Beware of the Explorer suite on Viking

[ElaynaB]

On 4/20/2019 at 10:12 PM, Drl75 said:

Just back from the Rhine River Cruise on Viking.  We traveled in the Explorer suite on the Viking Baldur.  My husband and I couldn’t sleep because of the extremely loud noise coming from the engine and the constant vibrating of the room.  The room shook so bad, it could make some people sick.  The noise came from the engines.  The most expensive room on the ship is over the engines !!!!  I will never go on a Viking ship again!

Hello, I am so sorry to hear about your experience.  We are booked on the Viking Magni next month in an Explorer Suite and hope we don't have this same problem.  I would like to know if laundry service was included in this cabin category. It is listed as included in the two top stateroom categories, but does that mean it is complimentary or there is a charge?  It would make a difference in how much we pack.

I will post a review regarding the noise level after we complete our cruise.  Hopefully they have resolved this problem.

[Drl75]

Yes, laundry is definitely included in the Explorer Suite and it’s complimentary, no charge to you.

[Solent Richard]

On 4/25/2019 at 1:47 AM, kentchris said:

That really doesn't add up: if there's a generic problem with Viking's Longship Explorer Suites then every mention by past pax on this forum ought to include a mention of the 'brutal noise and vibrations' that OP complains about. Only a few report any issues at all, so do you think the ones who don't say anything are too embarrassed to admit they paid top price for an inferior experience? 

 

Pretty fair comment there Chris.

 

On our Rhine cruise onboard Viking Eir...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/05/12/viking-eir-rhine-getaway-april-2017/

 

...there certainly was no problem with engine noise and even when underway there was no more vibration than one would feel anywhere else on the ship.

 

 

Nice way to travel.

[cruiser02]

1 hour ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Pretty fair comment there Chris.

 

On our Rhine cruise onboard Viking Eir...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/05/12/viking-eir-rhine-getaway-april-2017/

 

...there certainly was no problem with engine noise and even when underway there was no more vibration than one would feel anywhere else on the ship.

 

 

Nice way to travel.

Enjoyed your Blog   SO neat to be upgraded !  We are in an Explorer suite this summer.  One question:  Do they restock the mini-bar ?  Know - with the premium package I don't need to be concerned   Did you use room service ? 

[Solent Richard]

12 minutes ago, cruiser02 said:

Enjoyed your Blog   SO neat to be upgraded !  We are in an Explorer suite this summer.  One question:  Do they restock the mini-bar ?  Know - with the premium package I don't need to be concerned   Did you use room service ? 

 

Hi there Cruiser02.

 

Thank you for your kind comment.

 

They certainly did restock and we had friends round to celebrate our good luck on a number of evenings...

 

 

We didn't use room service as such but the canapés each evening were always welcome.

 

Edited April 29, 2019 by Solent Richard

[steverhodes]

 My wife and I have been in explore suites on FIVE different Viking longships. We found the room absolutely fantastic!! The little bit of noise or slight vibrations we heard from engines were trivial. We would book another explore suite in a heartbeat. They are absolutely wonderful rooms.

 

 We also love the great sunset pictures you can get from their back veranda. 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2019 by steverhodes

[ElaynaB]

9 minutes ago, steverhodes said:

 My wife and I have been in explore suites on FIVE different Viking longships. We found the room absolutely fantastic!! The little bit of noise or slight vibrations we heard from engines were trivial. We would book another explore suite in a heartbeat. They are absolutely wonderful rooms.

 

 We also love the great sunset pictures you can get from their back veranda. 

 

 

 

 

[ElaynaB]

Thank you steverhodes

[gnome12]

I am more and more convinced that the particular ship the OP was sailing on had some sort of engine problem that was creating considerably more noise than usual.

[Phillygirl3]

I guess it also involves noise tolerance levels.  The Explorer Suite on the Alsvin was quite noisy at night, particularly going through the locks, and I can understand how it could be problematic for those who require absolute quiet when sleeping.  I think it may also have to do with water levels, time of year, speed to get from one port to another, etc.  Again, we thought the benefits outweighed the annoyance but we doubt that we will be on another river cruise as we have done the majority of the itineraries.  

[cruiser02]

Thanks   I am looking forward to the Explorer suite experience.  We have one booked for this summer and again in 2020 

We enjoyed the Suite so know we will be happy 

Noise happens.  On one of the Big ships we were in an aft suite which was not only noisy but when the anchors where engaged we were almost Bounced out of bed !    

[deec]

I think Viking Ocean ships have the anchors in the BOW...not stern.

[Host Jazzbeau]

My conclusion is that some cruisers love the wake view [as shown in the pictures above] so much that they are willing to forgive many deficiencies in the cabins.  We have taken their advice and booked aft cabins twice – and for us, the view is meh and the location is mostly downsides.  So each person needs to make up their mind about this.  Thankfully there are enough people who love these cabins to keep them in high demand.  Also thankfully there are other choices...

