Parsley Cruises

We would appreciate a couple of answers to the following questions:

1. Is lunch provided in the main dining room on embarkation day?

2. I afternoon tea provided on embarkation day?

3. Does afternoon tea get interrupted on either embarkation day or the 2nd day (we will be two days in the same port at the start of the cruise)?

Haven't really been able to ascertain what happens regarding lunch/afternoon tea for embarkation day, and would appreciate some information. This will assist planning.

All this petty selfish bickering isn't very appealing. I've got a really good idea - why not let passengers make the excursion and restaurant arrangements when they book the cruise in the first place?

Then, those who book nice and early will be able to stop fidgeting about arrangements, and relax. If people want to gamble with price by booking late don't like it - tough.

Maybe it’s nothing to do with midnight, but daytime shift start in Switzerland where the operations main office might be based? Now, if that’s the case, it sounds sensible to me.

Activities always feel a bit more worthwhile if one puts a bit of effort in. There’s no absolute pressing need to get up hugely early to book stuff; try and learn to be flexible you might have a pleasant surprise!

Also, it’s a cruise; ports etc can get cancelled- don’t wear your heart on your sleeve, and stop complaining.

Big fan of Iceland, but May is a bit late in the year for us. February and March are better.

Just how selfish can one get? It’s going to be an inconvenient time for somebody somewhere! Next thing, you’ll be wanting all the air travel schedules to be changed just for your convenience!

Pardon the phrase but we’re all in the same boat;.

Don’t treat this minor thing as a problem, look on the bright side and embrace the opportunity to enjoy the wee hours.

In modern phrasing, stop being a grump over such a small thing.

We’ve done this itinerary before with a different cruise line, and nobody asked for our passports.

Our experience is that there sometimes is no rhyme nor reason for this passport business sometimes.

We have however been on a cruise where some people with US passports had to give in their documentation and other people with US documents didn’t.

So far in over thirty cruises it hasn’t happened to us, and we hope it doesn’t this time.

We've been lucky enough to enjoy aft suites on other cruise lines, and with ship sizes we know would go for aft every time.

However, we've never been on a ship as small (by simple comparison) as the Viking fleet, we've headed for mid-ship, just for this first cruise. Once we've got to know the ship, we'll head aft again if we're happy with our first Viking cruise.

Not happy to part with ours, and the info that passports were returned by stewards doesn’t fill me with confidence.

Ok, so we've done a reasonable number of cruises, and this business of 'having to' surrender your passport for the ship to take care of bothers me. As UK passport holders we've certainly never handed ours over for someone else to look after.

Anyway, in some ports in Europe, whilst one port won't worry if you go ashore with just your cruisecard and a photo id (driving licence), other ports won't let you go ashore without your passport as id.

Hopefully we'll be able to hang on to our passports, really not comfortable with handing them over.

We've never missed the ship, not even been close to 'all aboard' time, always back with a bit of time to spare; and we most certainly don't intend to start now.

We've never missed a muster drill; and value the importance of attending a drill. Some ships in our experience say take the life vest to the drill with you (which is a bore and leads to people fidgeting with them before and during the drill), and other cruise lines say leave it in your accommodation (which leads to people feeling unsure as to how to put it on and secure it).

The only other problem is that taking a life vest to a drill means that (especially if it's done on day 1), people are tired after the journey getting to the ship and then have to go back to their accommodation to put the life vests back in the wardrobe - all of which leads to slow traffic jams on the stairways.

We would definitely prefer to get it done on day 1, but hopefully there will be a clear notice of both the time and location of the muster drill.

Again, looking at how other cruise lines tackle the muster drill, we know that some cruise lines have the muster station letter clearly printed on the reverse side of the cruise card.

All I can say is best of luck to one and all - we'll hopefully be up nice and early anyway on the day our excursions get released; and hopefully the internet will play ball. We'll just have to wait and see. If not, I suppose we'll make do and mend with whatever we get and look on the bright side and make the best of things.

