Food on Viking Embla is horrible

[Starlaker]

hawkeye65,

We are on the June 25 Viking Modi. Looking forward to your report when you return.

[Langoustine]

On CroisiEurope it is somewhat similar with bi-lingual, just throw more French people into the mix on some cruises, making it in essence tri-lingual. I am not sure how they do it in practice, but others can tell you how it works, they have travelled with them. Food choice as regards variety and flexibility is not their strongpoint, being similarly regimented as on my cruise, but very good (mostly) from what I remember from past cruisers here on CC, but instead of German you get the French influence.

 

Thank you. I think this sounds perfect for me. I lived in Germany (Bad Kreuznach) 1971-73 and have been back numerous times since then working in theaters in Munich, Aschaffenburg, etc., and love German food (my arteries are still complaining to me about my affinity for schweinhaxe, but I assure them I make up for it during spargel season) and after nearly as much time wandering around France and Italy I can get through a restaurant evening with only occasional looks at my Marling Menu-Master books.

Edited April 20, 2017 by Langoustine

[Host Jazzbeau]

Are you sure that foreign wineries can't ship to US consumers? Shipmates on several of our river cruises in Germany and France ordered cases from wineries to be shipped to them in the states.

 

I could be wrong [won't be the first time!]. My understanding was that after Prohibition ended states were given great latitude to restrict alcohol sales in any way they wanted, and most set up mandatory 3-tier distribution networks [producer - distributor - retailer] for reasons I never understood. But not too long ago the Supreme Court used the Commerce Clause to rule that if any state allowed in-state wineries to ship direct to in-state customers, they also had to allow out-of-state wineries to ship into that state. I assumed the reach of the Commerce Clause would only extend to wineries in US states. I know that some states still don't allow it at all [when you check an internet wine website, there will be a list of states they can ship to].

[JVilleGal]

We had a case of wine sent to us from a Vineyard outside of Florence. There was a trick to it, had to go to an approved State side wine importer and then reshipped to us. Boy that wine was fabulous!

[Mark_T]

Our communication with your ship indicates that the Viking Embla crew has attempted to provide a pleasurable anniversary cruise for you and your wife. The chef and maître d’ have taken personal interest in your dining experience and have made several accommodations, including a special-made horseradish sauce, advanced menu distribution and customized meal preparations, to try to repair your displeasure

 

... and to be honest this is what I have seen happening on other Viking cruises and for that matter on ships from other lines.

 

When there are food complaints the chef tends to bend over backwards to make accommodations including cooking different options.

 

... but sadly I have also seen cases where the guest's complaints were impossible to rectify as no amount of extra effort seemed to satisfy them.

 

In the recent posts there has been comment about portion sizes.

 

They will be smaller in Europe when compared to the USA. The meals are designed to be eaten at the table, not taken home for later.

 

You are never going to starve onboard the ship, but you don't have any use for the excess served up in many USA restaurants either, so do expect to see less on the plate.

[SuiteTraveler]

I could be wrong [won't be the first time!]. My understanding was that after Prohibition ended states were given great latitude to restrict alcohol sales in any way they wanted, and most set up mandatory 3-tier distribution networks [producer - distributor - retailer] for reasons I never understood. But not too long ago the Supreme Court used the Commerce Clause to rule that if any state allowed in-state wineries to ship direct to in-state customers, they also had to allow out-of-state wineries to ship into that state. I assumed the reach of the Commerce Clause would only extend to wineries in US states. I know that some states still don't allow it at all [when you check an internet wine website, there will be a list of states they can ship to].

 

You are correct about the shipping issue. Wineries can ship to the US ONLY if they have the correct licenses and it is illegal to mail wine to yourself from overseas and then through the US Postal Service. What you CAN do is take a wine suitcase (or two or three) with you and bring as many bottles back in that for personal consumption as you want. Rarely you may have to pay duty which is not much. Or if you just want a few bottles, you can pack them in your regular checked bag and bring them back that way. There are wine sleeves for this or just roll them in your clothes as wine bottles are quite strong. Just be sure to declare everything you are bringing back. I enjoy bringing back wines that are not available in the US at all, replicating foods I have tried overseas and having them with these wines.

