Some cruise traces attempt to be all issues to all individuals. Viking isn’t one in every of them.
Since its founding in 1997, the upscale cruise model has carved out a distinct segment catering to a sure kind of considerate, inquisitive, typically older traveler trying to discover the world and be taught a factor or two alongside the best way.
Most Viking prospects are approaching their retirement years — or are already there — they usually’re desperate to lastly see all of the locations they didn’t have time to go to when elevating youngsters and establishing careers of their youthful years.
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For this subset of vacationers, Viking presents a variety of each ocean and river cruise itineraries which have a heavy deal with the locations visited. These aren’t cruises the place it’s all in regards to the ship.
Viking voyages carry a variety of prolonged stays in ports the place passengers get extra time to discover historic websites and expertise the native tradition than is typical on cruises. Not like most traces, Viking presents included-in-the-fare excursions in each port, permitting each passenger on board to get a guided expertise throughout stops with out having to pay additional. (Usually, Viking voyages are extremely inclusive, in line with its “no nickel-and-diming” philosophy.)
On board, Viking’s programming revolves closely round what the road calls “cultural enrichment” — lectures by consultants on subjects associated to the locations its ships go to, in addition to cultural and culinary choices that always have an area tie-in.
What Viking ships don’t provide is a variety of onboard amusements aimed toward households and youthful vacationers. In truth, the road doesn’t even enable kids beneath the age of 18 on its ships. It’s one of many solely main cruise manufacturers on this planet with such a rule.
Viking ships additionally don’t cater to the occasion crowd. If it’s a floating celebration you’re on the lookout for in a trip, this isn’t the road for you.
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As Viking founder Torstein Hagen likes to say, a Viking cruise is the “pondering particular person’s cruise, not the consuming particular person’s cruise.”
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3 issues TPG loves about Viking
- Its focus is on locations and enrichment.
- The elegant, Scandinavian-influenced design of its ships.
- Its “no nickel-and-diming” philosophy.
What we may do with out
- The shortage of health facilities on Viking river ships.
The Viking fleet
Viking has extra ships than every other main cruise model on this planet, greater than 90 in all. It additionally has each ocean ships and river ships — one thing that’s uncommon amongst main traces. Regardless of this, it has one of many easiest-to-understand fleets.
That’s as a result of the overwhelming majority of Viking’s ocean vessels are carbon copies of one another. Should you’ve seen one, you’ve seen all of them. Ditto for the road’s river vessels.
Viking at present operates 11 ocean ships, 9 of that are almost equivalent. The exceptions are two not too long ago unveiled Viking ocean vessels particularly designed for expedition cruising — a kind of cruising that includes touring to distant, hard-to-reach locations on hardy vessels that carry their very own touchdown craft.
The 9 almost equivalent ocean ships — Viking Saturn, Viking Neptune, Viking Mars, Viking Venus, Viking Jupiter, Viking Orion, Viking Sky, Viking Sea and Viking Star — started rolling out in 2015. Every has the capability for 930 passengers. Six extra almost equivalent vessels are scheduled to debut between 2024 and 2028, and Viking has choices with a shipyard to order 4 extra of the ships for supply in 2029 and 2030.
At 47,800 tons, these ocean ships are lower than a fourth the dimensions of the large megaships being constructed by the likes of Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises, in line with Viking’s deal with intimate, upscale voyages. Huge floating resorts, they aren’t.
Notice that there’s another vessel on this similar collection, referred to as Zhao Shang Yi Dun, that has been completely transferred to a three way partnership that operates for the China market. When it debuted in 2017, it initially catered to the North American market and was referred to as Viking Solar.
Viking’s two expedition ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, are smaller than the above vessels, as is typical for expedition ships, and carry 378 passengers at most occupancy.
Then there are the river ships. Eventually depend, Viking had 80 river ships in its fleet — an astounding quantity that’s the results of blistering progress over the previous decade. (As not too long ago as 2012, the road operated simply 29 river ships.)
