Random thoughts on my first VO cruise

[imcpa]

My wife and I sailed the Viking Orion from Auckland to Sydney beginning December 30 for 14 nights.  This was our first Viking cruise.  We have sailed Silversea, Crystal, Regent, Seabourn, Paul Gauguin and Windstar.  We are in our upper 40s from Dallas. 

 

In summary, this was a wonderful cruise that exceeded our expectations.  I assume most of your reading this are aware of the ports missed on this cruise, so I won’t go into those details.  We were not disappointed as we understand things like that can happen on a 14 night cruise and we trusted the Captain’s decisions.

 

In random order, my thoughts on our first Viking cruise…

 

1. The ship was beautiful and spacious.  We loved the touch screens throughout and the many areas that rarely felt crowded.

2. We used the gym many days…the days we could not go for a run at the port without taking a bus.  The gym was great, well equipped and well maintained.  We hit the gym anywhere between 9a and 11a and never had a problem using the cardio and weight equipment we wanted.

3. The nature sounds in the public restrooms were a nice touch.

4. We had a DV on deck 3.  The cabin was a little small for us and should have more drawers, but was in a great location very close to the stairs/elevator and we never had an issue with noise.  The bathroom was roomier than I expected and the shower was good.  Side note: can someone invent an adjustable shower head that stays in place.

5. As state of the art as the ship is, I was surprised the Do Not Disturb / Clean Room sign was a plastic card we had to hang on the door knob instead of a green/red light we could control inside the cabin.

6. The Aquavit terrace was our favorite public place.  Because of this, we dined at the World Café the most.  Overall, the food was great.  We could always get veggies and fish/shrimp that was really good. 

7. We ordered room service for breakfast, using the card you hang on the door knob, most days and it was always on time and warm.  We ordered egg white omelets and a slice of tomato to keep it simple, small and healthy.   We also always ordered green and black tea.  We ate breakfast one day in the World Café and thought it was average.  The scrambled eggs were terrible and the omelet station was entirely to slow.  Side note: I will never understand why everyone who cooks omelets does not just put all of the ingredients, including the eggs/egg whites, in the pan, put it on high and stir it often.  Doing that will quickly create a good omelet. 

8. The entertainment overall was great.  We are not into big shows, but did enjoy the Abba and Jane Cho show.  Daniel, the guitarist, was one of my favorite parts of this trip.  He was incredible, friendly and seemed to play many times throughout each day.  He even knew an Yngwie M. song that fit into the environment. 

9. The captain was friendly and approachable. 

10. We ate dinner at the MDR twice and it was good. Anytime I can, I order grilled salmon and steamed veggies.  On the MDR menu, the salmon is poached, but they were willing to cook it the way I wanted (grilled, well-done).

11. We purchased the SSBP and it worked great!   For us, it was worth the cost and a breeze to use.  Other than the in the cabin, it felt like a truly all-inclusive cruise similar to SS, Crystal, etc.

12. Using the SSBP, I mainly drank the sparkling wine (Romer) and sometimes prosecco.  The prosecco was OK and the Romer, IMO, was good.  My wife drank an occasional Bloody Mary, Pino Noir, Malbec and beer.  She thought the Pino Noir was average and the Malbec was good.  She thought the beer selection was good.  Every Bloody Mary was good.

13. Service was excellent.  I can’t remember all of the names, but these people were truly special: Roselyn, Ivana, Bruno, Simba, Rifan, Boban, Edwin (our cabin attendant).  If you have the pleasure to meet Ivana, challenge her to write backwards and she will in a heartbeat.  I challenged her to write “Iron Maiden, Roger Federer, my wife is silly” and she wrote it backward as fast as I spoke it.

14. The pool roof was mostly closed or opened only 50%.  That created a very warm, uncomfortable setting near the pool.   Mr. Avery, I prefer, at least for this cruise, they did not have the cover.

15. We dined at Manfredi’s and the Chef’s Table once each and they were good, but once enough was enough for us.

16. We ended most nights at Torshavn and it was great!  Daniel play many nights, followed by the Viking band.

17. The Viking bar and Aquavit bar were great places throughout the day.

18. The spa was great.  We never had a spa service.  We loved that we could still visit the spa using the steam room and snow grotto.  The snow grotto was good relief for slightly swollen joints after running.

19. The launderette was great.  The machines were the biggest and most efficient/effective we have ever had on luxury/premium cruises.  This was greatly appreciated.

