Viking Mars food and bed poor?

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

On 11/25/2023 at 10:06 AM, Mich3554 said:

Only a single review?  Did you bother to look any further?

My thoughts also....there are always people who hate everything and people who love everything. Often people who hate things are the most vocal. 

[Mich3554]

1 minute ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

My thoughts also....there are always people who hate everything and people who love everything. Often people who hate things are the most vocal. 

Both beds and food are subjective too.  For instance, I just read a review of someone who was on a cruise (Bali to Sydney, I think) and they found the Indonesian food spicy.  DH spent nearly a year in Indonesia and found the food spiced down.  

[duquephart]

20 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

The beds do veer towards firm, but not unreasonably so, and are reasonably comfortable. Bad backs might require a pillow between the knees to line hips and shoulders up. 

In general the chairs etc on board are comfortable, and room layouts sensible. Look out for sliding bathroom doors in heavy seas though, don't leave fingers in the way! 

The design of the ships and decor is excellent, and housekeeping is of a good hotel standard. 

We thought the standard of food had definately deteriorated. It wasn't actually bad, just very underwhelming. One thing we encountered, eggs benedict in the world cafe used to be made to order, instead they were set out under the heat lamps, the hollandaise was forming a skin and the crumpet/muffin thing was rubbery and difficult to cut. 

 

 

 

 

 

Underwhelming seems to be the common denominator.

[duquephart]

30 minutes ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

My thoughts also....there are always people who hate everything and people who love everything. Often people who hate things are the most vocal. 

 

Often enough, negative reviews are at least authentic. Planted positive/glowing reviews are the scourge of the system. Check out car dealer reviews sometime if you are a bit short on belly laughs.

 

John (George, Bill, Aaron, Tom/Dick/Harry) was soooo patient, knowlegeable, up to date, informative, balh, blah, blah. He took us through the process, answered all our questions, never applied any pressure, blah, blah, blah.

Edited November 26, 2023 by duquephart

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, KBs mum said:

One thing we encountered, eggs benedict in the world cafe used to be made to order, instead they were set out under the heat lamps, the hollandaise was forming a skin and the crumpet/muffin thing was rubbery and difficult to cut. 

 

Ask them to make it fresh for you.

[KBs mum]

29 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Ask them to make it fresh for you.

Why should I have to make a special request? Soft and runny yolk egg dishes being made to order should be a given. Even a local garden centre makes good standard eggs benedict and royale fresh to order. 

 

[zalusky]

13 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

Why should I have to make a special request? Soft and runny yolk egg dishes being made to order should be a given. Even a local garden centre makes good standard eggs benedict and royale fresh to order. 

 

Yea I agree this is not Carnival.  At this level items like this should always be made to order.

[Heidi13]

54 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

Why should I have to make a special request? Soft and runny yolk egg dishes being made to order should be a given. Even a local garden centre makes good standard eggs benedict and royale fresh to order. 

 

 

We normally had eggs benny on the days we breakfasted in the buffet. We always requested freshly made, which similar to a fried or poached egg, I don't consider as a special request, as the cooks are present to cook to order. After a few days we didn't have to order, as the cook said to us, 2 eggs benny with runny yolks, then started making them.

 

The ones under the heat lamps were for those that wouldn't wait a couple of minutes for freshly made. 

[Peregrina651]

32 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

The ones under the heat lamps were for those that wouldn't wait a couple of minutes for freshly made. 

 

Exactly.

 

[SJD117]

I love hard beds and I hate (most) YouTube videos. And you definitely don't want to hear about my food tastes. Don't sail with me!   🙃🙃🙃

[KBs mum]

3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

We normally had eggs benny on the days we breakfasted in the buffet. We always requested freshly made, which similar to a fried or poached egg, I don't consider as a special request, as the cooks are present to cook to order. After a few days we didn't have to order, as the cook said to us, 2 eggs benny with runny yolks, then started making them.

 

The ones under the heat lamps were for those that wouldn't wait a couple of minutes for freshly made. 

On previous trips there were none pre made, I thought the one I tried was freshly made, as I asked for it at the counter same as usual. Wait seemed about the same. Saw the ones under the heat lamp later. Was appalled at the idea that would be considered OK. 

