Can Viking Ocean Cruises ever be as good as their fans would lead you to believe? Before
I came on Viking, I was constantly told by people who love Viking Ocean that it is wonderful. It's
magnificent. It's unique. It's different. It's the best. It does this better, that better. So,
I boarded my very first ocean cruise here on Viking Venus with a little bit of trepidation
and some pretty high standards. What I can tell you, as you'll see during the course of this,
it didn't entirely go to plan. I was blindsided by some things. I was surprised by some things,
and some things were basically pretty much as I expected, but the thing that really stood out,
no one had really warned me about. So, stick with me to find out what those things were.
If you're new here, I'm Gary Bembridge. Welcome aboard. Welcome aboard Viking Venus. I'm here to
make it fun and easy to discover, plan, and enjoy unforgettable cruise vacations. And is Viking
Cruises unforgettable or not? One of the things that I wrestled with both before I came on
the cruise and during the cruise is exactly who or what is Viking Oceans. Viking Cruises
is an independent line. It was created and is still chaired by its founder, a man called
Torstein Hagen. So, Viking Ocean of course came from rivers. They started in European rivers and
it then expanded to rivers around the world, and they're now also going into expedition cruising.
The overall experience on Viking is it's pretty luxury, but it's not ultra-luxury
so it probably quite comfortably competes with and fits with lines like say Oceania,
Azamara, perhaps even Windstar, which is pretty luxurious, small ships, high level of service,
good quality fixtures and fittings. However, it was very clear that Viking has a significant
difference to those lines. So, people who might like those lines will like Viking, but they'll
find something very different because the overall experience of Viking is quite different though
to those particular lines because, at its heart, it has a very different philosophy,
and that's because it came from rivers. It started with rivers,
not with ocean, and the whole way that they approach and do cruising is pretty different.
Here the things that I found were especially notable and different. First of all, it's
much more all-inclusive as with river cruising. So, onboard you'll find things like in ports,
there's normally one included excursion within the fare. Things like wine and beer
is available, included within the fare at lunch and dinner. Wi-Fi is included.
Gratuities were certainly included. All the dining options were also included within the fare.
Also, unlike other cruise lines, even those that they compete with, there was no what I
guess you'd call nickel and diming. So, there's no real push for sales and selling on board. So,
a bit like when you go on a river cruise where you find your onboard expenditure is pretty low.
There's no, for example, casino on board. There's no promotions out in the hallways selling
inches of gold. There's no art auctions. There's even no photography group taking pictures and try
to sell your photographs. So, there's no kind of add-on sales. In fact, the only things that you
will spend extra on will be if you go for a full drinks package because you want to have drinks,
cover the drinks at all the bars and venues through the whole cruise. And if you go for
any of the additional optional excursions, which will often be relatively expensive because they
often include kind of access to very special areas or are restricted to small groups,
that kind of thing, but pretty much the fare includes almost everything.
So, certainly, when you look at a Viking cruise, it looks pretty expensive, but really important
when you're comparing with those other lines to look at what is included in the
overall experience. And that certainly was a big difference, that whole approach coming from river.
The other thing which really comes from the river experience is the big focus on the destination.
So, it's very much around immersing you in the destination. So, when it comes to entertainment,
which I'll talk about in more detail a little bit later, unlike lines that have come from an
ocean experience and are run by people who've come from the ocean world, there's not as much focus on
entertainment, certainly, the more glitzy shows, the more production shows, the big emphasis on the
kind of the glitzy entertainment. It's a very different approach as I'll talk about a little
bit later, and that's really important if you're considering coming on Viking, that real switch.
There is one other really key difference to the lines that Viking competes with,
and it's one that I really like, and that's around age. It's an adult-only line. So,
you have to be over the age of 18 to be able to cruise on Viking Ocean as is with
Viking River as well. So, that means it's an adult-only environment,
something that I actually really enjoy. So, for me, that is definitely a big plus.
There is one really big difference though that was quite a surprise. It was almost a joke
that we made that could influence whether you like or don't like going on a Viking cruise, and
that very simply is that every single ship in the fleet is a carbon copy. It is exactly the same.
So, ultimately, they will have, I think by next year at the time of recording, I think it's eight
of the classic cruise ships in service. They are all exactly the same, the same layout,
pretty much the same decor, and carbon copies of each other.
So, unlike perhaps on other cruise lines, if you go on Oceania, for example, Azamara,
whichever cruise line you go, you'll often find that they have different classes of ship,
often related to the age of the ships and service. So, you can actually go on a cruise line
and you need to choose a ship that really coordinates with what you like. You can go on
Celebrity and they have a raft of different types of ships. So, really important. On
Viking, that's not the case. Every ship is the same. It has the same layout. Cabins are the same,
and the decor is basically the same. So, there's a joke that even the crew who move between the
ships will almost do a spot the difference because the differences are fairly limited and minimal.
