Only supposed to be 1 night at sea but due to weather we had 2 consecutive days and could not go outside. Ship could not visit Gdańsk. Been with Viking river cruises before And delighted with professionalism of the staff. Visited places we wanted Togo Outstanding staff and food with a variety of restaurants to choose from. Our favourite was the world cafe. No rigid seating in any restaurant and plenty of tables for two.the drinks flowed at dinner and lunch too. Beautiful floating palaces. The evening entertainment was of a high standard and varied.matthew singing during the evening in the explorer lounge was excellent too. The enhancement programme was rather high brow for our tastes, however. Excursions were well arranged with no queuing to get on and off. Included excursions were orientation tours of each city. There was a large variety of additional excursions but we considered these expensive and only did ones in St Petersburg. Viking is an outstanding company but you do need to be aware that customers are predominantly Americans. Read Less

We did mostly eat at the World Cafe (amazing sushi and crab legs), we did also enjoy Manfrettis and the Restaurant a few times. We also did use room service. The food was wonderful. No complaints. I cannot eat gluten and I was completely taken care of. I felt safe and appreciated the extra care they went to. Our room was a delight. The bed was comfy and for us we felt spoiled with having the room cleaned twice a day. We were very glad that we chose to do a lot of our excursions with other companies. There were far fewer people and it cost less. Best example: Use All Tours in St. Petersberg. They were amazing. We also booked our own Rodne Tour for Pulpit Rock at less cost for the exact same trip. Because there were so many ports, in the end it was just a bit exhausting. If we do a cruise again, it would be one with fewer places to visit. We found every single person who worked at Viking to be friendly, helpful, and kind. If, like us, you do enjoy quality spirits, I strongly suggest purchasing a few bottles at the Stockholm Airport Duty free store. It was less expensive than at home and far cheaper than any other place we stopped. Read Less

I spent years researching how we could visit the Baltic taking a cruise. Viking came out the winner and we were not disapointed. Nelson looked after our well designed cabin so well and always welcomed us with a cheery smile. She was a lovely looking boat and you rarely felt crowded. The musicians were excellent and set a soothing tone. The feeding choices were varied if a little bland and the silver wine package could have had better wine choices. Some of the guides were rather patronising treating us like children when we are most definitely grown ups and some of the linkages when travelling failed. We did have some excellent local guides who gave us a real flavour of their countries. The ballet in St Petersburg was embarassment and we would all have paid a lot more to see a company that were of an acceptable standard. It was really sad that nearly all of the lectures were at times we could not go as we are European and eat later than our American friends. We really enjoyed dancing under the stars but were packed off to bed way too early. Read Less

I wanted to see my homeland of Scotland and Ireland. With the highlight of the trip being two days in London. We pre-toured in Oslo with a train ride to Bergin, fantastic. We finished the cruise with three days in Edenborough, again a fantastic stay. The tours from the ship were not of the caliper of previous voyages with Viking. We were driven by museums and castles, and told that if we had more time we could go in. For a few dollars more tickets to castles and museums could have been purchased and that cost past on to the consumer (me) as part of the cost of the cruise. The crew was fantastic, I am amazed that they can remember the names of all the customers. On our first night in the Restaurant, out server introduced herself and then responded that she had met us before. She was correct, she was working on our previous cruise. To myself and other guests that I spoke to, a big disappointment was planning on two days in London. We were hoping to see the sights and felt cheated that London (Greenwich) was only a convenient Disembarkation / Embarkation point that the customer only had a few hours to visit. Embarkation left a lot to be desired, too many buses going to the airport for the transition to Edinburgh, and to many flights to the next destination. The Viking Travel people did not include a baggage allowance for the flight, we and other customers had to pay the fee out of pocket. Recommendation: Make the ride to the airport a city tour, explain what we are seeing and take a roult that would allow the customers to at least see London if not able to experience London. Instead of using the airlines, send the customer from London to Edinburgh by train, it would have been a 3 hour trip, we would have seen the country and Viking could have reserved an entire car. The Viking Air people on this trip did not seam to be engaged in the product Viking was selling. Twice I had to contact them to issue tickets from London for the extention in Edenburgh. I am looking forward to a river cruise in 2020, not sure if I will due another ocean cruise. Read Less

