We found almost everything about this cruise on Viking Venus to be exemplary. The couple of disappointments were handled with concern and follow-up that was very impressive.
Viking is not inexpensive (!) but our experience fulfilled all of our expectations and then some. We will definitely sail again on a Viking Ocean Cruise in the future.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
This was seamless! Very organized, no line at 11:00; excellent signage and directions to the tender
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The main restaurant is so well laid-out compared to the handful of other ships (Oceania and Regent) that we have been on. Instead of one big huge space, it's cleverly divided into areas with tables both port and starboard. The food was outstanding and so was the service. We paid for the Silver Drinks package, which was good value for money with a pretty good choice of premium wines (a few more choices would have made it outstanding). We enjoyed two evenings in Manfredi's (wish we'd gone at least more time) and two at Chef's Table (our least favorite - very small portions of food, even for a tasting menu and wines were puzzling - on the "California menu", there wasn't one CA wine). We had one casual dinner in the World Cafe but preferred it for breakfast and several nice al fresco lunches. Mamsen's was great for a light breakfast (be sure to try the waffle at least one) or for delicious open-faced sandwiches). Nice quiet ambience. Every bar staff member and waiter was friendly and did their best to serve us efficiently and even in the case of the bar staff who rotated in different venues, to remember our names!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Viking prides itself on being for "thinking adults" and did a great job of scheduling frequent interesting lectures by the four onboard "experts". We learned a lot and enjoyed these, along with the Port briefings that Andre, the excellent cruise director did the afternoon before each port. There could have been a few more board games available and Trivia (which we have enjoyed on other voyages) was scheduled oddly - at 8:00 PM. It works a lot better before dinner in our experience and we only attended once due to dinner reservations. The fitness center is 5 stars for sure, with beautiful space, equipment and large windows out to sea. Nice spa but we didn't use it much. The walking track was great and many used it, along with the well-sheltered Deck 9 putting, ping pong, etc.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Not every show or performer was great, but overall the entertainment exceeded our expectations. The four young entertainers put on several wonderful shows, the musicians (band, pianist, classical musicians, and guitarist) were outstanding, the cruise director surprised us with a fantastic performance one evening, and a magician was enjoyable. I loved the evening before dinner (happened almost daily) when the pianist was accompanied by huge projections in the Atrium of Munch's art.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
As mentioned above, all of the wait staff were outstanding, our room steward was there to greet us every morning and ask if there was anything we needed (and followed through promptly with any requests) and Captain Rune Loekling, a stand-up comedian, clearly created a culture where everyone on the staff was valued and thus cheerful and there to serve.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
These ships (all Viking Ocean ships are almost identical) are stunning. No over the top ruffles and glitz, just beautiful Scandinavian design throughout the ship - accompanied by lovely art and photography, interesting artifacts, gorgeous fabrics, and book nooks throughout the ship. Pristine and kept that way by staff, we loved the many areas in which we could go. Even with full capacity, the ship never seemed crowded.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We took this cabin after being on "guaranteed" status for a Penthouse Veranda. It was lovely, wider than a PV, so room for a couch and two comfortable chairs, two sinks in the bathroom and a larger shower. All very nice but not sure we would spend this extra money on a future trip. A plus of this location was its proximity to the Explorers Lounge where we spent a lot of time. If we had stayed in our cabin more, we might have appreciated the additional room but we enjoyed the many indoor and outdoor spaces on the ship and did all of the excursions so weren't in our cabin that much.
Ship tip
If you are traveling with friends or family, you will need to know their cabin number to book speciality restaurants before the cruise. We were not aware of this so had to untangle a bunch of reservations in order to eat with our friends. An unnecessary frustration. We did find it fairly easy to sort this out once we were on the ship.
Edinburgh is a lovely city that we know. The ship's included excursion, Panorama, was very disappointing. After a fairly lengthy drive through (admittedly fairly interesting) suburbs, the bus stopped below the castle (the description said there would be free time) and we were told to be back at the bus within 40 min. Not even enough time to see St Giles Cathedral or to get a quick lunch. We stayed on in Edinburgh and returned to the harbour on the public tram, but this was very disappointing, especially if we'd been first-time visitors to Edinburgh.
A favorite excusion (Rural Shetland) where we drove through stunning scenery to meet two crofters, who own Shetland ponies, 200 sheep (one of which we saw sheared by hand) and a kennel full of sheepdogs from 5 wk old puppies to old pros, who demonstrated with Crofter David how sheepdogs are trained. A wonderful day out!
Booked a small group excursion with Blue Puffin, a local company that didn't just drive up to Nordkapp and back to the ship (as the ship's included excursion did). We also met a Sami reindeer and shop owner, saw the guide's fishing village and giant crabs, and visited a local gallery. Just six of us on the tour and an excellent even in the worst weather of the trip.
Booked Blue Puffin again and had an outstanding private tour with Monika-an excellent combination of Tromso and the countryside beyond with traditional warm drinks and snacks accompanied by Monika's stories of her life with family in Tromso.
The beauty of Lofoten didn't disappoint on this excursion (A church, the Sundt . . . ) but the guide was. I'd always wanted to see the Lofoten Islands and wish we'd had another day . . .
We did the ship's included excursion up the very windy road to Eagle's Bend and then up two other scenic mountain drives including a lovely lake with snow-covered peaks. Loved this experience and felt it was the best included excursion of the three we tried.
We love Bergen (our second visit) and the visit to the traditional farm was fascinating. Stayed on for another day and glad we did but the ship disembarkation was so easy - luggage right where it was supposed to be, porters to get it outside to taxis, etc. A class act, just like the entire voyage!
We sailed on the Venus in February 2022 with the same Captain. From your great review, sounds like the crew was just as great as they were then. Great itinerary.
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