Viking Sky - Coffee and shorts in the Dining room

[Mrs Miggins]

Sorry to go back to the ever contentious dress code.

 Just heard from friends who embarked in Chioggia on Saturday.  They said that they arrived safely with no airport delays from the UK.  They said it was an hour and a half from the Venice airport.  They were asked for physical evidence of vaccinations so the time putting information on Verifly was a complete waste.  No onboard tests.  Are all the Viking ships going there instead of Venice Fusina Industrial Port I wonder ?

The trip to Venice was by boat next day. Made it a long hot day.

First evening meal in Manfredi's good, not many tables of 4 - many of 2.  Not sure of passenger count but ship not busy except at showtime.

She said the coffee is awful - at breakfast luke warm out of the jugs so most go the machine.  I have said try getting it from the Living Room as in the past that was better.

She reports standard of dress not so good in the evening with shorts and t shirts in the Main Dining Room - she said on her past Viking cruises there was a bit of an effort for smart casual but not so far on her cruise.  She is on for two weeks ending in Istanbul.  The roll call from Athens to Istanbul is active but really non existent on her first leg from Venice to Athens so perhaps a higher headcount from then on.

I am back on Viking Sky in September so am interested in her comments.

[molymoo]

I get it … and I did cringe a bit when I saw the dreaded dress code was up again.  I am not going to get into that topic except to point out the fact that sometimes “inappropriate “ attire might mean (especially in the early days of the journey) that luggage has been delayed getting to the ship.  The airlines are struggling now and handling luggage seems more an afterthought than an essential service.  We’ve canceled Chefs Table reservations when our bags were late getting to us on embarkation day … and that was just Viking handling the bags!  Some unfortunate souls have been without their bags for the entire cruise!  I would relax and not make assumptions and enjoy the cruise.  

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, molymoo said:

I get it … and I did cringe a bit when I saw the dreaded dress code was up again.  I am not going to get into that topic except to point out the fact that sometimes “inappropriate “ attire might mean (especially in the early days of the journey) that luggage has been delayed getting to the ship.  The airlines are struggling now and handling luggage seems more an afterthought than an essential service.  We’ve canceled Chefs Table reservations when our bags were late getting to us on embarkation day … and that was just Viking handling the bags!  Some unfortunate souls have been without their bags for the entire cruise!  I would relax and not make assumptions and enjoy the cruise.  

 

You are very correct with this, as sometimes a dress code violation may be because luggage did not arrive.  I was on a Viking Cruise pre-pandemic where 8 people on one flight all arrived but their luggage did not and they were several days waiting for the luggage to catch up.

[TayanaLorna]

Well they had to have a Get Out of Dress Code Free Card to get into the Restaurant for dinner in shorts and T- shirt.  Or delayed luggage.

 

Verifly is how Viking confirms that you are vaccinated BEFORE you travel to the ship.  Just like completion of the Guest Information form shows you have a passport which is another requirement.

[Squawkman]

I believe the dining room dress code is relaxed the first night as late arriving folks don’t have a chance to change clothes.

[bookbabe]

The dress code and the constant harping and complaining about perceived dress code violations by posters here in this forum is the really only thing making DH and I nervous about our first VO and VR cruises next year.  No one seems very nice when they spend so much time policing other people’s apparel. We’re live and let live kind of people, so what others are wearing is generally never even noticed by us, let alone annoying us to the point that we’d make posts online about it.

[Clay Clayton]

6 minutes ago, bookbabe said:

The dress code and the constant harping and complaining about perceived dress code violations by posters here in this forum is the really only thing making DH and I nervous about our first VO and VR cruises next year.  No one seems very nice when they spend so much time policing other people’s apparel. We’re live and let live kind of people, so what others are wearing is generally never even noticed by us, let alone annoying us to the point that we’d make posts online about it.

You’ll be fine then!  It’s the folks who aren’t live and let live who just want to complain….and at least from my experience they only do it on here.  I’ve never heard any guest say anything to another guest about their attire.  I have heard the Maitre d’ ask a guest to change clothes or visit the WC but only once.  It’s my experience that almost every onboard abides by Viking’s dress code. 

[Mrs Miggins]

It's interesting that the only topic picked up by everyone is the shorts in the dining room bit.

