The last word information to Viking cruise ships and itineraries

Some cruise strains attempt to be all issues to all folks. Viking is not 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 seeking to discover the world and study a factor or two alongside the best way.

Most Viking prospects are of their retirement years — or shortly approaching retirement — and so they’re desperate to lastly see all of the locations they did not have time to go to whereas elevating children and establishing careers of their youthful years.

For this subset of vacationers, Viking provides a variety of each ocean and river cruise itineraries which have a heavy concentrate on the locations visited. These aren’t cruises the place it is all concerning the ship.

Viking voyages deliver lots 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. In contrast to most strains, Viking additionally provides 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. (Basically, Viking voyages are extremely inclusive, consistent with its “no nickel-and-diming” philosophy.)

On board, Viking’s programming revolves round what the road calls “cultural enrichment” — lectures by specialists on subjects associated to the locations its ships go to, in addition to cultural and culinary choices that always have a neighborhood tie-in.

The onboard expertise additionally is understood for sophisticated leisure.

What Viking ships do not provide is lots of onboard amusements geared toward households and youthful vacationers. In actual fact, the road does not even permit youngsters underneath the age of 18 on its ships. It is one of many solely main cruise manufacturers on the earth with such a rule.

Viking ships additionally do not cater to the get together crowd. If it is a floating celebration you are searching for in a trip, this is not the road for you.

As Viking founder Torstein Hagen likes to say, a Viking cruise is the “pondering individual’s cruise, not the ingesting individual’s cruise.”

Associated: A newcomers information to selecting a cruise line

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 dearth of health facilities on Viking river ships

The Viking fleet

Viking has extra ships than another main cruise model on the earth, greater than 90 in all. It additionally has each ocean ships and river ships — one thing that’s uncommon amongst main strains. Regardless of this, it has one of many easiest-to-understand fleets.

That is as a result of most of Viking’s ocean vessels are constructed to the identical fundamental design. For those who’ve seen one, you have seen all of them. Ditto for almost all of the road’s river vessels.

Viking presently operates 14 ocean ships — 12 of that are basically the identical. The exceptions are two 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 12 ocean ships which can be basically the identical — Viking Vesta, Viking Vela, Viking Saturn, Viking Neptune, Viking Mars, Viking Venus, Viking Jupiter, Viking Orion, Viking Sky, Zhao Shang Yi Dun, Viking Sea and Viking Star — started rolling out in 2015. Aside from Viking Vesta and Viking Vela, every has the capability for 930 passengers. Viking Vesta and Viking Vela (the most recent ocean ships within the line’s fleet) are barely larger, with a capability for 998 passengers. However they’ve the identical fundamental design.

Ten extra ocean ships of the larger dimension are scheduled to debut between 2026 and 2031, and Viking has choices with a shipyard to order 4 extra of the ships for supply in 2032 and 2033.

At 47,800 to 54,300 tons, these ocean ships are lower than a fourth the dimensions of the enormous megaships being constructed by the likes of Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises, consistent with Viking’s concentrate on intimate, upscale voyages. Large floating resorts, they are not.

Word that one of many 12 ocean ships on this sequence, Zhao Shang Yi Dun, has been completely transferred to a three way partnership with a Chinese language firm that principally provides cruises for the China market. When it debuted in 2017, it initially catered to the North American market and was known as Viking Solar.

Viking’s two expedition ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, are considerably smaller than the above vessels, as is typical for expedition ships, and carry 378 passengers at most occupancy.

Then there are the river ships. By the tip of this yr, Viking could have 91 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 well as, six extra Viking river ships are scheduled to debut in 2026, with one other eight on order for 2027 and 4 extra on the best way for 2028. The corporate additionally has choices with shipbuilders so as to add 4 extra river ships in 2029 and one other 4 in 2030.

As famous above, nearly all of Viking’s river ships are of the identical fundamental design and are generally known as the Longships — a reference to the historic vessels utilized by Vikings within the Center Ages.

Most Viking Longships are 443 ft lengthy, the proper 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 ft, 361 ft or 410 ft in size particularly to sail on rivers the place lock sizes or different navigational components require a smaller vessel. The 410-foot-long variations of the vessels, as an illustration, have been particularly constructed to have the ability to sail into the guts 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, which till not too long ago operated in Russia and Ukraine. (For now, river cruise itineraries in each nations are on maintain because of the Ukraine conflict.)

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.