As famous above, nearly all of Viking’s river ships are of the identical fundamental design and are often known as the Longships — a reference to the historic vessels utilized by Vikings within the Center Ages.
Most Viking Longships are 443 toes lengthy, the right size to suit into the locks on a lot of Europe’s rivers. Viking has additionally constructed barely shorter variations of the Longships measuring 262 toes, 361 toes or 410 toes in size particularly to sail on rivers the place lock sizes or different navigational elements require a smaller vessel. The 410-foot-long variations of the vessels, as an example, have been particularly constructed to have the ability to sail into the center of Paris on the Seine River.
Whereas most Viking river ships are Longships, there are a couple of exceptions within the Viking river fleet. Viking operates a number of smaller, purpose-built vessels on the Nile River in Egypt and the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. It additionally has a number of older river vessels that predate the Longships that operated in Russia and Ukraine till not too long ago. (For now, river cruise itineraries in each international locations are on maintain because of the Ukraine battle.)
Viking additionally not too long ago started sailings on the Mississippi River with a brand new ship particularly designed for the river and its tributaries.
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Locations and itineraries
Viking has one of the vital numerous arrays of itineraries of any cruise line, principally because of the truth that it operates each ocean cruises and river cruises.
Viking has a very giant footprint with regards to European river itineraries, with a variety of sailings on almost each European river of any notice.
You’ll discover Viking river ships working on the Rhine, Essential and Danube in Central Europe; the Seine, Rhone, Dordogne, Garonne and Gironde in France; the Douro in Portugal; and the Moselle and Elbe in Germany. Till not too long ago, Viking additionally operated cruises on the Volga in Russia and the Dnieper in Ukraine. (As famous above, sailings on the latter two rivers are on maintain because of the battle in Ukraine and should not resume for a few years.)
Viking additionally operates river journeys on the Nile in Egypt and the Mekong River in Southeast Asia, and it not too long ago started journeys on the Mississippi River.
The road’s ocean ships may be present in almost each ocean and sea around the globe, from North America to Europe and Asia.
Viking’s ocean ships have a significant presence in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, which the road considers its dwelling turf. (The corporate was based by a Norwegian household.) It’s additionally a giant participant within the Mediterranean. You’ll discover Viking’s ocean ships in different key cruise locations as nicely, resembling Alaska, the Caribbean and Panama Canal, Canada and New England, South America, Asia and Australia.
As well as, in early 2022, the road started its first cruises to Antarctica with its first expedition ship, Viking Octantis. That summer season, the identical vessel launched the road’s first voyages within the Nice Lakes — a vacation spot that solely a handful of cruise operators go to.
You’ll discover all the things from eight-day cruises within the Mediterranean to 138-day around-the-world voyages among the many line’s voyages.
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Who sails Viking
Most Viking passengers are North People who’re approaching retirement age or already retired. The corporate’s core market is individuals who vary in age from 55 to 75 years, though it does draw some passengers who’re youthful or older.
Usually, it’s an informed crowd, with many passengers coming from skilled backgrounds or a lifetime of working their very own companies. They’re usually individuals who have spent years centered on work and increase financial savings for retirement, they usually’re lastly prepared to start out having fun with the fruits of their labor by spending among the financial savings on journey to locations they’ve lengthy delay visiting.
They’re additionally individuals who can afford a comparatively high-end trip expertise. Whereas Viking doesn’t market itself as a luxurious line, some would name it that. Viking vessels are filled with luxurious touches, with the pricing to match (see extra on what Viking journeys value on the backside of this story).
Usually, you’ll discover a variety of {couples} on Viking ships and a few solo vacationers. You’ll additionally discover the occasional multigenerational group — a retired couple touring with their working-age grownup kids, as an example.
Nevertheless, not like almost each different cruise model, what you received’t discover are households with younger youngsters. As famous above, Viking doesn’t enable passengers beneath the age of 18 on its ships — a key differentiator for the model as in comparison with different cruise traces.
