Dining Reservations

[duquephart]

Seems to be a glitch. Once I made our three allowed reservations for each specialty venue the ap said I had three more available for each.

[CDNPolar]

Could you then make three more?  Or did it stop you?

[duquephart]

Tested it out. Currently have five for Chef's. Wouldn't let me make a sixth. Go figure.

[CDR2001]

Unfortunately, these glitches are why those of use that reserve later find no availability. I’ve only been able to get reservations onboard, and it takes a bit of effort to get the times I want. 

Edited February 2 by CDR2001

[SantaFe1]

4 hours ago, duquephart said:

Seems to be a glitch. Once I made our three allowed reservations for each specialty venue the ap said I had three more available for each.

The only time I have had this happen was on a cruise from Athens to Barcelona  that Viking considered two cruises— Athens to Rome and Rome to Barcelona.  We got two reservations in each restaurant on each leg, or eight total over the two weeks.  

[duquephart]

That makes sense, I suppose. The cruise is actually two cruises. But that would not explain why it wouldn't let me make the full six.

Edited February 2 by duquephart

[SantaFe1]

Well, the best ever was on the WC.  We got ten reservations in each restaurant.  So does that make the WC five segments?  Perhaps…

[duquephart]

Last night it stopped me at four for Manfreddi's. This morning it let me make two more. Again ----- go figure.

[DrKoob]

We did Viking Sky from Athens to Barcelona for three weeks. The cruise had started in Istanbul and was actually sold as a one-, two-, three-, and four-week cruise. We had friends who were on the four-week version. They were able to make one reservation in both restaurants for each week they were on the ship. We were able to make three.

 

We thought it was great until we got on board and ate there, and my wife (and about 10 other people) got food poisoning in Manfredis, and we wound up in Chef's Table with a menu my wife could not eat due to allergies, so we canceled the rest of ours. 

 

The biggest problem was for those who were on the last leg (Rome to Barcelona). By the time their reservation date came, there as nothing left except 9:00 pm reservations. But that turned out OK because by the end of the cruise, you could go down any night and get right in. 

[CDNPolar]

9 minutes ago, DrKoob said:

We did Viking Sky from Athens to Barcelona for three weeks. The cruise had started in Istanbul and was actually sold as a one-, two-, three-, and four-week cruise. We had friends who were on the four-week version. They were able to make one reservation in both restaurants for each week they were on the ship. We were able to make three.

 

We thought it was great until we got on board and ate there, and my wife (and about 10 other people) got food poisoning in Manfredis, and we wound up in Chef's Table with a menu my wife could not eat due to allergies, so we canceled the rest of ours. 

 

The biggest problem was for those who were on the last leg (Rome to Barcelona). By the time their reservation date came, there as nothing left except 9:00 pm reservations. But that turned out OK because by the end of the cruise, you could go down any night and get right in. 

 

If it was food poisoning, I do hope that there was some kind of apology or compensation from Viking?  That is a scary thought that food poisoning is coming out of the kitchen, because the kitchens for all three main restaurants are connected.

 

For the Chef's Table, they generally change the menu every three days and it is on the menu boards in advance of the meal.

 

We are two that love tasting menus and will eat anything because we don't have restrictions or allergies, but if you do have restrictions or allergies, the Chef's Table is probably not for you.  For instance, if you are vegetarian or vegan, the entire menu from starter to the main could be fish or meat.  Changing up a tasting menu to appease allergies may even not be possible without giving you completely different food than the rest are getting.  Then the theme is gone.

 

We have a friend we travel with that is allergic to oysters, and often the Chef's Table has Asian inspired dishes that are commonly cooked with Oyster Sauce.  The Chef's Table will whip up the same dish, but the sauce will use only Soy Sauce or some substitute. 

[DrKoob]

4 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

If it was food poisoning, I do hope that there was some kind of apology or compensation from Viking?  That is a scary thought that food poisoning is coming out of the kitchen, because the kitchens for all three main restaurants are connected.

 

For the Chef's Table, they generally change the menu every three days and it is on the menu boards in advance of the meal.

