Tell me about the lectures on Viking Ocean

[cruisemom42]

I cruised many times with a small outfit called Voyages to Antiquity that excelled in cruises with "themed" itineraries -- mainly in Europe and Asia -- that also offered guest lecturers that were focused specifically on topics related to these itineraries. For example, a voyage based on Crusader History might include guest lecturers on the architecture of Crusader castles, famous battles in the history of various crusades, and historic personalities associated with the era, etc.

 

Since VTA effectively ceased operations, I have been looking for similar types of lectures. Not canned, surface-level PowerPoint presentations but real, university-level type lectures with knowledgeable experts (e.g., professors, writers, archaeologists) who know how to keep an audience's interest by posing questions, being provocative, etc.

 

Do the lectures on Viking meet this bar?  Are lecturers' topics chosen to correspond to the voyages they are on, and are they fairly in-depth? Do they make themselves available at other times, not just when on stage? Is the level similar to a few I've watched on "Viking Television"?

 

I would love to hear reviews and maybe even examples. If the lectures I'm looking for are part of Viking's offerings, it would make me much more likely to try them (despite somewhat adverse solo pricing on most cruises...)

 

[formernuke]

I would say partially meets your standard. Lectures are generally good and related to the itinerary, but I wouldn’t say they are college level. Better than most I suspect. Yes lecturers are available around the ship and sometimes schedule discussion sessions during the day. 

[May B]

The destination history lecture talk is given with a slide deck provided by Viking, with freedom to write their own commentary. I agree that lecturers are available onboard.

 

If you check out the “almost live” thread that UKTog is currently posting on, she’s got the first day’s Daily that lists all the lecturers and their credentials. My cruise had no at-sea days, so we had two guest lecturers. Hers has four scheduled at-sea days, and she has five lecturers, I believe. In case you can’t find it, I’ll post the link.

 

Crystal, back in service with new owners, has traditionally had good to outstanding lecturers. They have some reasonably priced single staterooms.

[May B]

See post #19.

 

 

[amtatom]

I was very impressed with the lectures on our Australia and New Zealand cruise, although I wouldn’t say they were college level (maybe high school). However, they were lively speakers and I always learned something, especially as this area of history was not one I knew a great deal about. We had 3 lecturers: history, wildlife, and art. They all gave at least one lecture a day and on sea days there were more. There were so many lectures we couldn't watch them all unless we wanted to spend all day doing it. The wildlife lecturer also led a gathering at sunrise every morning on deck for spotting and photography, although we never attended.

 

We watched them all on demand in the TV in our stateroom, usually after dinner; we never did any live. There were also lectures on demand on topics not related to our cruise, such as a weapons of the Vikings or something like that my husband watched. My husband also did the Bayeux Tapestry tour on board; I’m not sure who led that.

 

The only disappointment we had was a star-gazing event, which turned out to just be a single telescope set up on deck but no leader/lecturer.

[cruisemom42]

7 minutes ago, amtatom said:

I was very impressed with the lectures on our Australia and New Zealand cruise, although I wouldn’t say they were college level (maybe high school). However, they were lively speakers and I always learned something, especially as this area of history was not one I knew a great deal about. We had 3 lecturers: history, wildlife, and art. They all gave at least one lecture a day and on sea days there were more. There were so many lectures we couldn't watch them all unless we wanted to spend all day doing it. The wildlife lecturer also led a gathering at sunrise every morning on deck for spotting and photography, although we never attended.

 

We watched them all on demand in the TV in our stateroom, usually after dinner; we never did any live. There were also lectures on demand on topics not related to our cruise, such as a weapons of the Vikings or something like that my husband watched. My husband also did the Bayeux Tapestry tour on board; I’m not sure who led that.

 

The only disappointment we had was a star-gazing event, which turned out to just be a single telescope set up on deck but no leader/lecturer.

 

Thank you; very helpful feedback.

[rbslos18]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

Since VTA effectively ceased operations, I have been looking for similar types of lectures. Not canned, surface-level PowerPoint presentations but real, university-level type lectures with knowledgeable experts (e.g., professors, writers, archaeologists) who know how to keep an audience's interest by posing questions, being provocative, etc.

 

Do the lectures on Viking meet this bar?  Are lecturers' topics chosen to correspond to the voyages they are on, and are they fairly in-depth? Do they make themselves available at other times, not just when on stage? Is the level similar to a few I've watched on "Viking Television"?

 

The quality of the lectures vary based on the lecturer. They are typically very good and some have been excellent. I have a degree in history and have given lectures at a few universities. The Viking lecturers do not give university-level type lectures which I think is a good thing. The typical Viking lecturer keeps my interest and attention. It is one of the reasons we travel on Viking.

[Azulann]

Cruisemom42,

I have read your post for years here on CC. You  are indeed a informed traveller. I too love history , a good lecture and a very knowledgeable guide when I cruise and do excursions.

Viking has a resident historian on every cruise plus  other lecturers  such as scientist, general topics, port talks.

The resident historian on my recent Scandinavian cruise was a college professor of art history and archaeology   at a small college out East. Dr. Emily gave  lectures of the Viking Age and Vikings :  the Hanseatic League. There were well done and I learned a lot. She was also very accessible around the ship.