[SeanJ]

On 4/29/2019 at 6:56 AM, ElaynaB said:

Hello, I am so sorry to hear about your experience.  We are booked on the Viking Magni next month in an Explorer Suite and hope we don't have this same problem.  I would like to know if laundry service was included in this cabin category. It is listed as included in the two top stateroom categories, but does that mean it is complimentary or there is a charge?  It would make a difference in how much we pack.

I will post a review regarding the noise level after we complete our cruise.  Hopefully they have resolved this problem.

We are considering an Explorer Suite on the Magni. How was your experience?

[jsn55]

On 4/23/2019 at 6:46 AM, dogs4fun said:

Well, from the posts I have read describing the noise, I will never book the suite on a long ship - at the price of the suite, I simply would not risk it.

When it comes to a cruise, the location of our cabin is vital.  There's so much information available in so many places that it's easy to book a quiet cabin.  You do have to drill down into the deck plans of course ... I'm sure it's clear that some of the cabins are directly over the engines and should be avoided, Explorer Suite or no. 

[jsn55]

On 5/1/2019 at 8:08 AM, Phillygirl3 said:

I guess it also involves noise tolerance levels.  The Explorer Suite on the Alsvin was quite noisy at night, particularly going through the locks, and I can understand how it could be problematic for those who require absolute quiet when sleeping.  I think it may also have to do with water levels, time of year, speed to get from one port to another, etc.  Again, we thought the benefits outweighed the annoyance but we doubt that we will be on another river cruise as we have done the majority of the itineraries.  

Tolerance is almost always the key.  My husband would think a cabin is too noisy to sleep in while I don't hear a thing.  He will go bananas listening to people yack in the corridor while I barely notice.  So take these kinds of posts with a grain of salt. 

[TomHB]

We are currently on the Viking Ve in Room 236, which is in the stern near the engine.  The engine noise is quite acceptable in my opinion HOWEVER, there are terrible vibrations coming from the large panel above the bed and also from the ventilation system over the entrance door.  The vibrations are clearly caused by the engine and will vary greatly according the the engine speed.  Unfortunately, these vibration noises can be quite significant and tend to happen more at night while traveling.  As such, we have had a terrible time getting a good night’s sleep!  

 

We contacted guest services 3 times on Friday complaining about the noise.  It did not appear that any action was taken until our 3rd request.  At that time an engineer came down and, we were told, tightened up some fittings around the air conditioning duct.  That seemed to help, and we slept better Friday night however, last night, Saturday, the noise was back and again we had a difficult time getting a good night’s sleep.  I reported the problem again this morning.  Hopefully things will improve.  It is interesting to note that when we first boarded I noticed a piece f paper (folded over many times) that was wedged in the panel over the bed (which was the other area that was vibrating).  It would appear the former people who used this room had a similar problem.

 

So… the vibrations mentioned above, coupled with water dripping down from near our room door and the “dripping” noise on our first night making it difficult to sleep (we finally put an ice bucket under it halfway through the night) AND that our air conditioning stopped working for a few hours one afternoon, it has not left us with a very good impression on our first Viking cruise.  We have another 9 days left on this cruise.  I sure hope things get better!

 

Tom

 

 

[rcaruso]

2 hours ago, TomHB said:

We are currently on the Viking Ve in Room 236, which is in the stern near the engine.  The engine noise is quite acceptable in my opinion HOWEVER, there are terrible vibrations coming from the large panel above the bed and also from the ventilation system over the entrance door.  The vibrations are clearly caused by the engine and will vary greatly according the the engine speed.  Unfortunately, these vibration noises can be quite significant and tend to happen more at night while traveling.  As such, we have had a terrible time getting a good night’s sleep!  

 

We contacted guest services 3 times on Friday complaining about the noise.  It did not appear that any action was taken until our 3rd request.  At that time an engineer came down and, we were told, tightened up some fittings around the air conditioning duct.  That seemed to help, and we slept better Friday night however, last night, Saturday, the noise was back and again we had a difficult time getting a good night’s sleep.  I reported the problem again this morning.  Hopefully things will improve.  It is interesting to note that when we first boarded I noticed a piece f paper (folded over many times) that was wedged in the panel over the bed (which was the other area that was vibrating).  It would appear the former people who used this room had a similar problem.

 

So… the vibrations mentioned above, coupled with water dripping down from near our room door and the “dripping” noise on our first night making it difficult to sleep (we finally put an ice bucket under it halfway through the night) AND that our air conditioning stopped working for a few hours one afternoon, it has not left us with a very good impression on our first Viking cruise.  We have another 9 days left on this cruise.  I sure hope things get better!

 

Tom

 

 

Hi Tom,  We have room 237 on the Gefjon starting the 18th.  I fully believe you will be swapping from the VE to the Gefjon when you get to Nuremberg.  I am now getting a bit worried about the room we upgraded to as it is right across the hall from 236.  Thanks for the input.

