Silver Spirits Package

[Mahogany]

My first Viking Ocean cruise isn't until a year from now, but I have a few questions which may have been  discussed previously. 

1) Can you bring alcohol on board for consumption in your stateroom (I'm in PS), or in dining rooms with a corkage fee?

2) What is Silver Spirits package? Can't find anything on website, or on My Viking account. Can I pre-purchase, or only once onboard?

[ropomo]

You may bring any beverage you would like, and consume it anywhere you want with no corkage fee or interference.  Staff will provide glasses etc as desired.  Viking treats you as an adult.  Info can be found on my Viking journey menu under Enrich your trip 

Edited December 3, 2018 by ropomo

[Peregrina651]

Also note that since you are in a PS cabin, there will be alcohol (nips, wine and beer) in your mini-bar, replenished daily at no cost. You will be able to specify your preferences.

 

The info on the Silver Spirits Package is well hidden; even using the search function won't always work. Good thing you have your friends to fall back on. I found it in the FAQs (a good read by the way, with all sorts of odd bits of information).

 

So here is what it says currently in the FAQ. Note that the details of the package are subject to change.:

 

Can I upgrade the complimentary beverages?

Yes. We offer complimentary house wines, beers and soft drinks with onboard lunches and dinners, plus specialty coffees and assorted hot teas are available 24 hours a day. For those who would like to upgrade and enjoy unlimited beverages, Viking offers a Silver Spirits beverage package, which covers any drinks (excluding champagne) up to $15.00, including premium wines by the glass, cocktails, all house pouring wines, beers, liquors, well drinks, mixers/long drinks and soft drinks throughout the day for a flat fee per guest. You may purchase the package prior to sailing or once you are on board.

You can also use the Silver Spirits Beverage Package Order Form (PDF) to purchase the package for yourself or as a gift for another Viking guest.

Please note you must be 21 years of age or older to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages. Both guests in a stateroom must purchase the package for the full length of the cruise in order for it to be valid.

 

You can also read the other threads on the drinks package:

Viking Ocean newbie drink/drink program questions

Viking Ocean Cruises Drink Policy

Silver Spirits Beverage Package Option

Silver Spirits Package

House wine and beer question

 

Excuse the super huge fonts on the links. That's CC's doing, not mine; I'm just too lazy to fix it.

 

 

 

 

Yes. We offer complimentary house wines, beers and soft drinks with onboard lunches and dinners, plus specialty coffees and assorted hot teas are available 24 hours a day. For those who would like to upgrade and enjoy unlimited beverages, Viking offers a Silver Spirits beverage package, which covers any drinks (excluding champagne) up to $15.00, including premium wines by the glass, cocktails, all house pouring wines, beers, liquors, well drinks, mixers/long drinks and soft drinks throughout the day for a flat fee per guest. You may purchase the package prior to sailing or once you are on board.

You can also use the Silver Spirits Beverage Package Order Form (PDF) to purchase the package for yourself or as a gift for another Viking guest.

Please note you must be 21 years of age or older to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages. Both guests in a stateroom must purchase the package for the full length of the cruise in order for it to be valid.

 

[ropomo]

Peregerina651, I may be mistaken, but based on my experience, the mini fridge and complementary replenishment only has beer, soft drinks and spirits, no wine other than the initial comped bottle of champagne.  The initial stocking (can be changed daily if requested) has: 2 cans beer, 2 cans coke, 2 cans diet coke, 2 cans sprite, 2 bottles tonic, 1 5 cl bottle vodka, 1 5 cl gin, 1 5 cl bottle whiskey, 1 5 cl bottle (I don't remember, I had 4 bottles of gin subbed out).

Edited December 4, 2018 by ropomo

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, ropomo said:

Peregerina651, I may be mistaken, but based on my experience, the mini fridge and complementary replenishment only has beer, soft drinks and spirits, no wine other than the initial comped bottle of champagne.  The initial stocking (can be changed daily if requested) has: 2 cans beer, 2 cans coke, 2 cans diet coke, 2 cans sprite, 2 bottles tonic, 1 5 cl bottle vodka, 1 5 cl gin, 1 5 cl bottle whiskey, 1 5 cl bottle (I don't remember, I had 4 bottles of gin subbed out).

 

Thought I read someplace here that wine could be substituted in. Maybe someone else can confirm.

[Little Monty]

Hello Mahogany. In no particular order and based on my experience .. re the Silver Spirits package, you can pre-order or arrange after boarding. To pre order, go to My Viking Journey and log in, select Menu and 'Enhance Your Trip'. The package appears there (with pricing etc). For us Aussies, it is better to pre-pay as the cost is charged in Australian dollars, once on board the charge is USD (which is more for us, but I guess for you no difference). We were lucky last year and had an OBC which we used.

