We are investigating who we would sail with for a round the world. So far RSSC, Oceania, Silver Seas, and Viking have been tested. We ditched RSSC after a sub standard cruise in South America. We sailed with Viking Ocean in 2 years ago and circled back for this itinerary. The service was almost as good as our previous cruise. . That cruise, no one ever said no to our requests. This cruise we had a few no answers. But mostly yes. The service was almost as good as before, but the service on the World Cafe Terrace was definitely an outlier with respect to service. We felt like we were being purposely ignored. No problem ever in side, in the Restaurant, Chef's table or Manfredi's. One marvelous day about 2 pm after a late excursion, we had to ask the supervisor twice for water. The wait staff all were standing at the bar facing away from the terrace, the ocean, and the diners. It was almost that bad a few other days. Never a problem inside. The room was fine. The excursions were good. Thankfully they have added strenuous excursions so we can work off the food intake. The fitness center was excellent..The internet was slow, but that was expected. The house wines (no silver package) were marginal at best. My SO kept to sparkling wine and I mostly had white. The menu was repetitive, which was very different from our first cruise with them. So I sense a small push to have folks with a little wine palate to head for the silver beverage package, if they are on the margin. The heavy drinkers will already be there. And a bit of a push to go with the food venues with an upcharge if it does not come with your room. Dont worry, we booked another cruise with them and have a river cruise in a couple of months. No line is perfect, but we sensed a little slipping with this cruise. Read Less

We chose this cruise as we have not traveled to these countries (Norway, Denmark) and were also interested in add-on to Iceland. We have done river cruises with Viking in the post and were generally very happy with the sightseeing opportunities and excursions offered there. First of all, this trip was new to Viking Ocean and there were definitely problems. The scene at the airport was completely chaotic; the buses to take us to the ship were not at the airport, hotel assignments were a mess (some people were told their names were not on the roster), communication between the Viking reps and us completely non-existent. Finally onboard, check-in was also chaotic. No lines, just a crowd of tired passengers vying for room assignments and a bottle of water (None offered!) The ship is clean, attractive. Staterooms pleasant. Nothing exceptional. Entertainment okay. Shore excursions: poor: Optional excursions very expensive, included ones were a quick jog (1-1/2 hours) through port leaving no time for questions or photos. Best excursion was the full day train ride to Flam (pricey but enjoyable) The best thing about the cruise was the service and dining room attendants. Friendly, efficient, accommodating. Read Less

We loved the Viking Sea Baltic Cruise which we are completing in 2 days. The ship is gorgeous The food is too good and we loved the fancy cream tea served every day from 4-5. The staff, cabins and service were top notch. Because of the size of the ship we never had to tender in 2 weeks. Surprisingly the entertainment was quite good and there were great free movies etc in the cabins. There was great turnout for the evening performances in the theatre and the various lounges. My one major criticism is that the “included” panoramic tours and walking tours are very poor. This is in contrast to tours on river cruises of this and other carriers. The optional tours coat hundreds of dollars more. For a cruise line that is advertising an all inclusive experience they have to do a whole lot better on their included outings. Read Less

We (DH and I) had a bad experience on a mass market ship several years ago, so we were a bit apprehensive. But, our Viking Homelands cruise was wonderful from start to finish! We were very lucky in that we only had one day of rain the entire two weeks. As has been stated many others reviewers, the ship is beautifully designed in a modern Scandinavian decor, lots of light bright areas and it never seemed crowded. The staff were all so helpful and willing to assist with any request or question. Our stateroom was very nice, good use of space and loved the bathroom with no fog mirror and heated floors. Dining was very good and tried all of the options. Mamsen's and Manfredi's were our favorites. The only venue that we did not enjoy was The Chef's Table. We are not picky eaters and enjoy almost all cuisines, but did not find the food that appealing. Manfredi's was excellent and had dinner there twice. Spa was nice and was not busy both days I used the steam room and pool. We attended several of the port talks and lectures and two of the evening shows. All were great and especially enjoyed the Beatles/ABBA show!! We took a mixtures of excluded tours, optional tours and private tours. If there is one weak link, it would be some of the excursions. We are active walkers/hikers and it would have been nice to separate groups by pace. On a few occasions, several travelers could not walk well on the tours, thus slowing down the guide. We did leave several tours early due to waiting for very slow walkers and wanted to maximize our time. Read Less