Associated: The three forms of Viking ships, defined

Locations and itineraries

Viking has probably the most numerous arrays of itineraries of any cruise line, principally as a result of the truth that it operates each ocean cruises and river cruises.

Viking has a very massive footprint in terms of European river itineraries, with a variety of sailings on practically each European river of any notice.

You will discover Viking river ships working on the Rhine, Fundamental 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 2022, 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 conflict in Ukraine and will 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 might be present in practically each ocean and sea all over the world, from North America to Europe and Asia.

Viking’s ocean ships have a serious presence in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, which the road considers its dwelling turf. (The corporate was based by a Norwegian household.) It is also an enormous participant within the Mediterranean. You will discover Viking’s ocean ships in different key cruise locations as properly, reminiscent of Alaska, the Caribbean and Panama Canal, Canada and New England, South America, Asia, and Australia.

As well as, since 2022, the road has operated seasonally in Antarctica and within the Arctic in addition to the Nice Lakes — a vacation spot that solely a handful of cruise operators go to — with voyages on its two comparatively new expedition ships.

You will discover every part from eight-day cruises within the Mediterranean to 138-day around-the-world journeys among the many line’s voyages.

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Who sails Viking

Most Viking passengers are North People who’re both retired or approaching retirement. 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.

Basically, it is an informed crowd, with many passengers coming from skilled backgrounds or a lifetime of working their very own companies. They’re typically individuals who have spent years centered on work and increase financial savings for retirement, and so they’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 does not 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).

Basically, you may discover lots of {couples} on Viking ships and a few solo vacationers. You will additionally discover the occasional multigenerational group — a retired couple touring with their working-age grownup youngsters, as an illustration.

Nonetheless, what you will not discover are households with younger children. As famous above, Viking does not permit passengers underneath the age of 18 on its ships — a key differentiator for the model as in comparison with different cruise strains.

Cabins and suites

Is a balcony one thing you possibly can’t stay with out when staying in a cabin on a cruise ship? Viking may very well be your line.

Viking is without doubt one of the solely cruise manufacturers on the earth that provides a balcony with each cabin on each ocean ship it operates — even the least costly, smallest cabins. That is 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 — cannot say.

Viking’s ocean ships additionally provide a lot of suites, a lot of that are fairly spacious. Even the smallest cabins on Viking’s ocean ships are massive by cruise ship requirements at 270 sq. ft, and the biggest suites measure practically 1,500 sq. ft.

For those who’re searching for an enormous, open room on an ocean cruise (and are prepared to pay for it), Viking provides you loads of choices.

Associated: The last word information to Viking cabins and suites

Viking additionally provides a number of balcony cabins and suites on its river ships, one thing that is not all the time the case within the river cruise enterprise, the place house on vessels is at a premium. However 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 chic in an understated type of means, with Scandinavian-influenced furnishings and decor that tie to the Norwegian heritage of the corporate’s founder.

You will discover beds topped with crisp, white duvets and Scandinavian throws, comfy up to date sofas and chairs in impartial tones, and light-wood desks and facet tables that mix to supply a residential really feel in bed room areas. Soothing, minimalist colours — assume 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 lots of upscale touches, from luxurious bedding that envelops you to heated flooring in loos. However the rooms aren’t overly flashy.

What they’re is eminently practical, with storage in all the appropriate locations, a number of retailers for charging your gadgets 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 will not have hassle seeing the pages of the Viking Every day exercise publication whereas mendacity in a Viking cabin mattress.

Different little touches in Viking cabins that present a line fascinated about performance as a lot as decor embrace the massive and clear lettering on the Freyja toiletries that you’re going to discover in each Viking cabin lavatory. The toiletries have been particularly designed with larger and clearer lettering than is widespread for toiletries on cruise ships and at lodges in order that the road’s older prospects would don’t have any hassle 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’re going to discover on Viking ships will fluctuate tremendously relying on whether or not you’re crusing on an ocean or a river ship.

All of Viking’s oceangoing ships, that are a lot larger than its river ships, have a minimum of 4 and normally extra retailers serving meals of some kind.

Each one of many line’s 930-passenger and 998-passenger ocean ships has a predominant restaurant (known as, merely, The Restaurant) with rotating menus that embrace dishes that tie to the vacation spot the place the vessel is crusing. There is also an informal buffet known as World Cafe on each vessel. You will most likely 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 alfresco eating, one thing that’s uncommon within the cruise world.

