Unfortunately, that's one and done for us.

[takemewithyou]

On 4/20/2022 at 6:58 PM, Blackduck59 said:

We really wanted to be wowed by our cruise on Viking Orion, unfortunately we weren't.

Having read many glowing reports and looking at the helpful posts and camaraderie among the regulars on the Viking board we felt confident we had made a good choice with Viking. We paid the premium price expecting a step above our excellent experience with Celebrity.

I understand that Viking has no control of the sea state but Orion seemed to be fairly unstable even in a moderate sea. She was not just rockin' and rollin' but shaking and rattling (no I'm not talking about the entertainment). I now better understand the concern of another member during their recent trans Atlantic voyage although I surmise the sea state for them was even worse. Yes I understand weather on the Pacific Coast so crappy weather was always possible even probable. Again, nothing Viking could do.

I had expected exceptional service from all crew but it just seemed that we were invisible (and I'm a big guy) to the servers much of the time. When someone did stop to ask if we wanted anything all crew were very courteous and cheerful. Celebrity had a "system" with the drink menu whether it was laying down or standing up. We tried both ways...no joy. If there is a system on Viking I wish I had gotten the briefing.

Food quality and variety in "The Restaurant" and "World Cafe" were okay but certainly not outstanding. One glaring thing was just how "crusty" the buns were in the bread basket, very hard. For what should be a fine dining experience in the restaurant I was struck by the lack of care in plating the meals, everything was splocked on the plate akin to Chucks Diner. I's not like they were in a rush, the 2 times we ate dinner in "The Restaurant" it took well over an hour. The world buffet was okay as well but nothing was outstanding.

Scheduling of "Entertainment" seemed strange to me. Trivia in the theatre at noon? Musicians starting to play in the lounges at the beginning of dinner service? Meanwhile there is literally nothing laid on in the afternoon (except afternoon tea). 

I will say that our 1 dinner in Manfredi's was excellent. Starting right upon arrival at the host station we felt like valued guests. All our food selections were wonderfully prepared. The included wine suited us fine although I did request the Grahams 6 grapes port to finish (that wasn't necessarily an easy thing to get)

I don't want to make this an extra long opening post so feel free to ask questions or add your own comments. For us this cruise did not represent good value for the $8,000.00+ CAD that we paid for a 9 day voyage (actually 8 because we disembarked a day early in Victoria)

Currently onboard Viking Orion.  One and done here, too!  Pretty fed up with everything!  I am not going to go into all the mishaps !  I could write a book.  Suffice it to say we have done over 30 cruises and we won’t be back!  Plenty of CA and AZ people and others trying Viking for the first time and we are pretty disgusted. I so wanted to be wowed but no, it didn’t happen.  Too bad, the ship is beautiful.  We say it is a ship that has everything  molded into one from previous cruise lines that one would want…..but it stops there! 

Edited April 23, 2022 by takemewithyou

[SJD117]

13 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

Currently onboard Viking Orion.  One and done here, too!  Pretty fed up with everything!  I am not going to go into all the mishaps !  I could write a book.  Suffice it to say we have done over 30 cruises and we won’t be back!  Plenty of CA and AZ people and others trying Viking for the first time and we are pretty disgusted. I so wanted to be wowed but no, it didn’t happen.  Too bad, the ship is beautiful.  We say it is a ship that has everything  molded into one from previous cruise lines that one would want…..but it stops there! 

It’s interesting that you provided very little detail about your experience in this thread (a Viking board) but considerably more detail on an Azamara board. May I ask why?

[takemewithyou]

1 minute ago, SJD117 said:

It’s interesting that you provided very little detail about your experience in this thread (a Viking board) but considerably more detail on an Azamara board. May I ask why?

Check it out. It’s bed time for me.  That’s why! 

[SJD117]

16 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

Check it out. It’s bed time for me.  That’s why! 

That’s a non-answer. But we’ll talk more about this in the morning, including all the positive impressions you reported about your cruise (and didn’t mention here).

Edited April 23, 2022 by SJD117

[Blackduck59]

30 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

Check it out. It’s bed time for me.  That’s why! 