20. I did think it was strange how close the infinity pool sunbeds (at the back of the ship) and the Aquavit outside dining area were.  The shower for pool users was right in the middle of the dining tables.  Still, we loved dining on the terrace and did use the lounge chairs near the pool.

21. The Explorer’s Lounge was one of my favorites of all cruise ships; right up there with Crystal’s Palm Court.  It was a great size, had a great view and great service.

22. We attended one show in the planetarium and it was overrated and kind of silly.  A great idea, but our experience was that it was poorly executed.

23. We ate the grilled tuna (well done) at the pool grill a few times and it was always good.

24. For the first time on a cruise, we often attended the afternoon tea and it was excellent.  We have been green or black tea drinkers for a long time, but never like this.  Wintergarden is an awesome area and the scones were the best I have ever had.

25. We did enjoy the more relaxed environment and dress code and did not mind being in nice shorts, and seeing others in nice shorts, up to 7p or so.  We did greatly mind seeing a few men in tank tops and sleeveless shirts in the World Café.  That should never be allowed!!  Side note: all men over age 29 reading this, throw away every tank top and sleeveless shirt you own. They should never be worn anywhere, anytime regardless of how hot and sunny it is.  Your SO will thank you.

 

That’s all for now, although there are many more thoughts I could add.

 

If you have any questions or comments, please post them and I will do my best to respond.

[Little Monty]

Well said imcpa ... I forgot to mention Jane Cho in my summary - yes she was very good.

 

Safe travels in the future.

 

Regards, Monty

[harbourside]

How were the included excursions.  There have been numerous complaints about the tours in Asia , Australia and New Zealand.

 

 

[WAVTAM]

We have also been on Crystal and Regent and just finish are first on Viking. Agree with all your points. Going back next Fall for another cruise with Viking. Price point is just too good compared to the other premium lines.

[lackcreativity]

As a new cruiser, with only one Viking river and two Viking ocean cruises so far, I'm not sure why I take such pleasure in reading how much others enjoy their Viking experience, but I do! Maybe it just gives me a chance to recall all the things I like about Viking. Thanks for your detailed review.

 

With your extensive experience, you may already have visited the Adriatic, but if not, I highly recommend our first ocean cruise, the Empires of the Mediterranean. It was a practically perfect vacation. 

[ropomo]

Agree with your side note on #4.  I think the same person that designed the shower head, also decided where to put the ceiling light in the bathroom.  For me anyway, it shines down directly over your head when shaving leaving your face almost completely in the shadow, but without my glasses that is where I need to be to see.  I did find however, that with some creative placement of the shower head hose behind the shower valve, you could control where the shower head was aimed.

[stretchcruz]

Thanks for the review! We will be onboard Auckland to Bali Feb 24. Getting excited!

[zitsky]

I have not heard about missed ports, and am curious which ones they are?  On a recent Norwegian South America cruise, I was told we might not make it into the Falklands, but we did.

[Heidi13]

Check out the threads about crossing the Tasman Sea.

 

They missed Christchurch due to weather and then due to a summer storm in the Tasman they had to reduce speed, so could not make it to Hobart on time.

[imcpa]

Safe travels in the future.

Same to you LM.  I will always wonder if we met on the cruise.

 

How were the included excursions.

We only did two..bus tours in Wellington and Dunedin.  They were Ok.  I can't blame Viking for the worst traffic ever in Wellington.  Both were only 3 hours or so, but we just do not enjoy bus rides, so after the 2nd we cancelled the other tours we had booked.  The only other official tour was a day long private tour my wife planned in Melbourne to ride the Great Ocean Road to the 12 Apostles.  That was a long day, but great!

 

I think the same person that designed the shower head, also decided where to put the ceiling light in the bathroom.  For me anyway, it shines down directly over your head when shaving leaving your face almost completely in the shadow, but without my glasses that is where I need to be to see.

Great observation.  I noticed that too while shaving. 

 

[OceanPatter]

Great review, impca! We agree. And like you, we sailed on Viking Ocean for the first time (last year), and have also sailed with Crystal and Regent. To your points, I would add:

 

- all the lovely areas around the ship to sit and contemplate ... chairs and sofas everywhere

- the classical music (we saw an HD Met opera onboard)

- the amazing WiFi ...the best we've experienced at sea

- the service ... comments I posted on cruisecritic during the voyage were addressed while we were onboard

- afternoon tea: 14 kinds of loose-leaf tea (compared to teabags on Crystal ...)

