What's it like on a Viking Ship?

[Readytogokjs]

Never having been on a cruise before, I'm trying to imagine the small things.  For example:  

 

A) Is breakfast crowded due to early morning excursions and folks just starting their day early?  Is it easier to order room service if your in a hurry (the menu looks great)?

 

B)  I understand we receive maps of the port area.  Are they detailed enough to do a self guided walking tour?  (don't worry, I have an app for that...but curious).

 

C)  How late do people normally stay up and about on the ship?   Most in bed by 10?  11?

 

D)   How long does it typically take to eat a meal at the Chef's Table or Italian Restaurant?

 

E)  When folks arrive on that first day, do they typically stay on board or go see the Port City (no included excursions)?

 

Anyone wanna share their experience?

 

 

[Capt_BJ]

Comments based on "Midnight Sun" this time last year

 

A) Is breakfast crowded due to early morning excursions and folks just starting their day early?  

not IME, first excursion departure times are usually staggered so there isn't a big rush and add to this the smaller number pass' on VO in general as compared to say a FREEDOM or OASIS class ship. The buffet was more crowded than a sea day but we always found a table easily. If in a 'standard room' - V or DV there isn't really a good place to set up for room service IMO.  Don't be afraid to share a big table ... great way to meet fellow cruisers.

 

B)  I understand we receive maps of the port area.  Are they detailed enough to do a self guided walking tour?  (don't worry, I have an app for that...but curious).

For us, yes.  Often there was a tourist board handing out a different map as well.

 

C)  How late do people normally stay up and about on the ship?   Most in bed by 10?  11?

It IS an older crowd and we're not big night folks but the Torshavn had a set of regulars every night .... as well as Explorer bar

 

D)   How long does it typically take to eat a meal at the Chef's Table or Italian Restaurant?

an hour ..... you are not rushed .... there were nights when we got talking to someone and lingered longer.

 

E)  When folks arrive on that first day, do they typically stay on board or go see the Port City (no included excursions)?

Folks seemed to arrive from when boarding began until into the following day.  Some went back out.  We'd already spent 2 days in the arrival city so were happy to settle into the ship and since we had the drinks package, why not enjoy!

 

It is a very laid back cruise atmosphere .... nothing like a mainstream Carnival or Royal ..... 

 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2019 by Capt_BJ

[SrCruizer]

Have done 3 VO cruises and I agree with Capt BJ’s observations.

 

Regarding arrival day, if this is your first VO cruise and you are transferring directly to the ship from the airport, you may want to spend time getting yourself familiarized with the ship. Plus we like to get ourselves unpacked first thing.

 

Our favorite restaurant is The Chef’s Table and we could easily spend 90 minutes enjoying a leisurely multi course meal. We never felt rushed.

 

Happy cruising😀

[lackcreativity]

The maps of each port that you mentioned are not part of the printed Viking Daily that you will receive every evening. (It is full of useful information, so do check them out!) The maps you can pick up from a bookshelf right by Guest Services, which I think is on level 1.

 

Breakfast is available in the Restaurant, and also at the World Cafe. We only tried the Restaurant for breakfast once, when we had a late excursion, and it wasn't very crowded. The World Cafe can, once in a while,  be hectic depending on the day's schedule, but it was always manageable. It is a buffet, so you can get food quickly. If you are someone who has a bad perception of buffets, I recommend giving it a try, as it is one of the best I have seen. Of course, there are many prepared choices, but also some things will be cooked to order for you. Omelettes in the morning are excellent, but do take longer if you are in a hurry. At lunch and dinner, there will be some different selections on each of the two sides, so learn to check both. The fresh sushi is only on one side, the pizza is only on one side, and the ever popular gelato is also only on one side.

 

We enjoy every one of the dining options, and generally tend to relax and take our time. We often have made new friends and will join up for dinner, talking long after we have finished eating.

 

Viking was our first ever ocean cruise also. Hope you enjoy yours as much as we did. We have finished three so far, with another booked for next year.

[knoxclone]

We were in DV and agree that the set up is not ideal for room service - but that being said, we ordered room service  for breakfast about half the mornings! - it was always arrived promptly. 

 

[just_dont]

We were in a PV, and it was nice to sit on the sofa and eat room service breakfast. We'd planned a lot of the earliest excursions, and room service allowed us to get as much sleep as possible and eat while getting ready to go out.
On a Midnight Sun cruise, the whole point is to experience the Midnight Sun, which resulted in not getting to bed very early. As a result, we were setting the alarm as late as possible.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Peregrina651]

9 hours ago, Capt_BJ said:

It is a very laid back cruise atmosphere ...

 

Ditto everything Capt_BJ said. He sums it just perfectly.

[Readytogokjs]

Thanks everyone.  I'm starting to get a good feel for what is about to happen and SOOO looking forward to it.  That being said, I still think I need to wear a life jacket to bed (haven't gotten over that fear yet).  

 

[lackcreativity]

1 hour ago, Readytogokjs said:

Thanks everyone.  I'm starting to get a good feel for what is about to happen and SOOO looking forward to it.  That being said, I still think I need to wear a life jacket to bed (haven't gotten over that fear yet).  