The resident historian also does have smaller focus groups,  if people are interested. I had to miss her focus group on last cruise because of a conflict. As others have said  all their lectures  can be viewed on your stateroom tv if you miss the in person lecture that day..

My first Viking cruise was a  transatlantic cruise on Viking and we had the best resident historian. He was from UK and had his PHD on "invisible holocaust museum ' under Soviet Rule. He even had office hours in the  Wintergarden some days. We did have 6 sea days in a row which contribute to his availabilty. 

Viking optional tours which you pay for  has had some really great guides. I had the director of the Art museum on Bermuda give our small 8 person group an enlightening tour of the museum. My guide for Viskby and Gdansk this summer  gave in depth commentary to our group and answered lots of questions from our group.

I also love the resource link on any Viking  Itinerary on their web page. it is a list a curated  bibliography and  movies to  read or view before your  cruise.

 As Viking  claims Viking is for" curious  travelers.:

I do know that they  rarely have a decent solo  fare which is a shame for many of us who could cruise as a solo. without breaking the bank.

Hope you find a Viking  cruise that fits your  criteria and budget.  

 

 

Edited September 3, 2023 by Azulann

[cruisemom42]

4 minutes ago, Azulann said:

Cruisemom42,

I have read your post for years here on CC. You  are indeed a informed traveller. I too love history , a good lecture and a very knowledgeable guide when I cruise and do excursions.

Viking has a resident historian on every cruise plus  other lecturers  such as scientist, general topics, port talks.

The resident historian on my recent Scandinavian cruise was a college professor of art history and archaeology   at a small college out East. Dr. Emily gave  lectures of the Viking Age and Vikings :  the Hanseatic League. There were well done and I learned a lot. She was also very accessible around the ship.

The resident historian also does have smaller focus groups,  if people are interested. I had to miss her focus group on last cruise because of a conflict. As others have said  all their lectures  can be viewed on your stateroom tv if you miss the in person lecture that day..

My first Viking cruise was a  transatlantic cruise on Viking and we had the best resident historian. He was from UK and had his PHD on "invisible holocaust museum ' under Soviet Rule. He even had office hours in the  Wintergarden some days. We did have 6 sea days in a row which contribute to his availabilty. 

Viking optional tours which you pay for  has had some really great guides. I had the director of the Art museum on Bermuda give our small 8 person group an enlightening tour of the museum. My guide for Viskby and Gdansk this summer  gave in depth commentary to our group and answered lots of questions from our group.

I also love the resource link on any Viking  Itinerary on their web page. it is a list a curated  bibliography and  movies to  read or view before your  cruise.

 As Viking  claims Viking is for" curious  travelers.:

I do know that they  rarely have a decent solo  fare which is a shame for many of us who could cruise as a solo. without breaking the bank.

Hope you find a Viking  cruise that fits your  criteria and budget.  

 

 

 

Thank you -- I really appreciate your detailed comments on what Viking provides. It sounds like I should give them a try. 😊

[uktog]

3 hours ago, rbslos18 said:

The quality of the lectures vary based on the lecturer. They are typically very good and some have been excellent. I have a degree in history and have given lectures at a few universities. The Viking lecturers do not give university-level type lectures which I think is a good thing. The typical Viking lecturer keeps my interest and attention. It is one of the reasons we travel on Viking.

I totally agree. I’ve just come out of an outstanding presentation decoding the Beatles lyrics with so many original video clips and excellent explanations. I think the key is they call them presentations not lectures and the presenters are sharing understanding not imparting knowledge- a huge difference. The standard of every visual in every talk we’ve attended has been consistent background font etc. Not the unreadable text dumps that the person reads back to you. Just trigger points. In other words professional in the extreme 

[KBs mum]

From what we've seen they are mostly entry level, such as may be seen on, say, National Geographic TV. If you already have reasonable knowledge of the subject they are likely to be uninteresting. 

No fault of the lecturers, they have to cater for a wide knowledge base, including those new to the topic. 

Best to be strategic, we watch them on catch up TV in the room, if it's repeat information we can then skip it without awkwardness 

Edited September 3, 2023 by KBs mum

[uktog]

Sorry I have to disagree

I would say the lectures by the Brigadier General onboard now covering geopolitics and military challenges in the future far exceeds anything entry level materials I’ve read. 

The gentleman engaged in Destination Lectures is not giving basic port information he is leaving that to shorex His focus is on the sociology and culture of each area

I would agree with @KBsmum if we were talking about several lines but not Viking 

[MSEm]

Does Viking have lecturers on the Great Lakes cruises?

I have read some from Great Lakes cruises but do not remember any mention of lectures on the cruises.

[May B]

11 minutes ago, MSEm said:

Does Viking have lecturers on the Great Lakes cruises?

I have read some from Great Lakes cruises but do not remember any mention of lectures on the cruises.

Yes.

 

The one I remember vividly presented, on several days, the entire “trip report” on her walk around Lake Michigan.

 

The other one was more scientific. Plus there are hands-on experiences. Quite educational and fun, too.