I am not on this cruise but reflected a message to me by my friend who has experience  of many Viking Ocean cruises. It's early days in the cruise and of course missing luggage, or possibly extreme heat means the more casual attire may be temporary.   It was not a complaint but a comment on the cruise so far.  

This is the first report I have seen about Chioggia, which might be interesting to others.   I mentioned the possibility that coffee is better in the Living Room is that still true ? She said Manfredi's was good and there appeared to be more tables for 2 than she remembered. The only crowded area was the theatre.  The flight from Heathrow was trouble free.    No comments on these topics at all.  The first line of my report was meant to be lighthearted !  I know the sense of humour in the UK is different.

[Twitchly]

1 minute ago, Mrs Miggins said:

It's interesting that the only topic picked up by everyone is the shorts in the dining room bit.

Well, it is the title of your post.

Edited June 21, 2022 by Twitchly

[Mrs Miggins]

OK !  I must remember to do better in the future.

[Mrs Miggins]

17 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

Well they had to have a Get Out of Dress Code Free Card to get into the Restaurant for dinner in shorts and T- shirt.  Or delayed luggage.

 

Verifly is how Viking confirms that you are vaccinated BEFORE you travel to the ship.  Just like completion of the Guest Information form shows you have a passport which is another requirement.

According to another current thread VeriFLY is not required unless embarking in the U S or Canada 

[Mimiya11]

21 hours ago, bookbabe said:

The dress code and the constant harping and complaining about perceived dress code violations by posters here in this forum is the really only thing making DH and I nervous about our first VO and VR cruises next year.  No one seems very nice when they spend so much time policing other people’s apparel. We’re live and let live kind of people, so what others are wearing is generally never even noticed by us, let alone annoying us to the point that we’d make posts online about it.

Hello fellow Torontonian.  Go on any cruise line forum and you will see that the amount of dress code discussion, ranting and criticism is not unique to Viking.  But agree, annoying. 

 

Edited June 22, 2022 by Mimiya11

[bookbabe]

32 minutes ago, Mimiya11 said:

Hello fellow Torontonian.  Go on any cruise line forum and you will see that the amount of dress code discussion, ranting and criticism is not unique to Viking.  But agree, annoying. 

 

Actually, I find it is a bit harsher here than any of the others I follow regularly, but maybe that’s just because my preferred line thus far is NCL, land of no dress code at all, so it’s rarely brought up over there.  Over there, the snark comes out in the Haven vs Not threads mostly.

[Twitchly]

21 hours ago, bookbabe said:

The dress code and the constant harping and complaining about perceived dress code violations by posters here in this forum is the really only thing making DH and I nervous about our first VO and VR cruises next year.  No one seems very nice when they spend so much time policing other people’s apparel. We’re live and let live kind of people, so what others are wearing is generally never even noticed by us, let alone annoying us to the point that we’d make posts online about it.

In my experience, most interactions are much nicer and certainly less polarizing in person than online. Something about social media brings out the worst in many of us. My advice: skip any online  discussion you find aggravating or unhelpful. It almost certainly isn’t representative of the interaction you’ll experience onboard. Enjoy your upcoming cruises!

[bookbabe]

1 minute ago, Twitchly said:

In my experience, most interactions are much nicer and certainly less polarizing in person than online. Something about social media brings out the worst in many of us. My advice: skip any online  discussion you find aggravating or unhelpful. It almost certainly isn’t representative of the interaction you’ll experience onboard. Enjoy your upcoming cruises!

Hopefully that’s true.  Luckily, we have an ES cabin for both our upcoming cruises, so we have space to hang out if the shipboard vibe isn’t to our liking.  We’ve got our fingers crossed that we will enjoy Viking though, since we eventually want to do a world cruise and Viking tends to have a better itinerary.

 

OP, sorry for high jacking your thread a bit.  Hopefully your friend started to enjoy their cruise more after the rough start.

