Live from the Viking Sea

[fnewman]

"Standard" pods for that brand of coffeemaker which I think is Lavazza (?). Would one of you who is onboard now confirm my memory? Check the brand and model?

The brand name on the coffee maker is "Paulig"; the cups look like K-cups, but I can't verify if they are the same size. Anyone ever tried them in the onboard machines?

[ew1111]

Since you offered, could you tell me about the coffee offered in the room? Is it all bold or are there some medium or mild selections?

 

Thanks for your help, hope you have a great trip.

 

So happy to read your review. We just booked this trip yesterday. Curious about cabins. Do you think it will important if cabin is on Starboard or Port side? We booked starboard towards middle. We are experienced river cruisers, but only did Quantum re positioning last year. Royal Caribb did have a soda machine and diet caffeine free was always available. Did you happen to notice if that is true on Viking as well. Will be interested in learning about your excursions as well. Assuming if you take included tour then there is not enough time to take any extra ones. Looking forward to reading your reviews. Thanks so much.

Emily and Bill

[English Voyager]

As a solo traveller, I consider Viking's 100% supplement rather off putting.

 

However, today I received a time limited offer, on the Sea's 5 February 2017 cruise from Barcelona to Rome, which was very attractive so I am now booked on my first Viking cruise.

 

I look forward to fnewman's further comments on his cruise.

[Rawmac]

In my uneducated view, the best coffee, available all day, is on Deck 1 at the Viking Bar in the Living Room. It is hot, tasty and fresh. Hot chocolate is also on the menu. I did enjoy that coffee, better than C**** and S********.

 

The coffee in the World Cafe machines on deck 7 tastes OK but it is far from hot. However, from the same machines, there is boiling water for a variety if teas and hot chocolate. (English -Yorkshire - Breakfast Tea is in the Black Box, at the back of the shelf, the tea bags being unwrapped. If you can't find them, ask Big John Cunningham, the Boss! The wrapped tea bags are flavoured teas)

 

The coffee from the machine in the cabin was tasty, but not very hot.

[Peregrina651]

[Peregrina651]

In my uneducated view, the best coffee, available all day, is on Deck 1 at the Viking Bar in the Living Room. It is hot, tasty and fresh.

.

 

Ditto. At breakfast, I learned to stop here to grab a cappuccino on my way into The Restaurant, because the restaurant coffee here was beyond terrible. Each cup is ground and brewed on demand.

[Vineyard View]

Great to know this! In never did tried their coffee on Deck 1....thanks from this tip!!

[CharTrav]

I agree. Coffee on deck 1 was really good. Didn't discover it til later in the cruise. I just like plain dark coffee, nothing added. Which I couldn't get from the machine in the world cafe unless I wanted espresso (didn't) so had to ask a waiter for it meaning only during meal times. And why I started out using the coffee maker in our cabin for the in between meal times. Coffee btw is one of those items that is free no matter how you get it - at any of the bars or lounges on the ship (Aquavit, Star Theater, Living Room, Explorer, etc). Don't know how easy it is to get pods for the Paulig coffee maker.

Edited August 18, 2016 by CharTrav

[Sturmin]

We are sailing this itinerary in a few months. In your opinion, are there any must do excursions or any don't waste your time on. Thank you for taking the time to answer questions and live review.

Dave & Amy

[PatriciaF]

We are sailing this itinerary in a few months. In your opinion, are there any must do excursions or any don't waste your time on. Thank you for taking the time to answer questions and live review.

Dave & Amy

 

Thank you so much for doing this. we took are on this cruise in a few months, and would also like a review of the shore excursions.

[tullbja]

So far, little has been written about current entertainment on Sea. Here goes.

 

Sea has the 8-strong "Viking Singers and Dancers" who are truly exceptional - three female singers, three male singers and two dancers. They performed the Captain's Welcome, Opera, ABBA and the Captain's Farewell (don't miss this; it was out of this world, Amy) extremely well, top notch shows, but the spoof on "James Bond", though well performed, had a storyline/plot that was excruciatingly DIRE, and should be replaced, pronto. Cringeworthy! The boys also performed a Rat Pack programme and the girls a Parisian programme in Torshavn, the night club, on three separate nights each, again a great success. These people are truly talented and worth seeing.

