Viking was wonderful! They met us at he airport and delivered us to the hotel in which we stayed in Rome. A beautiful hotel, which was part of their package. There were Viking agents there almost round the clock to help us with anything. They took us on to the ship. The embarkation was the best of any ship we have taken. Smooth and efficient. Then the ship was absolutely beautiful. Our bags arrived very promptly and our cabin steward was right there to make sure that we were settled in and aquatinted with everything. The cabin was spacious, beautiful and very comfortable, as was the bathroom. It is a beautifully appointed ship with ample comfortable and elegant seating throughout. The ships staff were welcoming and helpful. I really can’t say enough about this entire experience. We stayed two extra nights in Venice, as we have always loved that city, and although the hotel was across the water from St Marks, it was very pleasant. In fact the hotel itself was amazing and very comfortable. This was our first experience with Viking, but it certainly will not be our last. So many passengers on our ship were repeat clients. All sang the praises of both the ocean and the river cruises...our next adventure! Read Less

We had actually done the Viking River Cruise and heard of the new ocean vessels and wanted to experience a smaller ship on a ocean cruise. We were not disappointed as the Viking Sea was a beautiful ship with excellent cabins, restaurants, activities and an amazing crew. We were treated first class from start to finish and would certainly return to Viking for future cruises. Embarking was effortless as was the disembark as it was superbly well organized. What truly impressed us was that Viking had many optional excursions from each port that you could take as a part of your package or add any other excursions that peaked your interest at reasonable prices. The meals were exceptional and afforded many taste and optional locations for your convenience. The entertainment on the Sea was absolutely amazing from day one to the end. What a fantastic group of entertainers for all likes. We are looking at other Viking sea cruises now and would highly recommend them. Read Less

Loved Viking River Cruises and couldn't wait to experience a Viking Ocean Cruise. This was a surprise trip given to my husband for his birthday and retirement to finally go visit his Italian family roots. Viking Ocean Cruise was spectacular and perfection in every way. Boarding and departure was very smooth, amenities aboard ship were the best, crew was extremely friendly and always there to offer anything you needed, and entertainment was wonderful. Without a doubt, we will do another Viking Ocean cruise. The arrangements in all ports were flawless and the tour guides were from the area so they could really give you the true history and worth points of interests to see and know. Coaches used in each port were very clean. The process for departing the ship each day for your daily excursion was very smooth considering the number of people they needed to move off the ship. Well worth it in every way. Read Less

My husband and I took our first Viking River Cruise in 2011( Christmas Markets). After friends heard our how we loved it, they accompanied us in 2013( on the Rhine). In 2015 we stepped up to the Ocean cruise with yet another couple. (3 in total). Having been on the smaller river cruises , we did not know how we would feel on a larger ship. I tell you the worries were unfounded. The crew is professional and accommodating. The ship was beautiful and plenty of space for 900 passengers. I felt as if we were on a floating hotel and we had plenty of places to explore and relax after a day of sightseeing and a wonderful dinner. There was no "crowed" feel. All our meals were delicious. The excurssions were a little disappointing ( i think they are on all cruises) I personally would not do Pisa ( yes you need to see the Leaning Tower , but not really) Toulon, I would not choice Aix and on Corsica, there is no need to take a 3 hour bus ride around the island, although the brief stop at a local tavern was very nice. In Monaco we took the bus to Nice. ( cost a 1.50) Oh and a must see is Monserrat while in Barcelona. And I wish I had 2 days in Florence and a week in Rome!!! Two beautiful cities and so much to see. Our guides in these cities were spectacular! I highly recommend Viking to everyone and have had other friends take cruises based upon my reviews and they have enjoyed the trips as well. Read Less

