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Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
What the food is like on a Viking Cruises ocean ship
Viking Cruises may be a luxury cruise line, but it offers laid-back luxury, at least when it comes to dining. The actual number of choices is fairly limited. There's "The Restaurant," essentially the Main Dining Room, and World Cafe, a buffet, which bother offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Those are supported by a small grill near the pool, Mamsen's, a unique Nordic-inspired spot which offers waffles, pastries, and other snacks, and a small selection of cookies, pastries, and sandwiches on the first floor at the bar in The Living Room. There's also an Italian specialty restaurants Manfredi's that's open for a dinner and a Chef's Table that serves a fixed menu which changes every three days, It's all very high quality and elegant, but also pretty chill as dress standards are casual, and you don't need reservations at The Restaurant. You won't go hungry, but you also won't find yourself regretting your dining decisions as there's much more fresh fish, chilled seafood, and nightly sushi than on many mass market cruise lines. You can eat well while staying relatively healthy (although the excellent gelato was a nightly temptation). Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. What the food is like on a Viking Cruises ocean ship (2:20) Transcript: Hey there, cruisers. I am Dan Kline, Executive Editor of Come Cruise With Me. That is And I'm coming to you from my cabin in Viking Jupiter. Things are a little bit different in Viking, and I thought I would want to talk a little bit today about what the food is like. So it's not quite as expansive as if you're on a megaship. There aren't as many places to eat. But basically, there's a main dining room that serves breakfast, lunch, dinner. You do not have to make an appointment. You don't need a time. You can just show up. It might take a minute or two. There is a buffet that does breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not quite as expansive, but absolutely top-notch. I actually think some of the best food on the ship. Dinner time, not only is there the buffet, which has many of the things the main dining room does, there's also the main dining room, which changes every night. There's an Italian specialty restaurant also included. You just have to make a reservation. And there's a chef's table. The chef's table is a different four-course meal every night. You really want to look at the menu before you go, because it's very specific. There's no substitutions other than for allergies. But everything is world-class. I would say the worst thing on the buffet is as good as any specialty restaurant I've ever been in. And there are things like king crab, shrimp cocktail, sushi every night for dinner. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. There's also Mamsen's, which is a sort of Norwegian specialty snack place. And there's sandwiches and waffles and pastries. And it's a little bit weird. There's also tea every day at 4 o'clock, which is a drawn-out British affair. Have done it a couple of times. Absolutely lovely. And there's cookies and pastry on the first floor all day long. So it's not as much as you would eat on another wall. You'll eat plenty. It's not as many choices as the other cruise lines have. But it is all absolutely world-class. We got to tour the galley today. And honestly, I would have eaten off the floor. It was how unbelievably clean it was. And the chef tastes every meal himself. So literally goes through, tastes every single thing they have. They make every day. Chef said to me that he has not been hungry in many, many months. And he does not remember the feeling of being hungry because he has to taste so much food every day. But if you want to come on Viking, food is one of the calling cards. They pick up local ingredients in every market. And they'll do one dish. So we had Aberdeen beef the other day. They usually pick up mussels in one of the stops we were in. But they're actually out of them. That is, of course, the perils of going local. I am Dan Kline. Come cruise with me soon. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
Why I love Viking Cruises' thermal spa
Relaxing on a cruise for me usually means sitting in a pool, or better yet, a hot tub. On some occasions, I have paid extra (usually at least $50 per day) for access to a thermal spa. Most of these have some version of a sauna (often an infrared sauna), a steam room, a salt room, and many some relaxing chairs. Related: Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises announce new reward benefits I've generally found these underwhelming and not worth the price. In many cases, they lack a true water feature, often having a rain shower, but no hot tubs, cold plunge, or any sort of therapy pool. That's not the case on Viking Cruises which offers an included thermal spa that's truly an immersive experience. It's included in the price of your cruise and as I head from London across the Arctic Circle on Jupiter Viking as part of its "Into the Midnight Sun" voyage, it has become a daily ritual. In addition, while I have not done this, the cruise line offers classes in the Norwegian tradition of alternating hot and cold experiences. