My wife & I booked this trip at the last minute and can honestly say "WOW!" Although we had to miss Cambodia due to the virus situation we were blessed to have an overnight stay in Vietnam which turned out fantastic for us as it gave us time to see Ho Chi Minh and a trip down Mekong Delta. The staff & crew were fantastic especially the waiters Damoder,David,Dede & Ernesto. The captain,Chris,was so down to earth and his announcements were enjoyable yet informative. Visiting Thailand,Malaysia,Singapore etc gave us the chance to visit some breathtaking temples,beaches etc and we spent very little due to the local street food etc being less than £5 for 2 people and it was deeeeeelicious! The cabins on board cleaned daily made it soooo refreshing to get into bed after a great day exploring although it was after a great night onboard also with entertainment for all tastes. Our housekeeping team Ramil,Liza & Manju were the most attentive and caring as my wife who is disabled was never bothered when she needed to stay in bed longer. We can only say Thankyou TUI & the Marella Discovery Cruise team for our trip of a lifetime! Read Less

I love this ship. The extension and redesign made it a different ship. This turned into a cruise to nowhere because several ports denied entry to us because of the Coronavirus scare. SilverSea handled it beautifully, keeping everyone informed and at the first sign of trouble offering 100% refunds plus free return flights home and a 25% reduction for a future cruise. When we finally were permitted to dock at Laem Chabang, Thailand (Bangkok), we had spent 10 days in service and culinary bliss, all courtesy of SilverSea. Some people don’t handle uncertainty well, so there was consternation for some passengers, but the overwhelming majority of passengers behaved well under the circumstances. That is a tribute to how well this was handled by SilverSea and the ship’s staff. I have nothing but admiration for all of them. Aside from the unique situation of this cruise, this is my third time on this ship, twice since the remodel/extension, and it is one of my favorite ships. The staff is exceptional. Read Less

For the itinerary, unfortuately there was a few technical errors so we missed 2 ports. One in particular I was really wanting to visit, Koh samui on Christmas day. But Marella gave us £100 each to spend on board, so shopping away my cares. There was a lot of moaning people on board but to me you just get on with it or spoil the rest of your holiday. I got quite annoyed and defensive saying I have been on other ships, not Marella, where they missed ports and nothing was given, so i think cheers Marella thanks for making a situation a little better. Boat is good, lots to do and places to go, even when more sea days than expected. Food was super as ever. The places we visited I would have never gone on my own. It's a way to see the world in a snapshot. Overall Super experience Read Less

We were celebrating Birthdays & Special Anniversary. The itinerary included Koi Samui and Cambodia and was the right dates. Firstly, we have been on many cruises over the years, most higher class but always enjoyed Thomson because of the wonderful service, mainly from the Phillipino and British Staffand their attention to care. However, this is our 2nd trip on Discovery mainly to give it the benefit of the doubt as we went went TUI had just acquired it and put it down to teething problems, we now know not so. The ship was badly run, food was very basic unless you paid and went into the speciality restaurants, service was either non existent or poor apart from a few stars. We found the Eastern Europeans lacking in manners, abrupt even arguing with each other in front of customers, not all but largely. No waiter service in the Theatre despite paying for Premium Drinks. Just a lot of pre poured drinks in plastic glasses,classy. Not enough sun beds on board for sea days despite having three extra of those. Lost three ports and offered £250 and £200 onboard spend which was used to go the nicer restaurants. No port showcases anymore, and although the trips we did take were good, the actual TUI staff were not very knowledgable about the destinations. We were not told when we boarded about the problems. We were not told until the following day after overhearing various passengers complaining. Despite having three extra sea days, there were no extra activities really. It is a money pot onboard with anything that is decent is chargeable. I cannot believe how what was a very good brand has turned in to a hotel at sea for drunks, We even had people fighting onboard, unbelievable. The cabins are old and tired despite being in a suite. Spacious and clean but very dated. Read Less

