katreinmuth

On 6/1/2023 at 7:50 PM, Moonlion said:

Since we independently extended our stay in Norway, we just got back home this week.  Oh my, it’s such a drag to have to go back to work, cook our meals, clean up after ourselves… my “head” is still back on the Viking Neptune, so I thought I would sum up our experiences.

 

Overall, we had a fabulous time on this cruise and would not hesitate to book another Viking cruise.  In fact, we’re booked on the Viking South America & Chilian Fjords cruise next February which we’re really looking forward to!  Was the cruise perfect?  Absolutely not… but in all our years of travel, land or sea, for work or pleasure, we've never experienced 100% perfection on a trip, not even on expensive, supposedly “luxury” trips.  I think it helps to do our research beforehand and learn from other travelers what to expect, both the good and the not so good.  We go in expecting that there will be a few glitches along the way and, unless major, try not to let it dampen our enjoyment.

 

So, what did we like about this cruise?

 

In our experience, the crew and service on the Neptune were over-the-top outstanding. They were without exception friendly, attentive, went out of their way to be helpful, and quickly learned what were our “likes” (for us, classic real-lime-juice margaritas which the bar staff made perfectly).  We never encountered any staff who were dismissive or in the slightest rude to us.

 

The itinerary of the British Isles Explorer cruise is excellent! It’s a busy – you could say exhausting – itinerary (12 port stops and only one sea day in a 14-night cruise) but we experienced so many different cities, countries, and a lot of beautiful scenery in the UK. It helped that we booked some excellent excursions on the cruise.

 

We loved the quiet, relaxed, subdued environment with only 900 or so other passengers on board and the ship's understated but beautiful décor.  The spa is also a wonderful experience and doesn’t cost extra.  Our cabin was fine and glad we had the balcony.  Although the ship was full, it didn't feel crowded and we could always find peaceful spots to sit and relax (just avoid the Explorer’s Lounge an hour or two before dinner service starts).

 

We really enjoyed the enrichment lectures on the history, culture and wildlife of the region, and the onboard historian was excellent.  We were also very happy with the musical entertainment on board – in fact, we thought that most of the musicians were really good!  The lack of Broadway show-quality entertainment was not an issue for us.

 

The weather in May was great! Despite threats of rain, we had lovely weather throughout the cruise other than a couple of afternoons of light rain.  Temps were in the low to high 60s (F) so we didn’t need all the cold-weather gear we packed.  Even in Bergen which is known for clouds and rain, we had sunshine and warm weather when we visited.  The seas were remarkably calm, like being on a river cruise.  We didn’t miss any ports even in the Shetland and Orkney Islands which are often missed due to winds and rough seas.  We occasionally felt some very gentle rocking motion on the ship, but I didn’t need any seasickness remedies (and I’m very prone to seasickness).  

 

More than 80% of our meals in The Restaurant and Specialty Restaurants were good to excellent and a few dishes were outstanding. However, there were some notable disappointments as mentioned below.  We didn’t book any specialty restaurants before the cruise because we like to see the menus first, especially the Chef’s Table since we like some of their menus but not others.  As soon as we boarded, we went straight to the reservations desk by Manfredi’s to view the CT menus and had no problem whatsoever booking reservations at CT and Manfedi’s, and at the times we wanted. We did note that a couple of days later, the prime timeslots (6-8 PM) at Manfredi’s were booked up.   

 

For us, the Silver Spring Beverage Package was reasonably priced, and we took advantage of the premium wine list along with enjoying a pre- or post-dinner cocktail.  Admittedly not wine connoisseurs, we found 2-3 white and 3-4 red wines that we liked.

 

We found Viking to be well-organized and efficient when it came to embarkation, getting people on tours, tendering, shuttles, disembarkation, etc.

 

We met several lovely fellow passengers on the cruise.

 

What could be improved?

 

Overall, we found that the Viking included shore excursions were limited, not very inspiring and could use some improvement.  Although a couple of the included excursions were excellent (Canterbury) or good (Greenwich), most were “just OK” in our opinion, some just a 2-to-3-hour bus tour with a few brief photo stops.  We would have been disappointed if we had only gone on the included excursions. The Viking optional excursions we took were better, but I thought overpriced for what we got.  Perhaps we were spoiled by the independent tours we booked, all excellent-to-outstanding in quality, and about half the price of the Viking optional excursions.

 

Since most of our meals at dinner were very good and at times excellent, we don’t have major complaints about the food.  However, there was a notable lack of consistency in the quality of some dishes even when DH and I ordered the same item on the same night in the same venue.  Seafood was usually good, but steaks and beef were at times thinly cut, overcooked and tough or fatty.  It seems that Viking could tighten up on the quality control of food preparation in the restaurants.           

Our independent extension in Bergen and Oslo including the scenic train was fantastic.  I’ll post separately about our train experience.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

Did you go to Edinburg?  I think not in, reading your wonderful detailed post.  Most large cities, we like to explore on our own after the included tour.  Transportation will be a logistic question for us in the ports we have to tender in.  So, I am trying to get information ahead to prepare for this challenge.

On 5/15/2023 at 2:35 PM, CCWineLover said:

Moonlion - sure love your wonderful attitude about everything. You are going to really enjoy your whole cruise - i can tell that!  Wish more were like you.

