First Viking Cruise Review

[PharmacistGirl]

Thank you for your review. We are first time Viking cruisers set for B2B2B for Norway, Iceland and Greenland in August of 2023. Your review, and the comments from others, are of great help in our planning. I've yet to take the time to research the included tours and compare to options offered by Viking and outside providers, but I'm making it a priority now. Be well, and safe future travels.

[Iloveketo]

21 hours ago, SJD117 said:

We’ve been on five VO cruises and have yet to see a Beatles or ABBA show. Instead, we enjoy the specialty entertainers, solo performances, and the abundance of informative lectures that Viking presents. To each his or her own!

You sound like us 4 cruises and still haven’t seen the Beatles, ABBA or Torshavn. 
We love the live music 🎶 in the Explorers Lounge, during tea 🫖 and especially before dinner in the living room! We happen to love classical music and didn’t feel like it was the same thing again and again. 
The lectures are where I feel Viking excels! We enjoyed talking to lecturers while swimming, dining and on excursions.  They were so friendly and approachable. 
I agree while Viking is exactly what we like… it is not for everyone.  

Edited October 13, 2022 by Iloveketo

[CCWineLover]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

That's why we pay up front.  Actually I am happy to see unhappy reviews.  Think about how crowded and hard to get, not to mention even more expensive, Viking could be.  It's terrible!  Gross food!  Nasty people doing belly flop contests in the pool.  Stay away from Viking...  Far, far away.  Now we wait for the 2 for one sale....🍸

Me too Jim.  I like to tell all these people who vent on Viking, that's fine, at least you'll now go to the ships you like and won't be taking up cabins that we might have wanted!

The ones that bug me though are those who say they are gone from Viking for good, but keep coming back on Cruise Critic to keep complaining about things.  Oh well . . .

Yes, please stay far away!

[basenji56]

My only real complaint is that I don't like the way they do the "included" shore excursions in the Caribbean.  I have found them to be mostly mediocre.  I prefer the method used by Oceania where you have a set amount of money to use towards shore excursions.  If you want to take an upgraded excursion, you pay the difference.  I feel like I am wasting my money by not taking the included excursions and booking the optional excursions, but the timing is such that you usually can't do both.

[Heidi13]

7 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

That's why we pay up front.  Actually I am happy to see unhappy reviews.  Think about how crowded and hard to get, not to mention even more expensive, Viking could be.  It's terrible!  Gross food!  Nasty people doing belly flop contests in the pool.  Stay away from Viking...  Far, far away.  Now we wait for the 2 for one sale....🍸

 

Jim - you forgot the payment in full 10-years ahead of departure😁

[CCWineLover]

2 hours ago, basenji56 said:

My only real complaint is that I don't like the way they do the "included" shore excursions in the Caribbean.  I have found them to be mostly mediocre.  I prefer the method used by Oceania where you have a set amount of money to use towards shore excursions.  If you want to take an upgraded excursion, you pay the difference.  I feel like I am wasting my money by not taking the included excursions and booking the optional excursions, but the timing is such that you usually can't do both.

Almost without exception, we've been able to do both included and optional excursions in a port.  Only if the optional was an all-day or 7 hour one, did we "miss" the included tour.  We would try to do an optional in the morning and an included in the afternoon.  That way we could stay in town and take the shuttle back to the ship.  We've been on 10 ocean cruises with Viking.

Note:  you do have to plan carefully your excursions timing, but it really isn't that difficult.

 

Oceania's method is an interesting concept - perhaps Viking might try it out if enough people were to put it into comments.

[CurlerRob]

4 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Oceania's method is an interesting concept - perhaps Viking might try it out if enough people were to put it into comments.

 

Oceania's method is a bit more complex than was obvious from @basenji56's comment. If you purchase their "OLife" package (additional cost over the base cruise fare), you have three options: a drinks package similar to Viking's - included beer and wine with meals, OBC in the amount you paid for the OLife package (essentially handing over the money to them in advance, then you have to spend it), or the amount can be applied to ShoreEx as was said. O has no 'included' ShoreEx.

 

The flip side from my observations is that O's ShoreEx are very expensive - one recent example is a 90-minute walk on the Acadia Park Ocean Trail with a naturalist - $350 pp in November. Tends to eat up the allowable amount in a big hurry, although the more ShoreEx you buy from O, the lower the prices get.