 

We also had two "imported" singers -- Shimi Goodman (tenor) and Robyn North (musical theatre) -- who did two shows each and were very well received Each sang well-known songs, nothing too heavy.

 

The experienced Cruise Director Heather Clancy, a mezzo-soprano, did an operatic show herself on the last night, a wonderful show to round off our cruise. She was everywhere around the ship, you could not miss her. Or her high heels! A very talented lady.

 

The Viking Band, a quartet with two singers, played in Torshavn nearly every night and elsewhere as required. They were very good indeed with a huge repertoire. Music for listening and dancing.

 

We also had a pianist, a guitarist and a trio. These played in the Atrium in the evening and for afternoon tea in the Wintergarden.

 

Mercifully, comedians, jugglers and magicians were not on board, (nor were photographers or gamblers).

 

We had a number of "enrichment" lecturers on board. I cannot comment here as I did not attend. The large British cruiser contingent did not have their usual large diet of quizzes and Trivia.

 

For those whose evenings would not be complete without some retail therapy, prepare to be disappointed. There is a large floor area given over to expensive sparklies, but the man there seemed to be always lonely. The shops stocked Viking merchandise (red luggage tags $6, Viking toilet bag $15); Viking logo clothing; handbags; potions, powder and paint for the ladies; and a medicines rack the same size as the chocolate and sweets rack! The small shop did not stock much of what we forget to pack and for the significant number of passengers whose luggage went astray in Amsterdam, the ship's shops were not much help. Disappointing.

 

All in all, the shows were of a standard far above my expectations (except the two mentioned above) and I was well entertained.

 

Well done Heather C !

 

Is Aronn no longer the CD?

 

 

Sent from my KFJWI using Tapatalk

[Peregrina651]

Is Aronn no longer the CD?

 

 

Sent from my KFJWI using Tapatalk

 

I understand that he will be moving to the Viking Sky when they bring her out at the end of this year. A number of those who were on the Sea will be moving to the Sky.

[fnewman]

We are sailing this itinerary in a few months. In your opinion, are there any must do excursions or any don't waste your time on. Thank you for taking the time to answer questions and live review.

Dave & Amy

I guess excursions are a matter of personal opinion. In most cases, the included tour involves a tour of the old walled city along with other notable sites and details about the history of the town and area. Very good if you are interested in that sort of thing. Viking tour guides are very knowledgeable, so we found the tours to be pretty interesting. We did take a couple of optional tours, which were very good as well.

[fnewman]

So happy to read your review. We just booked this trip yesterday. Curious about cabins. Do you think it will important if cabin is on Starboard or Port side? We booked starboard towards middle. We are experienced river cruisers, but only did Quantum re positioning last year. Royal Caribb did have a soda machine and diet caffeine free was always available. Did you happen to notice if that is true on Viking as well. Will be interested in learning about your excursions as well. Assuming if you take included tour then there is not enough time to take any extra ones. Looking forward to reading your reviews. Thanks so much.

Emily and Bill

Side of the ship is important to some, but not to us. Most ships tend to alternate sides when docking, or to give best views out the front of the ship. When in route, you are generally too far away from shore for it to matter. If you plan to spend a lot of time on your veranda, you might want to consider, which side will be the most sunny or shady, depending on your preference.

 

Sodas are available pretty much any time, including those in your stateroom refrigerator, which are replaced daily, at lease in DV and higher cabins. You can also get them with meals at no additional cost, but about $2.25 on deck at other times each. No soda machines.

 

Due to limited times in port, you generally cannot do both included and optional excursions as the optional a tend to be somewhat longer.

[fnewman]

A few final thoughts before heading home tomorrow...

Yes, the Sea is a beautiful ship and almost identical to the Star. When you see her next to one of the 'traditional' large ships it is apparent that she is a few decks shorter and about half as long. Good features, IMHO, as it is a quick trip from one end to the other - makes cabin location less of an issue.

Dining experiences were excellent - never had to wait for a table in the Restaurant. Service was prompt and attentive and the food excellent. The seafood section at the evening buffet was great as well.