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. Why we love Viking Cruises' thermal spa (1:38) Transcript: Hey there all, I am Dan Kline, Executive Editor of Come Cruise With Me, that is soon to be part of Travel Host, we're really excited about that. I'm on a 14 day adventure on the Viking Jupiter. Now first of all, I'm going to talk a little bit about the fact that today, the sun, and I'm pointing to my balcony, will not go down. We are going to have 24 hours of sunlight, makes it hard to know when to switch from drinking light beverages to darker beverages. I usually have a gin and tonic in the afternoon if it's a Sunday like it is, not a work day, and switch to bourbon at night, but there is no night, it is perpetual sun, but one of the ways I'm dealing with that is something that's my favorite thing on the ship. There is a thermal spa here that is in the men's room, there's a sauna, so you can sit in the sauna, you can then go into the plunge pool. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. I have not been daring enough to go into the plunge pool. In the communal area, there is a thalassotherapy tub, got that one out, with bubbles and you sit in the thing and it's warm but not hot. There's a hot tub next to that, there's also a steam room, and there is a snow room. You can go and, can't quite make a snowman, but play with snowballs, get yourself good and cold, go back into the steam room. There's also classes you can do, they cost a little extra, that'll show you sort of the Norwegian ritual of doing this. I haven't done that yet, but it is a beautifully appointed spa, and it is all included. On many cruise lines, I've done these sort of thermal suites, and they're not as nice as this, and they're not included. So this is a really big perk if you're on Viking, and it's something I'm going to be doing probably every day to try to keep my sanity, as I do not sleep much, given that the sun, as I said, is not going down. I am Dan Kline, come cruise with me soon. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Miami Herald
13-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Video: What its like on a Viking Cruises ocean ship
Most of my cruise ship experience has been with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, MSC Cruises, and Virgin Voyages in the Caribbean. I have also sailed Carnival on a few occasions and on Margaritaville at Sea Islander. Those cruise line's ships, while they vary greatly, cater to a mass audience. Even the smallest ship in Royal Caribbean or Carnival's fleet accommodates over 2,000 passengers while Viking Jupiter, the ship I'm on currently, only serves about 900 people at full capacity. Related: Royal Caribbean drops another popular port from multiple cruises It's a very different experience. The ship is smaller, but it lacks for nothing and areas that feel small are actually quite large given the lesser amount of people the ship needs to serve. Only high tea on a sea day had any sort of a wait and most areas fill up a bit, but still have seats when bands play or for lectures, games, or other activities. It's a luxury experience with very attentive staff (who quickly learn your name) and very high-quality food. After only a few days, I'm certainly missing some things, but here's an early take on what it's like on a Viking Cruises ocean ship. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. A quick look at Viking Jupiter (2:22) Transcript: Hello there, cruisers. I am Dan Kline, Executive Editor of Come Cruise With Me. That is and I am joining you from one of the upper decks of Viking Jupiter. This is a spectacular ship, something a little bit different. You've seen us on the Royal Caribbean, the Celebrity, sort of the mega ships. This is a 900-person luxury ship. We are leaving from London and heading all the way to Norway. There are stops in places I have never been before, but because we've never done this before, I thought it would be nice to talk a little bit about the ship. It is incredible the attention to detail they spend, and every place, because it is a smaller ship, is used for multiple things. So a bar might host trivia. It might be a venue for a lecture later. There is a lot of space that seems underused, but then when you actually look at the daily schedule, it is doing a lot of things. So I've spent a lot of my time on the first floor, where there is just sort of a gathering area, but there's also a bar that you can seat at the bar. You can go sit in sort of a more remote area. There's coffee. There's snacks. There's sort of all sorts of things, and you can just watch different activities and watch the space transform. Up here, I'm on what's called the Explorer's Deck, and there's a pub below me. There's live music. And so far, the thing that's knocked me out the most, besides the service, because basically if you bat an eyebrow, someone comes over to help you. