Viking aquavit terrace

[Pendle Witch]

This is our first time on Viking, only river cruised once before on Emerald. We are sailing on the Danube soon and have a couple or three plus questions re the Aquavit terrace for dinner. Does it get cool, so should I pack a wrap? Also, we prefer to dine as a couple, is this available there? And, is the food the same as the main dining room or a smaller menu?

Does it get busy, will there be the mass stampede that the dining room gets on Emerald?

I know it's a bombardment of questions and Thankyou for any answers or tips.

[Fletch1]

42 minutes ago, Pendle Witch said:

This is our first time on Viking, only river cruised once before on Emerald. We are sailing on the Danube soon and have a couple or three plus questions re the Aquavit terrace for dinner. Does it get cool, so should I pack a wrap? Also, we prefer to dine as a couple, is this available there? And, is the food the same as the main dining room or a smaller menu?

Does it get busy, will there be the mass stampede that the dining room gets on Emerald?

I know it's a bombardment of questions and Thankyou for any answers or tips.

 

We have cruised twice before with Viking.......Amsterdam to Basel and Budapest to Amsterdam. It was a couple of years ago now. Viking are a very good river cruise line and we would have no hesitation in cruising with them again. 

 

As far as I can recall, dinner was not available on the Aquavit Terrace. Lunch...yes, but I don't recall anybody dining out there for dinner. Dinner was in the main dining room only. This could have changed since we cruised with them last. At lunchtime, there were definitely tables for two on the Aquavit Terrace. 

 

In regards to coolness, it depends what time of the year you are sailing and, it is obviously weather dependent. It did get cool out there when we sailed. But it is lovely sitting out there, specially at sunset. There was only one menu in the main dining room for dinner.

 

And to answer your last question, yes it does get busy! People were queing up waiting for the dining room doors to open as some people wanted to get the same table each night. As it is open sitting, you can sit anywhere.  

 

Hope some of this helps you some way. 

[Pendle Witch]

Fletch, Thankyou for your response. I found a link on here which took me to the Aquavit terrace, it would appear they have now started serving evening meals there as well. We have done sea cruising, but only one river cruise before, which was as I said Emerald. The rush to the dining room for the evening meal was not enjoyable, and the open seating was a bit of a joke with people grabbing whole tables and reserving them. 

I am sure we will enjoy our cruise never the less.

[Fletch1]

Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened on both of our river cruises. People got into their dining groups and had representatives race in early and grab the best table and reserve it for the rest of the group. Really got annoying towards the end of the cruise. 

 

Dining on the Aquavit Terrace for dinner would be nice.......wish it was around when we cruised with them. 

 

And I have no doubt you will enjoy it and I hope you do! 

 

 

[Pendle Witch]

We will enjoy I'm sure.

[kentchris]

The Aquavit Terrace currently serves the same dinner menu as the dining room, on our Rhone cruise last month it opened 15 minutes later than the dining room but the time may depend on the ship. There are a couple of tables for two on the terrace, the only ones on the ship, which are in the enclosed part. We haven't had dinner on the terrace so can't comment on whether there's a rush for preferred tables, but it happens in the main dining room.

 

[Pendle Witch]

Thank you for the response, I think we will give the terrace a try.

[sharkster77]

Doesn't the Aquavit terrace have both an indoor and outdoor component?  If that's the case, then one could sit in either location based on temperature?

[3rdCoastFan]

While the entire terrace is available or lunch, they only prepared 6 tables for dinner (4 4-tops and 2 2-tops, if I recall correctly). These tables are all 'inside' so if they close the glass doors, I wouldn't expect temperature to be a concern. There are heat lamps on the outside portion, though, and they have plenty of blankets available. 

 

Dinner service started at 7:15 and the same menu as the one in the dining room was available. Same beverage options, too. 

 

At the start of my cruise, 1-2 tables remained open during dinner. By the end, though, people were showing up at 7 and found all of the tables occupied. On my cruise, most everyone just defaulted to the dining room - or perhaps didn't know that dinner was available on the terrace. Since the terrace never closes, one could hang out as early as you like and snag a table that way. 

[Pendle Witch]

Thank you, I think you have all answered my questions.

[hehny]

Just off the Rhine.  Weather was perfect, which may have been a factor but people were lined up way before dinner was served.  It was completely booked every night. Easier to find spots for breakfast or lunch.  Viking really doesn’t lend itself to dining alone as a couple.  We had some success at lunch and breakfast but never dinner.  

[Clay Clayton]

This is five year old news but we had wonderful dinners in the Aquavit Terrace at least twice. The dinner menu was an edited version of that served in the main dining room.  There was a small “buffet” section with appetizers & salads and then a chef (he was the eggmeister downstairs at breakfast) who would serve you soup and your entree. There were just the four of us the second time we ate there and when we walked in, he said have a seat and I’ll prepare you a sampler of appetizers. He brought us a lovely platter of shareables and took our order for soup and brought to our table. When it was busier, it had been more serve yourself. He told us about the entree choices and said if none of them suited he would be glad to bring anything from the dining room menu too. 

 

For dessert, nothing struck my fancy and I asked about whatever the deliciousness that had been served the night before. After a quick dash down the ship’s ladder behind the serving station into the kitchen, I had whatever it was along with an extra one for the table!

