Tips for New Viking Ocean Cruisers

[takemewithyou]

3 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

tellus@vikingcruises.com

Going to try that right now.  Thanks so much!

[vnb2003]

5 hours ago, takemewithyou said:  Really looking forward to it and all that I have read has been very encouraging except for this.  We both need a soft mattress……firm will not work.  Are the beds really this firm?  And no options to put a topper on?  Is there any way to talk with someone in advance about options?  It’s actually a medical issue for my spouse.  He will be hurting if the mattress is firm.  I know there are preferences in MVJ for the stateroom but didn’t see any options for bed.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.  

You are right - the beds were hard for us too. I asked our steward if there is any topper to put on. There were no toppers but he brought two comforters for me and when it was almost ok, he brought in the third one 😁👍

Viking will accommodate you as best as they can. You just need to ask. Enjoy you trip!

[zelker]

5 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Bringing up an old post here.  We will be on our first VO cruise on Orion in April, 2022.  Really looking forward to it and all that I have read has been very encouraging except for this.  We both need a soft mattress……firm will not work.  Are the beds really this firm?  And no options to put a topper on?  Is there any way to talk with someone in advance about options?  It’s actually a medical issue for my spouse.  He will be hurting if the mattress is firm.  I know there are preferences in MVJ for the stateroom but didn’t see any options for bed.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.  

The mattress on Viking Orion in November was horrid.  It was obvious that they had already put some old and really lumpy comforter/mattress pads on them to try to soften them but we both felt like we were getting punched in the back all night.  We were miserable and we have to wonder how someone on a world cruise could put up with their beds that long when we were only on for 17 nights ... maybe they bring on their own topper or egg crate?  BTW, it was our first Viking cruise ever, and we were questioning if we'd actually make it for the duration if they couldn't do something about it.  Also, if the beds are like that on all their ships (and I assume they are), it would keep us from booking Viking again.

 

Anyway, finally the head of housekeeping came by to talk to us on Day 3, apologized but informed us that no, they do not have eggcrate foam pads onboard.  They finally found some comforters to use that weren't all lumpy and we limped through the rest of the cruise but were never so glad to come home and sleep in our own bed. 

 

So if it's a concern, I'd definitely contact tellus@ and let them know it's important that they can commit to accommodating making the bed work for your husband.  Good luck!

[takemewithyou]

1 hour ago, zelker said:

The mattress on Viking Orion in November was horrid.  It was obvious that they had already put some old and really lumpy comforter/mattress pads on them to try to soften them but we both felt like we were getting punched in the back all night.  We were miserable and we have to wonder how someone on a world cruise could put up with their beds that long when we were only on for 17 nights ... maybe they bring on their own topper or egg crate?  BTW, it was our first Viking cruise ever, and we were questioning if we'd actually make it for the duration if they couldn't do something about it.  Also, if the beds are like that on all their ships (and I assume they are), it would keep us from booking Viking again.

 

Anyway, finally the head of housekeeping came by to talk to us on Day 3, apologized but informed us that no, they do not have eggcrate foam pads onboard.  They finally found some comforters to use that weren't all lumpy and we limped through the rest of the cruise but were never so glad to come home and sleep in our own bed. 

 

So if it's a concern, I'd definitely contact tellus@ and let them know it's important that they can commit to accommodating making the bed work for your husband.  Good luck!

Oh my!  Thanks for your report of your experience.  I am glad to find this out ahead of time because we would have been miserable!  I have contacted Tell Us and asked if they can do something…..waiting for their response.    I am afraid that we can’t cancel and are pretty committed at this point.  Worse case scenario, we may have to order and bring our own topper which is unfortunate for the price we are paying.

[sleepybobo]

For me the issue in my recent sailing on the Sea wasn't the mattress, it's the lumpy too-thin-in-the-middle comforter.  I originally asked for one more comforter, but found it too heavy to sleep with two comforters (I don't like the wool/cashmere blanket).  I ended up asking our room attendant to try his best to find a fluffier comforter for me.  Also the room thermostat seemed to have a mind of its own, I couldn't find a good setting.  Some nights, it got too warm.  Some night, it got too cold.  

 

I slept like a baby on the Sun and the Jupiter, but not on the Sea.  

