Inside Viking Ocean Cruises Food & Beverages Experience

We're taking you through what meals are like aboard a Viking Ocean ship to show you exactly what makes the onboard dining experience so exceptional.

You'll discover the impressive variety of dining venues, from the high-quality breakfast buffet and traditional Norwegian dishes at Mamsen's to the special Chef's Table experience and hands-on cooking classes that elevate your culinary journey. 

We'll share our honest impressions of each restaurant, including Manfredi's and the World Cafe, walk you through the convenient 24/7 room service, and reveal why afternoon tea with its pastries became one of our favorite snack options. You'll also learn the insider tips that matter – like bringing your own wine on board, whether the drink package is worth it, and how Viking Ocean's food quality stacks up against their river cruises. 

Whether you're a foodie planning your Viking Ocean voyage, comparing dining options across cruise lines, or curious about what "all-inclusive" really means on Viking, you'll understand precisely what culinary experiences await you and how to make the most of every delicious moment.

During this episode, we mention reservations. You’ll use My Viking Journey ahead of your trip for that.

Be sure to listen to our other episodes on Viking: 

• Viking Ocean vs. River Cruise: Same or Totally Different?
• Top River Cruise Line Showdown: Viking vs. AmaWaterways

Thank you to our sponsor, Riverside Luxury Cruises. Find out more about our experience with this outstanding river cruise line, providing guests with the luxury of choice.

Chapters

• 1:17 Intro to Viking Ocean Dining Experiences
• 1:53 How the Ocean Ships Changed Our Opinion of Viking Food
• 3:42 Breakfast Options
• 8:17 Lunch Options: Variety & Quality
• 9:36 Afternoon Tea: A Daily Delight
• 10:33 Dinner Experiences: Reservations & Menus
• 12:57 Exploring the World Cafe & A Hot Tip!
• 15:02 Pop-Up Dinners & Tasting Local Cuisine Onboard
• 16:53 Room Service & Late Night Options
• 17:11 Standout Snacks on Viking Ocean
• 18:16 Beverage Options & Drink Packages
• 19:55 Bringing Your Own Wine On Board
• 21:42 A Special & Limited Dining Option: The Kitchen Table
• 23:07 Final Thoughts on Viking Ocean Dining

Transcript

Dan (00:35)

Hi, we're coming to you live from the Viking Saturn in the Mediterranean, cruising our way through the afternoon. But today we're going to talk about the food and drink on Viking Saturn.

Mikkel (00:48)

Yes, and of course the food is always one of my favorite subjects on any vacation and this is not an exception. We have sailed on Viking River several times and Viking Ocean is new for us so we are bringing you our thoughts and inside tips on what was a standout and a highlight and maybe what we would leave behind.

Dan (01:10)

Yeah, I would agree. It's interesting, in the past I've been little harsh on Viking for the food, but Viking Ocean has definitely changed my perspective on their food offerings and this ship has been quite impressive so far.

Mikkel (01:25)

Yeah. Let's start with the amount of dining venues on board. 

So of course, on Viking River, there's really only two venues. There's the restaurant and the Aquavit Terrace. And we are pleased to say, of course, on a ship that fits 930 passengers as opposed to just 185 or so on the Viking Longships that most people go on in the European area, like the Danube is probably popular.

Dan (01:50)

Typically what everybody thinks of when they think of Viking is the Longships.

Mikkel (01:54)

Right, exactly. A few of the restaurants are only open for dinner, but there's plenty open for breakfast, lunch, early risers, snacks, and then some. 

Dan (02:05)

Ultimately, you're not going to go hungry. That's for sure. So you have plenty of options. No matter when you want to eat, something will be open. And room service, 24/7.

Mikkel (02:08)

And you're not going to go hungry.

Oh yes, the room service 24/7 is great. So if you come back form an excursion, for example, and the excursion's a little bit after the normal dining hours, you can do room service or you can do the pool bar too, the "Pool Grill," the pool grill, which is a nice option.

Dan (02:34)

Which is where we're currently sitting so if the ambient noise you hear is people enjoying food and drinks and the pool.

Mikkel (02:41)

On a surprise Sea Day, which we will talk about if you haven't already listened to our Empires of the Mediterranean itinerary overview, please be sure to follow and subscribe to our podcast so you can learn more about why we're at sea today instead of at Santorini. But let's get back to the food.

Should we start with breakfast?

Dan (03:01)

Breakfast is, you know, it's the most important meal of day, so we should start there.

