If you have a Deluxe Veranda or higher, please check out the refrigerator every day. We had a DV and got a delicious chocolate bar and almonds snack and various sodas. We removed the chocolate and almonds every day and some of the sodas. This way the cabin attendant will replace the items. We saved up the chocolate bars and took the almond snacks with us on excursions.
Hi Sherri. I am so glad I found your video because I have booked a Viking Mediterranean cruise as a treat for myself early in the new year and I was so glad to hear from you that it is very easy to make new friends on these smaller cruise ships as a solo traveller. Thank you for such a delectable and informative video. ❤
Just what I was looking for! We're going on our first Viking cruise in November and I've been watching videos to get a feel for Viking. A lot of the reviews panned to food. We aren't foodies and everything you showed made my mouth water. Thank you!
Thanks for the video. My wife and I will be on Saturn in late September on the Empires of the Mediterranean itinerary. This will be our 3rd Viking Ocean cruise, but the last one was in 2019 so this was a great refresher on the dining venues.
Thank you so much, Sherri, for including so many "screenshots" of the vegetarian sections of the menus. Since I'm eating plant-based (vegetarian is fine when on vacation) these specific information was so soooo helpful. Appreciate it! I'm pretty sure that Viking is the way to go for us.
You did a really great job showcasing the restaurants and food selections on Viking Ocean. We are hoping to book a 3 week cruise in 2025 as our first sailing on Viking.
Thank you. Will be sailing on Viking SEA in mid May on a Mediterranean Odyssey. Have done one Viking River Cruise (Paris to the Swiss Alps) and it convinced us to try an Ocean Cruise w Viking
Have fun on this cruise, the itinerary looks great! I have also done a Viking river cruise from Paris to the Swiss Alps and am wishing I booked the extension to actually go to the Alps instead of just ending in Zurich. I guess this means I need to go back!
Thank you for this! We are going on our first Viking cruise in a little more than a month - can’t wait! I didn’t see an option for kitchen table so maybe it’s not on our cruise
This is exciting!! Do you have access to My Viking Journey yet? All of the options and excursions should be listed in there with any costs associated. Booking depends on your stateroom category but if you're sailing in just over 30 days then I'm sure it's all open to you now.
Not all itineraries include the Kitchen Table "excursion". Once you're onboard, you can ask if they will be having one. Sometimes they will have one on a sea day, but the price is much cheaper since the chef already chose what the meal is going to be. The excursion one, you go shopping with the chef which means it's more expensive.
This was a great review. I'm booked on the Viking Star in December and will be traveling solo. Did you travel solo on this cruise? If so, did you dine alone or join other people at dinner?
Hi! Thank you so much, I appreciate it! I travelled solo as with my two cruises previous to this one. Usually by day two, I found that a number of other solo travellers all migrated to dining together and by the end of the cruise most of us were keeping in touch!
I am traveling on the Yi Dun in October-November. Since Viking sails this ship under a Chinese flag, I would be surprised if more of the offerings were not Asian-inspired by our location.
Hi Lisa, the Viking staff were fabulous! I just let them know my allergies and they let me know what meals I can have. It doesn't hurt to just mention it each time, as you may have different servers, but they also will have it on your profile if you let them know. The gluten-free items are marked on the menu, so at the buffets, just ask. They take it very seriously.
Just a little addition to the Kitchen Table portion you talked about. The Kitchen Table isn't actually included in your fare. Like all of the other restaurants are. It will usually be shown as an optional excursion where you go shopping with the head chef in the morning, and then come back to the ship to make a meal for lunch or dinner with what you purchased. For itineraries that don't include the Kitchen Table as an excursion, it still can be offered, but you won't be going shopping with the chef. You will just end up paying to watch the chef prepare you a special meal. The ones that aren't an excursion are cheaper than the excursion option. This is just a random observation. I noticed the eggs benedict on your cruise, each sandwich/portion was placed on the long plate. On my cruise, each portion was placed on a tiny plate, and then put on the long plate. Now I'm curious why there was a difference. I personally found the tiny plate to be a bit annoying at times, but that's just a nitpick.
Thanks for clarifying about The Kitchen Table. I noticed that on my trip, it was an excursion and I definitely want to try it on my next cruise! That’s curious about the Eggs Benedict. Maybe it was just a preference from the chef? It was definitely easy to scoop onto my own plate without an extra plate. It depends on when your cruise was, possibly could it have been a sanitary step? So not everybody touches a spatula and instead just pick up a plate? Just a thought I’m not sure.