Edited September 3, 2023 by May B

[Mich3554]

2 hours ago, uktog said:

Sorry I have to disagree

I would say the lectures by the Brigadier General onboard now covering geopolitics and military challenges in the future far exceeds anything entry level materials I’ve read. 

The gentleman engaged in Destination Lectures is not giving basic port information he is leaving that to shorex His focus is on the sociology and culture of each area

I would agree with @KBsmum if we were talking about several lines but not Viking 

I agree with you.  The only time I thought that the lectures were too basic was when an evolutionary biologist was lecturing on how the world was populated.  She had to give some basic biology lessons, which were very elementary…..for me.  I spent 35 years doing scientific research and have taken more biology classes than I can remember!  Even so, she did it clearly and concisely.

[janetcbl]

1 hour ago, MSEm said:

Does Viking have lecturers on the Great Lakes cruises?

I have read some from Great Lakes cruises but do not remember any mention of lectures on the cruises.

We had one on board for the entire GL cruise. He was okay. However, we had two additional local lecturers who were terrific. You have no “sea days”, so most of the day time is spent on excursions or on land. As usual, this is just my opinion.

[rbslos18]

4 hours ago, uktog said:

Sorry I have to disagree

I would say the lectures by the Brigadier General onboard now covering geopolitics and military challenges in the future far exceeds anything entry level materials I’ve read. 

The gentleman engaged in Destination Lectures is not giving basic port information he is leaving that to shorex His focus is on the sociology and culture of each area

I would agree with @KBsmum if we were talking about several lines but not Viking 

I have to agree with @uktog. I have generally found the chosen topics interesting and presented in an engaging manner. These lectures are not supposed to be college level lectures or entry level lectures. Cruise lectures are a special educational niche that require a capacity to peak people’s interest so they want to return for more. Our Viking cruise in July had a former MI6 agent. I thought the lectures he presented were fascinating, fun and peaked my interest in his subject. Was this the level of an intro level history class I had at Columbia University? Of course not, thank heavens…this is a vacation. The lectures were good enough that I attended each lecture and walked away wanting to learn more. 
 

@cruisemom42 The lectures on cruise ships are interesting educational activities that present topics in a popular manner. The lecturers tend to be retired individuals who have knowledge in their fields.  I find them typically, but not always, interesting. The lectures are a small aspect, not a focus, of the Viking travel experience. I hope this helps!

[amtatom]

Let me add my agreement with @uktog and @rbslos18. We've only done one Viking cruise so far, but the lectures were one of my favorite parts. I was so impressed with how all the lecturers on our cruise struck an excellent balance of making the topic easy to grasp if one perhaps knew nothing while also imparting a great deal of information beyond the basic level while ALSO keeping things lively and engaging.

 

At least on our cruise, some were titled “an introduction to” and some were titled something like “a deeper look.” This might have been that particular lecturer's idea, though, as I only remember it for the history lectures. (There was a two-part Introduction to Australian History and then A Deeper Look at the Australian Penal System as I recall, although those exact titles may be wrong.)

[cruisemom42]

I appreciate all of your input. It sounds like the levels of the lectures vary a bit, which makes sense. But certainly worth giving it a try.

[Escaper]

Is there a way to find out who the lecturer(s) will be ahead of embarkation?  We have a TA coming up in early November and I am curious. Thanks!

[OneSixtyToOne]

2 minutes ago, Escaper said:

Is there a way to find out who the lecturer(s) will be ahead of embarkation?  We have a TA coming up in early November and I am curious. Thanks!

 

Some of the lecturers maintain their schedules on their own websites but I know of nothing that compiles this information by ship or itinerary.

[Cienfuegos]

Viking seems to make an effort to recruit and retain good lecturers.  On our Trade Routes voyage in 2019, the focus seemed to be on art / architecture history and how trade delivered substantial wealth.  At lunch, one lecturer mentioned that she has contracts with three or four cruise lines, and tries to keep a balanced relationship with each.

 

On our Cuba trip, one lecturer was a former US state department officer with several years service in Cuba. He presented a huge amount of information on the vintage vehicles in use, how replacement parts are sourced, what to look for when we're on the street, etc.  Later, he offered a perspective on Cuban agriculture, the politics of sugar in the word market, etc.  There was an abundance of personal slides, short video, etc.

[formernuke]

In a discussion with one of the resident historians he mentioned that he had done this work for several lines and Viking had treated him much better than the others. He now does only Viking. 

[KBs mum]

We've only encountered one lecturer who was actually bad (was appalling, incorrect 'facts' and mocking the Royal Australian Navy for cheap laughs) the rest have been good to very good. The only thing that makes them not interesting is if you have little interest in the topic or have knowledge to a more advanced level than the lecture in progress. 

We give them all a go, on catch up room tv

[SJD117]

I’ve always thought that Viking’s onboard lectures are underreported and underappreciated, at least on Cruise Critic.

 

We generally find these lectures to be very informative, so we look forward to the topics on a particular cruise. Some lecturers are better than others, of course, but that’s to be expected — we roll with it.

Kudos to Viking for offering these talks as part of the cruising experience.