Cabins and suites
Is a balcony one thing you’ll be able to’t reside with out when staying in a cabin on a cruise ship? Viking may very well be your line.
Viking is among the solely cruise manufacturers on this planet that gives a balcony with each cabin on each ocean ship it operates — even the least costly, smallest cabins. That’s one thing that even probably the most upscale of Viking’s ocean cruise rivals together with Oceania Cruises, Azamara, Seabourn, Silversea Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises can’t say.
Viking’s ocean ships additionally provide numerous suites, a lot of that are fairly spacious. Even the smallest cabins on Viking’s ocean ships are giant by cruise ship requirements at 270 sq. toes, and the biggest suites measure almost 1,500 sq. toes.
Should you’re on the lookout for a giant open room on an ocean cruise (and are prepared to pay for it), Viking presents you loads of choices.
Associated: The final word information to Viking cabins and suites
Viking additionally presents a lot of balcony cabins and suites on its river ships, one thing that isn’t at all times the case within the river cruise enterprise, the place house on vessels is at a premium. Not like its ocean ships, Viking’s river ships aren’t all-balcony-cabin vessels.
Designwise, Viking cabins and suites throughout all classes are fashionable and stylish in an understated type of approach, with Scandinavian-influenced furnishings and decor that tie to the Norwegian heritage of the corporate’s founder.
You’ll discover beds topped with crisp, white duvets and Scandinavian throws, snug modern sofas and chairs in impartial tones, and light-wood desks and aspect tables that mix to supply a residential really feel in bed room areas. Soothing, minimalist colours — suppose lotions, grays and lighter blues — are the order of the day.
Loos in Viking cabins are serene, modernist escapes with luxurious travertine-lined partitions, Scandinavian-influenced wood-veneered vanities, shiny white sinks and chrome fixtures.
Consistent with the high-end nature of the model, Viking cabins and suites have a variety of upscale touches, from luxurious bedding that envelops you to heated flooring in loos. The rooms aren’t overly flashy, although.
What they’re is eminently purposeful, with storage in all the proper locations, a lot of shops for charging your units and lighting proper the place you want it. We love the studying lights constructed into the material headboards, that are along with the lamps on bedside tables. You received’t have bother seeing the pages of the Viking Every day exercise e-newsletter whereas mendacity in a Viking cabin mattress.
Different little touches in Viking cabins that present a line excited about performance as a lot as decor embrace the big and clear lettering on the Freyja toiletries that you just’ll discover in each Viking cabin toilet. The toiletries have been particularly designed with larger and clearer lettering than is frequent for toiletries on cruise ships and at accommodations in order that the road’s older prospects would haven’t any bother differentiating the physique wash from the physique lotion and shampoo.
Eating places and eating
The variety of eating places and different eating choices that you just’ll discover on Viking ships will range enormously relying on whether or not you might be crusing on an ocean or a river ship.
All of Viking’s oceangoing ships, that are a lot larger than its river ships, have no less than 4 and often extra shops serving meals of some type.
Each one of many line’s 930-passenger ocean ships has a principal restaurant (referred to as, merely, The Restaurant) with rotating menus that embrace dishes that tie to the vacation spot the place the vessel is crusing. There are also informal buffet eateries referred to as World Cafe on each vessel. You’ll in all probability eat most of your meals in one in every of these eateries.
The primary eating places on these ships are notable for his or her partitions of glass that may slide open to create al fresco eating, one thing that’s uncommon within the cruise world.
Every of the 930-passenger ocean ships additionally has two smaller eating places with specialised delicacies: Manfredi’s, a high-end Italian eatery, and The Chef’s Desk, which presents a five-course tasting menu themed round a selected delicacies that adjustments each few days.
There’s no additional cost for eating within the smaller eating places, however reservations are required. Every passenger is simply allowed to make one to 3 reservations per cruise on the eateries, relying on which class of cabin they’ve booked.
