Live from the Viking Star World Cruise 2021-22

[Heidi13]

1 minute ago, SJD117 said:

 

I understand how you feel! We adore our three cats and always look forward to seeing them when we return from a trip. We could never, ever leave them for four months at a time.

 

As to food presentations on WCs: By my calculation, each of these cruises represents upwards of $25 million in revenue for Viking. That's some serious coin. Money like that can buy a lot of chocolate displays. Perhaps shorter cruises are at the bottom of the food chain (pun intended) so they don't receive the special treatment that WCs receive.

 

Short cruises also don't have the number of sea days available, nor to they have the need to vary the menu for 120+ days. They also tend to remain in 1 region, so no options to vary the menu by the regions you visit.

 

The revenue may be $25M, but bunkers & crew costs take a huge chunk of that money. Based on costs per pax per day, a number of regions have higher revenue than World Cruises. Here is the cost per pax per day for Viking Neptune on consecutive sailings.

• World Cruise 22/23 - $542.46 pp/day
• UK/Scandinavia - $714.25 pp/day, so 4 months in Europe provides well over $30M revenue

Therefore, when not on a World Cruise, they have even more revenue for onboard activities, but not the sea days to prepare/present.

[TayanaLorna]

2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Just to fill in our experiences. We have had brunches twice. One was on the transatlantic and was held in the pool area, the other was our Asian Discovery cruise and was held throughout the pool as well as the Wintergarden.  I posted about one on my blog if you want to see pictures:

https://cruisinwithclay.wordpress.com/2019/04/07/brunch/

 

We have had chocolate buffets at least twice on our 5 Viking cruises.  Pictures are posted below. 
 

On the Asian cruise, they used the pool deck one evening for a “Street Food” festival. Lots of stations (like at a wedding reception) each serving a different small bite. 
 

On one cruise they had a fish and shrimp extravaganza again on the pool deck.  Mike and I both remember they were serving several dishes but we chowed down on grilled fish and grilled shrimp tacos. 
 

We also experienced an “American BBQ” night on the pool deck. This was probably the least successful in our memory. 
 

As I mentioned previously, there have been a number of theme nights in the World Cafe that usually involved a temporary cooking station being set up on the Aquavit Terrace serving a special dish. 
 

Between the special events and our favorite dishes (can you say chilled green pea soup), we often have trouble deciding where to eat…or have to make our own “progressive” dinner.  Appetizers one place and entree at another!

 

I remember you saying this before.  Perhaps that is why I was so anticipating having Something on many sea day cruises and our TA.  The only pool grill special was a surf & turf in the pool buffet area only with very limited selection of sides and 1 dessert.  We ate there and then went to the world cafe.

 

[Mich3554]

5 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

I remember you saying this before.  Perhaps that is why I was so anticipating having Something on many sea day cruises and our TA.  The only pool grill special was a surf & turf in the pool buffet area only with very limited selection of sides and 1 dessert.  We ate there and then went to the world cafe.

 

On out B2B2B, we had 2 fabulous brunches, seafood night at the pool, multiple themed nights.  I think I had lobster 5 nights in the 54 days we were on the ship.  The chocolate extravaganza we had on our South American cruise Christmas Eve.  

[sundaycreek]

4 minutes ago, Mich3554 said:

On out B2B2B, we had 2 fabulous brunches, seafood night at the pool, multiple themed nights.  I think I had lobster 5 nights in the 54 days we were on the ship.  The chocolate extravaganza we had on our South American cruise Christmas Eve.  

On the Southern Atlantic Crossing last November, there were King Crab legs at the World Cafe almost every night so I was in heaven.  On the day of the wonderful brunch, I had crab both for brunch and then that night for dinner!  I hope they have it regularly at the WC on next year’s World Cruise.

[Mich3554]

We have a fairly young dog and cat, but have chosen to go on the WC this Dec.  Even though we have fabulous dog and cat sitters for shorter cruises, my sister is going to house, dog and cat sit for us.  This actually serves a few purposes for both of us.  My sister wants out of MN and isn’t sure where she wants to go, and her employer has moved to a total WFH model from the pandemic.  She is tired of MN winters and will likely go south (not much further north she can go!) and it gives her a chance to save up a bigger chunk of change since she won’t be making a mortgage payment for 6 months.

[Mich3554]

1 minute ago, sundaycreek said:

On the Southern Atlantic Crossing last November, there were King Crab legs at the World Cafe almost every night so I was in heaven.  On the day of the wonderful brunch, I had crab both for brunch and then that night for dinner!  I hope they have it regularly at the WC on next year’s World Cruise.

I was on that cruise too, and they also had lobster.  I was contemplating replacing th3 crab cake Benedict for lobster!  
On every other ocean cruise we have been on, those crab legs have been on the buffet every night.

[ldpetrillo]

3 hours ago, SJD117 said:

 

I understand how you feel! We adore our three cats and always look forward to seeing them when we return from a trip. We could never, ever leave them for four months at a time.

