LIVE from the Viking Sea - Sept. 16 Venice to Athens along the Adriatic Sea

[scopewest]

This may be a wacky question, but how high is the sink in the bathroom? The reason I ask is I'm five feet tall, and I don't want to have to stand on my toes to reach over the side.

 

I love your posts, thanks for taking the time to do this!

[artbcpa]

This may be a wacky question, but how high is the sink in the bathroom? The reason I ask is I'm five feet tall, and I don't want to have to stand on my toes to reach over the side.

 

I love your posts, thanks for taking the time to do this!

Ellie is 5 foot 1 and says the sink is at a perfect height.

[scopewest]

Thank you!

[artbcpa]

I am continuing to post photos and have now posted our bedroom and the 1st floor. Much more to follow.

 

We had a wonderful evening. Back to the main dining room for dinner. The food was wonderful and we had a great table with people from all over the world. Then we hurried over to the show. Such talent and was able to take some great photos which I showed to the cast that evening at Torshavn. Ellie and I loved the music and dancing until we finally knew we had to go to bed - another big day ahead of us.

 

Our only negative today was our tour. We took the optional Historic Sibenik & Culinary Delights tour. Several of the items that were supposed to be included were not, and in our opinion, Sibenik is not ready for tourists. Tomorrow we are doing n outside private tour. We will see how that one stacks up.

[artbcpa]

It is Monday morning and we are off to breakfast and Dubrovnik. It was a beautiful sail-in and I got a couple of lovely shots of the sunrise.

 

I have started a second photo album of the ship beginning with Deck 2:

 

Hope you enjoy!

[artbcpa]

We just returned from our 5 1/2 hour private tour of Dubrovnik. What can I say? There is NO comparison between what you get on a private tour vs. the tours that the cruise lines offer. What's more, many times the cost is also less. We paid less for this private tour than we did yesterday for the optional tour with Viking...and we got so much more.

 

Were we lucky that we had an outstanding guide? You bet. But with all tours aren't you always taking that risk?

 

The company we used was highest rated tour company on Trip Advisor, but we still spoke with three different companies before deciding on this one.

 

With a private tour you should receive suggestions of what there is to see, you get to prioritize what is on the tour, you decide how long you stay at each stop and you control the length of the tour and therefore the price. Some tour companies will help you find other passengers to share the cost. You can also use Cruise Critic for finding others who might have similar interests. Remember that the more people who share a tour, the more likely you are to run into conflicts with the things I mentioned above.

 

One other important thing to remember: When using an outside company DO NOT CUT THE TIME TO CLOSE. The ship will not wait for you.

[artbcpa]

Here are some photos from the first show:

[photopro2]

Thanks very much for taking the time to do this - we are just preparing for our first cruise (on Viking Sea) and your posts are extremely helpful as well as adding to our excitement!

Would you consider adding a few wide views of the restaurants and public areas with people in? I would not want you to impose on people's privacy but I think my wife would find it helpful if she could see the sort of things people actually wear, especially in the evenings. I will understand if not but thought it worth asking.

Thanks again and enjoy The Adriatic!!

[binbin854]

Thanks for doing this! We are in reverse itinerary starting 9/25. Would you mind posting what included and optional tours you took with Viking and how they were. Also name of Dubrovnik tour company. Thanks again!

 

 

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[artbcpa]

Thanks for doing this! We are in reverse itinerary starting 9/25. Would you mind posting what included and optional tours you took with Viking and how they were. Also name of Dubrovnik tour company. Thanks again!

 

The included tour in Koper we decided not to take because of the heavy rains was "Old Koper Walking Tour". The optional tour we took that was such a bust was, "Historic Sibenik & Culinary Delights. The company we used for our private tour in Dubrovnik was "Dubrovnik Shore Tours"

 

We have the following included tours planned, Ancient Olympia & the Archaeological Museum in Katakolon, Summits & Countryside in Santorini and Panoramic Athens in Athens. We have private tours planned for Kotor Montenegro, Corfu and Athens (2 extra days on our own.)

 

I will be happy to provide you with my thoughts after we have completed the tours.

[artbcpa]

I have just posted photos for decks 7, 8 and 9. Here is the link:https://www.flickr.com/photos/30213465@N05/sets/72157674016519336

[artbcpa]

It is Tuesday morning and we just had a most spectacular sail-in to Montenegro. Take a look:

[artbcpa]

We had another fabulous day in port. Montenegro has so much to see. We used a private tour company, Montenegro Tours (mtours) and they were wonderful. At first we were a little concerned as our driver/guide wanted us to make all the decisions. We kept telling him that he knew his city better than we did. If we didn't like a suggestion we would tell him. Finally he understood and that is when things really turned around.

 

Our favorite places were Porto Montenegro where they have a most spectacular marina and is also the home of the Regent Hotel. Then he took us to a couple of spots overlooking the city where the views were breathtaking and to a very interesting museum of 3rd century mosaics. Of course we also went to some of the usual spots like Lady of The Rock and Perast. I have posted a few of the my photos but there are so many unbelievable ones I couldn't begin to properly describe how fabulous it was....and the cost of our tour was very reasonable for just the two of us.

 

[hypercafe]

Hi Art. We have our first Viking trip planned. I was thinking it's like Oceania, how close is that to the truth?

 

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[Azulann]

I have just posted photos for decks 7, 8 and 9. Here is the link:https://www.flickr.com/photos/30213465@N05/sets/72157674016519336

 

Love your pictures of deck 7 , the pool area and explorer club.

Looking forward to spending a lot of sea days on my cruise in these spaces.

