Crossing Day 1 of 6  – 31 March 2025

The weather improves, but plenty of ship motion remains, and we head east across the Atlantic. I play Baggo in the morning and enjoy Shea Rafferty’s show in the evening.

BAGGO AT SEA

On most sea days, at 10:15, the Cruise Director and his team organize a Baggo Tournament. The tournament is played with the Baggo boards at the bottom of the stairs leading from deck 2 down to deck 1. There are three rounds: Players start from the bottom step, then move to the middle landing, and finally, toss the bags from the top landing. The position of the boards and point scores are changed from round to round and from day to day for variety.

NOTE: Baggo is similar to Cornhole. The difference is the size of the board and the material it’s made from. Baggo plays on a 2x 3 foot board made from polyethylene. Cornhole boards are 2 x 4 foot and made from wood. Baggo boards are lighter, cheaper, and easier to transport.

About 29 to 30 guests participated, and we were divided into two teams – men vs women. The ship’s officers enjoy the game and are welcome to join in. They were also used to balance out the team sizes if necessary.

The men won today. The prize was a round of mimosas for the winning team.

EXPLORER’S LOUNGE AND MAMSEN’S NORWEGIAN DELI

The Explorers lounge is on decks 7 and 8, all the way forward. It offers a variety of comfortable seating, a bar named “Paps,” and Mamsen’s Norwegian Deli.

Books line the aft walls on both levels, along with Chess boards and a Piano. This is a great venue for relaxing and quiet conversation. Tea is served in the afternoon, but it is not as elaborate as the 4 PM tea in Wintergarden.

Mamsen’s Norwegian Deli is open for breakfast from 6:30 to 11 AM, 11:30 to 2:30, 4 PM to 5 PM, and then 10 PM to Midnight. When it’s not busy, you may have to go around the corner to ask the Bartender to get you something.

HERE is the menu.

MANFREDI’S

Before we left, we made reservations for a large table of six. For our 6:30 dinner, we were seated with another couple and a single.

Our first course was an antipasto platter: Il Tagliere del Salumiere for the table and some shrimp and Calamari: Fritto Misto Amalfitano.

Judy had the ribeye steak, and I enjoyed the sea bass.

For dessert, we shared the Caramello and had a Cappuccino with Sambuca.

All the food was delicious, and we enjoyed each other’s company very much.

The entire dinner took two hours.

SHEA RAFFERTY

Shea Rafferty was the featured performer this evening. He is a male vocalist with a wide range of songs from Broadway to Pop and everything in between. His set list included:

– Don’t Stop Me Now
– You’re just too good to be true
– Strangers in the night ]-
– Desperado
– Live like you were dying
– Dancing on the ceiling

Shea Rafferty

Crossing Day 2 of 6 – April Fool’s Day — 1 April 2025

BAGGO

Men continue to dominate the Baggo tournament. Today, the men played one round left-handed as a handicap, but it didn’t work. The tournaments have three rounds. The final round introduces a small metal can worth 1 million points if you land a bag inside. The possible points in the final round overwhelm whatever score was accumulated previously. Bottom line – whoever lands more bags in the million-dollar can wins.

The third round of today’s Baggo featured a small metal bucket – worth one million points!

FRESH FISH STATION

The chefs offer a special food dish from noon to 2 PM on most sea days, typically on the Aquavit Terrace. Today was a fresh fish station featuring grilled salmon and shrimp. The weather on the Aquavit Terrace was pleasant, making for an enjoyable al fresco lunch.

Chefs preparing the fresh fish

Serving the fish

A nice plate of fresh fish with a glass of wine

SCANDINAVIAN SCAVENGER HUNT

The Viking Daily described the Scavenger hunt as follows:
How well do you know the Viking Mars? Create teams of up to six and hunt for ten random Scandinavian objects from around the ship! Hosted by your Viking Vocalists. (Bring your smartphone to capture these random objects) Atrium (1)
8 people assembled in the Atrium, and we formed into four teams of 2 people each. We would have twenty minutes to find the 12 items shown on a laminated sheet of paper, take a selfie, and return. Points would be deducted if you were late. A copy of the Scavenger hunt sheet is below. Our team found 11 of the 12, but one team found them all and received the standard Viking prize of Mimosas.
The winning team commented that they took the Art Tours that were offered from time to time, which helped them remember the locations of various photos in stairwells.

Robbie and Harry hosted the scavenger hunt

Here was the photo sheet that with the 12 items we had to find

EXPLORER SOCIETY RECEPTION

Unlike most other cruise lines, Viking doesn’t have a loyalty program at different levels. You are in once you have completed your first cruise on any Viking ship!
Today at 5:00 PM, Resident pianist Artur played music in the Atrium until 5:30 PM when Aaron kicked off the Explorer Society Reception. After the Captain and Travel Consultant Roy made a few brief remarks, Aaron performed “Some Enchanted Evening,” followed by the Viking Vocalists singing a medley of hits by the Carpenters. The reception concluded at about 5:45 PM after a toast.

