and buy your products or use your service and you never hear from them except in the figures on your balance sheet.

 

 

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[mskaufman]

Continues to entertain.

 

Sure hope that the food on Lofn this summer doesn't cause this level of discussion.

[Karry66]

Continues to entertain.

 

 

 

Sure hope that the food on Lofn this summer doesn't cause this level of discussion.

 

 

mskaufman....I hope we have the same great wifi on our summer cruise on the Bragi that enabled this original post[emoji336][emoji336][emoji4]

 

 

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[TravelerThom]

Was that a question for me? If it was - I was not on the cruise with the OP. I have mostly been commenting on the food we had on our Viking cruise - which was excellent.

No, not a question. I was trying (perhaps poorly) to agree with you, but also to point out that there are comments on this thread from someone in addition to the OP who was there. The poster I was responding to was "conveniently" ignoring that fact while making up extreme hypotheses of the condition of the kitchen. It is not clear to me if any of the OPs defenders have ever been on a river cruise, much less Viking - they may have had many river cruises but I don't see that in their profiles. For the record I have been on more than 100 cruises, more than 20 of those on the river and 2 of those on Viking. Viking's food was everything I expected, good but not Michilen 3*.

 

From what I have read on this thread, I think Viking delivered their usual mid-range river cruise. IMO the fault is the OPs totally unrealistic expectations. Until I see a copy of the menu, I don't believe Viking promised lobster and scallops. I know that Viking makes it clear that the only room service is for breakfast only in the 2 Explorer suites only. The OP has been on CC for 10 years, but apparently never came to the river boards (with Jazzbeau's very helpful stickies) until it was time to bitch. I think that even the OP realizes that not doing research doomed his choice, but like far to many people thinks that if he complains long enough and loud enough that miraculously he will be absolved of all guilt. Unfortunately Viking is reinforcing that concept if they in fact offered the OP compensation. Viking should be offering compensation, but it should be to everyone else who had to put up with this complainer.

[SuiteTraveler]

Rhonpat didn't mention the rating scale. OP's survey was 5-6 out of 10. If Rhonpat's 6-7 is also out of 10 they aren't disagreeing by much.

 

I agree.

 

And I think the fact that goldenrod was offered a future cruise voucher but turned it down pretty much proves he was not out to extract anything from Viking.