We had a great time on our Baltic Sea cruise. So many ports to visit! The enrichment opportunities on board are excellent. The entertainment was very enjoyable. The staff was fantastic! The sights were amazing! We chose to eat, mainly, on the 7th floor. We found that when we ate in the dining room, we were squeezed in ( even if it wasn't very crowded) almost sitting at the same table with strangers. My husband really disliked eating this way. Most of the guides were quite knowledgeable, but many weren't that engaging. We found that on a River Cruise, all guides were spectacular and were actually from those towns (many for generations). Ocean just wasn't like that. In Germany we had a college student, not even from Germany. I mentioned this on our River Cruise Evaluation too, but is there any way to provide a magnifying mirror with lights in bathrooms? The lighting isnt spectacular and most of your passengers are over 50. Read Less

We really enjoyed this cruise, our first Viking Ocean Cruise. It was nice not to have photographers, daily advertisements in our cabin and no gambling. Beautiful ship and excellent staff and the food was wonderful. Overall the premium excursions were excellent. I hope that the ‘included’ excursions improve to the quality that Viking River Cruises has provided for many years. Often these excursions were too short and we drove past sights but couldn’t go in to see and hear the history inside the buildings. On one day we did two different excursions which included a major cathedral. On the first one we drove through the parking lot and on the second one the bus parked and we walked around the cathedral and to the view point but never went inside. On the excursion to North Cape we didn’t even have a tour guide for the hour and a half drive (each way) that we could have received a lot of history of what we were passing and other details that make tours most interesting. I hope this improves. Read Less

We have cruised Viking previously( River Cruises ) and found Viking to be professionally run excursions. This trip was no exception. We enjoy the individual attention afforded to us on the River Cruises and Viking has made Ocean cruising more enjoyable by having only 900 passengers on a ship that could accommodate many more. Viking Sun was a beautiful ship with plenty of options for us passengers. The food offerings and entertainment were exceptional. The itinerary was spectacular with once in a lifetime views. The staff on board were very attentive to our needs and very professional. The ship had many places to relax and were always available to passengers. The entertainment was excellent. Each night there was something different and appealing to different tastes.The main dining room and the specialty restaurants were well staffed and the quality of food was exceptional. The overall experience was beyond expectation and I would recommend this itinerary and this ship to anyone in the future. Read Less

We decided to take another cruise (3rd) with Viking because our friends, who we met on our first Viking river cruise a few years ago, invited us to join them. We thought it would be interesting to compare the ocean cruise Viking had to offer to our two previous Viking river experiences and to other ocean cruises we had taken. The ship was gorgeous and comfortable. The staff onboard were attentive, pleasant and extremely professional. The dining rooms were all excellent. Manfredi's was the most desirable dining option (in our opinion) but in very high demand. It was difficult to secure a reservation to eat there once onboard. FYI, Viking grants those who have spent the most money on their cabin priority access to dining reservations and excursions. That may be the case with other cruise lines as well. Most of the dining was set up for couples. We travelled with friends, but saw a few couples who looked at our group longingly. They seemed interested in meeting new people but the dining room tables which are mostly set up for two people didn't facilitate that. We enjoyed our cruise but found that the included excursions were not anywhere near as impressive or enjoyable as those provided on the river cruises. Some of the extra excursions were disappointing as well. Overall, however, the beautiful ship and attentive staff made this an enjoyable trip. Read Less

My husband and I wanted to try a Viking Ocean cruise. We have been on several Viking River cruises and have thoroughly enjoyed them. We had never been to Iceland, Norway or Scotland so this was the perfect cruise for us. We loved the ship! It was very comfortable and did not seem crowded at all. We were a little concerned about having 900 people on the cruise when we were used to 200 people on the river boat cruises. There was plenty of room and nothing was overcrowded. All excursions were well organized so they did not seem crowded either. The food in all restaurants was outstanding!! One of my wishes was that there had been more lectures on the history of Norway and the Scandanavian countries. We feel like there were not enough lectures during each day on all different topics with regard to the areas we were traveling in. We also wish there had been more walking tours offered for the excursions. We had to take too many bus tours. The Viking staff was 5 star as always!! Read Less