So, the good thing, if you like that is you don't have to worry about
having to choose a specific ship because when you get on board, it will be familiar and the same,
whereas if you go to other lines, you have to really careful about what class of ship.
The ships themselves are in the small ship category. So, if that appeals to you,
which it does to me, that's a real plus. So, the ships hold 930 guests in 465 cabins and
that's across nine decks. There's also a pretty limited range of accommodation types, which also
makes it a bit simpler and I found it certainly simple. So, there are three veranda grades. So,
you have a Basic Veranda, you have a Veranda Stateroom, you have a Deluxe Veranda Stateroom,
and you have a Penthouse Veranda Stateroom. You then have a Penthouse Junior Suite. There's
not many of those. And then you have the ultimate suite, which is the Explorer Suite,
and there's actually kind of three different grades based on where they are based on the ship.
I decided to splash out from my very first Viking cruise and on Viking Venus,
I stayed in an Explorer Suite. Also really important, as you probably noticed from that,
is that every single cabin has a veranda. There are no ocean view. There are no insides. They all
are balcony cabins. That for me is something that really appeals. I like smaller ships, and I also
like the fact that you always can have a balcony, at least. Again, as you start to
compare fares with other cruise lines is really important, you're comparing balcony with balcony
cabin because all of the ships the same. Their kind of highlight venues are also the same.
A couple of things I just want to touch on very briefly that I particularly liked.
They have the signature atrium and living room, which is pretty magnificent with the big, huge,
big staircase. That's kind of the symbol of all of the Viking ships. The other amazing feature is the
Explorer lounge, which is up on deck seven and eight. It's across two levels, and it's a great
place, particularly when you've got sea days to go and hang out there. It does have a theatre, which
is a pretty good size and pretty contemporary. They have a late-night venue, which is called
Torshaven. Probably one of the most magnificent venues of all is the Wintergarden, which is where
they have afternoon tea and some receptions. There's two fantastic swimming pools. You
have the one which has a rooftop, a retractable rooftop. And again, a little bit of the symbol is
the infinity pool at the back of the ship, which is also really fantastic to go out and swim in,
in sea days. It also of course has a range of dining venues and I'll come onto that
a little bit later because a couple of really important things to note when we get to that.
There was, however, something that did divide people when they came on board,
although many people came to love it, and that is the decor. It is unmistakably Scandinavian.
Those people who are being a little bit harsh kind of called it like going to an
Ikea showroom. They thought it was a bit bland and they missed some of the glitziness in that
they might've come from other cruise lines, the richness because this is quite a light, airy,
Scandinavian look and feel. However, as people spend more time on the cruise, people started
noticing there is a lot of depth to it, and that you'll find there's a huge amount of art on board,
for example, the one here behind me. There's a lot of Scandinavian art, particularly around the ship,
and lots of bits and pieces and attention to detail and artwork, which adds to the whole feel.
Certainly, I like that contemporary feel. I like the lightness of the ship,
but it really divided people, but they did come to appreciate because the quality
I think of the furnishings did really feel pretty magnificent, I guess, as people would say. So,
certainly, if you're looking for a rich, plush kind of decor, you're not going to
find it on Viking. It's much brighter and lighter. Personally, I really liked that.
One of the things that Viking says in their marketing materials is they call
cruising on a Viking cruise a thinking man's cruise. And this is really, really important
if you're thinking about what do you like to get when you're onboard a ship,
particularly if you're going on a cruise, like the one I was on with lots of sea days. A thinking
man cruise means they have things like a Viking resident historian who will give a lot of talks
based on the region you're going around. They'll have guest speakers on. So, on my cruise,
we had a couple of guests speakers which spoke about history. They spoke about
various achievements, hiking and skiing through the North Pole, for example.
So, there's a lot of focus and a lot of lectures during the day,
which are enrichment-based. Also, which I really like as well is they have port talks for all of
the ports, no matter how well-known the ports are, and a dedicated person will deliver a very
detailed port talk. So, it's not an excuse to sell excursions. Also, during a normal cruise, they'll
also run things like TED Talks or they will have live HD concerts which were recorded live
from the Met in New York. So, pretty kind of I guess you would say highbrow. So, certainly, the
entertainment is for a thinking man, as it were. So, if you're looking for more song and dance and
kick your legs up kind of entertainment, you're less likely to find that on a Viking cruise.
They do have the usual deck games and those kinds of competitions as well, but it is much lower key.
The one area that probably was not as compelling as it could be, certainly for me,
were the shows in the theatre. They have a resident group of four singers, two male,
two female, and a small band that supports them, and they do a number of review shows.
