Are Viking Ocean cruises fun?

[CharTrav]

On 5/1/2019 at 6:57 PM, Peregrina651 said:

 

The list is a composite of answers in response to the OP's question, "Tell Me Why...I should try Viking Oceans." (The thread is called Tell Me Why).  

 

A lot of people answered and eventually the answers were redacted into one list (with no names). Viking eventual adopted and adapted the list for its advertising. 

Proof - as tho we needed it - that Viking carefully monitors and respects this Forum. Yay for Viking!

[philw1776]

My critique on VO gym equipment is not age.  Who cares?  It's that they have too few ellipticals, only 2 on my cruises, always busy, no time limits as 2 women spent over an hour and were still going strong.  Meanwhile, several treadmills, etc. went unused.  Could never get on ellipticals.
Love the free weights in Kg.  Fun with metric! OK, I'm an engineer & do metric.

Word up is that newest ships have expanded the workout area.  Good!

Edited May 6, 2019 by philw1776

[Jim Avery]

7 hours ago, Jchivers said:

What cruises have out of control children?  I've never been on one (HAL, X, Princess).  In my experience, spotting a child has been like spotting an ivory-billed woodpecker.

you are extremely lucky then.  We have had kiddie problems on HAL ,and Princess. And then SeaDream Yacht Club.  A small, high end line with two (soon to be 3) ships.  We had 98 total passengers.  30! were children from 1 year to 15.  Yahoo.  Do I love Viking Ocean's policies?  Heck yeah!😎

[Peregrina651]

4 hours ago, philw1776 said:

My critique on VO gym equipment is not age.  Who cares?  It's that they have too few ellipticals, only 2 on my cruises, always busy, no time limits as 2 women spent over an hour and were still going strong.  Meanwhile, several treadmills, etc. went unused.  Could never get on ellipticals.
Love the free weights in Kg.  Fun with metric! OK, I'm an engineer & do metric.

Word up is that newest ships have expanded the workout area.  Good!

 

Phil, that's a valid criticism and something that probably can be addressed. Have you brought it up with the folks at TellUs? This is exactly the kind of stuff that they like to hear.

[philw1776]

14 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Phil, that's a valid criticism and something that probably can be addressed. Have you brought it up with the folks at TellUs? This is exactly the kind of stuff that they like to hear.

Yes.  No response.

[Cyber Kat]

On 5/4/2019 at 12:06 PM, zitsky said:

 

If you don't like to be managed, why do a cruise at all?  Just book a hotel and a flight somewhere.

 

Why does one have to like to be managed to do a cruise. Sorry this makes no sense to me. 

 

We don’t like to be managed, but very much enjoy a cruise because we rather like relaxing with the sea. Sunrises and sunsets are most spectacular at sea with nothing else in the way. A ship moves in a way that a hotel certainly never could, and in a way that is quite different from the motion one might experience in a plane, train or automobile.  

 

We love visiting ports and don’t require management to do so. We have the option of doing a ship excursion or just wandering off on our own - no management involved. 

 

We also really love the time spent in between ports. The time just connecting and communing with the sun, sky and sea. I don’t understand where management comes into the picture at all. 

[Peregrina651]

13 hours ago, philw1776 said:

Yes.  No response.

 

Does not mean that your voice has not been heard and your comments forwarded to the appropriate department(s).

[philw1776]

As long as they act I don't need a response.

I got a very helpful response on our last Ocean cruise issue.  Somehow our sailing was missing an excursion we saw advertised & wanted.  Excursion was available on the week before and the week after sailing.  Viking responded & added the excursion back in.  It was fully booked as we and others enjoyed it.

[Parsley Cruises]

I've tried the treadmills on VO - and I simply didn't like them, qed didn't bother with elipitcals or cross trainers.  Couldn't get near any exercise bikes because a selfish couple took control - it was the only item of equipment they ever used, and once they got on the machine/s that was it.

 

There weren't any suitable weights machines for me, so therefore (the deck running area being a bit limited), we bided our time and decided to go for a proper run in port.  Brilliant - although we did need to get slower returning passengers to get out of our way as we ran up the gangway!

 

We now look at itineraries to plan nice runs.

[deec]

yes the newer ships do have bigger gyms and more ellipticals ...and signs suggesting limiting time on machines. I had been on the SKY and SUN before the SEA ...I was so surprised how small the gym area is on the two original ships.  I don't know how difficult it would be to enlarge.