We took the 12 night trip from Bangkok to Bali. The disembarkation port is more than 2 1/2 hours away from the city of Bangkok by taxi. This made making a visit to Bangkok after boarding the ship an expensive and challenging proposition. There was no indication of the distance from the port by Viking prior to our actual trip. Our next disappointment was with the beverage package.. My wife and I are wine drinkers. The advertisements for the beverage package indicates that "premium wines" up to $15 per glass was included in the package. In fact the most expensive wines by the glass were $ 6 from bottles that would cost $10 or less retail. They certainly were not "premium wines" by any stretch of the imagination. I have been on less expensive cruise lines with far superior wine offerings. On a positive note, the food on board was generally very good at the main restaurant and the buffet. The "Chefs Table" was an exception. The food was mediocre and the service was atrocious. The other specialty restaurant ( Manfredi) was very good with excellent service. The final disappointment came at the end of the cruise. The last evening and the final day were to be in Bali. This is a destination that we and many others signed on for. As it turned out , we arrived in Bali at about 6 pm on the last evening and set anchor a good distance from the port. Some passengers were shuttled to an optional excursion and others were shuttled to Bali for their flights home. The people flying out that night and the majority of us who stayed on board never had the opportunity to see Bali as part of the cruise experience. My wife and I booked a night at a resort in Bali for the final day. At least, we got to see the island. Viking did not give us any indication that would not even make port in Bali when it designated 2 days of our itinerary as being in Bali. I do not see us cruising with Viking in the future. Read Less

Viking rated #1! Not for this cruise. Short amount of time in Bangkok. Included tour was much too short. For a city like Bangkok, more time is needed. Next stops, Kuala Lampur and Singapore needed much more time. Tours were ok, but guides needed a better command of the English language. The time spent in Indonesia could have been put to better use by extending Bangkok and Singapore. Jakarta needed no more than an hour, not two days. While interesting, the poor infrastructure, horrendous traffic, extremes between poverty and wealth. The next two stops, in Indonesia, could have been avoided altogether to give us the needed time in Bali. Bali, the enchantress of the Pacific, gee I wish we saw it! The cruise description gave us the 10th and 11th in Bali. We were screwed! Ship arrives at 6:30 pm. We are told because of Viking Air arrangements we have to be out of the cabins at 8 pm, in the theatre at 9 pm and off the ship shortly after for a 1:05 am flight. Transferred in pitch black, in rolling seas, via life boats to shore! To see all that we saw of Bali, the cruise terminal, and the road to the airport! We were physically on shore for a 20 minute bus to the airport, and 3 hours in the airports. What a horrible misrepresentation of the ports! Viking Air really fouled up the flight times. It unfortunate that we used them for air, just to have a seamless experience in flights and transfers. Never again, if there is an again. We were not the only ones upset, at least 40% of the people on our tender were totally angry over the same items I have mention. Over the other hand, there were excellent pluses. The ship was modern, clean, well kept, good decorating and easy to navigate. The food was excellent and my dietary needs were well cared for. The buffet was as good as the sit down restaurants. Excellent food and service throughout the ship. Cabins were well designed, very comfortable and had great bathrooms. I liked and was very happy with the lectures and the dome. Comfortable furniture throughout the ship. Note to Viking, improve your tours. Get guides with a better command of English. Make sure the air conditioning on the buses work well! Live up to your brochures and descriptions. Read Less

This itinerary was very poorly designed. Long 2-3 hour bus rides on excursions, through Indonesia slums and hot old buses. Stayed two days in Jataka, nothing to see but cheap for Viking to dock, Singapore was beautiful, we stayed 7 hours. The entire trip was promoted as as ending in Bali. We arrived at 6:00 pm, had to tender in, they overloaded tenders with to many people at 95 degree for a 30 minute ride each way, should of been docked. Trip ended next day at 8:00 am, so basically no Bali. Had an 2 room suite, large, nice bathroom, good king mattress, the living room was very poorly furnished on a new 2018 boat. Furniture was extremely modern made for 100 lb midgets, couch was 6" off floor and small, poorly designed, great 60" TV with movies and we sat on floor and no one cared. Suites get no special amenities like on Celebrity or Royal with special show seating reservations or dinner reservations. Food was good, not excellent, service varied a lot from fast and efficient to slow. Had on board ship credits from previous river cruise, would not honor on account only could use for feature cruises. Not ran nearly as well as River Cruises. Deferentially, not a luxury cruise, just a mini Carnival boat without a casino. Read Less

