Day-by-Day account of our recent Viking Jupiter (Viking Homelands) cruise

[SailorPaulH]

This was our first ever VOC cruise and after reviewing our notes and photos here are our lasting impressions:

 

DAY 1 - 9/10/22, Stockholm (Sweden)

 

We knew the first day was going to be tough as our flight schedule had been updated. We flew from Newark, NJ to Frankfurt, Germany (Lufthansa - overnight) as anticipated arriving early morning local time. Instead of an original 2 hour layover we had instead a 6.5 hour layover for our connecting Lufthansa flight to Stockholm. Lufthansa had re-schedule or changed flights after a few weeks of strategic strikes by staff. We made the best of it - having a nice Italian breakfast at the airport upon arrival, followed by snacks and German beer before departure to Stockholm. We were not the only late arrivals to Viking Jupiter as about 50-60 passengers were bussed at our time of arrival from Stockholm Arlanda to the ship's berth. Embarkation was very efficient and uneventful and we were finally in our cabin around 5:45 pm on Day 1 (Sept 10th). Residual jet lag, the need to unpack and to have something to eat basically eliminated any opportunity to venture into Stockholm that evening.

 

First impression of cabin: excellent and elegantly simple. Plenty of room for storage, and a sizeable, comfortable bathroom. We met our cabin attendants for the first time - cheerful, attentive and helpful (they would get an A+ from me and I made sure to let Customer Services know how great these two people were). They quickly took care of our first request - replacing the hard booze in our fridge with a preference for replenishment with red wine. After freshening up, we decided to eat in the World Cafe that evening. This was the only time we ate in the World Cafe at dinner time on the cruise, but I think the selection and quality makes it a perfectly viable dinner alternative. I would go to World Cafe for dinner more frequently if left to my own devices, but I had agreed with DW that dinner would be The Restaurant (or Manfredi's) on this cruise.

 

Over the next two weeks our dining habits turned out as follows:

 

• Early Coffee/Snacks: Viking Bar
• Breakfast: World Cafe or Room Service (on Sea Days, early Shore Excursion departure days, Dis-embarkation day). Room service was punctual and the food was always hot where appropriate.
• Lunch: World Cafe, sometimes Pool Grill. We had two lunches on-shore (Oslo, Bergen) when doing our own thing, and we had three lunches during Viking Shore excursions [Stockholm, Berlin, Flam (Voss)] - more on these in later reports.
• Afternoon: occasionally Wintergarden when Shore Excursion schedule allowed
• Dinner: World Cafe (once), The Restaurant (ten times), Manfredi's (three times). We decided not to do Chef's Table (allegies to certain dishes on all 5 rotating menus made that decision for us and we preferred the variety available at other menus). Overall. I would say our dining experience was very good (and occasionally excellent).

 

There were a few duds along the way (one overcooked steak, a couple of chewy pasta dishes and a couple other minor items) but we enjoyed the variety and I think the quality is high. We thought Manfredi's was very average as an Italian restaurant goes but as I mentioned elsewhere I live close to some great Italian restaurants so I am spoiled in this regard - we may even just skip Manfredi's on our next cruise. For what it is worth here are our grades:

 

• World Cafe: A-
• Room Service (breakfast): A-
• Mamsen's/Wintergarden: A
• The Restaurant: B+
• Manfredi's: B-

 

I will add the future day reviews (Day 2 being our first real ventures) as time allows.
 

Edited October 2, 2022 by SailorPaulH
typos

[Sleep7]

👋Hi SailorPaulH!

I am enjoying your review.. first thing I noticed was that big fancy cabin! 😊

A 6 hour layover after a transatlantic flight is A LOT but it's nice to hear you made the best of it.

Totally agree that the World Cafe is "dinnerworthy."

Looking forward to your future posts.

 

[CCWineLover]

Yes - what a nice, well-written review - and just for Day 1!   Don't forget to spend some time enjoying the cruise and not too much putting the daily reviews together 🙂

We've always enjoyed the World Cafe - it has the best views!  Hoping you'll get to experience it more on future cruises.  We've also enjoyed Mamsen's at breakfast and Pool Grill for very informal lunch.  We've often brought the hamburgers or ahi steaks from the pool grill into the World Cafe and added additional items to the plate!  (Especially if it was hot out by the pool!).

