Viking Ocean Cruises

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Zhao Shang Yi Dun (Viking Sun)

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Viking Tends to the Details; Made us Brand Loyal 

This was my very first ocean cruise. I had specific requirements in my search for the right cruise. I wasn’t interested in a party atmosphere with loud disco music, I wanted to avoid children running around the ship, and I wasn’t interested in spending time with gambling or casinos. I wanted a cruise with diverse dining options in restaurants that didn’t require me to become best friends with a table full of unknown faces. I was looking for a very pleasant sanitary environment with friendly staff. Viking went far beyond my expectations with a terrific venue of dining options and a surprisingly  un-crowded spa and fitness center. I was so impressed with the staff, safety protocols, entertainment and guests aboard this Viking ship that I booked another cruise for the same time next year. Additionally, I have been researching other Viking cruises for future sea adventures. What a pleasurable trip! I found absolutely no reason to select any cruise line other than Viking!

West Indies Explorer

We lived in the Panama Canal Zone in the 70's and we wanted to see changes & revisit memories.  The canal part itself was great, partly because we went early to explore on our own, which we did at both ends.  The transit was great.    I guess due to transit times or restrictions, we were sad for our fellow passengers that they didn't have time for excursions on both ends. To see things on the Pacific side they had to drive back across the canal on the day we were docked in Colo'n (Atlantic).

There was "motion in the ocean" both nights outside of Colon, and also too windy to dock in Cozumel, Mexico.  If you have any unsteadiness, I advise having  a walker on the ship!

I wish there had been more "easy" excursions available in the different ports.

Overall, the restaurant food was not as good as on other cruises. The buffet did have a wide variety of good food tho. 

Smaller ships have less variety of entertainment, tho the Sky did a good job. 

A movie was added for an unexpected extra sea day, but we wish more movies were offered all the time for people that are interested, esp during the day.

The pools are not made for "vertically challenged" (ie, short folks) or those who can't maneuver a straight up and down ladder (hip issues, etc), so steps would be appreciated.

"Motion in the Ocean"

We enjoyed every aspect of our experience on the Sky.  Communication, food, enrichment, entertainment, cruise team, organization, room steward and service - all were very good.  The activities offered were varied and inclusive - opportunities for those traveling alone, those in recovery, those of different religious faiths and lifestyles.  The staff did a great job of organizing and disembarking hundreds of travelers, efficiently, for short excursions.   The dining options allowed for those who wanted to remain casual and flexible on timing vs. those who desired a formal, time based dining experience.  The enrichment was excellent and varied - especially enjoyed the resident historian and the tour and history he shared of the Bayeux Tapestry.  Also of note is the artwork throughout the ship and the opportunity to enjoy the Munch art while listening to the pianist and the string duo.  Well done, Viking - we look forward to our next cruise opportunity!

Cruise Highlight - the Amazing Panama Canal

Viking gets stellar reviews, which is why I booked this. Perhaps an "off " cruise?  Beyond disappointing. Let's be clear; Viking is, in no way, a luxury cruise line.

First the good: the ship is lovely, the food is very good and the crew are wonderful, with the exception of Guest Services. There were so many passengers complaining on this trip, I imagine they felt themselves overworked. They seemed to know nothing and the answer to any request was "No". The rooms are spacious with excellent storage.

Customer support and communication was excellent prior to embarkation.

The rest was downhill.

Embarkation was a gong show. Told could board at 11 and have room access by 1. Others had paid for room access by 11. Check in claimed "lunch was being served on board". In fact, we were herded like cattle into a corral area,and kept waiting for over an hour. Once on board, directed to safety info, all good. Then tried to go to lunch in the restaurant, where we encountered the same safety info, and finally were told that the restaurant wasn't open, go to the pool grill. Over crowded, over heated, no place to sit , unaccepatably long lines for food. Gave up. Eventually room available, an hour late. All this could have been avoided with better communication from Viking. Instead they came up with several excuses.

Complained to Viking corporate. Promised a response in 72 hrs. Still waiting.... But a bottle of wine was delivered to the room.