@@girlonthego Who knows if the extra plate was a preference or not. I'm not sure if it was a sanitary thing or not. In 2019 on my first cruise, I'm pretty sure they were served on a plate, and this past summer they were served on a mini plate as well. The plate was a little heavy, so it made it awkward to use the spatula, and if you grabbed it with your hands you would get burnt a little because the plate was hot. If I moved my main plate to make it easier to put something else on it, the mini plate would usually slide around, and it was a bit annoying at times.
Hi Eric, my wife and I are going to be on Saturn in September celebrating our 40th anniversary. I was disappointed that the Kitchen Table excursion isn't being offered on our cruise. I didn't know they offered the dinner part without the shopping part. How did you find out about that? I'd like to surprise my wife with a Kitchen Table dinner.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm allergic to peanuts and a few other legumes. They were amazing at accommodating everything. Your wife should be fine, just make sure to speak with the servers and be very specific... include asking about the oil used for frying, etc.
I'm not sure what they're called! Both plants were random purchases from, I think, Home Depot...I've managed to keep them alive long enough to forget where I bought them. haha! Sorry I can be more helpful!
You should be able to just walk in, there was always space available during my two sailings. If it doesn't show in your My Viking Journey, then I recommend asking when you're onboard.
Go at about 4:35. Some of the folks who were there when they begin serving have left by then. Find a seat and eat & drink fast! Or we just like getting an English scone at that time of day, which is what makes it a true “tea” experience.
Not related at all: is that piece of artwork behind you three dimensional? It reminds me of my experience making 3D tissue 'glass' art, but, frankly, more stable looking. Very curious.
It's a flower wall! They are panels of flowers mounted on a frame, and I put 12 of them together to make the square. I'm considering covering the whole wall. 😍
They take allergies seriously and do an amazing job. I just mentioned my allergies at each meal and they already had them written down so that’s super nice. Plus, they would substitute as needed. The menus state what is gluten free and you can ask the servers as well and they have gluten-free bread and other options as well.
Thank you for correcting me. I appreciate it. There are no advanced reservations for The Restaurant, just for Chef's Table and booking the Kitchen Table excursions.
Exactly! We are 4 time Viking cruisers, and when you mentioned reserving a table, we thought, “Huh?” You also talked about booking tea in the Wintergarden. Nope, first come (to the various sofas and chairs), first served. Many people leave by about 4:35 or 4:40, so we have gone then, and just ordered a scone to accompany our tea. Hint: if you prefer a certain table in The Restaurant, and the group of 3 servers in that area, you can try requesting that same table or a nearby one each time you go. We purposely went right near 6:00, and after the first 2 nights, the woman at the desk just called out “Table 101”, and we made great friends with the 3 Indonesian crew members who took our order and served us. We loved being “regulars” on our 17 day Panama Canal cruise.
There is sushi every night at the World Cafe. It was very good for cruise sushi. We had a few pieces at 6:00 pm and then went to The Restaurant for dinner at 6:30 pm.
Please subscribe to be notified when my detailed Viking Saturn ship tour and Empires of the Mediterranean cruise reviews are ready!
If you have a Deluxe Veranda or higher, please check out the refrigerator every day. We had a DV and got a delicious chocolate bar and almonds snack and various sodas. We removed the chocolate and almonds every day and some of the sodas. This way the cabin attendant will replace the items. We saved up the chocolate bars and took the almond snacks with us on excursions.
Thanks for that note and great idea to bring snacks on excursions, especially the full day ones.
Hi Sherri. I am so glad I found your video because I have booked a Viking Mediterranean cruise as a treat for myself early in the new year and I was so glad to hear from you that it is very easy to make new friends on these smaller cruise ships as a solo traveller. Thank you for such a delectable and informative video. ❤
Hi Suzy, you're welcome!! I am glad you found my video helpful and I hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise. It is a fabulous itinerary. 😍
Just what I was looking for! We're going on our first Viking cruise in November and I've been watching videos to get a feel for Viking. A lot of the reviews panned to food. We aren't foodies and everything you showed made my mouth water. Thank you!
