Just Back From Neptune Eastern Seaboard Cruise

[LewiLewi]

I just returned last night from my first cruise on Viking Ocean voyages (not counting the Viking Sun over 30 years ago). The ship is beautiful, very clean and modern. The staff and crew are amazing; they could not do enough for you. The cabin was small, but certainly more than enough for one person. The bathroom was excellent, I loved the glass stall shower, excellent space and great water pressure.

I found that the insulation between the cabins was too thin, I could hear my neighbors talking, sneezing and watching TV.

The food was hit or miss; lunches in the World Cafe (the buffet) were generally OK. The salad bar selections were limited and tended to be the same on most days; one day, cold shrimp was offered. The grill at the pool had excellent hamburgers. Mamsen’s offered the same fare every day, the open faced shrimp sandwich was very good. 
Dinners were also just so so. The menu was diverse, but the food was sometimes disappointing. Tough short ribs, tough osso bucco, strange moussaka, yet the bread and desserts were very good and the gelato, the best ever. The service in the dining room was generally excellent. I was disappointed in the fare at the Chef’s Table; possibly, I chose a bad night to dine there. Manfredi’s was just OK, but I heard this from many other passenger’s who had dined there as well.

The entertainer’s were fine and the Asst. CD was always around and always helpful. 
I met many passenger’s who love Viking and will cruise only with them. I feel that my experience with Viking was good, but compared to other cruise lines, not great as far as food was concerned. Also, I don’t think there is anything that can be done about cabin insulation at this point, perhaps future ships might be better insulated for noise between cabins.

Kudos to all crew members, they are all great.

 

 

[Azulann]

Thank you for posting your first experience on a Viking Ship. 

I  too love the ship design  and the DV staterooms are fine for us.

We usually have a cabin either on the aft(DV1) or  near the aft in various categories. I have never heard  any sound from the next cabins.

 The service from all crew members is indeed outstanding!  

 

Food is a matter of personal taste.  Sorry your selections you mentioned in the Restaurant were tough meat. Did you say anything? I  have never ordered those entree, they not appeal to me.   Always have very good fish entrees and love the  daily salad  or sandwich in the WC. 

Mamsen , a Norwegian Deli  does always have the same menu, but I am still working through the various open faced sandwiches and soups on the

menu after 5 cruises.

 

I have no interest in trying any other cruise lines at this time, except the new Explora line which  will have  their first paying passengers on board in the coming weeks.

Happy future  cruising.

 

 

 

[cruisingtheresa]

I was on the same ship in June with that itinerary and I agree with so much that you said.

 

We could always hear the TV in the room next to us and we wondered if it was due to a loud TV or thin walls.

 

I enjoyed most of the food but I completely agree about the salad bar. I always have salad for lunch and appreciate a large variety of items, which were disappointing. However, we always ordered the ahi tuna at the pool grill and added it to our salads - the ahi was incredible. I was also disappointed with the Chef's Table and Italian restaurant, but found the food very good in the restaurant and World Cafe.

 

I really liked the Asst. CD. I spoke to him on several occasions, mostly to compliment him on his talent. He hosted the 'Name that Tune' and did a Rock-n-Roll show one evening - those were our favorites of the entire cruise. He's really talented and I'll be surprised if he sticks around that cruise line. He's pretty young and we talked about how quiet the ship was. He didn't say anything, but I got the impression that he would appreciate a more energetic atmosphere. I never saw the cruise director except on stage. I found the Asst. CD to be much more approachable.

 

The working staff was amazing! They bent over backwards to make sure we were always taken care of. Definitely the best staff I've ever encountered on a cruise.

[Myrtle Ave. Mayhem]

@LewiLewi - Hopefully you give Viking another whirl & your next cruise is more on point. I have to agree with you regarding the food, which is so subjective. We were on the December trans-Atlantic Neptune crossing & the food was exactly as you described. One lunch in The Restaurant looked like it came from county hospital cafeteria. Much of the food was over salted. The lack of fresh vegetable selection & the same breads every night grew irritating. 

