Changes Needed?

[Heidi13]

Another suggestion is for Viking to provide the cruise staff on regular cruises the same latitude they afford to them on World Cruises.

 

Yes, we received the usual pro-forma shows, but the Cruise Director and the entire staff produced numerous additional shows onboard, using the C/D, A/C/D and 4 singers individually, or in groups. Lots of different types of music. We enjoyed many great evenings. In 99 days, I believe we only had ABBA & the Beatles twice.

 

In addition to the larger shows in the Star Theatre, they also performed more low-key events around the piano in the Living Room. All of them were exceptionally talented, and with the self-produced shows really demonstrated those talents.

[SantaFe1]

6 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

In addition to the larger shows in the Star Theatre, they also performed more low-key events around the piano in the Living Room. All of them were exceptionally talented, and with the self-produced shows really demonstrated those talents.

Yes!  These were our favorite on our 2019 WC and also on the first segment, FLL to LA of the 2021-22 WC.  We only went to performances in the Star Theater that were destination focused. I think the regular star theater performances need to be revamped.  OK, one ABBA and one Beatles under the stars, but we just found the star theater performances on regular cruises boring.  

[dairyf]

I agree with a lot of the suggestions offered. Also would really like to see more southern Carribbean cruises. We live in a cold winter climate and always enjoy getting away from the cold for a bit. We really wished they offered more cruises like the West Indies cruise and more sailing dates.

[lackcreativity]

50 minutes ago, BrendaEDH said:

 I also would like to see more Med itineraries to some of the smaller ports (Ravenna, Sorrento, Sardinia, Palma de Mallorca, Portovenere, Syracuse, Taormina...), different levels of excursions ("active walkers" and "gentle walkers"), when applicable provide more walking tours and less bus tours and  included gratuities.  

We docked in Ravenna with Viking on our trip in April when the Fusina substitute for Venice fell through at the last minute. Having been to Venice several times on land tours, we were thrilled with the visit to Ravenna. Viking came up with shore excursions in Ravenna on very short notice, and we really enjoyed the stop. The two hour trip to Marco Polo airport from there in the wee hours, not so much. Ravenna as a scheduled stop would be a great idea!

[FetaCheese]

11 hours ago, Jammy Bun said:

 

Absolutely agree with you!  Manfredis doesn't bother me too much, but Mamsens cakes yes there's too little choice... if you're only onboard for a week it would be OK, but we prefer 3-4 weeks if we have to fly.  I'd like macarons to be one of the choices! 

We no longer go to Abba and Beatles shows - and I don't offerings like 'The Rat Pack' which also regularly appear on ships.   Or 'Swinging Sixties' come to that, even though it's my era!   The only musical performances that have held me spellbound have been those by Heather Clancy - a mixture of all sorts of music.  But then again, she's the most talented of ladies.  We felt we'd hit the jackpot when we got onboard last December and realised she was our cruise director.  

 

 

Heather was our CD last Dec on Venus.  A fine talent, and found her to be very personable, approachable,  and conversant with us and other pax.

Edited August 16, 2022 by FetaCheese
Addl info

[DrKoob]

12 hours ago, deec said:

We like Viking so these are suggestion IMO that would be an added benefit to us:

included gratuities

a choice of a couple included excursions...one for "active"

discourage use of scooters

low cost ability including transportation when using Viking Air to arrive one day early in order avoid travel hassles

While I totally agree with you about choice of included excursions (there should be more than one—especially since so many Viking cruisers are repeat customers), I would like to know when you get old enough or have a hip or knee replaced and need a walker, scooter, cane, will you stop cruising? My wonderful bride can't handle the tough excursions and while not needing a scooter she just can climb or walk as fast as she could before her hip replacement. So I go on the paid ACTIVE shore excursion and she takes the less active included ones. You want a more active excursion, you could buy it. 

[friendlyfifer]

14 hours ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

Agree!
More than a bit standoffish.

Perhaps if she ditched the heels, bought some comfy clothes and started mingling with the masses she’d improve her image (and have more fun!). 😉😎

You’ve hit the nail on the head! My perception was that she felt she was too good for the job. ‘Mingling with the masses’ for HC was just a step too far. Perhaps if she ditched the heels and the attitude that step could be taken. 
Apologies to all those who love HC.

[friendlyfifer]

5 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

Heather was our CD last Dec on Venus.  A fine talent, and found her to be very personable, approachable,  and conversant with us and other pax.

I’m glad you found that to be the case. I suppose we all have different views on what we expect from a CD. 
My favourite one was on the Viking Sky in March 2020. We were turned around mid-Atlantic because of Covid and had to return to the States. The CD, an Australian, was present everywhere on the ship, reassuring passengers and keeping ours and the crew’s spirits up. 
 

[DGHOC]

12 hours ago, BrendaEDH said:

I agree with many of these suggestions!  We so enjoy Viking and continue to sail on Viking, as it fits our style (no formal nights, no casinos, beautiful Scandi design).  However, I also would like to see more Med itineraries to some of the smaller ports (Ravenna, Sorrento, Sardinia, Palma de Mallorca, Portovenere, Syracuse, Taormina...), different levels of excursions ("active walkers" and "gentle walkers"), when applicable provide more walking tours and less bus tours and  included gratuities.  

