cocopico

Unfortunately, the tv cannot be angled toward the chairs, at least not on Star, Sea or Sky. In the Penthouse Suites there is a second fixed TV facing the seating area, which seemed a little much having two TV’s within about six feet of each other, but I guess there are practical (or financial) reasons why Viking decided not to mount their TVs on wall mounts that allow you to articulate the TV in different directions.

I believe the ships all have electronic tables that include mah jong (definitely saw it on the Sky on a cruise we just finished). Didn’t see any actual tiles or anything, just electronic.

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Here’s the picture from the Orion: https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/viking-orion-1191/sports-deck-413659/sports-deck--v18504437/

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No table tennis on the Star, Sea or Sky, but I thought I saw a picture of one on the Orion. Looked like it was outside on the sports deck.

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Sorry, that should have said deck 8, not deck 7! :)

And to add to my last posting of the current “future booking benefits,” the “up to $500” in onboard credits for your current cruise breaks down as $100 if you book one cruise, $250 if you book two cruises and $500 if you book three or more cruises. These credits are per cabin, not per passenger.

I am considering a cruise on Viking Sky in a Penthouse Suite. There are 10 on Deck 7 which is a busy deck with Lounge, Pool, and Buffet. Does anyone know if there is a jogging track on Deck 9 which would affect noise in staterooms on 8?

We’ve been in 8017. Contrary to the deck plan, it was right opposite the elevator lobby. We had absolutely no noise issues and rarely saw another passenger in the corridor. You do feel a little more ship movement at that deck height, but that was pretty minimal as well. We very much enjoyed the cabin and being on deck 7.

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I’m not sure this adds anything, but we are on the Sky now and I’ve attached a copy of the future cruise benefits if you book on board.

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The view from the bow isn’t too bad either! We sailed through the Barrier just after sunset and got to be out on the bow for the whole cruise out of Greenwich. Amazing experience.

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We have cruised on large ships in the past and we are considering a Viking cruise to Tromso, Bergen etc. Can anyone tell me the dining options on board Viking Sky i.e. can you dine anytime and can you have a table for 2 if you wish. Although we don't mind mixing with other passengers generally we usually like to have dinner by ourselves.

The dining options are pretty well covered on the Viking website. There are some gaps in service times between meals, but there is always 24 hour room service, which is included in your cruise price. You can definitely get tables for 2 without difficulty. We’ve done three Viking Ocean trips and are getting ready to fly out tomorrow for our fourth and we’ve always been very happy with the dining choices, both in terms of venues and food offerings. Hope this helps.

I’m in the U.S. and was able to visit Viking’s British website (vikingcruises.co.uk) to see prices, terms, etc. Can you do the same by visiting the U.S. website (Vikingcruises.com or Google “Viking cruises United States website” and you will get the link). Hope this helps.

We always look at the itinerary map and see which side of the ship is most often facing land while cruising and book that side, thinking that the land side might be more interesting (view wise) since the water view at sea rarely changes much. Truth be told, though, we never see much land until we approach the port anyway and you never really know for sure which way the ship is going to face when docked. It also depends on the ports - some are definitely better than others when it comes to the view from the ship (some are city views and some are commercial port views) but again you never really know for sure how the ship is going to dock. Bottom line - pick the side with the cabin location that best suits you and you should be fine.

So, a couple of recent posts have raised the issue of "sold out" cruises and upgrades. I thought I'd add my experience but start a new thread that puts the two issues together. We are on the upcoming "Into the Midnight Sun" cruise departing Greenwich on July 7th. There seemed to be cabins available in a variety of categories one day and then the next day the cruise showed up as "sold out." Several days later (today), I was given an opportunity to buy an upgrade from our PV1 cabin to a Penthouse Suite (there were at least two PS cabins to choose from by the time I got around to calling to see what was available). Initially it seemed strange that they have cabins to upgrade on a "sold out" ship, but I have to believe that perhaps when they get within a certain number of days of the cruise, they essentially close it to new bookings for logistical reasons and list it as "sold out." Maybe for the same reason they close out shore excursions a week out. I certainly don't know that to be true, but I'm sure someone with more experience on this board will know one way or the other. And, in my case, the "upgrade fairy" was not so generous -- the cost to upgrade was essentially $1,000 ($499 per passenger). That is not a bad deal since the original listed price difference in a PV1 and PS1 cabin is about $4,400 (for two passengers) on this cruise, but still I understand that others sometimes receive free upgrades. In my case, paying $1,000 for a few more square feet, an extra tv and free laundry service isn't all that valuable -- I'd rather put that $1,000 toward a future cruise -- but for some it might be worthwhile. We have stayed in DV, PV and PS cabins and the PV seems to have the best combination of amenities and space for the money (or, I should say, for "our" money). Still, the ship is clearly not really "sold out" if they are now starting to play upgrade roulette, which presumably sets off a chain reaction of upgrades throughout the various cabin categories. If Viking has to "close" the cruise for logistical reasons and if they choose to do that by saying it is "sold out," then you can't really argue with that -- if you can't buy a cabin, even if cabins are available, then they are indeed "sold out." And if the "free upgrade" fairy is lurking out there somewhere, lets talk! ;)

So this will be my last post, unless anyone has questions about the London Eye and/or disembarking.