 

Always interesting comparing how various lines approach the market! 🍺🥌

[duquephart]

7 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Almost without exception, we've been able to do both included and optional excursions in a port.  Only if the optional was an all-day or 7 hour one, did we "miss" the included tour.  We would try to do an optional in the morning and an included in the afternoon.  That way we could stay in town and take the shuttle back to the ship.  We've been on 10 ocean cruises with Viking.

Note:  you do have to plan carefully your excursions timing, but it really isn't that difficult.

 

Oceania's method is an interesting concept - perhaps Viking might try it out if enough people were to put it into comments.

 

Because doing so has worked so well in regard to "gratuities."

[Mrs Miggins]

I find all these reviews interesting.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion if they have been on a Viking cruise.  For those who cruise with other cruise companies they can offer a review based on their own likes and dislikes and how Viking met their expectations.

My own recent experience was that our Sky 7 day cruise fell short of our experience on our previous four Viking cruises.  It was still enjoyable but I was able to make a valid comparison.  

I have been discussing our cruises with a good friend who is just off a 14 day Jupiter Homelands cruise which has been documented on here by SailorPaulH.  Her experience was different to mine.  Different cruise director, different (and apparently very visible) captain, different chef etc etc.  

 

The beautiful ships remain constant but the onboard experience is also about the people who work onboard and of course the passengers.

I had a good cruise but it was not  as good as our previous Viking cruises.   I am the only one who can make that judgement.

 

 

[Virgo61]

We did the same cruise as our the author but at the end of May on the Viking Mars. This was our first Viking Ocean cruise. Our opinions are almost identical to yours. Our cabin steward also did not introduce herself. We were in a Penthouse veranda and we loved the cabin and felt that the storage was more than adequate (and I'm an over packer). My opinion of the food mirrors yours-some excellent, some OK, some poor. I was very disappointed in the breakfast offerings and the buffet at lunch. One day we went to the restaurant for lunch and our friend ordered something from the menu and received a version that was nowhere like the description. I also agree about the music offerings in the lounges. I was pleasantly surprised by the entertainment in the theater because on a Viking River cruise it is virtually non existent. We did enjoy a few lectures. As for the included excursions, most were so so. We spent $1700 on optional excursions and that did not include The Alhambra because it wasn't offered. We set up a private tour with Spain Day tours through our roll call and we ended up with 22 people. We were split into 2 groups of 10 and 12 for the actual tour, with a private guide. The end of the tour was Granada on your own where you could eat if you wanted to. It was about half of the price that Viking charges when they offer the tour. Bottom line value for price wasn't there for us and we are also one and done. 

[lackcreativity]

On 10/12/2022 at 10:11 AM, OneSixtyToOne said:

I’m surprised you didn’t enjoy Portsmouth. It was one of our favorite stops. We took the included tour and near the end, we were dropped off right at the gate to the navy base. There we visited the incredible Mary Rose Museum  and toured Nelson’s flagship the HMS Victory.

Agree completely about that visit to Portsmouth. In particular, having just started ocean cruising, to tour the Victory and see the conditions in which sailors lived back then was really amazing. Then to compare that to the officers' accommodations was a real eye opener.

 

[lackcreativity]

On 10/13/2022 at 12:07 PM, PharmacistGirl said:

Thank you for your review. We are first time Viking cruisers set for B2B2B for Norway, Iceland and Greenland in August of 2023. Your review, and the comments from others, are of great help in our planning. I've yet to take the time to research the included tours and compare to options offered by Viking and outside providers, but I'm making it a priority now. Be well, and safe future travels.

It is so important to read the full descriptions of the Viking excursions, both included and optional. There can be quite a difference between them, but then there is a difference between say Bergen (small but charming) and Barcelona (which is, after all, Barcelona!). The one thing you cannot tell from the descriptions is the guide. We have had some really exceptional guides on Viking, even for included excursions, most are satisfactory, and a few have been poor. Sadly, you can't tell that in advance. For us, a really great guide is a true bonus, but we try not to let a poor one ruin the experience.

 

Enjoy your trip.

[lackcreativity]

Oops,

Somehow, my comments about Portsmouth disappeared. I guess I will get the hang of this one day.

We really enjoyed that stop. The tour of the Victory was great. Having just started ocean cruising, to view the living quarters for the sailors back in those days was amazing. The comparison to the officers' quarters was really eye opening!