There were apparently at least 200 fewer guests than capacity. Obviously Viking proceeded to understaff.I waited longer for service than I have ever waited on cruise ships carrying 3 times the passengers. Tried to go to "Afternoon Tea". Arrived at 4 (start time), already packed, directed to the explorer lounge but left after getting no service for 20 minutes. Understaffed. No service to chairs by the pool, but if you sat at a table 1 foot away, there was service. Ongoing line ups throughout the cruise. The cruise director was seating people in the restaurants.

Information about the excursions was extremely lacking. Even upon direct questioning, could not get an adequate description of exertion level. Some people had to walk a mile and a half to a tubing experience. Others were unaware that they were going to spend time at a beach, so they were completely unaware, and didn't bring swim wear.

When Guest Services were asked about excursions, they directed you to "attend the lecture" which happened less than 24 hours pre excursion, so it was too late to cancel.

While amassing for dispersion to excursions ( sometimes waiting 45 minutes), announcements were made on top of other announcements so you couldn't hear either.

And the tipping on excursions! Sometimes you were tipping up to 6 people per excursion. It really added up.

On the day of passage through the Panama Canal, they didn't have the commentary available in the staterooms until half way through, then introduced this "service" like it was a novel idea, and a great luxury for passengers.

If you didn't purchase a "drinks package" there was no selection beyond "red or white" at meals, although there appeared to be a good selection of beer. You also were treated quite differently if you didn't have the drinks package.

So I would have been much better off paying much less on a bigger cruise ship and paying for what I wanted, than expecting it to be provided by Viking at a high price. Or paying more for a truly all inclusive luxury cruise, where I could drink what I wanted, when I wanted, and not paying extortionist tips on every excursion.

Cruises are a competetive market, but even doing my research, I was very disappointed in Viking. In fact I felt cheated.

Are other reviewers delusional?

Panama Canal ,our bucket list. Most of the shore excursions were interesting, The ruins in Belize, and seeing Costa Rica , Colon,&  Roatan, were ok. ATV s in Cozemel are more our speed. Most of the sites were geared to people with limited mobility. Was hoping to see more religious sites and churches as most of Central America are Catholic.Also most of the guides were very knowledgeable. Would have liked to spend more time in a Panama after the bus ride which was over an hour from Colon. The food was mostly very good. We don’t make reservations early to the Chefs Table Restaurant because we would to see the menu. We have eaten there on other cruises and found it not to our liking because of the set menu. Most of the food was foam theme, we are not fans of that, and the food is usually set , the wine tasting is ok, but We drink only Natural wines, which were not offered. The other restaurants, and the World Cafe always impressed.

Panama Canal

Going through the Panama Canal was bucket list item for me, and since we had a great experience on Viking several years ago (Barcelona to Rome) decided to book again.

First all the pluses(and they are mostly pluses)

Viking has top notch customer service, both pre boarding and on the ship. Incredibly friendly staff.  Really nice touches like the covered patio area on the upper deck to shade from the sun when we entered the canal. And the mimosas, water stations, and iced cooling clothes were much appreciated.

Never feels crowded on the ship, all sorts of little nooks and crannies to find peace and quiet.  Speaking of which, no kids so it was always pretty quiet.  The average age is over 70, so if you are a bit younger (we are 55 and 62) will feel a but "nursing homeish".  And after 10pm it is really dead.

Food is generally good to excellent.  Definitely do go to Chef's Table-extremely innovative cuisine.

The not so good-even with the Silver package the wine list is underwhelming-hard to find anything drinkable by the glass.  As wine lovers this was pretty disappointing. A discount of 30% for buying a bottle was nice but they are already overpriced.

We did several specialty excursions we paid extra for, and also a couple that were included.  All were good to excellent, executed efficiently without long waits.  Great port talks and nice to chat with the historians on board and getting to know them.

Overall another great experience.

