We chose this cruise because it was offered by Viking, was a smaller ship, stayed overnight in the beginning and ending ports and visited ports in Scandinavia while excluding Russia. We did not wish to fuel the Russian economy. We had been on one Viking River Cruise so were inclined toward Viking for our first ocean cruise. Our cruise was only 11 nights but apparently the cruise continued to other ports such as Stockholm and St. Petersberg. Three weeks would have been too long for us. I had researched the ports and believed guidebooks and Viking when they described how close the dock was to town. In some cases such as Bergen, Aalborg and Stavanger it really was easy to walk into town. In others we needed a shuttle which Viking sometimes provided or taxis. In 3 ports we were beat out of the prime dock location by another ship but only once did we need to use tenders. We were really on our own in Oslo, Viking should have had shuttles there. The included excursions in Eidfjord, Stavanger and Oslo were enjoyable as well as the optional tour we took of Copenhagen. We are experienced travelers and prefered to tour on our own when possible. Guides in Oslo and Copenhagen were excellent. Sailing the fjords and visiting Bergen & Oslo were the most enjoyable locations. The main reasons we chose a cruise for this region of Europe was ease of accessing the fjords, various ports and finding food someone with Celiac disease could safely eat. We had one lunch in Oslo in a restaurant I had researched from home and that offered gluten-free options. The restaurants on the Viking Sky seemed quite good, especially the food in Manfredi's however the Restaurant or main dining room was a beautiful and reliable choice for dinner. I appreciated that the only additional costs we encountered were laundry, a spa service and an additional tip for our room steward. We may take another cruise in future but I really enjoyed our Viking River Cruise more than the ocean cruise. If they had tables for 2 on the river that would be perfect. Read Less

We chose a 12 day cruise that took us from Bergen up to the Russian border and back. Bad weather intervened on the return journey so we were stuck on board for most of the time and there's not much to do other than read, gaze out at snowy mountains, doze and eat. We would choose a shorter trip next time and fly back from Kirkenes. Snowmobiling at Kirkenes was brilliant helped by glorious morning sunshine. Dog sledding was also worthwhile. Excursions are eye wateringly expensive but if you're only doing these things once..... The ship was fine and the crew were very good. It is a ferry however and it stops everywhere along the coast taking on board cargo and passengers who use the ship like a bus service. Don't expect the luxury of a cruise ship and grab a seat before the locals come on board otherwise you'll have to revert to your cabin. Food was excellent. Wine at a minimum of £53 a bottle is extortionate especially when compared to £15 a bottle on shore. Shame we were not offered a drinks package although unless the wine was heavily discounted I suspect we would have declined. Made for a tee-total holiday which was no bad thing. Read Less

The Itinerary is great and you will see spectacular scenery in Norway. Unfortunately, with any cruise you can't control the weather which is really important if you want to see the Northern Lights. We were glad we were able to see the Northern Lights but somewhat disappointed in the color and brightness due to most of the nights being cloudy. Also, cameras really pickup more color than the naked eye so having a camera that is capable of taking pictures of the Northern Lights is critical. Viking Sky does a good job of providing guest hints on how to take good pictures of the Northern Lights. We had a stress free embarkation in Bergen Norway. Very convenient location within walking distance of several hotels and attractions which made it nice since it was an overnight stay on the Ship in Bergen. The ship is gorgeous and mostly well maintained. They do a really good job of keeping the common areas clean. But be aware of the ice that can accumulate on the outside decks. It seems that Viking could have put a barrier around the ice which would have really improved the situation. This was mostly an issue at night when people would go to the decks and couldn't see the ice. I really like having the Self-service launderette. Our stateroom attendants were very friendly and did a great job taking care of our stateroom. The capability for Viking to notify guest, who wanted to be alerted no matter what time of the night, that Northern Lights were visible from the ship was fantastic. It did really add a special touch to the cruise. There were more movies and shows available on the TV then expected. The dining staff did a good job and were very friendly. I really like that the World Cafe for the most part served the same food that the Restaurant did so if guest didn't want to dress for dinner they had they same food options. Viking could expand some of the options such as bread and cookies so that each meal isn't the same the entire cruise. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of options but each lunch and dinner had the exact same bread everyday. I liked the availability of the specialty food buffets that were served on the pool deck that provided added flexibility and variety for dining options. We really enjoyed our dinners in The Chef's Table and Manfredi's. The included wine was mostly good except we really didn't enjoy the German red wine they had several meals. The included excursion for the most part were rather boring and didn't do much other than drive around and I think Viking could do a better job of describing the tours so guest will have a better idea of what to expect. For example, the tour in Bergen explanation of the excursion should reflect the actual excursion making it clear that it doesn't stop at the King Haakon’s Hall, the Rosenkrantz Tower or the Fish Market. We did really enjoy the included excursion in Tromso where we visited the Northern Light Planetarium. We enjoyed the warm drinks (especially the Baileys and Hot Chocolate) when returning to ship from our excursions. For the most part, Viking Sky did a good job of getting guest on and off the ship. The second day in Bergen was the only port that the line was extremely long when returning from our excursion. Disembarkation was extremely smooth. Do not expect taxi's to be readily available at the Tilbury port. Transportation should be planned prior to disembarkation. We rented a car from Enterprise which picked us up at the port. Read Less

