While we still like Oceania there were a number of areas that fell short of our expectations on this past cruise. Food – Over all we found the food on this trip was not as good as our prior two trips on Marina and Riviera. The Bouillabaisse in Jacques was not good at all.. No mussels, no clams, no fennel (I don’t think) and no broth. It was pasty, more like a sauce that I would expect in a cioppino. They later brought a sole that was very good, and my wife ate some as well as she didn’t care much for her Lobster (sort of an au gratin in the tail shell) definitely prepared, frozen and reheated. Also the “steamed“ lobster in one of the other restaurants was poor. Also appeared reheated. I should have thought (they don’t have fresh lobster on board) so don’t order. However, I should not have to think though how they provision food. I am kind of a do it right or don't do it type guy. Caesar salad at Jacques – Really very disappointing. They should skip the table side preparation and have someone in kitchen that knows how to make Caesar. What a waste of arm waving. The oil and vinegar cart is a wasted effort as well. Why go through all the trouble of selecting oils and vinegars only to use it on a poor excuse for bread. I couldn’t find decent bread so basically didn’t use it. We were spoiled by three days in Copenhagen before the cruise where breads were unbelievable. Why can’t Oceania provide one or two good breads. Oh and skip the logo on the bun. Sole in Pollo grill was very good as it was in Jacques – that is as good as the Sea Bass in Red Ginger in my opinion. If you like fish get the Sole. Second time I had mine whole (not deboned) which was even better. The buffet is almost always great. The prime rib I had there one night was the best in my memory. Thought the German dinner fell short as did others. Sauerkraut tasted like warmed up canned sauerkraut (why bother) and the German potato salad was very weak. The sausages were OK and the pork hock was dry (best to cook with the kraut). Many of the pork dishes were dry and I couldn’t eat them. I cook a lot of pork and it need not be dry. The should skip the German dinner or improve it. Coffee in buffet was not good. Very disappointing. We drink a lot of coffee and appreciate good coffee. This was not good. Weak but bitter. Don’t recall having problem with the coffee in the past. Did they go to lower cost bean? I thought the evening selections in buffet were better on our past two trips and we ate there every night except for our specialty nights which is typical. The main dining room is nothing special unless you simply want someone to bring food to you. Housekeeping – housekeeping was hit and miss. The veranda door was unlocked a couple times after they organized the deck furniture. One time they left no floor mat in bathroom. Only one bar of soap to be used for sink, shower and tub (really?). I had to keep asking for coke which is very unlike all other cruise experiences. Normally they figure it out. There were dirty coffee cups and half full dirty glasses (like maybe we wanted to drink something from yesterday?) Music – We like to dance and there were a number of other couples who also like ballroom dancing. The music of the showband was too long for dancing (maybe 6 to 8 minutes) and much of their music was not danceable (very slow or very fast tempo). Although we were there every night for 2 hours or more, we danced much less than past Oceania cruises. The other band didn’t even seem to know what ballroom was but at least their pieces were a little shorter and if you asked them to play something, they would but not always in appropriate tempo. Past cruises the bands seem to catch on to what we like within a couple days and played great music the rest of the cruise. This time it was challenging. Waite Staff – It seemed there was a different staff in the lounge every night and we were there from 5:00 to 7:30 pretty much every night. In the past within days staff knew us and knew what we wanted and took care of us. Cunard cruise a couple months ago they also knew who we were and the same servers were there and came to our table as we walked in. Very noticeable difference. On Marina this time it seemed very disorganized. There was also a lot of pitching of special wine and vodka and caviar sessions from the servers. Don’t recall that in the past. Felt we were being pressured to “sign up” for this or that. Lectures by Phil Smart – The ones we were able to attend were fantastic. So informative about things that are not in the main-stream news. Good job. We would book almost any cruise just to listen to him. Summary – The itinerary was great and fellow passengers were great but the ship experience has us thinking of giving other lines a try which we weren’t sure we would do. We really do like the size of the Marina and Riviera but right now we feel as though we are not getting what we are paying for. Read Less

Cruise and excursion GOT-004 12:30pm – 4:30pm in Gothenburg, Sweden, cost $179.00 per person was terrible. It was a total waste of our day which we cannot get back. We departed around 12:45 pm and arrived at our first stop Skarhamn at 2:00 pm. We were allotted 20 minutes at this stop and used the time to wait in line for a restroom. Nothing open at this stop except the one restaurant we used for the restroom. Next stop was Kladesholmen. This is a residential resort area with nothing to see except a sea view. We walked to a church (which was not open) for a photo op. Back to the bus for the ride back to the ship. The tour guide (who made sure we all knew she hated the Norwegians) didn't even have anything of interest to point out along the highway except for 4 smoke stacks that were no longer in use and a Volvo factory. I can't believe Oceania would even have such an extremely poor excursion. The four hour excursion had approximately 45 minutes off the bus the rest of time it was mostly highway driving. Back on the ship my wife and I encountered a large group (about 20 other people) who were waiting for the Destination desk to open to complain about this terrible excursion and request a refund. We filled out a Shore Excursion Guest Tour Report. Two days later (last night of cruise) we finally heard back from the main office in Florida and were denied a refund. Other issues were staff shortages in all eating establishments. They are running around trying to keep up with everyone regardless of the venue. The food was always warm and rarely hot except for the soup which was always hot. The one person that was of great help to us was the Concierge on Marina Ray Kucharski. We can't say enough good things about him. This was our third and will be our final cruise on Oceania. We spoke to others who feel the same as it appears Oceania has gone downhill since bring purchased by Norwegian. Won't be cruising or recommending Oceania again. It is sad as it used to be exceptionally great in all areas. Read Less

