LostFan#1 Posted March 30, 2023 #1801 Share Posted March 30, 2023 11 hours ago, Peregrina651 said: Debbie, give up. Stick with information submitted after the "Restart" in 2021. (In other words, start here on page 45, post 1115.) First, it is overwhelming to start with page one. Second, a lot has changed since Viking launched Oceans in 2015. Reading the old stuff is just plain confusing. Third, what is most important is current information. Circle back later if you are interested in the history. Also,to fill in gaps, read the most current threads on the following topics; the information is fresher and reflects the reality of cruising in the post-pandemic: drinks package (even if you don't drink or aren't considering it) laundry tipping anything that pertains to your next Viking Ocean cruise BTW, some of what you read in this forum applies to how things work on the River cruises. There are certain things that are the same whether you are on an ocean-liner, an expedition ship or a riverboat. LOL. Right. If I remember correctly, I beat you over the head on that issue. 😁 Haha, yes, you did, but I needed it! Thank you for directing me to the "Viking Hints" re-start page and suggesting other topics to follow for Viking-specific info. Debbie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey111 Posted March 30, 2023 #1802 Share Posted March 30, 2023 4 hours ago, deec said: Melatonin is NOT a controlled substance. no worries It is in the U.K. so you wouldn’t be able to buy it there 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey111 Posted March 30, 2023 #1803 Share Posted March 30, 2023 21 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said: On our trip last January, it was 8:00 AM. thank you we cruise into Montreal in September and need to book a flight out so do you think a 12.50 flight is achievable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantaFe1 Posted March 30, 2023 #1804 Share Posted March 30, 2023 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Mickey111 said: thank you we cruise into Montreal in September and need to book a flight out so do you think a 12.50 flight is achievable? Check to see what time you get into port. But Yes, probably that would be fine, On your Viking invoice it usually will tell you if there are flight time restrictions, like “do not book flights before 7 am.” Edited March 30, 2023 by SantaFe1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey111 Posted March 30, 2023 #1805 Share Posted March 30, 2023 43 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said: Check to see what time you get into port. But Yes, probably that would be fine, On your Viking invoice it usually will tell you if there are flight time restrictions, like “do not book flights before 7 am.” Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELSMOM47 Posted March 30, 2023 #1806 Share Posted March 30, 2023 On 8/11/2022 at 2:10 AM, MamaFej said: Onboard now. The pistachio raisin rolls have been removed from the menu. So disappointed!!!!! I’ve never had them but I was so looking forward to having one. Anything great replace them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELSMOM47 Posted March 30, 2023 #1807 Share Posted March 30, 2023 On 9/18/2021 at 2:29 PM, Squawkman said: They also have Splenda in the Restaurant and manfredi’s. What other choices are there? Blue? Pink? Raw? I’ve read that most of the milk is the ultra pasteurized stuff that comes in shelf stable cartons. 😬 Sure hope there is real cream or half and half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LindaS272 Posted March 30, 2023 #1808 Share Posted March 30, 2023 There is. Don’t believe half the stuff you read on CC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Peregrina651 Posted March 30, 2023 #1809 Share Posted March 30, 2023 There is half and half. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELSMOM47 Posted March 30, 2023 #1810 Share Posted March 30, 2023 On 10/24/2021 at 4:19 PM, deec said: IMO the living room on Viking has the best coffee on the ship but I am pretty sure it is not french press. We bring our own insulated mugs so can take the coffee to another venue for breakfast. Is this included? Do they have cream or half and half? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dd57 Posted March 31, 2023 #1811 Share Posted March 31, 2023 All coffee including lattes, cappuchinos, espressos, are complimentary as long as there is no alcohol involved. So Irish coffee, etc., has a cost. The same Living room wonderful coffee is used for the cappuchinos and lattes there. Yumm. