I need help and advice

[Brookspw70]

New to Viking but trying to book asap for British Isles in 8/2025. 
 

I need help on abbreviations, ES1 vs ES2, etc.

 

What is the difference between DV1-6?  Same for PVs. 
 

Is a PV worth it for the extra room alone on a 15 day cruise? Or, what are the other benefits?

 

My non-educated opinion is that the higher the deck the better (for the view) but I’m not seeing that this is necessarily the case from reading the cabin review thread. 
 

What is the major difference between the experience aft, mid, or what we the front is called?

 

I sincerely appreciate your help. 

[kctwinmommy]

So, the ES are the Explorer Suites, the DV is Deluxe Veranda, PV is Penthouse Veranda. I would highly recommend you look on the Viking website to watch the 360 videos they have, along with photos.

 

We did our first Viking, after many on Carnival and a few other lines, this past spring. We decided to go kind of middle of the road and picked a DV4 cabin. This put us on the 4th deck, so kind of in the top 1/2 of the ship. We ended up with 4027, which was in the front 1/3 of the ship. Typically, when we're on the large, other line ships, we prefer to be near the front and as far up as we can (we like the Lido deck). But Viking cruises are different, we don't need to worry about getting to things as the Viking ships are much smaller and super easy to navigate.

 

We didn't see the need to pay for a DV6 cabin just to be on the deck 6. And, when it comes to selecting your excursions, all DV cabins can select on the same date. However, ES and PV can select their excursions earlier, which is partially why some want those cabins.

 

A lot of this depends on the cruise you're taking. I can't speak to all the different cruises, as we just took our first one. There were a LOT of excursions available as we had a 22 day cruise. Our next Viking one will be the West Indies. We still went with a DV4 cabin, as we just liked the location, and we're not super concerned about excursions for this one, we just want to go to the beach. LOL!

 

But definitely peek around Viking's website to read more, they have a lot of info there. I picked the Mars, but they're all the almost the same...

https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/ships/viking-mars.html

[JM0115]

3 minutes ago, Brookspw70 said:

New to Viking but trying to book asap for British Isles in 8/2025. 
 

I need help on abbreviations, ES1 vs ES2, etc.

 

What is the difference between DV1-6?  Same for PVs. 
 

Is a PV worth it for the extra room alone on a 15 day cruise? Or, what are the other benefits?

 

My non-educated opinion is that the higher the deck the better (for the view) but I’m not seeing that this is necessarily the case from reading the cabin review thread. 
 

What is the major difference between the experience aft, mid, or what we the front is called?

 

I sincerely appreciate your help. 

The numbers are just for relative and subjective location on the ship. All DVs are the same as are all PVs or any other class of stateroom. V and DV are the same room size and layout  just slightly different ammenities. Some people like the higher floors as they are closer to the pool, Explorer Lounge, and some people think the view is better (and the higher rooms are away from the life rafts). Some like lower levels for less waviness. Sane with mid ship- less movement. Worth it is subjective- PV has significantly more room and storage but DV is a very nice room. As you go up in category you getting more advanced booking for excursions and dining but many people say they got what they wanted regardless.

[kctwinmommy]

@Brookspw70 - this post is also pinned to the top of this page. It is helpful...

 

 

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, Brookspw70 said:

New to Viking but trying to book asap for British Isles in 8/2025. 
 

I need help on abbreviations, ES1 vs ES2, etc.

 

What is the difference between DV1-6?  Same for PVs. 
 

Is a PV worth it for the extra room alone on a 15 day cruise? Or, what are the other benefits?

 

My non-educated opinion is that the higher the deck the better (for the view) but I’m not seeing that this is necessarily the case from reading the cabin review thread. 
 

What is the major difference between the experience aft, mid, or what we the front is called?

 

I sincerely appreciate your help. 

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

When you are on the Viking Website, and you go into the pricing pages and select the dates you want, you can click on the cabin type and a pop up window will show you the layout and the amenities of the cabin.  You can compare one to the other this way.  See screen shots below.  You can also do a 360 degree tour of each cabin type.

 

Is the extra space worth it?  That is up to you and what you see value in. We have done 10 Viking Cruises and only book V1 or V2 because we are only in the cabin to shower, change, and sleep.