We’ve been on Odyssey twice before, which we very much enjoyed, and were interested to compare the newer Ovation. There is no comparison. Ovation wins hands down. The decor is magnificent: really classy and all gleaming. The larger Thomas Keller works very well and we just adored the sushi restaurant - beautifully fitted out. The deck outside The Grill is a great secret terrace for when the Colonnade gets busy, with its own salad bar too. Think of it as a free version of The Retreat on the top deck! We love the way Seabourn Square has been rethought - it looks wonderful and it’s a great place to hang out. Even though space per passenger is a little lower on the Ovation, it feels the opposite. We couldn’t believe the cruise was full (it was, apparently) as it seemed so quiet most of the time. Captain Stig was the best we have had...always present and friendly. The crew were engaged, almost all incredibly welcoming and friendly...and much better at name recognition than on previous Seabourn cruises. Much has already been said on here about the legendary Handré, the cruise director. It’s all true. He is brilliant at his job and always out and about. A true professional. Food was excellent (we particularly enjoyed the specialities brought on board from Helsinki). Entertainment and enrichment was good. The new caviar is great but I can’t say that the new champagne is an improvement. It’s cheap and tastes it. We were very happy with the included wines and stuck to them. We plumped for a V5 cabin this time (having had an Owners Suite before) and were not disappointed. They are plenty spacious enough, well designed and quiet, with loads of storage space. The only thing we wished for was a coffee machine in the room. Stewardess service was excellent although we could have done with more toiletries (this was quickly rectified). Overall a wonderful cruise and we aim to get back on the Ovation again. If only Seabourn could have done something about the weather! Read Less

We joined the ship in Copenhagen on the 17th August and left in Stockholm calling at Tallinn and Helsinki. As way of a little background, I am in my 50s, my wife early 60s and have cruised extensively mostly with Azamara but also with Cunard, Holland America and in our early days NCL. Firstly the ship is beautiful, well presented and lots of room. Cabins are more generously sized than other lines and our stewardess was excellent. I did not open my bottle of whisky as I would have only had a couple of shorts before the whole thing would have been poured down the drain. Multiply this by the number of cabins and what a waste, the bar was very close! I felt sorry for the recent poster who said he would not sail with Seabourn again and was immediately lambasted by Seabourn aficionados but I have to wholeheartedly agree with him. For a line that sells itself as 'ultra-luxury' I found their levels of service terribly disappointing. We were constantly waiting to be noticed, order drinks or wait for drinks. A pot of tea shouldn't take 30 minutes, when mentioned to a manager her only reply was 'are you sure its been 30 minutes?', this was a common experience at all the eateries. Service in the eateries was generally hard work, the feeling one got was that they were doing a favour by serving us. Service at the bars - especially the club - was excellent. Food was mediocre, plenty of it, but just not very exciting. We enjoyed the Sushi but found the food in the special 'Grill' not good at all with my 'Veal' being very fatty and grizzly. I did report my general disappointment in the mid cruise feedback form which prompted a reply from the Hotel Director who told me 'she had sorted my problems' which i found impressive as I had not been over specific what my concerns were. Shore excursions were very good but on the first couple of trips there was no guidance from staff as to where meet ashore - Tickets were printed 'Meet Pierside' which didn't help, before immigration or after? there was no one there anyway. The expectation was that you made your way to the coaches, on one occasion our coach went without us and we were greeted by excursion staff with the comment 'ah you're the missing ones'. As we went straight from the ship on being called to the coaches I still find it difficult to understand how we were missing. I really did want to like Seabourn but apart from the ship, which again I will say was beautiful and Handre who was fantastic, other(not so ultra-luxury) lines beat Seabourn hands down down for service, food and of course value for money. Read Less

Spacious rooms and bathroom. Easy boarding and first class treatment from airport pick up to end of cruise. Several places for drinks all day, nice afternoon tea time, small casino open mostly when at sea. Talented entertainers on board with bands at several venues during the day and evening. Nice options for meals from casual to dressy. Room service for breakfast a must, always right on time. Breakfast buffet was always the same but good if you are in a hurry. Booked excursions thru Seabourn and they were all small groups of no more than 20 people. Left on time or before if everyone was there. All sites visited in St Petersburg were very crowded. Walked thru Tallinn, Estonia on our own, it is walking distance to port. Helsinki not much to see, would have skipped the city excursion and just ridden shuttle into town and walked around a little. After we left ship with private driver to hotel just walked around Stockholm on our own. Sheraton Stockholm very easy walk to old town and nice hotel. Read Less