The vessel, food, and staff are magnificent. The vessel is extremely handsome without being ostentatious. Space per passenger is extraordinary; didn't feel crowded. Buffet almost always had extraordinary choices. Specialty restaurants were good but often booked. The "standard" restaurant was excellent and we never waited more than 10 minutes to be seated; often no wait at all. The bakery is astounding. My wife is French. We hardly ever find "real" croissant, pain au chocolat, or baguette outside of her country. Orion had all that. Also, perfect donuts and rolls. Desserts were varied and good. Cookies were awesome. Three stars for value is because it's a premium experience for a premium price. Their systems need some work. We booked three back-to-back cruises. We had different cabins for each leg. Didn't want it that way but had no choice. (That's not exactly a complaint, just setting context.) We booked excursions and restaurant reservations before leaving home. They lost reservations for legs 2 and 3. For seven weeks of cruising I wrote about five pages of troubles where things weren't right. I'm a nerd so doubt anyone else would have got to page 5 but I did. Their capacity for taking passengers on and off is insufficient, slow. Excursions were well run. Entertainment was good. The vessel, food, and staff are magnificent. I won't be surprised to book them again. Read Less

Great way for a first time visit to parts of Southeast Asia. The cruise was perfect in most all aspects : a great and smooth embarkation and disembarkation processes, baggage handling and airport transportation; excellent staterooms design and amenities that beats most luxury hotel rooms; simplicity, quality and beauty of ship furniture and amenities everywhere; superb quality of food and service in restaurants; quality of most all excursions and guides and the excellence, professionalism and friendliness of all staff. Some needed improvements in training of some of the restaurant staff to understand the menues to deal with special requirements of guests; in professionalism in dealing with complaints (not dismissing them) and to the logistics to some excursions (particularly the evening dinner and dance in Bali- was not up to Viking standards). I would also recommend changes to the Chef’s Table restaurant formula. All in all, Viking Cruises are highly recommended. Read Less

We chose this cruise line and destination for the reasons: 1. we were looking for a cruise line that limit the children 2. no "nickel and dime" cruise 3. always wanted to visit SEA but was not sure where to start, this provide on paper a great itinerary. 4. we are foodies and the "Kitchen Table" and "Chef Table" options really enticed us. Our experience overall for this cruise was very good! This was truly a luxurious cruising experience, you cannot go wrong if you are looking for that 5 star experience! The crew is amazing and friendly and the ship is immaculate. However I would say where it fell short are: 1. "Kitchen Table" was not offered on this cruise due to health and hygiene concerns in the region, even Singapore? which I would argue since the head chef sourced artisan ingredients from local produces for soy and fish sauce and sourced an amazing sushi-grade tuna from Singapore 2. The shore excursion were not to the quality of the cruise line, I know Viking sourced the best they could find in region but the included excursions were mostly"on and off the bus to get the photo opp...you can almost call it a bad "Instagram Tour". I understand in SEA many of the deep sea ports are an hour to 2 away from the heart of the city, maybe we can focus the excursion and not try to do such a broad stroke. Credit to the Port Talk and Enrichment Lectures on providing great insights in to the regions. 3. Jakarta! why 2 days at port? this is an important stop but we could have used the extra day in Singapore, KL, or Bali (which everyone would have loved) 4."Bangkok to Bali and beyond" was the cruise name, we arrived into Bali at 5-6pm on night before disembarkment. Even though our flight is not till the evening of the disembarkment we did not qualify for any excursion in Bali for the disembarkment day and we need to be out of the stateroom at 8 and off the ship by 9am. So we found a great tour guide with ToursbyLocals and he picked us up at 7:30am and drop us at the airport at 4pm with plenty of time to check in to our flight. We met people flying home at 1am on the morning of disembarkment and only saw the port and airport in Bali. This cruise title needs to be changed or an extra day needs to be added to include Bali in the title. 5. Why was there not more local cuisine in the region at the World Cafe? we are in SEA and there was maybe 5 chafing highlighting the region's cuisine. It is the "World Cafe" shouldn't a special section be dedicated each night to the port of call / regions cuisine? Again I understand I am not the target audience but I was extremely disappointed with the lack of local cuisine on the ship. However high marks for having fresh sushi daily on the ship. I would definitely go on another Viking Cruise again but next time I would spend more time asking questions about the details outline above and research ToursbyLocals or AirBNB Experience for excursion for ports I really wanted to explore. Read Less