- the super-fast embarkation process

 

Of course, there were some areas that didn't compare as well with Crystal and Regent, but not enough to prevent us from booking another Viking Ocean cruise while onboard.

 

[Little Monty]

2 hours ago, imcpa said:

Safe travels in the future.

Same to you LM.  I will always wonder if we met on the cruise.

 

Same here - and I wonder about several of the other forum contributors who I knew were onboard. Perhaps we all need a CC Forum name-tag.

 

If you happen to be going to Iceland in May or Empires of the Med in June (or South America in Nov 2020) let me know and I will reveal myself.

 

Kind regards again, LM

 

[imcpa]

Of course, there were some areas that didn't compare as well with Crystal and Regent, but not enough to prevent us from booking another Viking Ocean cruise while onboard.

All of our luxury/premium cruises have been wonderful and none of them perfect.  For us, the itinerary and dates are the driving factors in deciding our next cruise.  We are scheduled for another Crystal cruise in July this year (a river cruise immediately followed by an ocean cruise) from Basel to Lisbon.  We are already considering a December 2019 Viking cruise, round trip Miami, and hope to sail Silver Muse, Seabourn Ovation and Regent in the future.

 

 

 

[BeeD]

Hi impca,

Nice to read your comments and I've guessed who you are now!

We were the Brits who walked up to see the little penguins at St Kilda the same night as you.  Hope you enjoyed the tennis and your few days at Double Bay.  We had a great apartment overlooking Double Bay for 8 days after the cruise and really enjoyed the area.  Much better than being in the CBD for sure.

Home now, jet lag almost gone, time to plan a new trip!

[imcpa]

Hi BeeD.  I remember you as well.

We had a great time at the AO.  We could walk to Melbourne Park and as a tennis fan, it was a truly wonderful experience (other than Federer losing).

We also have a great time in Double Bay.  One day, we ran to Bondi Beach and that was spectacular. 

 

Now get to planning that new trip!

[sammiedawg]

Ding, ding, ding on point number 14, why does Viking keep the pool roof closed so much.  Our experience is that it is closed 75-85 per cent of the time and ventilation is very poor.  It has a sauna feel.  Very disappointing as we love fresh air experiences. 

Also, their poolside lounge chairs are uncomfortable.  Mostly frame chairs.  

 

Thanks for the nice organized review. 

[imcpa]

their poolside lounge chairs are uncomfortable.  Mostly frame chairs.  

I agree with this too.  Also, to extend them to so that your feet do not hang over leaves very little room between you and the chair in front of you for people passing by.

 

[SedonaJoel]

I created this after our first Viking cruise in 2017.  We have 5 cruises planned for 2019 (3 Viking and 2 Azamara).  We just returned from our first Azamara cruise (Buenos Aires to Antarctica and return - 17 days).  We loved the cruise!

 

Viking vs Oceania (both cruise lines have outstanding food and service).  I listed the differences I found in Viking. 

1.       Check-in at the pier was lightning fast.  Excellent service.

2.       Ship is magnificent and very modern.

3.       3 swimming pools including a large pool with retractable roof.

4.       Spa is beautiful with its own indoor swimming pool

5.       Spa has Saunas and ice room.

6.       Spa services are a bit cheaper than Oceania.

7.       Wine and beer at meals is free.

8.       Liquor package is only $19.95/day (including service charge) – for upgraded beverages.

9.       No corkage fee for your personal wine anywhere onboard (including dining rooms).

10.   Most menu wines are $5/glass and Service charges are included.

11.   One excursion at each port is free (not one per day).

12.   In cabin (Penthouse Jr. Suite) – heated bathroom floor, heated towel rack.  Two very large flat panel TVs, movies on demand (many, many of them). Many news channels, all the ship’s lectures, and all the port talks (you can reference any of them on demand.

13.   No public address announcements in the cabins – a 40 second beep warning before they make announcements so you have time to turn on the TV in your cabin if you want to listen.

14.   TVs have all of your personal tour schedules, excursions, dinner reservations, ledger, etc.

15.   In dining rooms and bars waiters have tiny terminals (small iphones) to take orders and transmit them to the kitchen or bar.  For bar orders – there is nothing to sign.  Your photo appears on the terminal.

