How crowded are Viking River cruises compared to Viking Ocean cruises?

[Cam A W]

I'm disheartened to read that some of the same people "put coats on chairs" to save tables in the Aquavit area for dinner every night. Is this really the norm? Dinner on the Aquavit sounds lovely for an occasional dinner. Surely saving seats in Aquavit is not happening regularly?

[Phutch9136]

We have had luck going exactly at 7pm and sitting at a 4 top. Our cruise mates came in closer to 8pm so most of our meal we seated alone. Ask the host when you enter and they will sit the other two people at your table last essentially filling in the rest of dining room first. Hope this tip helps 

[ural guy]

16 hours ago, Cam A W said:

I'm disheartened too read that some of the same people "put coats on chairs" to save tables in the Aquavit area for dinner every night. Is this really the norm? Dinner on the Aquavit sounds lovely for an occasional dinner. Surely saving seats in Aquavit is not happening regularly?

I don't know if the norm, but on our December Viking cruise the CD stated that if you wanted to save a table, to leave a coat or something on a table. 

 

And some passengers were very rude and thought they could claim a table without putting anything down.  And then asked/told the folks seated to leave, as it was 'their table'.  Now that was disheartening. 

Edited June 21 by ural guy
clarity, hopefully

[CILCIANRQTS]

3 hours ago, ural guy said:

I don't know if the norm, but on our December Viking cruise the CD stated that if you wanted to save a table, to leave a coat or something on a table. 

 

And some passengers were very rude and thought they could claim a table without putting anything down.  And then asked/told the folks seated to leave, as it was 'their table'.  Now that was disheartening. 

Hopefully they didn’t surrender the table.

Far too many people knuckle under to the boorish pressure of the self-selected “special” folks.

For example, on VO whoever said that a towel (or a book) on a lounger “holds” the lounger for someone??

[CDNPolar]

16 hours ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

Hopefully they didn’t surrender the table.

Far too many people knuckle under to the boorish pressure of the self-selected “special” folks.

For example, on VO whoever said that a towel (or a book) on a lounger “holds” the lounger for someone??

 

For the very first time after several River Cruises, we wanted to sit in the Aquavit on a Viking ship because I had been sick, but was feeling better, and just did not want to sit with 6 or 8 others...

 

We had looked in the Aquavit a few nights around the time of the port talk and all the tables were reserved with some small thing on the table.

 

This night in particular, we thought we scored as there was one table of four that was seemingly open so we grabbed it.

 

Shortly after we sat there was a bit of a "situation" as apparently a party of four had typically reserved this every day and they were late back from excursion and did not claim the table before us.  

 

We were asked by crew if we would move to a table for two instead - which was by all accounts also reserved with stuff on the table but the crew removed the stuff.  We objected that the table we were at was "un-reserved" and the table that they were moving to had someones stuff on it, but the crew insisted that this was fine.

 

We moved, and the party of four took their table.

 

This was totally about the self-selected special people that are on these ships and feel entitled over others.

 

I do wish that these venues would be first come first served similar to when the dining room opens.

 

However on that note, it is not uncommon for one of a party to leave the port talk before it is over to be first in line when the dining room opens so that they can get "their table".

[Nippy Sweetie]

I can't bear people 'bagging' places by leaving items on tables. I suspect that if I ever find this situation on board I'll emulate my late father's friend in a similar situation and gather it all up and hand it in to lost property.

[CDNPolar]

19 hours ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

I can't bear people 'bagging' places by leaving items on tables. I suspect that if I ever find this situation on board I'll emulate my late father's friend in a similar situation and gather it all up and hand it in to lost property.

 

Love that you would do this, and think that this is the thing to be done, but for me this is too forward and 'confrontational' even if the bagging party is not present.

Edited June 23 by CDNPolar

[ural guy]

20 hours ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

I can't bear people 'bagging' places by leaving items on tables. I suspect that if I ever find this situation on board I'll emulate my late father's friend in a similar situation and gather it all up and hand it in to lost property.

Please drop that off with the CD, who at least on our cruise, told us tables could be reserved in that manner.

[Nippy Sweetie]

It's perfectly reasonable to book a table with the head waiter just as you do in a restaurant. On a Viking cruise I'd expect him/her to use his/her discretion to allocate tables equitably over the course of a cruise.

If I heard a waiter advising 'bagging' a table I'd make a direct complaint to the management. 

[deec]

The River ships  definitely feel more crowded than Ocean.  Lack of two top tables and not enough room during port talks are the most notable IMO.

[CDNPolar]

20 hours ago, deec said:

The River ships  definitely feel more crowded than Ocean.  Lack of two top tables and not enough room during port talks are the most notable IMO.