Viking’s larger ocean ships even have poolside grills that serve made-to-order gourmand hamburgers and different grill objects. Passengers can seize a snack — with a Norwegian twist — on the forward-facing lounges atop the ships, that are dwelling to a small meals counter referred to as Mamsen’s. Named after Viking founder Torstein Hagen’s mom (Ragnhild “Mamsen” Hagen), it presents genuine tastes of Norway resembling conventional heart-shaped waffles, specialty truffles and the brown goat cheese that’s discovered across the nation.
Passengers may also discover finger sandwiches, scones and teas within the afternoon on the glass-topped Wintergarden lounge on the high of each vessel.
The road’s smaller expedition ocean ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, provide 4 of the above venues: The Restaurant, World Cafe, Manfredi’s and Mamsen’s.
Viking’s river ships, in contrast, sometimes provide simply two eateries: a principal restaurant the place passengers eat most of their meals and a smaller, informal buffet with indoor and out of doors seating.
Enjoyable truth: The Manfredi’s eating places on Viking ocean ships are named after former Silversea Cruises proprietor Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, a pal of Viking founder Torstein Hagen. Some Silversea ships, in flip, have lounge areas named after Hagen.
Leisure and actions
Lots of the actions on board Viking’s ocean ships revolve round “cultural enrichment,” to make use of a phrase usually utilized by Viking executives. On any given day, you may discover an professional on one of many locations you’re visiting lecturing within the theater, or a classical musician performing within the central atrium, often known as The Residing Room. The ships additionally provide some conventional leisure, together with manufacturing exhibits with singers and dancers.
On the road’s river ships, you’ll additionally discover onboard lectures, often associated to the locations the ships are visiting, in addition to destination-related demonstrations and tastings. (On a Seine River voyage, you might need a tasting of native French cheeses or French wines, as an example).
You’ll additionally discover reside piano music within the evenings in river ship lounges.
Theaters, lounges and exhibits
Every of the road’s ocean ships has a theater at its entrance that’s dwelling to manufacturing exhibits, film showings (with recent popcorn out there) and enrichment lecturers.
Consistent with Viking’s deal with cultural immersion, lecturers usually have experience associated to the locations you’ll be visiting in your crusing. The road additionally attracts a variety of fascinating and achieved individuals from all walks of life to function visitor lecturers, together with well-known lecturers, diplomats and even astronauts.
Along with the theater, a secondary lounge house on the ships referred to as Torshavn is dwelling to musical leisure at night time. It’s additionally recognized for an intensive assortment of Armagnacs, with one from nearly yearly of the previous eight many years. (A enjoyable recreation is to attempt the Armagnac out of your delivery yr. Simply watch out — some years are far dearer than others.)
You’ll additionally discover musicians together with pianists and guitar gamers acting at instances within the Viking Residing Room — a three-deck-high, atrium-like house on the heart of the ship. Crammed with snug seating areas and residential to a bar, the Viking Residing Room serves as a central assembly level for passengers all through the day and night time. It’s additionally dwelling to the ship’s Explorers’ Desk — the equal of a visitor relations space on different ships.
There’s additionally reside music at night time within the Explorers’ Lounge, a two-deck-high statement lounge and bar space on the very high of the ship. The Explorers’ Lounge is also dwelling to Mamsen’s, the meals counter serving tastes of Norway talked about above.
The pool deck and different venues
The centerpiece of the highest deck of every of Viking’s ocean ships is the principle pool space, which is dwelling to a pool, scorching tub and rows of lounge chairs, in addition to snug seating areas.
The complete principal pool space is roofed with a glass magrodome that may be opened on brief discover on heat and sunny days — or closed if the ship encounters inclement climate.
Simply behind the principle pool space on every of the ocean ships is a beautiful, glass-topped lounge with snug seating referred to as the Wintergarden that’s dwelling to afternoon tea. A den of serenity, it’s one in every of our favourite locations on these vessels.
