Viking Cruises and LGBT Community

[ScottC4746]

My DH and I are kicking around the idea of trying Viking, probably LA to Canada for the first try.  How LGBT friendly are they?  As small as the ships are I doubt they have a Friends of Dorothy meet up group, but if we ask for a table for two at dinner or our beds together or seen sitting on a love seat together listening to music in a lounge...

[CDNPolar]

20 hours ago, ScottC4746 said:

My DH and I are kicking around the idea of trying Viking, probably LA to Canada for the first try.  How LGBT friendly are they?  As small as the ships are I doubt they have a Friends of Dorothy meet up group, but if we ask for a table for two at dinner or our beds together or seen sitting on a love seat together listening to music in a lounge...

 

We are about to embark on our 8th or 9th cruise with Viking and we have been on both River and Ocean.

 

NEVER any concern about being a male couple on Viking for us.

 

We do table for two for meals, and we have our beds together.  The Cabin Stewards are amazing and very accepting and never a second glance.  We sit together in the lounge for the live music and together in the theatre for the shows.   Now we are not a PDA kind of couple, but it is obvious that we are a couple.

 

We have been on Ocean (930 guests) where they have had LGBTQ+ meetups, but not seen that on River.  We have not attended the LGBTQ+ meetups ourselves so cannot comment on the number that show up.  These have typically been held in the upper level of the Explorer Lounge.

 

On the Ocean Ships we have seen multiple other gay and lesbian couples.  We have seen the same on River Ships, but not in the same number, but they are much smaller ships.

 

From our experience you will be welcomed by the crew and feel this welcome throughout the ship.

 

We have never had any situations where we felt that other passengers were opposed to us being there, for lack of any other way to put this...  

 

Don't take this the wrong way, but we don't attend the LGBTQ+ gatherings because we don't feel the need to immediately associate with other gay folks.  We have met some naturally through interactions on the ship, but more so we have met and made good and lasting friendships on Viking Cruises with straight couples.

 

I think that the main thing here is we were (or rather I was) more skeptical in the beginning way back in 2015 when we took our first Viking Cruise together of the reception that we would receive.  We contacted Viking and talked to them directly about it and they assured us that we would be received like any other guest and they were not wrong.

 

We love the vibe on Viking and we are not party people so the quiet atmosphere of Viking without the noise and confusion of a large ship suits us well.  We love the lectures from the Resident Historians and we love the crew and the service and the food.  Viking just suits us.  Not that we may not venture and try other cruise lines in the future, but we are Viking loyal for sure.

 

No, Viking did not give me a free cruise to give you this review!

 

There are others on CC that cruise Viking that will chime in here I am sure.

[ROB and SCOTT]

We were on a Viking ocean cruise last year and had no issues. There was no LGBT meet-up which disappointed us. We cruise multiple times per year and always attend them. They are always enjoyable and we have made several friends there. It’s always a good idea to know who your allies are. Enjoy!

[WestW]

We are about to embark on our 4th Viking Ocean cruise and it sounds like CDN's review is almost word for word what I would have written. We have met both gay and gay-friendly people on our previous cruises and have maintained contact with some of them.

 

We don't behave any differently than we would in any venue and feel very comfortable being a gay couple.  Although we don't show a lot of affection publicly, we are frequently together, including the fitness center, spa, restaurants and bars and have never felt anyone was giving us a 2nd look.

 

Viking fits our vibe in terms of scandinavian decor, food and overall atmosphere.   We've done many Atlantis cruises, etc and now are looking for a less party atmosphere with more diverse cruise destinations (I am 70, husband 59). Viking entertainment is repetitive from cruise to cruise but so is Atlantis - just in a different way.

 

Good luck with giving them a try. We highly recommend.

Edited December 13, 2023 by WestW

[CDNPolar]

Agree with WestW too!

 

One of the funniest things that happened to us, was in the thermal spa which we frequent daily....

 

And, this was not taken as anything about being gay vs. straight....

 

I am quite a bit older than my husband and I did not hear this but my husband did.  There were 2 straight couples in the smaller hot tub connected to the larger thermal spa.  My husband spends most of his time on the large bench at the end of the thermal spa.  I move between the snow grotto and the steam room.

 

Apparently one of the men in the hot tub indicated as I walked between my two favourite places that I was the "Sugar Daddy".

 

I laugh at this because, my husband is much younger, but he also makes much more money than I do...  So he is really the sugar daddy.

 

I was not offended by this nor did these folks exhibit any homophobia... it was just an idle gossip comment that could have been directed at anyone.