 

So basically, you can do a wine tour overseas and you can bring the wines you tried for your own consumption back into the US on your airplane as checked luggage, even if the winery in France, Germany, Spain or wherever doesn't have licenses to import to the US. The thing is you need to be careful. If it looks like a collection of various bottles that you tried while on a wine tour in Europe, then US Customs will take it as such and think it unremarkable. If you come through with 3 or 4 cases of the same wine, this raises suspicion that you might be planning to sell the wine which is illegal.

[LFS517]

What an interesting thread - food and wine! Just my two cents' worth....We just returned from a Viking cruise on the Rhone from Lyon to Avignon (lengthy review posted under Viking Heimdal). We had lots of French cuisine, from appetizers like escargots, frogs legs, cassoulet, onion soup to main courses like coq au vin and beef bourgignon. One lunch was a Taste of Provence with lots of local choices. However, we also had chicken and waffles one night, perhaps a direction from corporate since that dish seems to be showing up on many cruises. The food overall was okay, nothing really memorable. We always had something interesting to eat, but we are not foodies and not very picky eaters. I don't think we should "put down" those who order from the "always available" side of the menu - some people are not adventurous eaters and Viking is trying to cater to different comfort zones. As far as wines go, we had the Silver Spirits package and the wine list on this cruise was wonderful. The "house" wines not so much. The French wine they served was La Vielle Ferme, available at our local liquor store for $5.99 a bottle! We were glad we had the package and could choose better wines with our meals. We did buy a few bottles of wine during our travels, packed in wine sleeves in our suitcase for the trip home with no problem.

[SuiteTraveler]

Are you sure that foreign wineries can't ship to US consumers? Shipmates on several of our river cruises in Germany and France ordered cases from wineries to be shipped to them in the states.

 

This is actually a complicated question. Part whether or not the winery can ship it to your home depends on your state's laws in regards to shipping wine. About 1/2 of the US states allow wine to be shipped to your home. But it has to be from licensed sellers and it has to come with the right customs documentation. The winery may not be the entity with the license.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_shipping_laws_in_the_United_States

 

A lot of times it is simply easier to ship wine from the winery's distributor - which is often located in the US anyway - and in fact, the wine may already be in the US - not necessarily in your state as a lot of wines are not that widely distributed or they are wines that are allocated to restaurants and none or only a tiny amount is sold in stores. If the winery has a US distributor, they can have the distributor ship it to you home. Another way to do this is for the winery or a wine merchant to ship the wine to a wine merchant in your area. When it arrives the wine merchant calls you and you go pick it up - usually after a month or more.

 

There are some other complications. Some European airlines may not allow you to bring wine back in your suitcase or if there is a security issue, the airport may not allow it. Some states don't allow you to have wine shipped to your home at all. In that case, you would be better off going to a wine merchant in Europe and having them ship it to a wine merchant in your state that you are familiar with.

 

Here are the state by state regulations on shipping wine:

https://www.ttb.gov/wine/state-ABC.shtml

 

The thing to understand is that to ship a bottle of wine it will cost $10 - 15 or more, so really, you are better off bringing bottles home with you unless you are buying "investment bottles" which would be more expensive wines. Also, the vast majority of wines are meant to be drunk young. If you haul it home but don't drink it in a timely manner, it will become vinegar.

[nancyevans]

IMO thread has gotten way off the OPs original topic: poor food. How to ship wine had strayed too far away from the original topic.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[E@syPe@zy]

IMO thread has gotten way off the OPs original topic: poor food. How to ship wine had strayed too far away from the original topic.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

We're just waiting to hear back from the OP after Viking reached out to him for the 2nd time.

