We had been on a Viking River Cruise and wanted to try Viking Ocean. We wanted to see if the additional inclusions of a Viking Ocean Cruise merited the greater cost. And it was interesting. I anticipated the much promoted "included shore excursions" and "included wine & beer" would be where I felt the greatest upgrade from other Ocean cruises we have taken. But I have to say, the excursions were only OK and the included wine (didn't try the beer) was pretty mediocre.

EXCURSIONS: The booking of included excursions was odd. Unlike Viking River, you had to pre-book these and they were offered at different times. There were limited spaces available during the morning excursions, which went to the premium cabin guests, of which we were not. So most of our included excursions departed between 11am and 1pm. This made having lunch difficult as few dining options were open for lunch, especially before noon, and dining in the restaurant was not quick enough to get you to a 1:00 shore excursion. Oddly, no lunch stops were planned during those afternoon excursions. The excursions really varied in quality, with too much time on buses. The guides were much more difficult to understand then those we had on Viking River and some infantilized the group, which was annoying. Embarkation for the shore excursions was amazing. So well done and I love the apples and water they provide for the road!

DINING: There was a buffet, which had excellent food - including a fabulous Sushi bar - but they could use to extend their hours. It would be awesome if a buffet option was open continuously. I really missed being able to get a late breakfast with protein options for those mornings we stayed on the ship waiting for our later, included shore excursions. I think they could easily keep a buffet option open continuously by using the two sides of the buffet (port & starboard) more creatively. This would give great dining options for late breakfast, early lunch and early dinners. Read more