Dining on The Star

[lextrvlr]

My wife and I were anxious to try the much touted Viking Ocean. We booked a one week Rome to Barcelona cruise with a three-day pre-cruise Umbria extension. We made our own flight arrangements in order to assure only direct flights to and from. We were, however, obligated to arrive on the day our extension began. Would have preferred to arrive a day or two earlier and meet the Viking guides at the airport but we were told this could not be done. I have since found out that there is a way around this by booking private transportation to the extension hotel for the first night there. Another couple in our group did this. The Umbria extension was outstanding. I have reviewed this elsewhere. Transportation from the extension to the ship was flawless though we didn't arrive until 5:00 PM with only a half hour until muster drill.

As for the cruise itself, I must say that I readily understand the high marks given by the vast majority of its guests. The spotless ship, its gracious crew, its many amenities and very comfortable accommodations validate the acclamations. For me, however, there is one very prominent deficiency. This is dining.

Let me hasten to say that the majority will probably disagree with me. I add this note in hopes of dissuading the many Viking defenders from venting. Folks, it's just a matter of some like chocolate while others prefer vanilla.

Dining on Viking tends to be casual, and is meant to be. Of the various venues, The Restaurant (main dining room) is the only one with table linens. All others use plastic place mats. The World Cafe is the “buffet” which is cafeteria style self-service for everything except beverages which are served. This is very popular for a variety of good reasons. Guests who are in a hurry, who prefer to wear more casual clothes than suggested for other venues, who like to fill their plates with a variety of offerings, love this place. The World Cafe is always open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are two “specialty” restaurants, Manfredi's and The Chef's Table. Manfredi's has a very interesting menu with an Italian theme. The offerings are delicious and portions tend to be large. Service is as helter-skelter here as it is in all other service venues. I'll explain later. The Chef's Table offers a set menu which changes every several days. These two alternative restaurants serve dinner only and only by reservation. The remaining three food outlets are the Living Room bar, Mansen's (a Norwegian deli), and the Pool Grill. All with very good but limited menus. Of course, there is always the 24-hour option of room service which arrives promptly, on a tray, and must be consumed from your lap or shagged to the balcony table, unless you have a suite which includes a dining table.

So what's my beef? Service! Everyone, in every mentioned venue and in every other part of the ship, is as gracious, friendly and accommodating as possible. It is the method obviously prescribed for them in the restaurants that troubles me. In all restaurants, one's server will introduce himself, or herself, and state that they will take care of you. That may be the only time you see him or her. Someone else may take your order, another to ask about wine, still another to bring the first course and so on. If you stick to three courses as shown on the menu this is OK. However if you veer from this, confusion and unwarranted delay result. Requesting a salad to be served after the main course, asking for a small serving of a main for a starter, or a large serving of a starter for a main just doesn't work when dealing with multiple servers. Asking one if San Pellegrino is available and being told yes, and later being told no by another, just doesn't work.

This MO was very much more evident in Manfredi's and The Chef's Table than in The Restaurant. For this reason I preferred The Restaurant. We had two reservations in Manfredi's and two in The Chef's Table. We canceled one in each to return to The Restaurant. We would have been delighted to take all three meals every day in The Restaurant. Unfortunately The Restaurant serves lunch only occasionally when at sea, and does not serve breakfast before 8:00 AM which means you must dine elsewhere in order to make a early morning tour.

With that off my chest, let me say that we enjoyed our first Viking cruise and would not be adverse to taking another. I am old but still a pretty fast learner and can work around the dining issues. I do want to offer special kudos to Natalie, the charming young lady who manned the desk at the entrance to The Restaurant, who always greeted me by name and “two chairs” as I preferred any table so long as it had two chairs (no banquet seat); and to Gregory from Armenia who took good care of us at the Living Room bar and saw to it that I had my breakfast oatmeal cookie in the morning and my Maker's Mark in the evening.

I score our Viking cruise a 9 out of 10.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Peregrina651]

Viking learns a lot more from our well thought out criticisms than from our glowing kudos.

[Hanoj]

@lextrvlr's observations appear fair and accurate from my experience. We were on the Star in May/June and found the service inconsistent. We ate mostly in the World Cafe and sat outdoors often. At times service was very attentive, even overly so as more than one waiter/supervisor would ask us for our drink order. Other times we had to flag someone down. Outdoors the service was less satisfactory. All the staff were friendly and gracious, but there were times where it seemed chaotic. If we sat in the same general area the service was more consistent, since familiarity was established. We tended to eat dinner at 6 pm and the WC was not as busy as it got later in the evening. 

[eylarson]

We concur.  We left The Restaurant one night after sitting for 5 minutes with no acknowledgement from any waiter during a not very busy time.  We found that Restaurant service was best when we reserved a large table for a group of friends made on the World Cruise.  it was also above average when we asked to be seated at a impromptu group table.  Their was rarely a very long wait for six others to join.  Service for just the two of us in The Restaurant was always hit or miss.  