Mikkel (03:06)

I would like to say that we are normally restaurant sit down people and eat. We're not big room service people because it's my feeling that no matter how fast they get the food to you, it's never going to be as hot as it was right off the grill when you get it right from, you know, the chef's area, let's say. So one of our favorite, surprisingly, one of our favorite dining venues on board has been the World Cafe. Now, this is their buffet. 

But as we said in our episode, about cruise myths busted buffets for small ship cruising, small ships do buffets differently so they're not kind of the madness that you see on ships with thousands of people.

Dan (03:48)

Right, and we keep going back to like buffet is not a four-letter word. And on the Viking Saturn, they have proven that once again, and that is that the options that we have... we go back for our afternoon sushi snack. It's been quite impressive, the variety, but also the quality.

Mikkel (04:11)

So in the morning, the breakfast is plentiful. There's always a bread station with pastries. There is an egg station. You can get a fried egg. You can get an omelet. There is waffles. There's, you know, there's anything you can think of. There's fresh fruit. There's gluten-free bread. We've seen gluten free bread. There's smoothies. There's a green juice and a fruit juice of the day. There’s even an Asian station that you can get dim sum in the morning and gyoza and I've seen congee there in the morning that you can add toppings to so that's been a really nice surprise.

Dan (04:48)

Yeah, I'm a pretty picky breakfast eater and had no problems with anything. Of course, you're going to find that typical European breakfast, which I enjoy. Just a slice of cheese. Yeah, yeah. But also your more traditional American breakfast.

Mikkel (05:03)

And it's all really good quality.

Dan (05:05)

Yeah, everything has been very high quality. Very interesting too, as far as the, like we said, the selection, but just the variety that's available.

Mikkel (05:13)

there's also pancakes and waffles for example and the waffles brings us to another dining venue option Mamsen's. Mamsen's? I hope I'm saying it right. It's their Norwegian dining option on board and this is one of my favorite things about Viking Ocean that you can't get on Viking River: Viking Ocean really leans into being a Nordic cruise ship and their Norwegian roots. The founder is Norwegian and even the ship is flagged from Bergen, Norway, which is amazing.

So I absolutely love that you can get a traditional Norwegian waffle with the Norwegian cheese on it that I don't like, but it is pretty. We did try it. We actually had it at our friend's house in Norway for the first time. So we know what it tastes like, but they kind of peel the cheese. It's a brown cheese and it kind of curls off of it. It looks very pretty. But the waffles here in Mamsen's, (sorry for the pronunciation), is different than the waffles that you get in the World Cafe. So that's a hot tip. So try both. 

I like the waffles better in Mamsen's. Yeah, fresher. Yeah, fresher too. They're fresh on the World Cafe buffet, but they kind of pre-make them because they're kind of trying to have them be ready for the guests. So they make it to order at Mamsen's because there's less seating and there's less people that usually go there. But that's another breakfast option.

Dan (06:18)

Yeah, they're a little thinner.

So one other thing about Mamsen's is it's available for the early risers and the late risers. So if the World Cafe is closed, then you can go and grab something small at Mamsen's.

Mikkel (06:44)

Yeah, good point.

Yeah, if you're a 6:30 a.m. riser for example, that's a great option. And then the last option for breakfast, sorry, besides room service, room service you could do a hanging door tag that they put on your bed when they do turndown service. They put a hanging door tag that you can check off what you want, even if you want morning coffee.

We will talk about coffee in the stateroom when we move on to the drinks. But you can do room service breakfast or also the last option is The Restaurant, the official restaurant. And that's the dining venue that you don't need reservations for here aside from the World Cafe and there is a sit down menu. It's very similar to what's available at the buffet in the World Cafe but you just order it. You sit down and you order with a server.

Dan (07:35)

So going into lunch... Mamsen's is available. The pool grill is available which we did on our first day here. World Cafe. And then The Restaurant itself is also available. So plenty of options if you want something quick like a burger or cheesesteaks or something like that Pool Grill is great. And then the World Cafe we already talked about how great the options are there and the variety.

Mikkel (07:58)

Yeah, they just keep the amazing options coming. I want to mention the Pool Grill. You said the day we embarked – and that's a great point because we embarked a little late. We had to be on board 7 p.m., which is kind of late. So it was nice for us. We could explore Venice during the day and then we went to Chioggia and we boarded around 3:45-ish, but we were hungry. We hadn't had lunch yet.

Dan (08:21)

Right, yeah, so we grabbed a quick burger at the Pool Grill and it was tasty and it held us over until dinner two hours later.