 

It is our opinion that a higher deck does not give you a better view.  We have never suffered on deck 3 for our view, but we tend to be on the top decks more than on our balcony anyway.

 

Aft, Mid-ship, or Forward depends again on your personal preference.  It is generally accepted that if you get easily seasick that the mid-ship location is better.  Often also, the higher you are the more pronounced the movement is.  I feel this is a preference.  We typically book mid to aft and stay away from the forward cabins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

4 hours ago, Brookspw70 said:

New to Viking but trying to book asap for British Isles in 8/2025. 
 

I need help on abbreviations, ES1 vs ES2, etc.

 

What is the difference between DV1-6?  Same for PVs. 
 

Is a PV worth it for the extra room alone on a 15 day cruise? Or, what are the other benefits?

 

My non-educated opinion is that the higher the deck the better (for the view) but I’m not seeing that this is necessarily the case from reading the cabin review thread. 
 

What is the major difference between the experience aft, mid, or what we the front is called?

 

I sincerely appreciate your help. 

Here is a link to a blog that explains all the cabin classes and has a ton of photos. It also has a section on cabins to avoid. It’s a few years old but still applies as all the VO fleet is almost identical.

https://viking-cruises-cabin-guide.blogspot.com/p/standard-cabins.html?m=1

[Mike07]

Laughing at your link, because it's not the wide-angle picture perfect and photoshopped photos the cruise lines craft. It's real photos by real people of what you really get.

[janetcbl]

It is really up to you, whether you choose a V or a more expensive cabin, depending on what is important to you and what special perks you enjoy. We have had everything from a DV to a PJS and found that a PV suits us just fine: earlier time to choose excursions which is important to us (PV), not so important included laundry (PJS). Dining choices makes no difference as you can usually get whatever time you want once you are onboard ( people book their full share of CT and Manfredis and then discover they prefer the WC or Restaurant and cancel CT and M. 

[molymoo]

We always book a PV (usually on deck 4)... it has tons of storage so it is easy to keep tidy (we are almost always complimented by our room stewards who really appreciate an uncluttered room).  Unlike (apparently) everybody else we do spend time in our room.  Nothing is quite as delightful as an afternoon nap on a sea day, or having an early room service breakfast, catching a movie after dinner when you're too tired to socialize, or just sitting and enjoying the nights entertainment on our bed, in your pajamas!  We have had three complementary upgrades to PJS cabins and they are truly delightful ... just not worth the extra $$$ when booking.

 

[CDNPolar]

47 minutes ago, molymoo said:

Unlike (apparently) everybody else we do spend time in our room.  

 

 

We work hard to not spend time in our cabin.  If one of us is showered and ready and the other is still in the process, the one ready is gone to the deck or a wander around the ship.  

 

I can never say that there has never been a nap from 4-6 before dinner, but that is even rare.  

 

I guess you could say that we take every advantage of being on the ship to not be in the cabin.

 

We are the couple on the top deck - river or ocean - for the sail away and for the docking.  We rarely miss sailing under a major bridge and are on deck for that.  We never miss a lock unless it is at 2am, but if it is at 5am we are on deck.  These are things we never grow tired of.

[duquephart]

1 hour ago, molymoo said:

We always book a PV (usually on deck 4)... it has tons of storage so it is easy to keep tidy (we are almost always complimented by our room stewards who really appreciate an uncluttered room).  Unlike (apparently) everybody else we do spend time in our room.  Nothing is quite as delightful as an afternoon nap on a sea day, or having an early room service breakfast, catching a movie after dinner when you're too tired to socialize, or just sitting and enjoying the nights entertainment on our bed, in your pajamas!  We have had three complementary upgrades to PJS cabins and they are truly delightful ... just not worth the extra $$$ when booking.

 

 

One of the reasons (IMHO) to settle for a PV is that you don't spend much time there.

[OneSixtyToOne]

19 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

We work hard to not spend time in our cabin.  If one of us is showered and ready and the other is still in the process, the one ready is gone to the deck or a wander around the ship.  

 

I can never say that there has never been a nap from 4-6 before dinner, but that is even rare.  

