Viking Longboats - Problems with Dining room & Lounge

[alabama ghost]

I've been reading reviews of some of the new longboats and seen several negative comments.

 

If you've cruised on one of this type of ship, have you had problems being seated with your group?

 

If you've cruised on this type, have you experienced situations in the lounge where there weren't enough seats to listen to a lecture? (Too many people and not enough space?)

 

Have you experienced a situation where the Sun Deck is closed for days on end?

 

I'd like to book, but concerned about some of these comments. What have you experienced?

 

Thanks,

Pam

[ingo_e]

[ Have you experienced a situation where the Sun Deck is closed for days on end?/QUOTE]

 

The sundeck is usually closed at least from Bamberg - Nuremberg - Regensburg (Main Danube Canal) due to low bridges & locks. So on any cruise going Amsterdam - Nuremberg, Basel - Nuremberg, Nuremberg - Budapest the deck is closed on 2/7 days. And not just on Viking but nearly all cruise lines.

[foxeysandy]

I've been reading reviews of some of the new longboats and seen several negative comments.

 

If you've cruised on one of this type of ship, have you had problems being seated with your group?

 

If you've cruised on this type, have you experienced situations in the lounge where there weren't enough seats to listen to a lecture? (Too many people and not enough space?)

 

Have you experienced a situation where the Sun Deck is closed for days on end?

 

I'd like to book, but concerned about some of these comments. What have you experienced?

 

Thanks,

Pam

 

Thanks for the info about the water levels! I'm Alabama Ghost's sister and we're considering our first cruise on Viking also. Are there any other Viking veterans out there? If so, can you tell us whether you've experienced problems in getting seating for a group at dinner (are there no reserved tables?) and whether there has been enough space for everyone to be seated in the lounge during lectures?

[firefall]

We did Budapest to Amsterdam in May on the Njord. The top was off limits from Passau to Wertheim. We were allowed back up there only for Koblenz, Cologne & Kinderdijk.

 

We needed to hurry hurry for an oval table by the window for our group. No need to hurry for the rectangle ones in the middle...(but this area gets quite loud).

 

Yes the lounge fills up quickly for events and no there is not enough seating for all. We didn't run to get seats so we were usually with the 10-15 people standing in the back :(

 

K

[foxeysandy]

So they don't have tables reserved, even for dinner? We may have a group of 10. How early did you have to be there?

 

Are all events in the lounge? I'm sure not excited about having to stand up for lectures, etc.! I wonder if this is has been a problem on all the longboats??????

[nordski]

So they don't have tables reserved, even for dinner? We may have a group of 10. How early did you have to be there?

 

Are all events in the lounge? I'm sure not excited about having to stand up for lectures, etc.! I wonder if this is has been a problem on all the longboats??????

Can't speak for standing in the lounge, but no river cruise ship that I've been on, or heard of, has reserved or fixed seating. Perhaps others have a different experience.

 

If a table is really an issue, then one of the group can skip the late afternoon presentation that describes next day's ports/excursions, or that night's entertainment. They might well find themselves standing with others at the dining room door who harbour the same intentions.

 

On the other hand, dinner is a great time to meet other guests who hopefully have backgrounds and travel stories that are as educational as the ports you visit. These encounters are some of our best memories onboard.

 

Regardless, have a great cruise!

[pflorio994]

foxeysandy,

 

I have traveled with Viking 3 times already and my 4th is scheduled in November on a longship.

 

I never saw a problem with obtaining a table for 10. Once people see you are a group of 10, they usually leave you alone and you could always ask for a table to be reserved for you. I saw this done on a smaller ship.

 

Did you ask Viking to put you all in the same touring group? Otherwise, some will be on 1 bus and others on another.

 

Not everyone goes to the lounge after dinner for the lectures or entertainment.

[firefall]

Can't speak for standing in the lounge, but no river cruise ship that I've been on, or heard of, has reserved or fixed seating. Perhaps others have a different experience.

 

If a table is really an issue, then one of the group can skip the late afternoon presentation that describes next day's ports/excursions, or that night's entertainment. They might well find themselves standing with others at the dining room door who harbour the same intentions.

