Wintergarden

[Clay Clayton]

Just an FYI, on at least two of our cruises, they used the rear portion (near the Owner’s Suite) for overflow when both the Winter Garden and  the hallways beside it filled up during Tea. We usually go about half of an hour before the posted start time to get us a place near the windows which is where we prefer-you can hear the music but are still able to have a nice conversation. 
 

Edit: excuse the horizontal pictures…not sure why they are that way.  They aren’t when I open them 🤪

 

 

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by Clay Clayton

[Blackduck59]

On 4/4/2022 at 5:09 AM, Let Me Travel! said:

I can’t wait to sample a true “tea”…I’m planning on copying them un- ashamedly … I’m having a party in July to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee… I’ll make an attempt to make the foods!

 

Enjoy your party. Keep in mind "Presentation" is what makes the event. Use your best china and silverware. Also find a great recipe for scones, those should be made fresh and served warm. 

[KBs mum]

On 4/5/2022 at 1:36 AM, austinetc said:

The sight of some passengers attending the event in bathrobes was a real downer though. Not very posh.

Learn how to 'tut'. Usually effective, if necessary upgrade to 'sneer' or 'glare' 😊

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Afternoon tea is a lovely thing. We will certainly enjoy it at least once on our cruise, especially because it is "included in the fare". There is a very famous Afternoon Tea at the Empress Hotel here in Victoria, we have never gone because of the unreasonable price. It is very hard to justify $89.00 per person for a few sandwiches and pastries. The are other places much more reasonable, or I could just make it at home

 

 

This was Mother's day a couple of years ago, I put this together for my Mother in Law. The fresh scones (NO Raisins) are just about ready. It didn't cost $89.00 per person and the selection and quality was better.

So I'm happy we will have Afternoon tea served in the Wintergarden include in our cruise fare.

 

Same here, never did Tea at the Empress. However, the curry buffet in the old Bengal Room was worth a visit.

[Blackduck59]

10 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Same here, never did Tea at the Empress. However, the curry buffet in the old Bengal Room was worth a visit.

 

It was so. I haven't been in the Empress since the renovation. I hate everything I have seen of the designs.

 

[millybess]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Same here, never did Tea at the Empress. However, the curry buffet in the old Bengal Room was worth a visit.

Except for the actual tiger skin on the wall, I would have to agree!!

[Blackduck59]

45 minutes ago, millybess said:

Except for the actual tiger skin on the wall, I would have to agree!!

 

Someone stole that after the Bengal Room closed. It was ripped right off the wall.

[millybess]

6 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

Someone stole that after the Bengal Room closed. It was ripped right off the wall.

Vey interesting. I did not know that. 

[Clay Clayton]

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Same here, never did Tea at the Empress. However, the curry buffet in the old Bengal Room was worth a visit.

I hate we had tea at Butchart Gardens (even though it was most enjoyable) rather than waiting for curry in the Bengal Room…just wasn’t any room left….well, except for a couple of G&Ts before we reboarded our ship.but boy was it hard to smell it and not have some!

[Blackduck59]

The Bengal Room at the Empress was quite popular I think. There was quite a lot of disappointed locals. I think that the renovation stripped out most of the things the made it THE "Empress".

Oh well we can have tea in Wintergarden included in the fare.

[millybess]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

I think that the renovation stripped out most of the things the made it THE "Empress".

Indeed that’s true. It is unfortunate that this happened with all of the CP hotels across the country. 

[Blackduck59]

5 minutes ago, millybess said:

Indeed that’s true. It is unfortunate that this happened with all of the CP hotels across the country. 

 

We were having dinner one night and there was a table of people close by chatting and I heard the say they were staying at "The Fairmont". I said to myself it's not the The Fairmont it's "The Empress" it says so out front in 10 foot high letters. Fairmont may run it and maybe that's why they stripped out all the class. Does anyone remember "The Library Bar"? It was adjacent to the check in counter in the original lobby on the south side of the hotel.

[millybess]

4 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

We were having dinner one night and there was a table of people close by chatting and I heard the say they were staying at "The Fairmont". I said to myself it's not the The Fairmont it's "The Empress" it says so out front in 10 foot high letters. Fairmont may run it and maybe that's why they stripped out all the class. Does anyone remember "The Library Bar"? It was adjacent to the check in counter in the original lobby on the south side of the hotel.

Aw gee, don’t get me started. I feel the same way every day about the Royal York; the Algonquin when we’re driving through NB every summer; our frequent visits to the Banff Springs.

(We are sooooo guilty of thread drift 😀)

[Blackduck59]

2 minutes ago, millybess said:

(We are sooooo guilty of thread drift 😀)

 

Yes, yes we are, you would think we were on the Australian boards. 😉

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

We've peeked in at afternoon tea at the Empress, but never could bring ourselves to pay that price.  We loved staying at the hotel though, and I'm sad to hear there has been a renovation.   It's been quite a while since we were there, has it changed a lot?  We're thinking about a trip back there.  

[Blackduck59]

2 minutes ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

We've peeked in at afternoon tea at the Empress, but never could bring ourselves to pay that price.  We loved staying at the hotel though, and I'm sad to hear there has been a renovation.   It's been quite a while since we were there, has it changed a lot?  We're thinking about a trip back there.  