My husband and I sailed on the 8/3/19 cruise on the Ovation out of Copenhagen. This was our first time on Seabourn but I have been on over 30 cruises at the ripe age of 31, with the last 15 on the Oceania line. I am an avid traveler and feel I have a critical but fair eye. I had high expectations of this line and particular ship from word of mouth recommendations and other favorable reviews. I was quite disappointed and will list out all of my reasons while still making sure to give credit where credit is due. I will start with the positives first. My overall summary of the below is at the bottom of this review. Cabin: Our cabin was very nice and spacious. Bed and pillows are comfortable, ample room with a nice walk in closet and separate seating area. Bathroom has a double sink which is very nice, shower is marble and still small but pressure very good. Bathtub a waste of space in my opinion. Balcony nice size and overall room very spacious. We were in cabin 651 on the 6th floor located toward the center of the ship which was great. Molton Brown products in the bathroom and a selection of body soap offered on the first day. Room stewardess was attentive and did a very good job. Only complaint on the first day is that the room wasn’t cleaned well. The soap in our bathroom which was a body wash had been used and there was a lot of dust and finger prints on the table in the room. Otherwise, cabin was excellent and gets high marks from me. I believe we were in category V5. Ship: the ship is beautiful. Modern, clean, more yacht-like than cruise ship. A lot of wood paneling. 600 people but still felt very quiet even on sea days. Our favorite place to relax was the cappuccino lounge on floor 7 where they had tons of seating and recliners. Decor of the ship was very simple yet elegant. WIFI: very good! Much better WIFI than any other ship I’ve been on - in room technology good. Service: this is where our experience goes down the tubes. The service on this ship was HORRIBLE!! The staff do you a major favor and if asked for something that requires them to go out at all of their way, they are rude. We had some staff that were nice (mainly in cappuccino lounge and main dining room - except for maitre de) but all and all, the service sucked. Management lacks tremendously, customer service is non existent and the staff seem poorly trained, disingenuous and disinterested. I’ve really never experienced anything like this before - had we not met several other couples who also shared the same sentiment, I would have thought I was going crazy!! A few examples - almost every meal without fail we waited 10 minutes before getting anything to drink. If we needed a sauce to accompany a meal, we waited 10 minutes. In fact, we stopped ordering sauces because it was such a lost cause & by the time it arrived our meal was over. I asked for cream with my coffee - by the time the cream came, my coffee was cold. We were almost always at a meal with an empty drink that needed refilling. No accommodating what so ever. My husband likes the salmon in the colonnade - we asked if it could be served on the patio 20 feet away and they said no, they prefer not to. At dinner in the main, I asked if i could have a croquette that came with a different entree than what I ordered and was told no, they only had a certain amount and could not accommodate me. I mean, come on! I tried to move my Thomas Keller reservation because my husband wasn’t feeling well and was told with 11 days left on the trip that they couldn’t accommodate us. Finally, after getting the guest services manager involved, we got one at an undesirable time on a different day but at this point, we took what we could get. These may seem Iike minor gripes but we encountered them several times per day and was a major turnoff and took a lot away from the experience. The overall staff attitude was rude and requests of them felt like inconveniences. This in itself was bad enough to never return to this ship. As I said previously, several other couples experienced the same rude service. My husbands Camera was lost day 1 and finally arrived at our cabin with a cracked and dented lens. We requested compensation for the lens. Seabourn asked us to provide the link to the lens - which we did directly from the website - to prove it was $500. They tried to tell us it was a $200 lens (they had the wrong lens) and refused to refund us. We have yet to resolve this issue with them. Food - We are major foodies and we’re quite disappointed in the food on this ship. I will say that the quality is there in a lot of areas (not all) but the execution is not. Breakfast was good but the same every day. Not a bad thing, but boring after a while. A decent selection and probably the best meal. Lunch was a mixed bag. Salad bar always had nice items and the grill items - fish, burgers, hot dog, etc always very tasty and fresh. Meat quality good, fish quality good. My only complaint on the fish was it never had any seasoning or flavor - this was a major theme for most items on board - but I would still prefer to add salt vs. having the sodium and preservative packed food a lot of ships have, so this wasn’t a major complaint. All lunch hot food served in the chaffing dishes were slop and never hot. We almost never ate any of the prepared food served at lunch because it was room temperature and unappealing. Dinner : main dining room was respectable but not great. We didn’t have one meal there that was really delicious. Temperature was an issue and seasoning was non existent. I’ve never put so much salt on my food in my life. Service mixed. Our first night there we waited about 15 minutes before anyone came to our table. Finally the waitress comes over with an iPad looking down and says “what can i get you” - no greeting, no introduction. Very impersonal feeling. Sushi was nothing to write home about. A lot of rice and uninspired. I actually overheard someone say “it’s not as bad as gas station sushi” - I’ll leave it at that. The colonnade was OK - probably our least favorite. They do special nights like rib night or clam bake night and they look beautiful but just don’t quite execute it well. For example : rib night - the ribs came out in a beautiful Staub cast iron pan presented family style and looked delicious. Unfortunately, the ribs were dry, cold and had clearly been sitting on a heat lamp for an hour +. We sent it back and got a new rack that was the same dry and Luke warm ribs this time with some bbq sauce slathered on top. To put the icing on the cake, the assistant maitre de came over and instead of apologizing that the food came out lacking temperature and dry, explained that the ribs weren’t Texas style but st.louis style and weren’t supposed to fall off the bone..I mean ..really ? I’m not expecting anything more than a simple apology or some sort of follow up to see if the second round was better. Instead, I was blamed for expecting them to fall off the bone and they didn’t. I didn’t need ribs that fell off the bone, just didn’t want to eat something as dry as wood. The Patio by the pool in our opinion offered the best most innovative meals but even those fell short on flavor and execution. We also had a Northern Europe itinerary with a lot of rain and cool weather and found ourselves eating outside in the windy cold weather because the patio was the best choice. Thomas Keller which is the specialty restaurant was very good for a steakhouse on a cruise ship. I would say this is likely the best option on board. Food delicious but once again, service lacking. Not attentive and seemed to do you a big favor. We found in all restaurants that the deserts were mediocre and most didn’t taste cooked on board. I don’t think I had one desert I loved. I also found the breads were uninspired. In summary : good quality ingredients (for the most part ) that aren’t executed well. Oceania food trumps Seabourn by a landslide. A few other items to note: Older crowd, no children. Except for us (in our early 30s), most people were 65+. Not good or bad, just our cruise demographic. Free laundry was a nice feature with Miele commercial washers and dryers and complimentary detergent. Gym was small but clean, coffee on board was very good. Entertainment was respectable. Nice job at including different daily activities. Excursions - expensive but well organized. I read the ship docs at ports further away from the destinations to save on docking fees. Not sure if this is true. We did a few excursions - food provided on them was mediocre and limited and tours very pricey. Spa - didn’t use but quite expensive. Very few discounts offered throughout cruise. They had a “promotion” that if you do 3 treatments from a select number of services you get 10% off first, 20% off second and 30% off third. Note this is per cabin and not per stateroom. I know all cruise spas are expensive but this was more than canyon ranch on Oceania. I may have left stuff out but to summarize my overall impressions: cabin and ship top notch and classy, food better than the celebrity level lines but nothing special. Service was so bad it border-lined on offensive and as a result, I will likely not return to Seabourn. Read Less