The on board experience was excellent, food, service,entertainment. Everything just lovely. The Eidfjord Norway stop is scenic however there is nothing to do there except an excursion. There were no shops, nothing. Unfortunately the Viking included excursions have sometimes 29 people assigned to one guide and in the more crowded stops, its hard to enjoy since you spend more time trying to keep up with the guide. In Stockholm the guide had almost 50 people (the whole bus) and it was crowded. We booked a two day tour with TJ Travel in St. Petersburg with a maximum of 16 in a nice van. Our guide Victoria was absolutely terrific and its a good deal less expensive than the optional Viking tour. For a two day stop, Viking had only one half day included tour and you cannot leave the ship there without an escort that has a visa waiver status. We stopped in Iceland on the way over from New York. We arrived to the hotel about 7am and the rooms were not going to be available until 3pm. We had to sleep in the lobby of the hotel. Fortunately we did get rooms around noon but it just ruined our first day and the hotel is some distance from town. There's a shuttle until 5pm but then you need to walk 30 minutes or so or take a cab which is about $20 USD each way. VERY disappointed with Viking for this treatment. The organized excursions were really good but we lost a day for a relatively expensive stop. The cabin was very nice, the staff on board was outstanding. The food was superb in all dining locations. Their entertainment was good and their seminars informative and well done. Read Less

We like this trip itinerary. Ship was very nice and clean. Every restaurant food was great. Room service was fantastic. We love spa. This is our first ocean cruise with Viking, we did River cruise with Viking before. We thought this ship is very small, once we arrived at port Viking sun is pretty big size and inside there are everything what we need and everywhere is enough spaces. Excursion of each port event are nice organized for city tour and proper duration for walking tour. Weather was much nicer than what we expected in May, every 8 country we were traveling sunshine and good temperature. Most of the top, we like no casino on ship and no children around. All staffs of ship are very kindness and knowledgeable what should know about their duty. I had bad experience with one of lady at front desk(passenger service desk) otherwise every where every staff are wonderful . We enjoyed very much this "Viking home land" itenaries and we wish stayed more over night at St. Petersburg. Read Less

I absolutely loved the experience and everyone that worked to make my time enjoyable. From the moment we were greeted at the airport to how quick and painless the embarkation was. Once inside, the ship was breath taking and beautiful. The cabin and bath were fantastic, and our luggage arrived about 5 minutes after we did, with plenty of room for storage of our things. The Dining was simply over the top. I prefer everyday food as my comfortable food choices and what a treat to dine in a beautiful restaurant every evening for our supper serving luxurious items I love, but never indulge in. And the ships entertainers were polished and adorable, good enough to be America's got Talent finalists. I was led to believe however that excursions and tips were included, and when I found out differently I was dismayed. That is the absolute only reason for 4 stars rather than 5. I would have happily rated this 5 stars if there was an area to voice my feelings. Read Less

My wife and I are nearing retirement and fortunately still have our health. We chose this cruise, because of the itinerary: we started in Norway, and visited the Netherlands, Belgium, France, England, Portugal, finishing in Spain. This was interesting, and we visited many different and beautiful places. Our cabin, and the crew that supported us were top shelf. We probably will not go on a cruise like this again, though. The "style", the manner in which our time was occupied, was overwhelmingly about the boat. We attended lectures and enjoyed them. We watched TED talks in our room and in the cinema. The food was fantastic. Tibor and Andras, musicians, were enjoyable. We found the spa and the Nordic bathing ritual to be great. Much of our time was spent in the transfer to the next port in each case, and we would have liked more contact with the countries to which we went. Tours did not allow much down/exploration time. The ship moved too fast to sit on the Aquavit, drink a glass of wine, and enjoy the evening. Having said that, we DID enjoy the experience. The Explorers Lounge was a reasonable alternative, with the glass front facing the front of the ship. Activity in the docks was interesting: we had a ring-side seat for mooring and casting off. We saw dolphin, whales, and tuna along the way, and we met many couples with whom we enjoyed corresponding. Read Less