Mikkel (08:28)

The Pool Grill is generally open starting at 11/11:30 in the morning and then serves until you know at least five o'clock if not later. But it really depends on the day. But they also have a little bit of a buffet there: just some salad, coleslaw, potato salad, fresh vegetables. So that's really nice and they always have a bowl of fresh fruits so bananas, apples that kind of thing that you can grab and go if you want.

Dan (08:54)

Yeah, so after lunch, there's always tea time.

Mikkel (08:59)

Yes, one of the special things about the Ocean ship, like the Rivers, is that they do afternoon tea, but they do it every day here. And a hot tip is that the three-tiered tray of pastries, scones, and finger sandwiches is different every day. So they change it every day. So if you come today, it's going to be different than what they serve tomorrow. You can get tea or coffee there. They take your order. And if you want something stronger, of course, that's always available on your vacation.

Dan (09:28)

It's always available.

Mikkel (09:30)

Always available. So tea time is a really nice thing during the day that you can look forward to. For us, of our, All Aboard times— not all, most of them— have been before 4 p.m. when tea time is. So you can actually make tea time on our itinerary, Empires of the Mediterranean, most of the time, or even if you come back to the ship early, which is really nice and a great snack option.

Dan (09:51)

Yeah. So that'll take us right into dinner. What's available for dinner is Manfredi's.

Mikkel (09:59)

Yes, Italian.

Dan (10:02)

The Chef's Table, which unlike some of River, you do have to make a reservation, it's not an upcharge for the Chef's Table.

Mikkel (10:09)

And same with Manfredi's. So Manfredi's and the Chef's Table are both by reservation. And that opens x-amount of days before your cruise.

So depending on your stateroom and your category of cabin, x-amount of days before your cruise, you go into My Viking Journey and reservations open up. Now, for us, we could make two reservations for the dining. But once you get on board, especially that first day, you can talk to them about adding reservations. And like you said, Dan, they're not an extra charge but you do have to make reservations. And it's a really nice change of scenery, change of venue. 

So Chef's Table is a set menu and it changes every three days. So during our cruise there's been a Asian menu, a British menu, and a California-inspired menu. The California menu was not our favorite.

Dan (11:02)

Yeah, it felt a little flat, but the Asian menu was very good.

Mikkel (11:05)

Excellent. Yeah, so don't miss that if you can get on that Asian day. We had the wok seared beef. We had an incredible hot and sour amuse bouche. It was a little bigger than an amuse bouche. It was kind of a, I would say like three ounces of soup, but it was great. It was perfect. We had some fried shrimp that was really good. Almost like a twist on coconut shrimp. Right. And we also had an amazing mango dessert. It had so many textures and layers and it was air

brushed beautifully by the pastry chef and that was really nice. 

They also served us tea with that. They asked if we wanted some tea to start which I thought was just a really thoughtful and nice touch to start. So that was our favorite Chef's Table that we experienced. Manfredi's, they have the same menu every day as opposed to the World Cafe that it changes every three

They always have a pasta of the day... and a dish of the day?

Dan (11:58)

Yeah.

Mikkel (11:59)

So those are the only two things that change daily. So if you do multiple reservations there, you can just get different things from the menu, which is exciting. And I will say overall, Manfredi's is so good. The pastas on board have been really phenomenal.

And even the World Cafe, the dinner in there has been exceptional. And as Dan said, we've made a habit of getting a slice of pizza. The at the buffet is really good. And this is a great tip. So the buffet is two sided.

Most of the things are the same on both sides, but there are some differences... except for: there's pizza on one side and sushi on one side. There's also gelato on one side. And then additionally there is a raw on one side. 

Dan (12:35)

and sushi on the other side.

Mikkel (12:44)

So one side has the sushi, the other side has a raw bar. My New York accent is raw bar. My New York accent comes out on this podcast. And then also the gelato's on one side, pastries on the other. So make sure to do a full 360 degree lap so you see both sides in the World Cafe.

Dan (13:03)

Do not become a creature of habit and only go to one side. Yeah.

Mikkel (13:06)

Also, sorry, just touching on lunch at the World Cafe, they do have that Asian station for lunch like they do for breakfast. I have loved the noodle station there because you can get a broth soup and that's been phenomenal there.

You can get a wok fried dish there that they make to order and that's been phenomenal too. Okay, so back to dinner there.

Dan (13:27)

Back to dinner. We talked about Manfredi's, we talked about the World Cafe, but then there's also just

Mikkel (13:33)

The Restaurant, again, you don't need reservations for. This is almost like "The Restaurant" quote unquote, on the River Cruise ships. It has the most seating and you order off the menu. Some of those items overlap from the World Cafe. Some of them do not. And on the left side of the menu is destination specific items.

