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UK Only Viking Venus Cruise


NeilP57
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25 minutes ago, Minnie29 said:

This all sounds perfect and we are very much looking forward to experiencing Viking and their beautiful ship.

We had a look at all the cabins but the Penthouse verandah cabin seemed the perfect fit.

We are waiting to see what excursions are available but probably won't bother getting off the ship at Falmouth as we live in Cornwall and as a child spent many weekends at Falmouth and the South coast.

What are your opinions of the two specialist restaurants? They both sound fantastic!!

 

We enjoy both of them, although DW isn't overly adventurous, so only a couple of the pairing menus work. However, we thoroughly enjoy the ability to reserve either of the 2 private rooms for dinner/games nights, birthday parties, anniversaries, etc. We have also been in the Chef's Table Private Room, but dined from the Manfredi's menu, as it suited the majority.

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We like them both but enjoy Chef’s Table more than Manfredi’s. Being able to try different small tastings of so many types of food appeals to us (though that ribeye in Manfredi’s is awfully good!). There was only one menu we didn’t particularly care for and it was on our 2018 cruise and I noticed that menu has been changed now and the things we didn’t like are no longer on it. Our favorite menu to date has been “Lotus”-its Asian fusion. Spicy soft shell crabs is one of the appetizers and Thai flavored lamb chops are the main. We liked them so much (and the waiter could tell) that a second plate of the ribs magically appeared! 
 

The other foods that we make sure to have aboard are the grilled lamb chops in The Dining Room for breakfast, sushi/shrimp/crab at The World Cafe, and the pistachio raisin bun at The Living Room. 
 

Enjoy your cruise!  

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11 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

We like them both but enjoy Chef’s Table more than Manfredi’s. Being able to try different small tastings of so many types of food appeals to us (though that ribeye in Manfredi’s is awfully good!).

 

Enjoy your cruise!  

Yes, please enjoy your cruise!  Like Clay, we thoroughly enjoyed Chef's Table more than Manfredi's . . .  mostly because it represented something we dont' normally get at home, whereas Manfredi's. although just fine, to us was no different than any nice Italian restaurant at home.   And we also enjoyed the wonderful different tastings and varieties.  Over the course of 4 cruises, we found that Viking seemed to be trying new meals and adding some additional variety. 

As a note - the Chef's Table is definitely great for those who enjoy wine, as it is really a wine pairing for each course of the meal.  If wine is not your suit, then it might not have the same magic for you.  We felt also that Chef's Table was less hectic and the waiters always had time to talk with us, whereas Manfredi's was so busy the waiters barely stopped to breathe!

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We booked today fro the 29 May sailing and it is great to have something to look forward to at last! Having previously enjoyed Viking River cruises it will be interesting to experience Viking Ocean, although not sure Portsmouth to Portsmouth would be the ideal choice. Having sailed lots with Regent and Seabourn it will be interesting to compare, although will take fully into account the limited itinerary.

I wondered how Viking will crew the ship given restrictions on international travel? Still, that's their problem and although I appreciate all the potential problems it seems an awfully big adventure!

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On 3/19/2021 at 7:59 PM, Minnie29 said:

This all sounds perfect and we are very much looking forward to experiencing Viking and their beautiful ship.

We had a look at all the cabins but the Penthouse verandah cabin seemed the perfect fit.

We are waiting to see what excursions are available but probably won't bother getting off the ship at Falmouth as we live in Cornwall and as a child spent many weekends at Falmouth and the South coast.

What are your opinions of the two specialist restaurants? They both sound fantastic!!

As others have said, Manfredi’s is good but the Chef’s Table is a slightly more original dining experience. They have a range of ‘standard’ menus (Asian, Chinese, Mexican) plus some inspired by individual destinations. In Stockholm we had a Scandinavian menu – interesting food and the ‘wine’ paired with the amuse bouche was actually aquavit spirit which burnt the throat and didn’t exactly cleanse the palette! If you are on the Silver Spirits drink package or pay a one-off $25 supplement per person you get the wine pairings – otherwise I think you just get the standard house wine.

 

Not quite sure what they’d include in a destination menu for an England-only cruise – perhaps something pasty based in Falmouth or scouse (stew) in Liverpool. Whatever is on the menu I’m sure it will be very good.