Our main reasons for choosing the Ovation included some (but not all) of the destinations, notably Scotland, the relatively small scale of the ship (600 passengers), the suites (spacious, spotless, and beautifully appointed) the common areas (ditto), the beverage plan (free everything unless you want to splurge) , and a generally older and well to do clientele. (We fit the former but not the latter). Once aboard we also appreciated the crew and staff (unfailingly friendly and polite, including our suite stewardess Ana Carolina), the Square, a combination library, coffee bar, and guest services area, dinner at Thomas Keller’s Grill, afternoon tea in the Observation Bar, and breakfasts in the Colonnade. Since we aren’t dressy and clubby types, we didn’t eat at The Restaurant , and eschewed the formals and clubby things. The shore excursions were pricey and just ok, and if you want WiFi you pay for it. The ship offers a laundry and dry cleaning service for a fee, but also includes a laundromat (free) which came in handy on our two week sail. Some of the ports of call were less than thrilling, but Oslo and Scotland made the trip worthwhile. If you visit Scotland in August you should definitely go to the Royal Scottish Tattoo in Edinburgh. The price of this cruise was relatively steep, but if you want to be cosseted, Seabourn is definitely worth the indulgence. Read Less

Second sailing on Seabourn and totally pleased with our experience. I thoroughly disagree with the previous HORRIBLE review. Couldn’t have asked for more with attentive staff, always personally greeted by name, invited three evenings to hosted tables in the dining room which provides a personal touch with staff. We never experienced a rude employee... quite the opposite. NO is not in their vocabulary.. always went out of their way to please everyone. We changed ports in one location ... not to save money but for safety reasons to avoid tendering with rough seas. Main reason for booking this itinerary was to attend the Royal Military Tattoo in Edinburgh. Seabourn did an incredible job securing tickets in the Royal Gallery (for an additional cost) which Included reception, covered seating, transportation etc. totally worth the added expense. They do a wonderful job with Signature Events to make Seabourn stand out among other luxury lines. Perhaps the unsatisfied review was too young to appreciate the Seabourn service. Yes, they do appeal to a more mature age group... very few children on board but a variety of activities. We have traveled extensively on various cruise lines... you’ll always have some disgruntled passengers looking for a free cruise... We were on the same cruise and totally enjoyed the entire experience. Read Less

We chose Princess because we had friends who suggested them. Princess exceeded our expectations. No problems with embarkation or disembarkation. The cabin, a deluxe balcony room, had all the space and amenities we needed, it was easy to manage getting around the ship and the entertainment was very good with a very good house band, Evolution, playing different music styles. Danced many nights and especially enjoyed Rock Night-great! Food was good to excellent in open seating dinning room where we ate every night. Never had a bad meal. The buffet, which we only used for breakfast and lunch when on ship, was huge and good. Really like eggs/omelets made to order every morning on buffet. The shows were great with a huge theatre so never a problem getting a seat. Booked all shore excursions with Princess. Just wanted to keep it easy and price was reasonable to third parties. Booked the small group tours in Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Oslo. Just went on our own in Tallinn and Warnemunde. All equal or better guides then we have had with European tours in the past. Really pleased we did it this way and the groups were always less number of people than allowed. Service on the ship was excellent!! Room always very clean and Princess people just very hard working and nice. My wife and I have been to Europe 8 times in the last 13 years and recently retired. We use the internet very little and no cell phone when we travel but internet and TV sometimes do not work well in the Baltic Sea or places like Russia. I always felt it was foolish to work on European vacations anyway so never did in any of my previous trips. We will cruise again and Princess will be the company we will use. It was a great experience and look forward to more. Read Less

