Review of Viking Sky’s ‘Barcelona to the Baltic and Beyond’ April 2017

[Azulann]

I have been to M&Gs on several cruise lines, some of which provided hors d'oeuvres and some of which had lots of 'brass' in attendance and some of which did neither. NONE of them provided name tags. If you have experienced this, consider yourself unusually lucky -- it is not the norm.

Every Celebrity M&G I have attened had name tags. We wrote our moniker and our real names.

I will bring a box of name tags for my Vinkg Sea cruise jsut in case. Thanks for the heads up.

I read all the posters reviews and note the good and not so good, just like I do on Trip Advisor.

I am still so excited to sail Viking and eat in all the different places on the ship during my 14 day sailing.

[Gigiandbaba]

It is interesting how people look at things differently. To me, sea days means reading a great book in one of the many different places to curl up and read, or just to sit and watch the sea. As I have stated before, we loved the food, and I think the reason for them to dish out the salad is to avoid as much as possible all the handling of the utensils which helps to avoid norovirus problems. When you sign up for a tour with Viking, you know there are going to be more people than a private tour and you just go with the flow!!!!!

[Fpacifico]

It is interesting how people look at things differently. To me, sea days means reading a great book in one of the many different places to curl up and read, or just to sit and watch the sea. As I have stated before, we loved the food, and I think the reason for them to dish out the salad is to avoid as much as possible all the handling of the utensils which helps to avoid norovirus problems. When you sign up for a tour with Viking, you know there are going to be more people than a private tour and you just go with the flow!!!!!

 

I completely agree with you. I'm looking forward to the pools and hot tubs on our sea days. And trying different drinks that I would never try at home. And like you, enjoying a great book with a Norwegian coffee.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Every Celebrity M&G I have attened had name tags. We wrote our moniker and our real names.

I will bring a box of name tags for my Vinkg Sea cruise jsut in case. Thanks for the heads up.

I read all the posters reviews and note the good and not so good, just like I do on Trip Advisor.

I am still so excited to sail Viking and eat in all the different places on the ship during my 14 day sailing.

 

The only Celebrity M&Gs I attended that had name tags, the tags were brought by a Cruise Critic member. Are you sure yours were provided by Celebrity?

[Peregrina651]

The only Celebrity M&Gs I attended that had name tags, the tags were brought by a Cruise Critic member. Are you sure yours were provided by Celebrity?

 

Or Cruise Critic has name tags you can print out on card stock. http://images.r.cruisecritic.com/community/pdfs/Viking-Name-Tags.pdf

[stretchcruz]

We were also on this cruise. We got home late Monday and I worked all week so today is my first chance to check CC.

We loved this cruise. We have been on over 50 cruises, but on mainstream lines..mostly RCCL and Princess, but on pretty much every one...never on an "upscale" line like Oceania or Regent like many of you. Perhaps our expectations are a lot lower, but, honestly, we were thrilled. I'll try to do a review but I'll just hit a few points here.

 

We thought the food was good. And, we loved Manfredi's! From the first night that we ate there the maitre'd (Florin) called us by name every time he saw us out and about the ship.We ended up eating there I think 7 times. We only had 1 reservation but we just kept adding reservations at the desk in the World Cafe. The ribeye steak was the best I have ever had. The beef tartar appetizer was so tasty, my husband loved the cold tomato soup, the mushroom soup was great, and the pastas were good each time. We tried several types of veal, the lamb, and the chicken parmesan. The breads were wonderful and the service as well. The servers always would come up and say hello to us in the World Cafe. We don't eat any type of seafood so have no idea about that. We did not eat at the Chefs Table. The menu we were interested in was the French menu (because we were told we could substitute a steak for the entree) but it was only offered the first night. I found that strange...on a 3 week cruise. They said they repeat the menus every 3 nights. We weren't interested in any of the others. We thought that the food in the World Cafe was very good and a good variety. A lot of times I ordered the chicken breast (which is cooked to order) and it was always tasty and moist. There were plenty of side dishes for us and we enjoyed having the folks make our salad! They got so they recognized us and pretty much knew what we wanted. There were 8 flavors of gelato each day...The Restaurant was OK. We enjoyed meeting other folks at our table but a lot of times it took way too long (2 to 2 and a half hours). When we felt like sitting for a while we would go there, and, again, the restaurant manager, Andrea, would recognize us and say Oh welcome back!! You like to share a table, right? Some dishes were good, a few we didn't care for, but we never sent anything back...I guess maybe we just weren't that hungry. We never did afternoon tea and I did make it to Mamsen's for a waffle once which was good. We tend to not get up early on vacation.

