Aug 22

Aug 22 Day 3 - At Sea

Today, Viking Orion is at sea, sailing to King’s Wharf, Bermuda. The day begins with the mandatory Covid-19 PCR test which requires depositing saliva into a plastic tube (see below). Only 2ml of saliva is required, but you would be amazed at how long it takes to produce just 2ml of saliva!

I start my morning coffee and blogging routine in Mamsen’s on Deck 7 forward. However, today is Sunday, and Sunday is my food “cheat day” when I allow myself to have anything I want to eat. The rest of the week I stick to a low-carb lifestyle but, on Sundays, watch out!

I decided to try one of Mamsen’s made-to-order waffles. The signature waffle (shown below) comes with sour cream, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and some unique curls of Norwegian cheese.

The cheese is a caramelized goat cheese which is a product of Norway. I opted to try the cheese on the side instead of on the waffle itself. The cheese is actually quite good, and I ended up putting some on the waffle.

*Traditional Norwegian Carmelized Goat Cheese*

I ordered my waffle with strawberries and maple syrup.

The waffle was very filling, enough so that I decided to skip lunch today and wait for Afternoon Tea at 4pm. At 11am, I attended a lecture by resident astronomer, Lou Thieblemont, in the Star Theater. The topic was, “How Big Is Space?” The presentation was very interesting and informative and I highly recommend the lectures on Viking.

At 3:30 I made a reservation for “Under the Dome.” I had no idea that Viking Orion (and Viking Jupiter) has a planetarium on board. The Explorer’s Dome is located on Deck 8, accessible by stairs from Explorer’s Bar. Lou Thieblemont was our host for the 20-minute planetarium experience and it was truly amazing. I can’t remember the last time I was in a planetarium. This unique feature is an excellent addition to the ship!

At 4pm, I was the first one through the door at Wintergarden for Afternoon Tea. I remember Rickee and I enjoying Afternoon Tea on Viking Sky and Viking Sea, so I knew I was in for a treat. The scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam are my favorite.

Following my Afternoon Tea, I decided to explore the Sun Deck. The weather this afternoon is surprisingly mild. It is only about 80 degrees (F.) with almost no wind. First, I try my hand at Mini Golf and, as you can see, easily made a hole-in-one. Of course, I had to shoot about 10 minutes of video to get the hole-in-one shot! Don’t tell anyone.

On the port side of the Sun Deck you will find lawn bowling. I don’t remember this activity being offered on the other Viking ships on which we have sailed. Basically, you roll a small wooden ball down the lawn to knock down the wooden pins. Again, it took me a few minutes of video to get the shot below. I should also point out that there are shuffleboard courts on both port and starboard sides of the ship.

After my Mini Golf and Bowling, it was time for a cocktail. I head to Explorer’s Bar and enjoy the music of onboard guitarist, Michael, while sipping on my Crown Royal.

For dinner this evening, I chose to enjoy World Cafe which could very easily be the best buffet on ANY cruise ship. I love the fresh cocktail shrimp they offer every night, and the sushi is some of the best you will find anywhere. This is the perfect way to start a meal!

The Lamb Curry on the buffet looked really nice, so I decide to give it a try. The lamb was fork tender and the curry was flavorful but, as I feared, lacked the spicy heat that I expect in an Indian curry. I realize that a cruise ship buffet has to prepare dishes to suit less adventuresome palettes than mine.

In need of something with a little more heat, I went to the Stir-Fry station where I requested that the Orange Chicken be made with some chilies. The chef went scurrying off to the main galley to find some chili flakes. I was able to personally request that he add more garlic, leave out the cilantro and to not hold back on the peppers. The resulting dish was delicious! The Stir-Fry station may be my new favorite place for dinner.

This evening, I went back to Star Theater for the first show of the cruise. “The Abba Songbook” was performed by the onboard vocalists and they really nailed the ABBA hits. This was a great show that seemed to be enjoyed by all that attended.

It was another enjoyable and sugar-filled day aboard Viking Orion. Tomorrow, the ship will dock in King’s Wharf, Bermuda, and I have dinner reservations at The Chef’s Table. Stay tuned!