Wall Street Journal had an article about the Bangkok to Bali cruise. Our friends asked us to join them on the cruise to celebrate birthdays. If your birthday falls during the cruise, you may request a special gift. We had a lovely bottle of champagne and a delicious chocolate cake. Everything was great except for the travel arrangements made by Viking. The ship was beautiful with lots of public space and plenty of room for dining. Food selections were plentiful and delicious. The Explorers Lounge and Dome were a plus and the lectures on our cruise were superb. We should have insisted that we arrive in Bangkok before noon on the sailing date 11/29. We arrived at 1:00 am on 11/30 and missed the welcoming dinner and presentation and other amenities of the ship. Then we had return flights scheduled at 12:30 am on the date of departure from Bali on 12/11. We docked in Bali on 12/10 at 6:00 pm and needed to leave the ship for a 9:30 pm arrival at the airport. We were not able to take any evening excursions because of the flight booking. We should have had bookings after the ship disembarkation time. I realize that location of the ship's berth near the city is not always close for excursions but Viking should reassess the time spent in ports. One day in Singapore should have been two days. Read Less

Liked itinerary but expected to spend more time in Bangkok and Bali. The ship was elegant and clean. Food was excellent but didn’t like the food in Chefs Table. This was our first Viking ocean cruise and may be our last if this is the way all their cruises are. No time to spend in Bangkok or Bali...misrepresented cruise. Some included tours were unsatisfactory, some were excellent. More interesting shipmates. No children, no pushing and shoving and noise. Very relaxing. Books everywhere. We expected a much better cruise than the one we got. I don’t know why this was rated as a top cruise line. Expected a much better travel experience for the money. I would look at the reviews first before booking another Viking Cruise. I didn’t do this before booking this one which was a big mistake. Learned a lot about what to expect and what we got. Would also have chosen better airline experience and learned it would have made a big difference to spend days before and after in the beginning and end of the cruise. Not worth the money we paid for this cruise. Read Less

We were on the 12 day BKK > Bali leg. a) The Ship We should say up front we were wowed by the ship : immaculate and beautiful, and kept pristine by a dedicated staff. Although at 930 guests is one of the larger ships we have been on , it never felt crowded . There are loads of nooks and crannies to curl up with a book in peace and quiet.The child-free policy is another huge bonus. The Atrium is a lovely space , and we very much appreciated the “classical duo” who play there before dinner. The pool roof is “interesting”. On our cruise it was closed a lot of the time.Why? OK if its raining , but even when sunny they kept it 2/3rd closed. Maybe it provided some extra shade , but it felt a bit steamy and claustrophobic. However , there are plenty of loungers on the open deck space if thats your preference.. The stateroom is also spacious , loads of storage space , with a good bathroom. b) The staff We would praise the individual waiting and stateroom staff : always ready to help and say hello. But we wonder if there is something lacking in the overall “personal focus/ touch”. Guest relations staff were often a bit “off hand”. I handed in some detailed feedback , but it was never acknowledged. Given our issues with vegetarian food , no one person took ownership of this matter.On final disembarkation , no senior staff were there to “say goodbye & thankyou”. c) Dining The “world cafe” buffet is huge so there is never any issue with overcrowding or lines. And there is excellent outdoor space on the rear deck, some in shade , some in full sun. Plenty of staff around to top up your wine or water. It is still a buffet in the evening , but we enjoyed eating outside in the warm night rather than the A/C dining room. Of the “formal” restaurants , the main dining area is also huge. We appreciate the “free seating” policy : turn up and ask for whatever table you want. They also offer “sharing tables” : some folk like the opportunity to mix with fellow guests. The “Chefs Table” offers rather odd set menus only , and as we are vegetarian , there was nothing for us there. It did not look anything special anyway. The 3rd restaurant is Manfredi’s Italian. This by far the best , a more intimate dining experience, not quite so brightly lit as the main restaurant. It gets booked up very quickly , and repeat guests seem to book up every night as soon as they board the ship!. Regarding food quality , I’d say it was very good, if not “fine dining”, and sometimes a little pedestrian (especially the lunchtime buffet). And its a standard 3 courses , without the extra bits & pieces/ 4 courses you get on other upmarket ships. As vegetarians , there was always one item on the menu each night , (though often boring pasta based). The Exec chef was very accommodating , and on several occasions made us bespoke “specials” . The restaurant staff made great efforts to ensure we were happy with the food, following us around the various venues with any “special order”. The pool bar , we discovered does an excellent veggie-burger and chips!. Our only niggle was breakfast. We just want a simple spread : fruit , yogurt, bread & marmalade, but supplies were a bit erratic. Sometimes for example no bananas , or no blueberries. But then if you asked they’d sometimes materialise. (sometimes not.). Bread was limited to “supermarket sliced” or rather dry rolls. I note other reviews mention this bizarre lack of fruit (esp in the tropics!). It was never clear why this was. No-one seemed in overall charge. The other area I felt underwhelmed by were the pre-dinner “snacks” at the bar. On Seabourn this is a real highlight : a wide choice and a real celebratory start to the evening with a sense of occasion. The Viking offering is frankly pathetic : and for us , useless (just a dry biscuit). Maybe its not a priority for the mainly American guests. d) Drinks. Viking offer free house wine/beer with lunch and dinner. This is perfectly drinkable. The “silver package” gives you a huge choice of better wines plus cocktails/spirits 24x7. (Incl a very drinkable Prosecco but not champagne). It was included in our “deal” , and I think that is common. If you have to pay the extra $20 pppday (every day, both guests) , I’d probably do it. Its penny pinching by Viking in my opinion to work that way but as drinks/ cocktails are $7.50+ , who wants to feel they going to be out of pocket if they have more than 3 drinks? d) Entertainment . We didnt go to the shows , but they seemed typical cruise fare and very popular : Abba , Beatles, Broadway musicals.. The band in the nightclub were fantastic and got a real vibe going. Just a pity it all winds down at 10.30 pm! . The lectures were pretty good : the ship obviously prides itself in its “scientific” output. (the ships “godmother” is a USA astronaut , and the wall photos are all from the moon landings etc). e) Tours : we don't really do group tours , so cannot comment, but we did hear grumbles from other guests : poorly run /over priced.. f) Fellow guests : Almost all the guests we spoke to came to Viking Sea from Viking river, or after trying Holland America or other large ships, so although they were very happy with the Orion, in all honesty they had little other small / luxury ship experiences to compare with. Many guests were lifelong repeat “Viking only” fans. A good age demographic : 50s/60s/70s , and (almost) everyone was happy to engage in conversation from the next table at dinner. The cruise was Bangkok to Bali via KL , Singapore and 3 ports on Java, including JAKARTA. Why on earth did they stop there? and for 2 days ! A horrible city with absolutely nothing worth getting off the ship for. I note from cruise-mapper they barely get one cruise ship a month ... says it all! It is interesting to look up the bio of the owner Tor Hagen (on Forbes website for example) . He has a clear vision for his cruise line I much applaud. He wants to offer a high quality experience , but without the “excesses?” of butlers and 24x7 champagne and caviar. I’d say he very nearly succeeds, just a shame about some “penny pinching” and it perhaps needs a little more attention to detail. Read Less