 

At the risk of steering this further off track 😟, the changes are significant. The Bengal Lounge is gone, The tea station with the very large roll top tea carts and the shroud walls for them (which I happened to make about 12 years ago) were gone when I looked in. The Empress dining room has been renovated complete with Andy Worhol type paintings of Queen Elizabeth. Like I said I never had tea there too expensive so I'm not too fussed about it. I did enjoy some nice dinners in Kipling's (closed long before the renovation) and the curry Buffet in the Bengal room was really was really nice.

Again it will be very nice to have Afternoon Tea at no extra charge in the Wintergarden aboard Viking Orion. We board on Saturday.

[austinetc]

To get back on track, how wrong would it be to bring a drink to the Wintergarden tea? A Gimlet, or sparkling wine? While I enjoy the atmosphere of tea time, I honestly don't really enjoy tea (or coffee). I will if it's essential, but I don't think a bar drink is too much out of line. It's not a bathrobe. Seeking hospitable responses.

[Blackduck59]

6 minutes ago, austinetc said:

To get back on track, how wrong would it be to bring a drink to the Wintergarden tea? A Gimlet, or sparkling wine? While I enjoy the atmosphere of tea time, I honestly don't really enjoy tea (or coffee). I will if it's essential, but I don't think a bar drink is too much out of line. It's not a bathrobe. Seeking hospitable responses.

 

I know that champagne is an offered upcharge at the very expensive teas offered ashore. I bet they would be happy to pour whatever you like, just remember it is a serious breach of decorum to stumble away from afternoon tea. You could expect several "tut - tuts" the odd "sneer" and most likely a "Glare" or 2 😉😁.

[SJD117]

On 4/5/2022 at 1:36 AM, austinetc said:

We loved tea time. The experience was the height of extravagant living for us. 

 

The sight of some passengers attending the event in bathrobes was a real downer though. Not very posh.

 

 

Afternoon tea is served a few feet away from the pool, so it’s not surprising that loungers wander over to teatime on occasion. Better to see them in bathrobes than in their swimsuits. 

[KBs mum]

4 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

 it is a serious breach of decorum to stumble away from afternoon tea. You could expect several "tut - tuts" the odd "sneer" and most likely a "Glare" or 2 😉😁.

Or worse, a 'well, really!' 😁

[KBs mum]

51 minutes ago, SJD117 said:

Afternoon tea is served a few feet away from the pool, so it’s not surprising that loungers wander over to teatime on occasion. Better to see them in bathrobes than in their swimsuits. 

Have they no dignity? I would be embarrassed to be seen in a robe anywhere outside the spa or room, or in swimwear anywhere other than in the immediate area of the pool 

 

[SJD117]

4 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

I know that champagne is an offered upcharge at the very expensive teas offered ashore. I bet they would be happy to pour whatever you like, just remember it is a serious breach of decorum to stumble away from afternoon tea. You could expect several "tut - tuts" the odd "sneer" and most likely a "Glare" or 2 😉😁.

The teatime servers are used to all sorts of guests, so I doubt you’d get a tut-tut from them. As to reactions from other guests, stumbling away from a table is commonplace on a Viking ship given the heavy drinking onboard. Nobody will have a problem if you have a glass of bubbly with your scone ( or two or three).

[Clay Clayton]

12 hours ago, austinetc said:

To get back on track, how wrong would it be to bring a drink to the Wintergarden tea? A Gimlet, or sparkling wine? While I enjoy the atmosphere of tea time, I honestly don't really enjoy tea (or coffee). I will if it's essential, but I don't think a bar drink is too much out of line. It's not a bathrobe. Seeking hospitable responses.

The servers will be happy to get you a drink.  When we have the SS package I always request a glass of bubbly!

[vslparis]

On 4/4/2022 at 7:36 PM, austinetc said:

We loved tea time. The experience was the height of extravagant living for us. 

 

The sight of some passengers attending the event in bathrobes was a real downer though. Not very posh.

 

 

Or as they might say here in Texas , “Obviously , their momma did not raise them right ! “

[jmfdr]

We spent our 1963 honeymoon at the Empress in Victoria , just Seattle kids thinking how sophisticated we were enjoying an English high tea  in the late afternoon.   Today,  4 pm is almost time to usher in the cocktail, hour followed by  a 6 pm dinner.   

 

We have been on one Viking cruise,  November 2021,  and wondered why there was such a large area on the ship  given to the lovely Wintergarten, which seemed to be vacant every time we passed by.  We frequently found it a lovely quiet location to sit and read in the afternoon.  A couple times we noticed guest bringing their lunch  to eat in a quiet spot.  Admittedly, we did not try to visit the Wintergarten during afternoon teatime, so I really don't know if it was well attended.  From reports on this thread it seems as though the afternoon tea may be quite popular..

 

For us, an afternoon tea would mean giving up lunch or dinner----or just having a cup of tea without all the lovely scone and sandwich offerings.  (I would probably not be self disciplined enough to just drink the tea and forego all the goodies)  We tend to eat an early dinner which doesn't  fit well with tea goodies in the afternoon---especially if one has enjoyed a good lunch.  

 

I understand that there are many differing meal habits and am not trying to start a debate about the pros and cons of afternoon tea.   This is just my response to tea in the Wintergarten.