 

We thought our cabin was good. We were in the DV category and the bathroom was unbelievable! The heated floors and the glass shower and the big sink....and all of the drawers were soft closing drawers. Really impressed me...I never heard drawer slamming from the cabin next door. Even the closet doors were soft closing. But the closet...is in the wrong place. I understand that to have a big bathroom something has to sacrifice but I was the one on the side of the bed with the closet. It required both of us doing some maneuvering around the room to keep out of each other's way. The TV was big and had lots of good movies on it. Wish there were more comedy sitcoms, etc, but I didn't watch TV much. We had 2 chairs and a coffee table and a desk with the "makeup" drawer. The drawer is very clever and opens up with a mirror and there are compartments underneath, a mirror when it opens up. Problem is that if your husband puts stuff on the desk over the opening everything has to be moved before you can open up the compartment. I don't wear makeup but used the drawer for paperwork. The cabin could use with more drawers. Loved the balcony...used it more in the beginning when it was warm but even when it cooled down it was nice to go out there with my down jacket on and take pictures and enjoy the sunset.

The staff onboard was incredible. Our room steward and assistant were so friendly and our room was impeccable. I had told them at the beginning of the cruise that I would love to see the suite at the end of our hallway at the end of the cruise. I mentioned it once. On the last day when we were leaving, he flagged me down to show me the suite. They also asked us for my email address...we mentioned we were going to book a cruise ending in Bali and they are both from Indonesia. This was a week before we got off. The last day he asked me...did you leave me your email address? If I am in Bali I will take you around. I'm sure more cynical folks will say they don't mean it but I was impressed that they asked and they were always so wonderful to us. Mochammed and Gatot were their names and I hope to see them again. Mochammed has opened all 3 ships so far.

As far as the included tours....we were disappointed for the most part. Stockholm was HORRIBLE. To be told once you get on the bus and you are moving that it is a bus tour that will not stop for 2 hours and there is a restroom if you need it is not a good thing. We did read the descriptions of the tours. A "panoramic" tour did NOT mean that we were stuck on a bus for 2 hours until Stockholm. We always stopped and walked for a while or had picture taking opportunities. Had I known I never would have gotten onto that bus in Stockholm. As soon as we could we got off...the bus then went back to the ship. We walked around, went to the shuttle location..the bus was full and they told us it was a 15-20 minute walk back so we said sure and set off. Long story short, there is a ton of construction going toward where the ship is berthed in Stockholm. We were up and down, between construction barriers, down steel stairs...around and about....it was not fun and was a rough walk over twice what they told us. The staff when we got back on apologized but it wasn't their fault, the person at the shuttle bus should have known.

Helsinki tour was also poor. Saw the church in the rock, drove around, we chose to get off and explore, just not great.

Jersey tour our guide was French and we could hardly understand her. She kept saying "but it's not my fault" any time anyone asked her anything.

I think there should be more included walking tours in the ports for those that want those. Include a bus tour for the people that want that, but there are a lot of us that would forego seeing a panorama to be able to walk and see a small part.

I also think that there should have been an included tour in LeHavre for those of us that did not go to Paris. We got off and hired a taxi driver to take us to Honfleur but that should have been included. At the last minute Viking added a tour in Warnemunde for those of us that did not go to Berlin, and I've got to say it was one of the highlights. We went to Rostock on a walking tour and our guide was fantastic!! If this type of tour was included in every port I think it would be great. Our guide in Cadiz was also great, and it was another walking tour.

 

Totally agree that there should have been more activities on sea days. I agree that I want to relax and read, etc, but perhaps a few movies or a "captains corner" or something would be good.

 

I've gone on too long now...and tomorrow I'll see what I can update.

 

Bottom line, we had a great time. It was the best ocean cruise that we have ever been on and we were so impressed. The attention to detail and the little things (bottled water all of the time, etc) blew us away. I think many of you have been on many upscale cruise lines, and we have not, but this is as good as it gets for us. I can't imagine wanting more.