The opportunity to visit Scandinavian countries through an ocean cruise. This was our first Viking cruise. The entire staff was very friendly, courteous, and helpful to us. We also appreciated the very helpful assistance from Viking employees who met us at the Copenhagen Airport when we arrived after our long overseas flight. The meals were delicious. The nightly entertainment was top-notch. We enjoyed each of the daily tours in Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and Norway. All of the tours were expertly managed. We enjoyed each one of the ports of call. We learned a great deal through our tours. We enjoyed the two swimming pools and the recreational amenties provided on board the ship. Everyone on the ship made us feel welcome, and they were genuinely interested in making sure that we were enjoying the cruise at all times. We also appreciated the assistance which Viking gave to us at the end of the tour in Bergen, Norway. Viking employees took us to the Airport and helped us deposit our luggage with the SAS personnel. Read Less

We like cruising because it can take us to a lot of different places in a very short period of time, all the while bringing our hotel and restaurant along with us. This cruise was of interest to us because it did a little wandering around before taking us to Norway where we had never been. We enjoyed the variety of interesting experiences we had in Denmark, then Germany, then back to Denmark, over to Sweden and then up to Norway. Viking does a terrific job. We had previously taken two of their river cruises and had high expectations for this cruise. We enjoyed everything about this cruise and are now looking forward to our next Viking cruise. We cannot say enough about the Viking staff. We should note, however, that because our focus is on the shore experiences, we didn't go to any entertainment, enrichment and other onboard evening activities. (The fact that there are no sea days on this cruise was not a problem for us.) As it happened, we met another couple on the cruise and wound up spending a long time at dinner with them, so that by the time we finished we had to get to bed to get ready for the following day. Regarding the various ports of call, having spent a couple of days in Copenhagen previously, we opted on the first full day for the Fredriksborg and Kronborg Castle excursion, which was very interesting. The second day, having been fortunate to have made several trips to Berlin previously, we were able to pass on the Berlin excursions and instead opted to visit Lubeck and Wismar. The third day, we took the included walking excursion around Aalborg, a delightful Danish town. The fourth day, we liked Gothenberg but unfortunately the city seemed to be in the midst of a massive urban makeover which made getting around the city extremely difficult. The fifth and sixth days in Oslo were delightful. We took the included excursion on the morning of the fifth day and went on our own on the ferry over to Museum Island to see the Fram Museum. The sixth day, we vegged out, limiting our sightseeing to the very interesting Akershus Fortress (which was right next to our ship) and nearby Norweigian Resistance Museum. (We would love to go back to Oslo as there is so much more to see there.) The weather was not the best on the seventh day when we were in Kristiansand; we did a little walking around on our own and took the included excursion in the afternoon. On the eighth day, we opted for the cruise to Pulpit Rock, which was wonderful. In the afternoon, we walked around Stavanger, which was frankly much more interesting than Kristiansand (but, then, the weather was so much better). The ninth day we sailed up the long, long Hardangerfjord to Eidfjord. If you want a tip, make a point of getting up early like this reviewer did and watch the ship sail up the fjord. Just glorious, if the weather is good as it was for us. (At four in the morning, this reviewer pretty much had the public areas of the ship to himself -- which was very sad, given what passenger might have seen.) We opted for the all day excursion, which was very enjoyable, notwithstanding the rain in the afternoon. But, in hindsight, this reviewer wonders whether an all day boat excursion around the Hardangerfjord might have been preferable. The last full day was in Bergen, which was predictably rainy in the morning but tolerable in the afternoon for exploring. Read Less

My mom booked this cruise with friends and I was lucky enough to join them! I have been on many cruises with Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival and Costa but Viking blows them all out of the water. Definitely an older crowd, no kids or casino but the food, service and amenities were so far beyond anything I have ever experienced! The itinerary of Majestic Fjords and Vibrant Cities was also fantastic. I would definitely do the cruise itinerary and ship again. Take the tour of the ship at the beginning - learned a lot about what was available on the ship and lots of hidden gems. Reservations for the specialty restaurants were easily made and the Chef's Table was amazing! They put our group of 8 in the private dining room a couple times and that was wonderful. Also, don't miss the waffle at Mamsen's in the Viking Lounge with brown cheese, sour cream and fruit for breakfast. The tea in the Wintergarden was great but too close to dinner for all the food that we had!!! We did a couple of the optional excursions (biking and food/fjord tours) and they were also fantastic. The group excursions were never bigger than 30 people and very manageable. Read Less

Seeing the Scandinavian countries was pure delight, from Copenhagen, to the train tour over the highlands of Sweden back to Oslo. It was a perfect journey! From the very beginning of our Viking experience, we had excellent service. Airport transfers to our pre and post-excursion hotels were smooth and perfect. Hotels were well selected, with very nice rooms, centrally located in walking distance to many cultural activities. All the staff were SO hospitable, from servers, housekeeping staff, security, to musicians and bartenders. It was a totally wonderful trip from start to finish. Our land excursions were handled VERY efficiently, and gave us an excellent sense of where we were visiting. The tour leaders were local hosts, which gave us a very personal view of their town, and were able to answer questions about all manner of local topics, from gardens and business histories, to taxation and local issues. We look forward to our next Viking journey! Read Less