I am glad I could help! I enjoyed every bit of my 3 cruises with Viking! Have a fabulous time on your November cruise!!
Thanks for the video. My wife and I will be on Saturn in late September on the Empires of the Mediterranean itinerary. This will be our 3rd Viking Ocean cruise, but the last one was in 2019 so this was a great refresher on the dining venues.
Enjoy!! I loved this whole cruise and created a separate video on the excursions as well. So many choices!!
Thank you so much, Sherri, for including so many "screenshots" of the vegetarian sections of the menus. Since I'm eating plant-based (vegetarian is fine when on vacation) these specific information was so soooo helpful. Appreciate it! I'm pretty sure that Viking is the way to go for us.
You are so welcome! I'm glad I could help!!!
Thanks! I am now very hungry, lol. I can see how I would gain weight while on this cruise.
Haha all the walking balances it out! 😜
Thanks for this. Brought back yummy memories of my Viking cruise around Japan. Off to Iceland and Greenland in August with Viking this year.
Oh! Iceland and Greenland are on my bucket list. Enjoy!
You did a really great job showcasing the restaurants and food selections on Viking Ocean. We are hoping to book a 3 week cruise in 2025 as our first sailing on Viking.
Thank you so much, I appreciate your feedback. Three weeks would be amazing!
Thank you. Will be sailing on Viking SEA in mid May on a Mediterranean Odyssey. Have done one Viking River Cruise (Paris to the Swiss Alps) and it convinced us to try an Ocean Cruise w Viking
Have fun on this cruise, the itinerary looks great! I have also done a Viking river cruise from Paris to the Swiss Alps and am wishing I booked the extension to actually go to the Alps instead of just ending in Zurich. I guess this means I need to go back!
Thank you for the great overview. I’m looking forward to my cruise in July.
You're welcome! I hope you enjoy your cruise!
Great job.
Thanks! I appreciate it!
Thank you for this! We are going on our first Viking cruise in a little more than a month - can’t wait! I didn’t see an option for kitchen table so maybe it’s not on our cruise
This is exciting!! Do you have access to My Viking Journey yet? All of the options and excursions should be listed in there with any costs associated. Booking depends on your stateroom category but if you're sailing in just over 30 days then I'm sure it's all open to you now.
Not all itineraries include the Kitchen Table "excursion". Once you're onboard, you can ask if they will be having one. Sometimes they will have one on a sea day, but the price is much cheaper since the chef already chose what the meal is going to be. The excursion one, you go shopping with the chef which means it's more expensive.
well done. thank you
Thank you too!
Not all Viking Ocean ships are identical. The Orion and Jupiter have a planetarium.
Thanks for sharing this!
This was a great review. I'm booked on the Viking Star in December and will be traveling solo. Did you travel solo on this cruise? If so, did you dine alone or join other people at dinner?
Hi! Thank you so much, I appreciate it! I travelled solo as with my two cruises previous to this one. Usually by day two, I found that a number of other solo travellers all migrated to dining together and by the end of the cruise most of us were keeping in touch!
I am traveling on the Yi Dun in October-November. Since Viking sails this ship under a Chinese flag, I would be surprised if more of the offerings were not Asian-inspired by our location.
Hello Sherri, I heard you say you have food allergies. Do you know anything about how Viking handles those who can’t have gluten?
Hi Lisa, the Viking staff were fabulous! I just let them know my allergies and they let me know what meals I can have. It doesn't hurt to just mention it each time, as you may have different servers, but they also will have it on your profile if you let them know. The gluten-free items are marked on the menu, so at the buffets, just ask. They take it very seriously.
Just a little addition to the Kitchen Table portion you talked about. The Kitchen Table isn't actually included in your fare. Like all of the other restaurants are. It will usually be shown as an optional excursion where you go shopping with the head chef in the morning, and then come back to the ship to make a meal for lunch or dinner with what you purchased. For itineraries that don't include the Kitchen Table as an excursion, it still can be offered, but you won't be going shopping with the chef. You will just end up paying to watch the chef prepare you a special meal. The ones that aren't an excursion are cheaper than the excursion option.
This is just a random observation. I noticed the eggs benedict on your cruise, each sandwich/portion was placed on the long plate. On my cruise, each portion was placed on a tiny plate, and then put on the long plate. Now I'm curious why there was a difference. I personally found the tiny plate to be a bit annoying at times, but that's just a nitpick.