 

As to food presentations on WCs: By my calculation, each of these cruises represents upwards of $25 million in revenue for Viking assuming 500 passengers per cruise and a $50K price per passenger (both estimates probably low). That's some serious coin. Money like that can buy a lot of chocolate displays. Perhaps shorter cruises are at the bottom of the food chain (pun intended) so they don't receive the special treatment that WCs receive.

Viking is losing a ton of money on this WC. I believe that the only reason Viking is running this WC is for the PR value. They can brag about keeping us safe and Covid free. However, the downside is that we are basically prisoners in our “bubble”. We can not associate with anyone nor can we go off on our own. Only time will tell if we as passengers made the right decision to stay on board. Right now, I agree with the people who got off or cancelled. We stayed on board because we were curious on what would happen. So far, the lockdown is a huge negative. 

[SJD117]

16 minutes ago, ldpetrillo said:

Viking is losing a ton of money on this WC. I believe that the only reason Viking is running this WC is for the PR value. They can brag about keeping us safe and Covid free. However, the downside is that we are basically prisoners in our “bubble”. We can not associate with anyone nor can we go off on our own. Only time will tell if we as passengers made the right decision to stay on board. Right now, I agree with the people who got off or cancelled. We stayed on board because we were curious on what would happen. So far, the lockdown is a huge negative. 

Viking may indeed be losing a ton of money, but they're still able to spend some of the coin on chocolate displays.

[TayanaLorna]

1 hour ago, sundaycreek said:

On the Southern Atlantic Crossing last November, there were King Crab legs at the World Cafe almost every night so I was in heaven.  On the day of the wonderful brunch, I had crab both for brunch and then that night for dinner!  I hope they have it regularly at the WC on next year’s World Cruise.

There has been King Crab Legs every night almost on each Viking cruise we have taken.  There was lobster a lot but I think I am the only person who does not like lobster.  Now scallops, oysters or little neck clams on the half shell...oh my.

[TayanaLorna]

1 hour ago, Mich3554 said:

We have a fairly young dog and cat, but have chosen to go on the WC this Dec.  Even though we have fabulous dog and cat sitters for shorter cruises, my sister is going to house, dog and cat sit for us.  This actually serves a few purposes for both of us.  My sister wants out of MN and isn’t sure where she wants to go, and her employer has moved to a total WFH model from the pandemic.  She is tired of MN winters and will likely go south (not much further north she can go!) and it gives her a chance to save up a bigger chunk of change since she won’t be making a mortgage payment for 6 months.

Good for you, your pets and your sister.

[cruiselvr04]

That sea lion picture was so awesome!  Just wow!  And yes I want know what camera you’re using.   
 

My sister and family lived in Vina Del Mar for about 10 years.  Went through a major earthquake while there.  She loved it.  Sadly we never got there as we were all raising kids at the time.  
 

I’d be sad to be on a world cruise and have to stay in the bubble and I do understand the disappointment.   We are taking a short cruise to the Caribbean this month and know it might turn into many sea days.  A day at sea is still better then cooking and cleaning and the ice storm that will keep us in for the next 3 days though!

[Jim Avery]

I believe the special events are more prevalent on a WC but seem to also depend on which Chef is onboard.  Some are definitely better than others.

[Captain Ricky]

54 minutes ago, ldpetrillo said:

Viking is losing a ton of money on this WC. I believe that the only reason Viking is running this WC is for the PR value. They can brag about keeping us safe and Covid free. However, the downside is that we are basically prisoners in our “bubble”. We can not associate with anyone nor can we go off on our own. Only time will tell if we as passengers made the right decision to stay on board. Right now, I agree with the people who got off or cancelled. We stayed on board because we were curious on what would happen. So far, the lockdown is a huge negative. 

On the other hand they are keeping the ship going and protecting their capital investment.  An idle ship deteriorates, a moving ship is healthier.  My guess is that they are losing money overall but when you consider the capital investment and depreciation running the cruise has advantages aside from the PR value and customer loyalty, which is also a consideration.  Anyone reading this string and the blog posts coming from this cruise is bound to come away with a favorable view of Viking.  I am an HAL world cruiser, obviously sitting it out this year, but this string has me thinking about Viking.

[OnTheJourney]

9 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

And there is the property and our trails...the grass and vines would cover them in no time

Exactly. Same situation here. I take care of woods paths that are not even ON my property - really long complicated story. It's on Fish and Boat Commission property but was at one time under the auspices of the local county, (who took care of the maintenance) in which there is a small lake. It was owned by F&B but leased to the county. There was a falling out that resulted in the county washing their hands of any further responsibility. I simply couldn't see the paths revert back to a wild state (especially since I use them) so I became a one-man maintenance crew for probably a half-mile or so of various paths. Not sure how much longer I can do it. All that besides my own property. Luckily the paths are walking distance from our house. 

Edited February 3, 2022 by OnTheJourney

[GKTV32162]

World Cruise Day 41/152 - I go, you go, we all go, to Santiago!

