Onboard Orion...Meet and Mingle

[Frenchberet]

On 2/26/2019 at 12:46 AM, stretchcruz said:

I'm onboard Orion now. Meet and Mingle was tonight at 6. I went with name tags, etc. There were trays and trays of snacks, trays of drinks...hotel manager was there, cruise director, probably 6 or 7 other officers. They were expecting 40 people. My husband and I and one other couple (Sherry and Jim) showed up. Embarrassing. We got to meet a lot of officers but I felt terrible that they all went to so much trouble for nothing. Wasted food, drinks, and time for the officers. I know Sherry said she didn't get her invitation and only knew because I mentioned it on another site. We are on the next cruise from Sydney to Bali and they said that they were expecting even more people on that one. I sure hope it happens or I wouldn't blame them if they discontinued it.

 

We cruised on the Sky a few weeks ago. I think 52 people signed up for the Meet & Mingle but only 20 actually attended.  Viking was prepared with food and drink, that’s a shame.

[Viking Cruises]

Dear @stretchcruz,

 

Thank you for keeping the cruising community up to date on your ongoing journey! We are sorry to learn you’ve encountered shore excursions that fell below expectations, however we are happy to share in your positive outlook and receive feedback on our vendors.

 

We look forward to reading more about your voyage in the coming days, and kindly welcome you to share more at TellUs@vikingcruises.com at the conclusion of your cruise. We appreciate this opportunity to learn about your Viking experience in real time, and wish you smooth sailings ahead.

 

Best regards,
Viking Cruises
 

20 hours ago, stretchcruz said:

We are still having a great time, don't get me wrong,  but today's included was the worst of the worst. We are in Christchurch. Driver mumbled, took us to Mona Vale gardens with no explanation of where we were going or why or history...told us about the earthquake. This place is being rebuilt,  oh that place couldn't. A lot of people were killed. Drove past the same places 3 times. He stopped and said well here's the museum be back in 15 minutes. What museum? Then he'd tell us be back on the bus at 12:30. He was nowhere to be found, bus not running, no AC.  I heard a passenger ask him about taking the gondola. He told her to go to the museum and she could take it from there. She asked if they took US money and he said yes. The gondola is close to the ship, not at some museum. It was awful!! 4 couples on the elevator were talking about it and filling out their comment cards, one couple already on their way to guest services. We filled ours out and handed it in personally. 

My own fault I was working so much I didn't research enough. I should have just done private or maybe paid for a few. I've been so disappointed in the included tours and upset with myself that I didn't do enough research. Working on it now for the rest of our cruise but feel that I really missed New Zealand.

[Missymssy]

Pushka, Viking told me there are no tenders, which our tour companies verified for Ketchikan and ISP. The others we left plenty of time to get there. 

[Pushka]

18 minutes ago, Missymssy said:

Pushka, Viking told me there are no tenders, which our tour companies verified for Ketchikan and ISP. The others we left plenty of time to get there. 

 

It all depends on the timing of the cruise. Ours has tenders confirmed by Viking at this stage. Plus an extra tender confirmed by a private shore excursion company. Every date will have different experiences. 

[stretchcruz]

Tour today in Dunedin was good. Driver, Ben, very entertaining and informative. We stopped to see the steepest street in the world and then incredible views from the top of (I'm sorry I don't remember Little Monty much better than I at that). We drove back to Dunedin and got off to take the shuttle back. The Eagles are playing in Dunedin tonight and there was a little street festival plus a small band. Lots of people downtown. The Ovation of the Seas was in town. OMG. What a behemoth. Plus people hanging laundry on their balconies with clothes lines. I am not making this up.

We are, still, having a great time. One of the dining room managers, Angela, recognized us the first night we were there and gave us hugs. The dining room staff, World Cafe, and Restaurant, calls us by name. Some of you may say, well, they see your name (Restaurant) when you check in. True, but the first name I go by is not my legal first name and yet they always remember. Tonight was lobster night in the dining room. We don't eat seafood but wow they were running around with lobsters. Left port almost 2 hours late they said some containers with food were stuck in traffic. God forbid!! The bridge cam, which is also the speaker to the stateroom, is not currently working. They are working on it.

Two sea days coming up! Can't wait, maybe I'll finish putting stuff away where it belongs.

Enjoying the Orion!!

[stretchcruz]

Viking just saw your response. Thanks. Having a GREAT onboard experience. 

[Focused1]

11 hours ago, stretchcruz said:

Viking just saw your response. Thanks. Having a GREAT onboard experience. 

I hope they see my response, as well. We are on the same cruise with you and I agree with many of your reflections on experiences so far. (also saw the hanging close lines on the Ovation😨).

 

Our Restaurant experience last evening was the worst experience we have ever had on the 25 cruises we have sailed on with various cruise lines over the years. This is our first Viking cruise.

 

Perhaps it was because of “lobster night” and one of the ovens was broken. We waited 1 1/2 hours for our entree which included a baked potato (which was really a boiled white potato served in an ice cream dish.)Service was just awful (slow, inconsistent, and inaccurate) and the whole dining room was chaotic, noisy and felt like a mess hall. Whomever was overseeing this mess seemed totally clueless and ineffective. The only saving grace was the delightful wine steward who kept our glasses full. Viking, you should be able to do better than this. Why do servers have to run the food to the tables in a frenetic manner creating a most uncomfortable atmosphere, bumping into passengers, etc.  So disappointed in this dinner service. 

