Viking Sea

Excellent experience cruising from Venice to Istanbul

September

Pros: Super comfortable and clean ship. Superb food. Excellent crew all around. Wonderful way to visit places you would never otherwise see.

Cons: Some locations are crowded, like the Acropolis in Athens, but not Viking’s fault.

Recommended: Yes

Viking really does cruising right for thoughtful adults. This was our first experience on a Viking ocean cruise and we really enjoyed it. We are definitely going to be doing it again. It was incredible seeing historic and ancient locations in the eastern Mediterranean. Just a wonderful experience.

rich's review

August

Pros: Dining room menu was outstanding & presentation of meals were superb. Wait staff was phenomenal.

Cons: Excursion to Santorini was to short & crowded with the number of cruise ships in port

Recommended: Yes

Overall this was by far the best cruise I have ever taken

Superior Ship, Average Excursions

August

Pros: Ship, Staff, Food & Entertainment

Cons: Shore Excursions

Recommended: Yes

I cannot say enough positive things about the Viking Sea and the staff. Everything onboard was first-rate, and I enjoyed it all. The Shore Excursions however left me wanting a better experience. Not enough time was allotted for most experiences making it feel very rushed. The large crowds onshore did not help. It was unfortunately, nothing like the Viking commercials you see on PBS.

Viking Sea

July

Pros: Viking is great

Cons: included tours have declined in quality

Recommended: Yes

This was our 1st ocean cruise ever. Have enjoyed 4 river cruises with Viking. Cruise did not disappoint. Rome and Pisa were very special. Way more to do onboard than time permits, Try to avoid July and August as the weather is very hot. And, places are very crowded with other vactioners.

Viking Sea West Indies Explorer

February

Pros: Viking attention to all detail.

Cons: Minimal cons….a lot to see when coming from the west coast. 5 hour hold in hotel before flights home. Viking Air isn’t up to the quality of the ship experience..

Recommended: Yes

Viking Air puts passengers on flights that take longer and with more stops than necessary. In place of “free airfare” offer credit do we can book independently.

Amazing Cruise in the Adriatic

October

Pros: Smaller ship

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

Beautiful ship with amazing talent, good food and beverages, ports of call. We were unable to stop in Slovenia, so had an extra day in Venice. Only negative was having to dock in Chioggia for Venice - which all ships have to do now and the boat ride to Venice is 1.5 hrs each way, but is free. Also the extension we chose in Venice, they put us up in a lovely JW Marriott, but it was on a small island that also required a 20 minute boat ride into Venice which was free, but took time each day. Would prefer to stay in the city of Venice, so if you choose the extension, request a hotel in Venice.

40th Anniversary

October

Pros: Locations were excellent. Service was fantastic. Excursion were handled perfectly.

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Excellent trip. Great value. We will return.

Exceptional Service

June

Pros: Great service, friendly staff, great food

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

I can say with certainty that this was my best cruising experience to date. The staff were attentive, friendly, and eager to please. The food was superb.

Empires of the Mediterranean

June

Pros: Food, crew. Tours.

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

The entire crew was professional and customer oriented. The cities we visited were great. All included tours exceeded expectations.

Viking Sea

May

Pros: Great service, very nice deluxe veranda stateroom, ports of call on “ Empires of the Mediterranean” Cruise itinerary were outstanding, food and service in the specialty restaurants was superior.

Cons: Food in the regular dining room for dinner was a bit inconsistent. Had some terrific meals, ie steak and lobster on the Aquavit Terrace, and some very average meals.

Recommended: Yes

See above comments. Overall, we were very pleased with the overall service, quality of the food, comfort of the room, onboard entertainment, and especially the itinerary and outstanding ports of call. I would give this ship and cruise a 9/10.

The Viking Sea

February

Pros: Great food, great drinks, great entertainment!

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Wonderful cruise!

Transatlantic Iberia to West Indies

December

Pros: extremely serene, relaxing, calm ambiance onboard

Cons: no complaints at all.

Recommended: Yes

a wonderful itinerary and ship.

Viking Empires of the Mediterranean

November

Pros: Clean ship, attentive staff, no kids, many dining options

Cons: Water taxi ride (90 minutes) from ship to hotel in Venice was too long.

Recommended: Yes

Nice choice of excursions at each stop. Knowledgeable local guides. Amenities are plentiful with Viking.

Venice to Barcelona

June

Pros: Ship is gorgeous, staff very attentive, food was great in all restaurants. Ports were great except for Venice.- especially liked the 2 ports in Croatia and Corfu. The local guides were pretty good.

