Viking Star Review
Rating by category
Additional details
My wife and I have taken four Viking River Cruises in Europe, all of which we enjoyed. We wanted to visit Scandinavia, and Viking Ocean cruise seemed to be the perfect option. With only 900+ passengers, embarkation was a breeze, and the Star was able to traverse fjords in Norway, which larger cruise ships cannot.
We are not interested in casinos and nightly shows. We are much more interested in visiting new places/cities and understanding the people and culture. Viking Ocean fit our desires to a "T." No children, no casinos and no Broadway. Yes, there was some entertainment and lectures on the ports and regions, but that was sufficient for us.
My wife and I like to work out every day, and on the Viking River Cruises, there was no gym or opportunity to exercise. Fortunately, the Viking Star has a nice gym with machines and free weights. The only downside is that they have only one weight bench for the entire ship, in spite of lots of free weights.
Cabin Review
Every room has a balcony. The cabin was larger than we are accustomed to on Viking River Cruises. The cleaning staff was very thorough and made the room look like new every day. Depending upon the room level, they even provide clothes pressing and shoe shine. They replenish the mini-fridge every day, but given the beer and wine available with meals, we never used it. They also provide a small pair of binoculars, which is too small and a joke. The king size bed was comfortable and spacious.
Port Reviews
Helsinki
Bus tour of the city and Sebelius monument. Nothing special.
Stavanger
Nice boat tour of the fjord, but the weather was bad (rain, fog) and we saw nothing of the Pulpit Rock.
Eidfjord
Beautiful fjord town. There was a German cruise ship in the same harbor and most of the Germans used the opportunity to walk hiking trails and climb the surrounding mountains. Viking did not even suggest that. After a visit to a nature center, we were left to our own devices with no suggestions on options in the area.
Bergen
Beautiful old Norwegian city. Spent a lot of time on foot exploring the town in the afternoon after getting the lay of the land from the morning bus tour.