Our time on the Viking Emerald was very good, but not quite excellent due to some things not being up to the Viking standard.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
The port was horrible. Dirty, crumbling steps, no handrails. I feel it was NOT up to Vikings standard. I understand that there is no one dock that is used, but somehow figure out a way since Viking is using them to embark. I didn't mind the walk down, but it was not at all a good first impression.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food was excellent as usual.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There were many activities of educational and entertainment that we both attended.
I wish there was an offering about Chinese Tea and Rice, since that is a big piece of China's history.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We enjoyed the lounge singers. They were never promoted during the port talk. I know after dinner and at times night time planned activities it was late. Music not starting until 9:30...most people are not interested. I wonder if you had music starting earlier, since dinner is at 7:00. Maybe some people would have gone to the lounge at let's say 8:30.
Their talents were underused.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Wonderful as usual
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Clean and well maintained. There were a couple of evenings the dining room had a musty smell at the beginning of the 6 nights.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
The room was comfortable and clean. Outdated bathrooms.., blackened caulk...not what I expected from Viking. Our room had an extremely moldy smell. On the second day, I asked for a dehumidifier which did help, but remained an issue. Not being able to adjust the cooling system in the room did not help. Again, not up to Viking standards.
Ship tip
That I hope there are updates and the air quality and mold issues are resolved along with the embarkment dock
It was good. Since it was the holiday, there were solid people. I maybe would have enjoyed it more on a less crowed day, although that is not under your control
We did not go to the Viking school because it was Sunday during the holiday. The students came to the boat. I would have enjoyed seeing the city with or without a tour guide.
TIPPING: I would prefer that Viking simply paid their workers a fair wage instead of asking/strongly suggesting their customers to pay another large sum at the end of the trip. I would prefer to then tip on my own, to whom I'd like.
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