We enjoyed our cruise very much. It was very good for the liver as alcohol prices were so high we hardly touched a drop, and given the Norwegian economy, the same can be said for all the excursions. However, having said that, we had wonderful R&R, saw the Northern Lights in all their glory, saw a bit of local life and enjoyed the fabulous scenery. Of the ship itself, the food was amazing, the crew wonderful and overall, it was very comfortable. In particular, we would like to commend the 'reception captain' who was particularly helpful in resolving issues about our cabin. On this issue, we feel that 'polar exterior' cabins with a view of a lifeboat, should be marketed at a separate price. There were also some very entertaining on board lectures etc We have a few (hopefully helpful) comments to make. 1 We did think that the quay side reception was poor.. 2 receptionists took a long time to process at least 3 coachloads of passengers who stood in a queue for up to (in some cases) an hour. Further, in the reception 'lounge' (after check in), there was no water available we heard. 2 The night visit to Trollffyord was very disappointing. A great deal was made of the fact that the ship would shine its lights down the fiord, but in the event, it was deemed that the moon was so good that this was unnecessary. HOWEVER, NO-ONE TOLD THE PASSENGERS!!! Those of us who were waiting on the beam of the ship (very limited space up front) saw absolutely nothing. It would have been nice if the ship had manoeuvred to allow everyone to see, but the most important thing was that there needed to be a commentary by the (otherwise) excellent on board entertainments' team. Bit of a waste of time from our point of view. 3 We found the food delicious but somewhat over salted. One can add but you can not take away! 4 Would like to see better lighting in top lounges Deck 7 (for reading at night). I'm all for dimmed (romantic?) lighting, but it does not suit everyone 5 The so called 'Captain's Dinner' on the penultimate evening (for which some, especially ladies, dressed up) was a bit of a farce. It consisted of 4 officers saying 'Lovely to see you - "cheers" and a quick 'march' round the dining room 'waving' (and no more) at all the tables. To make that occasion in any way worthwhile, we feel the officers should have stopped at individual tables for a few moments' chat. If you bill this sort of event in this way, it needs to be more of an occasion - or not do it. However, the latter would be a great pity. The crew were fun and it would have been nice to have SOME social time with them. 6 It would be good to be able to buy the tea and coffee package on board. 7 I would have liked to have used the Jacuzzi but could not access it as the approach was too icy and there was nowhere to change. 8 It would be nice if the top deck 'cafe' could sell one flavour of sugar free ice cream. We repeat, we enjoyed the trip and felt it was good value for money. We hope the above is helpful. Read Less

It is important to point out that this is not a cruise, but a working ferry that runs Daily from Bergen to Kirkenes, visiting some port in the early hours. If you are a light sleeper, you may find you awake several times in the night, especially when the side thrusters vibrate going into each dock. This ship had just been refurbished, so the decor was great with a lot of new technology, but had not been finished on time, so we had workman on board through to Christmas Eve, The outside cabins are small, so although expensive, we were so pleased we upgraded to a suite, which are fantastic, with large windows, TV, settee, chairs, fridge & blinds. No safe in the rooms, but you can borrow a hair drier from the reception. The first suite we were given had problems with the lights and after the 4th blackout, we insisted we were moved. I must emphasis that the staff on board this ship could not have been more obliging & helpful, despite suffering huge problems on a daily basis. Although a wine drinker, I must admit I went 12 days without a drop, because I refused to pay £50 for a bottle of wine. Excursions are also expensive, but well organised and easy to book on board. Some of the excursions have to be planned around sailing times, so you may start at one port but taken back on the ship a another port further down. The food on board was excellent and plenty of choice when served as a buffet. Some of the evening meals were served as a fixed menu, where you sat at a specific table with no choice of alternatives. I was a vegetarian, but knew that with such an abundance of fish . meat, my choices would be limited. I made sure I filled up during the breakfast & lunch periods. One evening, my meal was a bit of salad with a tomato. followed by a bowl of soup as my main course and a small bowl of ice cream for desert. If I had to highlight what was best, I would say the "Expedition Team of 3". They worked so hard, in such a friendly way to make sure we were informed, knew what was available & shared with us so much knowledge about Norway, Food, Culture & much much more. They spoke fluently in English, German & Norwegion. They were fun and it was like a big happy family event. I could moan about some issues, but all the staff did their best to make you happy. The country is beautiful, even with the limited light hours. I was amazed that if you came up to a road, the local drivers would always stop & let you cross. Shops were not crowded, you never saw any drunks (even at Christmas), no traffic jams, no homeless and Oh - no Northern Lights. Despite information about this ship, they did have two hot tubs at the back of the ship (deck 4). There is no evening entertainment, but they did bring on a pianist on board and although she could play the piano, her singing switched octaves on a regular basis and although she asked us to sing along with her, the words shoe sand was different to everyone else. They have a fitness room on board, but walking is limited ashore, especially on the southern journey back. You can walk around the ship (deck 5), but when you are on the open sea, it is very difficult to walk around the bow end, for fear of being blown along the deck. Read Less