It's actually been a very interesting thread, with lots of information about river cruises. I've never taken one, but have certainly given it a lot of thought. So I find it very enlightening to learn different aspects about Viking and the other lines. Just MHO. :):)

[SuiteTraveler]

We're just waiting to hear back from the OP after Viking reached out to him for the 2nd time.

It's actually been a very interesting thread, with lots of information about river cruises. I've never taken one, but have certainly given it a lot of thought. So I find it very enlightening to learn different aspects about Viking and the other lines. Just MHO. :):)

 

Exactly, just waiting room chatter. Hope the OP comes back and lets us know what has happened. I also hope that Viking will post the actual menus for OP's cruise here. I honestly would love to see them. I really want to give them the benefit of doubt and it would be great to see if, in fact, they do serve more regional cuisine than the OP has indicated or than the group of menus I found indicated. I think pretty much all of us here are aware that cruise lines frequently change their menus.

[alexkrn46]

I do not know any cruise line that would post 23 days of menus.

[Pyroforyou]

Well if you think the portion size is too small, simply order another or something else. I have enjoyed multiple appetizers and desserts to share with my table mates or myself. You can also go to the dinner buffet to see what they have, you never know.

[SuiteTraveler]

I do not know any cruise line that would post 23 days of menus.

 

If they are unable to do that, they could at least post 7 days worth. But in this day and age, this should be a super easy request to fulfill - take all of about 5 minutes - most of it looking for the PDF.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Exactly, just waiting room chatter. Hope the OP comes back and lets us know what has happened. I also hope that Viking will post the actual menus for OP's cruise here. I honestly would love to see them. I really want to give them the benefit of doubt and it would be great to see if, in fact, they do serve more regional cuisine than the OP has indicated or than the group of menus I found indicated. I think pretty much all of us here are aware that cruise lines frequently change their menus.

 

If they are unable to do that, they could at least post 7 days worth. But in this day and age, this should be a super easy request to fulfill - take all of about 5 minutes - most of it looking for the PDF.

 

I know that many ocean cruise lines have fixed menus [the alibi onboard is "set by Miami"], but are you certain that Viking sets the menus for all its river ships centrally? Viking central may not have the information you are requesting, and it would be a major workload to ask the onboard personnel to go back and recreate this just for your/our curiosity.

[Mark_T]

Viking central may not have the information you are requesting, and it would be a major workload to ask the onboard personnel to go back and recreate this just for your/our curiosity.

 

I suspect you are right, from my experience, what is actually served day by day has more to do with what is still in stock and what arrived on the trucks or was available in the local markets, so although particular recipes may be centrally mandated and will appear at some point in the cruise, there is flexibility in the day to day menus.

[goldenrod]

We're just waiting to hear back from the OP after Viking reached out to him for the 2nd time.

 

It's actually been a very interesting thread, with lots of information about river cruises. I've never taken one, but have certainly given it a lot of thought. So I find it very enlightening to learn different aspects about Viking and the other lines. Just MHO. :):)

 

 

Had a good conversation yesterday at 3 pm with Viking rep, one option we were offered was to leave the ship in Budapest and receive about 1/3 of our total cost back, the big problem with that is we would then be responsible for making air arrangements to fly back to Phoenix, Since we used Viking Air flying Business Class round trip losing our return flights and trying to book new Business class flights would cost more then the refund we were offered. We were given other perks which I promised not to disclose, so we shall complete the trip to Bucharest where we are staying an extra 3 days in a first class hotel suite and say farewell to Viking River cruises! Case closed!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[notamermaid]

Oh that is good to hear, goldenrod.

 

I hope you will have a good time in Europe in the next few days and be happier on your future travels.

 

notamermaid

[SuiteTraveler]

I suspect you are right, from my experience, what is actually served day by day has more to do with what is still in stock and what arrived on the trucks or was available in the local markets, so although particular recipes may be centrally mandated and will appear at some point in the cruise, there is flexibility in the day to day menus.

