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

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

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 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

Viking always does it the right way. Just about everything you would expect is provided and included. Excellent service, embarkation was a fast and efficient, boarding, bag delivery prompt, cabin room ready and pristine ( the cabin attendants were excellent, prompt and great attending your personnel requests) Meals as always were great, a selection as always for what pleases you on each meal. Spa and fitness is great and easy to do your own workout or experience the ships offerings. Excursions are plentiful and depending on your preference very good. We feel very comfortable on any of the Viking cruise offerings, either river of ocean. The ship is a smaller ocean cruise liner but has all the features you may want, there are no water slides or other features that younger couples and families would require, it is more an mature adult atmosphere where comfort, great food and drink are appreciated in a slower pace than other large cruise ships provide. Overall it was and great experience and will book again with Viking on my next vacation. Read Less

This cruise was a retirement celebration. It was selected from the mailer. It had destinations we were interested in and the departure date was a good fit. We loved the idea that the number of guests was small and events more intended for a more mature client. The Sky was a joy to sail and the Crew/Staff were all superb. The dining choices gave great variety and all the venues were comfortable and well planned. The included excursions gave you a good base of information for the location and the optional excursions gave you the option to expand you experience. As part of the trip subject experts were on board to give introductory talks related to the stops and related history. The cruise director and the singers, musicians and their support also made the experience memorable. The excursions staff had everything so well organized and coordinated it truly was remarkable. Our only change we would suggest was one less day in St. Petersburg and more time in Stockholm. Overall we highly recommend this ship and the tour Read Less

We are interested in learning more about Scandinavian countries and St. Petersburg, Russia. Russia and the Baltic looked like the best fit for us. We enjoyed Copenhagen, Stockholm, Talinn, Gotland, and in particular, St. Petersburg. We also wanted to visit Moscow however given our middle day in St. Petersburg was a Thursday we were not able to visit Moscow given the Kremlin is closed on Thursdays and the tour operators do not schedule Moscow trips on that day. Therefore, if you want to visit Moscow check on availability before you book. We enjoyed the people, scenery and the sties in each of the ports visited. The Viking experience is second to none. This was our third cruise with Viking. We enjoyed our Rhine Getaway on the Viking Mani and the Mediterranean Odyssey on the Viking Orion. Viking is consistently excellent in all aspects of the cruise vacationing. We have recommended them to many people and will continue to do so. Viking ocean cruise ships are smaller. I don't know the capacity of the ships but on both of our ocean cruises there were 950 passengers and about 500 crew members. What is the benefit? Several, namely: you do not feel crowded, cabins are larger and well appointed, bathrooms are real bathrooms not cramped RV style bathrooms, and the crew genuinely wants to provide you with a quality experience in every respect. The meals in each restaurant are excellent. We typically breakfasted and lunched in the World Cafe. We also enjoyed the Pool Grill for lunch. We enjoyed Manfredi's and the Chef's Table on both cruises (one dinner at each on both cruises). We enjoyed the Restaurant for dinner on both cruises. The food selections were always interesting and delicious. At Manfredi's we really enjoyed the Ribeye Steak. Finally we enjoyed Tea Time in the Wintergarden and certainly the wonderful cookies and pastries at Mamsen's. The common areas of Viking's ocean ships and their river ships are very inviting and comfortable. They really thought through and executed common areas that allow you enjoy the sea, the ship, and most importantly your friends and loved ones company. There are many of these areas on the ship. All of them are excellent. The photos on the website are totally accurate. The reality of these areas may be a very pleasant surprise for those that have cruised on the large hotel style cruise ships. I cannot say enough about the effectiveness and the professionalism of the Viking organization. We cruised on the Viking Sky one month after the incident the ship experienced on another voyage off the coast of Norway last year. It is my understanding that the Viking Sky only had to cancel one voyage before it was back at sea. I looked hard for anything amiss on the ship on our trip and could find nothing. The crew (same one as on the incident) was totally positive and did a wonderful job of hosting and ensuring we had a wonderful experience. Viking is a great value for your vacation money. We have enjoyed the following cruises with Viking: The Rhine Getaway on the Viking Mani The Mediterranean Odyssey on the Viking Orion (its maiden voyage) Russia and the Baltic on the Viking Sky Enjoy your cruise with Viking. Read Less

Because we had taken a Viking river cruise in China, we wanted to try an ocean cruise, particularly to an area we had not previously visited. The Scandinavian itinerary appealed to us. Newly retired, I chose a September date. We can now travel any time of the year! After the heat of a Nashville summer, cool temps in northern Europe beckoned. Viking more than met our expectations of a wonderful cruise experience. Our cabin was well equipped with a wonderfully comfortable bed and unusually large bathroom. Dining on board was a delight because of the delicious food available in all of the restaurants. With fewer than 900 passengers on the ship, we never felt crowded or rushed when we went to eat. Viking has a seasoned system for taking care of passengers. Our room key cards were used to check on and off the ship; the ship's daily news was delivered to our cabin every day. The TV screen in our cabin offered not only entertainment but also news and information about the ship. Over and over again, we found the crew members to be pleasant and helpful. Our cabin steward Adonis was always eager to help. We particularly enjoyed the lectures about Vikings and Anne Frank, and we loved the design of the ship. No smoking, no casino, no children--We thoroughly enjoyed our ocean cruise with Viking and look forward to sailing with Viking again. Read Less

My husband was not ready for a river cruise, but we were no longer enjoying the mainstream cruises or Caribbean ports. The itinerary of Copenhagen to Amsterdam was very appealing as was an adults only ship. The Viking Sky and Viking ocean cruise line was awesome. We enjoyed the smaller ship, included excursions and friendly staff. We booked the pre-cruise package in Copenhagen and booked our airline through Viking which made the airport to hotel to cruise ship seamless. The only issue was a last minute cancellation of our flight, but Viking handled the re-booking and we would up on a more direct flight. The cabin was very comfortable (we loved the heated bathroom floors), the ships decor very nice, the lounge areas relaxing, the nordic spa experience (sauna to snow room) fun and the entertainment enjoyable (how many cruise directors sing opera and can give a one woman show?) We will definitely go on another Viking ocean cruise. Read Less

The itinerary for this cruise fit our schedule beautifully. We loved the fact that we docked in some ports in the evening, able to do a bit of exploring for/after dinner, giving it almost a river cruise atmosphere. And what ports! Copenhagen, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Rouen, Honfleur, and London! Each beautiful, full of history, good shopping, and lots of cobblestones. The Wind only holds 296 passengers, giving it a very intimate feel, yet never felt crowded. There are four restaurants available for dinner, and we enjoyed each and every one at least twice! Chef even prepared a special dinner for us of dover sole one night in the main restaurant. The staff and crew are delightful. After 10 days we felt as if we were leaving our "Cheers" bar, where everyone knows your name. The Cruise Director, Colin, is a trained classical pianist who entertained us, along with the 6 Seven Seas Dancers/Singers. From opera to Broadway, they were great. We had fun! Everyone bent over backwards to make certain everything was to our satisfaction. This was our third Silver Seas cruise, and I can't wait for the next one.... Read Less