We chose the Serenity having travelled on the Espirit and the Harmony and because we wanted to do a Baltic Sea Cruise. We have suite 11060 which is fine and it an added benefit to order dinner from any of the dining establishments. The check in was seamless. Our butler and cabin attendants, Jose and Lydia, were the best!!!! You could not find anything lacking in their lovely demeanor and commitment to our well being. The first two days we were in Copenhagen. The weather was less than attractive, rainy and overcast, but the city's personality shown through. The Danes are a wonderful people, very conscious of the environment, very hygge, the perfect city to start the cruise. The second port in Germany was kind of a bust. The town was ‘eh’. It is a nice little seaside town in Northern Germany. We took a long walk into town along a boardwalk filled with German tourists. English was rather sketchy. I recommend getting off the main tourist area and walking into town. They have a lovely church square and a sweet little park that the local use. Day 4 was the day at Sea and Formal Night. The cruise seemed very casual. Less than half the men was saw adhered to Crystal Casual or the Semi Formal attire. We had dinner in the dining room which is where our problems started. My husband was the first to succumb to the norovirus the morning of day 5. I will not subject you to the details, but suffice it to say it was extremely unpleasant. The medical team admonished him for not washing his hands enough, and he was quarantined leaving me to go to a lower floor overnight. His poor health lasted two days missing Helsinki and one day in St. Petersburg. I succumbed the 2nd day in St. Petersburg missing St. Petersburg and Tallin. I did not expect to find the Norovirus in such a high end cruise. I don’t have an official count but the ship has seemed very quiet and the medical center was very busy both days we visited. An airborne food disease is not the ‘fault’ of guests. It is the responsibility of the ship to provide a clean and disenfected environment. The first evening aboard the ship I witness tissue on the ground on the 11 floor, trash left in a stairwell to the work out room and napkins in the elevator. Really! On a Crystal ship! We have sailed on 17 different cruise ships since 1991 and this is the first time we have encountered the Norovirus. As far as other aspects of Crystal, I have yet to find a barista on board at least at the Marketplace that can make a decent cappuccino. How can you call yourself a luxury cruise line when the coffee station cannot make cappuccinos and don’t use the proper size cup to get the ingredients correct. I don’t drink alcohol but I do love my mocha and cappuccinos. Sorry to say, I have not had a decent one since we left the d’Angleterre hotel in Copenhagen. Excursion desk. My question is this, how can I purchase my ticket to the Russian ballet 5 months in advance and be seated with the crew, when someone who bought their ticket for the excursion a couple of hours before the show had tickets in the second row. Also, did I mention we purchased penthouse suite? That just did not make sense to me☹️. Also, you need better excursions. The company that took us to Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg also took us to a place to purchase souvenirs. On another day a private guide we arranged to use to a souvenir shop and the items were 40-50% less. Beware! I thought the service staff was great. Crystal society rep was less than lack luster, I approached while my husband was in the room, he was getting up to join his friend at the Cruise Sale desk. I stopped him to tell him what was going on, he did not ask me sit just let me talk to him in an open lobby, and immediately joined his friend when I was finished talking. I don’t like to say never, but after having travelled on the Espirit, I will not ever take another voyage on Crystal Serenity. Read Less

We thought we booked the same line we took on another cruise, but it turned out to be the Crystal Serenity, which was even better. The staff were happy, which we like because it means the company treats them well, then they treated us very well. We liked the way every time we sat down, whether it was in the central lounge on Deck 5 or the Forward lounge on Deck 12, there was someone approaching us to ask if there was anything they could get for us. It was called an "amenity" cruise, and it was indeed. We were treated extremely well from the time we arrived at the ship, throughout the cruise, and when we left to go home. The food was fabulous, the prosecco, chamboard cocktails and wine flowed freely, and there were light activity shore excursions that I could enjoy. Crystal is definitely now my favorite cruise line, and I hope we can take another cruise with this line soon. Having talked with others who have taken other cruise lines to the same locations, I find that the fact that Crystal allows you to take as many or as few shore excursions, but only pay for the ones you take, is an advantage. As my ability to walk decreases, I would take fewer shore excursions, but would enjoy every bit of the cruise as much or more than I did this time. Read Less

This was the first Viking Cruise we have taken, previously having sailed with Disney. The whole ship exudes quality both from the quality of furnishings, food and crew. The transfer arrangements went smoothly and without hitch. We had a starboard cabin on deck 5 (5053) which had everything we needed and exceeded the quality of Disney product. The self service restaurant was where we had breakfast and lunch and food and choice were excellent. Evenings we are in The Restaurant which was waiter service and had the most wonderful server in Sophia - a credit to Viking, in our view. The food was well presented and delicious. One night we ate in Manfredis which was Italian specialty and delicious. We didn’t visit the Chefs Table but did lunch a couple of times in Madsens, the Scandinavian restaurant which was excellent. My only criticism was that some guests seemed to get to eat in Manfredis regularly and there should be limitations so that everyone can benefit! I have to say that the entertainment team were awesome led by Cruise Director Bevin, no mean singer in his own right either. His assistant Brian Rodriguez had an amazing voice and the vocalists Dan, Becky, Maddy and Damien performed shows each night that would not have disgraced the West End and backed by a terrific band. The crew from Capt Olav downwards were friendly and could not do enough for us. Special mention for Olex our barman as well. Shore excursions lived up to Vikings cultural enrichment theme and were well organised. We have already booked our next cruise whilst onboard! Read Less