 

On the other hand, dinner is a great time to meet other guests who hopefully have backgrounds and travel stories that are as educational as the ports you visit. These encounters are some of our best memories onboard.

 

Regardless, have a great cruise!

 

Everything you say also applies to our Viking Njord cruise. We most often, did not rush from dinner and go straight to the lounge so found ourselves without seats. It was our choice. I just wish you could hear the program from the Aquavit area....we could have sat down instead of standing at the door so we could hear.

[YoungDubFan]

I'm wondering if this is a problem only with Viking. I went on an Avalon cruise earlier this year and there was seating for everyone in the lounge. Sometimes 1 or 2 would be standing in the back, but this was usually by choice, not due to a lack of seats.

 

As far as the dining room - there were a few tables for 8 but most were 4-6. The 8-tops were used almost exclusively by a family group of 8 and another group that was travelling together and didn't want to mix with other passengers for some reason. The rest of us were fine with this.

 

Another plus with Avalon is that each day, we were able to select which "color" group we wanted to be in. Many passengers co-ordinated with others to get in the same group. Likewise, if you saw someone in a group that you didn't want to be with, all you had to do was switch colors.

[Riversanddale]

We were with Viking a few years back on a smaller boat and again in April on the new Idun. Our experience both trips was that someone had to join the dinner line outside the dining room entrance early for a chance to choose a table. The dining room does not open early but the first ones in line get first choice. We were only a party of 4 and loved having others join us but it was hard to hear with all the people. On the first trip people did not change tables much and stayed in their own little groups but the April trip was great in that many people joined new tables each night or every few nights making it fun and easy to meet and get to know folks.

At the pre-dinner gathering to go over the next day's activities (they tell you what and when and what you need to sign up for ahead of time) we always had a couple of us attending. There was not enough seating for everyone. We skipped some of the after dinner presentations because we weren't comfortable standing for that long and we didn't feel like rushing off to have to grab seats like musical chairs. It's more difficult to get our quickly if you are seated at the back of the dining room. We wished there was more seating in the lounge.

[franski]

I'm wondering if this is a problem only with Viking. I went on an Avalon cruise earlier this year and there was seating for everyone in the lounge. Sometimes 1 or 2 would be standing in the back, but this was usually by choice, not due to a lack of seats.

 

I have yet to be on a cruise that has enough seats in the lounge for everyone - if they want to see the CD when he/she is talking.

 

On our Scenic cruise, there were lots of seats - if you spilled into Portobello's (the "extra" dining room at the front of the lounge). But, you were out of the sight line.

 

On our Russian cruise, there were a number of seats behind the dance floor - behind where the CD was standing - but there were 2 TVS on pillars, so you could see her on TV. Also, the TV feed was available in the cabins, so you could listen to the port talk there if you wished.

 

Fran

[rjscott]

For tours on Viking, you are encouraged to let the Program Director or front desk know if you have a group or even just another couple with whom you want to be partnered on tours and they will make sure you are in the same tour group.

 

On our Idun cruise last April, it was indeed an issue with seating in the lounge for evening programs. For lectures, they could bring in extra chairs, which did help. But, for performers, which needed the small dance floor, if you were seated along the sides of the lounge, you couldn't see well, which certainly detracted from the enjoyment of the performance. This really was my only complaint about our cruise, which I otherwise enjoyed thoroughly. And, perhaps, had the weather not been so cold as it was when we cruised, the lounge might not have been so full in the evenings, as people could have enjoyed the terrace or the upper deck. ;)

[MURPHY27]

Strange hearing lectures would be an issue when the ships use the audio phones for touring. Why don't they just hook up the lecturers for the cruisers to use the same onboard if they have this issue?

