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Dining Table Attangements - Viking/Uniworld


conchyjoe
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Hello All,

 

My first visit to the River Cruise section on Cruise Critic and our first consideration of doing a river cruise rather than our normal ocean cruise on Seabourn or in the past, Silversea.

 

We are looking at doing an Amsterdam-Basel leg on Viking (AA or ES suite) and then after a few days touring Switzerland by car/train, do a Munich/Passau leg to Budapest on Uniworld (SS Maria Theressa) or alternatively Viking to Budapest depending on availability.

 

Some quick questions for those with river experience.

 

a) We are not an unsociable couple but generally prefer to dine on our own at a table for two. Is this possible on these ships ?

 

b) Wines - both lines offer complementary wines at lunch/dinner and with a Viking Silver Spirits package both essentially become all inclusive but are wines not specifically shown on the daily restaurant menu generally available at lunch/dinner even if they are not specifically listed on the menu. IE, if you find one of the offerings that you like, can you generally stick with that one for most of your meals ?

 

c) Any opinions on our plans or comments Viking v. Uniworld ?

 

Thanks for all your advice; this is a wonderful resource.

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Hello All,

 

My first visit to the River Cruise section on Cruise Critic and our first consideration of doing a river cruise rather than our normal ocean cruise on Seabourn or in the past, Silversea.

 

We are looking at doing an Amsterdam-Basel leg on Viking (AA or ES suite) and then after a few days touring Switzerland by car/train, do a Munich/Passau leg to Budapest on Uniworld (SS Maria Theressa) or alternatively Viking to Budapest depending on availability.

 

Some quick questions for those with river experience.

 

a) We are not an unsociable couple but generally prefer to dine on our own at a table for two. Is this possible on these ships ? We were a group of 5 so always had a larger table but there are tables for 2 but they are close together. Also Uniworld does not require everyone to be seated as soon as the doors open at 7 pm for dinner - many folks entered between 7 and 7:30.

 

b) Wines - both lines offer complementary wines at lunch/dinner and with a Viking Silver Spirits package both essentially become all inclusive but are wines not specifically shown on the daily restaurant menu generally available at lunch/dinner even if they are not specifically listed on the menu. IE, if you find one of the offerings that you like, can you generally stick with that one for most of your meals ? We usually had the daily offerings which are from the area being visited in most cases. I do remember one night when I wasn't excited about that day's wines and our waiter brought us a bottle of a wine I had enjoyed at a previous dinner.

 

c) Any opinions on our plans or comments Viking v. Uniworld ?

 

Thanks for all your advice; this is a wonderful resource.

 

I can't do a comparison since we've never been on Viking but we have been on 3 Uniworld cruises (Budapest to Amsterdam, the Seine, and the Rhone) and there will be more in our future. We love the food, service, ships (in all their extravagant glory :D which is definitely not the way we decorate our homes) and excellent cruise directors and tours.

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Conchyjoe,

What a wonderful plan for a vacation !

The order in which you've chosen your cruise lines is a good one (in my opinion). The two lines are quite different and according to most, and the sticky above, you will experience a nice cruise first and then build up to a nicer one.

The dinning room has enough tables and chairs to accommodate everyone at one time assuming the ship is full to capacity. So if it is not full, then by default, there should be more empty tables available and you should be able to get your desired table for two.

RB

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Hello All,

 

My first visit to the River Cruise section on Cruise Critic and our first consideration of doing a river cruise rather than our normal ocean cruise on Seabourn or in the past, Silversea.

 

We are looking at doing an Amsterdam-Basel leg on Viking (AA or ES suite) and then after a few days touring Switzerland by car/train, do a Munich/Passau leg to Budapest on Uniworld (SS Maria Theressa) or alternatively Viking to Budapest depending on availability.

 

Some quick questions for those with river experience.

 

a) We are not an unsociable couple but generally prefer to dine on our own at a table for two. Is this possible on these ships ?

 

b) Wines - both lines offer complementary wines at lunch/dinner and with a Viking Silver Spirits package both essentially become all inclusive but are wines not specifically shown on the daily restaurant menu generally available at lunch/dinner even if they are not specifically listed on the menu. IE, if you find one of the offerings that you like, can you generally stick with that one for most of your meals ?

 

c) Any opinions on our plans or comments Viking v. Uniworld ?

 

Thanks for all your advice; this is a wonderful resource.

 

I can only answer for Viking, which we love.

 

On our best trip we've ever taken was on the Viking trip in China. All of the tables were round tables for 8, which proved to be a fantastic way for every to get know each other. On the Viking Longships in Europe there mostly round tables for 6 but there are some large tables, but none smaller. On the Viking ship in Russia there were lots of tables for two. Most people who ate at them never really met the rest of us. Having tables for 2 was one of my main criticism of the Russia trip.

