dining and excursion Expertise please

[lucyd]

I am sharing a cabin with a friend on an Oct cruise - Viking Sky.

When scheduling shared excursions do we each book one seat on our own accounts, or can I book both seats on my account? We will only taking the "included" excursions but want to be sure we are together.

Also, how many nights for specialty restaurants can we book in advance?

Will we be able to see the Chef's Table menu in advance of the cruise? I understand they will always offer a vegetarian option.

Thank you so much.

[Peregrina651]

I am sharing a cabin with a friend on an Oct cruise - Viking Sky.

When scheduling shared excursions do we each book one seat on our own accounts, or can I book both seats on my account? We will only taking the "included" excursions but want to be sure we are together.

Also, how many nights for specialty restaurants can we book in advance?

Will we be able to see the Chef's Table menu in advance of the cruise? I understand they will always offer a vegetarian option.

Thank you so much.

 

The number of advanced reservations depends on your cabin category. Click here then scroll down to see the features for the different cabins (yes, it is the Star but it is the same on all of the ships). It will also tell you how many days in advance you can book your tours and make your dinner reservations (although those dates are actually included on your Viking invoice, so you don't have to figure what the date is from the number of days on the chart).

 

You cannot see the menus in advance but you can once you board the ship and you can make any necessary changes then--and you can discuss the vegetarian options with them at that time.

 

Once you make your shore excursion bookings, be sure to check your tickets when you get on board to make sure that you are both still in the same group--in case you have to make adjustments.

[Dauntless]

I am sharing a cabin with a friend on an Oct cruise - Viking Sky.

When scheduling shared excursions do we each book one seat on our own accounts, or can I book both seats on my account? We will only taking the "included" excursions but want to be sure we are together.

Also, how many nights for specialty restaurants can we book in advance?

Will we be able to see the Chef's Table menu in advance of the cruise? I understand they will always offer a vegetarian option.

Thank you so much.

 

My experience for your questions.

 

I too went with a friend in another city. We arranged a time to sign up for excursions and called each other so we would be in contact during the process. Then we signed up 1 by 1 for the included excursions. We also did a paid excursion through Viking went we first went on line and got that paid for and the proceeded to 'included' ones. Since different accounts are connected to the same cabin, this is how that works.

 

We were in V cabin so we could not specialty restaurants reservations before we boarded so that depends on which cabin you are in and is answered on Viking's site. We ate 7 times in specialty on a 15 day cruise.

 

On my next cruise I am traveling with someone with special needs for diet and I wrote TellUs@vikingcruises.com and received a quick response on how to handle this.

 

Hope that helps.

[Azulann]

Dauntless,

I will be following your example. I live in MN and my travel partner lives in AZ... so we will co -ordinate our optional excursions first and pay for them , then move on to the incuded excursions and times.

thanks!

[drmarg]

I just did the same process - book optionals then the included. I was able to reserve for both my sister and myself for both the optionals and the included with one exception, Helsinki where the included excursion we want had only one slot (which I took). Have asked on another post how others have dealt with this situation.

 

 

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[philw1776]

Once onboard, specialty restaurants, tours etc. somehow become more available.

HINT: don't try to book specialty restaurants at the World Cafe desk; they hold you to your category limit. Instead, go to the desk at the specialty restaurant. Chat up the folks. Then ask to book. You'll get what's available vs what your category allows.

I talked Croatian basketball with the Manfredi's host. :)

[Peregrina651]

I just did the same process - book optionals then the included. I was able to reserve for both my sister and myself for both the optionals and the included with one exception, Helsinki where the included excursion we want had only one slot (which I took). Have asked on another post how others have dealt with this situation.

 

 

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Is that what is going? Since you already have one seat on the bus, contact the folks at TellUs@vikingcruises.com and see what they can do for you. Don't mess around waiting and checking back, just go straight to Plan B.

[deec]

We were in a v1 category and once on the ship could make as many reservations at specialty restaurants that we wanted.

[stcroixguy]

At what time can you start to make your choices?

[Peregrina651]

At what time can you start to make your choices?

 

The date when booking opens for your stateroom category is given on your Viking invoice or on MVJ, which gives it as a countdown to opening. The time that booking opens is Midnight Pacific Time (1 am for Mountain time, 2 am for Central, 3 am for Eastern, etc.).