Viking is new to the ocean cruise business, but is catching on fast. It's crew are enthusiastic, young, and approachable. And even they admit they will be better as they get more experience on the seas. We sailed from Istanbul to Venice, and enjoyed the experience very much. Of particular interest for those of you shopping cruise lines is that almost everything is included. No hidden fees for extras unless you proactively book or purchase them. There are a few glitches, such as the boarding process which was confusing and confused, and a couple of wrong turns with restaurant reservations. However, as frequent --- and very loyal --Viking patrons, we'd recommend this cruise to anyone. And the STAR! Immaculate, elegant and tastefully done. Read Less

This was an outstanding cruise. Everything was the best. Viking Star was a star of a ship. The captain and his crew were the nicest and best people to make sure everyone was taken care of and had fun. Many of the crew stood out knowing you after the first meeting and would call you by name/provide your normal service. The ports we wonderful and very fun. This was the first Ocean Viking Cruise Ship with 2 more in the process. Highly recommend this Boat/Cruise/Crew. They are the best. Just voted the #1 new Cruise Ship in the World. *Cabins were very nice and very efficient. *Activities and Tours were very well organized. *Service was the best. *Dining allowed you to go and get about any type of food that you wanted. *Entertainment was good but most of the time we did not use it as we were touring all day, having dinner and going back to our room. Abba presentation was OUTSTANDING. Embarkation/Disembarkation was so easy/smooth. Tours Security was excellent and did not take a lot of time from the day. Read Less

The Viking Star is beautifully and comfortably appointed w/ a gracious, accommodating staff. My husband and I have traveled extensively and this is our first ocean cruise experience. We have two suggestions: #1 The city included tours: No guide achieved the standards we believe Viking aspires to attain. Guides were well tutored, learned, and tried to please; BUT it is a studied fact that anyone speaking longer than 15 min. w/out a break looses his/her audience. Yes, the cities are bursting with treasures of all kinds, but have the guides select the most important, elaborate on that, then have a break in the dialogue so that us travelers can see, saturate, and remember. Our tour guides spoke endlessly. #2 Pompeii: My husband and I had the privilege of seeing the Dallas Museum of Art Pompeii Exhibit in 1979 and also the Pompeii exhibit in San Francisco several years later. The exhibitions reveal how Pompeii vanished beneath volcanic ash and recreates the catastrophic eruption results and freezes life in time. Issues of "Smithsonian" and "National Geographic" magazines, and even the recent issue of "Traveler" present Pompeii's natural disaster. BUT our tour gave us only a small portion of this. We saw almost no recreation of Mt. Vesuvius eruption except a dog in a glass case, excavated pots, and the town's proximity to the volcano. Yes, we could walk some of the streets and see the building foundations. Where are the lovely frescoes that are shown in noteworthy magazines; where is the recreation of the event that we see both in magazines and in museum exhibits??? Is it in Naples??? This most definitely SHOULD be included!!! Read Less

We went from Venice to Barcelona. The ship was just beautiful. Even though it holds 900 passengers we will still seeing and meeting people on the last days. There are so many places to sit and relax on the ship it never seemed crowded. We observed that everything was very well orchestrated behind the scenes. For example in the Word Cafe where the buffet was, and this was certainly not a typical buffet in any manner. Only small amounts of food were placed out at a time but a adequate selection to ensure it was hot and fresh, but it was under the constant careful eye of senior staff so food was always available. Also you never went without your table being clean or cleared. Senior Staff had a nice discreet manner with staff to ensure everything was taken care of and passengers were not bothered. Suchi chef was great and the head Chef was always there to explain how food was prepared and to greet you. We ate in The Restaurant, Chefs Table and Manfreddies as well. We found the Restaurant was a bit slow and only ate there when we wanted to take more time for dining. We went on both the included and extra paid for excursions all were excellent. The included excursions were very adequate and many passengers only opted for those. We did some of the paid ones to get us more into the country side and because we wanted to see more. Like the Vatican, Florence, Pompeii. Viking had top notch local tour guides ready for each tour, they all had at least 15 years experience. Each tour had some free time included so you could do what you wanted as well. Read Less