They were clearly very accomplished singers, but for me, they were not really my bag,
to be honest. Certainly, the audience really liked them so I perhaps was in the minority,
but I found it a little bit predictable in terms of traditional cruising fare, and when so many
other things on the cruise are kind of different, I was surprised it didn't have a slightly
different take on entertainment. So, if you're looking for a more glitzy, big production show,
you will not find it here on a Viking cruise, but there again, certainly on the smaller ships,
as anyone who's been on the small ships will know, that is the kind of format of entertainment that
you're going to have. So, I probably was not that surprised on the entertainment front.
I was however surprised by probably the most memorable thing from the cruise of all. Certainly,
and everybody I spoke to, it was not something that I expected because I
don't think it's something that Viking pushes particularly hard, and that is around the area of
food. Pretty much universally everybody I spoke to raved about the food,
and what I realised certainly as I started posting pictures and discussing on social media about food
is I had a torrent of people sending me pictures of the food they'd eaten on
other Viking cruises. So, perhaps I should have known much more that food was really important.
Let me talk about your options. As I said, they're all included within the fare. So, you
have the restaurant, which is the main dining room open for all your usual meals. You have then two
specialty dining restaurants, and you can go to those pretty much as often as you like, although
normally around twice in a cruise, particularly when the cruise is full and all you have to do
is book. You don't pay for those. So, you have a Manfredi's, which is actually named after when
the original founders of Silversea, a good friend of the owner, and that's the Italian restaurant
famous for its ribeye steak. Everyone said, "You have to try it." But it's great Italian food.
The other one, which I actually preferred was called The Chef's Table and they have a series of
themed set dinners or menus there. So, when I was on they had Asian Panorama, which is an Asian
fusion. They had a British menu with things like scotch eggs and brisket and Yorkshire puddings,
and then they had a California menu as well. I really liked The Chef's Table. It was pretty,
pretty impressive. You also then of course have the World Cafe which is the buffet,
which has a much smaller range than you would perhaps expect at many of the buffets,
but really high quality and certainly a good amount of choice. Sushi every night up there,
which was for me a big plus. At the poolside, you have basically a pool
grill, which has the usual things, hamburgers and stuff, and I'm not a big hamburger fan. The
Viking burger was pretty impressive. They have a vegetarian burger. They have a seared tuna there.
One of the things that's a little bit more quirky, which is up in the Explorer Lounge
is Mamsen's. Now, this is named after the family's kind of grandmother, the matriarch,
and it uses some of her recipes. A lot of people go there for breakfast, and they
have the famous of waffles with cheese, which wasn't particularly to my liking, but the waffles
were great. There's also actually some private dining rooms as well. And then, of course, you
have in-room dining. Food was the biggest surprise I think of all. It was the thing I'd not expected.
So, that's the differences. That's the likes. What are the things that perhaps were
not as quite expected or perhaps were things that left me feeling
a little bit more on terms of questions? Without a shadow of a doubt, Viking is a relatively
premium experience cost-wise. So, as you look at the cost, it can be fairly pricey,
but again, you need to add in all those extras, but it is definitely a premium,
luxurious experience, not quite ultra-luxury in terms of pricing. Now, if you're travelling
as a solo traveller, which I was on this, it does become pretty expensive because they are not known
for doing solo fares as such, although they do have some promotions at various points in time,
but it is a pretty expensive option as a solo traveller, although on this cruise like me,
there was quite a few solo travellers who were paired to kind of soak up that cost.
And again, as I said, a lot of it, if you're a person who really likes gambling,
there's no casino, which I do like have a little bit of a flatter,
but I didn't particularly miss it on this, but that's really important if you like a casino,
a bit of a flutter. And certainly, if you like shows which are much more glitzy,
you will be disappointed on Viking. It's not the reason you'd come on a Viking cruise.
Fans had led me to believe that Viking was very different. It was very unique. It was one of the
best cruise lines that are out there. How did I feel coming away from this was certainly,
I did feel that this was a very good experience. The quality of the food,
the quality of the accommodation, just the richness of everything was pretty impressive.
One of the things that I will remember though and take away in addition to the food was service.
The crew were pretty phenomenal on here. They were able to remember people's names
and preferences, and I guess that's the advantage of being on a small ship.
Were the people who are big fans of Viking right? I think they were pretty much
right to say this is a pretty remarkable cruise line,
and I feel like I'm gushing a little bit about it, but I certainly enjoyed my experience a lot.
And I guess the proof is in what am I going to do. Is this my only Viking cruise? No,
I have booked another Viking cruise. It won't be in as glitzy a cabin as this because that
is a pretty hefty price to pay. It's going to be more in a veranda cabin for my next cruise.
Fans have said to me, "Get on Viking." I came on Viking. I've liked what I've seen.
I know what they do well. I know what they do less well. And certainly,
it's a cruise line that I'm prepared to explore with around the world much more. Now,
if you want to find out a little bit more about Viking, I suggest you watch this
little playlist I put together with a couple of things about what makes Viking different,
certainly on the rivers as well as on the ocean. So, I'll see you across there. Click now. Enjoy.