Great value for an itinerary that covered several areas that we had not visited before. The offer of two guests for one fare with free air was too great a temptation. The trip was excellent except for somewhat rough seas for a couple of days. It could have been a lot worse! The excursions were well planned, and for the most part were interesting and informative. The service on the ship was excellent. Our cabin was kept spotless and the dining was always good. Most of the dishes were very good, but other options for special order were also available. One evening I ordered a New York strip steak that was as good as any I have ever had--even at some very expensive restaurants. The entertainment was also excellent, as were the informative talks about European history and environmental issues. We especially enjoyed the entertainers. The three young female vocalists were especially talented and performed in a most professional manner. The string trio also was an elegant touch to the trip. We have been on a number of ocean and river cruises, but the cruise director on this one was the best I have ever seen. Read Less

Viking Sky – Bergen to Montreal – September 9-23, 2017 Why this cruise? There were two major reasons for selecting this cruise. First, we wanted to experience this new class of ships which had received such stellar reviews. Then there was the itinerary, especially Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, where we had never been and which I especially wanted to visit. Unfortunately the stop in Lerwick was canceled due to bad weather, so we had a failure on one aspect. With respect to the rest of our cruise and the ship itself we can report a goodly number of high marks, coupled with some minor, but annoying lapses on the part of Viking. The Ship. By any standard, Viking Sky is a beautiful ship. At 48,000 gross tons, with 8 full decks and a length of 745 feet, it is perfectly balanced, sleek and looking like what an ocean cruiser should be – a ship and not a hotel in the water. With only 930 passengers, the space ratio is 51.6 – very high and distinctly at the luxury level. The furniture and furnishings are eclectic Scandinavian, running to mostly light woods, with a few pleasantly contrasting dark brown pieces, and a variety of surfaces. One could move about easily, with no sense of crowding during the day, and with many seating areas. The overall concept is “light and bright”. It was interesting to note that there is no hotel style “front desk” for guest services. Instead there is a pleasant area off the atrium on Deck 1, with three office desks with facing arm chairs, and two to three guest service people at these desks. Similarly, the excursion booking center had two desks, also off the same atrium area. The complete absence of a casino was appreciated by one and all, I believe. The atrium is marked by a wide staircase leading up to Deck 2, and above the landing a huge “screen”, about 20 feet high by 15 feet across was used for an extraordinary variety of showings, from scenic photos to blow-ups of works by the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. The Explorer’s Lounge on Decks 7 and 8 has two levels facing forward, although the upper level is smaller and without a bar. The Wintergarden room, just forward of the main pool on Deck 7, is delightful, with a glass ceiling providing nice light. It was used every day for tea, accompanied by music provided on a rotating basis by the classical trio, the pianist and the guitarist. The pool itself was covered during most of this cruise, only being opened on the last two days when warm weather made it suitable. It still did not get much use. The “Infinity” pool aft of the buffet on the Aquavit Terrace was never used, and the terrace itself was rarely used on this chilly cruise. Deck 1 also provided the site for many daily musical recitals by the trio, the pianist and the guitarist. Our cabin. Our cabin was number 6069, labeled as a “Deluxe Verandah”; and was the most common cabin on board. At 270 square feet, including the verandah, it was a reasonable size, and while attractive, did have some design issues. Our principal complaint was the lack of drawer space. The “desk” with a lift up vanity mirror was not much use, and the refrigerator was also useless for us. There were two armchairs and a small table, but the set-up would not have worked out well for in room dining. The closet was next to the bed, which made for some inconvenience when dressing. The bathroom was spacious with plenty of room, but the shower head kept swiveling to one side, despite requests to fix it. We did appreciate the fact that the bathroom floor was heated, and that the mirrors did not fog up. The lighting system was very good, with nice reading lamps over the bed. There was a large TV-Information screen opposite the bed which provided a good deal of data