Tips For New Viking Ocean Cruisers - Vol.2

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, MMMCruiser said:

Thanks so much.  Is there a way to get a case of water for our room?  I've done that on other cruise lines but I've also had bottles of water (still and sparkling) as part of a package.

 

On Viking you will walk into a cabin with one carafe of still water.  You can also ask for Sparkling water - made on the ship - and we ask for 2 sparkling waters each day and no still.  

 

I don't think that they will supply you with bottled water to your cabin like they give when leaving the ship.

 

You can get the ship made sparkling water with meals or anytime during the day too.

[GonzoWCS]

49 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

On Viking you will walk into a cabin with one carafe of still water.  You can also ask for Sparkling water - made on the ship - and we ask for 2 sparkling waters each day and no still.  

 

I don't think that they will supply you with bottled water to your cabin like they give when leaving the ship.

 

You can get the ship made sparkling water with meals or anytime during the day too.

Spot on!

 

Cheers

[millybess]

1 hour ago, Planning to cruise said:

The carafe of water is there but we often take the offered bottle water when returning from a tour as we head to the room.  

We do the same and place it in the fridge in the room and drink that. We find the water in the carafe to be too warm. 

[MMMCruiser]

Thanks so much for all the info.  You all are really helpful.  It sounds like I don't need to worry about getting dehydrated.  

[LindaS272]

Ice—always ask for ice in room twice a day too. Helps with all kinds of beverages. 🧊

[SantaFe1]

1 minute ago, LindaS272 said:

Ice—always ask for ice in room twice a day too. Helps with all kinds of beverages. 🧊

And aches and pains,

[millybess]

8 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

And aches and pains,

Absolutely agree with that!👍

[island lady]

9 hours ago, deec said:

Peregrini  I have been on a number of Viking excursions with NO extra water.  I usually grab 2 at the gangway if it is going to be a long hot day.

 

We as well.   But we also drink the carafes of water, which I enjoy in the cabin.   🙂 

[Peregrina651]

1 minute ago, island lady said:

 

We as well.   But we also drink the carafes of water, which I enjoy in the cabin.   🙂 

 

And the water dispensers (still and sparkling) in the World Cafe (as well as the coffee machines) are available 24/7.

[island lady]

8 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

And the water dispensers (still and sparkling) in the World Cafe (as well as the coffee machines) are available 24/7.

 

Thanks!  Mmmm...coffee!!  😉 

[deec]

depending on the cruise I sometimes do NOT like the bottle water...so I refill them from the water in the room carafe which is always fine tasting.

I sometimes bring an insulated coffee mug but usually not a reusable water bottle.

[duquephart]

19 hours ago, Planning to cruise said:

The carafe of water is there but we often take the offered bottle water when returning from a tour as we head to the room.  

Certainly no need to buy any.  

I concur that the Living Room is the go to place for hot drinks.  Also available in the Explorers Bar. 

 

 

Never been "offered" bottled water coming back aboard - just a towel. 

[Planning to cruise]

19 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

Ice—always ask for ice in room twice a day too. Helps with all kinds of beverages. 🧊

I tell the steward not to bring any ice and remove the bucket!  

[Planning to cruise]

2 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

Never been "offered" bottled water coming back aboard - just a towel. 

We have done 2 VO cruises this year on different ships.  On both the bottled water was available by the gangway throughout the day.  

[millybess]

2 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

Never been "offered" bottled water coming back aboard - just a towel. 

The tub of water is right there when you board.  We always ask if we can take one.

[LindaS272]

2 minutes ago, Planning to cruise said:

I tell the steward not to bring any ice and remove the bucket!  

Why? We found it a helpful addition on our last cruise but had not done it before that except “as needed.”

 

[duquephart]

8 minutes ago, Planning to cruise said:

We have done 2 VO cruises this year on different ships.  On both the bottled water was available by the gangway throughout the day.  

 

Available and offered are not the same thing.

[Planning to cruise]

On both cruises all day during all port calls one of the crew stood on the ship by the exit to the gangway holding and offering bottles of water to passing passengers, goingboff or returning.  Alongside him was a large refrigerated bin full of bottles.  

Another crew member gave out towels to passengers returning on board.  

[GonzoWCS]

39 minutes ago, millybess said:

The tub of water is right there when you board.  We always ask if we can take one.

This has been our experience also.

 

Cheers

[Steerpike58]

 

On 8/8/2024 at 11:46 AM, MMMCruiser said:

Thanks so much.  Is there a way to get a case of water for our room?  I've done that on other cruise lines but I've also had bottles of water (still and sparkling) as part of a package.