Cons: Ship was moved to a new port in Venice one week prior. Logistics need to be revamped in regards to getting people into Venice and all the excursions. Ended up missing a gondola ride we had booked ourselves, and only had 2.5 hours in Venice. Everyone was disappointed and Viking knew it needs to correct the problems.

Recommended: Yes

Definitely enjoyed our trip... Viking does an outstanding job with all the necessary excursion logistics, with Venice being the lone exception. Ports were interesting - since we had previously been to Rome we didn't do any of the excursions there - just went into the port city for a walk. Also having been in Florence we did Lucca/Pisa excursion. For people that did the Rome/Florence excursions into the cities, the bus rides were really long. That's the difference between the ocean and the river ports which I understand. We also did the Italian Lakes Pre-cruise which was very nice - the hotel was excellent!

Mediterranean

June

Pros: Great everything with Viking

Cons: Limited numbers on shore excursions

Recommended: Yes

Loved everything about Viking and the cruise except we couldn’t see a couple of places because of the pecking order. Wish we had booked on our own in a couple of the 9 stops. Viking does have great tours and guides at a good value.

21 Days on the Mediterranean

August

Pros: service,Best Covid protocols. Best staff. Best food. Do I have to go on?

Cons: on this cruise I can not find any Cons

Recommended: Yes

We have been on a number of Viking cruises. So far, 5 River and two Ocean. This was the best as far as Service and attitude. So well organized. Our luggage was lost and didn't catch up for 6 days. NOT Vikings fault. The airline missed transferring all 4 bags. Viking went overboard (pun) in providing us with our needs. Out travel agent jumped on the problem of the possibility of not making our first connection. We made it but the luggage did not. Thank all of you on the Viking Sea for making this a wonderful cruise.

Viking Sea was the best

November

Pros: Ship is laid out very well. Never had a lot of people congregating in the same place.

Cons: We didn't get to go on another cruise after our first one.

Recommended: Yes

Cant wait to go on another cruise.

Caribbean Cruise

November

Pros: Staff on board was attentive and very good at their jobs. I felt very welcomed as a guest on board.

Cons: Handling of luggage at the San Juan airport on our departure was a bit alarming. When all the luggage was put through the agricultural check I did not have sight of my bag. Another passenger took the bag by mistake which was remedied quickly however I was not comfortable with not having my bag within sight at all times until I checked it in with the airlines.

Recommended: Yes

We were treated extremely well by staff. Upon our arrival in San Juan at midnight we were pleased to have sandwiches and cookies in our cabin. Our cabin steward, Joni, quickly took care of any needs we had. When changing our airlines reservations at the customer relations desk, Elona was very, very helpful in getting a quick and easy resolution for us. Alex, in the Explorer Lounge was attentive to our needs when we were there. Was very impressed with the musical programs in the theater. The singers (two girls two men) were very talented and were very friendly. Great experience and wonderful service during the entire trip.

11/19 West Indies Explorer

November

Pros: No travellers under 18; the team of 4 who provided entertainment were exceptional

Cons: Outside pool temps very very warm--too warm to enjoy

Recommended: Yes

ABBA/BEATLES/SONGWRITERS performances were professional and interactive; very entertaining. Decor of the ship was LOVELY with many spaces for enjoying time alone, with a partner or with larger groups. Focus on Norse heritage was informative and tastefully done. VERY welcoming in every open (small and large) area. Exceptional service by cabin crew. World Cafe options also pleasing and with variety/themes. Included excursions were perfect in length and information. The smaller food venues were VERY noisy and did not live up to fine dining opportunities.

Viking Sea--A Five-Star Cruise

October

Pros: Superb staff in all departments

Cons: No private breakfast venue for suite passengers

Recommended: Yes

Viking Sea provides all the service and amenities we have come to savor on Crystal, Cunard, and Holland America. The size of the ship is perfect, and service is absolutely first-rate. The only thing missing--a minor point--is the absence of a suites-only breakfast venue.

A Dream come true

June

Pros: Everything - the ship, staff, amenities, excursions, and food!

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

My sister and I had been wanting to do the Scandinavian cruise for many years but our schedule and the Cruise Line schedules had not matched up. We booked this cruise 3 years ago. It met and far exceeded our expectations. We had a lot of history, humor, and views that cannot be described. It was all we had hoped for and much more!

Our Cruise on the VIking Sea

February

Pros: We like the size of the ship.

Cons: The entertainment is not as good as some larger ships.

Recommended: No

First time on Viking Ocean cruise, will surely go again!

October

Pros: Outstanding staff, outstanding service! Enjoyable enrichment speakers, good entertainment!