So yesterday we were in Greece, we were in Olympia, and it was a grape leaf dish followed by a seafood dish and a Greek-inspired dessert. I kind of mixed and matched for my dinner and Dan went with the right side of the menu that is always available.

Dan (14:11)

On the everyday menu I had salmon and potatoes.

Mikkel (14:16)

There's also steak available, Caesar salad, things like that.

Dan (14:20)

So the other thing we want to point out about dinner is there are pop-up dinners up on the pool deck or on the…

Mikkel (14:27)

The Aquavit Terrace. So the World Cafe, good point, spills out to outdoor seating too and you can sit by the infinity pool and it's really lovely. They do really great special events there. So check your Viking Daily because it'll say what's going on. I love that you brought that up.

Dan (14:42)

Yeah, so there was the two pop-up dinners. Felt very locally influenced depending on what port we were at, but it was nice just to mingle and have more of a festive atmosphere than just a sit-down dinner.

Mikkel (14:54)

Yeah, one night when we were in Dubrovnik, it was just a gorgeous evening and the lights were twinkling in the hills behind us and they brought out this big almost paella, a huge paella pan.

Dan (15:05)

Yeah, as big as a table.

Mikkel (15:06)

It's as big as a table or bigger, yeah. And they had a specialty veal that we were able to try, which was really nice. I think they've done a really excellent job on Viking Ocean of making it specific to where we're going every day there's a sign outside the World Cafe with the specialty of the region that they're going to offer that day.

Dan (15:28)

Right. It's been interesting. I wasn't expecting it as much on Ocean, but they have done a great job of integrating local... kind of local  cuisine, local flavors into the dinners that coincide with the itinerary.

Mikkel (15:41)

Yeah, and don't forget you can also get room service for dinner. Right. So that is lovely. And one night they did a surf and turf. They kind of put that out by the pool area, which is right next to us, which is why I'm looking that way. If you're watching us on YouTube, they did a surf and turf dinner and they had live music and the band playing. So they really do a great job at switching it up and having variety on Viking Ocean and making it really memorable for everybody as part of your cruise experience. 

And then lastly, for dinner you can also go to Mamsen's and they also have a midnight snack kind of thing. So from 10 p.m. to midnight you can get a soup. Also, if you have the Viking app downloaded on your phone, which we recommend, you can always check the menu of the day. So it's not going to be a surprise to you.

Dan (16:29)

Yeah, that's a good point. Like we said at the top of the episode, you're not gonna go hungry. There's snacks available and you can pick up snacks and drinks kind of all throughout the ship. So some of the highlights for snacks, we thought… for me it was the Pool Grill because I could just stop and grab some French fries.

Mikkel (16:46)

Yeah, there's also at the Living Room area, which is on deck one where you can get your coffees and teas throughout the day, complimentary. And also you can get them at World Cafe like you can the 24/7, serve yourself coffee station and tea station. And I will say it is kind of on steroids here. There's every kind of milk. There's soy milk, there's almond milk, there's regular milk, skim milk, there's cream.

Down at the Living Room, you can also get snacks. Right. So it changes. So from the morning, it's pastries and then it goes to kind of those smørrebrøds. I'm sure I'm saying it wrong, but from Denmark, those Danish, very Scandinavian open faced sandwiches. And then at night it changes to a little bit more of an hors d'oeuvre plate. Right. So snacks are there too. There's always cookies. There's some cakes. So that's a good snack option.

Speaking of the bar at the Living Room, let's talk about the drinks. So as always you can add on a Silver Spirits drink package as you can on River and that is priced per person per day but both people in your room need to add that on. I would say if you're not doing at least three alcoholic drinks per day it's not worth it per person.

Dan (17:57)

Right, but bear in mind, you get beer and wine with lunch and dinner.

Mikkel (18:01)

Just like on River, you get beer and wine with lunch and dinner. It's interesting how it works on the ship because if you're not in the World Cafe after 2:30 p.m., like if you're on the pool deck by the Pool Grill, they are going to tell you there's a charge for a beer or a glass of wine after 2:30. So you want to make sure you're aware of those times. Something that I appreciate is that if it's outside those times, the crew does say to you, "There's a charge for that. Do you want to proceed?"

So that's nice because we don't like surprises.

Dan (18:32)

Yeah, and the bars do have some specialty drinks and high-end alcohol. So if you're looking for something just a little bit special one night or one afternoon, you can get kind of whatever you're looking for - they had great options.