 

I assume you were joking (mostly) about the life jacket. Just FYI, the life jackets are stored by the life boats, not in the cabins as ships did in the past. Common sense indicates that you don't want people to have to go back to their rooms to retrieve them in the event of an actual emergency. Viking staff will explain all that at the muster drill which you must attend at the beginning of the cruise. 

[Readytogokjs]

5 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

I assume you were joking (mostly) about the life jacket. Just FYI, the life jackets are stored by the life boats, not in the cabins as ships did in the past. Common sense indicates that you don't want people to have to go back to their rooms to retrieve them in the event of an actual emergency. Viking staff will explain all that at the muster drill which you must attend at the beginning of the cruise. 

Yes, I was joking about the life jacket, but not the fear of being up to 5 miles out and something happening in the middle of the night.  Nope...not joking about that.

[lackcreativity]

5 minutes ago, Readytogokjs said:

Yes, I was joking about the life jacket, but not the fear of being up to 5 miles out and something happening in the middle of the night.  Nope...not joking about that.

I know what you mean: flying is not my favorite thing, but I do my best to just put it out of my mind because it's what I must do to get to our vacations. If it helps, they have enough life boats and rafts for all the passengers and crew, and the life boats are all enclosed vessels for protection from the elements. I think you will find it feels like a very nice hotel, and you will have so much fun you will be distracted from your fear. And there is the unlimited wine at lunch and dinner if that helps!

[Readytogokjs]

13 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

I know what you mean: flying is not my favorite thing, but I do my best to just put it out of my mind because it's what I must do to get to our vacations. If it helps, they have enough life boats and rafts for all the passengers and crew, and the life boats are all enclosed vessels for protection from the elements. I think you will find it feels like a very nice hotel, and you will have so much fun you will be distracted from your fear. And there is the unlimited wine at lunch and dinner if that helps!

I'm sure that unlimited wine will help.  I know the chances of something bad are slim.  Just "a thing" because it's new to me.  Thanks.

[philw1776]

Hey, we were out at sea on Silversea and the floor below (crew quarters) caught on fire at 3AM.  **** happens!
Nobody hurt and rooms were vacuumed & aired our while we toured next day.

Edited July 10, 2019 by philw1776

[rrgator]

7 hours ago, Readytogokjs said:

Yes, I was joking about the life jacket, but not the fear of being up to 5 miles out and something happening in the middle of the night.  Nope...not joking about that.

Make sure you don't watch Titanic, if it is on the TV.  😁

[Peregrina651]

 

Oh, great!!!!  Abandon hope all ye who enter here. The boys have started playing a game of "bet you can't beat this" cruise horror stories, all guaranteed to make us never want to cruise again. They are incorrigible. 🙈🙉🙊   I know ship happens, I just don't really want to hear the details.

 

@Readytogokjs, here are two more threads that you might find helpful. They are a bit older but still very helpful.

Tell Me Why .....

Tips for New Viking Ocean Cruisers

[Jim Avery]

1 hour ago, rrgator said:

Make sure you don't watch Titanic, if it is on the TV.  😁

Haha, we always watch Titanic before a cruise...😎

[OnTheJourney]

What's it like??? Nice and relaxing, until it isn't...... (Sky Survivor, 3/23/19) 🙂

 

BTW...Jim....the ship's guitarist was playing "My Heart Will Go On" while we were eating lunch that Saturday afternoon....  

Edited July 10, 2019 by gretschwhtfalcon

[OnTheJourney]

9 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

I assume you were joking (mostly) about the life jacket. Just FYI, the life jackets are stored by the life boats, not in the cabins as ships did in the past. Common sense indicates that you don't want people to have to go back to their rooms to retrieve them in the event of an actual emergency. Viking staff will explain all that at the muster drill which you must attend at the beginning of the cruise. 

Perhaps stored near the boats but also (at least when we were on the Sky) were in an area that is not accessible (or at least not fully) from the inside of the ship. Crew had to form a sort of human chain to pass them along to the inside. NOT a great idea...

Edited July 10, 2019 by gretschwhtfalcon

[Maggers]

Just a note on the port maps.  Most days they are available (at customer relations on deck 1) the evening prior to arriving in the port.  I liked to pick one up so we could look at it over cocktails after dinner.

[LFS517]

On 7/10/2019 at 2:57 PM, rrgator said:

Make sure you don't watch Titanic, if it is on the TV.  😁

Seriously, on our Mediterranean Odyssey cruise in April, I turned on the TV, and the Poseidon Adventure was on! 

[OnTheJourney]

Original Poseidon or newer one with Jeff Bridges?  Love the design of the ship in the newer version. 

[LFS517]

Original Poseidon....a classic!

[Jim Avery]

11 minutes ago, LFS517 said:

Original Poseidon....a classic!

Agree.  Hard to beat Shelley Winters swimming underwater....😳  Loved all the scenes filmed on the old Queen Mary.

[OnTheJourney]

Seriously...and Ernest Borgnine....lost his poor Linda..... 😞   Funniest part in the newer version is Jeff Bridges saying, during the one daring rescue scene, "I used to be a fireman"....LOL   But that pales in comparison to Nicholson's "HERE'ssss  JOHNNY!!!"  

Edited July 14, 2019 by gretschwhtfalcon