Tips for New Viking Ocean Cruisers

[Cienfuegos]

That's a wonderful suggestion. Thank you!

[Quiltincruiser]

Hello all. Will be on our first Viking Cruise on the Sun June 22, in Norway. I know that my cabin has a coffee maker and I see on here that the coffee is strong. Can  anyone tell me what type of coffee product is provided? Not necessarily the coffee itself but the delivery format, ie. is it single serve, Kuerig cup style, pods, loose grounds... I like to take my own coffee and this will certainly help in packing. Thank you.

[Peregrina651]

6 hours ago, Quiltincruiser said:

Hello all. Will be on our first Viking Cruise on the Sun June 22, in Norway. I know that my cabin has a coffee maker and I see on here that the coffee is strong. Can  anyone tell me what type of coffee product is provided? Not necessarily the coffee itself but the delivery format, ie. is it single serve, Kuerig cup style, pods, loose grounds... I like to take my own coffee and this will certainly help in packing. Thank you.

 

The machines are made by Paulig. They use pods but not K-cups.

 

TSA is now limiting the amount of powdered products that one may carry in one's luggage, so double check with TSA or airlines for details

 

There is an older thread on this topic, with pictures.

 

 

[Quiltincruiser]

19 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

The machines are made by Paulig. They use pods but not K-cups.

 

TSA is now limiting the amount of powdered products that one may carry in one's luggage, so double check with TSA or airlines for details

 

There is an older thread on this topic, with pictures.

 

 

 

Thank you so much for the information. I will definitely check the TSA site!

[CCWineLover]

7 hours ago, Quiltincruiser said:

Hello all. Will be on our first Viking Cruise on the Sun June 22, in Norway. I know that my cabin has a coffee maker and I see on here that the coffee is strong. Can  anyone tell me what type of coffee product is provided? Not necessarily the coffee itself but the delivery format, ie. is it single serve, Kuerig cup style, pods, loose grounds... I like to take my own coffee and this will certainly help in packing. Thank you.

 

Hello Quiltncuiser:    We certainly hope that you enjoy your first Viking Cruise!

We are huge coffee lovers and imensely enjoy the coffee makers in our rooms (DV).  They are quite slim which is nice, and have worked very well for our 3 Viking Ocean cruises so far - we used them every morning and often in the afternoon as well.  Yes, you can get coffee elsewhere on the ship, but being able to brew a small cup first thing in the morning without leaving the room was wonderful!

They use actual Nespresso Pods (we know also because we have Nespresso makers at home) and the machine operates just like a mini-Nespresso machine.  The pods we got (and replenished daily for us at the request of our room stewards!) were specifically:  1.  Nespresso Vivalto Lungo  (caffeine), which Nespresso rates as a 4 out of 12 in strength   and 2.  Nespresso Ristretto Defcaffeineated - rated as 10 out of 12.    We actually have some of these pods in our variety at home.

For us the caffeinated one at 4 was too "weak" so we would always brew up a combo of caffeiene and decaff.

Our last machine on the Viking Jupiter was a Nespresso Breville.  We liked it so much (for it's slim lines) that when we got home we found it on Amazon and bought it for ourselves.

We often take our Nespresso pods with us when we travel - and yes, there is a "new" (June 30, 2018) policy for TSA on powders, but this is for carryon, so we just pack our coffee in our suitcases.  We even take strong ground up Starbucks coffee in a sealed bag in our suitcases.  You can though bring powerdered coffee in your carryon - just be aware of the restrictions.

"For travelers flying to the U.S., any powdered substances — like makeup, protein shake mix, spices, baby powder — will need to be packed in containers less than 12 ounces (350 mL), or about the size of a can of soda. Larger amounts must be packed in checked bags only. Powders in carry-on bags are also subject to a secondary search by the TSA."

 

[deec]

If you choose not to make coffee in your room the cabin steward will remove the coffee machine and voila you have an extra shelf which are at a premium in v and DV rooms!

 

[Quiltincruiser]

1 hour ago, CCWineLover said:

 

Hello Quiltncuiser:    We certainly hope that you enjoy your first Viking Cruise!

We are huge coffee lovers and imensely enjoy the coffee makers in our rooms (DV).  They are quite slim which is nice, and have worked very well for our 3 Viking Ocean cruises so far - we used them every morning and often in the afternoon as well.  Yes, you can get coffee elsewhere on the ship, but being able to brew a small cup first thing in the morning without leaving the room was wonderful!

They use actual Nespresso Pods (we know also because we have Nespresso makers at home) and the machine operates just like a mini-Nespresso machine.  The pods we got (and replenished daily for us at the request of our room stewards!) were specifically:  1.  Nespresso Vivalto Lungo  (caffeine), which Nespresso rates as a 4 out of 12 in strength   and 2.  Nespresso Ristretto Defcaffeineated - rated as 10 out of 12.    We actually have some of these pods in our variety at home.