However, here are a few things I would suggest that Viking should consider.

1. The entertainment in this ship was almost identical to the Star. Not sure how often they intend to rotate shows, but I would hate to think that each new ship of the six to be built would start out with the same programs, even though the performances were excellent.

2. Heated floor in the bathroom is nice, but needs to be turned down some. Makes it very hot in that room.

3. For a ship of less than 1000 passengers, I would have expected to have more interaction with the CD who never stopped long enough to chat with passengers - at least when we saw her. Only saw her performing her official duties at shows, etc.

4. Need to work on some of the technology issues and opportunities.

5. One elevator Was out of service for the entire trip; others seems to work very well.

6. The staggered departure times for the included excursions caused people to have to try an find a late lunch upon return when options were few.

 

Overall, a great trip; however, I've never been on a really "bad" cruise.

 

P.S. Please excuse any strange words you may have seen - autocorrect does odd things sometimes.

Edited August 22, 2016 by fnewman

[Viking Cruises]

Dear fnewman,

 

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’ve followed along with your posts and are truly delighted that you’ve enjoyed your time aboard Viking Sea. Please note that your suggestions for improvement have been documented for future consideration.

 

If, once you’re are settled, you wish to discuss your overall experience with a Viking representative, we are always happy to hear from our Cruise Critic members at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

 

Safe travels home, fnewman!

 

Best regards,

Viking Cruises

 

A few final thoughts before heading home tomorrow...

Yes, the Sea is a beautiful ship and almost identical to the Star. When you see her next to one of the 'traditional' large ships it is apparent that she is a few decks shorter and about half as long. Good features, IMHO, as it is a quick trip from one end to the other - makes cabin location less of an issue.

Dining experiences were excellent - never had to wait for a table in the Restaurant. Service was prompt and attentive and the food excellent. The seafood section at the evening buffet was great as well.

However, here are a few things I would suggest that Viking should consider.

1. The entertainment in this ship was almost identical to the Star. Not sure how often they intend to rotate shows, but I would hate to think that each new ship of the six to be built would start out with the same programs, even though the performances were excellent.

2. Heated floor in the bathroom is nice, but needs to be turned down some. Makes it very hot in that room.

3. For a ship of less than 1000 passengers, I would have expected to have more interaction with the CD who never stopped long enough to chat with passengers - at least when we saw her. Only saw her performing her official duties at shows, etc.

4. Need to work on some of the technology issues and opportunities.

5. One elevator Was out of service for the entire trip; others seems to work very well.

6. The staggered departure times for the included excursions caused people to have to try an find a late lunch upon return when options were few.

 

Overall, a great trip; however, I've never been on a really "bad" cruise.

 

P.S. Please excuse any strange words you may have seen - autocorrect does odd things sometimes.

[fnewman]

Thank you - I may send along some additional comments when I have a few minutes. There are still some opportunities as Viking learns to deal with quite a few challenges that make ocean cruising different. But some problems always arise during a 'start-up' - the complexities of a new ship coupled with logistics of moving people and keeping at least most of them happy are a formidable challenge. I know Viking will get it right over time!

 

P.S. We are ready to go again - have already booked "Undiscovered China" for next June!

[Fpacifico]

Ditto. At breakfast, I learned to stop here to grab a cappuccino on my way into The Restaurant, because the restaurant coffee here was beyond terrible. Each cup is ground and brewed on demand.

 

Hi, I get up by 6 every morning, will deck 1 be open for coffee at that time.

Thanks

[Peregrina651]

Hi, I get up by 6 every morning, will deck 1 be open for coffee at that time.

Thanks

 

Take your time with your morning ablutions! I just checked the dailies. Mamsen on deck 7 and The Living Room on Deck 1 open at 6:30am each day for early risers. Starting time for full breakfast in World Cafe (buffet) and The Restaurant (table service) changes from day to day, depending on the day's activities.

[Fpacifico]

Take your time with your morning ablutions! I just checked the dailies. Mamsen on deck 7 and The Living Room on Deck 1 open at 6:30am each day for early risers. Starting time for full breakfast in World Cafe (buffet) and The Restaurant (table service) changes from day to day, depending on the day's activities.

 

Thanks