In the Wake of the Vikings - Ocean Cruise (Sep 2018) Sep 01 - SAN DIEGO - FRANKFURT * Flew on Lufthansa First Class (excellent service) * Arrived in Frankfurt and was met at the plane with a wheel chair for Glenn and full assistance transporting us to our departure gate. (Excellent service) Had a couple of hours layover in Frankfurt. Ate lunch at airport. Sep 02 - FRANKFURT - OSLO * Flew to Oslo, Norway (short flight) * Our arrival was late afternoon. * Transfer from Airport to Hotel - provided by Viking - Private Mercedes Benz Limo. * Joe Christian was our driver. (Exceptional service) * Hotel was excellent. * Due to our arrival in the early evening our visit to Oslo was limited. Sep 03 - OSLO - BERGEN * Breakfast at hotel (Food was delicious, procedure for seating in dining room was chaotic) * Transfer from Hotel to Train Station via included Bus tour of Oslo - (Tour Guide was very good) * Train to Bergen - There was confusion regarding the seating on the train. * (The arrangement for lunch on board was unexpected, but the boxed food was hot and good) * Transfer from Train Station to Hotel did not go well. (Guide was late, unapologetic and very unprepared. * Bus driver and passengers were kept waiting with no explanation from the Guide). * Hotel was excellent. We had dinner in the bar as the dining room was full. Sep 04 - BERGEN * Breakfast at hotel (excellent) * Transfer to from Hotel to Ship via included Bus Tour of Bergen did not go well. * Tour Guide was not organized, very difficult to understand. * We literally drove in circles and passed the same locations two and three times. As a result we were not able to spend sufficient time at the Gamle Bergen Open Air Museum * Tour Guide did not clearly point out the difficulty of negotiating the open air museum to our physically challenged passengers. * This included tour has the potential to be so much better. Sep 05 - BERGEN * Breakfast on Ship * We chose to walk on our own from Ship to Funicular in the morning * Strolled through town back to ship seeing some sites along the way * Set sail in the evening for Lerwick, Shetland Islands (UK) Sep 06 - LERWICK - SHETLAND ISLANDS * We chose to skip the tours and took a shuttle bus from the dock to Downtown Lerwick. * We strolled the streets and enjoyed our visit. Sep 07 - TORSHAVN - FAROE ISLANDS ALTERNATE PORT - KOLLAFJORDUR * Our cruise hit a major snag here. After the Captain docked, he was informed by the port authority that we could not dock there. Apparently the dock was double booked and our ship eventually (after 2 hours of discussions) had to relocate to another port on the island. * After relocating we were finally able to disembark and take a two hour bus tour of the area. OK but nothing to write home about. Captain to be commended for his handling of the situation. * Sad thing was the town of Torshavn lost out on our visit entirely. And some of the tours had to be cancelled. * The alternate port was nothing more than a dock and no village. * Very disappointed that none of us were able to visit Torshavn due to the dispute with the port. Sep 08 - AT SEA Sep 09 - REYKJAVIK, ICELAND * We docked without incident at this port. * Glenn took a bus tour of the city. * Pat went to the Blue Lagoon. Very well done with one exception - we were told to bring a towel with us to the lagoon. However when we arrived at the lagoon we were informed that towels were provided as part of our tour package. * This was the only port of call where some of us encountered rain. Sep 10 - AT SEA Sep 11 - NANORTALIK, GREENLAND (aborted) ALTERNATIVELY - AT SEA * Due to bad weather conditions in the area it was decided to skip this port and continue to Qaqortoq, Greenland. * As a result we had an extra day at sea. * Because we had the time the captain took us through a couple of magnificent fiords on the way. Sep 12 - QAQORTOQ - GREENLAND * We woke up this morning in this charming village community. * We tendered in. * We opted out of any tours and wandered around the village on our own. * Viking did an excellent job of greeting us on shore. * The weather was picture perfect. Sep 13 - AT SEA Sep 14 - L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS, NEWFOUNDLAND (aborted) ALTERNATE PORT - SAINT ANTHONY, NEWFOUNDLAND * Due to dangerous weather conditions in the area we continued to an alternate port, St. Anthony, which proved to be a delightful and very friendly community. * Glenn stayed on board the ship. * I took a tender into town and did a lot of walking, exploring and hiking. * Another picture perfect day for weather. * This port should be on the itinerary Sep 15 - AT SEA Sep 16 - SAGUENAY, QUEBEC, CANADA * The scenery as we left the Seaway and went up the river to Saguenay was beautiful. * We arrived in the morning to great fanfare. Several of the town folk came to the dock to greet us with dancing and music. * Upon arrival we were taken in busses to a very large auditorium for a major theatrical production. Excellent. * The port provided wheel chair and electric cart service for the physically challenged from and to the ship. * The transfer from ship to theater and back to dock was a bit chaotic, but short. * Back on board we freshened up, had lunch and then did some walking along the harbor. * Our ship had the best docking location. * There were three other ships in port at the same time and they all had to tender in. * Crew and Staff were on shore to welcome us back to ship with music and champagne! * Another picture perfect day for weather. Sep 17 - QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC, CANADA * Pat toured the town on his own including a trip on the funicular and coffee and sandwich at Starbucks. * Glenn took a guided bus tour of the city. Excellent Tour and Tour Guide. * We did not get the ideal docking position but there was a shuttle that transferred us between ship and the city. * We felt that an overnight with an extra day in Quebec City would have been preferred. * Another picture perfect day for weather. Sep 18 - MONTREAL * Arrived in Montreal. Disembarkation went very well. Viking Staff there to help and give directions inside the Terminal. * Short Transfer to Hotel via a large van. * Settled into the Westin hotel and began our explorations on our own. * No included tours here. * We had lunch and dinner at the hotel. * The Hotel and Dining Room was excellent. Sep 19 - MONTREAL - Extended stay * Enjoyed our included breakfast at the Hotel. * We set out on our own and toured the city including a visit to the Bank of Montreal and Notre Dame Basilica. * As suggested by the Hotel concierge we had an excellent lunch at the Portus 360 revolving restaurant with commanding views of the city. * We then continued exploring the city on foot, including a visit to St. Patrick’s Basilica and the Olympic Monument. * We attended the night show AURA at Notre Dame Basilica followed by a delicious dinner back at the hotel. This should be highly recommended to all clients in advance so as to get a seat. Very popular. Reservations should be made well in advance. We purchased our tickets on line from home before the trip. Sep 20 - MONTREAL - PHILADELPHIA - SAN DIEGO * Enjoyed our included breakfast at the Hotel. * After breakfast Pat took one last walk through Montreal Old Town * We had a private included transfer from Hotel to Airport in the afternoon * Flight was late leaving Montreal - no one at the airport kept us informed * Arrived in Philadelphia and was met at the plane with a wheel chair for Glenn and full assistance transporting us to our departure gate. (Excellent service) * Arrived in San Diego late at night and took cab home. The ship - Viking Sea * It is important to note that there was a serious problem on board this ship. Based on our own personal experience and conversations with some of the passengers - there is a noise problem that needs to be addressed. * Our cabin, 4084, was so noisy we could not sleep at night. * We invited engineering into 4084 so they could hear the noise as well and they did. Not at all clear what the cause was but it was intermittent and even occurred when the ship was not moving. It was a very loud booming sound and vibrated one wall in the cabin. * After two nights in that cabin - Viking relocated us to cabin 5026 which was identical to 4084 except without any noise. * The staff was excellent. The public areas were comfortable. * Attention to detail could be better. Example: the tile floor in the World Cafe is chipped and cracked in places and the grouting appears dirty. Food Service & Entertainment * Food on board the ship in the main dining room and the World Cafe was creative and delicious. The food was not often hot and only mildly warm. Warm plates were offered as an alternative to the cold plates under the counters at the buffet. This needs attention and better notice. * For one of the meals in the main Dining Room Glenn had to ask the waiter for a replacement of the main course as the one delivered was barely warm. * Meals were creative, excellent presentation and flavorful. * Eric, the maitre’d, was outstanding. He was attentive and helpful. Prior to the cruise we were not able to get an earlier seating in the Chefs Table and Manfredi’s restaurants. Eric took care of that and we were able to dine earlier. * The Pool Grill provided nice simple options for meals. * The waffles in Mamsen’s were outstanding. * Both Alternative Dining Rooms were excellent. Service excellent and food excellent. * Wintergarden Afternoon Tea very well done. * The Afternoon Brunch in the Wintergarden was outstanding. They did run out of some of the items too soon. * Table 131 in the main Restaurant is a very bad table to sit at. There are glaring fluorescent lights from the kitchen area visible in parts of the dining area. Recommend a modification so the light is not visible to guests. * Entertainment on board was good. Drew, the Cruise Director, was amazing. His ability to sing, play musical instruments and his knowledge of the ports we visited - incredible. Read Less