Gave up on them as a bad idea and avoided all egg and other high risk items in all the venues, to be on the safe side

[Pushka]

I think underwhelming sums it up pretty much. For instance one of the nights had the feature carvery as Minceloaf.  It isn't something I'd even cook at home. 

[RobEsson]

17 hours ago, Pushka said:

I think underwhelming sums it up pretty much. For instance one of the nights had the feature carvery as Minceloaf.  It isn't something I'd even cook at home. 

And just to show a different viewpoint, last October, I thought the food was of a consistently high standard - or maybe I should say that there was food available of a consistently high standard. There was usually something on the menu in the MDR that was pretty darned good, and if not, the "Chairman's Choice" Norwegian salmon was my go to dish. We weren't particularly impressed with Manfredi's but lots of people are, and we thoroughly enjoyed 2 of the 3 Chef's table menus we tried. The 3rd was a bit blah from our point of view, but the key here is that I think that both Manfredi's and the one Chef's table were likely personal preference as opposed to Viking doing anything particularly wrong. Certainly, after our cruise we've told friends that we thought the MDR was of consistently high quality. I do agree on the potential for noise as a problem in the MDR as I have only one functioning ear and a hearing aid in that, but I found that discussing the issue with the staff usually led to us having a quite acceptable table from an acoustic standpoint.

[GerryL13]

18 hours ago, Pushka said:

I think underwhelming sums it up pretty much. For instance one of the nights had the feature carvery as Minceloaf.  It isn't something I'd even cook at home. 

Recently got off Oceania (tag line" "Finest cuisine at sea") and will soon be going on my first Viking cruise. I think that one reason people are often underwhelmed is that cruise lines build expectations beyond what anyone can consistently deliver, especially considering people's different tastes. I enjoyed most of my meals on Oceania and on the Saga cruise I took earlier in the year, but I would not base my decision to book with either just on the food. Now, if the food had been inedible ....

Edited November 27, 2023 by GerryL13
punctuation

[Twitchly]

The beds are our least favorite feature. I like firm, but we found these on the granite side of hard and woke up achey each morning. Made me think of my stoic Norwegian great-grandfather, who thought nothing of pulling his own teeth. Next time we’ll definitely ask for a topper. Or four.

 

No problem with the food, though I’d love to see more local cuisine. 

[duquephart]

Waking up "achey each morning" is no way to enjoy a cruise/vacation.

[CDNPolar]

14 hours ago, RobEsson said:

but the key here is that I think that both Manfredi's and the one Chef's table were likely personal preference as opposed to Viking doing anything particularly wrong.

 

Certainly, after our cruise we've told friends that we thought the MDR was of consistently high quality. I do agree on the potential for noise as a problem in the MDR as I have only one functioning ear and a hearing aid in that, but I found that discussing the issue with the staff usually led to us having a quite acceptable table from an acoustic standpoint.

 

Two things here...

 

One is RobEsson suggesting food is personal preference rather than Viking doing anything wrong...

 

Food is very subjective.  We have friends - like us - that eat anything and everything, and then others that are so picky I don't know how they function in the world outside their own kitchen.

 

The second is the noise level in the dining room.  I do agree that as we age, hearing aids or not, noise levels do begin to challenge us.  I don't know if there is a fix for this as Viking dining rooms are not echoing noise, it is just close quarters.  One thing however, as much as loud guests can make me wish silently that they would quiet down, if a table is having fun and a good time, more power to them.  They are on vacation and enjoying themselves.  I don't own the right to quiet enjoyment - in my opinion - on a cruise ship.

[LindaS272]

I just tell them at the MDR check-in that we’re anti-social and would like a quiet table. LOL. 😎

[farmecologist]

6 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Two things here...

 

One is RobEsson suggesting food is personal preference rather than Viking doing anything wrong...

 

Food is very subjective.  We have friends - like us - that eat anything and everything, and then others that are so picky I don't know how they function in the world outside their own kitchen.