 

But, to each his own.

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On our last Viking cruise on a Long Ship, there were 194 passengers, which were all required to eat at one large seating. There are no tables for two, only for 6-8. If you want to eat alone, you have the option of eating upstairs in the Aquavit Lounge with a limited menu. Uniworld does have tables for two, plus people eat at their leisure, which means different tables open up at varying times throughout meal time. The greatest portion of Uniworld cruisers enjoy the company of their fellow cruisers and would rather eat at group tables. This greatly reduces competition for the two tops for those that want seclusion .

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There was a recent thread on Viking food and wine. It seems they serve quite a lot of American food such as BBQ, spring rolls, even steak and lobster. They do serve cheeses from the region. Their desserts rely heavily on ice cream and sorbet. I did some research of various Viking cruises and found that quite a lot of the guests make reservations in advance for Michelin starred restaurants and get off the ship and eat in various restaurants quite a bit. There was one couple whose travelogue described that they ate breakfast on their river ship and then would go eat their way through the various towns along the river. They skipped tours and had reservations in many restaurants, but also would stop at various places to have local foods and wines and beers. It was a very informative thread and would be a fun thing to do on a river cruise.

 

In addition, Viking offers a more informal buffet on an upper terrace so if you don't feel like eating in the MDR, you can go there instead.

 

By contrast, Uniworld mostly serves food from the region in which you are cruising with the everyday option of steak, fish or chicken AND Uniworld changes their wines every single night and serves wines from the regions in which you are sailing. If you don't like the included wine, they can often pull wine that you did like from a previous night. My husband and I are wine collectors and have beens studying wine since the 1980's. We are used to some pretty high end wines, but we found what Uniworld served for free to be quite good.

 

Some Uniworld ships have included alternate dining venues.

 

The above may or may not be important to you and it may be that you prefer to have American food or you may prefer regional food from the area in which you are cruising. Just thought I would let you know so you could make an informed decision.

 

I have not been on Viking myself, but I have been on Uniworld's SS Antoinette and it was one of the best vacations I've ever been on, so I can wholeheartedly recommend them! Uniworld's ships are very luxurious and the food I had was great and very appropriate for the region, as were the included wines. The crew (almost all Europeans) were awesome! Service could not have been better.

Edited by SuiteTraveler
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There was a recent thread on Viking food and wine. It seems they serve quite a lot of American food such as BBQ, spring rolls, even steak and lobster. They do serve cheeses from the region. Their desserts rely heavily on ice cream and sorbet. I did some research of various Viking cruises and found that quite a lot of the guests make reservations in advance for Michelin starred restaurants and get off the ship and eat in various restaurants quite a bit. There was one couple whose travelogue described that they ate breakfast on their river ship and then would go eat their way through the various towns along the river. They skipped tours and had reservations in many restaurants, but also would stop at various places to have local foods and wines and beers. It was a very informative thread and would be a fun thing to do on a river cruise.

 

In addition, Viking offers a more informal buffet on an upper terrace so if you don't feel like eating in the MDR, you can go there instead.

 

By contrast, Uniworld mostly serves food from the region in which you are cruising with the everyday option of steak, fish or chicken AND Uniworld changes their wines every single night and serves wines from the regions in which you are sailing. If you don't like the included wine, they can often pull wine that you did like from a previous night. My husband and I are wine collectors and have beens studying wine since the 1980's. We are used to some pretty high end wines, but we found what Uniworld served for free to be quite good.

 

Some Uniworld ships have included alternate dining venues.

 

The above may or may not be important to you and it may be that you prefer to have American food or you may prefer regional food from the area in which you are cruising. Just thought I would let you know so you could make an informed decision.

 

I have not been on Viking myself, but I have been on Uniworld's SS Antoinette and it was one of the best vacations I've ever been on, so I can wholeheartedly recommend them! Uniworld's ships are very luxurious and the food I had was great and very appropriate for the region, as were the included wines. The crew (almost all Europeans) were awesome! Service could not have been better.

 

I believe you are trying to be helpful, but when you admit that "I have not been on Viking myself", then you are relaying second and third hand information that is not completely accurate. To say that "it seems Viking serves a lot of American food" is not correct. Their menus contain several basic menu items like steak and chicken and salmon that repeat every night. Their menu also contains several new menu choices every evening that are international cuisine, often from the region in which you are touring. The dessert list always includes ice cream and sorbet, along with new items every evening like tortes, mousses, and tarts.

 

Both Viking and Uniworld are very popular cruise lines. The more than 4000 people who have posted reviews of Viking River on Cruise Critic have given them a "Loved It" rating of 87%. That is very close to the 90% rating for Uniworld from the 500 plus people who have reviewed that line. Your implication that "quite a lot of guests on Viking get off the ship and eat at restaurants in port" as some indication that the food on Viking is Americanized and/or unsatisfactory would not support such positive reviews from so many people.