I selected the trip because friends were going-I hadn't been to many of the ports for many years and I had heard great things about Viking.I have traveled on many cruises from Seaborn to Princess including Regent and Oceania which is why I placed Viking in the middle. Many aspects were good- it is a lovely vessel- spa is wonderful- while many aspects of the trip were poor. If you didn't take an excursion, there was NOTHING to do on the ship; the food was erratic- some meals were excellent and some awful (my chicken was too dry to swallow); the music was good; two of the three enrichment lecturers were excellent but the third was a shill for products she had brought on board for sale. The excursions were alright- don't expect much from the free included ones- they are mainly walking tours. The others are alright and of course they varied but in general the guides were good. Problem is that they push tours and there is nothing to do on board if you don't take a tour. No large tables for dining so you sat with your companion and didn't get to meet anyone else. Fine for couples but not good for singles and there was only one singles mixer which wasn't enough. Staff was gracious and of course differed in experience level; customer service desks were excellent but there was no purser. Just a litany of small issues caused me to rate them only average. With all I had heard, I wish I could do better, but I can't. I won't travel with them again because there are many better options on the water-ways. Read Less

The crew and staff were especially consistent in delivering quality, friendly, help and service, job well done. The disembarking needs help. It is not acceptable to be required to be ready to leave the ship so early. 5:15AM. Please improve this! This alone prevents me from making the overall rating more than 4 stars. The bar and food were excellent along with the servers were the highlight of the 14 day cruise. I especially enjoyed the lunch selections and environment on the aft of the ship. The fresh immediate preparation of the food, especially the salmon and shrimp were grilled and fabulous. The facilities; spa, thermal facilities, lounges, seating areas were very well done. The atmosphere and decor are crisp and fashionable, but not gaudy or over done and you might see in other cruise lines. The upper decks had snack areas and desert areas that complemented the bar and seating areas for a very relaxed and comfortable trip. Thank you. Fix the untimely debarking times! Read Less

This cruise visited six countries we had never visited. Our cabin was beautiful and as nice as any hotel we have ever stayed in. Our room stewards, Adi and Mohammed, must have been the best Viking had to offer. Each day when we returned to our cabin, it was spotless and everything that needed restocking was restocked. The food at Chef's Table and Manfredis was great and the World Cafe and The Restaurant were equally delicious. Shore excursions were efficiently executed with mostly good guides. Each one that was included or we chose was informative and worthwhile. Most of the guides spoke decent English and were knowledgeable. We were very impressed with the elevators--never waited more than 30 seconds. We never wanted to take an ocean cruise because we figured everything we wanted to do would involve waiting--but we were so happy with the efficiency of Viking. The crew was A+. I think Viking should market their training program. The crew was friendly, attentive and helpful. (but not "smarmy"). The entertainment was geared to many different age groups and interests. Our cruise director, Heather, could have a top-rated talk show. If we did not attend her port talks, whey were posted on TV later. I could go on, but briefly, it was exceptional. Read Less