We had expected better based on other travelers comments, cruise description and cost. To begin with the description of the cruise was misleading, it was described as spending two days in Bali, when in reality we arrived in Bali in the evening and had to disembark the next morning. Luckily we had extended our trip by one day on our own so we had the chance to see something. Second, the wine package we purchased indicated premium wines but that was not the case, the wines included in the package are very ordinary everyday wines with no bottle more than $15 retail value. Third, the staff did not seem to care very much. The restaurant staff was cold and at times rude, one waitress responded to my request for orange juice with "I only have two hands". The wine waiter at the Chef's Table completely ignored us for over 20 minutes while he was chatting away at another table. The second occasion we ate there our companion asked for wine glasses with stems, the waiter argued that those were wine glasses as well. And the Customer Service team, with only one exception, were uninterested and even rude, when I asked them to re-do my disembarkation card because they had made errors they told me to do it myself. We had expected better everything, from food and wine to ports of call to time in the ports and the included excursions. Could be that Viking may be good at river cruises but they have a lot to learn about sea cruises. Read Less

Choose cruise to the itinerary.... Bangkok to Bali segment... Selected a mix of ship and private Tours... Ship tours... Someone needs to insure that tour guides speak undertstandable English. Ship is awesome--but should be --it's only two years old. Staff --99% great... a couple of bad apples need a brushup on interpersonal skills... humans will be humans.. "In a minute"(with an attitude). in response to a request is not something one should hear from Staff. Food. -- If you were accustomed to the average cruise fare--would be considered good.. However, having cruised Oceania Sirena in May (and Riviera previously), and making comparisons may not be fair... Veriety on the buffet would go a long way to avoid the selection boredom one feels toward the later part of a 12 day cruise. Orion has a way to go to meet that standard... Comments heard on board make me think that most Viking Cruisers love the River Cruising Experience, but are reserving there comments on the Orion.. Perhaps Viking is expanding too fast and needs to allow the Service/food branding come up to Viking's river Cruise Standard. Read Less

