Annarundel

How is the nightly entertainment?  How is the band in Troshaven?  We were on the Sky in August 2018 Into The Midnight Sun and the musical entertainment Vince and Jennifer and the Viking Band were amazing!   The musical shows in the theater at night were wonderful.  Then in February we did a 14 day Mediterranean Cruise and were so looking for to hearing the band in Troshaven and were so disappointed.  It was awful and the musical entertainment in the theater at night was like watching a bad high school play.  We are thinking about booking another Viking Ocean Cruise and was wondering if the entertainment on all the other ships is the same way.

Go to the Viking Ocean Board and there is a place at the top that says Meet and Mingle with the Viking Logo.  Click on that and it will take you to the Meet and Mingle page.  There you just locate your ship and go from there.  Hope that helps.  Have a great cruise.

WOW!  Australia08, I agree, what a weird time to have a Meet and Mingle!  I am now curious as to who makes the arrangements for the Meet and Mingles.  Thanks for letting me know this.  I won't be as quick to judge the next time.  Like BugLady777 I have always encouraged people to join Cruise Critic to enroll in the Meet and Mingles or I tell them when the Meet and Mingle is and to just show up.  I have done three Meet and Mingles' and they have all been very positive experiences.

We have always gotten our "formal" invitation to the Meet and Mingle while on the ship.  In the evenings when we received our Viking Daily we would also have a very nice formal invitation waiting for us.

I just returned home from my 14 day cruise of the Mediterranean (Athens to Rome).  Since once I was on board I found out it was really two 7 days cruises I was able to sign up for two Meet and Mingles.

My husband and I really enjoy the Meet and Mingles.  You not only get to meet other passengers that you have interacted with on Cruise Critic but you also get to meet the officers on your ship and have one on one conversations with them.  I mean the first week Meet and Mingle the Captain and his wife where there as well as all the other Officers.  The Viking Jupiter crew did an amazing job there were all kinds of drinks both alcohol and non alcohol and amazing appetizers.  The sad thing is that even though 20 to 30 people signed up for the Meet  and Mingle there was only about 8 of us there.  The second week the same thing happened.  They had expected 25 people and again only a handful showed up.  What a waste of the Officers time and food and drink that the Viking Jupiter crew prepared for us.  

Please if you sign up for the Meet and Mingle please attend or if there is a conflict with your schedule please let Customer Service on board the ship know you can not attend.  I am afraid if this keeps happening Viking with stop hosting these Meet and Mingles and we all will lose out on a great opportunity of meeting fellow cruisers and the Officers of the cruise you are on. 

Really?!  Was that necessary?  Hope it makes you feel better!  Please!

There is a young group of singers performers 2 guys two girls in their early mid twenties who do three different shows The Beatles, The Decades 50s 60s and 70s and a ABBA show.  They are ok but not as good as the entertainment on the Sky in July last year when we did Into The Midnight Sun.

14 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

 

Likewise, we are on Jupiter Arpil 25 as well.  We are also on Jupiter for South America in December.

Will be interested to hear from people who have been on the other Viking Ocean ships as to what any of the differences are between the Jupiter and the others.

The differences between Jupitor and Sky are minor. A few improvements in the World Cafe buffett layout. The rooms are the same. The biggest difference is in the entertainment. There seemed to be mre and better (certainly different) entertainment. And because this is a back to back 7 day cruise (and not a true 14 day cruise) the entertainment for the most part is the same for both weeks. Our 14 day cruise on the Sky had much more and better entertainment than this Jupitor itinerary.  

16 hours ago, Sue4LSU said:

Looking forw@rd to hearing about your experience on the Jupiter!  We’re booked for the Western European trip on the Jupiter April 25!

Be careful in booking tours in Livorno, the first day there are no "included" tours. The second day in this port the included tour only goes to Pisa.  There is no included tour of Florence.  There is free shuttle service from the ship to the old town area of Livorno.  Every 30 minutes. We did a nice walk around Livorno in a couple hours.

9 hours ago, Sue4LSU said:

Looking forw@rd to hearing about your experience on the Jupiter!  We’re booked for the Western European trip on the Jupiter April 25!

