My favorite example of the superiority of the Viking ocean experience is the buffet, called World Cafe. On other cruises I hated going to the buffet. No matter the line, I found the buffets chaotic and aggravating: noisy, confusing, and with second rate food. Not on Viking Sky. The World Cafe was a pleasure: pleasant, simply organized, and with food as good as the main restaurant!

In general the experience on Viking Sky followed similar lines: pleasant, easy, and with excellent service. While Sky is a much smaller ship than others that I've been on, it still had smaller crowds and shorter lines, which really reduced the stress. It also helped that the staff were very accommodating, always going out of their way to make sure we were well taken care of. Even when we asked for an after-the-last-minute change in our tours, they made it happen.

One "weakness" might be entertainment. It was heavy on history lectures (which I personally appreciated) but light on the song-and-dance variety. And there were no dazzling big shows. Read more