Mikkel (18:44)

And then also with that drink option or if you are doing the Silver Spirits or you want to upgrade, something I liked as well is that on the Chef's Table, they pair wines with each course and you can upgrade to the premium wine pairing if you want. So definitely inquire about that if wine is your thing and you like those upgraded cocktails.

Dan (19:04)

Yeah, that was a really nice option. We saw quite a few people taking advantage of that. It seemed like a great way to just easily try and a more elevated pairing experience.

Mikkel (19:13)

Another thing that I think a lot of people don't know about is that you can bring wine on board So when we were in Chioggia before we boarded I got a bottle of wine at the local grocery store. You know, wine is so affordable in Europe especially and we were able to bring it on board. We did not smuggle it on board It went through security and you are allowed to bring that on board and I've heard they'll cork it for you. But we're responsible travelers and you always have a corkscrew with you. 

Dan (19:42)

Yeah, unless it gets confiscated in Vietnam, but that's a different story.

Mikkel (19:45)

It's a different…

That security was the only one that took that corkscrew from Dijon that we had had for years. But practice safe traveling: Travel with your own corkscrew. Right. So we did have that. But I have heard that they will cork your bottle of wine complimentary. So don't forget, that's an option, especially because if you are going out to ports and you want a specific kind of wine to try, you might want to consider getting a bottle and bringing it on board to enjoy later. If you don't have time to sit at a bar on land and taste the wine, let's say.

Dan (20:18)

Right, that's a good point.

Mikkel (20:19)

Mm-hmm and then another option with drinks that I do want to point out... One of my favorite things with the drinks that I would be remiss not to mention is if we're in a hot area I love an iced coffee so you can get those coffees iced. I asked at the Living Room downstairs to my soy latte and and some hazelnut syrup and that has been a highlight for me. So that would be my favorite drink to get. What's been your favorite drink to get during this cruise?

Dan (20:47)

I just always enjoy the wine, but then they had a very nice scotch selection. So, you know, kind of rewarded myself with a glass of scotch one evening and that was, yeah, very enjoyable.

Mikkel (21:00)

Another dining venue that we haven't mentioned and we haven't experienced it on this cruise, but I did see a class in there through the restaurant. So you enter through the restaurant and go downstairs, is a special dining venue, which is The Kitchen Table. And they teach classes here and you can do a cooking class and then eat what you've prepared. And that's a really special experience that they do not have on the river cruises. It's a special thing on Viking Ocean and you sign up for that in advance so you don't just show up.

But you do sign up for that experience and especially I think if you've been on Viking Ocean a bunch or like you're really into culinary and cooking and you want to learn something new it is a nice thing to experience on board that kind of switches up your vacation a little bit.

Dan (21:43)

we did see some people walk through with chef's hats on and aprons through the restaurant. So they were enjoying that experience. And then I've also heard that when you're done cooking your own food, you clean the head.

You what? Clean the head.

Mikkel (21:55)

Cleaned ahead?

Clean the head! Clean ahead where? You clean the head... to earn your keep? So if you can't pay, it doesn't go on your onboard credit or your…

Dan (21:56)

Clean the bathroom.

Mikkel (22:10)

Ba-dum! Chhhh!

Dan (22:08)

That's going on the cutting room floor.

Mikkel (22:14)

I think we covered it all. If you have questions about anything we haven't covered... Yeah... Right? Please let us know we are easy to find. Check the show notes or show description.

Dan (22:25)

I want to make a special call out. We had a listener comment because I called the food on Viking a "7" and so I think I have to retract that. I'm gonna bring it up to an 8.

Mikkel (22:37)

Now that we've been on Viking Ocean, I will say overall I think the Viking Ocean food is phenomenal. The river, I don't think is as good as this. I would agree. Yeah, I'm going to agree with your 7. I'm going to give it an 8 to a 9. Eight and a half. Let's say eight and a half. Yeah. All right. It's really good. It's really good. And if you love food, then you're not going to be disappointed on this cruise. Yeah.

Dan (23:00)

And we'd love to hear about your experiences or if you disagree with us on something or we missed something, please let us know in the comments or send us an email. We're very easy to find.

Mikkel (23:10)

Yeah, so be sure to look out for all of those Viking episodes about the oceans and rivers. Search our podcast. We are available wherever you listen to podcasts. Share with a friend and be sure to subscribe and follow so you don't miss an episode. Happy cruising.

Dan (23:25)

Until next time, keep cruising.