We simply hope that everyone gets the excursions of their choice, and that when they go on the excursion that they have a great time.

We’ve got a PS2, so we’re not going to panick. We’ve got our wish list done for excursions, there’s only one to pay for, and that’s what we’ll do first, then go back in immediately and sort out the other ports, but mainly if we don’t get to book anything else we’re not too bothered.

Thanks for the replies. I will try the Viking website again.

 

I am going on Ventura next summer to Iceland.

 

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I haven't personally done Ventura, but I know from long experience that if you are embarking in Southampton it's great. Iceland is awesome - have a wonderful time.

Once you get up to Iceland, evening time don't miss going up on deck or your balcony, the views are wonderful.

We've been with several cruise lines before, and of the ones you've listed, we found X to be the best.

We've also decided to try a different cruise line and have already booked with Viking.

We requested flights with BA, and got them no problem. We tend to book cruises more than 12 months in advance of embarkation, and so when the flights become available we had confirmation of the actual flights, and at that point we opted to upgrade our seats for the flights - all of which was no problem, and we paid for the upgrade at that point (and went ahead to get our favourite seats too).

We've asked several times if the transfers are included - and yes, the transfers are included.

We're currently in 'count-down' to our cruise, and have asked Viking about our minibar - it depends I think on the level of accommodation you have in your booking, but for the top levels it's included; but we've been given a drinks package anyway.

I can't answer about excursions selling out, ours are bookable 80 days prior.

I imagine given the size of the ships that the entertainment isn't going to be quite as glitzy as Princes, Celebrity and P&O, especially if you've been on the Solstice Class with X for example.

We booked our cruises directly with Viking, and have had absolutely no problem getting hold of them on the phone - we're UK based.

At least with Viking there's no 1st and 2nd sitting for meals situation, and no charges for alternative dining.

Good luck, enjoy P&O (which ship are you going on)?

Must be different booking conditions for us Aussies. Tips are included in our fare and I double checked my invoice when I saw this thread! Also from the FAQs on Australian site - What Is The Tipping Policy?

Shipboard gratuities for shipboard personnel are included in your cruise fare on Viking Cruises Europe ocean cruise / tour programs. Additional tipping is at the guests discretion.

 

 

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Lucky you - that's great! I understand that for you, that's the norm. On our next cruise the tips are included, but for safety's sake we will double check after embarkation, and again just prior to the end of the cruise.

It's pretty much akin to the way we think; additional tipping is at our discretion - which makes good sense.

We once went on an excursion where the tour guide obviously didn't know what he was talking about (which included World War ll and the D Day landings), in which we were told with gravitas and authority that the Battle of the Atlantic was fought in the sea! On another separate excursion an old ship was pointed out to us, which allegedly had taken part in the Battle of Rutland! Both of these tour guides stood outside the coach at the end of the tour expecting tips! From me each tour guide had a tip from me - which was to learn your stuff before you start the tour!

I think that mainly some people who make such a fuss about giving a tip think that either they are part of the landed gentry or the nouveau riche - which they patently usually aren't.

I can plainly see (and hear) the difference between a failure in the team effort and somebody being point blank rude to my face! We complained (discreetly but very firmly), and the waiter in question was removed from working in that particular venue. However, it really quite spoiled the cruise - the overall ambience on the cruise was wrecked by a very palpable 'attitude' amongst the restaurant/bar/shop crew members; and it wasn't just us who felt this.

If and when a food order arrives at our table and it isn't exactly what we ordered or expected, then mostly we'll put up with it.

However, on one cruise there was a man who ordered eggs for breakfast every day and then complained that they hadn't been laid in the UK!!!!!

We thought initially that we had been unlucky, but over time it has made us more aware of when service isn't up to the required standard. It's as simple as this: provide the service or go without. It's not an excuse, we're not going to be persuaded to pay in advance for a level of service which we haven't yet received.