[artbcpa]

Hi Art. We have our first Viking trip planned. I was thinking it's like Oceania, how close is that to the truth?

 

I am always surprised (and hesitant to answer) when someone asks if a cruise line is similar to one they know, either because they like it or dislike it. So please take my response as my personal opinion and one that others may or may not agree with. Remember, my observations are based on 1 cruise trip on each cruise line - not a very comprehensive study.

 

IMHO, the two cruise lines are nothing alike. Not in the layout of the ships; not in the way they hire and train their personnel, not in the way they handle their food service and certainly not in the way they look upon a ship casino.

 

The Viking Ocean ship designers apparently spent a lot of time reflecting on comments and complaints from passengers. The cabin space is used much more wisely than practically any ship we have been on, including Oceania. We especially have liked the layout and drawers in the bathroom.

 

To us, the cruise director is one of the most important positions on the ship. Based on my experience and what I have heard, the cruise director we had on Oceania would not have even been hired by Viking. On the other hand, the guest services was much more responsive and efficient than Viking's.

 

With regard to the food, the most obvious difference is the way Oceania prohibits passengers from touching the food at the buffet. While I understand the reason, as the cruise line had a terrible experience with norovirus, it was a big turnoff for Ellie as she likes to select her own food.

 

Last is how each cruise line views casinos. The owners of Viking made a specific decision NOT to include a casino on their ships. Oceania is on the other end of the spectrum as the only cruise line I am aware of that uses their casino as a marketing tool. They do not franchise or sublease their casinos, but instead own their casinos and pay a much higher payout than other cruise lines. Needless to say this was one of the things we liked best about Oceania.

 

I could go further, but hopefully you understand our perspective that the two cruise lines are NOT alike.

[hypercafe]

Thanks for the info Art. I enjoyed our experience on Oceania and am looking forward to our trip on Viking. I am glad your trip is working out so well, thanks again.

 

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[easyboy]

Nice photos. I enjoy reading your review.

[Celiac Cruiser]

Hey Art & Ellie, We eagerly anticipate our May 2017 cruise on Viking Ocean and appreciate your "up close and personal" observations. We really enjoyed our Viking River cruise last year and had given up on ocean cruising after a dozen or so ocean cruises. Viking brought us back! Thanks for your review.

My question : What dishes in the Restaurant have you found memorable? What dishes in the Cafe were outstanding?

[artbcpa]

Hey Art & Ellie, My question : What dishes in the Restaurant have you found memorable? What dishes in the Cafe were outstanding?

 

We have been very pleased with the food onboard. My favorite dish in the Restaurant has been their foie gras. I ordered seconds last time it was on the menu. I also really like their Tiger Prawns which is part of their Classic menu and available every day. Both of these are listed as starters. Ellie's favorite is their fruits appetizer where they combine the fruit with a liqueur. She also likes their sugar-free ice creme.

 

With regard to the World Cafe, we have only eaten dinner their once, but we have breakfast their most mornings. I really like their pancakes, but the piece de resistance is their very crisp bacon. It is so hard getting anyone to make their bacon truly crisp without burning it.

 

Hope you find this helpful and you enjoy their cuisine as much as we have.

[PatriciaF]

Love your review and beautiful pictures. We are doing this cruise in reverse in December.

 

Are any of the ports tender ports? Or is the Sea small enough to dock?

[Fitzall]

Love your review and beautiful pictures. We are doing this cruise in reverse in December.

 

Are any of the ports tender ports? Or is the Sea small enough to dock?

We were on the Sea in Aug Athens to Venice.. Santorini is always by tender. The only other tender was Kotor because another ship was already berthed. There is a website that shows how many ships will be in a port at any one time .... will try and find it. You'll love the ship and ports!

[artbcpa]

Here is my report on our last two days of excursions.

 

Corfu - We took a private tour in Corfu and while it started slowly, it finished strong. Corfu was overwhelmed by three cruise ships at one time. It is not a big city with lots of alternatives among the normal tourist places to visit. Our driver felt badly when we arrived at the mission and there were hundreds of people already there. It became necessary for us to ease his concern so we could be free to visit other places. That's when the tour really took off.

 

We had the owner of the company as as our driver/guide. That has its advantages and disadvantages. He was constantly getting calls from clients and from his drivers and had to coordinate what was going on - not a good thing. He was also very insistent about what we should see and where I should stand to take photos - not a quality I appreciate. Once we got our point of view across, he was also able to make things happen which I am sure none of his drivers could (or would). We got a private tour of an olive press, went to his home village and saw things most people would never see - a very good thing.

 

I just posted some of the highlights of our visit to Corfu. There were a lot more too. Check it out.

 

Olympia - Today we took a Viking included tour. It turned out to be very good. We had a fabulous guide who was informed, spoke well and was also humorous. This shows the good and bad of all tours. If you get a good guide, all the issues involved with buses and large crowds can melt away. If you have a bad guide, that is pretty much it. The one advantage you have with a private or small group tour is you may be able to alter that situation, where you have little chance of modifying a large group tour.

[artbcpa]

Follow-up on Thursday.

 

We had dinner at Manfredi's and it was wonderful as were our tablemates. Ellie had the chilled soup and pasta scampi and I had the porcini soup and veal Marsala. Everything was great.

 

Then we went to the show, La Peregrina with the Viking Singers and dancers. This was a very clever spoof on James Bond with unbelievable technology and coordination. I highly recommend it. After the show we went to hear the resident pianist Andras and finally off to the dancing hall in Torshavn. All in all it was a wonderful day.

[red4lisa]

Enjoying the pictures and the review. What a lovely ship!

 

Lisa