Viking Orion Review
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We chose this cruise for the itinerary. Bangkok, Singapore and Bali were places on our bucket list that we wanted to experience. Overall, the cruise was great. We have cruised with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises many times in the past. We did a river cruise with Viking right before Covid hit, the Rhine Getaway, and was totally blown away by Viking. So, we decided to try their ocean cruise. We have another ocean cruise booked with Viking for next year, the trade routes of the Middle Ages tour. Can't wait!
Covid guidelines:
On this particular cruise, Viking tested every passenger every day. We received the test vials in our cabin at night and then we were expected to provide a saliva sample first thing every morning. Our cabin steward came by each morning to pick them up. If you tested positive, which fortunately we never did, you were isolated from the rest of the passengers for 5 days. Those that tested positive were given the choice to stay in there booked cabin, with their spouse or whoever, or be moved to another cabin by themselves. They had to stay in the cabin the entire 5 days. Food was brought to them. Apparently, this testing protocol was because of the requirements of the ports we were visiting. I heard other passengers' comment that they had recently been on other Viking cruises where there was no covid testing at all. Even though they did this extensive covid testing and had such a strict covid policy, it was still not enough for some ports as you will read below.
Cabin Review
The cabin itself (bed, bathroom, storage, cleanliness) was wonderful. The location of this particular cabin was not so great as it was directly over the night club located on the lower floor. As such, we could hear the music in our cabin late at night (at least late for us). The club closed at like 1 am or something, but we are rarely up past 11pm, so it was an issue for us. I did like the proximity to the launderette, which was a game changer. Vikings free laundry room services is a reason in itself to choose Viking! Free use of washers, dryers, iron/ironing table, laundry baskets, etc. They even provide the laundry detergent for free. We were doing laundry every 2 days! When you are visiting a place where it is in the 90's everyday with humidity in the 70's and 80's, you do nothing but sweat.