 

David

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19 minutes ago, Janet&David said:

As others have said, Manfredi’s is good but the Chef’s Table is a slightly more original dining experience. They have a range of ‘standard’ menus (Asian, Chinese, Mexican) plus some inspired by individual destinations. In Stockholm we had a Scandinavian menu – interesting food and the ‘wine’ paired with the amuse bouche was actually aquavit spirit which burnt the throat and didn’t exactly cleanse the palette! If you are on the Silver Spirits drink package or pay a one-off $25 supplement per person you get the wine pairings – otherwise I think you just get the standard house wine.

 

Not quite sure what they’d include in a destination menu for an England-only cruise – perhaps something pasty based in Falmouth or scouse (stew) in Liverpool. Whatever is on the menu I’m sure it will be very good.

 

David

On our Chilean Fjords/Cape Horn trip, there was a Chefs Table England menu.  I don't recall what it consisted of as we didn't have it.  Maybe someone else does.

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We enjoyed “Taste of Britain”, one of the English menus on our half Transatlantic last year. It was originally developed for the World Cruise by Chef Karen S Burns-Booth who was aboard and served it. We really enjoyed it.  I’ve pasted a photo of the menu below.   If you would like to read my blog post that describes it in detail and includes pictures of each course, Chef’s bio and the wine list you can do so here: https://cruisinwithclay.wordpress.com/2020/03/13/taste-of-britain/

CE748B48-208F-433C-A77B-015A8D56F93C.jpeg

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2 hours ago, Janet&David said:

If you are on the Silver Spirits drink package or pay a one-off $25 supplement per person you get the wine pairings – otherwise I think you just get the standard house wine.

Even if you don't have the drinks package or pay the supplemental fee for that meal in Chef's Table, you still get five different wines, paired to each course. It is different from the daily selection served in the other dining venues, just not the premiere wines served for the upgrade.

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3 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

On our Chilean Fjords/Cape Horn trip, there was a Chefs Table England menu.  I don't recall what it consisted of as we didn't have it.  Maybe someone else does.

Thanks TayanaLorna and Clay....

On our Dec/Jan Chilean Fjords/Cape Horn trip we didn't get to experience the England menu - I don't believe it had been introduced yet on the Jupiter - so you all were fortunate.  The menu and pictures look great, so certainly hope that we'll see it in the future!

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3 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

On our Chilean Fjords/Cape Horn trip, there was a Chefs Table England menu.  I don't recall what it consisted of as we didn't have it.  Maybe someone else does.

 

On the Chef's Table menu rotation we had 2 separate British menus. I recall one of the starters was a Scotch Egg and the main courses were fish & chips and bangers & mash. The one dessert I recall was trifle.

 

While the dishes were iconic British dishes, the chefs certainly used some culinary discretion in both the ingredients and preparation. The bangers were more like a European Bratwurst than a proper British Banger. Not sure what the trifle was, mostly just cream, but certainly it didn't resemble any British trifle I've ever seen.

 

While not what we expected, it was an enjoyable meal & experience.

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1 hour ago, Minnie29 said:

 

What are your recommendations for breakfast?

Waffles with piles of berries, late morning, in Mamsens!   Oh how I wish I was there... maybe next year if things are a bit safer.

 

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2 hours ago, Minnie29 said:

Thanks Clay. The menu looks delicious and the afternoon tea looks interesting too.

We will most definately book both Manfredi's and the Chef's table for our cruise.

What are your recommendations for breakfast?

We tend to rotate between The World Cafe and The Restaurant depending on timing and our plans for the day. You can see my usual breakfast in The Restaurant below.  I always order the grilled lamb chops and usually make a stop at the Living Room and pick up a pistachio raisin bun.The Restaurant has a huge bread basket that is passed but it doesn’t include these and while I’m sure if I asked they would go get it, I figure climbing the steps to get it myself cuts at least one of the calories. I’m not a fan of any of the breakfast potatoes in the Restaurant but upstairs at the World Cafe they have some luscious ones that are made with lots of onions that I usually get if we are having a hot breakfast.  More typical up there is a big bowl of fruit or musli and a bagel with all the fixings. 