16.   Room service is not as nice as Oceania – no table cloth or setup – but great menu.

17.   Amazing waffles – with fresh berries at Mamsens.

18.   Huge shower in penthouse junior suite (PJS).

19.   Dual vanity sinks in PJS.

20.   Excursions are very efficient – and load FAST!

21.   Lots of comfortable and relaxing seating areas throughout the ship.

22.   More variety of merchandise in the boutiques.

23.   No Casino or butlers.

24.   2 movie theaters (part of theater) – we saw Cirque Soliel in 3D.

25.   Free laundry, dry cleaning and shoe shine in suites.

26.   The Chef’s table specialty restaurant presents a different menu every 3 days with a free 5 course pre-fix dinner with free wine pairings.

27.   They have a classical 3 piece group, a guitarist, a piano and an 8 person production show team (all members dance and sing).  They have electronic backdrops with simulated motion for the stage shows).

28.   There are video displays at the elevators and throughout the ship showing how to get to the disembarkation area of the day.  They also show the weather, dining menus, and most anything else you might want to know.

29.   Great perks for on-board future cruise bookings.  ($500 sbc for 3 bookings). Not quite as much discount on suites as “O”.

30.   In the World Café (the Viking equivalent to the Oceania terrace café) everything is self-serve.  (this leads to sanitation issues in our opinion) A coffee pot is placed on each table so you never need to look for coffee service.  Pizza is available at lunch and dinner and a large selection of Sushi at dinner daily.

31.   In the theatre in the evening show time is usually 9:15pm.  So far we have seen no outside entertainers – just the 8 member ship’s troupe (which is excellent).  There are individual performances from the troupe throughout the ship at varying times throughout the cruise.

32.   No reservation cards for the specialty restaurants are placed on the suite doors.  The reservations are posted on your TV.

33.   No tender tickets for private tours – just take any tender you want.

34.   No clocks in rooms, no night-time chocolates, no DVD players.

35.   Harder beds, no top sheets.

36.   Much less fish and sea food on the restaurant menus – and at the buffet.

37.   Breakfast from 6:30am in some venues – Dinner from 6pm in all venues,

38.   Mamsens – Small restaurant (breakfast, lunch and late night snacks) – amazing waffles for breakfast and lunch – plus snacks, coffee, sandwiches, soup and more.

39.   Medical center does not charge to see a nurse – and seeing the ship’s doctor only costs less than $100. vs almost $200 for any medical center visit on Oceania.

 

[imcpa]

SedonaJoel , great list.

 

A  few other thoughts from me...

1.

[Marykatesmom]

Thank you to OP.  I agree with all of your points.

[imcpa]

That was obviously a mistake above.  Sorry about that...

 

Here are the few additional thoughts.

1.  I did not miss the casino, but I have also frequented casinos on other cruises.  If it is a fun environment, I like them (such as Crystal and Silver Spirit), if not a fun environment, I skip them (such as Seabourn Sojourn).

2.  One of the things I like about Silversea is the butler.  I have never paid more for a suite/cabin with a butler on other cruises, but on the three SS cruises we have done, we loved our butler and felt it added an extra touch.

3.  I loved the spa area on Viking Orion, but that is not a "swimming pool" in the spa.

4.  We loved the fresh blueberries available at Mamsens.

 

 

 

Edited January 29, 2019 by imcpa
add more text

[moatenote]

On 1/29/2019 at 11:34 AM, SedonaJoel said:

I created this after our first Viking cruise in 2017.  We have 5 cruises planned for 2019 (3 Viking and 2 Azamara).  We just returned from our first Azamara cruise (Buenos Aires to Antarctica and return - 17 days).  We loved the cruise!

 

Viking vs Oceania (both cruise lines have outstanding food and service).  I listed the differences I found in Viking. 

 

1.       Check-in at the pier was lightning fast.  Excellent service.

 

2.       Ship is magnificent and very modern.

 

3.       3 swimming pools including a large pool with retractable roof.

 

4.       Spa is beautiful with its own indoor swimming pool

 

5.       Spa has Saunas and ice room.

 

6.       Spa services are a bit cheaper than Oceania.

 

7.       Wine and beer at meals is free.

 

8.       Liquor package is only $19.95/day (including service charge) – for upgraded beverages.

 

9.       No corkage fee for your personal wine anywhere onboard (including dining rooms).

 

10.   Most menu wines are $5/glass and Service charges are included.

 

11.   One excursion at each port is free (not one per day).

 

12.   In cabin (Penthouse Jr. Suite) – heated bathroom floor, heated towel rack.  Two very large flat panel TVs, movies on demand (many, many of them). Many news channels, all the ship’s lectures, and all the port talks (you can reference any of them on demand.