We did 4 previous Viking cruises. The Into the Midnight Sun last year was outstanding. By that standard, this cruise was very good. The ships staff were excellent. The food and service were very good but not as excellent as the previous cruise. The train. Trip to Berlin was a bad experience, the train trip was too long in a coach with no air conditioning and no window curtains. The temperature was in the high 30s C. A train trip of this length is too long for a half day in Berlin. Dining at thr. restaurant, Manfredi’s and the world cafe was always superior. The other dining venues was OK. Our cabin PVR 6077 was the exact same as our previous Viking cruise, it’s location was excellent and very handy to the. World cafe, elevators, the laundry and to view scenery and ports. The cabin was large with many nice amenities. We asked for it as we were so happy with the same cabin on our previous cruise. The staff on board the ship were universally excellent, very attentive and always ready to. Help with a smile on their face. The expert speakers who prepared us for each port of call were very informative.Excursions were well planned and mostly well executed excep at Gdańsk where the tour guide was hopelessly disorganized and paid no attention to disabled members of the group, frequently outpacing them or misdirecting the group. We were very impressed with the ships Captain with whom we had several casual encounters. Very skillful as one would expect but very friendly and approachable. Though not part of the Cruise, the air experience with Iceland air was unacceptable. We were mis handled and misinformed by Icelandair staff in Reykjavík, even after a passenger revolt we were compelled to sit on the dirty floor for many hours. Our arrival in Oslo was 7 hours late, we arrived at the Hotel Bristol at 7:40 PM, negating the first day of our pre cruise extension. We had a serious delay on Icelandair on the return flight from Stockholm to uyReykjavik also. Our experience on the included excursion in Gdańsk was marred by a very poor tour guide who repeatedly couldn’t decide which way to walk or what to do about a conflicting city event or a torrential downpour. He paid no heed to the disabled members of our group. 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 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