[Pushka]

1 hour ago, Focused1 said:

I hope they see my response, as well. We are on the same cruise with you and I agree with many of your reflections on experiences so far. (also saw the hanging close lines on the Ovation😨).

 

Our Restaurant experience last evening was the worst experience we have ever had on the 25 cruises we have sailed on with various cruise lines over the years. This is our first Viking cruise.

 

Perhaps it was because of “lobster night” and one of the ovens was broken. We waited 1 1/2 hours for our entree which included a baked potato (which was really a boiled white potato served in an ice cream dish.)Service was just awful (slow, inconsistent, and inaccurate) and the whole dining room was chaotic, noisy and felt like a mess hall. Whomever was overseeing this mess seemed totally clueless and ineffective. The only saving grace was the delightful wine steward who kept our glasses full. Viking, you should be able to do better than this. Why do servers have to run the food to the tables in a frenetic manner creating a most uncomfortable atmosphere, bumping into passengers, etc.  So disappointed in this dinner service. 

 

I wonder what went wrong last night? I’d not expect this circumstance from what I’ve read about Viking so clearly something went amiss. 

[stretchcruz]

They seemed very busy and I bet it was the broken oven. We had a delightful conversation with a single guy next to us....he was alone and looked young. I asked what he was doing here!! Turns out he's 50 and came onboard at the last minute when Viking called him to bring on some opals and be the opal expert. He's from Australia and is an opal wholesaler. We had a great time with him. Made the service delay go by quickly. Today is a sea day. Husband went to a lecture by the resident astronomer. I'm reading in Explorers Lounge. At 3 going to see Bohemian Rhapsody, 6:00 dinner at Manfredis. Ran into some fellow CCers at breakfast, they had 6:00 reservations as well so we are going to make it a table for 4. Good times!!

[stretchcruz]

Just got back from Manfedis. Delicious as usual. When we got back there was a note from Viking apologizing for the service last night in the restaurant along with a bottle of wine. We didn't complain about the restaurant last night. Husband went to guest services to tell them and to offer the wine back. They said no, that they were apologizing to everyone during a certain time frame. Classy!

[stretchcruz]

We are still really enjoying our cruise. Disappointed in many of the included shore excursions but I can address that in the future. We did fill out comment cards. Yesterday, in Melbourne, we had the best one of the cruise....our driver/guide was very entertaining and informative. Interesting that other folks on an included that we had dinner with last night had both a driver and a guide. We were allowed off twice for 50 minutes each time which was great. Cane back, had lunch, then went for a walk along the shoreline. Next time I need to do more research. I think our Australia portion of this cruise will be better as I have planned some privates and a few optionals.

Service on this cruise is great. The staff are wonderful, food is good, no complaints here. 

One weird thing is that tomorrow the captain's reception is at 9 PM in the Star Lounge followed by the show....the Beatles show at 9:15. Doors open at 8:30. The first Beatles show is 6:30, in the middle of our dinner reservation. Seems like it may be pretty crowded in there. Last time they did the farewell in the atrium. We will see!

We've had great crew interactions, the ship is gorgeous and we are enjoying our fellow passengers. Can't complain about the weather either!!

[Retired grandparents]

On 2/26/2019 at 12:46 AM, stretchcruz said:

I'm onboard Orion now. Meet and Mingle was tonight at 6. I went with name tags, etc. There were trays and trays of snacks, trays of drinks...hotel manager was there, cruise director, probably 6 or 7 other officers. They were expecting 40 people. My husband and I and one other couple (Sherry and Jim) showed up. Embarrassing. We got to meet a lot of officers but I felt terrible that they all went to so much trouble for nothing. Wasted food, drinks, and time for the officers. I know Sherry said she didn't get her invitation and only knew because I mentioned it on another site. We are on the next cruise from Sydney to Bali and they said that they were expecting even more people on that one. I sure hope it happens or I wouldn't blame them if they discontinued it.

Do you know if we are supposed to tell Viking about the people signed up for the Meet and Mingle??

I started the group for a Homelands cruise coming in May and we have a good number signed up.  I do not want to drop the ball on it.  I called the Viking number and the sales folks knew nothing.

Thanks

[Insanityx4]

Viking is informed by Cruise Critic of the people who are signed up. We are on the May 5th, Tokyo to Vancouver, and already have 72 signed up. Just hope the Orion gets the night right. We have never had a problem in the past but I guess it can't hurt once aboard to check with guest services to be sure ot the time and date. It usually happens on the 2nd or 3rd night.

[Pushka]

On 3/15/2019 at 3:29 AM, Insanityx4 said:

Viking is informed by Cruise Critic of the people who are signed up. We are on the May 5th, Tokyo to Vancouver, and already have 72 signed up. Just hope the Orion gets the night right. We have never had a problem in the past but I guess it can't hurt once aboard to check with guest services to be sure ot the time and date. It usually happens on the 2nd or 3rd night.

I’ve read it’s been held at 9.30am as well.