 

We really enjoyed Aquavit. Our cruise was on the Danube in April and it was relatively cool which may be one reason that the Terrace was underused.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Edited August 21, 2019 by Clay Clayton

[Pendle Witch]

Thank you for the responses, we shall just have to take it as it comes, no doubt we shall enjoy.

[johnandlinda]

On 8/20/2019 at 6:14 AM, Fletch1 said:

Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened on both of our river cruises. People got into their dining groups and had representatives race in early and grab the best table and reserve it for the rest of the group. Really got annoying towards the end of the cruise. 

 

Dining on the Aquavit Terrace for dinner would be nice.......wish it was around when we cruised with them. 

 

And I have no doubt you will enjoy it and I hope you do! 

 

 

Must have been the Americans on the cruise lining up and grabbing! And Im an American, but becoming quite embarrassed by the “attitudes” of “entitlement” thats enveloping our country

[kentchris]

5 hours ago, johnandlinda said:

Must have been the Americans on the cruise lining up and grabbing! And Im an American, but becoming quite embarrassed by the “attitudes” of “entitlement” thats enveloping our country

Some of us Brits (or rather our DWs while the chaps stayed on to hear the end of the Port Talk) were at the front of the queue most evenings so don't beat yourself up about Americans being 'entitled'. It's nice to sit at the same table every time if you like the location, especially if you get on well with that table's waiting team, but that unfortunately results in the rush at opening time every evening. I get the impression it's a fact of life on most river cruises.

Edited August 24, 2019 by kentchris

[Squawkman]

37 minutes ago, kentchris said:

Some of us Brits (or rather our DWs while the chaps stayed on to hear the end of the Port Talk) were at the front of the queue most evenings so don't beat yourself up about Americans being 'entitled'. It's nice to sit at the same table every time if you like the location, especially if you get on well with that table's waiting team, but that unfortunately results in the rush at opening time every evening. I get the impression it's a fact of life on most river cruises.

I totally agree with everything you said. And some of these people can get quite boisterous (both DWs and DHs). My wife and I came to the realization after 2 cruises with groups of friends a few years back to stick to cruising ourselves. That takes out a few issues - deciding when, where and which cruise line; deciding which dining room to eat in (more of an issue with ocean cruises); and not having good opportunity to make new friends.

[Moonlion]

On 8/20/2019 at 11:21 AM, 3rdCoastFan said:

While the entire terrace is available or lunch, they only prepared 6 tables for dinner (4 4-tops and 2 2-tops, if I recall correctly). These tables are all 'inside' so if they close the glass doors, I wouldn't expect temperature to be a concern. There are heat lamps on the outside portion, though, and they have plenty of blankets available. 

 

Dinner service started at 7:15 and the same menu as the one in the dining room was available. Same beverage options, too. 

 

At the start of my cruise, 1-2 tables remained open during dinner. By the end, though, people were showing up at 7 and found all of the tables occupied. On my cruise, most everyone just defaulted to the dining room - or perhaps didn't know that dinner was available on the terrace. Since the terrace never closes, one could hang out as early as you like and snag a table that way. 

Just off the Cities of Light cruise (August 7th Prague to Paris on the Alsvin) and had the same experience as 3rdCoastFan in the Aquavit Terrace.  Breakfast and lunch were served buffet-style with an abbreviated selection of items offered; weather permitting, both inside and outside seating were available for breakfast and lunch.  Dinner was full sit-down service but only the inside tables were set up and available (4 top and 2 top tables) although a few people convinced the waiters to allow them to dine outside; the menu and beverage options were exactly the same as what was served in the main dining room with service starting 15 minutes later.  There wasn't a line for the Terrace at dinner but tables were grabbed pretty quickly after the port talk.  If we knew we wanted to have dinner on the Terrace, one of us would leave the port talk a minute or two early to get a table (otherwise, we were SOL).  The port talk is piped into the Terrace so you don't miss anything.  We really enjoyed the Terrace and had about a third of our meals there.      

[Mike R 2018]

...Just to add to the discussion, we had hamburgers/cheeseburgers grilled on the terrace for lunch one afternoon on our June Rhine Getaway.  Yes, they were good and grilled to order 🙂.

[ElaynaB]

On 8/20/2019 at 5:07 AM, Pendle Witch said:

This is our first time on Viking, only river cruised once before on Emerald. We are sailing on the Danube soon and have a couple or three plus questions re the Aquavit terrace for dinner. Does it get cool, so should I pack a wrap? Also, we prefer to dine as a couple, is this available there? And, is the food the same as the main dining room or a smaller menu?

Does it get busy, will there be the mass stampede that the dining room gets on Emerald?

I know it's a bombardment of questions and Thankyou for any answers or tips.

We did Amsterdam to Budapest late May-early June this year.  I would definitely pack a wrap, but they will give you a blanket if you get chilly on the Aqauvit terrace.  There are only a few tables for two, and they are in the covered portion of the terrace, the other tables are for four..  We really enjoyed dining out there and did it about half of the time(our cruise was 14 days and the weather was fantastic).  The food is the same, they open about 15 minutes after the main dining room.  There is no stampede as there are not that many people on a river cruise.   Never had a problem getting a seat, but we are OK with dining with others.  Absolutely loved our cruise.  Enjoy.