Second time on the Sky

The wife and I just returned from an extremely enjoyable 10 days aboard Viking Sky, traveling from Ft. Lauderdale to Panama City, Panama.  While this was our first ocean cruise in over 15 years, (our previous was on another cruise line), it got us very interested in doing this type of travel more frequently in the future.  The crew and staff onboard our ship, to a person, were beyond friendly and addressed our every need in a first class manner; meals and entertainment were top-notch; the LIV spa was amazing; each port stop offered terrific options for excursions; lectures and port presentations were very informative and enlightening; and the icing on the cake was an awesome transit of the Panama Canal.  Overall, we had a fantastic experience on this cruise.  We will certainly recommend Viking Ocean Cruises to our family and friends, and will definitely sail on Viking again in the future!

A Delightful Cruise on Viking Sky

Ketchikan

This was our second Viking Ocean cruise and, due to personal circumstances, the first on which we were fully able to relax and appreciate. Our expectations were high but tempered: the actual experience far exceeded our hopes and dreams.

Service was even better than on our first cruise. From the room stewards to the outstanding bar staff (we use that a lot) and wonderful, welcoming, attentive servers at the Restaurant and Chef’s table. They all quickly learned our names and were incredibly kind and accommodating.

Food ranged from very good to outstanding in both the Restaurant and Chef’s Table. As we had previously enjoyed Chef’s Table we were careful to schedule one visit per rotating menu. All were excellent including the much maligned British menu which we thought was extremely good. I say this as an anglophile who has visited England at least 15 times (have lost count at this point). The very best meal was the Mexican menu, highlighted with the beef cheeks entrée. We are very fond of both wine and spirits - the Silver Spirits package was an excellent value for us. Wine service was prompt, attentive and knowledgable. 

We have come to absolutely love the layout of these ships. The feeling of spaciousness is incredible, including quiet nooks to enjoy a book and a view of the sea everywhere. The Explorer’s Lounge is a feature that will keep us coming back over and over. (Looking at you, Silversea Moon with your pitiful dearth of forward looking space). Likewise the views from the World Caffe and Aquavite Terrace are incredible.

But what we absolutely fell head over heels for this trip was the spa. The dry sauna / ice plunge in each locker room combined with the exquisite public spa area are incredible. It will make it difficult to sail other lines because we would be missing this so much. The massages and facials were some of the best that we have ever experienced on land or sea.

Transatlantic as a floating Zen Palace - absolute perfection!

Everything onboard was beyond expectations. The food, service, activities, cleanliness, and comfort - top shelf. I loved the heated floor in the bathroom and the large shower. I found few waiting times for anything. There were many nice areas for card games or intimate visiting with friends. I enjoyed the lovely music in the atrium and especially the guitar player in the Explorers Lounge. The kitchen galley and chefs were amazing. I took a cooking class that was fun and I joined the trivia game everyday. The afternoon tea was fun as well. The best part of the trip included the nice people I met everywhere I went, especially the solo traveler event. I made friends with some very fun and interesting people. 

The port excursions were not the best choice for me. The Funchal Madeira wine excursion was slow with very little to see. Others I met enjoyed the other options. The snorkel excursion in St. Martin would have been so much better if there had been more to see than brown rock. The catamaran excursion was fun according to friends I met. The trip was about relaxing for me so the port excursions were insignificant in my overall opinion.

True pampering and delicious food!

Tortola

We chose this cruise because it offered the opportunity to see many of the world’s finest cities, cultures, and historic landmarks in comfort and security.  Viking delivered on promises of elegant ship design, culinary excellence, quality of staff, and excursion management.  Everything was first class yet simple and understated.  We also chose Viking to handle our air travel and transfers and were very happy we did so as every step went smoothly, and the cost savings were significant compared to what we would have experienced had we booked our own flights.  Every Viking employee we dealt with from crew member, housekeeping, restaurant, bar, customer service, and management was friendly and competent.  They conveyed a sense of pride and a genuine care and concern for our satisfaction.  Overall, we were very pleased with our total travel experience, and we have already booked our next Viking Ocean Cruise.  I’m confident that it will be just as excellent.

Mediterranean Cruise

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