I would like to comment on the excellent experience we had with my wife at Viking Sky. Before leaving, we had apprehensions regarding entertainment on board and the age of the passengers. We are not young (58 and 46 years old) but we knew that the average age was higher. The truth is that although the average age is higher, it was very nice for us to be on the boat without children or teenagers, without a casino, without photographers, without sellers of trinkets. the shows were of quality, the conferences very interesting, the first level gym, the extraordinary spa, the fantastic living rooms to read, the swimming pools with sun loungers available, the exceptional food both in the buffet and in the restaurant, always, and I insist, always with tables available for dinner, breakfast and dinners. This is our 15th cruise and we have used MCS, Costa, Royal, Azamara, Princess and Celebrity, and from all of the above we can say that Viking has been our best experience and best quality price ratio. Read Less

We have previously taken two Uniworld River Cruises. We chose Uniworld because Viking salespeople were too aggressive for our tastes. Uniworld offers no Ocean cruises so, with some trepidation, we signed on for the Viking Baltic Sea cruise. The fact that Viking advertises so extensively, and that the ship accommodates so many more people than a river boat, led us to expect a less pleasant experience. All our fears proved totally groundless. The entire experience, from arrival to departure was marvelous. We were met at the airport by numerous Viking representatives who helped us navigate recovery of luggage and getting on the bus to the ship. Our room (Penthouse Veranda) was beautiful, spacious and comfortable. Service on board the ship was spectacularly good. There seemed to be as many employees, all willing to help, as there were passengers. Every public space was immaculately clean, and our room was kept this way by the housekeeping staff. The ship was so large that at no time did we feel crowded. There were many restaurants, all very good, and we never had difficulty finding a table for two, which we preferred. On several occasions we ordered breakfast via room service. It was excellent and delivered precisely when ordered. The ship offered many opportunities to attend educational lectures, and evening entertainment was well attuned to an older audience (e,g,, Beatles retrospective, Broadway show tunes). The performers were first-rate. Additionally, there were cocktail hour musicians who were delightful. One of the most impressive things about the cruise was the level of organization. Every evening we were provided with a schedule for the next day. All departures for excursions were so well executed that one had a sense of being on a much smaller cruise. All but one of the excursions were of high quality, and the staff clearly anticipated the incompetence of the one poor local guide by sending an additional person to encourage him to tell us about sights. Sadly, that didn't help. We would venture a guess that this local guide won't be used again. All the other local guides were quite good. Finally, the departure of 900 people from the ship at the end of the cruise was conducted masterfully. Bottom line: The cruise was far better than we had anticipated. The time spent on the ship was even more enjoyable than on the smaller river cruises we have taken. We are already planning a second Viking ocean cruise. Read Less

My wife and I are both senior and retired and this was our first and only cruise so far. We certainly chose the best, everything about our Viking cruise was top notch. Embarkation was a breeze, very efficient with our bags delivered to our cabin in a very timely manner while we enjoyed welcome drinks served by really friendly crew members. Our cabin was very comfortable and well equipped. Room service and laundry facilities were excellent. We enjoyed some absolutely fabulous meals; the Cuisine in the several restaurants was par excellence. We enjoyed the daily musical entertainment in the atrium, sometimes provided by a delightful young lady on piano and at other times a female duet on Cello and violin. Onboard entertainment was really well presented; we particularly enjoyed the Beatles and Abba evenings. The onshore excursions were really well chosen and organised just perfectly. Our onshore guides were extremely knowledgeable, really friendly and most had a great sense of humour. The Hermitage was a stand out highlight for us, but then again the whole St Petersburg experience was just excellent. Thank you Viking! Read Less

Our Viking Cruise experience was so enjoyable and staff services excellent from booking reservations, transfers for embarkation and disembarkation on board staff and amenities was exceptional, post trip to Iceland was great. Especially loved the variety of dining venues and quality of food and selection, included excursions available at every port and privileged access excursion to the Hermitage at Night with champagne reception and private concert were a memorable highlight. Also enjoyed the spa amenities and fitness center to get some exercise on the at sea days on board ship. It was a good balance to work off the calories from the excellent specialty restaurants and World Cafe buffet that also freshly prepared daily special entrees to order. On Board enrichment lectures, cooking class and tour of kitchen with Chef, classical musicians, pianist in the Grand Lobby and at tea time in the Wintergarden, variety shows and entertainment by resident and visiting entertainers in the Show Room was fabulous. This is my 5th Cruise and 2nd with Viking. Definitely planning my next adventure with Viking - love the ship amenities, but also love the friendly and staff services Read Less

From the moment we stepped on board, we knew we had made the correct choice. The staff could not have been more pleasant, professional and accommodating. Every staff member always had a smile and genuinely wanted to make our trip special. I am lactose intolerant and was nervous. Everyone from the chef on down did everything to accommodate my food needs. When I made a request, they make it possible. I had a minor medical problem and was amazed at the quality and extensive equipment/facility that was on board. The lectures and entertainment were fabulous. We enjoyed every excursion even though some that we chose were more physically challenging than we were use to. Each excursion was well organized and extremely interesting. The room and all the common areas are beautiful and well worth the price. I can't recommend this cruise line enough. We hope to make more trips with Viking Ocean. Read Less

Viking Sky was an excellent ship. The ship is clean, new, and state of the art. It has large showers and bathrooms which is so much nicer than cubby hole ones on other cruise lines. Dining selections are varied, delicious and flexible. The most popular dining rooms filled up quickly so it was tricky to get at times. The Entertainment was EXCELLENT! Each night offered a variety of professional entertainers. Activities during the day were very informative, well educated speakers and relevant to the area visiting. Included shore excursions were ok. Seemed to have a lot of walking and fast paced. Employees were very courteous and helpful. Entertainment in the open areas was very entertaining and greatly appreciated while sitting in an relaxing sitting area. Cruise personnel were excellent. Always willing to help, and accommodate special request. The Viking Sky is a boutique ship that is worthy of remarkable praise. Read Less