about the ship location, weather, one’s booked excursions and specialty dining reservations, port talks, reprises of the enrichment lectures, movies, TV shows, one’s shipboard account and live television. This last was somewhat erratic, since it was dependent on the ship’s location, and many of the stations were in the UK. While the “map” of the ship’s location was very sketchy, the rest of the information was useful and entertaining. There was one area which was confusing and not helpful. The telephone did not connect with the Guest Services front desk. Using the “Guest Services” button brought up a menu which was not helpful, focusing on services we did not need. Using the “Housekeeping” button often resulted in an unanswered ringing. Dining Food is always a center of any cruise, both as to cuisine and the dining environment. In both these respects, Viking Sky scores very well. The décor, table settings, space and atmosphere of the main dining room, and the two specialty restaurants, Chef’s Table and Manfredi’s were all one could expect. The World Café buffet was also quite nice, but, as is not uncommon on all cruise ships, was crowded on occasion. Mamsen’s is a small purveyor of Norwegian specialties near the Explorer’s Lounge, and also was a very attractive venue. There is also a small pool grill with buffet offerings. The quality of the food was generally quite high, with some lapses. For example, when we opted to eat dinner at the buffet one night, the veal roast I tried was not only tough, but cold. In fact, the purported “hot dishes” often were merely tepid. And on prior cruises we had become used to more than one soup offering in the buffet for lunch. The breakfast selections were all one could ask for as to selection and taste. As is the case on every cruise ship, the machine for toasting bread, English muffins and bagels was slow, and required two efforts to produce real toasting. Every cruise ship seems to use the same less than efficient toasting machines. Oh well! The service in all aspects was quite good and friendly. Viking uses a unique system in its dining rooms. The waiters use small cell phones to send the orders to the kitchen, apparently in order to speed things up so that they do not have to go back and forth as much. It does seem to move things along, which we appreciated. Overall we would rate the total food experience at 93-94 out of 100, a tad below both Crystal and Oceania Marina. The Crew Overall the crew experience was very good, friendly and reasonably efficient. The Cruise Director, Aaron was very pleasant and usually informative as to events and happenings. He also has a very professional singing voice, having appeared on the Broadway musical stage. The sailing experience and excursions left something to be desired. While the weather was not under anyone’s control, we felt that the management of the sailing time, which resulted in several port delays, left a lot to be desired. We were told that Canadian authorities insisted on slower sailing time in the St. Lawrence estuary due to whales, but we think Viking should have been aware of that and compensated accordingly. There also was considerable confusion concerning some of the excursion debarkation procedures. The entertainment By and large, this was quite good. The six singers and two dancers did a nice job. The classical trio, consisting of a cello, flute and violin played very well, and the piano and guitar soloists also were good. There were five “enrichment” lecturers, all of whom had some excellent presentations. There was a comedian who we did not see. The excursions. We lost two excursions due to bad weather. The first was a private trip with two other couples on the Shetland Islands, and the other a ship’s short tour on Nanortalik, Greenland. The ship’s tour on the Faroe Islands was quite good, but the short stay in Qaqortoq was pretty much a bust. At L’Anse aux Meadows we opted for a whale watching trip that was somewhat cold, but did give us good views of the whales. At Saguenay we again chose a special inland tour which was quite good; but delayed. So we were late for the included excursion. This was a live stage show, which was late in getting started and did not end until after 7:00 P.M. It was pretty bad. We returned to the ship in time for dinner at Manfredi’s. In Quebec we both did an included short morning tour around town. I then did an afternoon tour of a Huron Indian Village and follow up tour of Quebec, both of which were nice. Conclusion. This was a largely excellent cruise, on a beautiful small ship, with quite decent accommodations, fine food, very good entertainment and enrichment lectures, and an overall fine cruising experience. The weather could have been better, but that was not Viking’s fault. Overall we would definitely recommend the Viking Star series of ships for memorable cruising. Read Less