 

Exactly - when everyone is back from excursion and there is standing room only in the lounge, this makes me feel squished.

 

Also I find the lounge and the dining room heat up too fast at the port talk and then when everyone converges on the dining room at the same time.

[Ryan208]

We were told on our last river cruise that reservations were not taken for the dining room. 

[sharkster77]

2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Exactly - when everyone is back from excursion and there is standing room only in the lounge, this makes me feel squished.

 

Also I find the lounge and the dining room heat up too fast at the port talk and then when everyone converges on the dining room at the same time.

On our tulip cruise this past April, rows of extra chairs were put out for the port talks.  Do not recall seeing anyone standing.  We left at the end of the talk and never had trouble finding a table near the window--and the cruise was full.

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, sharkster77 said:

On our tulip cruise this past April, rows of extra chairs were put out for the port talks.  Do not recall seeing anyone standing.  We left at the end of the talk and never had trouble finding a table near the window--and the cruise was full.

 

Some days they put out extra chairs and some days not.

 

This is where Viking packs about another 20 or so passengers into the same space that other lines don't.

 

 

[deec]

Maybe Viking River should start taking reservations for the Aquavit....we much prefer it unless it is too cold to comfortable sit out there even with the heaters

[ural guy]

35 minutes ago, deec said:

Maybe Viking River should start taking reservations for the Aquavit....we much prefer it unless it is too cold to comfortable sit out there even with the heaters

Vantage had a sign up sheet at the front desk for their secondary dining venue.  Worked well.  I think they posted it prior to lunch.

[deec]

We enjoyed 3 great trips with Vantage....so SAD!  I hope you had nothing booked/insured with them when they declared bankruptcy!

[ural guy]

15 hours ago, deec said:

We enjoyed 3 great trips with Vantage....so SAD!  I hope you had nothing booked/insured with them when they declared bankruptcy!

3 trips for us also, our last in Nov 22, we were able to use up credit from a 2020 cancellation.  We were very lucky.  Really enjoyed Vantage.  

[CDNPolar]

17 hours ago, deec said:

Maybe Viking River should start taking reservations for the Aquavit....we much prefer it unless it is too cold to comfortable sit out there even with the heaters

 

This would be okay, as long as they imposed limits on how often you could book.

 

I think on our December cruise the whole problem with the table hogging in the Aquavit was also aggravated by the fact that it was cold and the outside section was not in use.

[downsmead]

We must have been lucky on our recent A-B Viking cruise. We ate twice on the Aquavit terrace, each evening we ‘just felt like it’. We didn’t have a problem getting a table. First night it was one for two, the second time it sat 4 people but no-one joined us. This was in the outside area as we had lovely weather for our trip. 

[Dianesaquilter]

For us, part of the fun of a Viking river cruise is meeting new people. We prefer the tables that seat 6, as it is difficult to carry on a conversation at the longer tables.  Most of our 4 cruises were in the late fall so eating in the Aquavit was too chilly and sometimes rainy.  We are going again with Viking this November.

[CDNPolar]

10 hours ago, Dianesaquilter said:

For us, part of the fun of a Viking river cruise is meeting new people. We prefer the tables that seat 6, as it is difficult to carry on a conversation at the longer tables.  Most of our 4 cruises were in the late fall so eating in the Aquavit was too chilly and sometimes rainy.  We are going again with Viking this November.

 

Agree with you on the long tables for 8 or 10.  Very difficult to carry on conversations.  The tables that are oval / round for 6 are great for conversation.

 

Also, if you do sit at a table for 8 or 10 and you sit at the end and side-by-side with your partner, you are basically only going to easily interact with the couple across from you.

 

If we are faced with the larger table we sit across from each other and in the middle of the table so we end up with people on either side of us.  Best for variety of conversations. 

[Boku]

On our Danube cruise last year we found the boat far too crowded. No where to sit for pre dinner drinks due to everyone turning up at the same time or earlier, crowded restaurant and then no where to sit after dinner except in the cabin.

[CDNPolar]

23 hours ago, Boku said:

On our Danube cruise last year we found the boat far too crowded. No where to sit for pre dinner drinks due to everyone turning up at the same time or earlier, crowded restaurant and then no where to sit after dinner except in the cabin.

 

This is what I don't like about Viking River - they are cramming too many people on the ship.  

I have yet to experience the ships with fewer people but I think this will help my feeling of overcrowding.

[Host Jazzbeau]

10 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

This is what I don't like about Viking River - they are cramming too many people on the ship.  

I have yet to experience the ships with fewer people but I think this will help my feeling of overcrowding.

It definitely helps when everyone can sit on the comfy lounge furniture for the CD’s daily talk.