Look forward to your trip reports!

[SailorPaulH]

44 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Yes - what a nice, well-written review - and just for Day 1!   Don't forget to spend some time enjoying the cruise and not too much putting the daily reviews together 🙂

 

Just to avoid any confusion I may have created - we have returned home from our cruise and I am adding some reports as I have the time. We loved the cruise!

[duquephart]

"DAY 1 - 9/10/22" did provide a clue.

[Spurlady]

I appreciate your reviews.  We are less than 300 days out😁 from this cruise.

[Azulann]

Where did the Viking Jupiter dock in Stockholm.? Was it close? We will be  departing from Stockholm in June 2023 on the Jupiter, after three days on our own pre - cruise.

Glad you liked  Mamsen , it is one of my favorites for breakfast or lunch. The Explorer lounge is such a wonderful space  with views of sea and sky always. 

[SailorPaulH]

28 minutes ago, Azulann said:

Where did the Viking Jupiter dock in Stockholm.? Was it close? We will be  departing from Stockholm in June 2023 on the Jupiter, after three days on our own pre - cruise.

Glad you liked  Mamsen , it is one of my favorites for breakfast or lunch. The Explorer lounge is such a wonderful space  with views of sea and sky always. 

On our cruise we were docked at Stadsgarden Cruise Ship Terminal. It's very close to Gaml Stan (the old town).

Edited October 2, 2022 by SailorPaulH

[SailorPaulH]

DAY 2 - 9/11/22, Stockholm (Sweden) & Departure

 

Our time in Stockholm would be limited, so we had decided on taking the optional excursion, "Vasa Museum & Stockholm by Boat". After a brief motor coach ride through Stockholm we reached the island of Djurgarden to visit the Vasa Museum. This is a beautiful, expansive museum dedicated to the recovery and history of a 17th century Swedish warship that sank on its maiden voyage (less than a mile from port) in 1628. The sunken ship was recovered in 1961 and the remarkably intact and preserved ship is now on display in this museum.

 

From here our guide took us to a nearby restaurant (Villa Godthem) for a traditional Swedish lunch - including Swedish meatballs: very enjoyable. We returned to Viking Jupiter by way of a harbor tourist boat that allowed us to see various sights from a different perspective.

 

So our cruise proper began at about 2:30 pm local time and Jupiter made its way to open sea via the Stockholm Archipelago - this is great sail-away and a delight for photographers. The weather has been holding up nicely - any reports of rain (typical for Scandinavian Fall) have been proven false so far.

 

Dinner at The Restaurant was very good - I had Poached Salmon (from the always available menu) and DW went with the Boar Sausage Ragout. We soon came to the conclusion that the extra calories from the desserts could become a problem - especially as we had planned some late night gelato raids at the World Cafe. So we repledged ourselves to being as active as possible on this cruise!

 

That evening. we saw a Full Moon rise with the planet Jupiter in close attendance.

[SailorPaulH]

DAY 3 - 9/12/22, Mariehamn, Aland Islands (Finland)

 

Today was an early sail in to the port city of Mariehamn in the Aland Islands. Mariehamn is a substitute port of call on the Viking Homelands cruise when earlier this year - as has been well-documented - Viking removed St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Tallinn from the itinerary in view of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

 

Aland is a sparsely populated (about 30,000) autonomous region of Finland. Its official language is Swedish and like Finland (but unlike Sweden) has the Euro as its currency. Aland has some 6,700 islands in its archipelago, of which about 60 are inhabited. The capital city of Mariehamn (population about 12,000) is an important ferry port - not only for commutes between various smaller islands, but also as a point of contact with Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn.

 

We docked just before sunrise - a deft spin around and reverse parking by Captain Larsen.