The ship is fantastic and the food was incredible. Our room was a delux veranda and other than the closet door being difficult to access it was certainly adequate. The bathroom was quite large with lots of storage. The balcony was comfortable with its chairs and table. I have had better room stewards on other ships but room service was outstanding. Service in the bars was very good but quite varied in different parts of the dining room. Sometimes it was quite slow or uneven. It was interesting how you were assigned different areas of the dining room so you experienced different views and wait staff. Food was exceptional. Best I have ever had on any cruise. Entertainment is geared to the intellectual and many of the lectures are at odd times..during normal meal times. Most people could be found reading, relaxing, or talking to fellow travelers. Trivia was well run and lots of fun. The indoor spa experience was really fun and something everyone should try but I don’t think was heavily used. My biggest disappointment was that two of our ports were cancelled..the Faroe Island and one in Greenland and were not given any kind of compensation. I know they said it was for safety reasons but I took pictures of sailboats passing us and they were having no trouble navigating the waters. We waited 465 days for this particular trip and to miss 2 of the ports was extremely disappointing. I will go on another Viking cruise because of the ship and the food but will be more selective about the ports of call. Read Less

We picked this cruise because it offered stops at many interesting places that are otherwise not easy to get to. We chose Viking because of the excellent experience we had on previous river cruises with the company. The ship is beautiful. Very clean and well laid out, and tastefully appointed. A variety of public rooms and places to eat from quiet to very sociable. Service is friendly and professional. Good variety and quality of food. Our stateroom was large, bright, and well thought out with a small balcony (as all of the rooms on this ship). We did miss two ports of call (to be expected - this was the North Atlantic in September, after all). But we were never at a loss for things to do. Most of our ports of call were quite small and quiet, but very interesting. Tours sponsored by Viking were worthwhile and well run. I would recommend spending extra time at the beginning (Bergen) as the town is beautiful and the surrounding fjordland countryside is spectacular. The trip ended in Montreal, where you should also spend some time, as it is a wonderful city. My best memories - hard to decide. Touring the fjords from Bergen, the wild landscape of the Faroes, little places in Reykjavik my son pointed us to, cruising wild fjords in Greenland, L'anse aux Meadows (mmm squashberries), some of the custom meals in the Chef's Table, and just enjoying all the moods of the North Atlantic from the deck or the Explorers Lounge. I would recommend this cruise for couples, who are interested in a little adventure as opposed to just entertainment. I say a little adventure, as stays are only for a day and you don't get a chance to really explore, but you can always pick your favorite port and come back---- Read Less

Chose Viking as we heard good things about it. The Viking Sky was so lovely and the common areas were beautifully arranged for comfort and privacy. Loved all the many books available to borrow with no sign out---just use on the honor system. We were disappointed to miss two ports---feel like we were cheated out of the experience we chose this cruise for. Seems like the captain has the option of by-passing a port or two to possibly save the cruise company money--or save time for himself. Any port that's missed saves thousands in port fees, pilot assistance and tendering fees. Weather is often the excuse that we hear, but it seemed that rain was the only weather issue obvious. The dining was first class in all areas except Chef's Table which was like eating in Grand Central Station---very noisy and not relaxing at all. We found many of the foods prepared with too much salt----tasty, but too salty, especially the daily soups. There was a good variety of foods to choose from so that the monotony factor was minimal. We liked Mamsen's for breakfast as it was so peaceful and quiet up there early each morning. It only has a few choices for breakfast, but good oatmeal and waffles made for pleasant eating. Not sure we would take another Viking cruise, but we did have a good time on this one. Read Less

