Menu at Chef's Table

[ClevelandKid]

A bit of an odd question -

 

prior to making our reservations at the Chef's Table, I was able to view the menu.  Once our reservations are completed, that disappears.  The only way I can see to look at the menu again is to cancel a reservation and rebook it.  (We are doing Lotus and Xiang).  Anyone know a way around this (other than cancelling and rebooking)?

 

Viking folks - I know you monitor these boards.  Pass along to the IT staff to make a hyperlink in your current reservations that will allow you to see the menu.

Edited January 2, 2020 by ClevelandKid
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[just_dont]

 

 

 

A bit of an odd question -

 

prior to making our reservations at the Chef's Table, I was able to view the menu.  Once our reservations are completed, that disappears.  The only way I can see to look at the menu again is to cancel a reservation and rebook it.  (We are doing Lotus and Xiang).  Anyone know a way around this (other than cancelling and rebooking)?

 

Awkwardly, no, and I agree it was annoying.

I'd made note of the menus for all the days of our cruise before making my reservations.

 

Edit: We really enjoyed the Xiang menu, but Lotus wasn't offered on our cruise. Enjoy!

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

 

 

[TayanaLorna]

I agree, drives me nuts.  Also why can't we see what other days and times are available at both restaurants in case we want to change.  And fix the Invite function!

[Portolan]

I copied the menus into my calendar entries.  Not doing Xiang, but here's the Lotus menu (at least on Star this month):

 

Amuse Bouche

Goan Potato Chop (semolina crusted potato, vegetable & cheese cake; sambal spinach)

 

First Course

Chili Soft Shell Crab (crispy crab; tomato-chili gravy)

 

Granité

Red Lotus (lychee & guava, cranberry juice, lychee liquor)

 

Main Course

Thai Spiced Basil Lamb Chops (stir fried purple eggplant; sweet chili; baby corn)

 

Dessert

Yuzu Cheesecake (green tea tuile, sake-marinated plum)

 

[ClevelandKid]

Thanks for providing the menu!  I really appreciate that.

 

I am going to do a "contact us" on the Viking website and pass along our suggestions!

[Portolan]

Discovered I also had a screen shot of the Xiang menu:

[Peregrina651]

On board now. In CT for dinner last night and snapped a photo of the  Lotus menu with wine pairings. It was delicious but be warned it was spicy. I generally avoid spicy because generally it s more about how spice can I make  the dish rather than about getting the right balance of flavors but decided that this was just the right amount of hot, hot that did not linger in the mouth. The crab was the spiciest dish if them all and the lamb was perfect. The amuse bouche can be served with the sauce on the side because the potato croquet itself is actually quite bland by itself and oh so good.  I had mine without sauce because of allergies  

 

 

 

[ClevelandKid]

Thank one and all for providing me with the menus for Lotus and Xiang!!  I printed out the picture of the Lotus and gave it to the spouse. I really appreciate that !!!

[CCWineLover]

On 1/2/2020 at 4:57 AM, TayanaLorna said:

I agree, drives me nuts.  Also why can't we see what other days and times are available at both restaurants in case we want to change.  And fix the Invite function!

 

Tayana - I agree with you!  It will be in my critique.  We had a reservation on a later date and wanted to move it to an earlier date by going up to the World Cafe reservations table.  The woman there said she had to have my room number in order to see what times and dates were available in the Chef's Table.  So when I gave it to her, she said you are maxed out in reservations so she can't help us.  I told her I know that - we just wanted to switch.  She said we had to first cancel the one reservation and then we could see what was available.  I told her we would only cancel if there was an opening at a date/time that we wanted. "Catch-22" !!    She told us that was not possible in their system.   You can only be told what is available if you have reservations available to you in your quota.  Unreal!

I was in applications and this is really a bizarre non-customer friendly application if that is the case.  I would have IT change this as soon as possible.  I have to believe this happens all the time!

We wound up not doing anything since we didn't want to risk losing the reservation we had.  What a bizarre system!

Edited January 4, 2020 by CCWineLover

[chrisbu315]

I suffered the same frustration with the menus so I left the Viking site and simply entered "Viking Ocean Xiang menu" into Google.   There were several links returned.  Here is one from Cruise Critic with photos https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2679768-chefs-table-menus-la-route-des-indes-and-xiang/

 

[Portolan]

This'll be our first cruise on Viking, so a question about one's reservation quota: as you exercise each reservation, does that allow an additional one to be booked?  We think we will like the Chef's table a lot and therefore booked it front-end loaded with the hope that as we use each reservation during the cruise, we'll have an opportunity to add another.

 

Not trying to be greedy and deny others the opportunity, but if there are later nights available after everyone has had a chance to exercise their quota (in advance or early on-board), it'd be nice to ensure that a table doesn't go wanting.