The journey with Hurtigruten on the MS Finnmarken was the most wonderful I ever made. The norwegian fjords are fantastic and this fresh arctic air makes you stay on the upper deck all day, you get addicted to it. Most comfortable thing was the sauna and the two jaccuzis on the rear deck - it is too lovely to sit in the hot tub and see the ship leaving Kristiansund or Tromso or whatever!! LOVELY. The interior in an Art Déco-style is nice and they even had a piano in the salon. Best thing for those, who doesn't want to go outside, is the panorama-salon on deck 8, watching the scenery passing by slowly is the best way to travel. The only thing, that was really bad for me: I am an allergic person and the food i got was ridiculous! For breaktfast they just got me two slices of glutenfree toast, nothing else (for the rest I had to check the buffet - which didn't provide much for me). And dinner (when there was no buffet). was just terrible. Mostly it looked like the leftovers of the lunchbuffet, smashed into the pan with some old beetroot. And always styrofoam chickpeas. Or Potatoesoup with no taste. Considering, that the others got a five star menu and that the chefs are actually professionals the dishes for allergic people were a shame! That was the only complaint, but a major one. Still the journey was so beautiful, that I am gonna do it again next year summer. Read Less

A wonderful way to see the Norwegian coast in comfort. It would be a completely different experience in summer - many people were on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th trip. It is essential to do the full Bergen to Kirkenes and return voyage to make the best of it. Remember this is not a cruise, it is a working boat stopping frequently. Make sure you are on one of the newer boats and that it has an expedition team. They organise trips, lectures, daily programmes and are generally very helpful. All announcements were in Norwegian, English, German and French. If you leave the intercom on in your cabin you will be told when the Northern Lights are to be seen. Cabins are small and basic, but comfortable. Outside cabin essential. Food is old-fashioned and wholesome, a little heavy on salt, perhaps that comes from centuries of eating salt fish. Plenty of choice at the breakfast and lunch buffets, lots of fish, good soups. Set menu and time for waiter service dinner, 3 courses with no choice but show casing good local products. Alcohol so expensive (wine £10-30 a glass) it is better to stick to the free table water. There are a few activities, films, lectures, story-telling and some notable sights are pointed out. Talks about the next days sights are helpful. Excursions are ridiculously expensive (£100-300), you really must be sure it's something you want to do. We went on a bus trip across the islands which was spectacular with a good guide. At any of the stops of an hour or more you can get off and walk around, the boat is usually moored in the centre of town. Taxis are also available to save time to go to sights in larger towns, e.g. the cathedrals in Tromso and Trondheim. In winter streets are not cleared of snow and ice so boots and care are needed. Crew all helpful and efficient. If booking a package from the UK with flights from local airports beware. The Germania charter flight and transfers from Leeds/Bradford were one of the worst travel experiences. An uncomfortable plane full, of mostly elderly, people who had to stand for far too long at every check-in. At Bergen the luggage took over an hour to arrive (no seats), then at the terminal there were only 2 people to check in 3 buses arriving at the same time. On return we were dropped at Bergen airport 4 hours before the flight and told that check-in would not start for 2 hours, there were 30 seats for 150 people. Fortunately the Hurtigruten rep managed to get check-in open, although it took over an hour to check-in with many people standing all the time. Then at Leeds/Bradford (surely one of the worst airports) escalator to baggage collection not working, and luggage took almost an hour to arrive. When asked why the people on the flight which arrived after ours had collected their luggage and left, the staff said that they had less than 4 hours notice that our flight was arriving and no staff were available to unload. On trying to leave through customs the exit doors/gates repeatedly stuck with people trapped inside. A waiting onlooker said it had been going on all evening. Then a stressful car park experience with no signs to the exit and a gate system which did not recognise our number plate ("because it is not in the centre of the car") or the code on our booking. Read Less