[stcroixguy]

Thank you so much for this. I will be on a fishing trip in Canada and will be able to do this before I go north.:cool:

[SoDakPirate]

I am doing a back-to-back cruise in a DV2 stateroom. Will I be able to select all my excursions and dining for the second leg when my time comes for the initial leg?

[Peregrina651]

I am doing a back-to-back cruise in a DV2 stateroom. Will I be able to select all my excursions and dining for the second leg when my time comes for the initial leg?

 

Good question. I've been wondering the same--and also asking if I get two dinner reservation in advance for each venue or just one? Booking opens for me at the end of October.

 

I looked on MYJ and it says that I have 108 days until booking opens regardless of which leg of the cruise I look at, so I am assuming that it means we get to book both legs at the same time. Which is good but it probably also means that we get just one advanced reservation in each venue (which doesn't matter quite as much because once on board, you can always make additional reservations).

[drmarg]

Philw66 - you mentioned that more opportunities to book dinner reservations occurred once you were on board - correct? When I logged into MVJ today I was allowed only one reservation for the Chef's Table and one for Manfredi's. If that is all we get it won't be the end of the world but I would be interested in at least one more at the Chef's Table.

 

 

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[philw1776]

Philw66 - you mentioned that more opportunities to book dinner reservations occurred once you were on board - correct? When I logged into MVJ today I was allowed only one reservation for the Chef's Table and one for Manfredi's. If that is all we get it won't be the end of the world but I would be interested in at least one more at the Chef's Table.

 

 

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My personal experience and that of some other posters here is that once onboard, ADDITIONAL specialty reservations were readily available. Only once, the very 1st day was i turned down at the reservation table at the World Cafe by (i think) a junior employee who said "You're only allowed your specified # of reservations". This is not so...onboard.

Happened by the desk at Manfredis where the maitre d laughed and said "I determine the reservations. What would you like?"

We were able to get several reservations to each restaurant* as was everyone else on board I talked with.

 

I THINK Viking simply holds back many slots so that guests onboard can feel better satisfied with their availability rather than have every slot on the entire cruise allocated strictly on a cabin priority basis. My speculation.

 

* ended up cancelling 2 of them as returning from a long full day of touring, the World Cafe appeared more relaxing

[geospyder]

The cruise we have booked is the Southern Mediterranean, Jan 4, 2019, on the Viking Star. This will be our first Viking Ocean Cruise. From what I'm reading it sounds like it may be a mad house trying to get your excursions and specialty restaurant reservations the day they open. If it is bad it will be doubly bad for us since we will be at sea crossing the Atlantic the day the excursions open. At least we will be in port in the US the day the specialty restaurant reservations open. Since this is our first Viking cruise we are opting to go with the included excursions. Any suggestions for the newbies?

[Peregrina651]

The cruise we have booked is the Southern Mediterranean, Jan 4, 2019, on the Viking Star. This will be our first Viking Ocean Cruise. From what I'm reading it sounds like it may be a mad house trying to get your excursions and specialty restaurant reservations the day they open. If it is bad it will be doubly bad for us since we will be at sea crossing the Atlantic the day the excursions open. At least we will be in port in the US the day the specialty restaurant reservations open. Since this is our first Viking cruise we are opting to go with the included excursions. Any suggestions for the newbies?

 

1. Book when you get home. You might not get the time slots you had hoped for but you are a guaranteed a seat.

2. If any tour is completely sold out in all time slots, then contact Viking and tell them that you went to book and that there were no time slots left and you want to make sure that they are planning on adding additional seats; do not take no for an answer.. Don't call but contact using TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

3. Do not wait until you get on the ship to book these tours.

4. Even though the tours are free, you still have to go through the check out process.

 

Keep in mind that unless you get your own visa for Algiers ($160pp), that you can only disembark with a Viking tour.

[geospyder]

1. Book when you get home. You might not get the time slots you had hoped for but you are a guaranteed a seat.

2. If any tour is completely sold out in all time slots, then contact Viking and tell them that you went to book and that there were no time slots left and you want to make sure that they are planning on adding additional seats; do not take no for an answer.. Don't call but contact using TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

3. Do not wait until you get on the ship to book these tours.

4. Even though the tours are free, you still have to go through the check out process.

 

Keep in mind that unless you get your own visa for Algiers ($160pp), that you can only disembark with a Viking tour.

Thanks - that was what I was looking for.