A secondary pool space with an infinity pool is behind every of the ships.
Different inside areas which can be a part of the ocean ships embrace a classy spa with a thermal suite space that’s open to all passengers at no additional cost (one thing that’s not frequent on cruise vessels) and a health heart.
Notice that Viking river ships should not have health facilities, which is comparatively uncommon for river ships. Viking has lengthy argued that few of its prospects use health facilities and the house that will be devoted to at least one is best used for different issues. Nevertheless, in case you’re fitness-obsessed, Viking river ships will not be the only option on your river journey.
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Kids’s program
Viking doesn’t enable kids beneath the age of 18 on its vessels and thus has no kids’s applications on any of its vessels.
What to know earlier than you go
Required paperwork
Viking operates worldwide itineraries the place a passport is required. Passports should be legitimate for no less than six months. Notice that it will be significant that the identify in your reservation be precisely as it’s said in your passport or different official proof of nationality.
Gratuities
Viking provides an computerized service gratuity (which it calls a “lodge and eating cost”) of $17 per particular person per day to last payments, relying in your cabin class. If you’re sad with the service you obtain, you’ll be able to modify this quantity earlier than disembarking on the Explorers’ Desk. (You may as well improve the tip quantity in that case desired.) Additionally, a 15% gratuity is added to payments at bars and for drinks at eating places.
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Wi-Fi
As a part of Viking’s “no nickel-and-diming” philosophy, the road presents free Wi-Fi service to passengers on all its ships all through sailings. Notice that web service may be sluggish at instances of heavy use, as is typical on cruise vessels. As well as, as a way to guarantee honest utilization for all, the road limits some heavy-bandwidth functions, downloads and software program upgrades.
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Carry-on drinks coverage
Not like many traces, Viking lets you carry your personal wine, Champagne, beer and liquor onto ships at embarkation with no limits. The road additionally doesn’t cost a corkage price.
Smoking coverage
On all ships, smoking (together with digital cigarettes) is simply allowed in designated out of doors areas. It’s forbidden in cabins and on cabin balconies.
Laundry
Some Viking ships, together with the entire line’s ocean vessels (together with its one expedition vessel), have self-serve launderettes on cabin decks with washing machines, dryers, irons and ironing boards. The launderettes are stocked with detergent for the washing machines that, not like on many cruise ships with launderettes, don’t include an additional value.
As well as, most Viking vessels provide laundry and urgent companies. Such companies are complimentary for passengers staying in sure classes of cabins. In any other case, charges are akin to what you’ll pay cleaners at dwelling. Dry cleansing is on the market on the road’s ocean ships however not on Viking river ships.
Viking’s not too long ago unveiled Mississippi River ship presents self-service launderettes however no send-out laundry and urgent service.
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Electrical shops
The entire line’s vessels have customary North American-style, 110-volt shops in rooms in addition to European-style, 220-volt shops and USB ports in cabins.
Foreign money
The forex used on Viking ships is U.S. {dollars}.
Consuming age
You should be 21 to devour alcohol on Viking ships.
Gown code
Through the day, there isn’t any particular costume code, and folks costume casually. If it’s a sea day in a warm-weather vacation spot, and also you’re certain for the highest deck, a short-sleeve shirt and shorts are simply high-quality.
Evenings have an official costume code, however it’s not too formal. The road asks passengers to maintain issues “elegant informal” when heading to any of the ship’s eating venues, performances or particular occasions. To Viking, meaning a costume, skirt or slacks with a sweater or shirt for girls, and trousers and a collared shirt for males. A tie and jacket for males are elective. Denims are usually not permitted.
This night costume code is just not enforced on the informal World Cafe eateries on Viking ocean ships, the place passengers can go much more informal within the evenings.
