Exceeded Expectations

I have learned that you must always read reviews with a grain of salt because what is often not included in the individual review is the past experience of the reviewer, OR more importantly the individuals expectation of the cruise they are about to go on.

I have cruised large ships before and now that I have experienced Viking Ocean, I will not return to that size of ship.

Viking Sky exceeded our expectations in every way.  Every element of the ship, the Crew, the food, the venues, the entertainment - everything was amazing.

Our checkin and welcome on the ship was fast, and easy.  Our luggage was at our cabin within an hour.  

Viking has decorated this ship (and all their ships) with a "quiet elegance".  You can see the quality of furniture and appointments, but nothing is garish or overdone like some large ships that often look more like a Vegas hotel than tasteful.

The Crew were truly exceptional in our experience.  Crew knew our names on the second day, and since we bought the Silver Spirits package they also knew that most meals we started with Sparkling wine and then switched to either red or white.  

We had no challenge getting additional reservations in the specialty restaurants and although another reviewer said there were only two places on the ship to eat, that is not correct.  There was also Mamsen's, the Pool Bar, the Viking Lounge, and Room Service.  Mamsen's and the Pool Bar both had different fare than the Restaurant or World Cafe.  Often too individuals don't realize that you can at all meals order items cooked for you at the World Cafe and you are not limited to what they put on the buffet table... in the morning you can have eggs cooked to your preference, at lunch grilled shrimp and other options, at dinner steaks and other options too.

The Restaurant had a static menu and each day had new items on the menu - often inspired by the country or city we were in that day.

I will agree with the other reviewer that some ports the departure time was tight to really spend time in that port.  This point I will agree with.  In some ports we found we would have liked more time but we were very pleased with all the included excursions and found them to give enough information about the country/city and were enough time to get what we really needed in information and history from a port of call.

The Cabin was certainly spacious enough for the two of us.  We arrived with two large suitcases and two carry on size.  We had enough drawers and closet space for all of our clothing and personal items and we did not pack light.  In fact we packed a bit heavy for this cruise because of the time of year the weather could be unpredictable.

We loved that the ship was not crowded anywhere.  There was sometimes a crowd in the World Cafe at breakfast when many excursions were leaving at the same time, but never enough that you waited or could not get a table when you walked in.

My biggest shout out is to the Crew.  We were so impressed with the Crew - how friendly they were and how they remembered our names and our preferences almost immediately.  This was one of the best parts.

Overall we give Viking Ocean and this Cruise on Viking Sky an overwhelming EXCELLENT in our review and we booked our next cruise on Viking Ocean while on the ship!

Well done Viking.  Looking forward to many more cruises with you!