We received our first Viking Ocean cruise brochure in the summer of 2015 and we were delighted to see the Grand Mediterranean itinerary that included stops in Malta, Tunisia and Algeria—all ports on our bucket list. Prices for this cruise were high compared to other major cruise lines, but the brochure assured us that among the included items were “enriching shore excursions in each port of call.” So we quickly called our travel agent and booked the cruise for February 19, 2017. Our first surprise came when we were informed we needed to pay the balance in full by December 31, 2015—almost 14 months in advance, whereas the industry standard is usually 60-90 days before sailing. And it wasn’t until the following summer we discovered those “included” shore excursions meant only one such tour per port (a short city walking tour or perhaps a panoramic bus tour) while all other ship’s tours incurred additional costs (for us over $1200). Then came the discovery of the automatic gratuities, not mentioned in the original brochure at all, of $14 per day per person, followed by the last minute notice shortly before sailing that any onboard credit we had could not be applied to these gratuities. Our travel agent had arranged a $200 credit for us that went to waste as we had had to prepay our shore tours to insure availability and we had nothing else to spend it on. With the other cruise lines I’ve sailed, we’ve always been able to use that credit for gratuities. So our already expensive cruise got far more expensive—and that did not set a positive atmosphere in which to begin our journey.

Fortunately, things improved once the cruise began. We made our own flight arrangements on British Airways using frequent flyer miles and pre and post cruise accommodation arrangements through YouStylish Apartments in Barcelona. YouStylish also took care of arranging all our car transfers as well. We had a lovely large apartment in L’Eixample neighborhood of Barcelona a few blocks from Placa Catalunya for the same price as a hotel.

I must say that the embarkation experience was the best I’ve ever had. From drop-off to being seated in the World Café for lunch took all of 20 minutes! Our timing may just have been lucky. We arrived just before 11 am and the check-in hall was virtually empty except for a few passengers. At check-in we were handed our ship’s card and nothing else, which surprised me, as we usually get a packet of info including a desk plan and daily planner at least. Viking offered a nice checked bag service as you entered the ship so no one had to keep their carry-on bags with them while they waited for the cabins to be ready. While waiting I wandered the ship a bit and eventually got a copy of the deck plan from Guest Services to sort myself out. We were told our category (Deluxe Veranda) would be ready at 2 pm, but were fortunate to be able to get access by 1 pm. Within minutes of entering our cabin, our attendant Ayu appeared to explain how everything worked. She was very thorough; although I’m afraid I probably overwhelmed her a bit when I had to ask her to remove a number of items to free up needed storage space. Read more