 

I think it is highly doubtful that Viking cannot provide at least some of the menus. On Uniworld, our chef told me that their recipes are set by corporate and so are the menus. One of the things I have been trying to figure out is if the river cruise menus have been affected by Viking Ocean Cruises.

[SuiteTraveler]

Had a good conversation yesterday at 3 pm with Viking rep, one option we were offered was to leave the ship in Budapest and receive about 1/3 of our total cost back, the big problem with that is we would then be responsible for making air arrangements to fly back to Phoenix, Since we used Viking Air flying Business Class round trip losing our return flights and trying to book new Business class flights would cost more then the refund we were offered. We were given other perks which I promised not to disclose, so we shall complete the trip to Bucharest where we are staying an extra 3 days in a first class hotel suite and say farewell to Viking River cruises! Case closed!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

goldenrod, Glad you have received a resolution you are good with.

[Cruise Critic Chris]

One of the things I have been trying to figure out is if the river cruise menus have been affected by Viking Ocean Cruises.

 

The company does have the same culinary director overseeing both Viking Ocean and Viking River now. I wrote about this after the christening of the two newest Longships: http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7612.

[MikeyB]

I have been following this closely. I find all of this amazing. I suggest the OP do a better job researching his next river/ocean cruise.

I have been on 3 Viking river cruises and will soon be on my fourth. I was disappointed on one Viking cruise. The one that leaves outside Paris and sails to Normandy. I found the food to be less than what I encountered on my other cruises. I didn't express myself in the same way as Goldenrod. I gave Viking another chance and was impressed enough to take another river cruise with Viking. Whether you sail in the Aquarian rooms in Viking or a suite, the food and tours and your river boat mates will all be the same. The meals are only a small part of a river cruise. If you were taking only one vacation in your life, then the small stuff might matter but life is a series of adventures. Some bad, some good and some to die for.

I only wish everyone good.

[Kingofcool1947]

I have been following this closely. I find all of this amazing. I suggest the OP do a better job researching his next river/ocean cruise.

I have been on 3 Viking river cruises and will soon be on my fourth. I was disappointed on one Viking cruise. The one that leaves outside Paris and sails to Normandy. I found the food to be less than what I encountered on my other cruises. I didn't express myself in the same way as Goldenrod. I gave Viking another chance and was impressed enough to take another river cruise with Viking. Whether you sail in the Aquarian rooms in Viking or a suite, the food and tours and your river boat mates will all be the same. The meals are only a small part of a river cruise. If you were taking only one vacation in your life, then the small stuff might matter but life is a series of adventures. Some bad, some good and some to die for.

I only wish everyone good.

 

You did your research, yet you were still disappointed in one out of 3 Viking river cruises you've been on. That's 33% chance of a bad cruise? So even if OP did or did not do a better job research, he still stood a chance of a dud? Yes?

[ural guy]

Whether you sail in the Aquarian rooms in Viking or a suite, the food and tours and your river boat mates will all be the same.

 

This is so very true, and if you pay for the best suite, you might expect more.

I sailed in aquarium class with Viking on a last minute fare and had a great time. I'm not a foodie, and ate the majority of my meals off the simplified menu in the Aquavit Lounge. I thought that Viking put an awful lot of effort into the plating and appearance of the food, with the main dishes lacking seasoning at times. The head chef told us as much, that he had to keep food blander than he would prefer.

 

The women who had the nicest, most expensive cabin was upset that she wouldn't be able to get the front seat in the bus every time.

 

It's all about expectations. Glad it's working out for the OP. Another line might meet their needs better if they give river cruising another try.

[CutieKakes]

The women who had the nicest, most expensive cabin was upset that she wouldn't be able to get the front seat in the bus every time.

 

Seriously? Yikes :o