Viking Ocean Cruises – Would you?

Viking have really hit the Cruising Scene hard, they are immensely popular on the Rivers of the World with countless ships cruising the Waterways of Europe, Asia, Russia and the Far East. River Cruising is a very boutique and luxury experience with small ships and an all included feel.

 Viking in 2015 decided that they would next conquer the Oceans of the World and like Viking on the Rivers, they haven’t messed around with 6 ships due to be in the fleet by 2020 and with the Viking Star and the Viking Sea although sailing the 7 seas they have made a real impact on the interpretations that people may have about cruising, they see it as a way that they can move people from cruising the rivers to cruising the Ocean and not a huge amount of difference, you still get you drinks with meals and tours included, they operate some of the smallest ships so that you are not surrounded by thousand of people, at 47,800 gross tons its not to much off a culture shock, moving from the river vessels to the ocean ships.

 Each ship carries just 930 guests with 465 crew, so that 1 crew member per couple.

 2017 is also another very exciting year for Viking with not one but two new ships, Viking Sky and Viking Sun, then 2018 will see the Viking Spirit and Viking are not stopping at that – 2020 will see the sixth sister, un-named at the moment join the Viking Fleet.

 The ships are built by Fincantieri Shipyard in Ancona in Italy. They like the name are heavy influenced by Scandinavia and it really does show.

The rooms are some of the biggest in the industry and looking at many of the new ships that are coming out at the moment this is one of my biggest problems, they are trying to squeeze as many people on, henceforth we are seeing much smaller accommodation, however not with Viking. They each have 435 rooms with an average square footage of 270 square feet which is bigger than most ships today – The mini-suites on the Royal Class of ships which is the Majestic, Regal and Royal and not to mention the Britannia which is a sister class are this size and this is your standard accommodation with Viking. The largest suite on-board if you are swayed in to spending the asking price is the Owners Suite which is a mammoth 1,500 square feet.

Once on board you will find an array of lounges to sit back and take in the views, multiple restaurant’s to try all the different cultural foods, Viking are all about the destinations so you will find quite a bit of culture in the food that you are being served and the entertainment you have. They also feature a beautiful three story atrium, a library and theatre that all feature endless floor to celling glass to fill the ship with light. On the open decks you find a vast array to sit and take in the air with 2 swimming pools, a Nordic-inspired gym and if you find yourself with the urge to spend – on board boutiques. Leaving the best to last – One of the signature features found on this class of ship is the breath taking infinity pool which is location right on the back giving stunning views – sit back with a cocktail and enjoy the views, that’s what I would do!

Have you cruised with Viking – be it on the Rivers or Ocean’s – would you do it again?