Great Ship

Item: Viking Sea
Rating: 4
Author: donsuek

Viking Sea Cruise Review to Europe - Northern Europe

donsuek

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 74

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

28 Night Baltic Jewels & The Midnight Sun (Stockholm To London)

Sail date: June 11, 2017

Ship: Viking Sea

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 3030

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

My favorite part of the cruise was probably the ship itself. The crew and the entertainment were great. The food was good everywhere - who could complain with sushi and crablegs on the buffet every single night. Some of the tours were not up to expectations - especially The Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Not sure where they took us but it was NOT the main part of the Hermitage and was extremely disappointing. A few of the tours had no free time for shopping or exploring on your own and some were a little unorganized. Overall the cruise was wonderful, but I would not recommend it to anyone under the age of 60. The average age was older than I expected.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

The food was great but was expecting it to change to more local specialties as we changed countries. (like the river cruise on the Rhine and Danube)

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Not enough "fun" activities during the day; i.e., trivia, games, etc. If you aren't interested in the historical enrichment lectures, there wasn't much to do.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

N/A

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The bed and pillows were awesome!

Ship tip

Loved having happy hour in the Explorer's Lounge - nice and quiet. And the Spa facilities were fantastic.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Stockholm, Sweden

3 out of 5

Panoramic Tour was nothing great.

Thumbs Up 0

Helsinki, Finland

3 out of 5

Panoramic tour was basically a bus ride.

Thumbs Up 0

St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

3 out of 5

Took the 9 hour Canal tour, Peter & Paul Fortress, and The Hermitage. Canal tour and fortress was great. Did not see the main part of the Hermitage (see main review).

Thumbs Up 1

Tallinn, Estonia

5 out of 5

Loved Tallinn. Probably my favorite.

Thumbs Up 3

Gdynia (Gdansk), Poland

5 out of 5

Loved it.

Thumbs Up 1

Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany

3 out of 5

Train ride was very uncomfortable - it was 85 degrees and no air conditioning on the train. Panoramic tour in Berlin was good and it was nice to have so much free time.

Thumbs Up 3

Copenhagen, Denmark

5 out of 5

Aalborg, Denmark

5 out of 5

Stavanger, Norway

3 out of 5

Loved Stavanger, but our guide for the oil museum was absolutely terrible. She knew nothing about the oil business and couldn't find her words.

Thumbs Up 1

Eidfjord, Norway

5 out of 5

Best scenery and sailaway in the whole cruise. Gorgeous. Took the train to Flam which was a little unorganized.

Thumbs Up 1

3 Comments

WeCruiseToo 7 years ago

Thanks for the nice review!

Thumbs Up 0

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afahey 7 years ago

You cannot explore St Petersburg or any other part of Russia on your own unless you have personally secured your own visitors' visa. If you were traveling on a tour, I'm guessing the tour company handled this for you which means you have to remain with your guide the entire time as they are essentially vouching for you. As for having to be over the age of 60 to enjoy this itinerary, I respectfully disagree. I'm 38 and LOVED these ports of call. I recommend SPB tours. They were amazing and our tour guide Elena was phenomenal. She knew her history, art history and geography not to mention knowing her city like the back of her hand. We were able to get into the Hermitage before it opened to the public and was able to enjoy it before the crowds descended on it. Do your research before you book your tour and make sure it's going to cover the highlights you are looking for.

Thumbs Up 2

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GIL155 7 years ago

A day or so ago another Viking passenger raved about about St. Petersburg - but NOT the Hermitage. They must have taken a different tour. I would have selected your tour. Sorry it was disappointing. It is on my wish list.

Thumbs Up 0

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