 

You are welcome (in fact Viking encourage you) to buy locals wines etc whilst on shore and bring them on-board where you can enjoy them in your room or take to the restaurant etc where they will be served to you - no problems, no issues, no charge.

 

We take the SS package simply for the convenience of being able to walk up to the bar anytime and ask for a drink - not that I am suggesting we drink all day, simply we just enjoy the convenience.

 

Separately ... and I hope I understand this part of the question, if you are in a Penthouse Junior Suite you will have your mini bar topped up every day. I can't remember exactly what was in the mini bar, but if there were a couple of beers and a bottle of white wine in there every day (which there was) we were happy. Interestingly we preferred to spend time in the Explorers Lounge and on our Homelands cruise last year on probably half of the days we never touched the mini bar (which means they didn't add anything if we hadn't consumed anything).

 

We could have saved money by not taking the package and just enjoying the mini bar offerings, but again we took the package for the convenience (and to use up some of the OBC).

 

In terms of what is offered under the package, I think that varies by location and itinerary. From our experience I considered the package wines to be of better quality (and there was a wider choice) than those which were 'included'.

 

We board the Orion on 30 December and after that cruise (Auckland to Sydney) I will come back and update you on our SS package experience on that cruise. 

[Peregrina651]

Afterthought: a reminder that bar prices include the gratuity (with or without the package).

[imcpa]

We board the Orion on 30 December and after that cruise (Auckland to Sydney) I will come back and update you on our SS package experience on that cruise. 

 

My wife & are I are on this cruise as well for our first trip to Australia and NZ.   We have already purchased the SSBP and I will also report back.  We have cruised SS, Regent, Crystal, Seabourn and Windstar and I am anxious to see how it compares.  We are in a DV cabin on deck 3; we do not have alcohol included in our cabin.  We spend a lot of time on our balcony and will order room service many times, so we will see how room service handles sparkling wine orders first hand (sometimes without food ). 

[JenRonn1104]

Regarding the mini-bar...on our Viking Homeland's cruise we were able to substitute a bottle of wine for the small airplane bottles of alcohol.  We were in a Penthouse Veranda.  Hope this helps.

[RetroRod]

Concur with comments by JennRonn1104. We had the beer removed and replaced with wine. This along airline bottles and soft drinks (and candy) kept the mini fridge full. When the wine bottle was half consumed they placed another full bottle in our cabin. You can ask for any combination in the mini fridge and they are happy to oblige.

[terrydtx]

We are booked on our first VO cruise in 2020, the 10 day Venice to Athens on the Viking Sea. The current price of the SSBP is only $179pp. That is $18pp per day which is a great deal. If you have more than 2 drinks per day you are  ahead of the game. Most bar drinks on VO are under $9. We are on a Holland America cruise to Alaska next year and their equivalent with the $15  drink maximum is $64pp per day, and HAL adds an 18% gratuity to their drink package drinks on top of this too. HAL also has a lesser cost drink package with $9 drink cost maximum and it is still $45pp per day. 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Just to revive this thread...so just to be clear, cabins below PS (Penthouse Junior Suite), do not have alcohol provided in a fridge in the room?  Not even beer?  Is there a fridge at all?  I'm thinking PV at most.

[terrydtx]

10 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Just to revive this thread...so just to be clear, cabins below PS (Penthouse Junior Suite), do not have alcohol provided in a fridge in the room?  Not even beer?  Is there a fridge at all?  I'm thinking PV at most.

All cabins PV3 and up have a fridge with free beer and spirits that is restocked once a day.

 

Here is a quote from Vikings website that clarifies what you get in a PV suite. I highlighted the mini bar provided.

 

Penthouse Veranda Stateroom (PV)

• Size including private veranda: 338 sq ft
• 11:00 AM embarkation
• 1:00 PM stateroom access
• Priority shore excursion reservations: 77 days prior to departure
• 2 guaranteed priority reservations at each alternative restaurant: 70 days prior to departure
• Priority booking of spa treatments: 70 days prior to departure
• King-size Viking Explorer Bed with luxury linens & pillows
• Free Wi-Fi (connection speed may vary)
• 42" flat-screen, interactive LCD TV with intuitive remote & complimentary Movies On Demand
• 110/220 volt outlets & USB ports
• Mini-bar with alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, water & snacks (replenished once daily);
• security safe; hair dryer
• Direct-dial satellite phone & cell service
• Large private bathroom with spacious glass-enclosed shower, heated bathroom floor & anti-fog mirror
• Premium Freyja® toiletries; plush robes & slippers
• Purified water refilled daily
• Stateroom steward & twice-daily housekeeping
• 24-hour room service
• Spacious closet & drawers
• Complimentary pressing & shoe shine services
• Welcome bottle of champagne
• In-suite binoculars, coffee brewer & traditional Norwegian Marius-weave blanket
• View the Penthouse Veranda Stateroom in our 360° Ocean Ship Tour

