First time cruiser on Viking Ocean...and a little concerned

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

You could travel with the most exceptional luxury cruise line, and you will hear complaints! Everything that you mentioned you want in a cruise, is what Viking offers. Will there be inconsistencies from ship to ship, sailing to sailing, yes. You are sailing with a bunch of imperfect humans and it is quite possible something could not be as you expect, but that is the case in any situation. 

 

I have heard someone yelling at an officer because they expected Viking to do something Viking clearly states they cannot do. This person came on the cruise expecting that Viking would change their rules and provide the service they wanted, and it was totally unreasonable. You are going to read bad reviews from this individual as well as others who have unrealistic expectations. 

 

So much written is personal preference. Someone stated above that they did not enjoy expeditions as much as ocean. We loved expeditions even more than oceans! Everything is so subjective. It's like Goldilocks and the Three Bears.....bed's too soft, bed's too hard! 

 

Go on the cruise. Enjoy. 

 

 

 

 

Couldn't have said it better than you!   And we echo all the other responses as well.

It would be nice to hear back from the OP (xiphoid76) on what their reaction is to all of these comments.   We sure hope that xiphoid76 does go ahead with your cruise - and that the lucky DH has a fantastic 50th BD on board the SKY next year!

 

[xiphoid76]

Original poster here. I have so much appreciated all the comments. We are going to go on the cruise and we are going to have fun! Everyone is so right about these threads - we will take them for what they are worth.  I don’t want to miss out on anything as a first timer on Viking but I also don’t want to worry about missing out on stuff. If we just go with an open mind I am sure we will have a blast. We booked an explorer suite on the Sky and can not wait!   We also got the Silver Spirits package only because we don’t drink wine or beer but do enjoy cocktails like martinis and whiskey 🙂

[Iloveketo]

35 minutes ago, xiphoid76 said:

Original poster here. I have so much appreciated all the comments. We are going to go on the cruise and we are going to have fun! Everyone is so right about these threads - we will take them for what they are worth.  I don’t want to miss out on anything as a first timer on Viking but I also don’t want to worry about missing out on stuff. If we just go with an open mind I am sure we will have a blast. We booked an explorer suite on the Sky and can not wait!   We also got the Silver Spirits package only because we don’t drink wine or beer but do enjoy cocktails like martinis and whiskey 🙂

So glad you decided not to cancel!

We have never stayed in anything above a Penthouse Veranda and love Viking!

The Explorer Suites look incredible! Nice perks too, like free laundry service and early booking of excursions and reservations for dining. 
Enjoy!

[biggerbearmom]

On 10/5/2022 at 11:21 AM, Baron Barracuda said:

Haven't done a VO sailing since cruising resumed but we did the Grand European on VR this summer and family have done several recent sailings on Royal and Norwegian.  Everyone noted inconsistencies from the large number of new, inexperienced crew.  In the past Viking had benefited from a low level of turnover but it's not surprising that during the long industry shutdown many veteran crew were forced to seek employment elsewhere.  Maybe at some point they will return but in the interim we'll need to be patient as their replacements settle in.  They all  appear to be hard working with a great attitude.

Viking paid there staff during the pandemic and as a result, they retained 85% of their crew. 

[duquephart]

On 10/6/2022 at 5:01 PM, xiphoid76 said:

Original poster here. I have so much appreciated all the comments. We are going to go on the cruise and we are going to have fun! Everyone is so right about these threads - we will take them for what they are worth.  I don’t want to miss out on anything as a first timer on Viking but I also don’t want to worry about missing out on stuff. If we just go with an open mind I am sure we will have a blast. We booked an explorer suite on the Sky and can not wait!   We also got the Silver Spirits package only because we don’t drink wine or beer but do enjoy cocktails like martinis and whiskey 🙂

 

Whiskey is a cocktail? In Tennessee?

[xiphoid76]

8 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

Whiskey is a cocktail? In Tennessee?

I live in Knoxville, Tennessee - how did you guess 🙂

[duquephart]

45 minutes ago, xiphoid76 said:

I live in Knoxville, Tennessee - how did you guess 🙂

 

• August 30, 2009
• Tennessee

 

[SempreMare]

11 hours ago, biggerbearmom said:

Viking paid there staff during the pandemic and as a result, they retained 85% of their crew. 

Kudos to Viking and the leader(s) who made that decision.