Every of the 930-passenger and 998-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 provides a five-course tasting menu themed round a selected delicacies that modifications each few days.

There is not any additional cost for eating within the smaller eating places, however reservations are required. Every passenger is just allowed to make one to a few 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 connoisseur hamburgers and different grill gadgets. 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 known as Mamsen’s. Named after Viking founder Torstein Hagen’s mom (Ragnhild “Mamsen” Hagen), it provides genuine tastes of Norway reminiscent of conventional heart-shaped waffles, specialty muffins and the brown goat cheese that’s discovered across the nation.

Passengers can even 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, against this, sometimes provide simply two eateries: a predominant restaurant the place passengers eat most of their meals and a smaller, informal buffet with indoor and outside seating.

Enjoyable reality: The Manfredi’s eating places on Viking ocean ships are named after former Silversea Cruises proprietor Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, a good friend of Viking founder Torstein Hagen. Some Silversea ships, in flip, have lounge areas named after Hagen. Lefebvre now owns luxurious line Crystal after shopping for the model out of chapter.

Leisure and actions

Most of the actions on board Viking’s ocean ships revolve round “cultural enrichment,” to make use of a phrase typically utilized by Viking executives. On any given day, you may discover an knowledgeable on one of many locations you are visiting lecturing within the theater, or a classical musician performing within the central atrium, generally known as The Residing Room. The ships additionally provide some conventional leisure, together with manufacturing exhibits with singers and dancers — all with an aesthetic vibe.

On the road’s river ships, you may additionally discover onboard lectures, normally 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 illustration).

You will additionally discover stay 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 obtainable) and lectures.

Consistent with Viking’s concentrate on cultural immersion, lecturers typically have experience associated to the locations you may be visiting in your crusing. The road additionally attracts a variety of attention-grabbing and achieved folks from all walks of life to function visitor lecturers, together with well-known teachers, diplomats and even astronauts.

Along with the theater, a secondary lounge house on the ships known as Torshavn is dwelling to nightly musical leisure (one evening it is perhaps a small band taking part in slow-dance music; the following evening a guitarist). It is also identified for an intensive assortment of Armagnacs, with one from nearly yearly of the previous eight many years. (A enjoyable sport is to attempt the Armagnac out of your delivery yr. Simply watch out — some years are far costlier than others.)

You will additionally discover musicians, together with pianists and guitar gamers, acting at occasions within the Viking Residing Room — a three-deck-high, atriumlike house on the heart of the ship. Stuffed with comfy seating areas and residential to a bar, the Viking Residing Room serves as a central assembly level for passengers all through the day and evening. It is also dwelling to the ship’s Explorers’ Desk — the equal of a visitor relations space on different ships.

There’s additionally stay music at evening 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 primary pool space, which is dwelling to a pool, scorching tub and rows of lounge chairs, in addition to comfy seating areas.

All the predominant pool space is roofed with a glass magrodome that may be opened on quick discover on heat and sunny days — or closed if the ship encounters inclement climate.

Simply behind the primary pool space on every of the ocean ships is a stunning, glass-topped lounge with comfy seating known as the Wintergarden that’s dwelling to afternoon tea. A den of serenity, it is one in every of our favourite locations on these vessels.

A secondary pool space with an infinity pool is in the back of every of the ships.

Different inside areas which can be a part of the ocean ships embrace a trendy spa with a thermal suite space that’s open to all passengers at no additional cost (one thing that isn’t widespread on cruise vessels) and a health heart.

Word that Viking river ships shouldn’t 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 may be devoted to at least one is healthier used for different issues. Nonetheless, in the event you’re fitness-obsessed, a Viking river ship will not be your best option in your river journey.

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Kids’s program

Viking doesn’t permit youngsters underneath the age of 18 on its vessels and thus has no youngsters’s packages 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 have to be legitimate for a minimum of six months. Word that it’s important 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 automated service gratuity (which it calls a “lodge and eating cost”) of $17 per individual, per day to remaining payments. In case you are sad with the service you obtain, you possibly can alter this quantity earlier than disembarking on the Explorers’ Desk. (You may also improve the tip quantity if that’s the 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 provides free Wi-Fi service to passengers on all its ships all through sailings. Word that web service might be gradual at occasions of heavy use, as is typical on cruise vessels. As well as, to be able to guarantee truthful utilization for all, the road limits some heavy-bandwidth purposes reminiscent of film streaming, downloads and software program upgrades. For example, you will not have the ability to stream Netflix exhibits whereas utilizing the free Wi-Fi.

