Mrs Miggins

We saw her onboard in Dubrovnik pre covid. This was due to pouring rain. Still impressive but nowhere near as good as the outdoor setting apparently.

Excellent review. but no mention of Torshaven or the Spa. Both great favourites of ours. However I do agree with most of your review, Didnt book another cruise onboard for the first time.

Really hope you enjoy your cruise. I did love the extra benefits of the CC suite. We are all allowed to like more than one cruise company. I hope you add Azamara to your list of preferred options.

According to another site passengers have been given a 40% cash refund.

Hi, I remember you well from the Viking board. I believe you have had some issues with Viking as well and are a robust critic if things go wrong. In 2022 I have been on an Azamara B2B which was very good, a French River Cruise on Scenic (splendid, unlike I think your Viking one) and just returned from Viking Sky, which was OK but not as good as on our previous Viking cruises. Our first meal in The Restaurant was awful. Our Azamara cruise in terms of food, crew, itinerary and entertainment (I know you do not attend entertainment venues) was better than our Viking one. We were also upgraded to a CC suite on Azamara and I enjoyed the experience so much we booked a really good 14 day itinerary next June in the same suite. Unusually I did not book another Viking cruise onboard. One of their main problems are the recurring itineraries with no new destinations in the Med. Beautiful ships though.

Well "Liars' would have been better on our unexpected sea day. Baggo was OK for about 10 minutes. We did have a quite interesting "chat with the singers" hosted by the CD during which the 4 young singers recounted their career path and interview process with Viking. They were nice kids from the UK - only wish they had been given more to do during our 7 day cruise. Also shown the backstage area which is really small.

What is the Liars Club? I did witness the Baggo - crew and one of the Captains apparently enjoyed it very much.

We just saw David and Maria onboard Viking Sky. They were fabulous.

Are any of these people from the days of Richard Twynam ? In those days we had an excellent resource and a UK ability to sort our problems as well as promote the product. I didn't think there were any UK employees after he left. It certainly didnt feel like it. One of the many reasons I like Azamara is the mix of Nationalities onboard. On our recent Quest cruise the numbers of those from the UK and those from the US were equal, and that is just how I like it.

I think itineraries are one of the major problems with Viking in the area we want to travel in. Their Mediterranean offerings are to places we have been to on numerous occasions However I understand because their demographic is largely North American then these "must see" ports will appeal to first time visitors because they have heard of them and are fairly near the most well known historical sites and cities.

Actually the products in the Spa changing rooms are fabulous and from the range that they sell at very high prices.

We went to Pisa on Friday afternoon - it poured - not Viking's fault but my point was that on a previous Viking included tour to Pisa we were taken inside both the Duomo and the Baptistry by the Trumpy Tours guide. This time we were only walked around the outside. That is a significant decline in the tour. The main jets in the spa pool were working but the two additional ones to the left and right were not. No bid deal but it shows a lack of attention. After my first spa visit the two showers in the changing rooms had no shampoo, conditioner or body wash in the containers. Waited for an attendant who had to go away and get big containers to refill them. Another guest was in a hurry to get out as she had a hair appointment so it was very frustrating for her. I do not remember any incidents like this previously as again it shows lack of attention. I do love Viking but not quite as much as I did.

I dont want long flights any more so we have stayed in the Med East and West and Northern Europe for the past few years.. Problem with Viking is they repeat their cruises itineraries on this region. No new destinations. Whilst we did have a good time on the cruise, our Azamara in April and our Scenic River Cruise in July were both better in terms of food, destinations, entertainment etc etc. The perfect ocean cruise would be on a Viking ship with everything else Azamara. We have tried Oceania, food is really excellent, so I guess we could try them again. We have a wonderful itinerary on Azamara next June. Barcelona to lovely Bordeaux. Incidentally we were given a $500 future cruise credit because we docked in Ravenna instead of Venice in April. We didn't get anything from Viking for starting in Tarragona as opposed to Barcelona. We may well book Viking again but a $200 discount is not enough to persuade me at the moment.

Whilst making Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny Depp, in full costume, plus others made a surprise visit to the school just down the road from the Royal Naval College. The kids were so delighted. We had a second home in Greenwich until last year. Filming there is constant because it is also used often in TV series as well as films. I feel those that are docked in Tilbury really miss out on this wonderful place. Having just returned from our Viking cruise we know that the usual docking place everywhere (we were in the Med) is usually in an ugly industrial port. In Greenwich you are in the heart of a wonderful World Heritage site. So much to see and do within a short walking distance of the ship.