 

We are two that love tasting menus and will eat anything because we don't have restrictions or allergies, but if you do have restrictions or allergies, the Chef's Table is probably not for you.  For instance, if you are vegetarian or vegan, the entire menu from starter to the main could be fish or meat.  Changing up a tasting menu to appease allergies may even not be possible without giving you completely different food than the rest are getting.  Then the theme is gone.

 

We have a friend we travel with that is allergic to oysters, and often the Chef's Table has Asian inspired dishes that are commonly cooked with Oyster Sauce.  The Chef's Table will whip up the same dish, but the sauce will use only Soy Sauce or some substitute. 

 

"If it was food poisoning"?How about the only 11 people who ordered the swordfish in Mafnredis that night who were sicker than dogs all night long? And what did Viking do? Quarantined my wife for three days (missed three ports) because she made the mistake of going to the infirmary to ask for some Imodium. We later got a full apology but that didn't make us feel better at the time. 

 

As to the Chef's Table, what they need to do is publish the menus on the website before you make the reservation. Or at least have disclaimers that say something like, "this meal contains shellfish as its main component" and then you could pick a different night to go.

[duquephart]

My wife can't handle lamb and getting a NY steak instead was readily offered and accepted. It wasn't very good. Neither was the lamb. Chef's Table is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overrated. And don't get me going on what Manfredi's calls a steak.

[millybess]

1 hour ago, DrKoob said:

As to the Chef's Table, what they need to do is publish the menus on the website before you make the reservation. 

Agree!  And pre Covid they used to publish the menus and dates on the dining reservations website on MVJ.  For the past couple of years the website states that the menu is "Coming Soon".  

[millybess]

1 hour ago, duquephart said:

My wife can't handle lamb and getting a NY steak instead was readily offered and accepted. It wasn't very good. Neither was the lamb. Chef's Table is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overrated. And don't get me going on what Manfredi's calls a steak.

I had the best rib eye ever in Manfredi's recently.  It was huge and done perfectly.  

 

The next time I asked for a half portion.  It was still too much, but again, a perfect medium rare.  

 

I agree about the NY strip steak.  It's not very good at all.  

[DrKoob]

6 hours ago, duquephart said:

My wife can't handle lamb and getting a NY steak instead was readily offered and accepted. It wasn't very good. Neither was the lamb. Chef's Table is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overrated. And don't get me going on what Manfredi's calls a steak.

I totally agree. My brother ordered a ribeye. What he got was NOT a ribeye. Neither of Viking's specialty restaurants passes what I call the Steve Test. That's the way to rate a ship's restaurant. It works like this: " If you eat in a restaurant while traveling, and that restaurant is near you once you get home, would you go there again?

In the case of both specialty restaurants on Viking ships, the answer would be no. That's not to say they are not good, just that they aren't that special. But most cruise ship specialty restaurants have devolved to that level. At least Viking lets me try them for free. 

We used to sail exclusively on Celebrity and they had a restaurant on their Infinity called The United States Dining Room (named after the United States cruise ship). Great specialty restaurant. They had another call Qsine that was great until they turned it into a cartoon show. Some great meals there. We loved Toscana Grille on Oceania, Tamarind on HAL and a few others a lot more than the two Viking choices but again, they are free.

[duquephart]

Specialty does not = special.

[HUNKY]

As dining at the specialty restaurants on VIKING does not incur an added cost, what you get has to abide by the budget set by corporate. By charging a fair amount, let’s say $100 per person, the quality would increase greatly, and the specialty restaurants would truly become special.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, HUNKY said:

By charging a fair amount, let’s say $100 per person,

 

No thank you.

 

I must be the only one who likes Chef's Table and enjoys eating there even with allergies. 

 

Why do I insist on eating at CT even if they have to change the menu/recipes for me? Because my husband does not have the same issues I do and he likes the food in CT. Why should he be denied the pleasure on his vacation because changes have to be made for me? It isn't always about me and what I can eat.  If Viking is willing to accommodate me (and they are), why shouldn't we go together and enjoy the meal. For us, CT is more than a food experience, it is a social experience as well. The atmosphere in the dining room is a lot quieter and more peaceful than any of the other venues.

[Azulann]

13 hours ago, HUNKY said:

As dining at the specialty restaurants on VIKING does not incur an added cost, what you get has to abide by the budget set by corporate. By charging a fair amount, let’s say $100 per person, the quality would increase greatly, and the specialty restaurants would truly become special.