Once we made the south bounded tour from Kirkenes to Bergen, in summer. Now we wanted to make the north tour in winter especially because of the polar light, but also to see the coast in winter, e.g North pole. Of course we made a sight seeing trip throuh Bergen, although it was raining. The embarkation and disembarkation was smooth, and without hectic. In both situations the luggage was satisfactory brought into and out of the ship, so we didn't have to handle it myself. We used as long two ships, MS Nordnorge and MS Nordlys. Both were very well equiped, enough space to relaxe and to see the surrounding. The cabin was only used for sleeping and dressing, therefor it was o.k. The dining was excellent, especially in accordance to the local region. The activities were excellent, the expedition team was the best team we ever have seen. The service was also out of discussion, excellent. Because of the expedition teams te excursions were very good prepared. The evening before you became information, all questions were answered, pictures were shown, he work shop about making photos of polar light was excellent. We had no children with us, but perhaps when our grandchilds are elder. Of course we will repeat travelling with Hurtigruten. Read Less

We choose this cruise due to its itinerary and it being a working ship. The experience is therefore different, there are several stops every day and it's an interesting way to get to know more about the local culture. We thoroughly enjoyed this trip, visiting so many different cities and seeing the Northern Lights on the last day. The crew was excellent, very professional and friendly. The food was outstanding, even very thoughtful for the evening meals. This was our first cruise and for that we have enjoyed it very much. Our cruise was one way from Bergen to Kirkenes. This included New Year's Eve on the boat, which again was thought well through to provide entertainment and the right atmosphere on boat. There are plenty of excursions to choose from, which we recommend that you do some of these, they are well planned and give a good insight. The Point of Interest Activities on the outside Deck are definitely worthwhile. The only word of warning is to choose your cabin wisely. We just booked a basic Polar Outside and were on Deck 3. Although it says the MS Nordkapp has been refurbished in 2016, so it's overall in excellent and modern conditions, the same doesn't apply for Deck 3. Our cabin was still old school. Read Less

I have often thought about a Norwegian cruise, how pretty it would be. Friends went in September and I was completely smitten by their photographs and their experience. I perused Hurtigruten's web site and booked a date covering both Christmas and New Year, and a class of cabin in my price range. I was not disappointed in my choice. The service on board was excellent from all members of staff. The MS Nordlys has the bonus of an on-board Expedition Team so as well as the Hurtigruten excursions, there were also walks or hikes with the Expedition Team, generally where the tours didn't go. On board there was a daily talk by the Expedition Team on topics such as The Sami People, Polar Expeditions, Folklore and Fairytales, along with general information about the next port of call and things to see and do. I didn't think the excursions were particularly good value for money but that could be because nothing in Norway is cheap. They were, however, very good. Those I went on were, with the exception of a nature and history walk with the on-board Expedition Team, Hurtigruten excursions. Sadly there is only time to do one excursion or expedition at stops en route so if doing both the northbound and southbound voyages its good to read the timings thoroughly before booking anything in case you miss out. For example, if you go dog-sledding in Tromso on the northbound voyage then you miss the city tour because on the southbound journey the stop at Tromso only has a midnight concert. So take the city tour northbound and do the dog sledding at Kirkenes! I didn't find it necessary to pre-book any excursions, they were all bookable on board but perhaps they get more booked out during different seasons. On the dates I travelled (25 December-5th January) the age range of Coastal Voyage passengers was mixed - one or two children, under 30's, over 30's and on to middle aged and older. Some travellers had a physical disability but they were all looked after whenever they needed help. Some locations were difficult for disembarking but their needs were well catered for, including using the car loading bay when the passenger ramp was too steep for them. Don't be deterred if you're disabled! Mealtimes are open seating with the exception of most dinners where you are allocated a dining time and a table at the outset of your Voyage. Most single travellers were put together, generally in groups of same language speakers - English, German etc spread out among the different sittings. Further down this review you will see that I have said I've done 2-5 cruises: my first was moving to Australia in 1971, the second and third were from Australia to New Zealand and from New Zealand to the UK. These were on large impersonal cruise liners. The Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage is not only an experience for travellers but is a working ferry for local people wanting to get from place to place easily and there is no comparison between the first 3 'cruises' and that which I have just taken with Hurtigruten. Without doubt the Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage is the most memorable and the most enjoyable for me - its casual and fun without too many frills, smart casual for dinner rather than stuffy "dress for dinner" or "dine with the captain". If you want posh, then you may find another company suits you better. I will definitely book more trips with Hurtigruten in the future and will definitely revisit the coastal voyage during another season. 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

