Southeast Asia 11/2024

November

Pros: Country club casual, great entertainment, variety of food, accommodating staff, helpful to travelers with limitations

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

Alaska Cruise

August

Pros: Beautiful scenery, lovely people, great staff, food and entertainment

Cons: Lack of cell phone service/internet, disappointing excursions

Recommended: Yes

Alaska Inside Passage.

July

Pros: 1. Cruise director Richard and his assistant Elle were very good. 2. The lectures were excellent. 3. Appreciated that there was a Solo Travelers gathering at the beginning of the cruise. Very nice to meet other people to get together with if we wanted to. 4. TV WI-FI has improved in many ways. Except unable to get ANY live TV coverage (even in ports).

Cons: 1. The ships guest internet coverage is horrible..2. Would be nice to have some new reservation dining rooms or different menus in the ones you have.

Recommended: Yes

Very unhappy of the way all guests were gathered together at once and herded into areas for sometime and left standing before we were moved off the ship at the end of the cruise. I have never been treated that way by other Viking ships. Please remember that some of your guest may have been better off if the dining room had been opened for them to sit down while they waited.

All Around Great Experience

August

Pros: Only 950 or so passengers on board. Top shelf food.

Cons: Wifi was sketchy if it even worked at all.

Recommended: Yes

Every member of the crew we walked past had a big smile and genuinely looked happy. They engaged us, looked us in the eye and were all so polite and eager to please. The stateroom as well as the decks and restaurants were immaculate at all times. The food was amazing. The guest speakers were excellent as well as very informative. We learned something new daily! The only thing that was disappointing was the availability of wifi. It was basically nonexistent. This being our first cruise we had nothing to compare it to. Turns out, we don’t need to try any other cruise line. Viking has made us lifelong customers. Thank you!

Viking Rocks

August

Pros: First class customer service and wonderful accommodations on the ship. Never felt crowded on the ship with 900+ passengers. Excellent fitness center. Food, and options, very good. Many other pluses.

Cons: Wi-fi connectivity was spotty, as was Live TV reception at times.

Recommended: Yes

Have been on several Viking cruises and they never disappoint. Have a variety of excursions in each of the ports, but need to decide and book early, some fill up fast. Using Viking Air makes all the transfers seamless, and you an work with them, as we did, on layover times so not to feel rushed.

Viking Alaska Cruise: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly June 2023

June

Pros: Once on board the staff and ship impressed me. The train ride and wildlife excursion were the hit on this trip.

Cons: Viking Air was a disaster from start to finish. Disembarking had issues that seemed unorganized.

Recommended: Yes

My journey began with Viking Air and how the operator charged my roommate and me for booking, no matter how many times I corrected her. My roommate had to fix it. Unless you arrived on the same day as the cruise left, you had to pay for the bus to get you to the ship. I was not allowed to pay and upgrade once I was booked, but I called United and was upgraded. I ended up paying for my one suitcase, a first. I ended up paying more for air than I would had I booked it myself. The good was the actual cruise and what they had to offer. The ugly was the number of sick people coughing and staying in their rooms. No communication from Viking. Last year I was on a Viking river cruise which was one of my best trips. But, I came home with Covid.

Wonderful

June

Pros: The common areas were a great place to listen to music and watch the scenery. Never felt over crowded.

Cons: Could have used more time in a few of the Ports to explore more.

Recommended: Yes

Had a lovely time.

An Experience

September

Pros: Highly professional service. Striving to meet your every need. Positive personalities. Great chefs. Multiple choices in dining. Spacious state rooms. Lovely amenities.

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

This cruise was a special experience in being cared for, in dining and in the destinations. The excursions were well planned and there were opportunities to be prepared for the destination. The on-board time was both relaxing and entertaining. There is time & space for “alone time” as well as for communal time. There was never a crowded feeling.

Alaska Inside Passage and Kenai Fjord Cruise

August

Pros: Excellent customer service, great food, exquisite ship appointments

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

What a luxurious way to see Alaska's inside passage. Our travel agent recommended the Kenai Fjord cruise as a "must" and it was spectacular!

Alaska cruise on the Orion

June

Pros: Excellent food

Cons: Subpar activities on the ship, not enough time in ports, too frequent use of tenders rather than docking at a pier.

Recommended: No

The overall impression if this cruise was boring and often inconvenient.The Orion often had to anchor and tender to shore. The time in port was often too short to allow a person to explore the port after an excursion. The optional excursions were pricey and the included excursions were mediocre. The daily activities were not adequate and the evening entertainment was mediocre as well. The best feature and the the only one deserving praise was the food.

Viking orion

April

Pros: Excellent service, happiest crew, efficient

Cons: Feather pillows

Recommended: Yes

Loved every minute, took people as a priority, dream trip

Great Trip to the Caribbean

March

Pros: Ship's staff really took care of us!

Cons: None, really.

Recommended: Yes

We had a great trip. We relaxed and did not participate in many activities, by choice. Thus, it was very hard to evaluate them.

Viking Orion

January

Pros: Strict Covid protocols (daily testing and health questionaire, daily temperature check, contact tracers). Comfortable staterooms, variety of dining options, included tours with a variety of optional tours.