 

Have a good sleep, apparently you will be called to the witness stand in the morning.🤔😉

[CILCIANRQTS]

40 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

Have a good sleep, apparently you will be called to the witness stand in the morning.🤔😉

Just plead the Fifth, then open it and have a few swigs…

[SJD117]

9 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Check it out. It’s bed time for me.  That’s why! 

Wake up! Court is in session! 😀 Time to explain your comments on Wednesday on the Azamara board:

 

*   "There are some things we are VERY impressed with on Viking...the ship is gorgeous and the stateroom, a PV, is so nice and spacious. The bath is lovely with heated floors, clean and fresh." (Comment 14)

 

*   "The food is a step above. We did the Chefs Table with the halibut you recommended and it was fantastic! Service was very good." (Comment 14)

 

*   "There are so many comfortable seating areas on Viking. They are everywhere! Always a quiet spot to sit, if you want one. That's one thing we were hoping for! The Viking Explorers Lounge is fantastic." (Comment 15)

 

Sounds like a nice experience, so tell us more!

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We are on the Orion now.   Having a great time.  
 

We missed two ports due to weather.    They looked for another port to replace Santa Barbara but Catalina would have been the only option but it didn't work out.  I am speculating as they didn't provide details.    Probably limited excursions as Catalina rarely takes cruise ships on weekends. 
 

Viking has an excellent band along with 6 outstanding vocalists.   They have at least 3 different production shows they perform on these shorter cruises so we didn't need guest entertainers.     The CD and asst CD also performed and are outstanding  The Star Theatre is an nice venue.   
 

The Viking band put on a 2 hour nonstop dance party the other night - no breaks.  Great dance band with incredible energy.   They also perform in Torshavn nightly.   
 

This was our first Viking Cruise.    We have been on Seabourn, Crystal, HAL, Princess, RCI, Cunard, NCL and Celebrity.   We will be back. 
 

I will be posting more details on my Almost Live blog once I return and get caught up from my last cruise!  

[Blackduck59]

4 minutes ago, SJD117 said:

Wake up! Court is in session! 😀 Time to explain your comments on Wednesday on the Azamara board:

 

*   "There are some things we are VERY impressed with on Viking...the ship is gorgeous and the stateroom, a PV, is so nice and spacious. The bath is lovely with heated floors, clean and fresh." (Comment 14)

 

*   "The food is a step above. We did the Chefs Table with the halibut you recommended and it was fantastic! Service was very good." (Comment 14)

 

*   "There are so many comfortable seating areas on Viking. They are everywhere! Always a quiet spot to sit, if you want one. That's one thing we were hoping for! The Viking Explorers Lounge is fantastic." (Comment 15)

 

Sounds like a nice experience, so tell us more!

 

I'm awake and I will perhaps respond while @takemewithyou tries to salvage some enjoyment from what is left of their cruise. Keeping in mind I was on the cruise previous and have first hand knowledge of Viking Orion that is one week old.

 

As to your first point re "Comment 14", the ship is beautiful, well maintained and in many ways all you could hope for. I just wish she rode the sea better.

 

Also under "comment 14" is in reference to the Chefs Table a specialty restaurant with rotating menus not all of which will suit everyone and getting a reservation for some people (like us) isn't necessarily the "guarantee" as advertised.

 

As for the comfortable seating "Comment 15". There is comfortable seating everywhere even for a large person like me. Explorers lounge is fantastic especially if you don't expect table service.

 

I'm sure takemewithyou will add more if they choose to, being that they are on Orion now and probably trying to salvage something out of an overall disappointing experience.

 

[duquephart]

Viking needs to get on top of issues very quickly. As in the restaurant business, once you lose a customer they are very unlikely to come back.

[Baron Barracuda]

OP - curious what cabin level you typically book on Celebrity.  While VO's prices are somewhat higher than a regular verandah on X they are quite competitive compared to Aqua Class or a SS and provide greater benefits.  We've done over a dozen X sailings over the last 30 years but the constant cutbacks in service and food quality and the annoying upsells led us to try VO.  Yes, for us non-suite customers the price was higher but we really enjoy all the extras VO provides and definitely favor them over X. 