For us the caffeinated one at 4 was too "weak" so we would always brew up a combo of caffeiene and decaff.

Our last machine on the Viking Jupiter was a Nespresso Breville.  We liked it so much (for it's slim lines) that when we got home we found it on Amazon and bought it for ourselves.

We often take our Nespresso pods with us when we travel - and yes, there is a "new" (June 30, 2018) policy for TSA on powders, but this is for carryon, so we just pack our coffee in our suitcases.  We even take strong ground up Starbucks coffee in a sealed bag in our suitcases.  You can though bring powerdered coffee in your carryon - just be aware of the restrictions.

"For travelers flying to the U.S., any powdered substances — like makeup, protein shake mix, spices, baby powder — will need to be packed in containers less than 12 ounces (350 mL), or about the size of a can of soda. Larger amounts must be packed in checked bags only. Powders in carry-on bags are also subject to a secondary search by the TSA."

 

 

Thank you so much! I truly enjoy a cup of coffee while getting ready to leave the cabin for the morning, and the other passengers will be grateful if I have that 😊!

 

[Peregrina651]

Room service is also happy to deliver 24/7😄

[April43434]

Excellent thread, brilliant to start it! One suggestion I haven't seen. Spend quality time on the ship. One of the best things on the Viking Ocean ships is the spa. The pool, hot tub, sauna and snow room are amazing and just the thing in the middle of a couple of weeks of travel to relax. We skipped dinner one night and spent an hour in the spa (we had it to ourselves) then had dinner in our cabin. 

[maryrichardson]

We’re new to Viking Ocean, after one VR trip last summer. (Thank goodness we won’t have to worry about water levels in the Danube!) . We will be on a South American cruise on the Jupiter in February 2020.  I was wondering if they have yoga classes on board, and, if so, what is the charge?  Are they usually early morning?

[deec]

We had free Yoga early morning many days on the the World Cruise.

I do not remember it being offered on the Caribbean to Amazon cruise last fall but I had a sore shoulder so wasn't looking.

[jbeeg]

Hello, We are Viking newbies on the Sky 8 June Iceland and Norway. I realize that people wear whatever they want to dinner (except shorts!) but would fleece sweaters be rather too casual for both men and women? We will need these during the day and assume we will need something warmish for dinner. Only have so much room in the suitcase 🤷‍♀️

Thank you for your guidance

[Dauntless]

36 minutes ago, jbeeg said:

Hello, We are Viking newbies on the Sky 8 June Iceland and Norway. I realize that people wear whatever they want to dinner (except shorts!) but would fleece sweaters be rather too casual for both men and women? We will need these during the day and assume we will need something warmish for dinner. Only have so much room in the suitcase 🤷‍♀️

Thank you for your guidance

 

No jeans in waiter restaurants.   You really never know.  When I did Homelands it was Sept and the temps were in the 80s in Norway.  Layer are always the answer.  That trip I did wear a sweater on day in SP but I took T shirts, henleys, long sleeve flannel and regular shirts with 3 nice pair of pants and jeans and still was under 50 pound luggage capacity  Bergen's avg temp during your time there is 44-57 but the record is 80.  Layers are the answer.  You know your body and if you are heat or cold sensitive.  I never found the ship to be uncomfortable.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, jbeeg said:

Hello, We are Viking newbies on the Sky 8 June Iceland and Norway. I realize that people wear whatever they want to dinner (except shorts!) but would fleece sweaters be rather too casual for both men and women? We will need these during the day and assume we will need something warmish for dinner. Only have so much room in the suitcase 🤷‍♀️

Thank you for your guidance

 

It really takes a lot to be denied admittance to the dining rooms and unless your fleece sweaters are dirty and tatty,  you should be fine.

 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Regarding Iceland/Norway clothing and Viking dining room:  I found weather in both countries pretty mild.  The only time I needed my very warm clothing in Iceland (down jacket, scarf, wool cap) was when we drove to the bottom of a cape pre-cruise.  I was out of the car for a half hour and it WAS very windy and cold.  The only time I needed that clothing in Norway was when we visited the North Cape from Honnigsvag.  (You could stay inside the museum there if you wanted; some people did.)  It was so blustery that I wrapped my scarf around my face!  You'll be fine in the dining room with a decent fleece sweater (with something a bit nicer for Chef's Table & Manfredi's).  However, if you're trying to pack conservatively I wouldn't go overboard with a lot of heavy things.  And if this is someone's first ocean cruise after going on river cruises, my advice would be to remember that you certainly CAN re-wear the same things and few people will notice!  Also, there will be a washing machine down the hall if you need it! 