 

I guess you could say that we take every advantage of being on the ship to not be in the cabin.

 

We are the couple on the top deck - river or ocean - for the sail away and for the docking.  We rarely miss sailing under a major bridge and are on deck for that.  We never miss a lock unless it is at 2am, but if it is at 5am we are on deck.  These are things we never grow tired of.

Were you the people on the river cruise who woke us up jogging above our heads at 5AM? 😉

Edited May 29 by OneSixtyToOne

[CDNPolar]

3 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Were you the people on the river cruise who woke us up jogging above our heads at 5AM? 😉

😜 Nope...  Don't jog, but do walk....  BUT since we have had cabins on deck 3 we know the pain you feel.  We are often on the deck at 5am with a coffee watching the sunrise, but we walk very carefully and generally through the centre of the deck to avoid being over cabins.  We make our way to the bow and stay there usually as there are no cabins below us.

[Brookspw70]

Info I would appreciate:

- Reasons people choose aft, mid, or forward (or whatever you call it on a ship) OTHER than motion concerns. 
- Reasons for choosing among levels 3-6. 
- What is the attraction for the cabins on the aft end, the two DVs between the suites?

*So far I think I’m looking at near the forward lift on level 4-5. 

[CDR2001]

We only choose decks 3 or 4 midship for motion concerns, DV6 or DV4. We love a cabin near the forward elevators and stairs on deck 3, quick access to the Theater and workout space. We also like being near the laundry room. Viking ships are small and easy to navigate. 

Edited May 29 by CDR2001

[CDNPolar]

43 minutes ago, Brookspw70 said:

Info I would appreciate:

- Reasons people choose aft, mid, or forward (or whatever you call it on a ship) OTHER than motion concerns. 
- Reasons for choosing among levels 3-6. 
- What is the attraction for the cabins on the aft end, the two DVs between the suites?

*So far I think I’m looking at near the forward lift on level 4-5. 

 

We have been in the forward cabins on deck 3 and in rough waters the "crashing" down of the bow in the waves is very noisy to the point it kept us from sleeping.  We have never experienced this in mid-ship cabins.  You may call this "motion" but it was not about the motion, it was the noise.

 

We prefer mid-ship because it it is close to the mid-ship elevators and stairs and seems very convenient for everything that we do.

 

We choose deck 3 for the price.  We have never seen a reason to pay a higher price for a cabin that is the same size. 

[LindaS272]

47 minutes ago, Brookspw70 said:

Info I would appreciate:

- Reasons people choose aft, mid, or forward (or whatever you call it on a ship) OTHER than motion concerns. 
- Reasons for choosing among levels 3-6. 
- What is the attraction for the cabins on the aft end, the two DVs between the suites?

*So far I think I’m looking at near the forward lift on level 4-5. 

Our first VO was in a DV, but after we were offered an upgrade to a PV on the next one, we found that was the sweet spot. We like PV for the ample storage, location of closet in hall instead of next to the bed, & having a couch for lounging instead of just chairs.

 

We have only ever been on decks 5 & 6 forward and we like those locations for easy access to Explorer's Lounge & the Wintergarden. We don’t mind the trek to WC or MDR—ships are small and we get a little more exercise.

[duquephart]

7 minutes ago, LindaS272 said:

Our first VO was in a DV, but after we were offered an upgrade to a PV on the next one, we found that was the sweet spot. We like PV for the ample storage, location of closet in hall instead of next to the bed, & having a couch for lounging instead of just chairs.

 

We have only ever been on decks 5 & 6 forward and we like those locations for easy access to Explorer's Lounge & the Wintergarden. We don’t mind the trek to WC or MDR—ships are small and we get a little more exercise.

 

Then you would really like a PJS. That extra TV in front of you while lounging is a good thing.

[farmecologist]

We always take the room class with the lowest total cost, as we like to travel as cost effective as possible.  

 

The fact that ALL rooms on Viking ocean ships are balconies is enough for us.  That is a huge perk compared to other lines we have been on ( i.e. - no shopping for "deals" only to find the "deal" is for an inside room, etc... )!  