 

 

[Blackduck59]

@Baron Barracudawe normally book a Deluxe veranda so same cabin category. I couldn't find a comparable cruise now after the fact (I think that cruise already sailed) on Celebrity but I seem to recall when we chose to go with Viking that we looked at the Celebrity cruise and I think with the "Always included" pricing it was $1,600.00 CAD dollars per person cheaper for Celebrity in a similar cabin category and location.

I have to say again the Viking ship itself is beautiful and the chairs in all venues are far more comfortable that anything on Celebrity.

For us the $3,200.00 CAD premium was not well spent.

Other people on the same cruise had a great cruise and I am happy to hear about there experience, that's why I started the thread. Everyone has there own expectations and a $3,000.00 plus difference in price carries a lot of expectations for us.

[takemewithyou]

Good morning from Viking Orion,  The witness is ready to take the stand.

 

Yes, I wrote all those comments and I stand by them.  The ship is beautiful…..think I mentioned that here.  The specialty restaurants and the service there has been good.  Not so in the Restaurant and I have completed mid cruise comments and have been in contact with the restaurant manager.  As I said, I wanted so much to like it.  
 

I agree the singers are very good…..have enjoyed some of their shows.  The guitarist is great, as is the classical duo and the pianist.  Have enjoyed them very much.  
 

Our PV is very nice.  Love the bathroom.  Some of you may remember I was concerned after reading some comments about the firmness of the mattress.  When we boarded, we asked our cabin attendant for a topper and we have slept very well.  I wanted to come back and report that.

 

We all have different likes and dislikes with cruises.  For us, we will not return.  Love the ship for its beauty and decor, but otherwise, it is not a good fit for us.  Now….back to enjoying our last day or so.

[Cienfuegos]

One element which has shown up in several posts is the inconsistency of service. Sometimes excellent, sometimes lacking in quality. With an increase in net fleet size, and turnover of staff due to the pandemic, perhaps Viking needs to focus on that matter.

 

You only get one opportunity to make a first impression. Don't blow it...

[CILCIANRQTS]

3 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Good morning from Viking Orion,  The witness is ready to take the stand.

 

Yes, I wrote all those comments and I stand by them.  The ship is beautiful…..think I mentioned that here.  The specialty restaurants and the service there has been good.  Not so in the Restaurant and I have completed mid cruise comments and have been in contact with the restaurant manager.  As I said, I wanted so much to like it.  
 

I agree the singers are very good…..have enjoyed some of their shows.  The guitarist is great, as is the classical duo and the pianist.  Have enjoyed them very much.  
 

Our PV is very nice.  Love the bathroom.  Some of you may remember I was concerned after reading some comments about the firmness of the mattress.  When we boarded, we asked our cabin attendant for a topper and we have slept very well.  I wanted to come back and report that.

 

We all have different likes and dislikes with cruises.  For us, we will not return.  Love the ship for its beauty and decor, but otherwise, it is not a good fit for us.  Now….back to enjoying our last day or so.

Guilty!!
Off with his head!!! 🐇💊♥️

 

Edited April 23, 2022 by CILCIANRQTS

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

We will be on our first Viking cruise in September. We are hoping for a good first impression. We realize we are paying more than some other cruise lines charge, but no kids and no upsells is a priceless benefit. 

[Blackduck59]

55 minutes ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

We will be on our first Viking cruise in September. We are hoping for a good first impression. We realize we are paying more than some other cruise lines charge, but no kids and no upsells is a priceless benefit. 

 

Here's hoping that by the time you take your cruise the issues that we had with regard to inexperienced crew will be largely sorted, as the crew will have 5 months more experience by then.

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

32 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

Here's hoping that by the time you take your cruise the issues that we had with regard to inexperienced crew will be largely sorted, as the crew will have 5 months more experience by then.