E5C8E577-FAFD-4B68-A849-96274D5051FA.jpeg

Edited by Clay Clayton
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1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

We tend to rotate between The World Cafe and The Restaurant depending on timing and our plans for the day. You can see my usual breakfast in The Restaurant below.  I always order the grilled lamb chops and usually make a stop at the Living Room and pick up a pistachio raisin bun.The Restaurant has a huge bread basket that is passed but it doesn’t include these and while I’m sure if I asked they would go get it, I figure climbing the steps to get it myself cuts at least one of the calories. I’m not a fan of any of the breakfast potatoes in the Restaurant but upstairs at the World Cafe they have some luscious ones that are made with lots of onions that I usually get if we are having a hot breakfast.  More typical up there is a big bowl of fruit or musli and a bagel with all the fixings. 

E5C8E577-FAFD-4B68-A849-96274D5051FA.jpeg

 

Rare lamb chops and 2 poachie, brekky of champions. Didn't have them every day, probably every couple of weeks.

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We are Viking Ocean novices, and wonder if we can ask a few questions of detail.

 

First, our history.  We hadn't had a contact from Viking as many of you did (possibly because we have only sailed longships) but I phoned on Saturday and was able to make a booking for the cruise of our choice.  By then only Penthouse Veranda and above available, but that's fine, especially in view of the number of cruises lost in the last 12 months.

 

The Penthouse description mentions that the refrigerator has alcohol.  Does this have to be paid for, as in a hotel, or is it included and refreshed?  What does it consist of?

 

Is the Silver drinks package worth buying?  It isn't obvious that there will even be a Captain's reception on these cruises!  We note what has been said about the flights of wine at the Chef's Table.

 

Are the Speciality Restaurants free (apart from those drinks in the previous paragraph)?  Something I saw mentioned reservations at the speciality restaurants and then separately at "restaurants".  Does the Café turn into a different kind of restaurant (not self-service) in the evenings, as I was told that it probably wouldn't be open for breakfast and lunch?  Is it really open dining in the Restaurant, or does everyone rush in at once, as on the river boats?

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26 minutes ago, MikeD1000 said:

We are Viking Ocean novices, and wonder if we can ask a few questions of detail.

MikeD1000 - I know many on this thread can answer your questions, but I also want to point you towards a specific thread for New Viking Cruisers.  It's really long but answers many of your questions.

Tips for New Viking Ocean Cruisers - Page 45 - Viking Ocean - Cruise Critic Community

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15 minutes ago, MikeD1000 said:

We are Viking Ocean novices, and wonder if we can ask a few questions of detail.

 

Prepare yourselves to likely be smitten!

 

First, our history.  We hadn't had a contact from Viking as many of you did (possibly because we have only sailed longships) but I phoned on Saturday and was able to make a booking for the cruise of our choice.  By then only Penthouse Veranda and above available, but that's fine, especially in view of the number of cruises lost in the last 12 months.

 

The Penthouse description mentions that the refrigerator has alcohol.  Does this have to be paid for, as in a hotel, or is it included and refreshed?  What does it consist of?

 

No, the alcohol and everything in the fridge drawer is complimentary.  It will typically have four? Mini bottles and an equal amount of canned soda. Which will be refilled each day. We leave a note in the drawer for the refiller (a different crew member than your room steward) with our preferences-gin and vodka, tonic and Coke Zero and by Day 2 they usually have it sorted out. 

 

Is the Silver drinks package worth buying?  It isn't obvious that there will even be a Captain's reception on these cruises!  We note what has been said about the flights of wine at the Chef's Table. 
 

While the SS package price is quite reasonable, we have found that it isn’t worthwhile for us  my DH isn’t a big drinker ams given the very reasonable prices of cocktails onboard (much less than other cruise lines) we have found it is not worth it financially   I will say I miss the social interaction that I had when we had the package and would sit at the various bars a lot more  Viking doesn’t have the typical Captain’s Cocktail parties and such that you find on other lines-no karoke or bingo either😊  If you join the roll call die your cruise, Viking typically does have a Meet & Mingle where complimentary cocktails and hors d’ouvres will be passed.  That is as close to a Captains Gala you will see  

 

15 minutes ago, MikeD1000 said:

 

Are the Speciality Restaurants free (apart from those drinks in the previous paragraph)? 
 

yes

 

Something I saw mentioned reservations at the speciality restaurants and then separately at "restaurants". 

 

There has been forecasting on these boards that while previously reservations could not be made at The Restaurant (Viking’s MDR) that this may be changing post-Covid. Until these sailings take place I don’t think anyone will be able to fully respond to your question. 
 

