KBs mum

The ships are OK in 5m seas, the bangs from the bow are not as loud as the racket from the band😁 we thought Venus to be decent for her size and type. Sky seemed to have more movement when both in 2m seas. The problem is the furniture and fittings are not designed to cope, I'm used to everything being in a rack or otherwise fastened to something on ships/boats. Had to wedge the decanters and coffee mugs in the sink with towels. Also none of the chairs and tables are fixed to the floor. Got a bit tedious as table and lunch were on a different track than chair. Plates in the buffet were wedged in place with towels from the pool area due to poorly designed racks. Outside seating was unavailable for the fortnight, other than the smoking area. That said, the kitchens and bars were operational and only some talks/shows had to be re-scheduled. We are mad enough to enjoy weather, KBs dad asked if this meant the helicopter evacuation was back on as an optional excursion. We then caused concern when explaining as some pax had not heard of the Sky Incident

24 hours, industrial hot wash, don't trust them with anything delicate or expensive. We hand wash delicate things, and have a 'holiday' wardrobe of inexpensive sturdy clothes that can withstand a hotel laundry

Unfortunately it isn't a one off, we, and others complained about the racket in February, on Venus and in writing post cruise. The exact same producers of mediocrity are still on the ships. This is new since covid. Previously there was an hour of classical and an hour of mixed set either on piano or guitar. Easy to ignore and conversation possible at all times. We also suffered the Viking 'singers' who should be confined to the theatre or other soundproofed locations

We found the log loading operation in Port Chalmers very interesting, we sat on our balcony for some time watching it, and admiring the skill of the telehandler operator. Once clear of the usual dock secure area we strolled along a few roads happily arguing about plant and wildlife names. We also did our own Auckland extension, and regretted not allowing more time. The museum and war memorials took up one day, then a general wander another. There were also options to visit the glow worm caves and other local sites. We fell into interesting conversation with several locals in a pub, that filled an afternoon. KBs Dad had relatives in NZ, and so has visited a few times over the last 40 years

There's plenty scenery about there, all ports are interesting, we travel to see reality, not Instagram fantasy. Food is available on the ship if nowhere is convenient on shore, we often skip lunch

Cruising is a decent way to get an overview of an area, but not a good way to visit any one town/place. Viking have a tendancy to miss a port (on every cruise we've been on with them, for no obvious reason) or change port times after payment date, think full day to half day. For this reason we only cruise to places we've been to before. If we want to visit somewhere new or don't want to miss somewhere we travel independently

There was little classical music played, the instruments used are not an indicator of genre. More modern musicals would have been fine, but pieces such as 'The Sabine Women' from Seven Brides have not exactly stood the test of time. We view music in the lounges as background music, in the same way as any hotel, it should not get in the way of conversation or any other fairly quiet activity, face timing is fine as long as it is unobtrusive.

We thought the live music in the lounges on our last cruise was old fashioned, being 40's and 50's musicals rather than classical (My Grandmother would have loved them) but otherwise you are in the usual age range

A cheap one, usually in the £25 a bottle range. Better fizz is available for less, champagne is just French sparkling chardonnay, Chile makes similar but better

The scenery, flora and fauna, and architecture are still there. There will be a few people about. Shopping is not essential for enjoyment. Not everyone in NZ follows one of the versions of Christianity, likewise for those on the ship

The itineraries in the brochures are 'indicative and may change'. Don't rely on them when booking. Found this written in the brochure that arrived yesterday. From experience, Viking now view sea days as equal to port stops. We have switched to looking for late availability discounts, when the itinerary is more likely to be correct, and the price more sensible for the now lower standards

He was doing well to get the water to the room still boiling, must have a good turn of speed🙂🥇

I prefer the first version 😁

We didn't try the shellfish, having been disappointed by it in the past, I haven't seen the kitchens, so can only go by what the food resembles standard and taste wise. Pre made and finished in the oven is an OK tactic, as I said, we have things in the freezer to use as needed, many chain pubs in the UK sell such food. The problem is Viking price point and advertising suggesting a premium not budget product. If I can make the same things to similar quality from frozen, chilled or tinned ready meal items then something is lacking

Also ask if you want a kettle, no boiling water is available elsewhere on the ship for tea making. Bring your own tea bags, liberate a tea pot from the atrium bar and mugs from the world cafe. The ships RO water makes a decent brew, so no sugar or milk needed

If it was the same as the version we encountered, it's the same (or very similar) to pre made frozen, put in oven for ten minutes as can be bought in any UK supermarket + oven chips likewise, unfortunately not a good brand version. OK for what it is, but it's what we have when we need a quick and easy meal after getting back late, certainly not the standard expected at the Viking price point. I can understand that deep fat fryers are dangerous on a ship, but could at least get a good version of the oven ready variant

We're switching to scenic for rivers, in the past Viking were better value for us as we don't take ship excursions, but price per day is now the about the same, and we also like the sound of Scenic's dining arrangements. Their excursions also look better than Viking's optional ones so we might go on a few for the convenience.

Breakfast isn't so bad, people turn up at different times. We aim for just as the first excursions are leaving when it's quieter. In the evening we dodge the port talk crowd and nab a table in the lounge. You can hear most of the talk, and avoid the dinner stampede. The other tactic is to devide and conquer, one at the talk and going to the dining room in advance to get a table. We aim for the end of one of the long rectangular tables

We're the same, we are selectively social. In the lounges it's allways possible to walk away from any twits, rather than being stuck till the meal is finished

On previous trips there were none pre made, I thought the one I tried was freshly made, as I asked for it at the counter same as usual. Wait seemed about the same. Saw the ones under the heat lamp later. Was appalled at the idea that would be considered OK. Gave up on them as a bad idea and avoided all egg and other high risk items in all the venues, to be on the safe side

Why should I have to make a special request? Soft and runny yolk egg dishes being made to order should be a given. Even a local garden centre makes good standard eggs benedict and royale fresh to order.

The beds do veer towards firm, but not unreasonably so, and are reasonably comfortable. Bad backs might require a pillow between the knees to line hips and shoulders up. In general the chairs etc on board are comfortable, and room layouts sensible. Look out for sliding bathroom doors in heavy seas though, don't leave fingers in the way! The design of the ships and decor is excellent, and housekeeping is of a good hotel standard. We thought the standard of food had definately deteriorated. It wasn't actually bad, just very underwhelming. One thing we encountered, eggs benedict in the world cafe used to be made to order, instead they were set out under the heat lamps, the hollandaise was forming a skin and the crumpet/muffin thing was rubbery and difficult to cut.

Viking UK are legally a TA, but no longer a good one. Which is aggravating, as they used to be as good as any other limited market firm

I know this, you know this. Viking don't, as it turns out. 😊

Book through a TA. We had a dispute with Viking relating to UK law and trading regulations. They kept quoting federal legislation. Wrong country! Our mistake was booking direct and expecting Viking to understand UK law. Their call centres are now not in the UK, and are somewhat hopeless. An email generated a reply bot answer. Our preferred TA no longer deals with them, following customer feedback, but others might. We are former Viking loyalists now looking elsewhere, we no longer consider them worth full price, the ships are nice, but the food is now chain pub standard at best. Also the brochures now say the itineraries are a guide only, they think nothing of changing or eliminating ports prior to departure, (half of them, and another country substituted) As we discovered. If you are happy with whichever line you use, I'd stick with them. We'd book with them, but only via a TA and for a hefty discount