We have sailed on many cruise lines, but this was our first time on Viking. It was also our first time in the Mediterranean in winter. We have always heard the old adage that sailing the Med after October could be interesting. Luckily for us, the seas were calm and the weather was beautiful. Embarkation went very smoothly and may have been our best boarding experience ever. We arrived at around noon and there was no line and we were on the ship in record time. The ship is very Nordic with clean lines, plenty of public spaces and a very light and bright interior. We went to the buffet for lunch and thought the food was good. At 2:00PM our cabin was ready. It was nice to enter the room and find our luggage waiting for us. We had a V4 cabin and the space was pretty standard for a balcony cabin. We liked having two chairs in the seating area rather than a couch. The only thing we wished for was a bit more drawer space. There were 3 drawers next to the closet and one more small drawer in each of the nightstands. Most other cruise lines have a way of maximizing storage space, with nooks and crannies located throughout the cabin - not Viking. The bathroom while not overly large was very nicely appointed. We especially loved the heated floors and its separate heating system. The balcony did not get put to much use as the weather was a bit chilly for sitting out.

We thought the food in the main dining room was excellent with a varied selection of continental dishes. The waitstaff was attentive with both the waiter and the wine steward keeping close watch on their tables. While a visit to the Chef's Table and Manfredi's is included, not sure I would rush back to either. I think part of the problem for the Chef's Table is truth in advertising. When we have gone to chef's tables in the past, the chef has actually been there talking about the food. This is not the case for this experience. For us, the whole eveing was odd. We arrived right on time for our reservation and we were promptly seated. We had signed up for the Asian meal. We sat there for 5 minutes before we were acknowledged. Rather than the server, the first person who appeared at our table was the wine steward. As we had the Silver Spirits drink package, we were provided a wine pairing with each course. The wine steward poured three wines and told us what each wine was, but not why it was chosen to pair with the food. Finally our waitress came by the table and delivered menus. We were told that bread would be out soon as it wasn't ready yet. After a while we noticed other tables were getting bread delivered, so we asked and we were told we would get ours soon. When someone says that the bread is not ready yet, the expectation is that we would be served wonderfully warm bread fresh out of the oven. Well, the only thing that would make this bread "not ready" was no one put it in the basket. If the food had been fantastic, we would have forgiven some of the other hiccups during the meal, but it wasn't. The only thing I can think of is that they got a great deal on hoisan sauce as the main course duck was smothered in it. Dessert was strange as well with separate bites that perhaps on their own would have been okay, but combined on the same plate they just didn't work.

Our experience at Manfredi's was better. The food and service was good, but we both felt the food in the main dining room was just as good. Read more