We sailed on Viking Sea 12 months prior to this cruise. We were happy to see that, generally, the quality of staff had improved and there was a significant improvement in the excursions.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was smooth, with a small queue and warm and friendly personnel. Much better than with Seabourn.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We visited all of the different restaurants, and the quality of food and wine was always excellent.
The Chef's Table was Outstanding, and very highly recommended.
Manfredi's Italian and The Restaurant were Excellent.
Afternoon Tea was an occasion not to be missed with fantastic scones, excellent sandwiches and cakes and a large selection of first class teas (mostly leaf teas, and not teabags).
The Ice Cream (Gelato) could be the best at sea!
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
This is really an Adults Only Cruise, for Culture Vultures. So, there were many informative talks, library etc. There are also Deck Games for those who had the time and energy to participate.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The LED Screen behind the Stage enhances what is always a very good (and well attended) show.
Children's Programs
Adults Only Cruise
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
There were many excellent staff on board. However, there were a lot of Indian/Asian Stewards & Waiters, who brought their culture with them. This means that they serve the men first, disregard the women, and say things like 'Enjoy your meal sir' when I was there with my wife. We raised complaints three times, but very little changed. We once complained to an Indian Waiter about this and his opening response was 'But back in India, we are like this...' Not good, not good at all.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
This ship is fantastic, with touches that you appreciate, like the large Atrium with Grand Piano, LED Screen in the Atrium, outside Cinema, wonderfully warm pool area.
The one thing missing was some shade around the pools, as it was very hot and sunny.
With a high Staff to Guest ratio, everywhere was clean and well maintained. Superb.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was wonderful, with great design features, like the underfloor heating in the bathroom, multiple US & EU sockets and USB Charging Points everywhere (4 in the Table Lamp!!!).
The bed was large and comfortable and the cabin spacious.
Our only complaint? It is not possible to switch off the cabin heating/air conditioning.
Ship tip
Arrive at Afternoon Tea early, they start serving at 15:50, and all seats are usually taken by 16:10. However, arrive after 16:35 and there will be spaces. Tea finishes at 17:00.
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