 

After breakfast at World Cafe, we set out on our optional excursion, "Aland Islands by Bike." This was one of two bike excursions we had planned for this cruise. The Excursion menu for Mariehamn seemed a little sparse, but we had chosen this excursion as part of our pledge to keep active (both DW and I are active hikers and bikers). Our guide (of Finnish descent) was very knowledgeable about her home islands and led us (about 15 cyclists) off on a tour of the town and then out to the countryside. Just a word of warning: the generic bikes on this excursion are not that comfortable and shake the bones somewhat (a far cry from my road and mountain bikes at home), but the trade-off is fresh air, beautiful Scandinavian Fall weather and a pleasant ride through the Alandic countryside (specifically the Jarso peninsula).

 

During the return by bike to the Jupiter, we stopped at a small cafe/inn called Solhem for cake and coffee (picture - DW is in the foreground on the white bike at this location). By the time we got back to the ship, we had cycled about 12-13 miles.

 

After lunch at World Cafe, DW set off for her pre-booked massage at the Spa, I decided to try the included amenities at the Spa for myself. Originally, I was going to try this a novelty, but ended up using the Spa 6-7 times over 2 weeks, getting into the various hot/cold/hot/cold cycles. This felt great after long walks and bike tours. I wish Viking would have this Spa open after 8 pm - it would be a great experience before turning in for the night.

 

Today was our first venture into Wintergarden - we enjoyed it a lot and met some nice couples there.

 

Dinner again at the Restaurant was very good - followed by an additional raid for gelato at the World Cafe.
 

[LindaS272]

2 hours ago, SailorPaulH said:

I wish Viking would have this Spa open after 8 pm - it would be a great experience before turning in for the night.

My understanding, from one of our stewards pre-Covid, is that the staff gets to use the thermal spa in the late evenings. 🏄🏻‍♀️🏊‍♀️🤽🏼‍♀️🚣

[SailorPaulH]

DAY 4 - 9/13/2022, Sea Day

 

Today we had Room Service Breakfast for an easy start to the day. With a Sea Day ahead of us we decided to combine decadence with activity. We would get a lot of walking in today - using the Promenade on Deck 2, and also the open air Decks 8 & 9. After our first walk, we took some time at the Spa (hot tub, pool, etc.) before heading to the Pool Grill for lunch (a nice venue and with the weather being nice enough, the pool roof was opened partially).

 

A note about the included house wines (and beer) - there was sufficient changes day by day and not a single poor choice overall through the two weeks that I rarely ordered anything during the trip except for 1-2 beers. Also, our cabin staff had substituted red wine in our cabin instead of the unwanted hard booze. Our bar tab at the end was mainly some pre-dinner cocktails ordered by DW, so as we suspected the drinks package was not a worthwhile option for us.

 

Some more deck walking after lunch, before we hit up Wintergarden again (and somehow a piece of apple cake from Mamsen's also found its way to me).

 

This evening was our first visit to Manfredi's. Staff was great, met some nice people at a neighboring table. Overall, we felt Manfredi's was OK, but not up to the hype. Nevertheless, we decided to give them another try and kept our two other reservations for Manfredi's active. The pasta dishes in particular were a miss on this evening. I do like that you can order half-portions at this venue.

 

One thing we found was that with the schedule we were keeping, we never fit in any of the on-board entertainment (e.g., the concerts in the Star Theater) or the Port Talks. However, we would take in some info in our room at night about upcoming ports and excursions, etc. There was one solo guitarist/singer we would catch at various venues around the ship (Explorer Lounge, Pool ...) who was quite good.
 

[Iloveketo]

On 10/2/2022 at 2:34 PM, SailorPaulH said:

This was our first ever VOC cruise and after reviewing our notes and photos here are our lasting impressions:

 

DAY 1 - 9/10/22, Stockholm (Sweden)

 

We knew the first day was going to be tough as our flight schedule had been updated. We flew from Newark, NJ to Frankfurt, Germany (Lufthansa - overnight) as anticipated arriving early morning local time. Instead of an original 2 hour layover we had instead a 6.5 hour layover for our connecting Lufthansa flight to Stockholm. Lufthansa had re-schedule or changed flights after a few weeks of strategic strikes by staff. We made the best of it - having a nice Italian breakfast at the airport upon arrival, followed by snacks and German beer before departure to Stockholm. We were not the only late arrivals to Viking Jupiter as about 50-60 passengers were bussed at our time of arrival from Stockholm Arlanda to the ship's berth. Embarkation was very efficient and uneventful and we were finally in our cabin around 5:45 pm on Day 1 (Sept 10th). Residual jet lag, the need to unpack and to have something to eat basically eliminated any opportunity to venture into Stockholm that evening.