[biggerbearmom]

2 hours ago, SempreMare said:

Kudos to Viking and the leader(s) who made that decision.

I agree, when the captain shared this in one of his talks, everyone in the theater clapped and cheered. Our room steward on that trip told us that he learned new skills during the shutdown, Viking put their employees to work doing all types of tasks. He said he learned how to install carpet. I believe this is the reason their restart in regards to employees was not as difficult, as they retained the majority of their employees.

Edited October 9, 2022 by biggerbearmom

[lisaatric]

We just completed our first Viking cruise (Mediterranean Odyssey).  Maybe it’s because I’d never been to Europe.  Maybe it was the perfect weather. Whatever it was, I was thrilled and grateful every second to have been on this amazing trip.  I can not think of one complaint. Everything was perfect. The food quality and selection, the service, the stateroom (I love the hard bed)-it all exceeded my expectations. 

 

Well, there was one minor issue. They did not have chocolate chip cookies every day in the World Cafe. 

[Twitchly]

7 minutes ago, lisaatric said:

Well, there was one minor issue. They did not have chocolate chip cookies every day in the World Cafe. 

I would’ve asked for my money back!

[LindaS272]

1 hour ago, lisaatric said:

Well, there was one minor issue. They did not have chocolate chip cookies every day in the World Cafe. 

Hey, that’s my gripe, too! But the dozens of chocolate desserts they serve up in the WC, Restaurant, & Manfredi’s (profiteroles) more than makes up for it, IMO. 

[lackcreativity]

On 10/6/2022 at 6:40 PM, Iloveketo said:

So glad you decided not to cancel!

We have never stayed in anything above a Penthouse Veranda and love Viking!

We always stay in Veranda cabins, and we always enjoy Viking cruises. We get the same great service as everyone else both in our cabin and throughout the ship. The few things we give up (more reservations and later booking of excursions), are rarely a problem, and come at a considerable savings. Works for us!

 

Welcome to Viking, xiphoid76, and enjoy your trip.

Edited October 10, 2022 by lackcreativity

[Iloveketo]

2 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

We always stay in Veranda cabins, and we always enjoy Viking cruises. We get the same great service as everyone else both in our cabin and throughout the ship. The few things we give up (more reservations and later booking of excursions), are rarely a problem, and come at a considerable savings. Works for us!

I like the smaller size of cabin as I can see the TV better while in bed. 
I love how everyone is basically treated the same once on the ship. I don’t think I would enjoy being on a ship with a “caste” system. 

[Patthecruiser]

On 10/5/2022 at 7:07 AM, xiphoid76 said:

Hi there,

Maybe I am just over-reacting to these boards...but it seems that there are lots of complaints recently about Viking Ocean.  From the food being below par, to the staging, bedding, service, etc...

We are huge cruisers but have sailed mostly with Disney - 19 cruises with them.  10 on RCCL, 12 on Carnival, 2 on HAL and NCL.  We thought post-Covid that Disney was certainly lacking in their usual excellent service and care; and overall were looking at more luxurious lines.  Viking is consistently ranked number one it seems and they have a rabid following...so I thought until I read these boards 🙂  Has it changed a lot post-Covid?  Maybe that has just affected everyone in  the travel industry?  Or would I not even notice anything bad with Viking as I have nothing to compare them to as I haven't sailed with them pre-Covid?  

Just wondering now if we made a mistake in booking Viking and should we consider another luxury line?  We still have time to cancel.  Just a heads up on us - we are a couple in our 50's, no kids, don't really drink, not foodies at all (we would both eat off the kid's menu for all meals if possible).  Looking for a quiet cruise, with stellar service.  Want to be excited about Viking, but worried that the price we are paying will not be worth it...

I just got of the Viking Star Ocean ship at two weeks coming down from Canada to Fort Lauderdale and what a wonderful time with perfect service and exception food.  No kids on the ship and very relaxing.  You cannot go wrong with them.  The following day we got on RCCL Allure of the Seas and what a shock.  Not my cup of tea and looking forward to getting off.  

 

In January we sailed on the Viking Octantis to Antarctica and again, another 10 cruise with them.  I did a YouTube video of it and if you type in "2022 Viking Octantis Exploration ship – First sailing to Antarctica - Ship Tour and Review" you can see what I thought of that one (Channel is Pat's Adventures).  I have done one river (Egypt) on Viking and three other ocean - all amazing.  Been on over 50 cruises and I am sold on Viking.