 

Interesting regarding The Restaurant.  DW and I have speculated on this phenomena.  As has been said before, every cruise and itinerary is very different in passenger behavior.  There often are no common practices.  We've had Viking cruises where Manfredi's was so popular you could barely get in, and CT was begging for people.  Then the next cruise it was just the opposite.  We've seen lines for washing machines early in the morning on some cruises, and then nobody there early on others.  Who can say?

 

On our 2 cruise out of Florida however (Ft Lauderdale), we did note the common thread was this habit of lining up really early for the World Cafe and The Restaurant for dinners.  Like up to 30 minutes early.  In the WC, people would go in (even while they were still setting up) and sit down at the tables waiting.  Such an odd thing.  Speculated that perhaps lots of Floridians are used to going to dinner and the buffets early and it is just part of their habit to wait in line for dinner. 🙂

 

We've had other cruises where we could walk up at 6:00 the Restaurant and be immediately seated!  It's a crap shoot!  Once a certain behavior pattern is observed on a particular cruise, it seems people, as it the case in human behavior, experience that FOMO feeling (Fear of Missing Out) and rush to line up (whether it is for food, drinks, washing machine, excursions, etc).  We've even seen people pack the Star Theatre 45 minutes before showtime.  

Isn't human behavior interesting?

Love your comments about people lining up especially in Florida.  I lived there when I was in highschool and into my  late 20s.  My husband & I saw linning up at popular restaurants at 4:30pm and we vowed we would never be like this when we got into our 70's+  Well, here I am in my 70's and I still will keep the same vow!  However, I don't want to sit down to eat at 9pm either.  Ha! Ha!

21 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

4th to 26th August this year

https://www.edintattoo.co.uk/

 

JB 🙂

Well, I guess that answers my question--yes.

On 10/21/2022 at 1:59 AM, Scottishclover said:

I agree with much of what John Bull said, especially about going further afield from Invergordon but will give a few more suggestions on the Scottish ports.

 

In 2021 due to covid travel restrictions, we had a staycation and based ourselves in Evanton, just down the road from Invergordon. The whole point of ships docking there is to take advantage of typical Highland scenery and I would whole heartedly suggest you organise some kind of private tour. Can’t stress enough, no real infrastructure to accommodate cruise ship numbers so find something as soon as possible. I know the road to Skye has been mentioned but Skye should be avoided at all costs in the summer - it’s just crazy with people and traffic. Here’s some alternatives: 

 

- Head over to the village of Lochinver via Lairg. Scenery is just stunning. You would need private tour for this. The mountain formations are amazing and you can have a lovely seafood lunch once you get there. The famous beach of Almelvich is nearby but avoid due to traffic jams on a single track roads. Not worth it in high season. On the way back visit the Geopark for stunning views and information about the geology of the region. This was the favourite thing we did on our  7 day trip. If you like to hike, there’s also some fantastic short hikes on this route.
 

- Loch Ness is not the prettiest loch by any stretch of the imagination and the nearby town is very touristy. Urquhart Castle has an attractive setting though. Much better in my opinion is the drive up Glen Affric. It has everything you expect from true Highland scenery. We were blown away ( but should add the weather was lovely too). It’s in the vicinity of Loch Ness so could be combined. Also worth a wee stop is the Highland town of Beauly.

 

- Cairngorms area is lovely but you need to be a hiker to get the best of it. Also getting over touristed. You would need a tour to get there.

 

- We loved Culloden, the museum is very well done and the walk on the battlefield was quite poignant. It’s a nice half day trip but wouldn’t be a priority if I had one day.

 

- Not for first timers, but The Black Isle makes a lovely day if you wanted to stay nearby Invergordon. It’s very quaint and there is a famous dolphin viewing spot. I couldn’t believe how close the dolphins were to the shore. Again, I’d say this is more for people who have been to Highlands before.

 

Regarding Edinburgh, you get great views over the city from Calton Hill. Obviously being Scottish ( and living a half hour from Edinburgh) the Royal Mile is not high on our list but as a tourist it’s a priority. Just ignore all the tartan tat 😩Our favourite part of Edinburgh is Stockbridge and the Village of Dean. It’s walkable from Princes Street and you wouldn’t believe you were in a major city, especially down by the Water of Leith. If it’s a nice day when you are there be sure to spend some time in “ the gardens,” the green area around The Mound between the old town and new town. It will give you a nice slice of local life.

 

Some final  pieces of advice - if you plan to visit the castle book in advance. The queues can be awful . Also expect crowds, Edinburgh has become very popular recently. We NEVER head into town in August during the festival. If your cruise falls in that month plan accordingly!!

 

I hope this helps and happy to answer any questions you have.

We will be in Edinburgh in August (August 19) is this Festival going on all month?  Or certain number of days in the month?

Anyone going on this Ocean cruise?  I know it is quite early.  I just thought I would get the ball rolling and begin a post for comments or questions about this cruise.  Have you taken a look at the excursion's descriptions?  I am now doing some reading up on all the places Viking is offering for us to see.  My husband and I are arriving 3 days earlier to do some exploring around Bergen, Norway.  I am planning for us to take an all day fjord tour for one of our days.      Kathy

Only related to "Senior Gators" with a location of Tallahassee.  In the middle of Seminole Land??  Just had to comment as my late husband was a Gator and I was a Seminole.  We always said we had a mixed marriage.  Football time around our house was quite exciting.