 

First impression of cabin: excellent and elegantly simple. Plenty of room for storage, and a sizeable, comfortable bathroom. We met our cabin attendants for the first time - cheerful, attentive and helpful (they would get an A+ from me and I made sure to let Customer Services know how great these two people were). They quickly took care of our first request - replacing the hard booze in our fridge with a preference for replenishment with red wine. After freshening up, we decided to eat in the World Cafe that evening. This was the only time we ate in the World Cafe at dinner time on the cruise, but I think the selection and quality makes it a perfectly viable dinner alternative. I would go to World Cafe for dinner more frequently if left to my own devices, but I had agreed with DW that dinner would be The Restaurant (or Manfredi's) on this cruise.

 

Over the next two weeks our dining habits turned out as follows:

 

• Early Coffee/Snacks: Viking Bar
• Breakfast: World Cafe or Room Service (on Sea Days, early Shore Excursion departure days, Dis-embarkation day). Room service was punctual and the food was always hot where appropriate.
• Lunch: World Cafe, sometimes Pool Grill. We had two lunches on-shore (Oslo, Bergen) when doing our own thing, and we had three lunches during Viking Shore excursions [Stockholm, Berlin, Flam (Voss)] - more on these in later reports.
• Afternoon: occasionally Wintergarden when Shore Excursion schedule allowed
• Dinner: World Cafe (once), The Restaurant (ten times), Manfredi's (three times). We decided not to do Chef's Table (allegies to certain dishes on all 5 rotating menus made that decision for us and we preferred the variety available at other menus). Overall. I would say our dining experience was very good (and occasionally excellent).

 

There were a few duds along the way (one overcooked steak, a couple of chewy pasta dishes and a couple other minor items) but we enjoyed the variety and I think the quality is high. We thought Manfredi's was very average as an Italian restaurant goes but as I mentioned elsewhere I live close to some great Italian restaurants so I am spoiled in this regard - we may even just skip Manfredi's on our next cruise. For what it is worth here are our grades:

 

• World Cafe: A-
• Room Service (breakfast): A-
• Mamsen's/Wintergarden: A
• The Restaurant: B+
• Manfredi's: B-

 

I will add the future day reviews (Day 2 being our first real ventures) as time allows.
 

You are the only other person besides me that has admitted to skipping or even thinking about skipping Manfredi’s! On an Expedition cruise on the Great Lakes in May we canceled Manfredi’s because the World Cafe had incredible surf and turf for dinner.

Too bad about your allergies, we love the experience of the Chefs table. 
Thanks for your review!

[SempreMare]

6 hours ago, SailorPaulH said:

I wish Viking would have this Spa open after 8 pm - it would be a great experience before turning in for the night.

 

100% agree.  That was my biggest challenge with Viking hours of operation.

 8pm - midnight was exactly when I wanted to use both the spa and work out room. 

I also heard that those facilities are for staff use after 8:00 pm.

 

I would prefer both staff and guests could the spa and workout facilities *any time* . 

Instead of staff only after 8:00pm.    The night I really wanted to use the workout room after 8:00pm it was 9:00pm and there was only 1 staff member in the entire workout room.  I came close to asking if he minded if I join him but didn't...

 

I found both spa and workout room to be sparsely utilized. 

 

Ex:  on a SEA day ! ,  from 4:00pm - 5:00pm, I was the only femalle in the women's thermal spa and cold plunge tub that made me scream.  Maybe everyone was having tea?   Still, I expected it to be crowded.  Not completely empty.  

 

In the larger pool, snow grotto, ice bucket area,  I was the only person for the first 30 min, then 2 other women joined.  

 

 

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, SempreMare said:

 

100% agree.  That was my biggest challenge with Viking hours of operation.

 8pm - midnight was exactly when I wanted to use both the spa and work out room. 

I also heard that those facilities are for staff use after 8:00 pm.

 

I would prefer both staff and guests could the spa and workout facilities *any time* . 