We wanted to cruise the Baltics and saw that Viking had a cruise on a date that would work for us. We had done a Viking river cruise a few years ago and were curious about the ocean cruise, so decided to give it a try. There were a few glitches, but we were not disappointed overall. I have to say the staff is remarkable. They are polite, intelligent, humble, and very accommodating. Our cabin stewards made our day with their cheerfulness and greetings each morning and evening. They actually learned our names. We have been on other cruises where the level of enthusiasm among the staff is greatly diminished toward the end of the cruise. Not so on Viking. Everyone was just as helpful and nice as in the beginning. They are eager to share stories and connect with the passengers. We have heard wonderful stories, and Viking definitely has a system for hiring the best. I do like that they are from all over the world. Susanne Gayle, our cruise director, should receive extra kudos for her singing after taking a pretty serious-looking fall on our end-of-cruise gala. We hope she is okay and not too badly bruised. Susanne is very talented and sang a beautiful rendition of "Crazy." A few glitches--the shower ran hot & cold, even after pressing the red button to seal in the temperature. The bed was a little hard, but I am picky when it comes to beds! I like down or feather pillows. Every thing else was pretty perfect! Read Less

For the ports of call, tours and especially the size of the ocean liner Viking Sky was a winner. Even on a sea day you sometimes wondered where all the other passengers were. Embarking and disembarking went smoothly and quickly. The stateroom had plenty of closet storage plus some drawers. The bathroom is a plus in size and with heated floors! My husband found the food amazing and thoroughly enjoyed his daily afternoon tea with fresh warm scones. I had dietary restrictions of being lactose and gluten intolerance. So my meals were lacking variety and Viking did not offer lactose free yoghurt, cheeses nor gluten free cookies etc. So after a 15 day cruise I was starving for homemade soups, desserts etc. I was given daily a menu so I could choose a preference and hopefully the chef could accommodate me but this did not always happen. If the food intolerances could be rectified then the cruise would have been wonderful. Read Less

We had not been to Scandinavia before. Checked out Oslo and took the train to Bergen, spent 2 nights there. All transfers were smooth. One hitch was two people not coming back on time and we had to wait a long time for them to be located. Meanwhile our time at the Viking Museum was compromised. We liked the Taste of Norwegian Farm Life Shore excursion and the Fruit Village of Lofthus Shore Excursion. The Sherwin Castle was also very good. There was more scrutiny from the Soviet people when going into St. Petersburg, but no trouble. There were very short lines to the dining room and other venues were very nice as well. Excellent food overall. Ballet in St. Petersburg was excellent. We especially enjoyed the Amber Museum in Gdansk. Catherine Palace was amazing as was the Leisurely Hermitage Shore Excursion. We were not so fond of the Panoramic Tours, as jumping out to see something and dashing on was not so fun. We didn't get a very good look at the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen with everyone crowding around. We don't go on cruises for ship entertainment but saw the one of the Beatles which was fun. Service as always is wonderful. Our cabin had a couch and chair so it was nice to have a little extra room. Sometimes we were docked next to a larger boat so no view then. The boat is large enough to never feel crowded and the community areas are lovely. We also enjoyed the flexibility of the World Cafe. We are booked for another Viking cruise, a river cruise in 2019. Viking is top notch! Read Less

We wanted to get away from Atlanta's hot weather and really liked the itinerary of the Viking Homelands cruise. We had a wonderful time and met a lot of really nice folks. What was really amazing was how organized Viking was. The food was awesome and we learned a lot about the various ports we visited. We also felt the guides hired to lead the excursions were very good. We enjoyed all of the ports but standouts included seeing the Norway fjords. Gdansk was also very interesting. The cabin was very comfortable. We did wish there had been more options for room service although that did make us go out and eat at one of the many dining options. The Viking Star is a gorgeous ship and we felt very safe and comfortable throughout the cruise. We would definitely go on another Viking cruise again, and may go on a river cruise next. Read Less