Having sailed on sister ship Riviera in 2018 we were confident in what to expect on Marina. Excellent service, wonderful ports and great food and spirits. Marina did not disappoint. The ship is small enough that you can easily move around, yet large enough to have multiple entertainment and dining options. My wife likes the shows, I enjoy making an evening contribution to the casino. It is nice that they still have a craps table. Many ships have done away with them. We enjoyed the specialty restaurants and Le Reserve. The main dining room is beautiful, we really enjoyed a peaceful breakfast in the MDR. The buffet option can be crowded. We embarked in Denmark visiting; Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and disembarked in Sweden. St. Petersburg was fantastic. We hired a private guide and driver through TJ travel. Excellent choice. Slatvana Andrusheko, was encyclopedic in her knowledge of Russia. In another life she was a Russian History professor. It really made the trip extraordinary. We had her and the driver for 2 full days. It is a big plus having a driver ready to pick you up to take you on to the next site. Plus they have already acquired all entry passes to the venues you must see. She took us to local restaurants and markets. We got a real feel for St. Petersburg. Our first port, Warnemunde, Germany was a real surprise. Very nice summer vacation spot with a real small town appeal. Take the train to Rostock if you are inclined, very easy trip. We rented a car on the Island of Bornholm, Denmark. A very nice day drive. In many of the ports, we just jumped on the Hop-On - Hop Off bus for a great city tour. Helsinki was really a highlight too. Our cabin was spacious and very accommodating. No complaints about the food or drinks. We do purchase a drink package and find it to be a good value. We didn't book any of our tours with the ship, we found better value doing it privately. We are also a bit more adventurous and enjoy hunting out different sights. The only "negative" we found on the ship was my wife wanted to participate in the on-board art class, but this ship had more children on then usual and they were crowding the art class. Not a big deal. We do enjoy Oceania because it is primarily all adults. We love children, but we don't miss the screaming, crying and running. The literature and website is quite clear in this is primarily adults. No climbing walls, no slides, no big screen TV, no Mickey and Minnie. As a grandparent, we have taken our grandchildren on cruises, but more age appropriate lines. All in all, Oceania met our expectations. We put a deposit down on another cruise in 2020. Read Less

We chose this cruise as it was a place that we had not been to before and we really did want to see the fjords. Embarkation and disembarkation all went very smoothly. Viking lived up to its usual high standards with impeccable service, great excursions and wonderful food. I required vegetarian food which was prepared for me by the excellent team of chefs. The only thing that wasn't very good was the weather but Viking can hardly be blamed for that! The shows were very good. The Viking Sky is a great ship with so much space. You hardly realise that there are nine hundred passengers on board. There is always somewhere to sit quietly and relax. A definite plus was having someone to lead a religious service on a Sunday. I cannot rate the crew highly enough - totally dedicated and competent. They cannot do enough for the passengers. Read Less

This was our 4th Viking Ocean cruise and it pains me to only give the Orion a 4 star review. The Orion is definitely NOT an example of the Viking Ocean quality we have experienced on past cruises. Many new cruisers we talked to said they would not sail Viking again. Viking did a terrible job with communication. Our cruise documents stated we were sailing out of Yokohama, we sailed out of Tokyo Bay which created problems for those who booked hotels in Yokohama. Apparently due to the cruise being advertised as 23 days (it was 22 days) many had flights out of Vancouver the day after we arrived, plus Viking didn't have a berth for the ship so they offloaded our baggage in the middle of the night and then anchored in Vancouver Harbor. We had to tender for disembarkation. It was not as bad as it could have been but the next cruise pax were not allowed to board until 5:30 pm. that evening. FOOD: Manfredi's: food was sub par at best with entrees being so overcooked they were mostly inedible. The service was absolutely terrible. We ate there three times and cancelled our 4th reservation. Chef's Table: We had 4 meals there and most were excellent (didn't like the California one). The service was superior. For a 22 day cruise there were only 6 different menus so the choices were minimal. World Cafe: Eggs benedict under warming lights, no longer cooked to order. Omelette station nice, but the wait, long. The selection for both breakfast and lunch was tedious with most entrees tasting the same. All curries tasted alike. Sandwiched were no longer made to order. Main complaint however was the service with most waiters really not knowing what to do. At most breakfasts and lunches we were not offered beverages until our meal was almost finished. Restaurant: Most meals very good with a good selection to choose from. We would have liked to see some local offerings like Alaska Salmon, since we were in Alaska but none was offered. The service here was very spotty, some nights excellent, some nights not. In general most supervisors in the different restaurants seemed untrained and lazy, not really seeing the problems. Entertainment: Very good Port Talks: OK Enrichment: Very Good Cabin Stewards: Excellent Embarkation: Very good Disembarkation: Tenders Excursions: Nothing exceptional, except for expensive optional tours, mostly which were good. Planetarium: Interesting but a bit over hyped. Explorer's Lounger: Excellent servers We have signed up for another Viking Ocean Cruise so haven't given up on Viking. We just feel the crew in general needed more direction and training. Read Less