[PasadenaDave]

I also enjoyed your review, the good and bad.  On our Viking Cruise we saw no entertainment, not our thing, but I really enjoyed the spa with steam, snow and hot tubs which were far superior to other lines and were included in the price.  I also never got into challenging conversations or arguments with other passengers which i have on other lines.  Viking cruisers don't tend to bring up "politically charged" subjects at the dinner table.

[Mrs Miggins]

I think research is the key.  I would always research any new port on our itinerary.  One of the benefits is you can find out what is happening locally when you are there.  There are often local events/fiesta's etc.  To be honest the onboard knowledge on Viking is often very sketchy.  They don't even hand out local maps any more.  When I queried this recently I was told that it was in an effort to save paper.  I said could you not print say 20 and replenish if necessary.  I got a smile in reply but that was all.  

 

A case in point is Portsmouth.  Even a very minor search of the local attractions would suffice to show up The Mary Rose, The Victory and surrounding areas of cafe's etc etc

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, lackcreativity said:

Oops,

Somehow, my comments about Portsmouth disappeared. I guess I will get the hang of this one day.

We really enjoyed that stop. The tour of the Victory was great. Having just started ocean cruising, to view the living quarters for the sailors back in those days was amazing. The comparison to the officers' quarters was really eye opening!

FYI You put the comment into the quoted section

[lackcreativity]

3 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

FYI You put the comment into the quoted section

Ah, thanks for the explanation! 

[Squawkman]

Mrs. Miggins - we returned from our Mediterranean Odyssey cruise earlier this week. We received a local map for EVERY port we visited. They were available at the disembarkation station and usually again on the pier on the way to the town and buses.

[lisaatric]

1 hour ago, Squawkman said:

Mrs. Miggins - we returned from our Mediterranean Odyssey cruise earlier this week. We received a local map for EVERY port we visited. They were available at the disembarkation station and usually again on the pier on the way to the town and buses.

 

[lisaatric]

I’m seriously confused by the disappointment in breakfast. I just returned from my first ocean cruise and had breakfast every morning at the buffet.  I can’t think of one food item that was not available. Made-to-order omelets, cereal, oatmeal, bacon, several kinds of potatoes, piles of fruit, smoked salmon, homemade granola, great coffee, breads, muffins, pastries.  What else could possibly have been offered?  So curious!  

[CCWineLover]

58 minutes ago, lisaatric said:

I’m seriously confused by the disappointment in breakfast. I just returned from my first ocean cruise and had breakfast every morning at the buffet.  I can’t think of one food item that was not available. Made-to-order omelets, cereal, oatmeal, bacon, several kinds of potatoes, piles of fruit, smoked salmon, homemade granola, great coffee, breads, muffins, pastries.  What else could possibly have been offered?  So curious!  

Totally agree with you!  On all our Ocean cruises, we look forward to breakfast at World Cafe - for it's unbeatable views, love the variety of food (always have something different) with so many choices.  You could have a completely different breakfast every day if you wished!

[harbourside]

2 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

 

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by harbourside

[harbourside]

3 minutes ago, harbourside said:

The Restaurant is great for breakfast. , especially the Lamb Chops.  Large menu with different items not available at the buffet.

 

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by harbourside

[Mrs Miggins]

6 hours ago, lisaatric said:

 

On Sky 24th Sept - 1st Oct there were no maps.  This perfectly illustrates my point in post 34.  The ships remain beautiful but the onboard experience is different.  I think you were on Sea.

On our previous Viking cruises maps have been available.  Perhaps there is a shortage of paper onboard Sky.

 

 

[CCWineLover]

7 hours ago, harbourside said:

 

 

5 hours ago, Mrs Miggins said:

On Sky 24th Sept - 1st Oct there were no maps.  This perfectly illustrates my point in post 34.  The ships remain beautiful but the onboard experience is different.  I think you were on Sea.

On our previous Viking cruises maps have been available.  Perhaps there is a shortage of paper onboard Sky.

 

 

We asked about maps on our July cruise.  We told that from now on all Viking ships will not produce maps.  1. Too many complaine the maps were poor quality and 2. Too many use their phones for maps or have their own.  Many apparently told Viking to not waste the effort for a very small few.  Their words not mine.  I like paper maps