The ship was in excellent condition. Maritime operations were professional and schedule was kept. (As a US Navy Captain, ret. Ship operations are always of interest) We truly enjoyed the Explorer Suite that we upgraded to a month before departure. As seniors, we spent more time in the cabin underway than in the common areas. Dining was above average. We had several reservations in both Manfredi's and Chef's Table. Both were good, but Chef's Table was exceptional. The Restaurant was average and we had a not so good experience with one of the staff. Entertainment was ok. We did not attend any of the movie events. The live music in the common areas was good, although we did not spend much time there. Cabin Service was excellent. Our cabin steward team was top notch. We used room service for breakfast on multiple occasions and they were spot on with delivery times. Ports and shore excursions were a mixed bag. Bankok was a disappointment. We arrived at the airport and had to search for the Viking Team, then waited 2+ hours before being transported to hotel, arriving about 0130 in the AM. The tour of Bankok started at 0800. We missed it. Then we took the 2 hour bus ride to the ship and were presented with the option of 2 hours back to Bankok for the tour we paid for. We passed. Kuala Lumpur was good. We took the Taste of Malaysia Tour. Bus was average and tour guide was knowledgeable. However she did not clearly describe all of the tasting spots and did not manage time well so we missed some stops. Singapore was an excellent experience. We took the Peranakan Culture Tour. Tour Guide was the best of all of the tours we took. Jakarta was a good two day stop. Semarang was a disappointment. Surabaya was a much better choice. Bali was a complete disappointment. We arrived at 5:00PM and had to anchor out. Our flight left that evening so we did not see any of Bali. Our recommendation would be to skip Semarang and add a day in Bali. The reality is two Indonesian Port calls are probably enough. Overall, the tour guides were ok and kept to the schedule. The buses were below the quality we have experience in Europe. Onboard shopping and the jewelry experts were top notch. The staff in the SPA and the knowledge in products and processes were also excellent. Overall great cruise. Read Less

The ship was spacious and the common areas were beautifully appointed and maintained. The shore excursions were well planned the guides were all good. The service was excellent at all the restaurants I enjoyed all my dining experiences. I enjoyed the casual dining food options but I did not understand the rule regarding dinner attire it seemed too formal for me. The port talks were always very helpful and the history lectures were very informative. I did not go to many of the shows so I cannot comment. I would have preferred to have spent only one day in Jakarta and two full days at port in Bali before leaving the ship. I did not get a chance to see the ships bridge; I missed the information on when I could have signed up to see the bridge. The only negative was having to use the tinders for the first night in Bali they were crowded and hot. I would go again. Read Less

We wanted to explore this part of the world but only had a limited amount of time. The cruise gave us a great itinerary and covered a lot of territory. It was great to have the tours prearranged as well. This was our first Viking Ocean cruise. We loved the ship and the friendly and attentive crew. We appreciate an elegant but casual experience. We never had to dress up for dinner. We could just be ourselves and be comfortable. We found the fellow passengers to be very friendly and engaging. We did have a couple of challenges with the overnight shore excursions. The trip to Phnom Pehn was challenging as we ended up spending 13 hours on the bus, round trip meaning that we had very little time in the city for the overnight. The hotel was a beautiful historic hotel. The bus, on the other hand was sketchy at best with little air conditioning and windows that did not open. In fairness, we were told that this was the first time Viking had sailed this itinerary and it turned out to be a learning experience for all. Read Less

Wanted to try an ocean cruise with Viking. Hadn't been to SE Asia before. The staff onboard was fabulous. Especially enjoyed the head waiter and wait staff.Food was fabulous.Attention to detail with cleaning when norovirus was discovered was excellent.When we had concerns with a shore excursion, our concerns were listened to respectfully and notes taken. I lost my diamond from my engagement ring and the staff was very helpful in looking for it. The mechanical department even came to our cabin and took apart the drains to see if it might be in one of the drains. The staff asked me repeatably when seeing us in the hall if we had found the missing diamond. Never did. The embarkation was seamless. Very quick and efficient. Appreciated having a laundry room on each floor. The overnight to Phnom Penh was a lot of driving for just a few hours there. However, we did get to see the countryside. The bus air conditioning could not keep up with the outside temperature. Read Less

