In keeping with the high-end nature of the brand, Viking cabins and suites have a lot of upscale touches, from sumptuous bedding that envelops you to heated floors in bathrooms. Designwise, Viking cabins and suites across all categories are modern and elegant in an understated sort of way, with Scandinavian-influenced furnishings and decor that tie to the Norwegian heritage of the company's founder. If you're looking for a big open room on an ocean cruise (and are willing to pay for it), Viking offers you plenty of options. Is a balcony something you can't live without when staying in a cabin on a cruise ship?
Europe
Viking adds an automatic service gratuity (which it calls a "hotel and dining charge") of $17 per person per day to final bills, depending on your cabin category. If you are unhappy with the service you receive, you can adjust this amount before disembarking at the Explorers' Desk. (You can also increase the tip amount if so desired.) Also, a 15% gratuity is added to bills at bars and for drinks at restaurants. The main restaurants on these ships are notable for their walls of glass that can slide open to create al fresco dining, something that is unusual in the cruise world. All of Viking's oceangoing ships, which are much bigger than its river ships, have at least four and usually more outlets serving food of some sort.
CardMatch
In general, you'll find a lot of couples on Viking ships and some solo travelers. You'll also find the occasional multigenerational group — a retired couple traveling with their working-age adult children, for instance. You'll find everything from eight-day cruises in the Mediterranean to 138-day around-the-world voyages among the line's voyages. Since its founding in 1997, the upscale cruise brand has carved out a niche catering to a certain type of thoughtful, inquisitive, generally older traveler looking to explore the world and learn a thing or two along the way.
Cabins and suites
What they are is eminently functional, with storage in all the right places, lots of outlets for charging your devices and lighting right where you need it. We love the reading lights built into the fabric headboards, which are in addition to the lamps on bedside tables. You won't have trouble seeing the pages of the Viking Daily activity newsletter while lying in a Viking cabin bed. Most Viking passengers are North Americans who are approaching retirement age or already retired. The company's core market is people who range in age from 55 to 75 years, although it does draw some passengers who are younger or older. Note that there is one more vessel in this same series, called Zhao Shang Yi Dun, that has been permanently transferred to a joint venture that operates for the China market.
Viking Idi Itineraries: 2024 & 2025 Schedule (with Prices) on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
Viking Idi Itineraries: 2024 & 2025 Schedule (with Prices) on Cruise Critic.
Posted: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 15:04:03 GMT [source]
Each of the line's ocean ships has a theater at its front that is home to production shows, movie showings (with fresh popcorn available) and enrichment lecturers. Viking also recently began sailings on the Mississippi River with a new ship specifically designed for the river and its tributaries. That's because the vast majority of Viking's ocean vessels are carbon copies of each other.
That's something that even the most upscale of Viking's ocean cruise rivals including Oceania Cruises, Azamara, Seabourn, Silversea Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises can't say. Viking currently operates 11 ocean ships, nine of which are nearly identical. Other interior spaces that are part of the ocean ships include a stylish spa with a thermal suite area that is open to all passengers at no extra charge (something that is not common on cruise vessels) and a fitness center. For this subset of travelers, Viking offers a wide range of both ocean and river cruise itineraries that have a heavy focus on the destinations visited. Tour our stylish ships, designed with understated elegance and comfort in mind. Spacious staterooms, indoor and outdoor dining venues and panoramic views enrich your travel experience.
Fourteen-night Antarctica trips start at $13,995 per person — about $2,000 per day for a couple. There's no extra charge for dining in the smaller restaurants, but reservations are required. Each passenger is only allowed to make one to three reservations per cruise at the eateries, depending on which category of cabin they have booked.
The 930-guest Viking Jupiter—the sixth Viking ocean ship—touches water for the first time during its “Float Out” in Ancona, Italy. Join Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen and Norwegian soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø, the ship’s godmother, as they celebrate this major construction milestone. Stay current with special offers, news and destination-focused content. That said, given the complexity of booking a cruise — there are a lot of decisions to make during the booking process, trust us — we always recommend that you use a seasoned travel agent who specializes in cruises.
Restaurants and dining
By continuously building upon our tradition of innovation, we have set industry standard and delighted our guests. Meander along Europe’s great waterways, gliding past magnificent vistas and pausing to explore riverside ports. Viking also includes access to the thermal areas of its spa in its base fares.
With their innovative patented design, al fresco Aquavit Terrace and understated elegance, Viking Longships provide the most rewarding way to explore Europe. A good travel agent will quiz you about your particular interests, travel style and preferences, and steer you to the perfect cruise line, ship, itinerary and cabin for you. An agent can also help you if something goes wrong before, during or after your voyage. During the day, there is no specific dress code, and people dress casually. If it's a sea day in a warm-weather destination, and you're bound for the top deck, a short-sleeve shirt and shorts are just fine. On all ships, smoking (including electronic cigarettes) is only allowed in designated outdoor areas.
From Nordic Balcony staterooms to the abundance of extra perks and amenities in our spacious Explorer Suites, there is no finer way to travel. And whichever stateroom you choose, you will find it beautifully designed in the understated elegance for which Viking is known. Each sister ship is engineered at a scale that allows direct access into most ports. Classified by Cruise Critic as “small ships,” the fleet features understated elegance and Scandinavian design. On the line's river ships, you'll also find onboard lectures, usually related to the destinations the ships are visiting, as well as destination-related demonstrations and tastings. (On a Seine River voyage, you might have a tasting of local French cheeses or French wines, for instance).
The nine nearly identical ocean ships — Viking Saturn, Viking Neptune, Viking Mars, Viking Venus, Viking Jupiter, Viking Orion, Viking Sky, Viking Sea and Viking Star — began rolling out in 2015. Six more nearly identical vessels are scheduled to debut between 2024 and 2028, and Viking has options with a shipyard to order four more of the ships for delivery in 2029 and 2030. What Viking ships don't offer is a lot of onboard amusements aimed at families and younger travelers. In fact, the line doesn't even allow children under the age of 18 on its ships. It's one of the only major cruise brands in the world with such a rule. Throughout our decades of sailing the world’s great rivers, Viking has repeatedly reinvented the European river cruise vessel.
Such access almost always comes with an extra charge on cruise vessels. At 47,800 tons, these ocean ships are less than a fourth the size of the giant megaships being built by the likes of Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises, in keeping with Viking's focus on intimate, upscale voyages. If you're sure that Viking is your line, look for a travel agent who specializes in trips with the brand.
Viking's bigger ocean ships also have poolside grills that serve made-to-order gourmet hamburgers and other grill items. Passengers can grab a snack — with a Norwegian twist — at the forward-facing lounges atop the ships, which are home to a small food counter called Mamsen's. What it is is a line that has focused very specifically on "thinking person's cruises" that offer a deeper dive into the destinations that its ships visit than is typical at many lines. Whether you use a travel agent or not, make sure to maximize your credit card spending when paying for the cruise by using a credit card that offers extra points for travel purchases. This could be the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which offers 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel and dining (excluding the annual $300 travel credit).
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