[Peregrina651]

As far as the included tours....we were disappointed for the most part. Stockholm was HORRIBLE. To be told once you get on the bus and you are moving that it is a bus tour that will not stop for 2 hours and there is a restroom if you need it is not a good thing. We did read the descriptions of the tours. A "panoramic" tour did NOT mean that we were stuck on a bus for 2 hours until Stockholm. We always stopped and walked for a while or had picture taking opportunities. Had I known I never would have gotten onto that bus in Stockholm. As soon as we could we got off...the bus then went back to the ship. We walked around, went to the shuttle location..the bus was full and they told us it was a 15-20 minute walk back so we said sure and set off. Long story short, there is a ton of construction going toward where the ship is berthed in Stockholm. We were up and down, between construction barriers, down steel stairs...around and about....it was not fun and was a rough walk over twice what they told us. The staff when we got back on apologized but it wasn't their fault, the person at the shuttle bus should have known.

Helsinki tour was also poor. Saw the church in the rock, drove around, we chose to get off and explore, just not great.

Jersey tour our guide was French and we could hardly understand her. She kept saying "but it's not my fault" any time anyone asked her anything.

I think there should be more included walking tours in the ports for those that want those. Include a bus tour for the people that want that, but there are a lot of us that would forego seeing a panorama to be able to walk and see a small part.

I also think that there should have been an included tour in LeHavre for those of us that did not go to Paris. We got off and hired a taxi driver to take us to Honfleur but that should have been included. At the last minute Viking added a tour in Warnemunde for those of us that did not go to Berlin, and I've got to say it was one of the highlights. We went to Rostock on a walking tour and our guide was fantastic!! If this type of tour was included in every port I think it would be great. Our guide in Cadiz was also great, and it was another walking tour.

 

 

I hope that you shared all of these comments with Viking via the comments cards. If you haven't, the folks at tellus@vikingcruises.com will be happy to forward any comments to the appropriate departments. They really do like to hear from us.

[jiminyC_fan]

I've been reading a lot of complaints about the Stockholm included tour. We are going to be there pre cruise for two days so I decided a couple of days ago to cancel the included tour. I think we will see most of it on our own in the time we have there which ends up being 3 1/2 days.

[stretchcruz]

Peregrina, obviously I filled out the comment cards on the ship on each tour and at the end. I know the contact for viking as well. I would never post here if I hadn't.

Amazing to me that you picked out my negative comments regarding the included tours to highlight rather than my positive comments about the food and the ship.

Edited May 13, 2017 by stretchcruz

[stretchcruz]

Jiminy, it was a waste of time of over 2 hours on a bus that we could have been doing other things, so you are very wise.

[Peregrina651]

Peregrina, obviously I filled out the comment cards on the ship on each tour and at the end. I know the contact for viking as well. I would never post here if I hadn't.

Amazing to me that you picked out my negative comments regarding the included tours to highlight rather than my positive comments about the food and the ship.

 

I apologize if you think I was trying to insult you. I should not have responded at all. My mistake.

[philw1776]

It is interesting how people look at things differently. To me, sea days means reading a great book in one of the many different places to curl up and read, or just to sit and watch the sea. As I have stated before, we loved the food, and I think the reason for them to dish out the salad is to avoid as much as possible all the handling of the utensils which helps to avoid norovirus problems. When you sign up for a tour with Viking, you know there are going to be more people than a private tour and you just go with the flow!!!!!

 

THIS!!!!

Plus, private or optional tours are perfect to tailor your visit to your specific needs, particularly if you've visited the port previously. We're taking a mix, a couple included, several optional & private in St Petersburg.

[irenedee]

Thank you Stretchcruz for your review. Even though it was a "quickie" it was quite in depth and very helpful

 

To be fair, you did spend quite a few paragraphs describing your disappointment around the included excursions and it looked like Peregrina was just trying to help as she has done for so many of us by her many contributions to this board

 

I'm glad to hear the food and service experience exceeded your expectations

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[philw1776]

We were also on this cruise. We got home late Monday and I worked all week so today is my first chance to check CC.