We had always wanted to visit destinations listed in this itinerary and it fulfilled that desire. It just so happened that it was aboard the Viking Orion, our first Viking Ocean Cruise. The ship was all and more than we expected. Our stateroom 6050 was comfortable, roomy, storage for suitcase under the bed, large closet, great layout in bathroom, balcony, very nice bed. On top of all this the ship was very quiet. Since this was an Asian cruise food specialties were available to fit the region visited beside the regular fare. We had most meals in the World Cafe as we enjoyed the large selection of food available but you could order whatever you wanted. Both food, service, beverage were very good and made for an e enjoyable experience. Cities visited mostly required fairly long bus rides. Our best experience was an overnight on the Mekong River, a side trip offered and highly recommend if offered. Ha Long Bay was beautiful. Great cities, friendly experience and destination we'll never forget. NOTE: If you take this trip fly in to Bangkok a day early, we lost a day because our flight arrived in Bangkok after midnight and we didn't get to the ship until 3am, the tour to Bangkok was at 7am and after being awake for 30+ hours we never made it into Bangkok which was a 2 hour bus ride each h way. Great trip, fantastic ship and excellent crew. Read Less

We really loved our Viking cruise and as Viking regulars appreciated the familiarity and excellent service from the very friendly staff. I will get the negatives out of the way straight away - there are administrative shortfalls on board. These may be common to all the ships - there are many minor administrative errors between finance, guest relations and excursions. There has been some reorganisation since the early days and things have definitely gone backwards in this area. We had several finance errors on our account which needed resolution. On the other hand we do love Viking - the food on board was very good indeed - I don't think we had a bad meal in a month, We enjoyed all the restaurants several times. There were a few issues with room service breakfast on the first sector, and also the bar staff could be "variable". There were a lot of crew changes during the month we were on board and this could make things difficult I am sure. Our cabin stewards were amazing for the full four weeks. The entertainment is low key which we like but there is always something to do if that is what you want or a nice corner in which to read and chill. We went from Bangkok to Tokyo and enjoyed the schedule very much indeed. It can be a challenging programme and those with limited mobility should think twice before heading out into Asia . Overall we were very pleased and have no hesitation in booking with Viking again. We think the value for money equation compared to the competitors is excellent and are very satisfied. It could be really excellent if the problems are properly addressed. There is no point in expanding fast if the standards cannot be maintained. Read Less

This cruise was a little different from all the other ones that I've been to. It is more relaxing, and more intellectual. The ship is newly commissioned, mid size but spacious for the number of guests. Except in the main theatre, and in the World Cafe where breakfast and more casual meals are served, I was able to find a spot all to myself. The ship has all the amenities that are expected, including a fitness centre, (free) Nordic hot and cold spa and whirl pool experience, and a mini planetarium. In room entertainment is excellent, consisting of many live TV stations, a wide variety of movies, TV series, recorded TED talks, and of course all kinds of music stations. The main shipwide entertainment include shows performed in the theater by a 4 members band and a 4 members singing and dancing group. On some nights local artists performed traditional dances. The ship also has a resident pianist, a guitarist, and two classical string instrumentalists. The planetarium provides three 3D shows, but unfortunately, after the first show, the 3D equipment did not work. What I enjoyed most was the lectures given by various speakers, some of whom are very knowledgeable, and spoke with lots of energy and passion. One of them spoke about the Vietnam war, which changed my perspective of what I used to believe - that the war was a struggle between communism and democracy. The performances in the theatre usually lasted about an hour, leaving me with enough time in the evening to finish watching all 10 episodes of the National Geographic series on Albert Einstein. The food was good, with the usual choices, and wine and beer and specialty coffee were included with every meal. I like the large selection of fruits, and the generous but not overwhelming portions of the sit down meals. There are two alternative restaurants which required booking. One of them pretended to offer oriental cuisine but I wasn't impressed. The menu consisted of a four course meal, each with a different choice of wine. The on board staff was efficient, very courteous, and eager to please. Service desk is open 24-7. Services were offered with smiles and humor. All my request for information and change of land excursions were resolved promptly. The itinerary includes a free excursion for each port visited, with a reasonably good selection of alternatives for additional fees. The ship stayed more than one day in most ports, which means that you will have plenty of time to explore on your own, if you do not sign up with the offered alternative excursions. However, some of the excursions were "sold out" as soon as booking became available. Many of the excursions lived up to expectation; the scenic boat tours of the beautiful Ha Long Bay were memorable. For some excursions, the descriptions on Viking's web site were more enticing than the actual trip, e.g., the "Ream National Park" trip in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, was no more than a long boat ride on a river. It was a relaxing ride, but I failed to see the flora and fauna mentioned in the Viking brochure, neither did the local guide point out any interesting features. Some of the land excursions took more than 2 hours to reach the destinations, because the ports were far from any interesting sites. I wish the long traveling time was clearly stated in the trip description. One of the excursions that I signed up was modified one day before the trip, without a clear explanation of the reason for the change. One of the places I really looked forward to visiting was Haikou, China, but this was taken out of the itinerary a month before the cruise started. The stated reason was "poor feedback from past guests" which I doubt was the true reason. My email to Viking requesting further explanation was never returned. Another feature which attracted me to this cruise was the advertised $600 deduction for air fare. Before I joined, Viking assured me that I could choose any airline, but in the end, they could not book me on the airline of my choice, and I had to forgo the $600 deduction. If you are looking for a relaxing cruise, with high quality enrichment programs and lots of free time, and don't mind paying a little more for the services, this cruise is for you. Read Less