Instead of staff only after 8:00pm.    The night I really wanted to use the workout room after 8:00pm it was 9:00pm and there was only 1 staff member in the entire workout room.  I came close to asking if he minded if I join him but didn't...

 

I found both spa and workout room to be sparsely utilized. 

 

Ex:  on a SEA day ! ,  from 4:00pm - 5:00pm, I was the only femalle in the women's thermal spa and cold plunge tub that made me scream.  Maybe everyone was having tea?   Still, I expected it to be crowded.  Not completely empty.  

 

In the larger pool, snow grotto, ice bucket area,  I was the only person for the first 30 min, then 2 other women joined.  

 

Unfortunately to share all the ship's facilities with the crew you have to reduce the pax count to only 8, retaining a full crew - aka Magical Mystery Tour. For the last 3 weeks aboard Viking Sun, we shared almost the entire ship with the crew.

 

To put it into perspective, other than their cabins, the crew have a decent mess hall, a small recreation room on Deck A at the fwd end of the M1. They also have their outside deck on Deck 9, aft of the funnel.

 

Personally, I found it a nice touch that Viking give the crew use of these facilities. When I worked on the ships, as a Watchkeeping Officer, I had full use of all pax facilities, but the ratings had none. Even non-Watchkeeping Pursers couldn't use the buffet during busy periods.

[SempreMare]

13 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Unfortunately to share all the ship's facilities with the crew you have to reduce the pax count to only 8, retaining a full crew - aka Magical Mystery Tour. For the last 3 weeks aboard Viking Sun, we shared almost the entire ship with the crew.

How fun!

 

Darn it, I wish I could have been aboard to experience that! 

(though I'd guess it must have been also a time of apprehension since I'd assume this was pandemic related)

 

13 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Personally, I found it a nice touch that Viking give the crew use of these facilities.

 

Agreed! 

 

In fact, my first thought was,

"I love the crew!   It would be a kick to be able to interact with them here vs being alone!"

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, SempreMare said:

How fun!

 

Darn it, I wish I could have been aboard to experience that! 

(though I'd guess it must have been also a time of apprehension since I'd assume this was pandemic related)

 

 

Affirmative, it was COVID related, but we had no apprehensions, as Viking kept us totally safe, as nobody was permitted to board the ship and we didn't get ashore for 50+ days.

 

When we finally disembarked in Gibraltar, we got a rude awakening as to what the World had experienced during the previous 4-months.

[SailorPaulH]

DAY 5 - 9/14/22, Gdansk (Poland) - part 1

 

Today, we docked in Gdansk - Poland's largest seaport. Another day with clear, sunny skies. After an early breakfast in World Cafe, we set off on our all-day optional excursion, "Malbork Castle & Gdansk." Note: this excursion is listed as 'demanding' as there is a lot of walking involved - including inclines, stairways and uneven surfaces.

 

After leaving the industrial area of the seaport via motor coach, we were soon on our way to the Polish countryside on Route 7 and crossing the Vistula River. Turning south on Route 55 would take us to Malbork - a town founded Teutonic Knights in the 13th century. Our reason for being in Malborg was to visit its UNESCO World Heritage Site - Malbork Castle, situated on the Nogat River. From this location, the Teutonic Knights controlled a monopoly on the trade of amber. The castle has a long, varied and complex history and is the world's largest brick castle.

 

We had a phenomenal guide on this tour, and she would accompany us all day. You could tell she had a true passion for the history, art and architecture of some of the jewels of her homeland.

 

Edited October 4, 2022 by SailorPaulH

[SailorPaulH]

DAY 5 - 9/14/22, Gdansk (Poland) - part 2

 

Leaving Malbork, we re-traced our route back to Gdansk to conclude our day with an extensive walking tour of the old town. First, we had lunch at Hotel Gdansk (traditional Polish pierogis, with cake and beer), before seeing some of the sights along the Dlugi Targ (a main shopping and dining street - mostly pedestrianized), for example: Neptune's Fountain, Museum of Gdansk and the beautiful Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

 

This was a very enjoyable day - and the excellent guide made it even more so. I can definitely recommend this excursion (at $189 pp). We finished the day in The Restaurant (and World Cafe for gelato) - I had more pierogis(!) and a quite good Lamb Curry. Dessert was good (as usual). 

