These 21 days finally passed quickly, with the good surprise of never being bored, nor going around in circles. And this was especially true for meals. I’ve already said all the good things I thought about the quality of Viking on this matter, but it’s even more remarkable when you spend 3 weeks on board without ever eating the same thing again. Restaurants are all included in the price of the cruise. And from the buffet to the main restaurant via the Chef Table, Manfredi’s or Mamsen… the variety was there. And always excellent food.
I can’t list everything I adored, but among others… herring in different sauces, mussels marinières, delicious octopus, a bit of caviar, young moulting crabs, lobster, pancakes, soufflé to be damned for…
Dishes from seafood, which I love so much, often returned to the menu, with even a dedicated themed buffet! I abused that night!
Even the famous Tea Time (Anglo-Saxon heritage, which is not my cup of tea) is worth trying, as much for the location (Winter Garden) as for what is served there. Specialists recognize the excellent level (they will recognize themselves).
It is best to book when you want to go to one of the specialty restaurants, especially for the Italian-inspired restaurant, Mansfredi’s. This is probably the most requested restaurant. Its menu is impressive, and it does honor to Italian cuisine, that’s for sure. I was able to dine there twice, always very good, and very (too!) hearty. So much so that we sometimes asked for half a portion!
Best surprise of the buffet: a brunch! One day, the buffet is advertised differently. It will be a brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with surprising dishes for a buffet (including lobster tails… I helped myself twice… Iberian ham, caviar, a cake “pièce montée” whose cream puffs had a freshness worthy of a pastry shop that had just finished it.
The other restaurant that punctuated this crossing is the Chef’s Table. This restaurant offers a menu defined in advance, on a given theme. It changes every 2 or 3 days. It was therefore possible for me to taste 7 different ones, of which I will give you the details… in pictures !
Menu Xiang
Menu Lotus
Menu California Cuisine
Menu La Route Des Indes
Menu Asian Panorama
Menu Mexico
Menu Erling’s Scandinavian Bistro
Finally, after this cruise full of twists, changes, and adaptations, I must say that Viking was a great help in ensuring that everything went well and helped us to adapt our reservations. And finally offered us $500 onboard credit, per person as well as a discount coupon for a future cruise for 50% of the value of this trip. Even on the validity of this coupon, I find that Viking remains among the best companies: if you have to apply it in the year following its issue, it can however apply to any cruise in the catalog, without date limit, provided that the reservation is made within the year, both for a sea voyage and for the rivers where Viking has most of its activity.
Another very positive point: Viking has an effective presence on social networks. A simple tweet @VikingCruises and an hour later, someone calls in the cabin to discuss this message and answer questions about the situation of the cruise… rarely seen company so efficient and conscientious about customer relations.
Price of the cruise: $6099 per person, or $290 per night, a price slightly below Viking’s commercial practices, because this type of cruise falls into the “repositioning” category, sold cheaper because it has a majority of days at sea. Well, so much the better! Which makes the coupon amount for a future cruise $3049.50…
Other posts about Viking cruises :
– Around Iceland on the Viking Jupiter (August 2021)
– North Pole and the Arctic aboard the Viking Saturn (July 2023)
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