[philw1776]

9 minutes ago, Portolan said:

This'll be our first cruise on Viking, so a question about one's reservation quota: as you exercise each reservation, does that allow an additional one to be booked?  We think we will like the Chef's table a lot and therefore booked it front-end loaded with the hope that as we use each reservation during the cruise, we'll have an opportunity to add another.

 

 

We were able to add an additional reservation onboard after having used a reservation.

[Portolan]

4 minutes ago, philw1776 said:

We were able to add an additional reservation onboard after having used a reservation.

 

Sounds good!  Thanks for the insight.

[just_dont]

This'll be our first cruise on Viking, so a question about one's reservation quota: as you exercise each reservation, does that allow an additional one to be booked?  We think we will like the Chef's table a lot and therefore booked it front-end loaded with the hope that as we use each reservation during the cruise, we'll have an opportunity to add another.
 
Not trying to be greedy and deny others the opportunity, but if there are later nights available after everyone has had a chance to exercise their quota (in advance or early on-board), it'd be nice to ensure that a table doesn't go wanting.

The quota is only for advance reservations pre-cruise.
Once onboard, you can make as many reservations as you want. The person taking reservations by the World Cafe didn't want to allow us to book more than two additional times in Chef's Table when we had just boarded, "to give other passengers an opportunity," but we were able to make other reservations on the Viking phone app and on the TV in the cabin.
As others have said, even if there are no reservations available, you'll most likely still be able to get in on standby if you talk to the maitre d'
We were easily able to try all six CT menus that were offered on our cruise, and almost always when we wanted. You'll be fine.

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[TayanaLorna]

19 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

 

Tayana - I agree with you!  It will be in my critique.  We had a reservation on a later date and wanted to move it to an earlier date by going up to the World Cafe reservations table.  The woman there said she had to have my room number in order to see what times and dates were available in the Chef's Table.  So when I gave it to her, she said you are maxed out in reservations so she can't help us.  I told her I know that - we just wanted to switch.  She said we had to first cancel the one reservation and then we could see what was available.  I told her we would only cancel if there was an opening at a date/time that we wanted. "Catch-22" !!    She told us that was not possible in their system.   You can only be told what is available if you have reservations available to you in your quota.  Unreal!

I was in applications and this is really a bizarre non-customer friendly application if that is the case.  I would have IT change this as soon as possible.  I have to believe this happens all the time!

We wound up not doing anything since we didn't want to risk losing the reservation we had.  What a bizarre system!

Granted we have not done a cruise for 18 months (takes a long time to fill the piggy bank again), but last time we were allowed to make our allotted reservation number in advance one line.  Once on board we were able to add more reservations at the World Cafe desk without being told we had reached our quota.  We added one Manfredis and two Chefs Table.  Once the pre cruise advance reservations were made, everyone could do this and it wasnt being greedy.   We were also able to combine reservations our friends also had for same day/time to bigger tables there also.  So what i am understanding here is that each room is only alllowed reservations equal to their category and cannot add more?  The fact that the World Cafe desk uses the same on line system that we must use to reserve before our cruise is bad enough news.  Oh dear, my friends are going to go ballistic.

[just_dont]

 

 

 

So what i am understanding here is that each room is only alllowed reservations equal to their category and cannot add more?  The fact that the World Cafe desk uses the same on line system that we must use to reserve before our cruise is bad enough news.  Oh dear, my friends are going to go ballistic.

 

No, it is definitely not a strict quota once onboard, and the crew DEFINITELY does not use the same system as we use to pre-book.

You and your friends can relax. You will be well taken care of. You will not be prevented from eating together, and you will be able to eat in whichever restaurant you want as often as you want.

 

Edit: The phone app, and especially the TV system in your cabin, are your friends.

 

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[TayanaLorna]

26 minutes ago, Portolan said:

This'll be our first cruise on Viking, so a question about one's reservation quota: as you exercise each reservation, does that allow an additional one to be booked?  We think we will like the Chef's table a lot and therefore booked it front-end loaded with the hope that as we use each reservation during the cruise, we'll have an opportunity to add another.

 

Not trying to be greedy and deny others the opportunity, but if there are later nights available after everyone has had a chance to exercise their quota (in advance or early on-board), it'd be nice to ensure that a table doesn't go empty

It is also possible to walk in without reservations and be seated.  If you go maybe 10-15 minutes after the reservation times which are half hour increments you may snag a table from a no show.    When we were on the Midnight Sun cruise at the Chefs Table especially, we noticed many empty tables.  At first i thought they were held for the next reservation block but there were still empty tables at each half hour increment.  Unless they dont allow walk-ins now...