[cruisingrammie]

After our cruise on the Njord this summer, I can maybe give you a little bit of information. First of all, if you all arrive at the restaurant at the same time, you will probably not have a hard time sitting together after the first couple of meals...people tended to sit in generally the same area every night of our cruise...you quickly get attached to your wait staff. Some people table hopped, but most of them were in a general area of the dining room. No matter where you sit in the dining room, it is loud. It was my biggest complaint of our cruise. They seat 180 people in one room all at the same time, and the acoustics are a horror! It's just noisy! I think they could do 2 seatings and take care of a lot of the problem, but I doubt it will happen, because of the inconvenience for the wait staff...they eat after the passengers have finished and they have the dining room ready for breakfast, so it would be too late. As far as the lectures on the ports go, if you read the Viking paper they leave in your room, you get the majority of the information. We actually found the tidbits in the paper very helpful and enjoyed a few things the other passengers missed...like getting off the ship early in Kinderdijk and walking to the far end of the village...it's a don't miss opportunity! :D I personally would rather read it than fight with the hordes crowded in the lounge! We attended a couple of the lectures, and really didn't have a problem finding a seat although they weren't right up front and center...more like at the back corner of the lounge! :o But that didn't bother us! The sun deck is closed for 4-5 days on the Main River due to low bridges...and they are very low! For that reason alone, I would definitely book a cabin with a veranda! I was so grateful we did just that. You can still go to the Aquavit Terrace, but it gets very crowded when the weather is nice. I am not comfortable in hordes of people, so I really appreciated the peace of my own veranda. There were a few glitches associated with a new ship that caused a little distress among some of the passengers. All in all, Viking did a good job and we enjoyed the cruise.

[alabama ghost]

Thanks to everyone with all the great information. We're booked on the Rhine Getaway for next August. We'll report back, too.

 

Pam

[squarevanman]

Can't speak for standing in the lounge, but no river cruise ship that I've been on, or heard of, has reserved or fixed seating. Perhaps others have a different experience.

 

If a table is really an issue, then one of the group can skip the late afternoon presentation that describes next day's ports/excursions, or that night's entertainment. They might well find themselves standing with others at the dining room door who harbour the same intentions.

 

On the other hand, dinner is a great time to meet other guests who hopefully have backgrounds and travel stories that are as educational as the ports you visit. These encounters are some of our best memories onboard.

 

Regardless, have a great cruise!

 

In my experience Croisieurope a French company with mainly but not exclusivly Europeans on board (27 ships) had reserved tables for all passengers. This is to seat people speaking the same language together. I also found this when cruising the Nile with PNC a few years ago.

[Viking Cruises]

After our cruise on the Njord this summer, I can maybe give you a little bit of information. First of all, if you all arrive at the restaurant at the same time, you will probably not have a hard time sitting together after the first couple of meals...people tended to sit in generally the same area every night of our cruise...you quickly get attached to your wait staff. Some people table hopped, but most of them were in a general area of the dining room. No matter where you sit in the dining room, it is loud. It was my biggest complaint of our cruise. They seat 180 people in one room all at the same time, and the acoustics are a horror! It's just noisy! I think they could do 2 seatings and take care of a lot of the problem, but I doubt it will happen, because of the inconvenience for the wait staff...they eat after the passengers have finished and they have the dining room ready for breakfast, so it would be too late. As far as the lectures on the ports go, if you read the Viking paper they leave in your room, you get the majority of the information. We actually found the tidbits in the paper very helpful and enjoyed a few things the other passengers missed...like getting off the ship early in Kinderdijk and walking to the far end of the village...it's a don't miss opportunity! :D I personally would rather read it than fight with the hordes crowded in the lounge! We attended a couple of the lectures, and really didn't have a problem finding a seat although they weren't right up front and center...more like at the back corner of the lounge! :o But that didn't bother us! The sun deck is closed for 4-5 days on the Main River due to low bridges...and they are very low! For that reason alone, I would definitely book a cabin with a veranda! I was so grateful we did just that. You can still go to the Aquavit Terrace, but it gets very crowded when the weather is nice. I am not comfortable in hordes of people, so I really appreciated the peace of my own veranda. There were a few glitches associated with a new ship that caused a little distress among some of the passengers. All in all, Viking did a good job and we enjoyed the cruise.

 

Dear cruisingrammie,

 

We’re happy to hear that you enjoyed your cruise aboard Viking Njord. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and we want to assure you that we have since fixed the acoustic concern. If there’s anything else that you’d like to share with us about your trip, we’d be interested to read your comments at TellUs@vikingrivercruises.com.

 

Thank you!

 

Sincerely,

Viking River Cruises