 

I will never understand the inclination of some people to build up the company of their choice by disparaging a cruise line on which they have never sailed.

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I believe you are trying to be helpful, but when you admit that "I have not been on Viking myself", then you are relaying second and third hand information that is not completely accurate. To say that "it seems Viking serves a lot of American food" is not correct. Their menus contain several basic menu items like steak and chicken and salmon that repeat every night. Their menu also contains several new menu choices every evening that are international cuisine, often from the region in which you are touring. The dessert list always includes ice cream and sorbet, along with new items every evening like tortes, mousses, and tarts.

 

"International cuisine" is not local cuisine. I have researched Viking menus and read them in detail and it is very obvious that Viking mostly serves American Cuisine with a few local items thrown in here and there. Their desserts include 1 - 2 prepared items per dinner menu and then ice cream and sorbet every night (in other words, they rely heavily on the ice cream and sorbet on a nightly basis).

Both Viking and Uniworld are very popular cruise lines. The more than 4000 people who have posted reviews of Viking River on Cruise Critic have given them a "Loved It" rating of 87%. That is very close to the 90% rating for Uniworld from the 500 plus people who have reviewed that line. Your implication that "quite a lot of guests on Viking get off the ship and eat at restaurants in port" as some indication that the food on Viking is Americanized and/or unsatisfactory would not support such positive reviews from so many people.

 

That is YOUR TAKE on why people on Viking cruises get off and eat on land not mine. My take is that Viking costs less than some other river cruises, so Viking cruisers feel free to eat off the ship and experience the local cuisine rather than eating onboard for every meal. I think it's great that Viking cruisers do that and I liked all the information Viking cruisers shared about local restaurants.

 

I will never understand the inclination of some people to build up the company of their choice by disparaging a cruise line on which they have never sailed.

 

This is JMO, but you don't need to defend Viking. They are doing things the way they do them for a reason and obviously their market segment likes how they do things.

Stating differences between cruise lines is NOT a put down. It's just stating differences. You are way off base in your comments to me.

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There was a recent thread on Viking food and wine. It seems they serve quite a lot of American food such as BBQ, spring rolls, even steak and lobster. They do serve cheeses from the region. Their desserts rely heavily on ice cream and sorbet. I did some research of various Viking cruises and found that quite a lot of the guests make reservations in advance for Michelin starred restaurants and get off the ship and eat in various restaurants quite a bit. There was one couple whose travelogue described that they ate breakfast on their river ship and then would go eat their way through the various towns along the river. They skipped tours and had reservations in many restaurants, but also would stop at various places to have local foods and wines and beers. It was a very informative thread and would be a fun thing to do on a river cruise.

 

In addition, Viking offers a more informal buffet on an upper terrace so if you don't feel like eating in the MDR, you can go there instead.

 

By contrast, Uniworld mostly serves food from the region in which you are cruising with the everyday option of steak, fish or chicken AND Uniworld changes their wines every single night and serves wines from the regions in which you are sailing. If you don't like the included wine, they can often pull wine that you did like from a previous night. My husband and I are wine collectors and have beens studying wine since the 1980's. We are used to some pretty high end wines, but we found what Uniworld served for free to be quite good.

 

Some Uniworld ships have included alternate dining venues.

 

The above may or may not be important to you and it may be that you prefer to have American food or you may prefer regional food from the area in which you are cruising. Just thought I would let you know so you could make an informed decision.

 

I have not been on Viking myself, but I have been on Uniworld's SS Antoinette and it was one of the best vacations I've ever been on, so I can wholeheartedly recommend them! Uniworld's ships are very luxurious and the food I had was great and very appropriate for the region, as were the included wines. The crew (almost all Europeans) were awesome! Service could not have been better.

 

I have been on 6 Viking Cruises, 5 of them River cruises where I got know most of the people by the end of the trip. While I am aware of people staying in town after the morning cruise and having lunch there since they wanted to stay in town, I am not aware of any people on my 5 cruises ever going off the boat in the evening to eat.

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I have been on 6 Viking Cruises, 5 of them River cruises where I got know most of the people by the end of the trip. While I am aware of people staying in town after the morning cruise and having lunch there since they wanted to stay in town, I am not aware of any people on my 5 cruises ever going off the boat in the evening to eat.

 

Did you take attendance at dinner? What about the people who went to the buffet on the Aquavit Terrace? Did you take attendance there, too?