We just returned from the Viking Homelands cruise on the Viking Sky. It was our first Viking experience. We have become Viking fans and won’t be cruising on other lines if Viking goes where we want to go. Here are some of the things that stood out: • The crew was fabulous. Nothing was too much trouble. Most had university degrees in some hospitality related area. From the Captain on down, they would greet guests in the passageways. I saw a Commander (3 stripes) stop and pick up a tiny piece of paper and put it in the trash. • Attention to detail was amazing. • The food was amazing. Even the buffet, aka World Café, was great. Nothing on the buffet was ever “tired.” Much was made to order, such as pasta dishes, cut to order prime rib, One night we had lobster tail, filet mignon, and prime rib. It was not a free for all like the buffets on other lines. The Restaurant, the main restaurant, was really nice and had great service. • Passengers seemed friendlier. I think that rubbed off of the crew being so friendly. Most other passengers had been on river cruises. (We go next year.) • The organization of everything, from embarkation to excursions, to disembarkation and busses to the airport (airport transfer after disembarkation was included,) was impressive. • Great coffee at the bar in the Living Room on Deck 1. It opened at 6:30am, but if you got there early, Kamdesh, the barista was more than happy to make your favorite drink, which he knew. I’d sit and read the news on my Surface computer and watch him greet passengers by name and make “the usual” for all of them. His memory was uncanny. • The included excursions were very good. I had no idea how beautiful Norway is or how great a city St. Petersburg could be. St. Petersburg should have been a bucket list item. Who knew? Internet was included, but a little slow. 2 Mbs down and a respectable 8 up. We gave entertainment 3 stars, except when the cruise director, Heather, sang, it was amazing. Sara Brightman has nothing on Heather's voice. Amazing. We’re looking forward to next July for the Grand European river cruise. Read Less

My wife and I have long looked forward to doing the 'Viking Homelands Cruise', and were able to do so on the Viking Sky starting on the 18th August 2018. After a somewhat disappointing Cruise on the same ship from Montreal to New York in 2017, we eventually decided that it was worth another try in its own ‘Homeland’ region of the world. Our hopes were validated, and indeed we were thrilled by the whole experience this time. From our welcome aboard in Bergen, to our departure in Stockholm, there were so many pleasant occasions that it was hard to pick a favourite day on the cruise. Our Stateroom, as in the past was excellent, and the service of our stewards, Honey and Aji, was beyond reproach. In addition, Room Service from the ship’s kitchens always appeared at the requested times. The quality of food in multiple locations was of a high standard, and there was such a variety of food offered in each, that it would be hard to imagine anyone but the most fussy being disappointed. My favourite was at Manfredi’s, while my wife always enjoyed lunch in the Explorers Lounge. Cheerful waiters were always nearby with an extra wine or beer. The ‘new’ Sunday Brunch was an exciting occasion. Such a variety of foods in brilliant settings, left you almost overwhelmed, and made it almost impossible to know where to start. I have never seen so many surprised people walking around in awe and wonder at the splendour of the occasion. Our Shore excursions were always well organised, and information sessions the day before were always entertaining and enlightening. We attended most of the ‘included’ tours, and generally enjoyed them, though we found that our interest and enthusiasm was on occasion measured by the local Tour Guides who ranged from excellent to fair. Paid Excursions were well planned and generally excellent, with very sound knowledge and a pleasant delivery by our Guides. As always, the standard of Buses was both consistent and reliable. Entertainment is always a subjective area, where everyone has a different opinion. As Director, Heather Clancy was the gel that made everything work. Her effervescent nature, and approachable personality made you always feel that you were getting a highly professional performance from the various artists. The Viking Sky band, as in the past, proved to be extremely talented, though the four young ‘show’ entertainers needed a little more experience, but were so enthusiastic, you could not fail to feel their drive and vitality. Their stature will grow with time, while their stagecraft was very professional. Our Captain could be seen around the ship, and was both approachable and sensible in the way he thought of his passengers and crew. This was indeed a rewarding experience, and credit must go to all on the Viking Sky for presenting such an improved benchmark of efficiency. Read Less

It was our 25th Anniversary and we wanted something special. We had heard great reviews about Viking Cruises and they lived up to all of it. We stayed 4 days in Venice to visit relatives prior to the cruise. Embarkation and Disembarkation were VERY smooth. We did not wait like we have in the past on other cruise lines. Ports and shore excursions were very good! We really enjoyed the fact we had extra time to do shopping or sightseeing on our own in most of the ports. Our cabin was perfect! We loved the space and king size bed! The Orion was new in 2018 and you could tell! Clean and comfortable! It was very cozy to lie on the deck or in the Explorer's Lounges with cozy blankets and amazing views. The staff really paid personal attention to us! Entertainment was good- band and Pablo but ended early. The Viking Spa and Bathing experience was also amazing! However we really did not discover it until last couple days. The welcome aboard with champagne and cool cloths was very refreshing especially since the temperatures were in the 90's! Read Less