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, zelker said:

The mattress on Viking Orion in November was horrid.  It was obvious that they had already put some old and really lumpy comforter/mattress pads on them to try to soften them but we both felt like we were getting punched in the back all night.  We were miserable and we have to wonder how someone on a world cruise could put up with their beds that long when we were only on for 17 nights ... maybe they bring on their own topper or egg crate?  BTW, it was our first Viking cruise ever, and we were questioning if we'd actually make it for the duration if they couldn't do something about it.  Also, if the beds are like that on all their ships (and I assume they are), it would keep us from booking Viking again.

 

Anyway, finally the head of housekeeping came by to talk to us on Day 3, apologized but informed us that no, they do not have eggcrate foam pads onboard.  They finally found some comforters to use that weren't all lumpy and we limped through the rest of the cruise but were never so glad to come home and sleep in our own bed. 

 

So if it's a concern, I'd definitely contact tellus@ and let them know it's important that they can commit to accommodating making the bed work for your husband.  Good luck!

 

We survived almost a full World Cruise on Viking Sun, and slept like a baby. The mattress had the perfect degree of firmness, with lots of support. Worked for us, obviously not for everyone unfortunately.

[Twitchly]

We found the mattress on Sky (3 years ago) to be quite firm but not, for us, miserably so. The bed did slope down in the middle, but again it wasn’t a huge issue. We just rolled into each other a few times. 

[KBs mum]

Mattresses and temperatures are extremely subjective. KBs dad and I usually disagree about a hotel bed being comfortable or not. We accept they will not be as comfortable as the bed and mattress at home that we carefully selected as being the most comfortable option for us. 

For us the beds on Viking have ranged from good to OK. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the OK ones, they're just not our preference. 

[takemewithyou]

5 hours ago, KBs mum said:

Mattresses and temperatures are extremely subjective. KBs dad and I usually disagree about a hotel bed being comfortable or not. We accept they will not be as comfortable as the bed and mattress at home that we carefully selected as being the most comfortable option for us. 

For us the beds on Viking have ranged from good to OK. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the OK ones, they're just not our preference. 

Just trying to figure out what is best for our situation so we can enjoy the cruise as best we can.  It’s best to find this out now so we might be able to ask for help or bring something on our own to make the mattress work for us,

[vnb2003]

13 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

Just trying to figure out what is best for our situation so we can enjoy the cruise as best we can.  It’s best to find this out now so we might be able to ask for help or bring something on our own to make the mattress work for us,

Someone on the forum gave the link to packable pads they took.  Scroll page down to see all variants including double.  The heaviest is 40 oz.  https://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Lightweight-Backpacking-Inflatable-Mattress/dp/B07YP8MLNN/ref=sxin_13_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?crid=1H1UX9AAB4J2R&cv_ct_cx=camping%2Bmattress&keywords=camping%2Bmattress&pd_rd_i=B07YP8MLNN&pd_rd_r=fe5a1145-8247-4985-99f2-e3cfb6056585&pd_rd_w=X0WLA&pd_rd_wg=SFeHO&pf_rd_p=4ad71b32-b810-4124-8735-d02a39478d0c&pf_rd_r=ERTW8WSR7DH830F74BKW&qid=1643382067&sprefix=camping%2Bmat%2Caps%2C59&sr=1-4-a73d1c8c-2fd2-4f19-aa41-2df022bcb241-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE4R0ZIVExESjZQUVQmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA4ODIwOTYyUEwyRUg3R1ZFRkxPJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0MzQ0OTEzSkVHVjcxWlpUUFRaJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3Bfc2VhcmNoX3RoZW1hdGljJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

[takemewithyou]

36 minutes ago, vnb2003 said:

Someone on the forum gave the link to packable pads they took.  Scroll page down to see all variants including double.  The heaviest is 40 oz.  https://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Lightweight-Backpacking-Inflatable-Mattress/dp/B07YP8MLNN/ref=sxin_13_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?crid=1H1UX9AAB4J2R&cv_ct_cx=camping%2Bmattress&keywords=camping%2Bmattress&pd_rd_i=B07YP8MLNN&pd_rd_r=fe5a1145-8247-4985-99f2-e3cfb6056585&pd_rd_w=X0WLA&pd_rd_wg=SFeHO&pf_rd_p=4ad71b32-b810-4124-8735-d02a39478d0c&pf_rd_r=ERTW8WSR7DH830F74BKW&qid=1643382067&sprefix=camping%2Bmat%2Caps%2C59&sr=1-4-a73d1c8c-2fd2-4f19-aa41-2df022bcb241-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE4R0ZIVExESjZQUVQmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA4ODIwOTYyUEwyRUg3R1ZFRkxPJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0MzQ0OTEzSkVHVjcxWlpUUFRaJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3Bfc2VhcmNoX3RoZW1hdGljJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

Yes.  That is the backup plan.  Still waiting for a response from Tell Us at Viking.  

[KBs mum]

2 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Just trying to figure out what is best for our situation so we can enjoy the cruise as best we can.  It’s best to find this out now so we might be able to ask for help or bring something on our own to make the mattress work for us,

If you have specific requirements because of, say, back problems, contact Viking in advance. Otherwise the situation is as for any hotel stay. 

[takemewithyou]

I was contacted by phone by a Viking guest services rep yesterday in response to the email sent to tellus@vikingcruises.com.

There are no mattress toppers available.  Egg crate toppers can not be used during covid. Housekeeping can put several comforters on bed to soften it as others have posted.

 

Also, the Rep offered to email me info about the mattresses.  They are custom made for Viking.  She gave me the brand so I could look it up.  I found a local store that carries them in our metropolitan area and we are going to go try them out and see what we think.

 

I just wanted to report back that I appreciated the phone response and all the info given to us by Viking.

[zelker]

12 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

Also, the Rep offered to email me info about the mattresses.  They are custom made for Viking.  She gave me the brand so I could look it up.  I found a local store that carries them in our metropolitan area and we are going to go try them out and see what we think.

 

Curious who the manufacturer is?

[takemewithyou]

The brand is Dr Weidner, Diamont.

[bluesea777]

On 1/28/2022 at 11:06 AM, vnb2003 said:

Someone on the forum gave the link to packable pads they took.  Scroll page down to see all variants including double.  The heaviest is 40 oz.  https://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Lightweight-Backpacking-Inflatable-Mattress/dp/B07YP8MLNN/ref=sxin_13_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?crid=1H1UX9AAB4J2R&cv_ct_cx=camping%2Bmattress&keywords=camping%2Bmattress&pd_rd_i=B07YP8MLNN&pd_rd_r=fe5a1145-8247-4985-99f2-e3cfb6056585&pd_rd_w=X0WLA&pd_rd_wg=SFeHO&pf_rd_p=4ad71b32-b810-4124-8735-d02a39478d0c&pf_rd_r=ERTW8WSR7DH830F74BKW&qid=1643382067&sprefix=camping%2Bmat%2Caps%2C59&sr=1-4-a73d1c8c-2fd2-4f19-aa41-2df022bcb241-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE4R0ZIVExESjZQUVQmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA4ODIwOTYyUEwyRUg3R1ZFRkxPJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0MzQ0OTEzSkVHVjcxWlpUUFRaJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3Bfc2VhcmNoX3RoZW1hdGljJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

 

Beware, the above is rather narrow at 23" wide. The Viking beds are approx 33" or so wide.

 

Anyway, as I was the first (or one of first) to report about the firmness of Viking beds, I was already looking into these types of inflatable sleeping pads and found one that is extra wide at 30". Here it is ....

 

Amazon.com: KLYMIT STATIC V LUXE Sleeping Pad, Extra Wide (30 inches) Best Camping Gear for Backpacking, Camping and Hiking, (76L x 30W x 3H inches), Gray : Everything Else

 

Cheers!

 

[CCWineLover]

I am amused by all the comments on mattresses.  It reminds me just like everyone's opinions on the various foods served at the Viking different restaurants.  Everyone has their own unique feelings, opinions, likes and dislikes.  Only you the passenger will be able to discern whether the food or the mattress fits your specific needs.

As for us, we have enjoyed the mattresses on all the Viking ships we've been on (Jupiter, Orion, Sky, Sea).  For those who thought the Orion and Sea mattresses were old and falling apart, we were just on both ships and had a perfectly good, firm mattress in great shape.  Maybe we were just lucky but more likely it is just a case of everyone having different experiences on the same ships.