Does the Café turn into a different kind of restaurant (not self-service) in the evenings, as I was told that it probably wouldn't be open for breakfast and lunch?
 

Prior to COVID it was open for all three meals and other than being often augmented on the Aquavit Terrace with a local specialty  (grilled seafood, Mexican Night, etc) it has always been self service although many dishes are made to order. 

 

 it really open dining in the Restaurant, or does everyone rush in at once, as on the river boats? Pre Covid it was really open dining during the hours it was open.  There were often 3-8 couples waiting for a table but that seemed to always be a matter of how many seaters they had and not a lack of tables  This is one of the areas that I suspect will change to provide foe social distancing  

See my responses above-keep in mind all reflect pre-Covid procedures 

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5 minutes ago, MikeD1000 said:

We are Viking Ocean novices, and wonder if we can ask a few questions of detail.

 

First, our history.  We hadn't had a contact from Viking as many of you did (possibly because we have only sailed longships) but I phoned on Saturday and was able to make a booking for the cruise of our choice.  By then only Penthouse Veranda and above available, but that's fine, especially in view of the number of cruises lost in the last 12 months.

 

The Penthouse description mentions that the refrigerator has alcohol.  Does this have to be paid for, as in a hotel, or is it included and refreshed?  What does it consist of?

 

Is the Silver drinks package worth buying?  It isn't obvious that there will even be a Captain's reception on these cruises!  We note what has been said about the flights of wine at the Chef's Table.

 

Are the Speciality Restaurants free (apart from those drinks in the previous paragraph)?  Something I saw mentioned reservations at the speciality restaurants and then separately at "restaurants".  Does the Café turn into a different kind of restaurant (not self-service) in the evenings, as I was told that it probably wouldn't be open for breakfast and lunch?  Is it really open dining in the Restaurant, or does everyone rush in at once, as on the river boats?

The alcohol in your cabin will be refilled on a daily basis - except the bottle of champagne.  You can request what type of alcohol you wish if the mix is not to your liking.  That goes for the soda or mixers also.  Just ask your room steward.  There is no charge for it in the Penthouse Veranda cabin.

 

There is much opinion about the Silver Spirits Package.  It depends on what and how much you drink.  The cost per day has been about $20 US per person and includes tips.  A mixed drink, glass of wine or champagne, a beer at any of the bars ranges from $5-$8 per drink with higher end alcohols up to $15.  The high end scotch, cognacs or armagnacs can be found in the nightclub Torshavn and can be even more.  SSP includes drinks up to $15.  Wine and beer selection of the day is freely poured during lunch and dinner at all restaurants.  So it depends on what you enjoy.  If you enjoy a pre dinner cocktail at a bar, premium wine during dinner, an after dinner drink and then go to the nightclub perhaps it is worthwhile.  There was never a Captains Reception with free drinks on our cruises.  There was a Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle with free drinks and appetizers for those on the cruise's Roll Call but i dont know if this will be continued with Covid.

 

Reservations have always been required for both Madfredis and Chefs Table, the 2 specialty restaurants.  The Restaurant was always walk in with the most crowded time 6:30-7:30 pm.  However, i believe The Restaurant is going to have reservation so that social distancing can be organized.  The World Cafe is walk in and the only restaurant always open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Manfredis and World Cafe are dinner only.  The Restaurant is sometimes open for breakfast and lunch but not usually on port intensive days.

 

Have you installed My Viking Journey?  Many of your questions can be explored there.

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Thanks to all who have replied - most helpful.

 

Unfortunately My Viking Journey is being refurbished, we're told, and not currently available.  Perhaps by the end of the week they say.  A pity, given that they've had a fallow year to do all that.

 

My wife says I should have mentioned that we are quite seasoned cruisers, just not Viking Ocean (yet).  

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10 minutes ago, MikeD1000 said:

Thanks to all who have replied - most helpful.

 

Unfortunately My Viking Journey is being refurbished, we're told, and not currently available.  Perhaps by the end of the week they say.  A pity, given that they've had a fallow year to do all that.

 

My wife says I should have mentioned that we are quite seasoned cruisers, just not Viking Ocean (yet).  

That’s the best kind of Viking fans, those who have lots of other cruise lines to compare to.😎

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Thank you all for so much information. We too have booked a Penthouse veranda and are new to Viking, having cruised with Cunard and Celebrity previously. 
We are very much looking forward to the cruise and experiencing the Viking difference

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