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

Really hard to describe our experience because it was a two-week cruise, and so many experiences. In summary, our sailing experience was good, on-board Guest Services was excellent, pre-sail experience was way below expected, included shore excursions were mostly on a bus driving through town, very few stops, with a guide. Extra cost excursions were better, but with up to 44 people and expensive. Good Friends told us about the cruise, and other friends had taken an ocean cruise to the Baltic, so we decided to do this one. Prepping for the cruise, primarily the procedure for selecting shore excursions was really bad. We were in the least expensive cabin (very adequate, clean and a large sliding glass door to the small veranda, even heated bathroom floor). This made us the last to be eligible for shore excursions, and we could sign up beginning 12:00 AM Pacific time. We were in New England when our time came, which meant 3:00 AM Eastern time. We found many of the included excursions and several of the extras were already sold out. We called Viking Customer Service, and each of the customer reps gave us a different explanation about how we could work around that. One common thread among the reps was that more expensive cabins have better privileges, much like on aircraft where first class passengers have better accommodations. My response was that being on a ship for 14 days is more like a hotel, where these types of privileges are not in place. They obviously were not trained well enough to do their job. Needless to say, these experiences really got us off to a negative start--first impressions are the ones that stick. If Viking would do a better job of giving us the details of how to work around the shore excursion selection process, we would have been much happier. To top things off, we didn't actually get complete descriptions of the shore excursions until we received the complete set of paperwork, which was weeks after we were supposed to sign up. To our surprise, in that paperwork was a "small-print" statement that they would automatically add $15 gratuity per day for each passenger to the invoice. And, unlike the special privileges that higher level cabins had, ALL cabins were the same. This showed up on our bill the last two days of the cruise. We were told that we could make adjustments to this, but there was nothing said about how we could do that, when it could be done, or how to tip specific individuals such as our cabin steward, chef, bartender, etc. We prefer all-included costs where there are no decisions to make. One thing that we thought was a good idea was making dinner reservations at two of the specialty restaurants, Manfreddie's , and the Chef's Table, a daily five course meal prepared by a special staff. I must say that of the two, Manfreddie's is the better of the two. We would say that some of the food served buffet style in the World Cafe was substandard--good crispy bacon, though. A workaround for shore excursions that we worked out before boarding was to hire non-Viking tours. We did this in Eidifjord, St. Petersburg, and Stockholm. All, particularly St. Petersburg worked out very well. In St. Petersburg, we hired a driver and tour guide for four of us. The cost of this was a bit more, but we covered a LOT of ground in two days. After talking to guests who used the Viking shore excursions, our two days is equivalent to five days of Viking shore excursions. this is probably because of the large groups getting on and off buses, waiting in lines, etc. We would do this again, and it is highly recommended if you want to see the whole of St. Petersburg. Enough with the negative stuff. The ship is brand new, in service only 6 months. High technology abounds on it, including free wi-fi throughout. However, the day before disembarking when we needed to check for our flights home, there was a huge overload of the system, and many of us did not get our boarding passes printed. We found that the on-board personnel were great, willing to help, and always greeting us with a smile. Guest Services were easy to work with and readily solved one of our shore excursions problems. The "Winter Garden" is the indoor/outdoor pool area and includes a grill and bar area. The glass roof of this area rolls back during sunny days and was a welcome break. Outside at the stern is an infinity pool. Not covered, but it still had plenty of people using it even with Northern Baltic temperatures. Entertainment was great. There is a very large theater where movies can be shown (we did not participate), also used for live music/dancing performances, and daily shore lectures and gathering place. Every evening an assortment of piano, guitar, and classical string/flute music wafts through the atrium in the center of the ship. Bars are plentiful around the ship, but we only drank wine at meals. However, unless a guest pays extra for unlimited bar drinks, they are extra in some circumstances. At the bow of the ship is the Explorer's lounge. This is a two level circular lounge area where it is easy to read, join friends, or just watch as the ship quietly moves forward. One more level up is an open air lounge area that is well-protected by glass walls from wind. We found that, even during colder days, it cold be comfortable. Excellent, highly qualified enrichment spekers. Read Less

We enjoyed our past Viking river cruise, and wanted to see Iceland and Norway. Ship and cabin met our expectations for comfort and cleanliness. Service staff was friendly beyond belief. Excursions were fun and informative, and well coordinated to logistically move a lot of people in different directions around the same time. We had no idea that the scenery would be so fantastic. Because the ship stayed close to shore when possible, there was almost as much scenery as on a river cruise. Slowing the ship to explain waterfall and such was appreciated. Shuttles into town were great. NIghly entertainment great. Two major complaints. One, on arriving in Iceland for precruise extension at 7 am, hotel rooms not available until afternoon. Sitting in the lobby not so fun, tho food was provided, necessary for my diabetic husband. Walking tour suggested, but after traveling for almost a day, it is too much to expect for senior citizens. Another tour company on another tour made sure rooms ready on arrival. Two, transfer from Iceland to Bergen was two flights, taking us to Oslo. There was no Viking representative to indicate where to go, how to go thru customs again, reclaim and recheck bags. There was no signage to help. There were no written instructions to follow. Folks who didn't rely on Viking for air arrangements didn't have such problems. Read Less