Here are the Explorer Society benefits:
• A $200-per-passenger travel credit any time you book a Viking voyage within one year of your last Viking voyage. If you reserve within two years, you receive a $100 credit. As noted above, the credit only can be used to pay for a trip with Viking.
• An invitation to a members-only Viking Explorer Society cocktail party when sailing on Viking ships.
• Early word by email or regular mail on new Viking cruise itineraries and new ships, as well as special limited-time offers.
• Invitations to Viking Explorer Society events in your city, such as wine tastings and movie premieres.
• Invitations to special onboard events when Viking ships visit Australia and New Zealand.

Aaron Syfert singing “Some Enchanted Evening”

Viking Vocalists: Jade, Harry, Heather and Robbie sang a Carpenters medley

SOUTHERN SOUNDS

The Viking Vocalists, Heather, Jade, Robbie, and Harry, wowed the crowd with a fantastic medley of over 20 country hits over the decades.

Robbie, Jade, Harry and Heather

Southern Sounds setlist
– Delta Dawn
– Here You Come Again
– Forever In Blue Jeans
– Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man
– Southern Nights
– Crazy
– Stand By Your Man
– Your Cheating Heart
– The Gambler
– Ring of Fire
– The Boxer
– Country Roads
– Desperado
– You Were Always On My Mind
– You’re Still The One
– We’ve Got Tonight
– Wichita Lineman
– Achy Breaky Heart
– Rhinestone Cowboy
– The Devil Went Down to Georgia
– American Pie

Crossing Day 3 of 6 – 2 April 2025

BAGGO

Another day – another victory for the men

The winning team

TRIVIA

I stopped by the Star Theatre to observe the trivia game. Every day at Noon, the Cruise Director reminds everyone that Trivia is “only a game,” implying that sometimes people may take it too seriously. I didn’t observe anything unusual during the one time I watched.

Arianna hosts trivia every sea day at 12:15

There were about seven teams of six playing today.
Assistant Cruise Director Arianna hosts the game.

Here are the rules

Teams of up to SIX
No Phone zone
Host’s answers are final
Questions will not be repeated
Trivia is only a game
What are we playing for?
Learn and have fun!

Questions

1. David Robert Hayward-Jones became famous as who?
a. David Bowie
2. What does SCUBA Stand for?
a. Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
3. Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by which Scottish scientist?
a. Alexander Fleming
4. What mountain is 11,000 feet above sea level, snow capped most of the year and is the highest active volcano in Europe.?
a. Mount Etna
5. What time keeping device has the most moving parts?
a. Hour Glass (Sundial is the least)
6. Who is the best-selling female novelists
a. Agatha Christie
7. What word relating to shoes means “little dagger” in Italian
a. Stiletto
8. What river shares its name with a great female warrior
a. Amazon
9. Who were the first two astronauts to land on the moon?
a. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
10. Which actor played Marty McFly in the 1980’s sci-fi classic “Back to the Future”
a. Michael J Fox
11. The period of European history that lasted from the 14th to the 17th century is known as what?
a. The Renaissance
12. What was the name of the musical group originally called the Quarrymen?
a. The Beatles
13. What Broadway musical broke the record for Tony nominations in 2016?
a. Hamilton
14. What is the only bird known to fly backwards?
a. Hummingbirds
15. What musical duo released the studio album “Sounds of Silence” in 1966?
a. Simon and Garfunkel
16. (Bonus) Name all four of your lounge musicians onboard?
a. Artur – Piano, Jobie – Guitar, Angnes and Paulina – classical duo
17. Tiebreaker if necessary- What is the running time of the 1972 movie “The Godfather” in minutes
a. 175 minutes

One team got a perfect score.

AQUAVIT TERRACE LUNCH

Another special lunch on the Aquavit Terrace: Short Rib Bolognaise
We stopped by here for a delicious lunch. The weather on the deck was pleasant.
A 20KG Parmesan Cheese Wheel caught my eye – they said it will last about 6 weeks.

20 KG Parmesan Cheese round

Short Rib Bolognaise Station

VIKING BBQ

Viking BBQ was held in the pool area

The Viking BBQ took over the Pool Grill with the following main menu.

Viking Mini Burgers
Mac and Cheese
Corn on the Cobb
Sticky Spiced Pork Ribs
Beef Brisket
Grilled Shrimp and Vegetables.