[knoxclone]

Again, I agree.  First time breakfast in Restaurant service was very slow.  tried next morning and finally left Main Restaurant after waiting more than 40 minutes for breakfast to be delivered to our table. As we got up to leave, the server frantically waved us down saying "its coming out soon".  We  took the elevator to the the WC grabbed some fruit and a bagel and headed out to our excursion. As much as I enjoy a leisurely sit-down breakfast, it should not take more than 15 minutes to serve  a basic eggs Benedict and pancakes w bacon. 😒

[Squawkman]

I guess I was lucky. On a 7 night cruise last year we ate 3 breakfasts and 6 dinners in the restaurant with no problems - and we had some specialty ordering, like lamb chops and over easy eggs for breakfast.

[Cyber Kat]

We were on the Viking Sea and had wonderful service at all the venues. Our cruise was in the Caribbean, so we mostly ate breakfast and lunch at the World Cafe so we could sit outside on the Aquavit Terrace. It didn’t take long for them to greet us each morning with 2 glasses of orange juice and my cappuccino. 

 

We tended to sit in the same area for lunch and the wait staff got to know my husband’s preferred beer and my Sauvignon Blanc. 

 

My only complaint about Manfredi’s was we had to share a table - which was fine - to get our preferred time. The table they put us at with another couple was to small for 4 people and the amount of food they serve 😁

 

We loved the Chefs Table menu we had chosen, and didn’t seek to deviate. I have come to learn that you can to some extent, but it’s meant to be a set menu for the wine pairings. 

 

In the Restaurant, we found a wonderful serving team and always tried to sit in their area.  We are comfortable with the team concept and have found that to be the way things are done on most of the lines we have sailed with and frequently in local restaurants as well - with the exception of the smaller ones. 

 

I offer this not in rebuttal to @lextrvlr‘s experience, but to let people know that dining experiences can vary depending on what one is used to and what one expects. We did make some changes to the menu in the Restaurant without a problem, but most times the offerings were fine. 

 

As they say, “your mileage may vary 😁

 

I did want to comment on a couple of other things with regard to the flight arrangements in case Viking first timers are not aware of Viking Air Plus You can book flights through Viking and get direct flights and flights of your choice. The price to work with the custom air people is $50 pp and so very worth it!

 

 We have done both flights on our own and flights through Viking and have been very happy with the arrangements in all cases.  

 

Also you are not “obligated” to arrive on the day your extension or cruise begins, you just have to pay the deviation fee - usually $100 pp. You do lose the airport pick up - which we have yet to experience, because we always deviate 😁 but we have always found ground transportation easy enough to manage. I’ve found that often contacting the hotel is the best option. 

 

I’m glad to hear @lextrvlr that you enjoyed the rest of your cruise, and I hope if you choose to do another that you have a better dining experience!  

 

 

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Cyber Kat said:

The price to work with the custom air people is $50 pp and so very worth it!

 

This number has changed. If arrival or departure is from certain ports (Bergen is one of them), the fee will be higher. Viking is now saying on the website:

 

(on the Viking website under My Trip/Air Services

 

1 hour ago, Cyber Kat said:

I offer this not in rebuttal to @lextrvlr‘s experience, but to let people know that dining experiences can vary depending on what one is used to and what one expects. We did make some changes to the menu in the Restaurant without a problem, but most times the offerings were fine. 

 

As they say, “your mileage may vary 😁

 

Well put!!! Every cruise has its own vibe!

[Vineyard View]

Thank you Peregrina for posting the Air Plus pricing update. A $300/pp charge for Viking to book your tickets for you sure seems like a steep price to pay. I never have really understood why there was an upcharge to go in early or stay over later on ones own,  but this is a big possible increase. 

[lextrvlr]

2 hours ago, Cyber Kat said:

We were on the Viking Sea and had wonderful service at all the venues. Our cruise was in the Caribbean, so we mostly ate breakfast and lunch at the World Cafe so we could sit outside on the Aquavit Terrace. It didn’t take long for them to greet us each morning with 2 glasses of orange juice and my cappuccino. 

 

We tended to sit in the same area for lunch and the wait staff got to know my husband’s preferred beer and my Sauvignon Blanc. 

 

My only complaint about Manfredi’s was we had to share a table - which was fine - to get our preferred time. The table they put us at with another couple was to small for 4 people and the amount of food they serve 😁

 

We loved the Chefs Table menu we had chosen, and didn’t seek to deviate. I have come to learn that you can to some extent, but it’s meant to be a set menu for the wine pairings. 

 

In the Restaurant, we found a wonderful serving team and always tried to sit in their area.  We are comfortable with the team concept and have found that to be the way things are done on most of the lines we have sailed with and frequently in local restaurants as well - with the exception of the smaller ones. 

 

I offer this not in rebuttal to @lextrvlr‘s experience, but to let people know that dining experiences can vary depending on what one is used to and what one expects. We did make some changes to the menu in the Restaurant without a problem, but most times the offerings were fine. 