We recently completed a Panama Canal cruise with Princess. We are platinum with Princess so it wasn’t a first impression cruise. But, I can say it was a worst impression cruise. We were very disappointed and will probably not sail with Princess again even though we have never had those issues in the past and it may have been partially due to the pandemic. Whether first impression or not, once one is turned off, it’s difficult to trust a cruise line with your money again. 

[Mareblu]

6 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Good morning from Viking Orion,  The witness is ready to take the stand.

 

Yes, I wrote all those comments and I stand by them.  The ship is beautiful…..think I mentioned that here.  The specialty restaurants and the service there has been good.  Not so in the Restaurant and I have completed mid cruise comments and have been in contact with the restaurant manager.  As I said, I wanted so much to like it.  
 

I agree the singers are very good…..have enjoyed some of their shows.  The guitarist is great, as is the classical duo and the pianist.  Have enjoyed them very much.  
 

Our PV is very nice.  Love the bathroom.  Some of you may remember I was concerned after reading some comments about the firmness of the mattress.  When we boarded, we asked our cabin attendant for a topper and we have slept very well.  I wanted to come back and report that.

 

We all have different likes and dislikes with cruises.  For us, we will not return.  Love the ship for its beauty and decor, but otherwise, it is not a good fit for us.  Now….back to enjoying our last day or so.

Hello Witness 😉 

Your comments echo our 2019 Orion experience concisely.  The elegant, simple ambience, and the comfort of public spaces are sublime.  We loved the lectures we chose to attend, made some lovely friends we're still in touch with, and for us, the entertainment was just right.  Loved spending an hour or two, also, in the Explorers Lounge later in the evening.

We certainly didn't notice any excessive "rocking and rolling", even though our suite was at the front of the ship.  One of the reasons I've reluctantly held back any criticism is because we were so grateful to be fortunately upgraded to an Explorers Suite.  Without our knowledge, our amazing TA contacted Viking to let them know we would be celebrating a special date during the cruise.

The suite was beyond comfortable.  It's spaciousness and elegance echoed those features of the wider areas of Orion.

Over five weeks, we only had a couple of memorable service mishaps, but the glaring one, which I have reported in another thread, was the evening of our fiftieth wedding anniversary when our reserved window table (twice confirmed) was given to other passengers.  We were told to move to the back of the line, and if another window table became available, they would try to keep it for us.  We politely stated that we would simply move aside, without being a hindrance, but still within eyesight of the desk.  They soon found a window table.  The other (silly, I suppose, to mention) incident that evening was when the waiter sidled up to us as soon as we were seated and announced we shouldn't order dessert, because our family and TA had arranged cake and champagne as a surprise.  Well, it was still a surprise for us, but a little training in "moments" may have gone a long way.

Reading all the above, cruisers may wonder why on earth we wouldn't choose Viking again.  In a nutshell, it's the food.  With the exception of Manfredi's and The Chef's Table, which are both really good (Manfredi's exceptional), the cuisine is barely above terrible.  The offerings in The Restaurant are not only sloppily presented, they are way oversalted, and often tasteless.  We ordered breakfast in only twice, the second time to confirm that it's something not to do.  The breakfast arrived cold, with eggs so undercooked the white was sill clear and running all over the plates.  I've also mentioned in another thread that when completing the post-cruise comments sheet, I implored Viking's decisioin-makers to investigate Oceania's cuisine.  I wrote that even halfway to that amazing benchmark would be acceptable.  Seabourne and Silversea also serve wonderful cuisine.  As Viking's prices are on par with all three of these lines, we expected so much more than they provided.

Apologies for the length of this post;  I've been torn between gratitude for the unexpected and generous upgrade which should demand loyalty, and honesty.  My conscience has won out.  

I testify for you, Witness 🙂

[SJD117]

44 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

Hello Witness 😉 

Your comments echo our 2019 Orion experience concisely.  The elegant, simple ambience, and the comfort of public spaces are sublime.  We loved the lectures we chose to attend, made some lovely friends we're still in touch with, and for us, the entertainment was just right.  Loved spending an hour or two, also, in the Explorers Lounge later in the evening.