Thanks for clarifying about The Kitchen Table. I noticed that on my trip, it was an excursion and I definitely want to try it on my next cruise!
That’s curious about the Eggs Benedict. Maybe it was just a preference from the chef? It was definitely easy to scoop onto my own plate without an extra plate. It depends on when your cruise was, possibly could it have been a sanitary step? So not everybody touches a spatula and instead just pick up a plate? Just a thought I’m not sure.
@@girlonthego Who knows if the extra plate was a preference or not. I'm not sure if it was a sanitary thing or not. In 2019 on my first cruise, I'm pretty sure they were served on a plate, and this past summer they were served on a mini plate as well. The plate was a little heavy, so it made it awkward to use the spatula, and if you grabbed it with your hands you would get burnt a little because the plate was hot. If I moved my main plate to make it easier to put something else on it, the mini plate would usually slide around, and it was a bit annoying at times.
@@erics607 Oh darn, that does sound frustrating!
What difference does it make.
Hi Eric, my wife and I are going to be on Saturn in September celebrating our 40th anniversary. I was disappointed that the Kitchen Table excursion isn't being offered on our cruise. I didn't know they offered the dinner part without the shopping part. How did you find out about that? I'd like to surprise my wife with a Kitchen Table dinner.
Thank you for the food review. If I may ask, what was your allergy, my wife has a dairy and corn allergy and am wondering if they accommodate that.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm allergic to peanuts and a few other legumes. They were amazing at accommodating everything. Your wife should be fine, just make sure to speak with the servers and be very specific... include asking about the oil used for frying, etc.
Off topic, what is that plant behind your chair? Thank you!
I'm not sure what they're called! Both plants were random purchases from, I think, Home Depot...I've managed to keep them alive long enough to forget where I bought them. haha! Sorry I can be more helpful!
One question how do you book afternoon tea? Do you have to wait until you are on board?
You should be able to just walk in, there was always space available during my two sailings. If it doesn't show in your My Viking Journey, then I recommend asking when you're onboard.
All you do is show up. Depending on your itinerary however, it can get really crowded.
Go at about 4:35. Some of the folks who were there when they begin serving have left by then. Find a seat and eat & drink fast! Or we just like getting an English scone at that time of day, which is what makes it a true “tea” experience.
@@marias902 That's a good idea, too, if you don't want the full afternoon tea experience every day on your cruise, and just want a snack and tea.
Not related at all: is that piece of artwork behind you three dimensional? It reminds me of my experience making 3D tissue 'glass' art, but, frankly, more stable looking. Very curious.
It's a flower wall! They are panels of flowers mounted on a frame, and I put 12 of them together to make the square. I'm considering covering the whole wall. 😍
How do these restaurants deal with gluten allergies? I’m a celiac so that’s important.
They take allergies seriously and do an amazing job. I just mentioned my allergies at each meal and they already had them written down so that’s super nice. Plus, they would substitute as needed. The menus state what is gluten free and you can ask the servers as well and they have gluten-free bread and other options as well.
I’ve never met anyone who has an “Asian food allergy” 😂😂😂
I’ve met a number of people allergic to the key ingredients in Asian foods, soy, beans, and peanuts being the main ones.
I didn’t know that peanut butter sandwiches were an asian speciality sandwich.
I don't think they take reservations at "The Restaurant"
Thank you for correcting me. I appreciate it. There are no advanced reservations for The Restaurant, just for Chef's Table and booking the Kitchen Table excursions.
Exactly! We are 4 time Viking cruisers, and when you mentioned reserving a table, we thought, “Huh?” You also talked about booking tea in the Wintergarden. Nope, first come (to the various sofas and chairs), first served. Many people leave by about 4:35 or 4:40, so we have gone then, and just ordered a scone to accompany our tea.
Hint: if you prefer a certain table in The Restaurant, and the group of 3 servers in that area, you can try requesting that same table or a nearby one each time you go. We purposely went right near 6:00, and after the first 2 nights, the woman at the desk just called out “Table 101”, and we made great friends with the 3 Indonesian crew members who took our order and served us. We loved being “regulars” on our 17 day Panama Canal cruise.
There is sushi every night at the World Cafe. It was very good for cruise sushi. We had a few pieces at 6:00 pm and then went to The Restaurant for dinner at 6:30 pm.