 

13.   No public address announcements in the cabins – a 40 second beep warning before they make announcements so you have time to turn on the TV in your cabin if you want to listen.

 

14.   TVs have all of your personal tour schedules, excursions, dinner reservations, ledger, etc.

 

15.   In dining rooms and bars waiters have tiny terminals (small iphones) to take orders and transmit them to the kitchen or bar.  For bar orders – there is nothing to sign.  Your photo appears on the terminal.

 

16.   Room service is not as nice as Oceania – no table cloth or setup – but great menu.

 

17.   Amazing waffles – with fresh berries at Mamsens.

 

18.   Huge shower in penthouse junior suite (PJS).

 

19.   Dual vanity sinks in PJS.

 

20.   Excursions are very efficient – and load FAST!

 

21.   Lots of comfortable and relaxing seating areas throughout the ship.

 

22.   More variety of merchandise in the boutiques.

 

23.   No Casino or butlers.

 

24.   2 movie theaters (part of theater) – we saw Cirque Soliel in 3D.

 

25.   Free laundry, dry cleaning and shoe shine in suites.

 

26.   The Chef’s table specialty restaurant presents a different menu every 3 days with a free 5 course pre-fix dinner with free wine pairings.

 

27.   They have a classical 3 piece group, a guitarist, a piano and an 8 person production show team (all members dance and sing).  They have electronic backdrops with simulated motion for the stage shows).

 

28.   There are video displays at the elevators and throughout the ship showing how to get to the disembarkation area of the day.  They also show the weather, dining menus, and most anything else you might want to know.

 

29.   Great perks for on-board future cruise bookings.  ($500 sbc for 3 bookings). Not quite as much discount on suites as “O”.

 

30.   In the World Café (the Viking equivalent to the Oceania terrace café) everything is self-serve.  (this leads to sanitation issues in our opinion) A coffee pot is placed on each table so you never need to look for coffee service.  Pizza is available at lunch and dinner and a large selection of Sushi at dinner daily.

 

31.   In the theatre in the evening show time is usually 9:15pm.  So far we have seen no outside entertainers – just the 8 member ship’s troupe (which is excellent).  There are individual performances from the troupe throughout the ship at varying times throughout the cruise.

 

32.   No reservation cards for the specialty restaurants are placed on the suite doors.  The reservations are posted on your TV.

 

33.   No tender tickets for private tours – just take any tender you want.

 

34.   No clocks in rooms, no night-time chocolates, no DVD players.

 

35.   Harder beds, no top sheets.

 

36.   Much less fish and sea food on the restaurant menus – and at the buffet.

 

37.   Breakfast from 6:30am in some venues – Dinner from 6pm in all venues,

 

38.   Mamsens – Small restaurant (breakfast, lunch and late night snacks) – amazing waffles for breakfast and lunch – plus snacks, coffee, sandwiches, soup and more.

 

39.   Medical center does not charge to see a nurse – and seeing the ship’s doctor only costs less than $100. vs almost $200 for any medical center visit on Oceania.

 

 

 

#35--the room steward will give you a top sheet if you request it;  also, if the duvet is too heavy/warm, you can get a blanket to use instead.  They will bring you extra hangers, remove the coffee pot, etc.  The room stewards are wonderful and very helpful

[imcpa]

They will bring you extra hangers, remove the coffee pot

 

We had both of these done for us and it was gladly done.  Needed to remove the coffee pot for extra space because of the lack of drawers.  Still loved every minute of it!

 

[zitsky]

9 hours ago, moatenote said:

#35--the room steward will give you a top sheet if you request it;  also, if the duvet is too heavy/warm, you can get a blanket to use instead.  They will bring you extra hangers, remove the coffee pot, etc.  The room stewards are wonderful and very helpful

 

By top sheet, do you mean that sheet above the fitted sheet that a million hotels give you automatically?  You have to ask for it?

[moatenote]

57 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

By top sheet, do you mean that sheet above the fitted sheet that a million hotels give you automatically?  You have to ask for it?

Yes, that's the one.  We've noticed that often hotels in Europe don't use them either, just a duvet.  No problem, just tell your room stewards once and they will provide them the whole trip.  You can also request to have the twin beds made up as one bed with one big sheet set and duvet, or as 2 beds made up separately and pushed together, or pushed slightly apart.

 

Zitsky, we live in Anderson, SC, where do you live in NC??

Edited February 1, 2019 by moatenote