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. The thing that's most impressed me is the food. And look at me. Yes, food. Ha ha. I get it. The buffet, every night you can see the menu in the app, and the first night, we were tired, jet-lagged, went to the buffet with some of the other journalists here, and there's king crab legs. There's a chef making sushi. It is not what you think of as a typical cruise line buffet, and the same thing with the dining room. There's a main dining room you can eat in every night. You don't need to make a reservation. There's a high-end Italian restaurant, I would say pretty equivalent to what I've had on other cruise ships, and there is a different chef's table each day. So I'm tonight doing a Chinese chef's table. It's about a 90-minute experience. They take you through how the dishes are made, and then as it rotates, you can see the menus in the app. So you can book, hey, I'd like to do this one, I don't want to do that one, and also, it's a very itinerary-heavy ship, or we're on a sea day today. I think we only have one more sea day in the entire 14 days, but as I do these videos, if you notice me getting a little bit crazier, the last five days, the sun does not set, and while I have a lovely cabin, it does let light in, so there might be a few days where I haven't slept. Until then, I am Dan Kline. Come cruise with us soon. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
MSC Cruises' ship meets Mother Nature in scary situation
MSC Cruises' ship meets Mother Nature in scary situation originally appeared on Come Cruise With Me. MSC Seascape recently faced the wrath of Mother Nature while in the Bahamas. Cruise Ships have state-of-the-art navigation and propulsion systems and can usually prepare to handle any weather situation that pops up, although sometimes they are vulnerable. They can weather heavy weather, storms, and sea conditions, but they have a weak in general are designed to withstand lots of forces applied to the decks and hulls and are built to last many, many years. Cruise ships can weather heavy seas, including 20-plus-feet swells and gusts exceeding 50 knots while at sea; however, the situation at the dock is a different story. MSC Seascape recently faced a squall line of wind and rain cutting through the Bahamas and over their exclusive island, Ocean Cay Marine Reserve. Seascape left Port of Miami Friday, May 29 for a Bahamian weekend cruise to Nassau on May 30 and 31 to Ocean Cay Marine Reserve. While Seascape was at the dock moored around 3 p.m., lines attached to the dock took heavy winds on their starboard side, and with too much pressure from winds, the lines exceeded their holding capacity. . How cruise ship captains keep you safe in bad weather (1:34) MSC Seascape was moored for the day for passengers to enjoy the private island and was scheduled to leave at 8 p.m. While passengers enjoyed the day on Ocean Cay, Mother Nature sent a squall line of weather that impacted their day. As passengers were heading back to the ship for safety and to get out of the wind and rain, the main bow lines began to snap/break, leaving the ships bow to go adrift. Immediately the alarm came from the ship. Crew sprang into action to secure the ship and hold passengers back from boarding as the ship unexpectedly pulled away from the dock and gangways, leaving everyone stranded. There was a passenger injured, but due to the fast-acting crew, there were only minor injuries, and the crew managed the emergency flawlessly as trained. In my 20-plus years working around ships and ports in the United States Coast Guard, I have a working knowledge and understanding of the dynamic forces that impact ships at sea and while moored at the dock. Let's look at some common questions: Cruise ships and weather: how do they deal with the ever-changing and unexpected storms? Cruise ships have weather forecasters on board, as well as crew trained to watch and forecast upcoming weather events that may impact their journey to destinations. What and how do they prepare for weather impacts? Cruise lines look at forecasts days ahead of their voyage, consider what they may face and constantly monitor while at sea or in a port. "Captains don't want to put a billion-dollar cruise ship in harm's way," is something Come Cruise With Me Executive Editor Dan Kline says a lot. . In this case with MSC Seascape at Ocean Cay, the ship was aware of a last-minute storm approaching. But like on land at home, in rare cases, storms can develop rapidly in hours or even minutes and can exceed expected forecasts. In this case, the storm produced heavy wind gusts that put significant pressure on the bow and starboard side where the securing/mooring lines failed, leaving the bow to go adrift. The bow of a ship is the lightest part of the ship and therefore more susceptible to being pushed around unless underway. When ships are at the dock, this is their weak point/most vulnerable spot as they are left