If I remember right, when Viking Ocean first started they called Manfredi and Chef Table , alternative restaurants. It was the cruisers  who began to refer to hem as "specialty" venues. I agree with your premise but I do not think that is part of the business model for Viking. 

I do eat at Manfredi at least once and love  the various Chef Tables offerings. They are reasonable portions and an adventure in eating food and preparation I would never had ordered on my own. 

I still like the Restaurant for dinner  most night.  

[wine-wine-wine]

11 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

I must be the only one who likes Chef's Table

We love Chef’s Table. Have only dined at Manfredi’s once. Have not convinced DW to try it again. It seems like a bit of a roll of the dice depending on provisioning and chefs. 

[Hobson1754]

14 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

I must be the only one who likes Chef's Table and enjoys eating there even with allergies. 

We really like Chefs Table - ate there 3/4 times (can’t remember which) on last 15 day cruise. Not so keen on Manfredi’s.

[lackcreativity]

2 hours ago, wine-wine-wine said:

We love Chef’s Table. Have only dined at Manfredi’s once. Have not convinced DW to try it again. It seems like a bit of a roll of the dice depending on provisioning and chefs. 

We dine differently on a cruise than we do at home. (At home we eat, on vacation we dine!) We are more adventurous in our selections when traveling. Sometimes those choices turn out wonderfully, and sometimes we would not choose a particular item again. 

 

We love Chef's Table, and will continue to eat there even though our rating on the individual menus varies widely. Only once did we stop at the World Cafe for a little something afterwards. Once we had perhaps my most memorable meal ever. I will risk one to experience the other. 

 

Manfredi's fits the same bill. Our first meal there was disappointing. I think we were just learning that American Italian food is often not the same as true Italian (and Vikings is not always either). However, we gave Manfredi's another chance and have had some wonderful dishes there since that first meal. 

 

Generally, we are very pleased with Viking's food, but I don't expect perfection every time. But that's just me.

[HUNKY]

10 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

Manfredi's fits the same bill. Our first meal there was disappointing.

Therein lies the problem.  Both Manfredi's and the Chef's Table should never be disappointing.

 

I've enjoyed both, but my other half was very disappointed in Manfredi's, and the Chef's Table's menus don't appeal to him, due to his distaste for seafood.  We will see if the CT can successfully alter their menus to exclude seafood.  We've never had a problem with land-based restaurants modifying prix fixe menus.

[duquephart]

My guess is that much of the problem with seafood (and many other items) is that it arrives aboard frozen and not necessarily the highest quality to begin with. Frozen Asian shrimp just doesn't cut it for those who have eaten fresh Gulf shrimp.

[Clay Clayton]

On 2/5/2024 at 1:50 AM, HUNKY said:

Therein lies the problem.  Both Manfredi's and the Chef's Table should never be disappointing.

 

I've enjoyed both, but my other half was very disappointed in Manfredi's, and the Chef's Table's menus don't appeal to him, due to his distaste for seafood.  We will see if the CT can successfully alter their menus to exclude seafood.  We've never had a problem with land-based restaurants modifying prix fixe menus.

@HUNKY as you will recall that Manfredi’s dinner was in the private dining room with a total of 12 or 14 of us.  Like your other half, both of us were disappointed in our meals that evening but given the party size didn’t want to send anything back.  
 

We ate there last night and Mike ordered the same grilled assorted seafood he had that night, and it was night and day different. I ordered the bone-in ribeye as did one of our dining companions.  It was also significantly better than we dined with you last summer. But it was not nearly as good as what we became used to as the standard pre-covid. There was also some inconsistencies between my steak and our friend’s. His had a bone and was very thin. My bone-in had a teeny tiny bone and was very thick.  He ordered his med-rare and it was medium at best.  Due to my earlier experiences and reports from on here, I ordered mine rare and it was a perfect medium rare-I don’t think it’s possible to get an acceptable rare steak when they are so thin. 
 

The rest of our meal was delicious-the pastas especially. 
 

All of this is to say I hope you and Mrs Hunky give Manfredi’s another try next month and perhaps order judiciously-onnour next visit I plan on skipping the secondo and having pasta as my main entree.