 

Edited October 4, 2022 by SailorPaulH

[SailorPaulH]

Day 6 - 9/15/22, Bornholm (Denmark) - CANCELLED - Unscheduled Sea Day.

 

We had Room Service breakfast this morning, allowing DW to get ready for a morning massage appointment. Shortly after breakfast, the captain made the announcement that we would be missing Bornholm (where we had been due to dock at Noon) due to high winds. This meant we had an unscheduled sea day to make the most of. We were disappointed that we were going to miss our cycling excursion that we had booked for Bornholm, but we had noticed the wind-driven sea was rougher than what we had experienced thus far so the captain's decision was understandable.

 

As DW got worked on by a massage therapist she had nick-named "Iron Fingers" I worked out at the onboard gym, showered and then hit the Spa for more hot/cold insanity.

 

The closest we got to Bornholm were some telephoto lens shots of the shoreline. We rounded the north and west coasts of the island as we made for the German coast. The captain would later announce that instead of arriving in Warnemunde at 6 AM, he was making haste to arrive at 11 PM this same day, so we would get sleep overnight without the ship rolling in the currently agitated waters of the southern Baltic.

 

Lunch at Pool Grill, tea at Wintergarden, followed by a well-prepared Chateaubriand at The Restaurant made for a nice day. As before, the house red wine was really good, and combined with our "floater" poured from our cabin delivery we were well set for the evening.

 

Again, we took advantage of walking the perimeter on Decks 8 and 9 to get some calorie-burning steps in. We got to bed early as we had a long day coming up in Germany. Our notes on the bed: overly hard and uneven - we both like a firm mattress but this was a bit too much. Sadly, we didn't think to ask for a mattress topper (a suggestion I have now seen on this board a number of times) - that's our fault. We will know better for our next cruise - currently set for July 2024.

 

 

[duquephart]

Bornholm seems to be missed regularly.

[loriva]

@SailorPaulH -- Thank you for a wonderful review so far.  Looking forward to reading the rest when your time permits.

 

We are doing this itinerary on the same ship in May 2023.  It will also be our first time on Viking Ocean--we are doing our first Viking River cruise in December 2022.

 

Two questions, please:

     --When did Viking post the available shore excursions for your cruise?  Ours have not posted yet although Viking says they should be available for review (not booking) a year out.

     --Sorry if I missed it, but what category was your cabin, please?

 

Many thanks,

 

[SailorPaulH]

1 hour ago, loriva said:

@SailorPaulH

 

Two questions, please:

     --When did Viking post the available shore excursions for your cruise?  Ours have not posted yet although Viking says they should be available for review (not booking) a year out.

     --Sorry if I missed it, but what category was your cabin, please?

 

 

We booked this cruise at short notice (in June 2022) as we had to cancel our original planned cruise. The excursions were available immediately to us - as we were within the 87 days prior to departure window for our cabin's priority booking for excursions, so I do not know how long beforehand they were available for viewing. We were able to book the excursions on MVJ we wanted without any issues.

 

We were in a JS2, #7006. Very quiet - half way between the stairs/elevators and the Explorer's Lounge, and also on the same deck as World Cafe, Wintergarden and Mamsen's.

[LindaS272]

2 hours ago, loriva said:

When did Viking post the available shore excursions for your cruise?  Ours have not posted yet although Viking says they should be available for review (not booking) a year out.

Availability to review your excursions in MVJ is extremely variable as the travel business gets back up to speed. I don’t think most itineraries have excursions posted that far out. Best bet is to get an idea of possible excursions on the Viking website before your cabin category opens for booking.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, loriva said:

Two questions, please:

     --When did Viking post the available shore excursions for your cruise?  Ours have not posted yet although Viking says they should be available for review (not booking) a year out.

     --Sorry if I missed it, but what category was your cabin, please?

 

 

Not sure about Shore-ex being available for review a year ahead. Even pre-Covid, Viking used to publish them for review in MVJ about 120-days ahead of the cruise.

 

You can always see a sample of potential shore-ex on the website, when checking out each port on the itinerary.