 

Seriously, I found some really charming blogs about river cruises on Viking and the people who wrote these blogs wrote that they are foodies and they did indeed eat dinner on shore sometimes - I'm sure for dinner it depended on if the ship was docked in the evening or not. Some of them would have a feast at lunch - not sure if they ate anything onboard that night after all they ate onshore - having seen the photos of their food, I couldn't eat more that day. At any rate, they had a ball on their river cruises and I would probably do the same thing given the opportunity. :D

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Back to the original topic, we have only river cruised with Uniworld, but occasionally after a long day of touring and DYI exploring, we like to eat a relaxed dinner alone and usually could eat at a table for two if we wished. The one time we thought about having dinner onshore, the ship had to leave early due to high water issues and sailed earlier than the published on board time for the day, so we're certainly glad we ate onboard!

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I will never understand the inclination of some people to build up the company of their choice by disparaging a cruise line on which they have never sailed.

 

 

AMEN! Thank you for saying exactly what I've been thinking. Hearsay is never accepted as evidence. And most of these are just that.

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

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One of our favorite aspects of the Uniworld experience is the truly open dining. There is no mad rush to the dining room for dinner and you can show up during the hours they are open and sit where you prefer.

 

We enjoy a late dinner and choose to go around 8pm. Quite a few others were the same on both of our cruises with Uniworld. No issues whatsover and a lovely, relaxing experience.

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I was on Viking's Rhone cruise a couple of years ago. Lyon, France is considered the gastronomic capital of the world by many. I can attest that many fellow cruisers did eat both lunches and dinner in town in lieu of on the boat.

 

I find Uniworld's food, wine, along with the entire dining experience ( including evening dress codes) to be far far superior to that of Viking. Notwithstanding that, cruisers on either Line, that are in any manner a Foodie, would be foolish to not make early reservations and eat in some of the greatest restaurants in the world while in some of the visited cities.

 

Some cruisers prefer bland often Americanized food, I understand those cruisers actions. I remember one cruisers posting on CC that they were upset, having just arrived in Amsterdam, because they couldn't find a restaurant that served a "good American hamburger ". However, WHY would anyone otherwise eat on the boat when overnighting in cities such as Paris, Lyons, Vienna, or even Amsterdam? For we true foodies, part of the pleasure in travel aboard is enjoying the best of the local cuisine, not eating aboard.

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pinotlover, I agree with you completely. The Michelin starred restaurants available along the rivers in Europe are AMAZING and if you are a foodie, then you absolutely should take advantage of the opportunity to try them whenever possible whatever river cruise line you are traveling on.

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Regarding your question on wine, my experience has been that a red and white wine is chosen (by the boat) and that is what is served during lunch and dinner to everyone, unless you purchase your own bottle. Every couple of days a different brand is served.

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I have sailed on both lines, and I have recently put together a very similar trip for my Mom and her Sister, with similar itineraries.

Given your past ocean cruising experience, you would be happier on Uniworld than on Viking, is that is the lines you have narrowed down to. I would also like to add that you should consider AMA Waterways, as I think it is closer to your profile.

To answer your direct questions, there are not tables for 2 on Viking, but there are on Uniworld. You can dine as a 2 topper on the Aquavit Terrace on Viking though, a bit more relaxed atmosphere than the main dining room.

On either ship if you find an included wine you like early on, you can request that wine be poured (if they have not run out) and it will be poured for you.

Happy to answer any other questions you may have on these lines, or river cruising, here or at my email in my signature.

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Regarding your question on wine, my experience has been that a red and white wine is chosen (by the boat) and that is what is served during lunch and dinner to everyone, unless you purchase your own bottle. Every couple of days a different brand is served.

 

Not the case on either Uniworld or Scenic where there is a list of included wines, some of which are excellent! We drank a lovely Chateauneuf-Du-Pape on the Rhone with Uniworld - along with many other options - and on the Seine we had a good range of options for Bordeaux and Burgundy selections.

 

Scenic was similar in variety and quality.

 

Cannot speak to Viking as we do not choose to sail with them.

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Your best choice would probably be none of the above.

 

Look into Crystal River cruises where you will get " fine " wines superior service and tables for two on new ships if that is what your looking foR.

 

True luxury.

 

 

Forgive the stupid question but did Crystal actually manage to launch their much touted new boats or have they need Delayed again?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Crystal launched the Crystal Mozart and it's getting phenomenal reviews - the photos are amazing - food also amazing! I'm looking forward to trying this line!

 

On Uniworld, they serve 2 different wines every night (one red and one white) from the region in which you are cruising and as noted by other posters above, they are good and varied - I believe some effort is made to pair the wines with the menu of the evening.

 

Viking has apparently standardized to 2 wines, one white and one red, and serve the exact same 2 wines with lunch and dinner every day. A recent Viking cruiser on the Rhine reported that one of the wines on his cruise was from South America. Viking also has a beverage package you can buy and a menu of wines you can order for extra $$$. I believe you can also purchase wine on land and bring it onboard, but I don't know if they charge a corkage fee or not.

Edited by SuiteTraveler
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