 

 

[lackcreativity]

2 hours ago, farmecologist said:

We always take the room class with the lowest total cost, as we like to travel as cost effective as possible.  

 

The fact that ALL rooms on Viking ocean ships are balconies is enough for us.  That is a huge perk compared to other lines we have been on ( i.e. - no shopping for "deals" only to find the "deal" is for an inside room, etc... )!  

 

 

We do the same. It is also valuable to us that we receive the same lovely service that everyone else receives. Dinner reservations in advance are never a concern for us, and being the final ones to book excursions has had limited impact. We do remain flexible on excursions, and would use an outside vendor if there was ever something we missed that was super important for us. The only time we ever chose that path was in St. Petersburg, but we made those plans well in advance. 

[formernuke]

For us, a DV6 is the sweet spot. 3rd deck, middle of the ship forward is ideal for relatively easy access to the Star theater, restaurant, atrium and spa, as well as disembarkation for excursions. Also close to laundry room. Reduced sea motion. We would never pay more for a higher level DV as (in my opinion) it is a waste of money. The view is not substantially different (except for rear facing DV-1s) and the amenities are the same.

[AroundWithMAPTravels]

10 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

We work hard to not spend time in our cabin.  If one of us is showered and ready and the other is still in the process, the one ready is gone to the deck or a wander around the ship.  

 

I can never say that there has never been a nap from 4-6 before dinner, but that is even rare.  

 

I guess you could say that we take every advantage of being on the ship to not be in the cabin.

 

We are the couple on the top deck - river or ocean - for the sail away and for the docking.  We rarely miss sailing under a major bridge and are on deck for that.  We never miss a lock unless it is at 2am, but if it is at 5am we are on deck.  These are things we never grow tired of.

We have been on deck for those 2am locks.   It used to be “never miss anything “, but after :many years (first Viking trip was 2010), it has now tempered to TRY not to miss anything.  Sometimes we succeed, sometimes sleep wins.

we normally book V or DV depending on sailing and availability,   Recently upgraded to PV (gasp! Never happened before).   Cabin had way MORE room than we could use, and we spread out as much as we needed,  loved the upgrade and extra room, but nothing we would pay for (at this time in our lives anyway).

[DrKoob]

Our first VO cruise was a 21-day Med cruise. Had a PV. It's kind of like Business Class on an airplane...once you have done it, it's really hard to go back. We are really glad we got the larger stateroom. My wife got food poisoning in Manfredis, and they quarantined her for three days. Then we got COVID in Venice and we were quarantined for four days. Once you are forced to spend 7 full days in a stateroom, you genuinely appreciate the extra room. 

 

We originally went to a PV because my wife had heard that the storage space in the PVs was far superior to the DVs and Vs. It was. So much so that we had empty drawers. We also feel like we saved money on cocktails as we had gin, vodka and whisky in our mini-bar and if we wanted a pre-dinner drink, that worked for us. 

[OneSixtyToOne]

13 hours ago, Brookspw70 said:

Info I would appreciate:

- Reasons people choose aft, mid, or forward (or whatever you call it on a ship) OTHER than motion concerns. 
- Reasons for choosing among levels 3-6. 
- What is the attraction for the cabins on the aft end, the two DVs between the suites?

*So far I think I’m looking at near the forward lift on level 4-5. 

We love the aft DV1s. The sail away views are spectacular and the wake is mesmerizing.

 

Edited May 30 by OneSixtyToOne

[duquephart]

2 hours ago, DrKoob said:

Our first VO cruise was a 21-day Med cruise. Had a PV. It's kind of like Business Class on an airplane...once you have done it, it's really hard to go back. We are really glad we got the larger stateroom. My wife got food poisoning in Manfredis, and they quarantined her for three days. Then we got COVID in Venice and we were quarantined for four days. Once you are forced to spend 7 full days in a stateroom, you genuinely appreciate the extra room. 

 

We originally went to a PV because my wife had heard that the storage space in the PVs was far superior to the DVs and Vs. It was. So much so that we had empty drawers. We also feel like we saved money on cocktails as we had gin, vodka and whisky in our mini-bar and if we wanted a pre-dinner drink, that worked for us. 

 

The same can be said for PJS. The whole extra area and second TV are game changers.