My advice - don't cancel a cruise just because someone says they didn't like the food or didn't like the mattress.  Try it yourself!

[khuselid]

24 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

I am amused by all the comments on mattresses.  It reminds me just like everyone's opinions on the various foods served at the Viking different restaurants.  Everyone has their own unique feelings, opinions, likes and dislikes.  Only you the passenger will be able to discern whether the food or the mattress fits your specific needs.

As for us, we have enjoyed the mattresses on all the Viking ships we've been on (Jupiter, Orion, Sky, Sea).  For those who thought the Orion and Sea mattresses were old and falling apart, we were just on both ships and had a perfectly good, firm mattress in great shape.  Maybe we were just lucky but more likely it is just a case of everyone having different experiences on the same ships.

My advice - don't cancel a cruise just because someone says they didn't like the food or didn't like the mattress.  Try it yourself!

I totally agree. We stick with one hotel chain because their mattresses are great for us. We gave Viking a try and we have decided to go back to the one with the mattresses and food that work better for us. We all have different bodies and tastes.....and the opportunity to choose what is best for us!! You can't talk anyone into liking what you like. You get to like it just because you do!!

[takemewithyou]

@CCWineLoverDon’t worry.  We are not cancelling.  We will probably come armed with @bluesea777’s suggestion, however! 😀

I am taking this as a positive!  Better to be forewarned and prepared.  When you have certain medical conditions, we may wish to take something to improve the bed just in case!  So that we can keep traveling and enjoy ourselves.  
I agree with @khuselidand hope we can end the mattress discussion for now.  I did appreciate the help from the Viking guest services rep.  That impressed me.  maybe this discussion has helped some other future Viking guests.  that is my hope.

Happy Sailings to all 😀

[Clay Clayton]

On 1/29/2022 at 10:42 AM, takemewithyou said:

I was contacted by phone by a Viking guest services rep yesterday in response to the email sent to tellus@vikingcruises.com.

There are no mattress toppers available.  Egg crate toppers can not be used during covid. Housekeeping can put several comforters on bed to soften it as others have posted.

 

Also, the Rep offered to email me info about the mattresses.  They are custom made for Viking.  She gave me the brand so I could look it up.  I found a local store that carries them in our metropolitan area and we are going to go try them out and see what we think.

 

I just wanted to report back that I appreciated the phone response and all the info given to us by Viking.

For those of us that like the mattresses, what brand are they?

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

9 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

For those of us that like the mattresses, what brand are they?

I think poster said Diamond.

[Jim Avery]

On 1/27/2022 at 6:19 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

We survived almost a full World Cruise on Viking Sun, and slept like a baby. The mattress had the perfect degree of firmness, with lots of support. Worked for us, obviously not for everyone unfortunately.

Especially comfortable if you have ever "slept' in a day bunk in a ship's wheelhouse..😱

[takemewithyou]

10 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

For those of us that like the mattresses, what brand are they?

See post #1565

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Especially comfortable if you have ever "slept' in a day bunk in a ship's wheelhouse..😱

 

So true Jim. I recall on of the 24 hr ship movement shifts, we had about 4 hrs between ship moves. Without a couch or bed on the ship, I set up some lifejackets and power napped on them.

 

We survived with what was available.

[Maximillian45]

On 1/29/2022 at 1:53 PM, takemewithyou said:

@CCWineLoverDon’t worry.  We are not cancelling.  We will probably come armed with @bluesea777’s suggestion, however! 😀

I am taking this as a positive!  Better to be forewarned and prepared.  When you have certain medical conditions, we may wish to take something to improve the bed just in case!  So that we can keep traveling and enjoy ourselves.  
I agree with @khuselidand hope we can end the mattress discussion for now.  I did appreciate the help from the Viking guest services rep.  That impressed me.  maybe this discussion has helped some other future Viking guests.  that is my hope.

Happy Sailings to all 😀

Thank you for this discussion! I have a degenerative back condition and appreciate being forewarned. Unfortunately, a good night’s sleep isn’t easy for everyone. I’ll make sure to ask for lots of extra comforters.