[jsn55]

4 hours ago, TomHB said:

We are currently on the Viking Ve in Room 236, which is in the stern near the engine.  The engine noise is quite acceptable in my opinion HOWEVER, there are terrible vibrations coming from the large panel above the bed and also from the ventilation system over the entrance door.  The vibrations are clearly caused by the engine and will vary greatly according the the engine speed.  Unfortunately, these vibration noises can be quite significant and tend to happen more at night while traveling.  As such, we have had a terrible time getting a good night’s sleep!  

 

We contacted guest services 3 times on Friday complaining about the noise.  It did not appear that any action was taken until our 3rd request.  At that time an engineer came down and, we were told, tightened up some fittings around the air conditioning duct.  That seemed to help, and we slept better Friday night however, last night, Saturday, the noise was back and again we had a difficult time getting a good night’s sleep.  I reported the problem again this morning.  Hopefully things will improve.  It is interesting to note that when we first boarded I noticed a piece f paper (folded over many times) that was wedged in the panel over the bed (which was the other area that was vibrating).  It would appear the former people who used this room had a similar problem.

 

So… the vibrations mentioned above, coupled with water dripping down from near our room door and the “dripping” noise on our first night making it difficult to sleep (we finally put an ice bucket under it halfway through the night) AND that our air conditioning stopped working for a few hours one afternoon, it has not left us with a very good impression on our first Viking cruise.  We have another 9 days left on this cruise.  I sure hope things get better!

 

Tom

 

 

Ugh, that's the kind of thing that can ruin a trip quickly.  Put a white noise app on your phone ... I haven't travelled without a 'sound machine' in 40 years.  As for Viking, one Yangtze River cruise/China tour in 2019 was enough for us.  Viking's all about quantity, and the quality suffers.  After all, who do you think pays for all that advertising???  

[TomHB]

3 hours ago, rcaruso said:

Hi Tom,  We have room 237 on the Gefjon starting the 18th.  I fully believe you will be swapping from the VE to the Gefjon when you get to Nuremberg.  I am now getting a bit worried about the room we upgraded to as it is right across the hall from 236.  Thanks for the input.

 

 

I am just about certain you are correct about having to change to the Gefjon ship.  In fact we were suppose to begin our journey of the Gefjon but received a last minute correspondence informing us of the change.  Additionally we know of a couple that just finished their cruise.  They began their journey on the Viking Gefjon but finished on the Viking Ve.  They had begun their journey in Budapest (just the opposite of us) and concluded in Amsterdam.  They informed us to about half way through their voyage they were bussed to the Viking Ve due to low water conditions.

 

I IN NO WAY BLAME OR CRITICIZE VIKING FOR THIS NECESSARY CHANGE!  They can not control the water levels and there is no way to predict what might happen within the next week or even within the next few days.  As such there is NO reason to alarm the passengers with an event that may not even occur!

 

I am not new to cruising at all however, this is my first river boat cruise.  Overall I think Viking has done a pretty good job.  I do hope they can solve this noise / vibration problem.  We will see how things go this evening.  If not, well then I will be VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD to changing ships and hoping for an improvement!

 

If I’m, able I’ll ask our neighbors in room 237 how things are, and I’ll let you know.

 

Tom

Edited July 9, 2023 by TomHB

[rcaruso]

48 minutes ago, TomHB said:

 

 

I am just about certain you are correct about having to change to the Gefjon ship.  In fact we were suppose to begin our journey of the Gefjon but received a last minute correspondence informing us of the change.  Additionally we know of a couple that just finished their cruise.  They began their journey on the Viking Gefjon but finished on the Viking Ve.  They had begun their journey in Budapest (just the opposite of us) and concluded in Amsterdam.  They informed us to about half way through their voyage they were bussed to the Viking Ve due to low water conditions.

 

I IN NO WAY BLAME OR CRITICIZE VIKING FOR THIS NECESSARY CHANGE!  They can not control the water levels and there is no way to predict what might happen within the next week or even within the next few days.  As such there is NO reason to alarm the passengers with an event that may not even occur!

 

I am not new to cruising at all however, this is my first river boat cruise.  Overall I think Viking has done a pretty good job.  I do hope they can solve this noise / vibration problem.  We will see how things go this evening.  If not, well then I will be VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD to changing ships and hoping for an improvement!

 

If I’m, able I’ll ask our neighbors in room 237 how things are, and I’ll let you know.

 

Tom

This will be our 13th river cruise on Viking, and we know the drill with low water.  Just by chance we were on the Ve in November and our cousin was on the VE in early June before the low water and most of the management is the same.  Your chef Dennis is wonderful.  So even if we have to swap we would look forward to Chef Dennis for sure.  Thanks I appreciate you checking on room 237!

[ssolen]

I’m booked on the Mani next year, in an Explorer suite third deck.  Has anyone cruised in that  third floor Explorer suite on the Mani with issues?