Cons: Weather-Not Vikings fault!

Recommended: Yes

We have cruised on several of the “Luxury” lines. While somewhat less all inclusive,(also less expensive), Viking compares VERY favorably with all of them! We would definitely enjoy another Viking ocean cruise!????

Baltics

May

Pros: Ship quality, food quality, staff friendliness and engagement, snow grotto, room service, rom cleaning staff

Cons: Chefs Table menu too repetitive, evening casual meal options (pizza, burgers, sandwiches)

Recommended: Yes

Well designed ship, great staff all around, high food quality all venues, nice wine list, excellent off boarding process, relaxing after meal venues, unique amenities like the Wintergarden.

Viking Sea

November

Pros: Excellent staff and service, delicious food, very well organized

Cons: Excursion times were changed, excursion buses were not comfortable

Recommended: Yes

Overall an excellent cruise.

GreatShip

September

Pros: Latest and best

Cons: bookings will be in short supply

Recommended: Yes

Loved the experience

Into the Midnight Sun

July

Pros: Wonderful staff, beautiful ship

Cons: Never seen so many snooty, self-entitled fellow travelers on a cruise!

Recommended: Yes

Ship was gorgeous, liquor top-shelf and food generally very good. Shore excursions could have been handled better. The hotel on the Iceland extension was poorly located and not in good condition, i.e., dirty. Could go on and on about how good the staff (bartenders, housekeepers, etc. were but how poorly treated they were by many of the snotty guests. Guess you can't chose your customers but hope that complaints made by them don't bring recriminations against the staff members (as I have heard happens). All in all, a good cruise and did meet some nice people but I really think I prefer the river cruises.

Barcelona to Bergen

April

Pros: Beautiful Ship - Great Food - Wine or beer at lunch and dinner. Cabin Boy was super - Very friendly staff

Cons: Service in The Restaurant was not always good. The staff was told and they worked to correct it.

Recommended: Yes

There should be Restroom signs in the main corridors that stick out so that they could be easily identified. There were very few choices in drinks for those that don't drink alcohol. The stop at Haugesund was disappointing. Guide not very good. She did not tell us that there were no stores open on a Saturday afternoon at 4 pm. There were no souvenir shops anyway. Would have preferred more time in Bergen. On the whole the trip was very good. We really enjoyed ourselves.

1/22/17 cruise

January

Pros: Included shore tour

Cons: No email nor text was sent to announce the change such as first day there was no ship to duck.

Recommended: Yes

There was no enough time between am and pm tour. one day we had only 10 minute to eat between tour.

Best Cruise Ever!

November

Pros: Lovely ship, wonderful food, great service, good shows, well organized excursions.

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Had a wonderful time on the Viking Sea. Nothing bad to say about this great vacation!

this newly launched ship has great Viking flavor.

November

Pros: lovely new ship with lots of cozy sitting spaces, great amenities, good tours

Cons: new staff in dining room needs training, nice quality of clothing but limited selection:, too much space taken for jewelery.

Recommended: Yes

I do not know how, but it would be nice of the guests minded the dress codes in the evening for dinner, especially in the better dining rooms.

Five star Viking Sea

August

Pros: ship design, dining experience, beautiful staterooms, great service, good excursions, good entertainment

Cons: none

Recommended: Yes

The ship was designed perfectly---beautiful common areas, infinity pool, relaxing spa, convenient, wonderful staterooms (loved the glass enclosed shower, heated bathroom floor, deluxe bedding, more than adequate outlets, good lighting- night and reading lights, vanity area, and super storage.) The dining experience was five star every evening. Appreciated the insistence of sanitation of every guest. Varied menu and not charged for specialty restaurants. The service was incredible. They were "on task" 24/7! The excursions were very good, but my evaluation depends on the individual guides. Some were easy to understand and very knowledgeable; others, not as good. Enjoyed having free, included tours that were worthwhile and certainly made a difference in choosing the Viking Sea. The entertainment was enjoyable. The entertainers were very talented and added a special spark to the evenings.

Totally beyond expectations

August

Pros: Exceptional service, delicious food and fine dining experiences, well-planned ship and amenities

Cons: None of consequence

Recommended: Yes

Delightful staff, glorious ship, well-organized excursions ~ a dream come true.

Viking Sea

July

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Great trip.

Great

July

Pros: Excellent tours, fine food, and nice cabins.

Cons: Tour difficulty varied in different listings making choices questionable

Recommended: Yes

Pre cruise could have adhered to description better. Connection and time at the main museum was to short. Had to rush to make train connection in Oslo for Oslo Bergen train.