Discovering Viking Cruises
Last year I was invited by Viking Cruises to spend the day on the Viking Sky one of their Ocean Cruise Ships. This was the first time I got to experience what it was like to cruise with Viking, and I fell in love straight away. Since then I have cruised with them around Norway and had the most amazing time, you can find out all about here. I thought I would take a look back at my first experience of Viking and share with you everything that I found out about their gorgeous ships.
I spent the day onboard, starting with welcome drinks and then we had a tour of the ship finishing with lunch in The World Cafe. Firstly I just want to start by saying I loved the Viking Sky. It was such a beautiful ship, simple and understated but so elegant. I was unsure when I knew I would be going on this visit what I would actually think of it. It’s such a small ship compared to the ones I would normally choose to sail on. I always think if I choose a larger ship there will be more for us to do when we are on board and the majority of the time this is true. But I was so pleasantly surprised when I stepped on board. The central atrium certainly isn’t small and the way the whole ship is decorated a styled it makes it feel a lot larger than it actually is. It’s Scandi style at its best and most certainly all to my taste.
The Spa
We were taken on a brilliant tour of the ship, which gave us all a really good idea of what it would actually be like to spend a week or more on there. Firstly we were shown around the spa. I think this was probably one of my favourite places on the ship. It was so relaxing and calm, the perfect place to unwind after a long day of excursions.
There were lots of different things to try out but my favourite by far was the Snow Grotto. I had read about it before actually going on to the ship and I loved it when I saw it. Fresh snow is pumped in every morning and then you can just sit in there, for as long as you dare. Best of all the entry to the spa is included in the price you pay for your cruise. You just pay for treatments if you want them. I thought this was a brilliant bonus. It was such a nice spa and most other cruises I have been on you need to pay for passes just to get access.
The Restaurants
We then went on to look at the restaurants on the ship. There are seven places to eat on the ship and all of them are included in the price, as well as the 24 hour Room Service. We took a look at the ships main dining area simply called The Restaurant where you can choose to eat every night if you wish, without having to choose a time or having to book.
There are also 2 speciality restaurants, which you don’t have to pay extra for but you do need to make advance bookings. The first is Manfredi’s an Italian restaurant. It was quirky and decorated with Hollywood movie stars giving it some old school glamour. The second, slightly more formal is the Chef’s Table offering a tasting menu every evening to make it a more upmarket experience. House wine is also included with lunch and dinner, so you don’t need to pay any extra if you want a glass or two!
We ate lunch in the World Cafe, the ship’s buffet restaurant. The food was lovely. So much to choose from and all freshly prepared, freshly baked bread and salads and hot food if you wanted something more substantial. There was even a gelato station, that has different flavours every day, so you could try all of them if you wanted! Again all drinks were included at lunch and they came round to top the water up throughout the meal.
Another thing I really liked was that there was a constant supply of mineral water while you were on board. This is something that can be really pricey when you are on a cruise. You have bottles in your room which are replaced every day and there are water stations all over the ship so you can help yourself. There was even a large fridge by the gangway so you take a bottle as you were leaving the ship for an excursion.
The Little Details
We continued our tour and got to go out on to the top deck of the ship which is covered with grass. There are loads of relaxing places to just sit and watch the world go by. From here you can also look down on to the main pool which has a retractable roof, so even if the weather is bad, the roof can be closed and you can still enjoy the sunshine. They have really tried to bring the outdoors inside on the ship and it really works.
Another one of my favourite places we took a look at was the Winter Garden. This is where you can enjoy Afternoon Tea every day on board. It was so well designed and the columns were made to look like trees growing from the ground. There were birds dotted around so you really got a sense of being outside even though you were in an enclosed space.
I really appreciated the little touches as you walked around that made the whole ship seems like a personal library. There were bookcases everywhere, by the pool, down corridors and in bar areas. So you could just help yourself to a book and sit down, where ever you were on the ship. Such a nice touch.
The Cabins
We also got to view one of the staterooms on board. All the rooms have a veranda even if you have paid for the lowest grade. I don’t really mind an inside cabin, but if I have to have a balcony then I’m not going to argue! The cabins were amazing and a really good size and there was more than enough space for a week on board. They were so nice in fact that I think I would struggle to leave it and with the 24-hour Room Service I wouldn’t actually need to.
The Excursions
We were lucky as the ship was in port, it was really quiet as most people had left for the day on excursions. When you book a cruise with Viking, there is an excursion at each port that is included in the price. So if you do want to go on a trip but you don’t want it to cost you anymore then you can simply choose that one. I think this is a really handy option to have. I rarely book excursions when I on a cruise, they always just seem so expensive, we would much rather plan our own trip or just go exploring. But if there is an excursion that’s included then it’s one that I would definitely consider taking.
Cruising for Young People
So are Viking Cruises suitable for young people? At first glance, you may not think so. Two-thirds of the Ocean Cruise customers come from having taken a Viking River Cruise and these can often be associated with more mature customers. Viking is having a big push at the moment to try and encourage young people to cruise with them and I think that it’s working. The ships are so modern and contemporary and are totally aimed at a younger audience. Not your traditional cruise ship that’s all gold and sparkly. Also while we were on the ship there was a real mixture of ages which I think always gives a cruise a really nice feel. So I would say that Viking is most definitely suitable for young people.
As you can probably tell I absolutely loved the Viking Sky. It was so calming and relaxed. I can see that you would feel like you were on holiday right from the word go. Viking cruises can be slightly more expensive than some other mainstream cruise lines but when you look at what’s included then they start to seem like really good value and I would definitely be willing to pay the extra to get to spend my time on such a gorgeous ship. I have definitely got the Viking bug and I can’t wait to book my first cruise with them!
You can find out more about Viking Cruises here.
Take a look at my other ship visits here.
Have you ever sailed with Viking Cruises? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments below.
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