 

The second is the noise level in the dining room.  I do agree that as we age, hearing aids or not, noise levels do begin to challenge us.  I don't know if there is a fix for this as Viking dining rooms are not echoing noise, it is just close quarters.  One thing however, as much as loud guests can make me wish silently that they would quiet down, if a table is having fun and a good time, more power to them.  They are on vacation and enjoying themselves.  I don't own the right to quiet enjoyment - in my opinion - on a cruise ship.

 

I agree.  Food is extremely subjective...and much of it comes from expectations.  

 

Frankly, we have been happy with the food on all cruise lines, even the "lowest of the low" in terms of supposed luxury ( i.e. - carnival, etc... ).  And that is because in real life, we do not "dine out" much at all, and eat fairly simply at home.  Have we been lucking out on food quality?  Maybe...but I really do think our lower expectations play a much larger role.

 

I'm a little shocked when I read through the many threads here on CC complaining about food...especially since food quality has never even gotten us close to the "complaining" stage.  Perhaps we are more laid back than others as well...who knows!  🤷‍♂️

 

 

Edited November 28, 2023 by farmecologist

[farmecologist]

6 minutes ago, LindaS272 said:

I just tell them at the MDR check-in that we’re anti-social and would like a quiet table. LOL. 😎

 

Haha no doubt!  My spouse and I really dislike shared tables for dining.  I suppose we are both a bit introverted...but we do like socializing in the lounge/bar areas!  👍

 

[KBs mum]

9 minutes ago, farmecologist said:

 

Haha no doubt!  My spouse and I really dislike shared tables for dining.  I suppose we are both a bit introverted...but we do like socializing in the lounge/bar areas!  👍

 

We're the same, we are selectively social. In the lounges it's allways possible to walk away from any twits, rather than being stuck till the meal is finished 

[CDNPolar]

17 minutes ago, farmecologist said:

 

I agree.  Food is extremely subjective...and much of it comes from expectations.  

 

 Maybe...but I really do think our lower expectations play a much larger role.

 

 

I prefer to go into things with "no" expectations, rather than "low" expectations.  Might just be a word and the interpretation of that word, but for me no expectations works well.

 

We absolutely LOVE the Chef's Table and on any length of cruise we do our utmost to make every menu change they have.  We have only ever disliked one menu of the Chef's Table and we have probably eaten every menu that they produce over the cruises we have been on.

 

The menu we did not like was the UK menu, and the challenge we had with that was the battered fish, but then we have found in general that Viking do not do deep fried well - in our opinion.  But I would try that menu again with no expectations.

[farmecologist]

6 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

I prefer to go into things with "no" expectations, rather than "low" expectations.  Might just be a word and the interpretation of that word, but for me no expectations works well.

 

We absolutely LOVE the Chef's Table and on any length of cruise we do our utmost to make every menu change they have.  We have only ever disliked one menu of the Chef's Table and we have probably eaten every menu that they produce over the cruises we have been on.

 

The menu we did not like was the UK menu, and the challenge we had with that was the battered fish, but then we have found in general that Viking do not do deep fried well - in our opinion.  But I would try that menu again with no expectations.

 

Yep...we are really looking forward to the Chef's table!  Heck, all of the dining venues look great to us.

[deec]

1 hour ago, farmecologist said:

 

Haha no doubt!  My spouse and I really dislike shared tables for dining.  I suppose we are both a bit introverted...but we do like socializing in the lounge/bar areas!  👍

 

Do NOT take a Viking River Cruise.  Tables for 2 are non-existent.  2 on the Aquavit terrace that are impossible to get.

[farmecologist]

5 minutes ago, deec said:

Do NOT take a Viking River Cruise.  Tables for 2 are non-existent.  2 on the Aquavit terrace that are impossible to get.

 

We did take a river cruise this summer...and we were able to snag a table for two on the terrace each night.   However, you have to be willing to "camp out" there well before dinner time.  Yes...we were one of "those people" on our river cruise...but it had to be done.  Plus, we really liked the terrace, so the wait was worth it!  🤷‍♂️

 

The interesting thing is that they ended up setting up a few more tables for two in the terrace area....word must have spread!

 

You are correct though...it would be much nicer if they had tables for two in the main dining room. 

 

Edited November 28, 2023 by farmecologist