Cons: Evening entertainment was limited to listening to a string duo, piano player or a show in the theater.

Recommended: Yes

The ship is beautiful and the staff is very attentive. The head chef is great about accommodating dietary needs. The specialty restaurants were very nice. Chef's Table rotated the menu every three days. Manifredi's restaurant had either a set menu or a variety of other menus. But it seemed to be the same foods and it got boring after a while. The buffet always had a good variety but again, the same things were frequently served. I would highly recommend this for older passengers who like a lot of sea days. Because this itinerary had so many sea days, Viking had numerous lecturers who gave a great variety of short lectures. There was also a craft specialist who gave lessons as well as a bridge card instructor. The included tours had a lot of walking on uneven surfaces which are not always easy for those walking with canes. And the optional tours were more for active passengers. Booking local tours separately would be a better option for those with limited mobility.

Orion

March

Pros: Service,Food, Organization,Friendliness of staff , size of ship

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

Cruise was great. One free tour per tour was great. Service,food, friendliness of staff , size of ship & organization was great.

Komodo& the Australian coast

December

Pros: excellent crew, food, entertainment, relaxing venues, and spotless ship

Cons: none

Recommended: Yes

Would like to we visit the area again Maybe a little more time in some of the ports, they probably don't have complete control and are govern by the ports schedules

Viking orion

March

Pros: Great food in main restaurant and 7th deck rest.

Cons: Not impressed with specialty rests.

Recommended: Yes

Cruise to New Zealand and Australia

February

Pros: The entire staff was extraordinary. The food was great. The shows were very good.

Cons: The included tours were somewhat good. Sometimes there was to much of the business and resdential areas on the tour. The opitional tours were out of our budget. We don't think linens need to be changed so often.

Recommended: Yes

Over all, the trip was a once in a lifetime for us as we are 82 and 87. We are thoroughly happy with Viking as a whole but after experiencing the ocean cruise, we prefer the river cruises. It seems the included tours included more varieties.

the land down under

January

Pros: outstanding food, beautiful cities, nice people, well organized (included) tours as well as options for additional tours

Cons: none

Recommended: Yes

We had a fabulous cruise on the Viking Orion in Australia and New Zealand. Most days we took advantage of the included tour in the morning, then went sightseeing/exploring on our own in the afternoon. Delectable food is always available on board, so we frequently returned to the ship for lunch, then started out again. Viking offers a free shuttle to town if the ship docks farther than easy walking distance, so that was a huge convenience. "Port talks" the evening before were helpful to give us an idea of what to do and see, and now, Viking provides a list of books to read prior to embarkation to make us knowledgeable about our destination, which makes the trip all the more meaningful.

Viking Mediterrean Cruise

July

Pros: Beautiful Ship; Friendly, Attentive Staff; Many Varied Activities and Excursions; Excellent Food with Multiple Dining Options

Cons: Limited Storage in State Rooms; American Beer Selection; Limited Shade in Pool Area

Recommended: Yes

What a truly wonderful vacation! The ship is well designed with many areas to enjoy. Staff was always pleasant and helpful. Highly organized staff so that boarding and leaving the ship was smooth and painless. Excursions were a pleasure despite the stifling European heat. Multiple dining options with a wide variety of well prepared food. Fabulous spa massage and a couple of visits to the spacious, immaculate gym. Overall this was such a wonderful experience I have difficulty finding anything to criticize. Anyone looking for a first class cruise experience should book a Viking cruise!

Cruise of a Lifetime!

July

Pros: Newness and size of ship. Excellent Food. Attentive Staff. Cabin Amenities. Spa Facilities. Free onboard laundry.

Cons: Weak WiFi in cabin. Not all elevators operational. Coffe Makers in cabin didn't work. Average entertainment. Excursion included were average.

Recommended: Yes

This was a wonderful cruise on a brand new ship with an attentive staff and great cabin amenities. The food was wonderful and the Spa facilities exceptional. I especially loved the free laundry facilities available on each deck. Viking communication could be improved as the itinerary change in Barcelona was made before I booked and I was not made aware of this change prior to booking. We also weren't informed of the terminal change for departure in Barcelona which lead to a long taxi ride trying to find where Viking was docked. Also we booked a Penthouse Deluxe Veranda cabin and were told the refrigerator would be stocked with alcoholic beverages and replenished every day. This was not the case in our cabin. But aside from these few details I would most definitely book with Viking again and will recommend to others

Viking spirit

June

Pros: Great staff

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

Ship docked a few minutes from Effie's tower. This was a great central location for walking around Paris .

Our First Viking River Cruise

May

Pros: Friendly, clean, great cruise director

Cons: Food was just okay, the piano player (who was very good) was the only entertainment.

Recommended: No

It may have been the itinerary along the Seine, but the cruise just didn't match other river cruises and cruise lines we have experienced. The highlight was Normandy. The food, which we expected to be outstanding, was just so-so. We ordered steak, and we were told you will get it the way it is cooked - I like it medium-rare, but it was well done. On other cruise lines, the entertainment is great considering the small ship size; this ship only had a single piano player. We loved the cruise director; she was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. The entire staff was friendly and very helpful.