We have Norwegian ancestors, so sailing around Norway was something we had always wanted to do. The scenery was stunning, the service excellent. The shore excursions were good, but perhaps not as good as those we experienced on Viking River cruises. The speakers on board were excellent - all the way from the Viking history to British royalty. This is an area that Viking has really excelled at. In addition to the talks, most of the speakers made themselves available at other times for ad hoc discussions. I also saw many of them accompanying shore excursions. This is not a casino and lavish entertainment cruise - although the entertainment is certainly decent. A small dance floor and a small band, plus singers and entertainers were present. Daily reviews of the area and ports were interesting. Average age of passengers was probably about 70. No children were on the ship, and very few passengers under 50. Read Less

Chose this cruise because of prior experience with Viking and the desire to see and explore the ports and countries featured. The cruising part of the trip was excellent. Beautiful ship, great staff; delicious meals; very good entertainment; comfortable and relaxing with a variety of activities to appeal to almost everyone. However, the "exploring" part of the trip did not live up to our expectations. The included tours were OK and covered the highlights of each port, but there was never enough time to explore on our own, unlike our previous experience with a river cruise. If your included tour started a couple of hours after docking, there was not time to go ashore before and explore, and little time after. Also, in St. Petersburg, we didn't understand the need for a Russian visa if you want to explore on your own and not as part of a ship tour or with a licensed Russian tour. As a result, we had 2 days in St P, but only got off the ship for a total of about 7 hours over 2 days. There were plenty of optional tours available, but the cost put them outside our budget, although we did spring for the Hermitage tour and enjoyed it. There were a couple of instances where a free shuttle service was provided between the ship and the downtown area, and this was well organized and much appreciated. However, in some ports there wasn't enough extra time for this. Overall, if you enjoy the cruising experience and are satisfied with a glimpse at the cities along the way, then the 14 day Viking Homelands is excellent. If you want to explore, then be prepared to pay the extra for the optional tours, or, like us, you will be somewhat disappointed. Read Less

We chose this cruise as part of a eight-day tour of Norway. We enjoyed every minute of the cruise. The ship was well maintained and had been recently updated. Our cabin on Deck 5 was larger than expected, and the staff was very helpful. The breakfasts were outstanding -- a large buffet each morning. Several dining options for lunch and dinner. The panoramic view from the upper deck was great for seeing the coastline. Plenty of opportunities to take photos. Enjoyed visiting Alesund along the way. Boarding was made efficient by excellent staff. Although we were told not to expect a typical cruise line since the Nordkapp is a working boat, we found it to be clean, comfortable and better organized that many cruise lines we have used in the past. Enjoyed meeting other couples visiting Norway for the first time. Very relaxing and stress free. Would highly recommend to anyone visiting Norway. Read Less

I heard of this trip through a friend who had taken and recommended that I take it. I had been to Iceland a few years back and loved it. I wanted to see the Northern Lights as I didn't get to see them in Iceland. We were able to experience spectacular Norwegian scenery and choose from the many excursion offered. Although there was no entertainment on board, Hurtigruten did keep us entertained with having a fisherman come on board, with his catch of the day....red crab. He explained to us where it was caught, why it was so expensive and who was the biggest supplier. Also, when we crossed the Arctic circle, Neptune the God of the Sea came aboard and baptized us. So much fun. The food was great, plated meals in the evening. All of the foods were local as they were able to get fresh food as we stopped at many of the ports along our way. Read Less

We chose In the Wake of the Viking cruise because of the route it sailed from Norway across the North Atlantic/Labrador seas to Montreal. And the ports it stopped at during the cruise Ship was always clean and orderly. And staff very attentive. We had excellent cabin attendants. Dining was very good, especially the World dining buffet. Great variety of food and excellent preparation. We were disappointed that we could not book the Pre City - Oslo. Apparently space was very limited so if you didn't book it when the cruise was first offered there was no chance to get in on it. We missed one or two of our port stops because of a severe storm. We were actually in a port, not able to dock and found out that they wanted to get ahead of the storm so decided to pull out. Well we sailed right into the storm and had about 4-8 hours of very very rough seas. Found it interesting there were no overhead announcements of what the passengers should do to remain safe. People were in dining rooms and service continued with dishes/glasses flying off the tables. Quite a few passengers we spoke to thought safety of the passengers was not handled well. The ports/excursions we did get to take were very enjoyable and well organized. We may try an ocean cruise again but only in the Mediterranean region. We have always enjoyed your river cruises. Read Less

Wanted to see Scandinavia. We enjoyed the cruise, and really liked the size of the ship. The additional tours we took were very enjoyable except for Germany/Berlin. Would have preferred more time in Amsterdam or Helsinki. We have traveled with Viking and are looking forward to our ocean and river cruises we have booked for next year. The rooms and service were very nice. The restaurants were nice, but we didn't enjoy The Chef's Table as much as the other dining venues. The food was very good, but we felt rushed at The Chef's Table; it wasn't a very relaxing experience. The ship as I said was very nicely sized - we do not do the "monster" cruises. It was also very clean and all the staff was very attentive. Our most enjoyable shore excursions were Gdansk, Amsterdam, Stavanger, and Helsinki. We did a number of additional tours and found them all worth the extra we paid, except for Berlin. Read Less