 

As they say, “your mileage may vary 😁

 

I did want to comment on a couple of other things with regard to the flight arrangements in case Viking first timers are not aware of Viking Air Plus You can book flights through Viking and get direct flights and flights of your choice. The price to work with the custom air people is $50 pp and so very worth it!

 

 We have done both flights on our own and flights through Viking and have been very happy with the arrangements in all cases.  

 

Also you are not “obligated” to arrive on the day your extension or cruise begins, you just have to pay the deviation fee - usually $100 pp. You do lose the airport pick up - which we have yet to experience, because we always deviate 😁 but we have always found ground transportation easy enough to manage. I’ve found that often contacting the hotel is the best option. 

 

I’m glad to hear @lextrvlr that you enjoyed the rest of your cruise, and I hope if you choose to do another that you have a better dining experience!  

 

 

I appreciate your observations. You are absolutely right about the difference in mileage. We had one lunch and two breakfasts in the World Cafe, no diners. This is just not my cup of tea. For me service is every bit as important as food quality and preparation. I no more want to serve myself on a cruise than I would want to make the bed and vacuum the cabin. You are also right with regard to arriving early for the extension, however, in our case Rome to Perugia was a two hour (300€ ) trip and I was not advised of this option by the Viking rep.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you Peregrina for posting the Air Plus pricing update. A $300/pp charge for Viking to book your tickets for you sure seems like a steep price to pay. I never have really understood why there was an upcharge to go in early or stay over later on ones own,  but this is a big possible increase. 

 

I choose Viking Air when I book knowing that I can cancel it. Right now I am in the process of looking at flights for next June and making the decision between, "longer and cheaper" or "shorter but not quite as cheap" and then decision of booking through Viking or on my own. There are so many variables to deal with on this trip, that I just can't decide --and if I ask DH, he will just tell me to book whatever I want. Right now the choices are so close price-wise that it is a hard decision to make.

 

In any case, sometimes even with the additional fees, depending on the air deal that you fall into when you book, it can still be cheaper to book through Viking. We have one of those air deals (not free but still a lot cheaper than what they are currently offering) and even with the $200pp in fees booking with Viking is cheaper than my first choice flight plan -- until you add in potential baggage fees of $170 pp RT when they tell us that our carry-on suitcases have to be checked. What to do! what to do!

[Cyber Kat]

3 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

This number has changed. If arrival or departure is from certain ports (Bergen is one of them), the fee will be higher. Viking is now saying on the website:

 

(on the Viking website under My Trip/Air Services

 

 

Well put!!! Every cruise has its own vibe!

I always thought it was variable depending on the departure port - but most ports are $50.  And the deviation fees are the same as we have encountered in the past.  We find it worth it not to have to hassle with weird flights and we've always found it cheaper to book through Viking - depending on what's on offer at the time through them.

 

[Cyber Kat]

2 hours ago, lextrvlr said:

I appreciate your observations. You are absolutely right about the difference in mileage. We had one lunch and two breakfasts in the World Cafe, no diners. This is just not my cup of tea. For me service is every bit as important as food quality and preparation. I no more want to serve myself on a cruise than I would want to make the bed and vacuum the cabin. You are also right with regard to arriving early for the extension, however, in our case Rome to Perugia was a two hour (300€ ) trip and I was not advised of this option by the Viking rep.

We didn't eat dinner in the World Cafe either - for the same reasons, though this time I do want to eat there when they do the seafood buffet (we missed this last time because we had Chef's Table reservations).  LOL - I'm for sure not making my bed or vacuuming the cabin.

It's a shame some of the phone reps don't have all the information.  That's an area where they really need improvement.  It's like night and day dealing with the people on the ship and on the phone!  We know they monitor these boards, you would think they'd get the hint.

[Peregrina651]

10 minutes ago, Cyber Kat said:

I do want to eat there when they do the seafood buffet

 

There is sushi and other seafood every night in the WC. We go up there occasionally for appetizers before dinner elsewhere.

 

The sushi station is only on one side of the buffet (on Star, Sea and Sky it has been the port side).

[Vineyard View]

We chose Viking Air this upcoming trip mostly because we are sailing the Caribbean in October and if storms/hurricanes make appearances, we can trust that Viking will be working directly with the airlines to assist. We really didn’t save any money going that route, but we gained security so it was worth it. Also, We have always in the past booked ourselves so that we can use miles to upgrade. We were unable to do that with this October trip. 

That said, I agree that it is a good idea in accepting the offered price of the air fare at time of booking so that you have it available to you while you do your homework on flight options. 

[Cyber Kat]

21 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

There is sushi and other seafood every night in the WC. We go up there occasionally for appetizers before dinner elsewhere.

 

The sushi station is only on one side of the buffet (on Star, Sea and Sky it has been the port side).

I found the sushi station!  I did that as well - some appetizers for pre dinner!