I have to say this is the thing I'd change if poss. We've been on a couple of included excursions where it took 15 mins to leave the bus and then the same to get back on at every photo stop and walking section.

 

I'm saying this with the greatest respect for those less able, I certainly have my moments, I've even declined to go on a trip on a particularly bad day as I didn't want to hold others up. On a recent excursion in Palermo, the guide had to miss out whole sections as two passengers were unable to climb some short steps. It wasn't fair on  those passengers, who were clearly very embarrassed, or everyone else. We were going so slowly we were blocking the pavements. Not forgetting of course the lovely souls/passengers loudly making their dissatisfaction heard!

 

We've decided that if we take any more included trips we'll just inform the guide and leave them for a DIY if necessary. To be honest it's not just the included tours this has happened on, this has happened on optional tours too. The difficulty with this whole subject is that folk have to really understand what the trip involves and therefore decide sensibly if they are physically able to manage it. One lady with a walker on an optional tour was yelling at the guide and other passengers for walking too fast. We were walking pretty slowly and it was an active level tour.

[philw1776]

Don't know how to solve it but our last Viking cruise (river) there was one woman who was on every one of our tours who held up the bus every time getting on and off even with passenger & driver assistance and delayed each tour causing rushed stops. Finally the tour director requested that she not accompany the group on various challenging stops and instead wait with her friends at certain points. People have to be aware that if they really cannot climb stairs or walk on cobblestones tours other than panoramic may not be for them.

[molymoo]

21 hours ago, Selion said:

Always puzzled by Viking's decision not to price in the gratuities.  Like a few hundred bucks will make a material difference to anyone's decision when booking a $10k+ cruise.

Just wait ... start talking about "tipping" and you will unleash the diatribe!  For as many people who would like to see tips included you find just as many who will be opposed.  The ability to pre-pay gratuities is, IMO, a reasonable compromise ... also a good way to use up those vouchers!

 

[molymoo]

9 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

Heather was our CD last Dec on Venus.  A fine talent, and found her to be very personable, approachable,  and conversant with us and other pax.

Glad to hear we weren't the only ones who noticed this.  I had read that some gave her rave reviews but we found her to be very unapproachable ... and downright "snarky" at times.  We stopped going to the port talks because we found her difficult to listen to.  

[molymoo]

19 minutes ago, philw1776 said:

Don't know how to solve it but our last Viking cruise (river) there was one woman who was on every one of our tours who held up the bus every time getting on and off even with passenger & driver assistance and delayed each tour causing rushed stops. Finally the tour director requested that she not accompany the group on various challenging stops and instead wait with her friends at certain points. People have to be aware that if they really cannot climb stairs or walk on cobblestones tours other than panoramic may not be for them.

 

One change I would like to see is more "real" information about the excursions.  Right now all you have to go on is a generic "easy", "moderate" or "demanding" and having taken ones in all of these categories they are not really useful in determining your ability to manage the trip.  Obviously there are some situations where you know that you will not be able to manage (eg: having to use a walker, cane, or wheelchair) but there are more subtle things that can make a difference.  They go into more depth on the excursion's demands during the port talks but as these are the evening before the port it is too late to change or cancel ... you're stuck with either "sticking it out" or losing your payment.  Why not do the port talks a couple of days ahead and give people time to make adjustments.  They did that for us on one cruise (Midnight Sun) and they were VERY honest in their descriptions of the demands of the excursion ... I think a lot of people appreciated it!

 

[duquephart]

1 hour ago, molymoo said:

Just wait ... start talking about "tipping" and you will unleash the diatribe!  For as many people who would like to see tips included you find just as many who will be opposed.  The ability to pre-pay gratuities is, IMO, a reasonable compromise ... also a good way to use up those vouchers!

 

 

Am I the only one here who recognizes the absurdity of "pre-pay gratuities"? Now ----- if they said "pre-pay service charges" ------------------------------------

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by duquephart

[Mitina]

28 minutes ago, duquephart said:

 

Am I the only one here who recognizes the absurdity of "pre-pay gratuities"? Now ----- if they said "pre-pay service charges" ------------------------------------

 

I wish gratuities would just be included since they are basically "pre-pay service charges".  With staff and crew occasionally rotating off cruises, I don't believe any specific cruise's gratuities are distributed among staff on that cruise.  I'm pretty sure Viking compensates well and the gratuities just provide an additional source for the staff budget line.

 

If service is lacking, Viking can usually take care of you after the cruise.