to the winds, seas condition, and currents. As seen with Seascape, winds can impact the stability and security of the ship. When ships are at sea and underway (moving through the water), they have great control and can handle heavy storms and seas with ease. Ships' hulls direct the water around the ship efficiently and slice through the water, giving great control. This is similar to a Nascar racer driving at the Daytona 500. When driving at high speeds, the air/winds over the car apply down pressure, giving the car an ability to go faster with more control and stability. However, when cruise ships are docked/moored, or adrift without propulsion, they are in peril to Mother Nature and the forces of the seas and winds. Cruise ship mooring lines can hold enormous pressure, but they have a breaking point. Mooring line breaking strength (MBS) is how they are rated. Typically, a 4' mooring line (typically used by cruise ships) made of Dyneema (polyester, nylon, polypropylene) can hold a million pounds of pressure applied and extreme pressures. But forces like UV [rays], extreme heat, and salt water can alter or diminish the strength of the lines and their ability to optimally perform under high pressure when applied unexpectedly or relentlessly. In the case of MSC Seascape, the perfect storm, in a sense, struck the ship from the side and pushed the mooring lines beyond their limits. This can happen, and ships can only prepare for the expected, not something that very rarely happens. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally reported by Come Cruise With Me on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Miami Herald
10-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
This is the best investing advice I have ever heard
Most investing advice may come from a well-intentioned place, but it's often not something you should actually listen to. Many people have philosophies that actually can hurt your portfolio. When someone tells you to sell your winners to lock in profits, they may also be telling you to limit future profits by selling shares in a good company Related: 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' author makes dire prediction, warns on 401(k)s The same goes for the old advice to set a stop/loss order to protect your portfolio. The problem is some very good stocks over time have had large drops. If you sell because of that drop, you may end up regretting it even though you spared yourself some short-term pain. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter In reality, you only need a few pieces of investing advice to build your portfolio on. The first is to buy good companies not companies you think will go up. You might make money forecasting the various bounces of GameStop or AMC, but it's hard to argue that either is an inherently good business. There's one other thing you can do as an investor but the problem is that once someone tells you this, the opportunity has passed. In a time of financial uncertainty, co-editor Dan Kline thought it was worth braving a windy deck onboard a Celebrity Cruises ship to share it with you. Transcript: Dan Kline: Hey there, investors. I am Dan Kline, co-editor of TheStreet, along with my friend Todd Campbell. I wanted to give the best piece of advice for investing that nobody ever gave me. Now, this isn't because my parents were not good parents. It's not because my teachers were not good teachers. It's because people didn't think that way. And the number one thing you should do as a parent is tell your kids to invest early. Frankly, make your kids invest early. So my son, when he got his first job working at a Wendy's, I made him take a percentage of his income every week and invest it in the stock market. More on retirement: Dave Ramsey sends strong message to Americans on 401(k)sShark Tank's Kevin O'Leary warns Americans on Social SecurityScott Galloway sounds the alarm on Social Security, boomers What did he buy? He bought companies he understood. He owned shares of Microsoft. He owned shares of Target. He owned shares of Starbucks. He probably owned shares of Walt Disney. I'm not sure. But it is things he understands, but more importantly, it reinforces that habit. And if you put very small amounts of money into the market and then let it sit for 40 years, the return on that is going to be exponential. So if you look at a 9% average return and you're buying blue chip, really safe companies. Don't let your kid chase the latest fad. Have them buy the companies that are part of their everyday world. Related: Elon Musk receives strong message on Social Security, Medicare Your kid will get to 45, 50, 60, and be rich. More importantly, your kid will get to 30 and have the down payment to buy a house. So the hardest time to save is early on when you make the least money. But if you get them to save while they still live at your house, while they don't have any expenses, that gets that habit, gets it going. There is more great advice at I am Dan Kline. Come see me there. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