We certainly didn't notice any excessive "rocking and rolling", even though our suite was at the front of the ship.  One of the reasons I've reluctantly held back any criticism is because we were so grateful to be fortunately upgraded to an Explorers Suite.  Without our knowledge, our amazing TA contacted Viking to let them know we would be celebrating a special date during the cruise.

The suite was beyond comfortable.  It's spaciousness and elegance echoed those features of the wider areas of Orion.

Over five weeks, we only had a couple of memorable service mishaps, but the glaring one, which I have reported in another thread, was the evening of our fiftieth wedding anniversary when our reserved window table (twice confirmed) was given to other passengers.  We were told to move to the back of the line, and if another window table became available, they would try to keep it for us.  We politely stated that we would simply move aside, without being a hindrance, but still within eyesight of the desk.  They soon found a window table.  The other (silly, I suppose, to mention) incident that evening was when the waiter sidled up to us as soon as we were seated and announced we shouldn't order dessert, because our family and TA had arranged cake and champagne as a surprise.  Well, it was still a surprise for us, but a little training in "moments" may have gone a long way.

Reading all the above, cruisers may wonder why on earth we wouldn't choose Viking again.  In a nutshell, it's the food.  With the exception of Manfredi's and The Chef's Table, which are both really good (Manfredi's exceptional), the cuisine is barely above terrible.  The offerings in The Restaurant are not only sloppily presented, they are way oversalted, and often tasteless.  We ordered breakfast in only twice, the second time to confirm that it's something not to do.  The breakfast arrived cold, with eggs so undercooked the white was sill clear and running all over the plates.  I've also mentioned in another thread that when completing the post-cruise comments sheet, I implored Viking's decisioin-makers to investigate Oceania's cuisine.  I wrote that even halfway to that amazing benchmark would be acceptable.  Seabourne and Silversea also serve wonderful cuisine.  As Viking's prices are on par with all three of these lines, we expected so much more than they provided.

Apologies for the length of this post;  I've been torn between gratitude for the unexpected and generous upgrade which should demand loyalty, and honesty.  My conscience has won out.  

I testify for you, Witness 🙂

For an Aussie, isn't the presence or absence of Vegemite the true test of a dining experience?  😂  And isn't Vegemite very high in sodium?  🤪🤪🤪

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

Here's hoping that by the time you take your cruise the issues that we had with regard to inexperienced crew will be largely sorted, as the crew will have 5 months more experience by then.

 

The Viking ratings normally work a 6-months on, 2-months off schedule, so after 5 months, most of the crew will already have headed home on leave. Hopefully, the replacements are more experienced.

[Heidi13]

16 minutes ago, SJD117 said:

For an Aussie, isn't the presence or absence of Vegemite the true test of a dining experience?  😂  And isn't Vegemite very high in sodium?  🤪🤪🤪

 

Affirmative, both Vegemite and Marmite and very high in sodium.

[Mareblu]

2 hours ago, SJD117 said:

For an Aussie, isn't the presence or absence of Vegemite the true test of a dining experience?  😂  And isn't Vegemite very high in sodium?  🤪🤪🤪

Without seeming unpatriotic (and so close to Anzac Day), Vegemite at dinner would be revolting🤢  Yes, it is high in sodium, but believe it or not, some of The Restaurant's dishes were higher I think.

[Blackduck59]

2 hours ago, SJD117 said:

For an Aussie, isn't the presence or absence of Vegemite the true test of a dining experience?  😂  And isn't Vegemite very high in sodium?  🤪🤪🤪

 

Most people I chat with from Oz including @Mareblu rarely use Vegemite but know how to use it. They all talk about what a joy it is to watch bold Americans who slather it on their toast while on a cruise and gag from the experience.

I see Mareblu already replied while I was writing this.

Cheers Mareblu, how's the weather down under?

[SJD117]

40 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

Most people I chat with from Oz including @Mareblu rarely use Vegemite but know how to use it. They all talk about what a joy it is to watch bold Americans who slather it on their toast while on a cruise and gag from the experience.

This American doesn't need to slather Vegemite on his toast. He gags from the slightest taste. 

 

That said, he's enjoyed his two trips to Oz and speaking in the third person.