[Jim Avery]

This is Lad’s beer compared to the viscious thread, now in its second century over on the Cunard board. With your tux you must tie (self tie) your bow tie. A clip on bow tie is a sign of WW III.😱

[Cienfuegos]

1 hour ago, Jim Avery said:

This is Lad’s beer compared to the viscious thread, now in its second century over on the Cunard board. With your tux you must tie (self tie) your bow tie. A clip on bow tie is a sign of WW III.😱

 

If a gentleman is required to wear a tux, and a lady is required to present in a ball gown, what is expected of a non-binary person?  "Either / Or" isn't necessarily a viable alternative anymore

[mhb1757]

The Viking dress code debate is NOTHING compared to the formal night attire “discussion” on the HAL board. 😳. It went past snarky years ago…and it’s looking at the back side of vicious.
I, like many others have never understood why anyone would waste energy worrying about what someone else is wearing. I don’t expend much energy worrying about what I am going to wear, I’m sure not investing myself in what you choose to put on. 
I do understand why people new to a cruise line ask for help deciding what to bring or how a dress code is interpreted. My personal favorite is Vikings “Elegant Casual” attire. I haven’t looked elegant in anything in 40 years….kind of conjures up a mental image of the Maitre D pulling me aside to discreetly say “I am sorry madam, but the dress code requires ELEGANT casual tonight and you appear a bit frumpy. Would you mind dining elsewhere?”  😂😂😂😂

[PasadenaDave]

I formerly said that only gay men could get away with wearing a tank top in public until one day in Palm Springs which changed my mind.  I now say only buff gay men can get away with wearing a tank top in public.

[Haworth]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

This is Lad’s beer compared to the viscious thread, now in its second century over on the Cunard board. With your tux you must tie (self tie) your bow tie. A clip on bow tie is a sign of WW III.😱

Another excellent reason to avoid said line. An ill fitting dinner suit with gravy stains is acceptable as "proper dress"  but a beautifully cut linen suit with an open neck shirt isn't.

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

This is Lad’s beer compared to the viscious thread, now in its second century over on the Cunard board. With your tux you must tie (self tie) your bow tie. A clip on bow tie is a sign of WW III.😱

 

Arrgh!! the good ol' days of when getting caught with a clip-on dickie bow was grounds for a keel hauling. The other one was getting caught with a velcro cummerbund.😁

 

Having experienced the ultra-formal every night for too many years and seen some of the discussions on Cunard and others, I agree that the Viking topics are rather tame.

[Clay Clayton]

54 minutes ago, Cienfuegos said:

 

If a gentleman is required to wear a tux, and a lady is required to present in a ball gown, what is expected of a non-binary person?  "Either / Or" isn't necessarily a viable alternative anymore

[Mrs Miggins]

As the original author of the thread, I did not mean for this thread to be 'another dress code' one.

My dear friends, who are not at all judgemental, sent me an email.  They do not read Cruise Critic and had no idea about the heat generated by this subject.  Their email to me was all positive until the end when she said "Cruise Critic - me - the coffee is awful except when it comes out of the machine.  At breakfast its lukewarm and not nice.  It comes out of a heated jug - but most people go to the machine"  Her last sentence was "Shorts and tea shirts in the Main Dining Room - People used to make a bit of an effort but not so far this time"

They have had several Viking cruises including the Caribbean - and were obviously surprised at the difference.  Yes of course luggage could have been lost - but I am not sure how many actually travel in shorts from the US.  Perhaps lots do - 

I regret even mentioning it.  I am disappointed that no one appeared to be interested in Chiogga - I certainly am !  On our recent cruise on Azamara we were in Ravenna - and that week Viking were there too.  Apparently there were civic welcome celebrations when Viking arrived in Chiogga- so perhaps this is the new "Venice".  I will be interested to learn how the Venice excursions were handled by ship transfer.  I am sure lots would have wanted to visit Venice so perhaps a ferry was used.

I will report back when I have more information - but perhaps I won't mention shorts.

[PasadenaDave]

Mrs Miggins,

 

Many of use enjoy being extreme about dress code comments.

 

I commented on another thread that I can envision Venice or Chiogga becoming a start or finish to a Viking Cruise (we finished in Fusina/Maghera last month), but to be such a distance from Venice for day trips it might be too much.

 

Even if the journey is only one hour to the Cruise Terminal, that still requires time to get elsewhere in Venice.

[Squawkman]

6 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

…fully acceptable as the bow tie is not a clip-on.