Edited January 1, 2019 by terrydtx

[retiredman]

Another question if you don’t mind. If you have the SS package and are in a DV cabin, will they stock your mini fridge with liquor/ beer? 

[kathykay]

26 minutes ago, retiredman said:

Another question if you don’t mind. If you have the SS package and are in a DV cabin, will they stock your mini fridge with liquor/ beer? 

 

I had sent this question to tellus@viking and the answer they sent me Was no, not in a DV. 

[terrydtx]

32 minutes ago, retiredman said:

Another question if you don’t mind. If you have the SS package and are in a DV cabin, will they stock your mini fridge with liquor/ beer? 

No, alcoholic beverages in your cabin's mini fridge are not included in the SSP, but you can go to any bar and bring  back cans of beer or drinks to the cabin. You can also bring any spirts, wine or beer on board the ship to consume anywhere in the ship with no corkage fees. In fact the bars are happy to do any set ups for your own liquor use. This is part of the VO no nickel and diming policy. Most main stream cruise lines, if they allow wine being brought on board, will charge a substantial corkage fee. Holland America is $18 and I remember Celebrity was $25 per bottle plus 15% gratuities.

Edited January 1, 2019 by terrydtx

[philw1776]

2 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Just to revive this thread...so just to be clear, cabins below PS (Penthouse Junior Suite), do not have alcohol provided in a fridge in the room?  Not even beer?  Is there a fridge at all?  I'm thinking PV at most.

 

Penthouse Verandas have stocked mini-bars with 4 different nips of alcohol.  Daily re-stocking.  From memory...gin, whiskey, vodka and maybe rum.  You can have all 4 be gin, for example.

I don't drink much but you can bring it to any bar, say the Explorer Bar and they'll give you a glass, ice, etc.

They also include a bottle of champaign, which we've never drunk.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

By a "nip" I presume you mean the little airline bottles.  What about beer?  Will they restock it?

 

And does the Silver Spirits thingy include room service?  So, if there's not beer in the fridge, can you order one?  (Seems like an inefficiency, frankly, but...)

[tubeamps]

I had the silver package on a prior Viking cruise and found it to be a good value.

I will also include it on my upcoming SE Asia cruise .

[Little Monty]

Hello Wendy, yes you can order a beer on room service if you have SS package.

 

For example in our mini bar we have a bottle of white wine. If I feel like a red or a port before bedtime I can call room service (or I can walk about 20 steps to the Explorer Lounge).

 

I am on-board Orion. Photos of our mini bar attached.

[Peregrina651]

Room service will deliver from the bar--no charge with the package or on your tab without the package. 

 

The 'value' of the package differs from guest to guest. For some people, it is pure $$ and for others it is convenience they feel it offers. 

 

Wendy, they will fill your allotment almost any way you want. Tell them what you would like and they will tell you if they can do it or not. 

[Peregrina651]

I am so glad that someone has finally shared a minibar picture of other than DV minibar!  Thank you. 

[Little Monty]

My pleasure. I probably should have added .. we are in a PS2 on deck 7. Happy New Year. 

 

As as an addition / afterthought - it hadn’t occurred to me previously but the SS Package kind of makes the mini bar obsolete. Anything we need we pick up or order and we haven’t yet used the mini bar.

 

If we had just the mini bar and not the package that would of course change.

 

We always get the package simply because of the convenience and we don’t add up the dollars spent or saved .. but on this cruise we saved heaps. As this was the 3rd cruise we booked in 2018 they threw in the SS Package for free 🍷

Edited January 1, 2019 by Little Monty
Addition

[Pushka]

For those Aussies here, if considering the SSP, purchase it before you travel. I’ve just checked all the prices - Thankyou @Peregrina651 who posted the PDF in USD dollars as we only see AUD in our booking, and for an 11 night cruise it is at least $50 cheaper to purchase this in advance. Staying in a DV so no alcohol in the mini bar. 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

So just to be clear, the mini-bar items, the little bottles you pay for, whether you have the SSP package or not?