Unless you have a large room, having a case of water may be a bit of a burden.  Personally, I think Viking gives out way too many single-use plastic bottles already, and applaud them for using refillable carafes in the room. We were on a cruise in Vietnam recently (Ha Long Bay) and the ocean was full of plastic debris.  We took a boat-ride on the bay, and they wouldn't even let you on the boat with a plastic bottle, the problem is so bad there (new regulations). 

 

We get one plastic bottle at the start of the cruise (or at the airport), and then refill it continuously from the carafe's they top up in the rooms. We never picked up a single extra bottle for the entire cruise. 

 

There's an added advantage in that Viking supply both still and sparkling water in the carafes, and we prefer sparkling which is harder to find in disposable-bottle format. 

Edited August 9 by Steerpike58

[Steerpike58]

14 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

And the water dispensers (still and sparkling) in the World Cafe (as well as the coffee machines) are available 24/7.

Thanks for the reminder!  In addition to refilling our (one and only) plastic bottle from the carafe in the room, we often swing by World Cafe and refill there. Their sparkling water is surprisingly good. 

Also - those 'coffee machines' include the espresso machines, so you can go get a latte or espresso 24 hours a day, which is a fantastic feature. 

Edited August 9 by Steerpike58

[Steerpike58]

How does one provide specific feedback to Viking for a Viking Excursion?  

 

We just finished our last cruise 2 days ago, and filled out an extensive questionnaire regarding the cruise itself, but there was no provision to provide feedback on the excursions. Several of our excursions were very good, and I wanted to state that, but one of our excursions had a really poor 'included meal' experience and I wanted to let Viking know about it (because I doubt they know what's going on with the restaurant that is providing the meal). So is there a way to meaningfully communicate with someone at Viking regarding excursions? 

 

Our specific experience was with the 'Golden Circle' excursion in Iceland (Reykjavík). The excursion itself was pretty good (as it should be for $269/person) but the meal was not. It was provided at a 'gift shop/cafe/restaurant' called Gullfoss at the Gullfoss waterfall. The meal was 'buffet style', and there were massive long tables set up for our party.  We were not the only Viking bus party present, so the tables had the bus numbers on them. The dining room was huge, and the total space occupied by the 5 or 6 busses was only about 1/3rd the room, and the rest of the room was totally empty (it was about 3pm).  The seating was incredibly cramped - really uncomfortably so (eg, 20 people to a table that should only seat maybe 12) - so we chose to sit at an empty table and we proceeded to get ourselves some food from the buffet.  The waiters were not pleased and tried to force us to join the cramped tables, but we refused (others who had done the same reluctantly complied, with some 'mobility challenged' people having to squeeze into very uncomfortable spaces).  Not one 'outside' customer showed up during our entire visit, so 2/3rds of the dining room remained totally empty for the duration. There was absolutely no reason to cram everyone into such a limited space, other than an unwillingness to clean up more tables. 

 

The food itself was at best mediocre, but that's par for the course at such events and I wouldn't even bother to report that; it was the way they crammed everyone into too few tables that really bothered me. So is there a way to let Viking know this? 

[FetaCheese]

@Steerpike58

 

2 Options:  

 

1.  Call V Cust Relations

 

2.  Send email to Tellus@VikingCruises.com

 

[Steerpike58]

Ship vibration. 

 

We just completed a 12 day cruise from Norway to Iceland on the Viking Venus - one of their newer ocean ships. We've previously been on two other Viking Ocean ships. All three ships are delightful in so many ways - we really love the on-board experience with Viking Ocean. 

 

But on this last cruise, in our cabin (5050), there was a frequent 'shudder' or vibration that was quite noticeable. It caused our closet slider doors to vibrate, requiring us to shove a towel between the sliders. It also caused the beds to shake a little. We also noticed it while sitting in World Cafe. It wasn't all the time, by any means, but quite often, and often overnight while sailing.  I'd say it was a roughly 4-8 hertz frequency (that is, a few vibrations a second). 

 

Could this be something unique to Viking Venus? Perhaps a mechanical issue that will get taken care of at some point? I'm sure we would have noticed it on the other two VO ships we have been on recently (last 2 years). 

[Ken the cruiser]

On 8/8/2024 at 3:16 PM, CDNPolar said:

 

On Viking you will walk into a cabin with one carafe of still water.  You can also ask for Sparkling water - made on the ship - and we ask for 2 sparkling waters each day and no still.  

 

I don't think that they will supply you with bottled water to your cabin like they give when leaving the ship.

 

You can get the ship made sparkling water with meals or anytime during the day too.

If I might ask, if we are booked in a DV without a beverage package, what type of access do we have to the carafe of still water you mentioned? Will there be a carafe of still (or sparkling on request) water provided daily in the cabin?