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Peregrina651 Posted March 31, 2023 #1812 Share Posted March 31, 2023 14 minutes ago, dd57 said: All coffee including lattes, cappuchinos, espressos, are complimentary as long as there is no alcohol involved. So Irish coffee, etc., has a cost. The same Living room wonderful coffee is used for the cappuchinos and lattes there. Yumm. The coffee maker in the LivingRoom Bar is a commercial grade espresso machine, just like the espresso makers that have been pumping out the coffee in the cafes of Spain, France and Italy since long before Mr. Coffee got into the coffee brewing business. Each cup is freshly brewed while you wait. Beans are ground in very small batches. No pods as in the machines in the World Cafe. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaFej Posted March 31, 2023 #1813 Share Posted March 31, 2023 5 hours ago, MELSMOM47 said: I’ve never had them but I was so looking forward to having one. Anything great replace them? Crew did not mention a replacement. However, I very much enjoyed the raspberry danish. Hopefully, the pistachio raisin rolls have made or will make a return. I cruised in August 2022. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELSMOM47 Posted March 31, 2023 #1814 Share Posted March 31, 2023 8 hours ago, MamaFej said: Crew did not mention a replacement. However, I very much enjoyed the raspberry danish. Hopefully, the pistachio raisin rolls have made or will make a return. I cruised in August 2022. I’m hoping for a cardamom bun 😋 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostFan#1 Posted March 31, 2023 #1815 Share Posted March 31, 2023 We have a late Feb. 2024 booking on the Northern Lights cruise and was shocked to realize our final payment would be due barely 3 weeks after making the initial deposit. Thank you to those who have posted here that those with existing and paid-in-full bookings could get final payment date extended. So, I signed onto the Live Chat this morning, and within five minutes, the due date was extended 4 1/2 months. Thank you to all who contribute to this forum! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CCWineLover Posted March 31, 2023 #1816 Share Posted March 31, 2023 1 hour ago, LostFan#1 said: We have a late Feb. 2024 booking on the Northern Lights cruise and was shocked to realize our final payment would be due barely 3 weeks after making the initial deposit. Thank you to those who have posted here that those with existing and paid-in-full bookings could get final payment date extended. So, I signed onto the Live Chat this morning, and within five minutes, the due date was extended 4 1/2 months. Thank you to all who contribute to this forum! Excellent! Another great example of how exchanging information on Cruise Critic helps people out. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Peregrina651 Posted March 31, 2023 #1817 Share Posted March 31, 2023 1 hour ago, LostFan#1 said: Thank you to those who have posted here that those with existing and paid-in-full bookings could get final payment date extended. You lucked out! Normally, this has to be done at the time of booking, before you make your initial deposit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostFan#1 Posted March 31, 2023 #1818 Share Posted March 31, 2023 Thanks for clearing that up, Peregrina, for others new to Viking booking policies. I must have tapped into a compassionate agent this am! We could pay for the cruise in 2 weeks, of course, but am happy for some interest to accrue in the next 4 months. Debbie 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Turtles06 Posted April 2, 2023 #1819 Share Posted April 2, 2023 Greetings! My wife and I are veteran cruisers considering our first cruise on Viking Ocean. I've read through this helpful thread from the posts beginning after the re-start, and thank the "Viking experts" for all the information you have provided. I have a couple of questions that I did not see addressed above: 1. We don't cruise for the entertainment, but especially on a 17-night cruise (which is what we're considering), good entertainment is a plus. Most of Viking's cruises are port-intensive; the one we are looking at is RT from LA to Hawaii, so there are many sea days in a row going to and coming from the islands. We love sea days, but I'm wondering whether the evening entertainment on such an itinerary would be different from the more typical port-intensive cruise (since guest performers could not come and go; or perhaps that does not happen on Viking at all). 2. The evening dress code says "no jeans" (except in the World Cafe). Does this just mean blue jeans? Our standard dinner cruise (and land travel) wear is typically nice, clean black jeans with a nice sweater, blouse, or other top. Is this acceptable for women on Viking? Any information, thoughts, and advice would be much appreciated! Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantaFe1 Posted April 2, 2023 #1820 Share Posted April 2, 2023 We are on the LA to Hawaii cruise next February. One the reasons we choose it, besides getting out of here during winter, was the sea days, which we enjoy. But when the ship doesn’t dock and can’t bring on new entertainers for the star theater, you will usually just have the standard Viking entertainers (vocalists) and the Viking band. We don’t enjoy the entertainment in the star theater, and generally gravitate to the explorers lounge or Atrium, where they have guitar and/or piano and classical duet. The dress code for the restaurants is a topic of much controversy. By jeans, Viking supposedly means jeans of any color. I always take a pair of black dress pants and my husband takes khakis or navy dress pants. But on our last cruise, we saw that rule flagrantly ignored. I would pack something besides black jeans just to be safe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Peregrina651 Posted April 2, 2023 #1821 Share Posted April 2, 2023 No black jeans. We tried one night, not intentionally but someone had put both pairs of dockers into the laundry at once. We weren't even thinking about it when we headed down to dinner. We ate in the buffet that night. The staff pulled DH aside and quietly asked him to return to the cabin to change. DH explained the situation and we left. No big deal. Politely handled. Apologies on all sides. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi13 Posted April 2, 2023 #1822 Share Posted April 2, 2023 1 hour ago, Turtles06 said: Greetings! My wife and I are veteran cruisers considering our first cruise on Viking Ocean. I've read through this helpful thread from the posts beginning after the re-start, and thank the "Viking experts" for all the information you have provided. I have a couple of questions that I did not see addressed above: 1. We don't cruise for the entertainment, but especially on a 17-night cruise (which is what we're considering), good entertainment is a plus. Most of Viking's cruises are port-intensive; the one we are looking at is RT from LA to Hawaii, so there are many sea days in a row going to and coming from the islands. We love sea days, but I'm wondering whether the evening entertainment on such an itinerary would be different from the more typical port-intensive cruise (since guest performers could not come and go; or perhaps that does not happen on Viking at all). 2. The evening dress code says "no jeans" (except in the World Cafe). Does this just mean blue jeans? Our standard dinner cruise (and land travel) wear is typically nice, clean black jeans with a nice sweater, blouse, or other top. Is this acceptable for women on Viking? Any information, thoughts, and advice would be much appreciated! Thank you! Based on our experience on ocean passages 1). For the Hawaiian Sojourn, I believe Viking is allowing 6-days for the ocean passage. In addition to the regular shows from the resident singers, they will probably have 2 guest entertainers, who will perform 2 separate shows each. The guest entertainers may change in Hawaii, as I rarely see them remaining onboard for 17 days. 2). Enforcement of the dress code resides with the Restaurant Manager and the host, however Viking's intent is No Jeans period. We have seen the host respectfully request pax return to the cabin to change, or use the World Cafe. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantaFe1 Posted April 2, 2023 #1823 Share Posted April 2, 2023 But, as I said, less than one month ago, we had people in jeans at all venues every night. I even asked about it twice, and sort of got a runaround answer. I will say that that cruise was not the usual demographic. I would say that fully half the pax were under 60, where usually I would guess 80% of pax over 60. I do believe Heidi13 is correct, though, when he ways they will have a few acts waiting in the wings for our five days over and five days back. And then probably new acts brought aboard in Hawaii. That would be fun. And with lots of sea days, Viking provides many other activities and special surprises beyond just the evening entertainment. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zalusky Posted April 3, 2023 #1824 Share Posted April 3, 2023 3 hours ago, Peregrina651 said: No black jeans. We tried one night, not intentionally but someone had put both pairs of dockers into the laundry at once. We weren't even thinking about it when we headed down to dinner. We ate in the buffet that night. The staff pulled DH aside and quietly asked him to return to the cabin to change. DH explained the situation and we left. No big deal. Politely handled. Apologies on all sides. Do they bounce you if you have poly stretch pants that look like jeans but aren’t: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeriGail Posted April 3, 2023 #1825 Share Posted April 3, 2023 14 hours ago, zalusky said: Do they bounce you if you have poly stretch pants that look like jeans but aren’t: Who knows what they'd say, but I call those trousers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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