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Carry-on drinks coverage

In contrast to many strains, Viking permits you to deliver your individual wine, Champagne, beer and liquor onto ships at embarkation with no limits. The road additionally does not cost a corkage payment.

Smoking coverage

On all ships, smoking (together with digital cigarettes) is just allowed in designated outside areas. It is forbidden in cabins and on cabin balconies.

Laundry

Some Viking ships, together with all the line’s ocean vessels (together with its two expedition vessels), 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 may pay cleaners at dwelling. Dry cleansing is obtainable on the road’s ocean ships however not on Viking river ships.

Viking’s Mississippi River ship provides self-service launderettes however no send-out laundry and urgent service.

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Electrical retailers

The entire line’s vessels have normal North American-style, 110-volt retailers in rooms in addition to European-style, 220-volt retailers and USB ports in cabins.

Foreign money

The forex used on Viking ships is U.S. {dollars}.

Consuming age

You have to be 21 to devour alcohol on Viking ships.

Costume code

In the course of the day, there isn’t any particular costume code, and other people costume casually. If it is 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 advantageous.

Evenings have an official costume code, nevertheless 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, which means 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 usually are not permitted.

This night costume code shouldn’t be 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 does not have a loyalty program within the conventional sense — one the place passengers earn factors each time they journey with the model and progress by a number of tiers that deliver an ever-expanding array of perks. Nonetheless, it does provide a couple of fundamental perks for previous friends.

When you journey with the model for the primary time, you’ll routinely be eligible for:

• A credit score of $200 per passenger anytime you e-book a Viking voyage inside one yr of your final Viking voyage. For those who reserve inside two years, you obtain a $100 credit score.
• An invite to a past-passengers cocktail get together when crusing on Viking ships.
• Early phrase by electronic mail or common mail on new Viking Cruises itineraries and new ships, in addition to particular limited-time provides.

Word that the credit talked about above can not all the time be mixed with promotions the road provides.

Associated: The last word information to Viking’s cruise loyalty program

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 individual. That works out to roughly $800 per day for a pair sharing a room. A few of the line’s extra unique sailings, reminiscent of its expedition journeys to Antarctica, value much more. Fourteen-night Antarctica journeys begin at $13,995 per individual — about $2,000 per day for a pair.

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Nonetheless, as is typical for cruise strains 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 comfortable 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 strains roll into their base fares, and is a big worth. Shore excursions within the cruise world might be costly.

Viking additionally consists of entry to the thermal areas of its spa in its base fares. Such entry nearly all the time comes with an additional cost on cruise vessels.

Word that Viking does cost additional for 2 key issues that many luxurious strains reminiscent of Silversea, Seabourn and Regent don’t: alcoholic drinks at bars and gratuities. That is one cause some cruisers don’t think about Viking at fairly the identical stage as these different manufacturers.

Learn how to e-book

For those who’re positive you already know what kind of cabin you need, on which ship, on which itinerary — and a couple of dozen different issues — you possibly can head over to viking.com and e-book straight.

That mentioned, given the complexity of reserving a cruise — there are lots of selections to make throughout the reserving course of, belief us — we all the time advocate that you just use a seasoned journey agent who makes a speciality of cruises.

An excellent journey agent will quiz you about your specific pursuits, journey model and preferences, and steer you to the proper cruise line, ship, itinerary and cabin for you. An agent may show you how to if one thing goes mistaken earlier than, throughout or after your voyage.

For those who’re positive that Viking is your line, search for a journey agent who makes a speciality of journeys with the model. You need somebody who is aware of all the line’s many itineraries intimately and, ideally, has sailed on or a minimum of inspected among the line’s vessels, too, to grasp the varied cabin varieties and onboard facilities.

Associated: Learn how to e-book a cruise with factors and miles

Whether or not you utilize a journey agent or not, be sure that to maximize your bank card spending when paying for the cruise by utilizing a bank card that provides additional factors for journey purchases.

Backside line

Viking might be outlined as a lot by what it is not as what it’s. It is not a line for households with younger youngsters. It is not a line that provides megaships topped with each type of amusement identified to people. And it isn’t a line for the get together crowd.

What it is is a line that has centered very particularly on “pondering individual’s cruises” that supply a deeper dive into the locations that its ships go to than is typical at many strains. It is all about exploring the world and doing so in consolation.

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