We have just returned from the above 7 day cruise. It is our 4th Viking Ocean cruise. There were approx 800 passengers with about 35 from the UK. Ship: Beautiful as ever, Spa great except not all the water jets working in the large pool. Never fixed during the week. We were in a DV6 3072. Cabin great and well looked after. Crew: Plentiful and willing if not always quite on the ball. Entertainment - patchy. The 4 singers from the UK were good but there was only one "Abba show" in the Theatre, One deck party, a few songs on the Viking 25th anniversary in the Atrium on our last day timed at 8 p.m. after a promotional film. At 9 they showed a film in the theatre. The assistant CD did a show at 8 in the Atrium but for us that is right in the middle of dinner. There were two shows by a 'pickpocket/magician' both at 9.15. Pretty bad we didnt go to the second show which was apparently even worse. Great 'Night at the Opera" show by David Righeschi and Maria Salvini. We have seen them before on Azamara. Torshaven with Viking Band from 9 p.m. onwards was great. Why are these talented artists seemingly locked underground ? Most people never went to Torshaven. On the last night they were playing their hearts out to 12 people at 11 p.m. I know that was our last night, but many others were staying onboard. King the Guitarist was splendid. Playing in the Explorers Lounge at 6 p.m. Difficult to find a seat. He also had other sets around the ship. Very popular. The Classical duet in the Atrium were largely playing to an empty room. Excursions: We did the included Tarragona, OK but I just wished the likeable guide would stop and draw breath occasionally. In Sete we did an optional excursion to the Chateau Florgergues. A tour of the house, a glimpse of the lovely gardens and a wine tasting hosted by the very engaging 10th generation owner. Then on to Monpelier. Lovely" Place de la Comedie" main square. Bailed out on the walking tour as wanted at least some time to drink coffee and people watch in lovely surroundings. From Marseilles we did the optional Aix en Provence, but really just used it as a bus service since we had been many times before we wanted to go it alone. Really lovely town. Monaco: We missed, despite being anchored in the morning it was decided the tender operation could not go ahead due to wind and swell. Many, many disappointed passengers as for some this was meant to be the highlight. We just sailed very slowly towards our last port Livorno. Actually the weather was lovely so an enforced sea day. The CD read out some words to make us all feel better. It certainly contained the words "We are Vikings, we have salt in our hair, we will go forth despite setbacks" etc etc. Just a tad over the top! However a game of "baggy " crew against passengers was quickly set up and we all felt so much better. Livorno: Weather had turned. The whole day tours to Florence were too much for us, as happily we have been several times before. So we just stayed in Livorno in the morning and returned to the Spa in the afternoon. Decided that was too boring for the last day so booked the included Pisa excursion for the last afternoon. Sadly the weather was awful. We had heavy rain. The walk from the coach park was difficult for some. We were handed over to a Tour Guide and walked around the "Piazza dei Miracoli" in the rain. We had done this tour before with Viking pre covid and had been taken inside the Duomo and the Baptistry with an excellent guide. This time we just stood outside. Very poor in my opinion and the value of the included excursions seems to be diminishing. Buses/Coaches All very acceptable and comfortable. Dining Breakfast in the World Cafe : Good choice but I wish someone would learn how to cook "English" bacon. That awful tray of wet, pale, slices. What do they do with it ? I asked a couple of times for some to be fried for me. That really didnt work. I will say the crispy bacon was often not very crispy either. The Restaurant: First visit was really bad. Staff just seemed untrained. They had difficulty with the silver spirits wine. My husband's Chicken Kiev was huge, dry,, and contained not a hint of garlic. We did mention this and then everybody came to apologise including the Chief Chef. Very apologetic. Apart from anything else it was served on a bed of wet braised cabbage. We asked why and were told that the menus were all designed by Head Office and the Chef had no input at all. We did visit the Restaurant later in the cruise and were served by an entirely different team and all was well. Philip the Maitre d' in Manfredi's squeezed us in 3 times. The restaurant did not appear busy although said to be fully booked. Wine service was good. Food acceptable but this is not 'Fine' Dining . No real presentation involved. Food was fine, not great. Waitresses charming. We had one visit to the Chef's Table, and despite liking it on our previous cruises, this time the menu did not really suit. I am not a fish lover. I did eat the some of the 'prawns' in the Oriental menu but the dessert was poor. I am sure some of the other menus would have been fine but I really dislike the lack of choice. I understand of course that it is a set menu. On talking with other guests I am not alone in wishing there was at least an either/or for each course. Again the restaurant did not seem full. All in all we enjoyed our cruise but for the first time we have not booked anything else whilst onboard.