 

Other things were off the mark of Viking's usual high standard. Pool side drink service was practically non existent unless one waved the server down. In The Living Room & Explorers Lounge at night during peak cocktail hour the servers were under staffed with usually only two servers working the entire room, rushing from table to table.

 

The senior officers avoided random passenger interaction, moving from one side of a room to the other as quickly as possible. The smiles & greetings only at official functions. I would have enjoyed the Officers Question & Answer that were on previous Viking trans-Atlantics - not to be had this cruise. One of the featured lecturers gave a navigation talk which I think would have been better from one of the navigation officers. It would also have been nice to have a presentation by the crew explaining the process the maiden crew have for readying a new ship from shipyard to first sailing. 

 

These slight grievances are a matter of luxury problems, of the not enough cream in my coffee sort. Although I have a higher expectation with Viking due to their price point, they are still hands down the best overall cruise line I've experienced in over 30 years of cruising. 

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by Myrtle Ave. Mayhem

[LewiLewi]

3 hours ago, Myrtle Ave. Mayhem said:

@LewiLewi - Hopefully you give Viking another whirl & your next cruise is more on point. I have to agree with you regarding the food, which is so subjective. We were on the December trans-Atlantic Neptune crossing & the food was exactly as you described. One lunch in The Restaurant looked like it came from county hospital cafeteria. Much of the food was over salted. The lack of fresh vegetable selection & the same breads every night grew irritating. 

 

Other things were off the mark of Viking's usual high standard. Pool side drink service was practically non existent unless one waved the server down. In The Living Room & Explorers Lounge at night during peak cocktail hour the servers were under staffed with usually only two servers working the entire room, rushing from table to table.

 

The senior officers avoided random passenger interaction, moving from one side of a room to the other as quickly as possible. The smiles & greetings only at official functions. I would have enjoyed the Officers Question & Answer that were on previous Viking trans-Atlantics - not to be had this cruise. One of the featured lecturers gave a navigation talk which I think would have been better from one of the navigation officers. It would also have been nice to have a presentation by the crew explaining the process the maiden crew have for readying a new ship from shipyard to first sailing. 

 

These slight grievances are a matter of luxury problems, of the not enough cream in my coffee sort. Although I have a higher expectation with Viking due to their price point, they are still hands down the best overall cruise line I've experienced in over 30 years of cruising. 

 

Try Regent Seven Seas; pricier, but in over 175 cruises, I like them the best.

[CCWineLover]

4 hours ago, cruisingtheresa said:

We could always hear the TV in the room next to us and we wondered if it was due to a loud TV or thin walls.

we always ordered the ahi tuna at the pool grill and added it to our salads - the ahi was incredible. I was also disappointed with the Chef's Table and Italian restaurant, but found the food very good in the restaurant and World Cafe.

 

The working staff was amazing! They bent over backwards to make sure we were always taken care of. Definitely the best staff I've ever encountered on a cruise.

Hi cruisingtheresa:

Highlighted the things we totally agree with.

We've been on a number of Viking ships (see our signature) and we do enjoy the staff and the casual atmosphere.

Guess regarding room noise it's just a matter of good or bad luck as to your neighbors.  Sadly there are those who are hard of hearing and spend a lot of time with the TV on.  We've had some bad situations with the TV noise next door and others where we heard nothing.  Last cruise in June, they had the News (of all things) on starting at 6:30 to 9 AM and then in the evening from 5 PMJ and consistently off at 9 PM.  We hardly ever saw them, so they must be more recluse.  It happens.  Never sure why people go on a great cruise and spend so much time watching TV (unless they are not feeling well or quarantined)

We also felt food was a mix of good and bad.  Fortunately the items (that are good or bad to us) are consistent across cruises so we know what to choose each cruise and are happy with it.  You do exactly what we do with the Ahi tuna in making a great salad !!

Chef's Table used to be quite good but since COVID the quality seems to have gone downhill IMHO, with the same menus to compare to.  The others were pretty consistent.

We do like the quiet atmosphere, the de-emphasis on massive entertainment, the lack of kids running around, or casinos, and just the general vibe - as such we'll likely just stick to Viking.

Edited July 27, 2023 by CCWineLover