We loved this cruise. We have been on over 50 cruises, but on mainstream lines..mostly RCCL and Princess, but on pretty much every one...never on an "upscale" line like Oceania or Regent like many of you. Perhaps our expectations are a lot lower, but, honestly, we were thrilled. I'll try to do a review but I'll just hit a few points here.

 

Thanks for the review.

We'll be eating all that seafood you missed! Hope it's still fresh :D

Except for sardines. If the Norwegians make us eat sardines, I'm jumping ship

If they have a French night at the Chef's Table my wife might kill someone to get their unclaimed reservation.

 

After reading about the bus, doubly glad we're taking the Vasa & Canal tour in Stockholm.

[deec]

Phil,

You will not have to jump ship. My husband loves sardines.......never found one on the ship (only anchovies). However on the main street in Lisbon there was a huge store that looked like a circus arcade dedicated to sardines! https://www.comur.com/

[stretchcruz]

A few more thoughts on the included tours:

 

Barcelona: we had the panoramic tour and then a walking tour...the bus picked us back up at a different spot. It was OK..the day before we had purchased advance tickets to Sagrada Familia, we dropped our luggage off at the ship when we arrived from the airport, then took a taxi there. We toured the inside, and had tickets to the Nativity Tower so we got to go up there and climb back down. We then wandered around Barcelona for a while before going back to the ship and checking in. We were greeted with champagne and our cabin was ready even though it wasn't supposed to be ready until after 2 or 3 (can't remember). It was only 1, so we were pleased. If we hadn't already seen Sagrada we would probably have been a bit disappointed. There is a shuttle into town from the port as the ship docks quite far from the city center.

Cadiz: A very good walking tour with a good guide.

Lisbon: we did the city drive that did stop several times so we could get out and walk and photo stops. When we arrived at Belem Tower our guide passed out custard filled pastries that she had purchased from a bakery at one of the stops. They were delicious! We got off the bus and walked around town for a while before walking back to the ship.

Jersey: The tour itself was OK...it is a very pretty country. We stopped a few times to walk around and we spent time at the beach and there was a coffee shop where some folks got a snack. The guide had such a heavy French accent that we could hardly understand her. And Jersey is British.

LeHavre: There was no included tour unless you wanted to go to Paris, which we did not. We hired a local taxi driver to take us to Honfleur. It was 120 Euros and he guided us around Honfleur as well. We stopped a few out of the way places, then walked around the town and harbor. It was an enjoyable day but there should have been an included tour here besides Paris.

Amsterdam: We did the included city and canal tour. I had purchased tickets to the VanGogh museum online ahead of time and I asked at the shore excursion desk where the canal boat would let us off so that we could walk to VanGogh. They told me that we would have the canal tour first, then get dropped off to board the bus for the bus tour. We were going to skip the bus tour and go to the museum. Well, it was the opposite for our tour, so we ended up on the bus first, then on the canal boat, which brought us back to the ship! So we had to take a taxi to VanGogh so that we wouldn't miss our entrance time. We then walked around Amsterdam and walked back to the ship. The next day we walked to the Central Station, took a train to the airport, and got on the Keukenhof Express to go to Keukenhof gardens. We bought a combo ticket right at Central Station.

Warnemunde: At the last minute Viking added an included tour besides Berlin. It was a walking tour of Rostock. They brought us to Rostock on a bus and our guide was fantastic. He was definitely a highlight of our trip and we enjoyed the day a lot.

Copenhagen: Panorama. Unfortunately the weather was bad...it was pouring down rain. Our guide was good and there was walking included at several places. We went back to the ship on the bus because we were soaked and wanted to dry off before returning to town if the weather cleared in the afternoon. We had lunch, got lazy, and did not go back in even though it did clear up.

Tallin: Walking tour. It was a nice walking tour with a good guide. We stuck around downtown and took the shuttle back to the ship.

St Petersburg: We did a private tour with Alla Tours for 8 of us. It was not that much more than the tours for 16, and it was wonderful. It was the 2 day tour and we greatly enjoyed it.

Helsinki: Driving/walking tour that was underwhelming. We stuck around downtown and took the shuttle back to the ship.

Stockholm: 2 hours stuck on a bus with no way off. Not good. Walked back to the ship. The next day we got off the ship, checked into our hotel, walked to the ferry, and took the ferry to the Vasa museum, arriving around 10:20...there was no line and the English tour started on the half hour. The next day we did a canal tour.