The Jupiter itself is a great boat.  This is our second ocean cruise with Viking and I now know is not the boat that makes the cruise it is the itinerary and the activities on the boat.  Our first cruise Into the Midnight Sun was awesome!  The ports and shore excursions were fun and when on the boat there was always something to do.  The Viking band would be playing around the pool, there would be interesting lectures, movies under the stars on the pool deck always something.  On this cruise being sold to us as a 14 day cruise, (that is another story) the Viking Band has never played around the pool in the afternoon, the lectures are only at dinner time (between 6:30 and 7:30) and there has been only one movie under the stars in 9 days!  The Jupiter has an planetarium but the chairs do not recline so it is difficult to see the entire screen (sit in the back row).  I thought with an astronomer on board ( guest lecturer) he would narrate the shows, he does not.  We saw the two shows and both times the shows were so uninteresting people were falling asleep.  Not worth your time.  So in short the boat and crew are excellent just not too pleased with the excursions and entertainment on the boat.

Booked 14 day Mediterranean Antiquities Cruise on Jupiter from Feb. 16 -March 2.  Was curious why there were no tours for Feb 23 when we were in Rome.  Were told would could book them when we were on board.  Got on board on Feb 16 went to customer service to book our tours for Rome only to find out there were only two  tours being offered.  1) Included they drive you into Rome (1 1/2 hrs driving time). Drive you around Rome for an an hour and a half and then drop you at the Vatican for 5 hours of free time and they will be back to pick you up at 4pm for the drive back to ship arriving at 5:30pm.  I failed to mention you leave the boat at 8:30am.  2) Optional tour for $69 they drive you into town and drop you off and pick you up late in the day.  No other tours were being offered.  What!!!!! What happened to all the other tours like a tour to the colisium or a guided tour of the Vatican or a walking tour of Rome...?  Found out later that of the 900 plus passengers 800 of them are booked on a 7 day cruise ending in Rome with another group of passengers coming on and going from Rome to Barcelona.  There is a 100 passengers that signed up for a fourteen day cruise and are really getting back to back cruises which is not the same as a 14 day cruise.  I am beginning to think that next week we are going to have the same entertainment (same shows, same lectures and same movies).  If it was a 14 day cruise that would all be different.  We love Viking and have done 5 river/ocean cruises, but I  think the Viking marketing person who thought up the idea of selling two 7 day cruises and calling it a 14 day cruise really missed the "boat"!  Disappointed!  I really was looking forwarding to Rome! 😕  

On board Jupiter now.  No problems.  If you had not heard about the incident you would have never known!  It was taken care of before the maiden voyage passengers got on.  I just would not have wanted to be the person who put the first ding on the new car I mean ship 😂!

Thanks for the information.  There is nothing listed in MyVikingJourney for our stop in Rome or for our first day in Florence/Pisa.  I will contact Viking through the link you listed.  We booked through a travel agent.  Would our travel agent be able to help us?

I was just wondering if anyone knows anything about the shore excursions in Rome.  I was getting ready to book my excursions for our Cruise in February and I noticed that there were  no excursions for our time  in Rome.  I was wondering if anyone knows why there is none? Especially since Rome is such a popular port.  

I have booked on the Jupiter for February 2019 and I was wondering when I might be able to see the excursions that are going to be offered on this cruise. I am 139 days out before sailing. Thanks.

My husband and I just booked on the Viking Jupiter for the February 2019 Mediterranean Antiquities Cruise. Is this the maiden cruise? Anyone else going?

What is wrong with hiking boots?

Thanks Minka34, I am loving your post. We sail the same route on July 21 on the Viking Sky and I am so excited I have already started packing. Your post are giving me such good information and tips.

Minka34 will be following your post on this trip as my husband and I are going on the same cruise starting on July 21, 2018.

Just curious, are there many children on the Viking Ocean Cruises?

According to Viking we are using tenders in the following places, Geiranger, Kirkwell, and London (well, actually Greenwich).

Thanks!

I am new to Viking Ocean Cruises but have done three Viking Riverboat Cruises and loved them.

I was just curious how many ports if any that we would need to use a tender for on this cruise. We leave on July 21st and I am totally excited!!!!

Thanks,

Annarundel

We haven't done the Midnight Sun cruise yet, we leave July 21st, but have been in Sweden close to Summer Solstice. The hotels all had blackout curtains and that was enough to let us sleep and I've read the boat has very good shades as well. What we did find is that we wanted to stay out later because it didn't feel like night yet! I've also done the opposite where it is almost 24 hours dark in Iceland and that just made us feel like sleeping more :)

I am new to these boards so I am not sure I am doing this right but I just wanted to say "hey" and let you know that we are going to be sailing on the July 21st cruise with you!