A great itinerary in Southeast Asia. This was my fifth Regent cruise, and found the overall experience very good, but slipped from past Regent Cruises. Ship recently refurbished and very attractive. Would have rated it excellent, but for the dining experience, which I found to have slipped compared to previous Regent cruises. Menu in the Compass Rose was adaquate, not particularly creative. Service was inconsistent for both food and wine. I understand that a major staff change was made in port, an explanation, not an excuse. Dinner in Prime 7 a big failure. Ordered a filet, medium. Received a filet well done on outside, red raw on the inside. Not certain how they did that, other than cooking meat not completely thawed.Other dining options Dining in Chartreuse a beautiful experience. An imaginative menu, perfect excecusion. Have always enjoyed Regent, bot there were enough stumbles to suggest looking at other cruise lines Read Less

We chose this cruise for the destinations namely- Thailand, Cambodia,Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore. All destinations varied as Cambodia and Vietnam in comparison to the others are a tad behind with the modern World, however we had done our research, therefore they came as no surprise. We enjoyed having a taster of all the places and Singapore was the cleanest place we've ever visited, it's spotless. Malaysia was fantastic. The cruise experience was mixed due to poor entertainment for us. Emphasis was on game show and quizzes galore. Two comedy acts, one of the Grumbleweeds and Peter Piper a seasoned comic pro. An Asian 4 piece male ensemble, good to be fair, especially the Operatic songs. The Bangkok lady boys show was excellent. Two resident bands one British who were okay. The other Asian who were excellent. Food on board was average to good, service was excellent. 99% of staff are a credit to themselves and Marella all over the ship.....always polite and smiling. Cinema on open deck showed poor films, one night Jaws was on???? Why not put a film on in afternoon instead of quizzes!!!! Films on in cabin were not advertised so you never knew what or when they were coming on? I mention this because the ship was plagued with coughs colds and chest infections. To which I succumbed to myself and could have done with an itinerary when I took to my bed ill. The medical team looked after me putting I.V. Antibiotics into me getting me in reasonable shape to fly home. Cabin steward Willy was top notch along with his team. As I fell ill towards the end of the trip fortunately this did not distract our overall enjoyment. A great taster for this part of the world which has enabled us to most certainly go back. Read Less

Check in took place on the ship in the Squid and Anchor, it was ok, there was a lot of people checking you in but still a long wait. (Royal Caribbean are outstanding at check in and getting you holiday off to amazing start) The entertainment was excellent, the team performed 12 different evening shows twice a night, we find that all Marella / Thompson ships entertainment team are the hardest working team compared to the 3 other cruise companies we have sailed with. 2 different comedians, a little old fashioned but it suits the age range. The final show when we docked in Bangkok was the Lady Boys and there was standing room only. We dined most nights in the main restaurant which is any time dining, great service and great food ! Great choice of drinks on the all inclusive drinks package that comes as standard - no need to upgrade. Great choice of different bar areas, we found the best cocktails in Barr 11. Excursions - we did a mixture of booking with Marella and making our own way, some of them cheaper to do on your own and others not much difference. We took one of the guided bike tours which is always a great way to see the local area. Destinations - as always with Marella the stops are very good, over 14 nights we had 3 days at sea and the rest exploring places such as Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpa, Penang, Mellaka, Vietnam, Cambodia and more. Overall we had a great time, we found that the age range was more mixed on this Marella cruise with at least a handful under 30 which is nice for a change. Read Less