[Clay Clayton]

I agree with many of the suggestions that others have posted, particularly the ones to include the gratuities/daily service charges. I had hoped when I suddenly started seeing Viking’s marketing change to “All Inclusive” that they were going to do this.  But so far that hasn’t been the case 😢

 

Below is the list of suggestions we include with our end of cruise survey. So far it doesn’t seem to be having much effect. 😂

 

Viking Suggestions

1. At tea offer a smaller portion rather than throwing a whole set up away
2. Have the desserts in the World Cafe be as tasty as those at Tea...or just serve whatever isn’t used. 
3. A news channel other than or in addition to Fox (this may have been addressed now I understand)
4. Serve onion soup in The Restaurant in a smaller portion
5. Add Yerba Maté to the tea lists
6. Take down sheers in The Living Room-let’s see the sea
7. Add cushions to the arms of the seating on Deck 9 forward. 
8. After this many years, it’s time for some new shows. 
9. Better communication between departments. Examples- when passing Gibraltar at midnight-don’t have only one bartender in Explorer’s Lounge, if roof over pool needs maintenance don’t do it on a sea day when folks are enjoying having it open. 
10. Make shoreside service comparable to what we experience on the ship. Examples-restaurant reservation system is confusing, possible to get multiple answers to the same question from telephone or chat representatives, etc. 

[Twitchly]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

Take down sheers in The Living Room-let’s see the sea

Yes!!! We rarely used the Living Room because of this. We just felt closed in. I’m fine if removing the sheers means looking at lifeboats or whatever, but if I’m going to spend time in a space, I want to see outdoors!

[duquephart]

2 hours ago, Mitina said:

I wish gratuities would just be included since they are basically "pre-pay service charges".  With staff and crew occasionally rotating off cruises, I don't believe any specific cruise's gratuities are distributed among staff on that cruise.  I'm pretty sure Viking compensates well and the gratuities just provide an additional source for the staff budget line.

 

If service is lacking, Viking can usually take care of you after the cruise.

 

The point is that Viking's use of the term is deceptive and misleading. Viking knows this but they get away with it. That's dishonesty and blows the "no nickel & diming" claim out of the water. It's clear that when you pay "gratuities" what you are really doing is contributing to Viking's payroll fund. They really need to be upfront and just do as so many suggest.

[molymoo]

On 8/15/2022 at 9:47 AM, Jammy Bun said:

Absolutely agree with you!  Manfredis doesn't bother me too much, but Mamsens cakes yes there's too little choice... if you're only onboard for a week it would be OK, but we prefer 3-4 weeks if we have to fly.  I'd like macarons to be one of the choices! 

 

The whole concept of Mamsens is that of a Scandinavian deli ... featuring the recipes of Mamsen (the Hagen family matriarch).  They even duplicated the dishes that she used for serving her creations.  Love a good Macaron but they aren't Scandinavian.  

[longterm]

I prefer to pay gratuities as I wish, rather than folding it into the price of the cruise. 

If they were to add tips to the price of the cruise, people would invariably complain that they're being forced to pay them.

 

We always pay gratuities up front, plus we also leave an additional tip for our room steward; we don't look at tips as upcharges.

 

As a professional musician, I'd better not say much about music choices, but if I never heard another Abba song it would be too soon. 🙂

[philw1776]

Need to post time limits on use of gym empt, especially the ellipticals. Encounter folks monopolizing the machines for over an hour. Not good.

[duquephart]

15 minutes ago, longterm said:

I prefer to pay gratuities as I wish, rather than folding it into the price of the cruise. 

If they were to add tips to the price of the cruise, people would invariably complain that they're being forced to pay them.

 

We always pay gratuities up front, plus we also leave an additional tip for our room steward; we don't look at tips as upcharges.

 

As a professional musician, I'd better not say much about music choices, but if I never heard another Abba song it would be too soon. 🙂

 

"We always pay gratuities up front"

Do you tip several months in advance of a meal at the restaurant?

[longterm]

Just now, duquephart said:

 

"We always pay gratuities up front"

Do you tip several months in advance of a meal at the restaurant?

We pay the recommended amount to Viking, and then they spread that around, so I guess the answer is yes. I've never had cause, in any of the cruises we've done, in any of the restaurants, NOT to want to tip our servers.

[duquephart]

3 minutes ago, longterm said:

We pay the recommended amount to Viking, and then they spread that around, so I guess the answer is yes. I've never had cause, in any of the cruises we've done, in any of the restaurants, NOT to want to tip our servers.

 

I'm asking about your favorite restaurant at home.

[Vineyard View]

This is a great thread. A couple points really call out to me - 

 

Add varied/new ports to the Mediterranean itineraries, and soon. The bulk of the existing ports have been in play for several years, and as mentioned, there are so many that others go to which would really attract us. I would say this has been our biggest delay in booking- finding one that has enough ‘newness’. 
 

Included  excursions - for most reasons mentioned, we often use these as a way to get into a place to DIY and let the guide know we are doing so - and yes, we tip that guide in all fairness. So the idea Deec brought up to have one active and one more leisure included in each port would be very attractive. 
 

Silver Spirits Wines - some massaging of these offerings would be more than attractive. And past due. 
 

I think that Viking has the opportunity to really expand their port offerings outside of the Mediterranean with all the new ships coming. It would be very compelling to see less standard offerings in various parts of the world, and not just the far Northern Hemisphere. Outside of the new expedition ships, many seem pretty generic. 

Edited August 16, 2022 by Vineyard View