 

Yesterday was a whirlwind: we were up and off by 8 to meet our private tour guide. The way it works is Viking uses the MBNA/River Bus boats instead of a tender to take you from the ship to the Greenwich pier. From there you take a different River Bus into London. We spent all day in town and got back to the ship by 4:45. It was fairly warm all day so we jumped in the pool, grabbed a G&T and went to get ready for our London Eye excursion. After a quick bite for dinner we headed off to the Star Theater and were soon on our way. It was about a half hour boat ride to get there and 15 minutes waiting to board. Each capsule had a guide and was air conditioned. It takes 30 minutes to go around but, of course, lots to see. Back on the shuttle to the ship, and once back we decided that we would pack the following morning and forego the luggage service. Turns out it was a lot easier.

 

We got up early, showered and dressed. After breakfast we packed and left the ship without any problem.

 

It was a great trip and I’ll be reviewing it this week.

 

Thanks to all of you who followed along and to those folks who jumped in with some thoughts of their own. I hope you had fun keeping up with our journey. Please let me know if you have any residual questions I can answer.

 

Cheers and happy sailing!

Thanks for taking us along and answering everyone’s questions. We look forward to following in your wake on the July 7th cruise in the opposite direction. Safe travels!

We've been on the Star and the Sea and never saw this list. (We've been in DV1, PS1 and PV1 cabins.) In fact, I don't even know what some of the items are -- "felt magazine bag," "magazine tag," "portfolio," etc., were nowhere to be seen in our cabins. Maybe new additions with the Sky? Guess we'll find out when we board on July 7th. Can't wait to experience the $280 tissue box! :)

No, I was asking for tips re: this particular ship. For instance, how’s the WiFi, good spots if you need to give your cabin mate some space and want to enjoy some quiet time, favorite event or restaurant.

I can answer some of your questions. In my experience, the Wi-Fi was available pretty much everywhere on the ship, with no real difference in signal strength. It is not particularly fast, though, so adjust your expectations accordingly. As for quiet places to escape, you shouldn’t have any problems. There is rarely anyone in the Wintergarden (except during high tea at 4:00, and the second floor of the Explorers Lounge tends to be very quiet if there are no special events going on there. In addition, there are quiet nooks and crannies throughout the ship. We’ve been on three ocean trips with Viking and never felt crowded on the ship.

Will do.

 

Tomorrow ought to be interesting: we arrive late tonight/early tomorrow and have to tender in. We’re taking tours of St. Paul’s, the Tower of London and the British Museum, then coming back to the ship for a quick dinner before we head off to the London Eye. At some point we’re going to have to pack. Viking wants us off the ship at 6:45. I guess that explains how our cabin was ready so early when we boarded.

 

Russ

Thanks. And be glad you have a 6:45 disembarkation time - our disembarkation in Bergen is going to be around 3:30 for a 6:30 a.m. flight out at the end of the trip. I think we may just stay up that last night!

If you have time before disembarkation preparations, would love to hear your feedback on the “London and the London Eye” shore excursion. We signed up for that on our July 7th cruise out of London (the reverse of your trip) and it has been sold out for some time. Thanks (and thanks for all your posts on this trip!).

Thanks, Russ. I was looking more for a percentage perhaps only so I could have an idea of how much cash I should get from the ATM upon arrival in Norway. We do tip more than the customary when we get great service. Important to support the locals who add so much to our experiences.

 

Nola

Nola, As a starting point, the Viking cruise documents recommend tipping for shore excursions in the local equivalent of 2 euros per person per day for guides and 1 euro per person per day for drivers. I would round that up to 2 British pounds per day per person for guides and 1 pound per person for drivers. In Norwegian money, probably 20 Kr per day per person for guides and 10 Kr per person for drivers. You can, of course, vary from those amounts as you see fit. Hope this helps.

Regarding the comment above about avoiding deck 6, I would just note that we've sailed in 6029 and 6011 and never heard any noise from above us (or anywhere else for that matter). I think the forward cabins on deck 6 are actually very quiet because they are under the Owner's Suite, Mamsen's Deli (starboard) or the Penthouse Suites (port). I can't speak to the cabins aft on deck 6. We are sailing in July in 6010, so hopefully there won't be wild parties in the Penthouse Suites above us! :)

Funny, we’be been on three Viking Ocean cruises and never saw a price list of items in the cabin. Guess they decided we weren’t a high theft risk! ;)

Oh, and we did the reverse version of Empires of the Mediterranean — Athens to Venice — and it was fantastic. We went at the end of March, 2017, and the weather was perfect. You’ll have a great time!

Stud

 

Yes! That’s the one! Looks awesome. We’ll be on the same ship, same stateroom.

 

Current perks are $200 or $500 p.p. discount based on length of cruise, $200 p.p. credit for booking within 12 months of last cruise. The old voucher program is gone. Final payment is waived until 6 months before sailing.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Russ

Thanks for this information, and for your earlier advice to get an appointment early with the future cruise advisor. On our first ocean cruise with Viking the advisor was spending a good bit of time with no one to talk to. Based on your (and others) comments, it sounds like they could use some extra folks to help out!

Looking forward to your reports. We're doing the opposite itinerary, departing London on July 7th on the Sky.

On our last cruise we had an OBC note in our cabin but not In MVJ. It did show up the second day into the cruise on the onboard version of MVJ.