viking sky feb. 11/17 south america

anyone interested in Church or Synagogue services during this cruise. Mackle

anyone interested in Church or Synagogue services during this cruise. Mackle

There is Shabbat candlelighting on board each Friday night, usually in Torshavn and usually at 6pm regardless of when the sun sets. The service is run by, and depends entirely on the skills of, those present. The ship provides wine and fresh baked challah. Viking put together a pamphlet with a brief Kabblat Shabbat service, mostly in English but, usually those who attend the service are regular synagogue goers who know the melodies and so there is a lot of singing and participation. On our two cruises, there were a number of people who knew the service and were willing to lead. There were even a couple who had brought siddarim.

One thread is enough, please! And you would do better to ask this question on the Roll Call for this cruise.

hi peregrina651. thanks for your reply. I have no idea what I am doing on this site so that's why there are so many repeated messages...sorry. have you sailed with Sky before? We are looking forward to meeting you. thanks Mackle

by the way, what does Torshavn mean?

hi peregrina651. thanks for your reply. I have no idea what I am doing on this site so that's why there are so many repeated messages...sorry. have you sailed with Sky before? We are looking forward to meeting you. thanks Mackle

Welcome to Cruise Critic and to the Viking Oceans forum.

Reading the Guidelines will help you understand a little bit of how things work around here. Basically, general questions about the cruise line belong in this forum, Viking Oceans. Roll calls are for meeting fellow passengers, for arranging to share private tours and for asking question that are specific to your cruise alone. While there are a lot of questions here about how Viking specific handles things in a particular port, there is also the Ports of Call forum where you can learn more general information (especially about tour providers and getting around on your own).

And then there are the unwritten rules. Those might be a little harder to figure out but we have all gotten there through trial and error--especially error.

So far, I've been on the Viking Sea. But all of the ships are pretty much alike. There are some minor difference but all of the public spaces have the same names. Torshavn is the name of the discotheque/bar on Deck 2.

There is Shabbat candlelighting on board each Friday night, usually in Torshavn and usually at 6pm regardless of when the sun sets. The service is run by, and depends entirely on the skills of, those present. The ship provides wine and fresh baked challah. Viking put together a pamphlet with a brief Kabblat Shabbat service, mostly in English but, usually those who attend the service are regular synagogue goers who know the melodies and so there is a lot of singing and participation. On our two cruises, there were a number of people who knew the service and were willing to lead. There were even a couple who had brought siddarim.

This is great to see. We've gone to services on other lines but I didn't think to ask (don't know why) about Viking. I wish Shabbat didn't fall nearly a week into our itinerary. On your two cruises, how many people would you say attended services? (We were on a large ship during Chanukah one year and the number of attendees at candle-lighting dwindled as the week went on but started at maybe 50-75 people. We've also been on smaller ships where it was our group of 4 and possibly one other couple!) We've always enjoyed services on the ship and meeting "fellow travelers".

This is great to see. We've gone to services on other lines but I didn't think to ask (don't know why) about Viking. I wish Shabbat didn't fall nearly a week into our itinerary. On your two cruises, how many people would you say attended services? (We were on a large ship during Chanukah one year and the number of attendees at candle-lighting dwindled as the week went on but started at maybe 50-75 people. We've also been on smaller ships where it was our group of 4 and possibly one other couple!) We've always enjoyed services on the ship and meeting "fellow travelers".

In four Shabbatot on two separate cruises, there were always at least five couples and usually more. I never did a head count. For Hannukah this past December, we were thirty or forty people at least on the first couple of nights we were there and then it dwindled down a bit. Plus, they served latkes every night! One night, I passed out gelt to everyone who was there. The CD (also Jewish) said that on the cruise before us there were closed to 70 people there for lighting the menorahs.

Although not of the Jewish faith, I think it very nice of Viking to provide space for your service during cruising. I have commented to Viking before that cruisers of other religions would welcome knowing churches nearby when in port. Some cruise lines make note in the daily newsletter "Church Services posted in Purser Area" or some public area.