 

We did the included tours because part of the appeal of this cruise was that tours were included. Normally when we cruise we do small private tours but we felt that this was part of the value.

[Fpacifico]

Stretch Cruz, excellent review. As to your conclusion, I agree. In February, we plan to just go with the included tours of the Caribbean/ South American tour. I want to be able to enjoy the Sea and enjoy the pools .

[stretchcruz]

Oh, and I didn't forget Porto. We didn't make it into Porto because of weather. We had really really high seas and the ship was rocking and rolling for over a day. Luckily we don't get seasick so we were fine, but some folks weren't. I felt really bad for a lady at the table next to us in the World Cafe at dinner. She vomited, made it away from the table and to the passageway. The maitre'd had a hazmat crew there really quickly to clean it up. They had on suits and masks and everything. The pools were emptied for 2 days, the shows were all canceled because it was too dangerous for the performers and the band. Our room stewards took the glass and put it in the fridge so that it wouldn't break if it fell off the desk. Ginger ale was being passed out very freely. The captain said that this was the worst seas the Sky had experienced, but she handled it very well. The kerplunking and rolling was actually kind of fun for us. We went up to the Explorers Lounge, which is forward, and when you sat in there and looked out of the front at first you'd see just sky, then the ship would go down and you'd see the sea way up through the window.

Edited May 13, 2017 by stretchcruz

[caskale]

Jiminy, it was a waste of time of over 2 hours on a bus that we could have been doing other things, so you are very wise.

Based on this we are going to cancel our included tour in Stockholm,we arrive the night before hopefully will be able just to get off boat and go for walks

[Fpacifico]

Stretchcruz, sounds like an exciting cruise. I would probably be just like that lady, lol

[stretchcruz]

If you are interested in the Vasa museum the ferry to take you there is very close to where the Viking shuttle is. You can walk from there to the ferry and the Vasa is the second stop on the ferry. It opens at 10 and the English tours are every half hour. We got there early and there were no lines. When we left the line was very long. It was fascinating, however, really enjoyed it. There are a lot of nice neighborhoods in Stockholm to walk around as well. We took a canal cruise too. I would not recommend the 2 and a half hour one that we did, we basically backtracked and did the same thing for the second half. There is a 50 minute one that would be good I bet. There are headphones for commentary in many different languages.

[stretchcruz]

Fpacifico, she came back to the table and was a little embarrassed but I told her no sweat, I'm in the medical field, didn't bother me at all. I just kept eating. Turns out she's a nurse from Australia and she is the one other person on the cruise that I met that is still working a full time job like me! Everybody was retired.....

[Azulann]

stretchcruz,

Thanks for the review of the included tours on your cruise.

Did you hear from anyone who did the Viking optional tour to Seville from Cadiz on your cruise?

I am hope to book it if it is still available when our booking window opens. Otherwise, I will organize a private tour with Spain Day tours for the day on my roll call.

I walked Cadiz last summer whe we were in port. it is a lovely walkable city. I also loved the Belem custards when we were in Libson. We went to Sintra for day but did get a drive through Lisbon. There was lots of street construction going on along the streets near the port.

Our captain, last summer ,said: the Bay of Biscaye is the most difficult weather area along the Atlantic. Sudden storms are very common. We , thank God did not have any , just some fog for a day.

[Port Hope]

stretchcruz - thank you for your detailed comments about the ports and excursions. Very helpful since we are on this itinerary in April of 2018 and like you will take many of the included tours. We were on the Viking Star in 2015 and are eagerly waiting for a second Viking Oceans experience. I also picked up on a couple of your comments about the weather. I will pack my down jacket and hope to enjoy the balcony at the start of the cruise.

How was the transit of the Kiel canal?

[Fpacifico]

Fpacifico, she came back to the table and was a little embarrassed but I told her no sweat, I'm in the medical field, didn't bother me at all. I just kept eating. Turns out she's a nurse from Australia and she is the one other person on the cruise that I met that is still working a full time job like me! Everybody was retired.....

Poor thing , on our china cruise, two of the people in our tour group came on board sick with the norovirus. Yea, I caught it. Like you I'm a nurse and my husband is md so we had all our Meds . But our group leader was so worry, she wanted to take me to the hospital. Lol, that didn't happen