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Viking cruise loyalty program
Viking doesn’t have a loyalty program within the conventional sense — one the place passengers earn factors each time they journey with the model and progress by means of a number of tiers that carry an ever-expanding array of perks. Nevertheless, it does provide a couple of fundamental perks for previous visitors.
When you journey with the model for the primary time, you’ll routinely be enrolled within the Viking Explorer Society. As a part of this society, you’ll obtain:
- A credit score of $200 per passenger anytime you e-book a Viking voyage inside one yr of your final Viking voyage. Should you reserve inside two years, you obtain a $100 credit score.
- An invite to a members-only Viking Explorer Society cocktail occasion when crusing on Viking ships.
- Early phrase by e mail or common mail on new Viking Cruises itineraries and new ships, in addition to particular limited-time presents.
Notice that the credit talked about above can not at all times be mixed with promotions the road presents.
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How a lot does a Viking cruise value?
Viking sailings aren’t cheap. Ten-night “Greek Odyssey” voyages to the Greek Islands begin at $3,999 per particular person. That works out to roughly $800 per day for a pair sharing a room. A number of the line’s extra unique sailings, resembling its expedition journeys to Antarctica, value much more. Fourteen-night Antarctica journeys begin at $13,995 per particular person — about $2,000 per day for a pair.
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Nonetheless, as is typical for cruise traces on the excessive finish, Viking features a lot in its base worth. Along with a room on board and all meals, the fares embrace beer, wine and gentle drinks with lunch and dinner; specialty coffees, teas and bottled water across the clock; shipboard Wi-Fi; and (maybe most notably) a shore tour in each port. The latter is one thing comparatively few traces roll into their base fares, and shore excursions may be costly.
Viking additionally consists of entry to the thermal areas of its spa in its base fares. Such entry nearly at all times comes with an additional cost on cruise vessels.
Viking fares do embrace port taxes and costs, which may add as much as a whole bunch of {dollars} per crusing. Most different traces don’t embrace port taxes and costs of their base fares and add them later within the reserving course of.
Notice that Viking does cost additional for 2 key issues that many luxurious traces resembling Silversea, Seabourn and Regent don’t: alcoholic drinks at bars and gratuities. That is one purpose some cruisers don’t think about Viking at fairly the identical degree as these different manufacturers.
Learn how to e-book
Should you’re certain you recognize what kind of cabin you need, on which ship, on which itinerary — and a few dozen different issues — you’ll be able to head over to Viking.com and e-book immediately.
That mentioned, given the complexity of reserving a cruise — there are a variety of selections to make through the reserving course of, belief us — we at all times suggest that you just use a seasoned journey agent who focuses on cruises.
A superb journey agent will quiz you about your specific pursuits, journey model and preferences, and steer you to the right cruise line, ship, itinerary and cabin for you. An agent can even aid you if one thing goes mistaken earlier than, throughout or after your voyage.
Should you’re certain that Viking is your line, search for a journey agent who focuses on journeys with the model. You need somebody who is aware of the entire line’s many itineraries intimately and, ideally, has sailed on or no less than inspected among the line’s vessels, too, to know the assorted cabin sorts and onboard facilities.
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Whether or not you employ a journey agent or not, ensure that to maximise your bank card spending when paying for the cruise by utilizing a bank card that gives additional factors for journey purchases. This may very well be the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which presents 3 Final Rewards factors per greenback on journey and eating (excluding the annual $300 journey credit score). There’s additionally the Chase Sapphire Most popular Card, which presents 2 Final Rewards factors per greenback on journey (and three Final Rewards factors per greenback on eating).
Backside line
Viking may be outlined as a lot by what it isn’t as what it’s. It’s not a line for households with younger kids. It’s not a line that gives megaships topped with each type of amusement recognized to people. And it’s not a line for the occasion crowd.
What it is is a line that has centered very particularly on “pondering particular person’s cruises” that supply a deeper dive into the locations that its ships go to than is typical at many traces. It’s all about exploring the world and doing so in consolation.
Planning a cruise? Begin with these tales:
