Viking Star Review

5.0 / 5.0
2,051 reviews

Viking Oceans is a Force to be Reckoned With

Review for the Eastern Mediterranean Cruise on Viking Star
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roothy123
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Sep 2015
Desk with convenient cubbyholes for all those little things that get lost
Typical modern design on ship
Bathroom in our deluxe (due to amenities, not layout) veranda cabin
One of my favorite places - Explorers Lounge deck 8 area
Pool with retractable cover. Changes color at night.

Just as a point of reference, I am a mid-sixties female and my spouse and I cruise for most of our vacations (12 ocean cruises - 9 Oceania, 3 Celebrity and Princess) plus 4 river cruises. I cruise mostly to see the world; ship and amenities are a little less important than itineraries. Some of my comments don’t fall into convenient categories, so I’ll mention them first. I love the port-intensive itineraries with few sea days that Viking has chosen to offer. I loved their beautiful & comprehensive pre-cruise booklet, and the fact that there were a lot of little things that, while not essential, seemed to add to the cruise experience. For example, there were lightweight blankets in a few venues should passengers need them (we didn’t), a 360 deck near many staterooms (good for photographers, not just runners/walkers), and electronic activity boards in various places around the ship so that you didn’t have to carry the Viking Daily with you on sea (or other) days to know what was going on. The Viking Daily was good, and included little hints like how to say, "Take me back to the ship" in the native language. There were fun things like a doorbell, and innovative things I hadn’t seen on previous ocean cruises. Examples of innovative things would include the centralized Explorers Desk to go to for all needs, with places to sit if staff members were busy, plus no tender tickets given out, plus life jackets kept near lifeboats to facilitate faster movement in case of an emergency, plus “Gangway” button on elevator. Even though the ship was filled with mostly North Americans, the cruise line retained its roots by furnishing the ship with Norwegian things, including some food to try (for example, fish and caramel colored cheese at Mamsen’s). I liked that, and hope they don't get "Americanized" as they go along. We liked the casualness of the ship, with no formal nights, photographer, and other stuff that Celebrity, Princess and many major lines cling to when many of us older folks have found we can live without these things on a vacation. Free shuttles were provided in a number of cities, which I had not anticipated – a nice bonus.

Ship/room décor/comfort: Gorgeous modern ship with lots of interesting decorations (not just vases and pictures) and, my husband adds, no fancy chandeliers! Loved the wallpaper in stateroom corridors, with blue background and wallpapered scenes. Unusual decorations such as artwork by children in rooms did not go unnoticed. Other than that, room furnishings were pretty much the usual ocean cruise line fare, except more light and modern, and with a wonderful desk. Some people wanted more drawer space, as is apparently provided on Viking longships, but we found drawer space adequate for our 2 weeks of clothing. It was typical for a non-suite cruise ship room. People may, however, want to utilize the shelves and spaces elsewhere (desk, nightstand, bathroom drawers, etc.) and ask for more hangers. We are cheapskates, and often get inside cabins on other cruise lines. I have to admit, however, that having a veranda was nice. Don’t expect the wonderful views you get on river cruises, however – it’s just not like that on ocean cruises.

Overall, the ship was quite comfortable, spacious and homey, and except for one night due to route and seas, it rode quite smoothly. Internet, except for one day, was excellent. I’m not much of a spa person (mostly due to cost on other cruise lines) so maybe I’m too easily pleased, but I did think the spa area was fabulous. The infinity pool was fun and unique, although at times the area was shared by people eating lunch and people swimming or sunbathing – a little weird. After a few lunches by the infinity pool, we learned to just go toward the side of the ship – still outside but farther from swimmers/sunbathers. Explorers Lounge on 8th was a great area for quiet relaxation; loved the little-used Wintergarden (beautiful) and the warm scones (delicious) during the one Tea I managed to get to. Except for one day of problems, the internet worked great, day and night, without any interruptions or slowdowns. Laundry room, though not new to us, was appreciated.

Cabin Review

Cabin Deluxe veranda

Included in above, except to add that location was good. First room behind the regular verandas, fairly close to laundry room, not too far from elevator, no noise noticed. Starboard side was nice on this itinerary (Venice to Istanbul) for most ports, but of course, once you're an hour or so out to sea, you don't see anything much, so starboard versus port doesn't matter much. Also, where you dock is always up to the port not the cruise line, so some views will be different, even on same itinerary. Widodo and Ayu kept our cabin quite clean, provided ice every day. In mini-bar/fridge, allowed up to something like 4 candy bars, 6 sodas a day, no liquor.

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