[TrulyBlonde]

10 minutes ago, deec said:

yes the newer ships do have bigger gyms and more ellipticals ...and signs suggesting limiting time on machines. I had been on the SKY and SUN before the SEA ...I was so surprised how small the gym area is on the two original ships.  I don't know how difficult it would be to enlarge.

Yes, Jim Avery had asked which ship I was on and I found the invoice. It was the SUN and YES, the gym was extremely small for a ship of that size and amount of passengers.

[deec]

SUN has the bigger gym!!!!!  The SEA and STAR are even smaller.  I found the the SUN gym adequate. probably depends what time you go to the gym.

[TrulyBlonde]

6 hours ago, deec said:

SUN has the bigger gym!!!!!  The SEA and STAR are even smaller.  I found the the SUN gym adequate. probably depends what time you go to the gym.

Does not matter what time. Too small and not enough equipment. Not a fan.

[zitsky]

Anyone know the hours for the fitness center?  I can't find it on Viking faq.  And Google search isn't helping.

[Jim Avery]

6 minutes ago, TrulyBlonde said:

Does not matter what time. Too small and not enough equipment. Not a fan.

Don't go on Seabourn Sojourn if the Sun's fitness center seemed small and ill equipped.  It really was pitiful.  We all like our own routines and most ships fall short of what I like to do at my local center.  For me, Viking would need to add more weight to some machines and provide a place for pull ups.  But to balance such shortcomings you can get a Bloody Mary at the Viking Bar on One Deck at 6am. 🍸

[Jchivers]

By the way, Jim Avery....Moby Dick ("...this Spanish gold ounce...") is one of my favorite movies.

[Jim Avery]

2 minutes ago, Jchivers said:

By the way, Jim Avery....Moby Dick ("...this Spanish gold ounce...") is one of my favorite movies.

Haha, you like my picture?  Well, I am an old sea captain.....  And it takes a few gold coins to go cruising..😎

[philw1776]

22 hours ago, TrulyBlonde said:

Does not matter what time. Too small and not enough equipment. Not a fan.

Don't go on Silversea cruises fitness centers then.

I find their ships (Spirit, Muse) excellent...but not perfect.  

[TrulyBlonde]

3 hours ago, philw1776 said:

Don't go on Silversea cruises fitness centers then.

I find their ships (Spirit, Muse) excellent...but not perfect.  

I don't care if the cruises are short, port intensive. However, many times I take cruises for close to a month. Items of importance to me are: timing and itinerary foremost, good wine, fitness center, service, food and decent size accommodations. I have no favorite cruise line, but those items are also what I look for.  When we cruise, we keep our lifestyle similar to how we handle our daily lives at home. Fitness is very important to us as is wine 😉

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Well, Contessa, we are ready for you if you are ever in the OC...

 

 

[TrulyBlonde]

18 hours ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Well, Contessa, we are ready for you if you are ever in the OC...

 

 

Oh My.....my daughter lives in OC and I am there a few times a year. Cin Cin.  Birds of a Feather must flock together.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Yes Contessa, we should “flock” when you are in OC.  The corkscrew is always at the ready 🍷

 

We visited with ho-hum and his DW while last in London, it was a hoot!  That man has a fine champagne collection.

 

Jim Avery has threatened to pay us a visit also, so would be great to get a big flock together here at the palazzo in San Clemente!

[Jim Avery]

29 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Yes Contessa, we should “flock” when you are in OC.  The corkscrew is always at the ready 🍷

 

We visited with ho-hum and his DW while last in London, it was a hoot!  That man has a fine champagne collection.

 

Jim Avery has threatened to pay us a visit also, so would be great to get a big flock together here at the palazzo in San Clemente!

Haha, you think Contessa is up to all of us??🍸

[TrulyBlonde]

1 hour ago, Jim Avery said:

Haha, you think Contessa is up to all of us??🍸

HA!  Only if you dial me an Uber. I will be prepared 😉

[Jim Avery]

2 minutes ago, TrulyBlonde said:

HA!  Only if you dial me an Uber. I will be prepared 😉

I think Ragnar might check with Mrs Ragnar before inviting y'all, us, AND Ho-Hum and Blondie to his house for an all inclusive weekend....🍸