We had been to this destination 10 years earlier and wanted to visit again. Our prior cruise was on the Crystal Symphony which had been extraordinary. From the website and the brochures we thought we would really like the Viking Ocean ships so we thought we'd try this cruise. My overall impression was that everything was good to, in some cases, very good, but nothing was remarkable or truly special. The ship's design was quite beautiful, and we very much appreciated the lack of a casino in which we are not interested. The spa, available to all, was truly extraordinary but eventually became so popular it was difficult to get in. One area of the ship to which I was particularly looking forward was the Wintergarden. Curiously, it was rarely used and was somehow cold and uninviting; that was disappointing. Our Penthouse Junior Suite was exceptional. Plenty of room, nicely laid out and appointed, an exceptional bathroom for a ship and plenty of closet space and drawers for clothes. Our stateroom crew were also excellent. Food was generally disappointing. With the exception of Manfredi's, our meals were good but, again, not extraordinary. The Chef's Table restaurant should simply be done away with. We found nothing of interest there and felt the space could have been better used by another good restaurant. The only restaurant in the world that can actually get a way with 'Here's what we're serving - here's what you get' is the French Laundry in California. To try that on a ship is just a very bad idea. Other disappointments included the lectures which, with one exception, were a waste of time. The excursions, too, were all OK, but offered nothing really special. And Guest Services, with the exception of the manager, were useless. We're not sure if we'll return to Viking Ocean Cruises. We had a good time and met some very nice people, but, once again, was not exceptional which, for the cost, is what I expect. Read Less

The Viking Homelands cruise gave us a great opportunity to visit multiple countries in a relatively short period of time. For us, this was perfect. The itinerary was wonderful. Each port held its own special quality, and begged for a longer visit. However, knowing that it would be unlikely we'd ever spend a week in Gdansk, or Helsinki, or Tallinn, we were satisfied to have an opportunity to go at all. It was a wonderfully enriching experience. Norway has our vote for most naturally, beautiful country. We began in Iceland, which we loved. However, the hotel was way too far from the center of downtown, which is where all the action is. The Blue Grotto was WAY overrated. However, the Golden Triangle tour was wonderful, and the people are friendly and lovely. Food and service aboard the Sky was unsatisfactory. As a gluten-free restricted dieter, the service was so incredibly inconsistent that I could hardly believe it. I would stand for 10 minutes in the World Cafe, just to get a piece of toast for breakfast....every day! However, you could get a freshly cooked, gluten-free waffle in Mamsen's...if you knew enough to go to the other end of the ship and ask for it. In the restaurant you could only get one, poorly heated (usually microwaved), GF dinner roll, that was pre-packaged, every, single night at dinner. It was sub par for Viking to offer such poor options...especially given that on a river cruise 4 years earlier, I was given freshly baked baguette every day. Why each restaurant on the Sky didn't have a couple of gluten free toasters, and gluten free bread at the ready remains a mystery to me. Not only that, but many of the service staff in the restaurants were totally clueless as to what gluten-free even meant. It was sad. Between the lack of training and the language barrier (which is totally understandable), it was a far cry from 5-star treatment, and left me feeling annoyed at each meal....without exception. The bed was not at all comfortable for me. They tried to soften it up, but their efforts were a waste of time. Coming from a tempurpedic mattress at home, to what felt like a rock, hard sleep surface was a big disappointment. Three weeks into it, I had never adjusted. Given the problems with food and rest, it still wouldn't be fair to give this cruise an average rating. However, I will say, without reservation, that the river cruises are by far my favorite. While the Sky was a beautiful, luxurious ship, with ample room at every corner for privacy, the intimacy of a river cruise, and the shore excursions that permitted the passengers to simply walk off the ship and be in the heart of it, get my vote for the best experience and bang for the buck. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we had enjoyed one of Viking River Cruises. Embarkation went very smoothly. The ship is beautifully appointed, the crew were friendly and helpful, always ready to do anything to make our cruise a good one, the food was very good and there are so many places to eat. There were guest lecturers who were fantastic!! Our cabin was a bit tight, but then who spends much time in their cabin. We liked the ports. The included tours were disappointing. We had really good tours on our river cruise and had expectations that these tours would measure up. Sadly that was not the case. This cruise would not have been a good one for children. There were no activities geared to young people. Unlike most ships which have a front desk, there are 3 explorer desks which function as a front desk. This is so much nicer. In certain public bathrooms upon entering you begin to hear soft bird calls which for me was delightful and soothing. Everything about the ship was very clean. Read Less