Viking BBQ Spread

The BBQ was supposed to open at 6 PM, but they started at 5:50. We came early, thinking that tables around the pool would be hard to find – but that didn’t happen. There were plenty of seats available throughout the evening. The buffet line was about 15 minutes long for the first hour but tapered off to zero wait after an hour.

Viking BBQ food buffet in the Pool Grill

DANCE PARTY

While enjoying the BBQ, Guitar Player Jobie started at 6:15 and played until 7 PM. From 7 – 7:45, the Viking Band and Viking Vocalists, Cruise Director Aaron and Assistant Cruise Director Arianna, sang a selection of popular tunes. From 7:45 to 8:30, Jobie returned for a second set. The entire team of Viking Vocalists returned for their final set from 8:30 to 10, playing tunes from the ’50s, ’60s, and 70’s.

What a show!

Aaron Syfert at the Dance Party

The performers were shown on a large screen to make it easy to see them from a distance

Crossing Day 4 of 6 – 3 April 2025

BAGGO

Once again, the men defeated the women in Baggo.

ORDER OF THE 1666 FATHOMS

This was the announcement in the Daily Viking announcing the event at 11 AM

I have sailed the world’s oceans in the Navy and Cruise ships since 1977. I thought I had heard of everything, but The Order of the 1666 Fathoms was new.

While the Viking Band provided the entertainment, about three dozen guests assembled on the port side of the pool.
As Aaron explained, The Order of The 1666 Fathoms would mark our halfway point as we crossed the Atlantic, with the depth at the halfway point being 1666 fathoms. Each guest would enter the pool – no jumping! – swim across and exit the other side. Once out of the pool, the guest would bow to the “Kraken” (actually a fully formed Octopus) and be rewarded with a shot of Aquavit.

Aaron was the Master of Ceremonies

Pete with the “Kraken”

A couple of officers started us off by swimming across fully clothed. The Viking Vocalists, Heather, Jade, Robbie, and Harry, swam across wearing their daytime “Red” polo shirt uniforms.

Viking Vocalists crossing the pool

SHEA RAFFERTY

Shea Rafferty wowed the crowd with his encore show in the Star Theatre. Tonight, his theme was Broadway, and he demonstrated his incredible range. His playlist included
This is the Moment
Mama by Il Divo
Disco Inferno
Heaven on Their Minds – JC Superstar
Wanted, Dead or Alive
I Rather Be Sailing
Cry Me a River
Luck Be a Lady
9 to 5

Shea mentioned he played Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, much to his Mother’s dismay – she wanted him to play Jesus! Natch!

Shea Rafferty

Shea Rafferty

Crossing Day 5 of 6 – 4 April 2025

WEATHER

The seas have calmed and the skies are mostly partly cloudy.

BAGGO

The women win! The record is now 4-1 in favor of the men. The final game is tomorrow.

REUBEN AND SLOPPY JOE STATION

Once again, the fantastic Viking Mars Chefs prepared an excellent lunch meal on the Aquavit Terrace consisting of Sloppy Joes and Reubens. I have memories of Sloppy Joes from my High School Cafeteria and enjoyed the Viking’s Sloppy Joes preparation. As for Reubens, they are always great, and the Viking Mars version is no exception.

Ruben and Sloppy Joe Station

Reuben and Sloopy Joe Station

VIKING VOCALISTS – SOUNDS OF THE SEVENTIES

All the Vocalists on the Viking ships are all trained to perform the various performances: Abba, Stage Door, Beatles Song Book etc. We have learned that each ship has one performance exclusive to each ship. The VIKING MARS show is “Sounds of the Seventies,” and that was the show they presented this evening.

The show was fantastic. Heather, Jade, Robbie and Harry have an incredible range and fun to watch. They managed to squeeze in 26 hits into a 40-minute show. If you are ever on the Viking Mars – don’t miss it!

Robbie

Jade

Jade and Robbie

Heather

Harry and Heather

Jade, Robbie, Harry and Heather

Crossing Day 6 of 6

5 April 2025

BAGGO

The men took the final game of the crossing. Aaron injected an interesting twist for the final match.    For the final round, we had the option to toss a bag toward a large sombrero 10 feet further than the standard boards – and from the highest set of stairs.   Both the men and women managed to put one in the hat – earning 1 Billion Points.   Viking vocalist Jade was the last player for the women and managed to land a 1 Billion Point toss, but it wasn’t enough.

VIKING VOCALIST – STAGE DOOR

Tonight’s show focused on Broadway with an outstanding presentation of various Broadway hits over the years. The show ended with an excellent rendition of “Do You Hear the People Sing” and “One Day More” from Les Misérables.

Jade

Heather

Harry, Jade, Heather and Robbie

ATLANTIC CROSSING

We enjoy sea days very much, and this crossing ends tomorrow when we arrive in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.