 

As my husband says, there's ice in Greenland and green in Iceland!  It's really true!  Enjoy!

Edited May 28, 2019 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

We took nice black jeans and had no problem wearing them in waited restaurants at all...and saw many dressed even more casual than that.  For men a nice polo and good looking jeans was fine, women a nice blouse and good jeans worked.  I found that even though we were cruising in summer weather, I was always cold on the ship, so I ended up wearing my light weight jacket everywhere.  I was never anywhere that I felt it did not fit in, dinning or otherwise.  From what we saw, some people loved getting really dressed up, and others did not, but was overall much more casual than the other cruises we've been on.  

 

I overpacked as this was our first cruise to have a washing machine down the hall as the previous poster said.  Next time I'm downsizing and making life easier.  First vacation EVER that we came home with all clean clothes to unpack!  I love doing laundry and just may have averaged one load a day while onboard.  Yeah...I probably need therapy😂.

[deec]

Sunflower...I may plan a cruise that you will be on....I will gladly donate a load of wash per day to keep you happy!!!

 

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Regarding Iceland/Norway clothing and Viking dining room:  I found weather in both countries pretty mild.  The only time I needed my very warm clothing in Iceland (down jacket, scarf, wool cap) was when we drove to the bottom of a cape pre-cruise.  I was out of the car for a half hour and it WAS very windy and cold.  The only time I needed that clothing in Norway was when we visited the North Cape from Honnigsvag.  (You could stay inside the museum there if you wanted; some people did.)  It was so blustery that I wrapped my scarf around my face!  You'll be fine in the dining room with a decent fleece sweater (with something a bit nicer for Chef's Table & Manfredi's).  However, if you're trying to pack conservatively I wouldn't go overboard with a lot of heavy things.  And if this is someone's first ocean cruise after going on river cruises, my advice would be to remember that you certainly CAN re-wear the same things and few people will notice!  Also, there will be a washing machine down the hall if you need it! 

 

As my husband says, there's ice in Greenland and green in Iceland!  It's really true!  Enjoy!

 

One never knows. A fellow members is in Bergen now heading to Iceland and reports that the temps are unseasonably low and that there is snow in the forecast for Geiranger.

Hello from Bergen

[Little Monty]

Updated forecast is 80% chance of snow tomorrow morning in Flam. A little unexpected I must say.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

Perhaps I forgot to mention.....I don't do my kids laundry, I never want to rob someone of the pleasure of doing their own laundry.  

[WarEagle76]

On 5/28/2019 at 11:33 AM, Peregrina651 said:

 

One never knows. A fellow members is in Bergen now heading to Iceland and reports that the temps are unseasonably low and that there is snow in the forecast for Geiranger.

Hello from Bergen

We were in Geiranger last week, 60's and sunny. Weather very unpredictable this time of year!

[CharTrav]

On 5/28/2019 at 10:41 AM, deec said:

Sunflower...I may plan a cruise that you will be on....I will gladly donate a load of wash per day to keep you happy!!!

 

I’m with you! I’m good with doing laundry every 4 or 5 days and timing it so by the last day I’m packing mostly clean clothes but every day? Yikes!🙄😄

[janmitch]

I’m a Viking newbie and I just want to thank everyone for the tips and suggestions!!  I’ve read through all 38 pages over the last couple of months.  Whew!  We are SO looking forward to this cruise—but it’s not until October, 2020!

[CharTrav]

On 5/26/2019 at 11:05 AM, deec said:

If you choose not to make coffee in your room the cabin steward will remove the coffee machine and voila you have an extra shelf which are at a premium in v and DV rooms!

 

You can also tell the steward what mix or no mix at all of pods you want. I ask them not to bring any decaf. Just an equal mix of regular and espresso. Or you can ask for one type only. All espresso, all decaf, all regular. The steward will be happy to comply. And make sure their partner is aware too (the stewards work in pairs). 

[jbeeg]

2 hours ago, CharTrav said:

You can also tell the steward what mix or no mix at all of pods you want. I ask them not to bring any decaf. Just an equal mix of regular and espresso. Or you can ask for one type only. All espresso, all decaf, all regular. The steward will be happy to comply. And make sure their partner is aware too (the stewards work in pairs). 

Unfortunately, not all stewards remember simple things like that. We had to repeatedly leave the same note regarding coffee, the fridge stocking and asking for filtered not chlorinated sink water in our daily carafe.Why put water straight from the sink into a carafe on the counter? The chlorine is obvious. I think we had a particularly "not quite with it" steward based on this and other exploits. Be prepared to write copious notes