[TayanaLorna]

6 minutes ago, just_dont said:

 

 

No, it is definitely not a strict quota once onboard, and the crew DEFINITELY does not use the same system as we use to pre-book.
You and your friends can relax. You will be well taken care of. You will not be prevented from eating together, and you will be able to eat in whichever restaurant you want as often as you want.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

 

Good to know.  Both your comments are helpful.  Thank you.  Just wait a day or so to give Veranda people a chance to reserve i figure as they cannot do so pre cruise.

[just_dont]

Good to know.  Both your comments are helpful.  Thank you.  Just wait a day or so to give Veranda people a chance to reserve i figure as they cannot do so pre cruise.

Honestly, the only crewmember on our cruise that I would in hindsight call unhelpful was the person manning the reservations table in the World Cafe on boarding day. Everyone else bent over backwards to help us with anything we needed or wanted.
Perhaps they are given guidance or rules that they have to follow on boarding day. I don't know.

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[DaveSJ711]

25 minutes ago, just_dont said:

 

 

 

 

 

No, it is definitely not a strict quota once onboard, and the crew DEFINITELY does not use the same system as we use to pre-book.

You and your friends can relax. You will be well taken care of. You will not be prevented from eating together, and you will be able to eat in whichever restaurant you want as often as you want.

 

Edit: The phone app, and especially the TV system in your cabin, are your friends.

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

This was our experience on the three Viking cruises we took last year.  I never heard anything about a quota once onboard.  Subject to availability (like the system at any nice restaurant), we were able to book slots whenever we wanted without regard to our room class.  No need to worry.

 

Tips:  Ask on the day of embarkation whether there are dining openings later in the cruise.  Also show up at the specialty restaurants themselves (ideally right before opening when they're not serving customers) and ask politely about making a booking.  The restaurants open at 6 pm, and you'll have better luck if you eat early rather than late.

[Portolan]

The posts regarding specialty reservations are very helpful.  Thanks, all!

[CCWineLover]

35 minutes ago, just_dont said:

Honestly, the only crewmember on our cruise that I would in hindsight call unhelpful was the person manning the reservations table in the World Cafe on boarding day. Everyone else bent over backwards to help us with anything we needed or wanted.
Perhaps they are given guidance or rules that they have to follow on boarding day. I don't know.

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I agree with you,  she was the only person we’ve encountered who was unhelpful and a gatekeeper.  Probably just following orders though.  

 

Of note, we also have been successful going standby at CT.  Especially at the back half of the cruise when many have cancelled and some just are no shows, liked tired or burned out or have discovered that CT is not for them.

[lackcreativity]

1 hour ago, TayanaLorna said:

Good to know.  Both your comments are helpful.  Thank you.  Just wait a day or so to give Veranda people a chance to reserve i figure as they cannot do so pre cruise.

Thank you, on behalf of all of us Veranda cabin guests! We accept that there are sacrifices we make to get the good deal on the Veranda cabins, and limited reservations and late sign-up for excursions are that price. However, we do love Chef's Table, so we appreciate that Viking initially seems to hold some spaces. While we haven't always been able to get our first choice of day and time, after three ocean cruises, we are quite satisfied with our experience. 

 

An additional plea, if guests who have changed their mind about a reservation in either specialty restaurant or on an excursion would use the Viking Voyager to cancel, it would make things easier for everyone!

Edited January 4, 2020 by lackcreativity

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, DaveSJ711 said:

 

This was our experience on the three Viking cruises we took last year.  I never heard anything about a quota once onboard.  Subject to availability (like the system at any nice restaurant), we were able to book slots whenever we wanted without regard to our room class.  No need to worry.

 

Tips:  Ask on the day of embarkation whether there are dining openings later in the cruise.  Also show up at the specialty restaurants themselves (ideally right before opening when they're not serving customers) and ask politely about making a booking.  The restaurants open at 6 pm, and you'll have better luck if you eat early rather than late.

 

Sometimes there is a quota system, especially on one week cruises where there are fewer slots to accommodate the same number of passengers.  Or on cruises that are made up of one week cruises segments.  

[CCWineLover]

5 hours ago, DaveSJ711 said:

 

This was our experience on the three Viking cruises we took last year.  I never heard anything about a quota once onboard.  Subject to availability (like the system at any nice restaurant), we were able to book slots whenever we wanted without regard to our room class.  No need to worry.

 

Yes in Our first 2 VOC’s there was no quota once you were onboard.  However the last two have employed a quota for reservations throughout the cruise, so it does differ.   The quota is 2 additional reservations beyond what you can prebook.

i personally have no issues with limiting reservations.  That helps give all cabins a chance.  My issue was that once you have reached your quota you cannot change a reservation nor see what is available.  And yes it all goes through the online reservation system, even at the World Cafe reservation desk.  Sounds like either procedures have changed or it is handled differently on different ships.

 

still - rather easy to just go standby at 6:00 pm .