friendlyfifer

You’re simply being obtuse. If you are struggling with the Viking dress standards then choose another cruise line. There are plenty who wouldn’t object to your torn/ distressed look.

You should speak to the cruise line and get them to include the words ‘new’, ‘newer’, ‘quality’ and ‘dress’ in their description of accepted jeans. Do you real think that will resolve the issue? Of course it won’t. If the trousers can in anyway be described as jeans, then leave them at home or only wear them before 6.00 p.m..

We had a very loud American lady who came to afternoon tea in her bathrobe. She also wore it to Trivia just before lunch. My first thought was that she had learning difficulties but I suspect she simply wanted to be the centre of attention.

If they are jeans then don’t wear them to dinner. It simply puts the crew in a difficult position having to make a decision. It would also annoy me that jeans, expensive or otherwise, are being permitted.

From one old man to another, well said.

Jeans are made from denim and can be of various colours. Also jeans have rivets. The internet gives a definition. If in doubt, don’t pack them.

Why the debate? If you are wearing jeans or shorts you should be denied entry to the dining room. Your jeans may be expensive and your shorts made of a quality material but that doesn’t change the rules. And, while I’m having a rant 🤣, do not wear a baseball hat in the dining room. I have also seen less than acceptable evening wear in the Explorers’ Lounge after 6.00 p.m. but I’ll leave that for another day.

Clay, Clayfon was on the Sky when you and we did the TA just as Covid struck. I think it was his first contract with Viking. We met up with him a few years later. Please send him our best wishes (George and David from Scotland). Thank you too for all your photos and posts from the WC. We are so jealous.

I should think the majority of cruise lines have only frozen lobster. I’ve never seen live lobsters being loaded onto a cruise ship. Why Americans get so excited about a lobster night I have no idea.

You made me smile. As a Scot/European I agree that the metric system should be universal. Unfortunately, the US is out of sync with the rest of the world on so many issues and Viking have to pander to them and their inability to convert to metres, At our local university gym last week an American student jumped on the scales. He shouted to his friends ‘what’s 68kg in ‘American’? He’s at the top UK university and yet struggles with metric measurements.

Thanks for the quick response. Everything is of course subjective but I do value the opinion of a fellow Scot.

I’d be interested to get your thoughts on EJ. We’ve sailed with Viking, Silversea and Celebrity. Thanks

Thank you for your response. I agree with your comments regarding the Restaurant and World Cafe on Viking. I would be interested in your views on the average age of passengers on Viking versus Seabourn. Also are there more nationalities on one or the other? Viking seems to be 90%+ Americans. We came off the Viking Jupiter in early December after a three week crossing from Barcelona to Buenos Aires.

We are thinking of booking a Seabourn cruise for the first time. Having sailed with Viking and Silversea in the past, what differences will we notice?

I always look forward to reading your contributions. I generally agree with your views and value your comment. As a fan of Viking , they would be my choice for a world cruise. That said, I think they need to update there offering.

Viking Vesta will be longer and wider than current ships. Having looked at the deck plans, they look identical to the current fleet. There will be more cabins but where will the increase in width show itself?

Abdi and Ian were our favourite waiters on Jupiter. They were very professional but also good fun. Papillon was on the front desk and he tried his best to find a table in the right section for us. ⭐️

Get to know the crew member on the front desk of the restaurant. No matter your category of suite they will always try to seat you where you prefer.

Viking is an excellent cruise line with wonderful crew. I hope they read comments such as yours. In my opinion, they need to widen the demographic of passengers both in terms of age and nationality and enforce their dress code. I believe a new class of ship will be joining the Viking fleet shortly. Perhaps Viking should use this as an opportunity to look at their whole offering and make changes where needed.

This was not our first cruise with Viking, On previous cruises the average age was probably 65. The transatlantic cruise possibly attracted an older demographic because of the number of sea days. Don’t give up on Viking. They are a great cruise line with wonderful crew,

I agree wholeheartedly with your comments. We disembarked Viking Jupiter on 6 December having sailed from Barcelona to Buenos Aires. We were told by a senior crew member that there was a high percentage of passengers in their 80s and 90s. There were a large number of less able passengers. This made moving around the ship and getting on and off the ship slower for others. Many of the less able signed-up for the walking tour of Recife. They didn’t last long and ruined the tour for others. Many of us more able had to apologise to the guide for abandoning the tour, As for dress code, jeans, grubby t shirts were frequently seen throughout the ship in the evening. One woman was in the Explorers’ Bar in the evening in her bath robe. Viking didn’t seem to challenge anyone. Adding fuel to the fire, it seemed that most of those making no attempt to reach the bar of the dress code were American.

I agree somewhat with your comment. However, getting to know the crew with whom you have interaction does help. They do appreciate genuine friendliness and it does perhaps get you a better table, where possible, in the restaurant. 🤣

Having just completed a TA Barcelona to Buenos Aires our preference is decks 4 or 5 and more midships to forward. There was a noticeable vibration towards the aft of the ship. We had calm seas but our choice f cabin would work in all conditions.

From the tone of your message, I doubt if you really want my definition. What is appropriate for a river cruise may not be so appropriate for ocean cruising. There was no formalwear on my cruise nor did I expect it. By ‘dressing smartly’ I was meaning ‘smart casual ‘. If you need that defined then please do a google search.

You have to obtain an underground card and credit it with Pesos. Easier said than done! The Hilton Hotel told us that the city was sold out of the cards. Our options were to ask at an underground station or to approach a stranger and ask them to swipe us through the barrier. The first station we went to didn’t have cards but they sent us to the next station, two blocks away, which did have them. We got one card and swiped it twice each time for the two of us. Unfortunately I left the card for the cleaner of our hotel room or I would have posted it to you.