Viking Sea Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Greece has been on our bucket list for a long time, and although our original sailing date was "adjusted" by the pandemic, we were happy to wait. The wait was certainly worth it. We are Viking junk)ies. This is was our sixth cruise. Four rivers and two oceans. They never get old.
As committed river cruisers we booked our first ocean cruise (Iconic Western Med) a few years ago with some fear and trepidation and were so pleased it was a simple decision to try again. While the ocean ships are certainly larger than the intimate river ships, they are small enough that fellow passengers soon become familiar and new friendships happen naturally. The attentiveness and expertise of the staff and crew are so consistently excellent that it's awkward to complete the post cruise surveys and select "met my expectations" only because our expectations have become so high, and are always met.
The variety of dining options on the Sea (and Star, or previous ship) are great, especially the "specialty" options, Manfredi's and Chef's Table which we visited as often as we could. The World Café is always a solid option, if not as elegant as the others. And 24 hour room service is wonderful, especially for breakfast when early excursions are involved. John, our stateroom steward on this voyage was incredible. He came and went as if by magic, turning our cabin into an oasis several times a day.
Cabin Review
Explorer Suite with Balcony
It's hard to overstate the comfort and elegance of the Explorer Suite, an unexpected upgrade for us when we embarked. I don't know who at Viking was looking out for us, but we are grateful! Having a sitting area with sofas, and dining table make life on board a whole new experience. Would we book an ES on a future voyage? We're thinking about it.
Port Reviews
Athens (Piraeus)
Our cruise of the Greek islands began an ended in Piraeus. It's tricky to transfer between the cruise terminal and ferry terminals but we were able to solve it with an overpriced taxi ride. This is a BUSY port. Gird your loins!
Kusadasi
Getting back to your ship after an excursion here requires a mind numbing journey through a maze of shops that is confusing (intentionally so, I'm sure). Given a choice I'll never return and won't miss it.
Santorini
Santorini is NOT the postcard blue dome destination you might expect if you are visiting by cruise ship. I understand it's a completely different experience if you are staying overnight and can experience the compact towns and sites without the mob of cruises that we (I'm sorry) were a part of. There are other Greek islands not on the cruise ship itineraries that are better choices.
Nafplion
This intimate little town was a welcome stop on our journey. Going ashore by tender is an added treat, and the proximity of restaurants and cafes within walking distance of the waterfront makes post excursion stops for food and drink easy and pleasant.