If we're content with the way we are treated on the cruise then we reward, if not - well then that's their fault, and without compunction we feel no regret.

I can't and won't agree - firstly I disapprove of the 'I want a hand-out' culture which is the main theme of the lives of many people; and secondly I've had enough of being taken for a mug/fool.

I do not allow anyone any longer to take advantage of me, especially when it comes to tipping/gratuities. First I expect to receive the service, and as and when that service level is either achieved or exceeded then the reward follows discreetly.

So what we do is not unfair - it's not unfair to crew members, and it's most definitely not unfair to us either. I refuse point blank to agree to a system of being fiscally raped - and that's how it's felt on several cruises (not with Viking), where assistance in the dining room wasn't just absent it was negative, bathrooms were not up to standard, excursions were a farce, general cleanliness and appearance of our suite was a disgrace, and the so called entertainment was an insult to one's intellect.

Provide us with a reasonable cruise, and everything pleasant and acceptable, and we are more than able and willing to go down the purser's desk and ask for the tips/grats to be reinstated. It's not a matter of affordability - it's a case of standards, and not being lmf.

Ok, all well and good, but to begin with there is always the possibility that whatever the crew are paid, it's firstly better than what they might have got back in their own countries, and secondly they knew what they were in for when they joined the employment. Don't let us forget that they have their accommodation and food etc paid for.

You might ask why this 'hard' line - well, if somebody provides me with outstanding service (bearing in mind that we have free grats on our next cruise, qed we understand that the cruiseline will hopefully pay what would have been the grats levied on our accommodation level) then a discreet (and I mean discreet) tip is given. I really can't stand people who make a brash show of tipping.

We thoroughly abhor being forced to pay up front for tips/grats before I receive the 'service'; and having been left feeling used, abused and generally stabbed in the back on other cruise lines we've (or taken for a mug/fool) stopped doing auto-tips, and ensure on embarkation day that auto-tips don't happen.

Sure, the crew are entitled to respect, but so are we, and if good service is not provided then it's their own fault, they can go without. All we are looking for is timely provision of pleasant and professional service, clean and comfortable surroundings, not being overly fussed over, and not being ignored. If we get that sort of service, then discreet tipping is the order of the day.

It's a bit 'luck of the draw' with the BoB - we've never had a really rough crossing of the BoB.

We have had an 'epic' time though in the Celtic Sea heading towards the BoB, and the captain commented that the situation was 'at it's limits' whatever that means - but it wasn't a Viking cruise.

We've even had a bumpy ride in the Pacific - but we must've been just plain lucky with the BoB, and we must've have done more than a dozen BoB crossings.

Thanks

What about plain simple but beautifully prepared food? I can't stand food which has been messed around with? Any chance of something simple?

To be plain, I am not worried - just curious as to why a company publish something in the public domain with a 'stop' on it before it even draws it's first breath. This notice of 'sold out' is clearly incorrect - nobody with a reservation on the cruise I've booked for should be/is able to make a reservation yet. I feel it would be more professional not to mention the excursion at all, maybe introduce it as time progresses. If that causes Viking a bit more work (taking cancellations for excursions from people who see something freshly introduced once reservations are being taken and making new reservations on the freshly introduced excursions), then that's there own fat fault. If they got things right in the first place, then firstly I wouldn't be querying the situation, and secondly it would cause them less work. I think it's wrong to 'mislead' passengers (for want of a better word).

As it happens, being a very experienced traveller, I'm not bothered - merely observant and curious.

Going on Viking Sun in November, and the excursions have just come out for browsing, BUT even though nothing is bookable for anyone yet, some excursions are showing Sold Out!

Confused!!!

Take a hint - Winchester might just be a better option than Salisbury. Winchester has a lot of history to offer, whereas Salisbury is still suffering from the spy poison attack using Novichok deadly poison. You may decide that it's perfectly safe, but I am a bona fide coward.