 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/02/world-cruise-day-41152-i-go-you-go-we.html

[stretchcruz]

2 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

World Cruise Day 41/152 - I go, you go, we all go, to Santiago!

 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/02/world-cruise-day-41152-i-go-you-go-we.html

I love the blog. Question....the 25 entertainers that they brought onboard...how did they handle Covid testing and protocols? Do you know? Also, you said that normally you aren't up until after 8 in the morning. You don't have to do the Covid tests before 8? We are on the Orion March 23 to April 17 and I'm dreading having to get up that early. Thanks!! Enjoying your reports and pictures!

[Twitchly]

On 1/31/2022 at 3:35 PM, SJD117 said:

My wife and I stayed in hostels (private rooms) during our trip 10 years ago to New Zealand's South Island. Great fun! But my wife will never, ever let me do that again.  😆

Yeah, years ago I traveled home slowly over a period of about 6 months after leaving a job in a refugee camp in the Philippines. My limited budget kept me in some pretty primitive lodgings along the way, and I had to find some creative ways to get around. (Flying from Hong Kong to London for $25, for example, as an express airmail courier.) But I was young and up for the challenges, and I wouldn’t change a thing about that trip. I also can’t imagine repeating it today. That said, I certainly can’t afford a world cruise, so if I ever decided I simply had to go on one, I could envision doing something creative to manage it. In the meantime, I’ll live vicariously through these great blogs.

[GKTV32162]

4 hours ago, stretchcruz said:

I love the blog. Question....the 25 entertainers that they brought onboard...how did they handle Covid testing and protocols? Do you know? Also, you said that normally you aren't up until after 8 in the morning. You don't have to do the Covid tests before 8? We are on the Orion March 23 to April 17 and I'm dreading having to get up that early. Thanks!! Enjoying your reports and pictures!

Per the cruise director, all of them had to go through multiple tests before they were allowed to board. No details were given other than that. Given how strict Viking is, I'm sure they were heavily vetted for compliance to Viking's standards before they were booked to perform.

 

As for the saliva test, I usually am up earlier for a...let's call it comfort visit...and do mine then. Then, I get Arlona up just before 8, she does hers, we put them on a magnet clip and slap it on the outside of the door and climb back in bed for another 30 minutes or so.  We've seen several rooms that put them out before they go to bed. You just can't eat or drink anything nor brush your teeth 30 minutes before doing the test.

[TayanaLorna]

4 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

Per the cruise director, all of them had to go through multiple tests before they were allowed to board. No details were given other than that. Given how strict Viking is, I'm sure they were heavily vetted for compliance to Viking's standards before they were booked to perform.

 

As for the saliva test, I usually am up earlier for a...let's call it comfort visit...and do mine then. Then, I get Arlona up just before 8, she does hers, we put them on a magnet clip and slap it on the outside of the door and climb back in bed for another 30 minutes or so.  We've seen several rooms that put them out before they go to bed. You just can't eat or drink anything nor brush your teeth 30 minutes before doing the test.

We saw lots of saliva test bags sitting on the floor outside of room doors when we would go to breakfast.

[cruiselvr04]

What a fun job to collect and test all those saliva tubes!  

[Jim Avery]

Pretty gross!  But they put the labs and techs on the ships and they are darn well gonna use them.  I hope this is not a permanent "perk" of Viking cruises going forward but I imagine this will be the norm until the great day when the cadre of lawyers say it is "safe" to stop....😱🍸

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

They can test me all they want.  It's no big deal to provide a sample (was by 8:30 this past summer) and I suspect it's no big deal for those techs to process saliva samples.  They're used to handling more than just saliva.  Mr. Hagan is a smart man.  Now his ships are able to go lots of places, even if a country requires a PCR test within the past 24 hours.  He doesn't have to worry about sending tests out and getting results back in time for a ship to open its doors. This summer I'm cruising on another line to (hopefully) multiple countries with currently multiple requirements.  In a way I wish it were Viking, as  missing any port, whether due to weather or Covid, is disappointing.  But travel doesn't always go as planned. 

[PeabodyMa]

7 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

Per the cruise director, all of them had to go through multiple tests before they were allowed to board. No details were given other than that. Given how strict Viking is, I'm sure they were heavily vetted for compliance to Viking's standards before they were booked to perform.

 

As for the saliva test, I usually am up earlier for a...let's call it comfort visit...and do mine then. Then, I get Arlona up just before 8, she does hers, we put them on a magnet clip and slap it on the outside of the door and climb back in bed for another 30 minutes or so.  We've seen several rooms that put them out before they go to bed. You just can't eat or drink anything nor brush your teeth 30 minutes before doing the test.

Nice. Did Viking provide the magnet clip?

[Mich3554]

3 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

We saw lots of saliva test bags sitting on the floor outside of room doors when we would go to breakfast.

We did this when we did not want to be disturbed.  Saliva was collected between 8:30-9.

[GKTV32162]

40 minutes ago, PeabodyMa said:

Nice. Did Viking provide the magnet clip?

Nope - we brought several to hang things on the wall.  Most folks just set them on the ground outside their door.