Zhao Shang Yi Dun (Viking Sun) Review
Lovely public rooms, fresh linens, upscale food at Chef's Table
Rating by category
Additional details
We were on the ship for 14 days. It was very comfortable and we enjoyed the cruise very much. We never felt like we were crowded. The public spaces were lovely and our cabin was a nice size with an amazing amount of storage. We were given an upgrade to the Penthouse Veranda suite which was a wonderful surprise. The mini bar was generously refreshed daily and the linens were always crisp.
We wanted to see Lisbon, Valencia and Lucca so chose this trip. It was very easy getting on and off the ship, there were no tenders which was fantastic. You could walk into most towns or Viking would provide a shuttle. Viking also provides included tours in all ports. Many ships do not. We did pay for a few extra tours. There were many to choose from. Unfortunately because of the protests in France we couldn't drive into Aix-in-Provence but we understand that those things happen when traveling.
The Chef's Table is high end food cooked perfectly and presented beautifully with wine pairings. There is no cost for the special dining rooms which is unlike many other ships. We found that if we didn't have a reservation, if there was room you could be seated. The World Cafe buffet had many fresh and good tasting offerings for breakfast lunch and dinner. The Pool Grill had a surf and turf night that was delicious and the chocolate buffet in the beautiful Wintergarten was stunning.
Cabin Review
Loved the cabin. Spacious for a ship cabin with an enormous amount of storage space, a nice make up table/desk combination, dressers, comfortable sofa and chair and coffee table. The bathroom was also more spacious than other ships I have been on. Again there was lots of storage. The shower was large and the spray was good. Everything was great.
Port Reviews
Monaco (Monte Carlo)
Monte Carlo was very, very clean and upscale. The streets were lined with orange trees heavy with fruit. We chose to walk around the city on our own rather than take the included tour. The city was beautiful. They had defibulators all around the town. I suppose because walking the hills can be exhausting.
Toulon
We saw some lovely scenery on the comfortable bus but were not blown away by Toulon. Much of the city was built up after the war so the building were drab except for the lovely Housemen buildings in the town centre. My review may be unfair because we were on the bus and we didn't get the true feel of the town by walking around.
Marseille
We had a tour booked for Aix-in-Provence but because of the protests in France we were unable to drive to the town or dock in Marseille. We understand these things happen. The ship docked in Se'te and we walked into the town. There wasn't much to see.
Barcelona
Barcelona is a wonderful city with beautiful architecture. We had been there a number of times so just took the bus shuttle into town and explored some of the area we love. The shuttles from the ship in all ports are great. They come often and were perfectly on time.
Valencia
We took the included tour by bus and walking. Our guide was very good. The city is beautiful. The bus took us to the very futuristic modern area just outside of the old town which was done in all white steel. The inner town was very lovely with beautiful buildings, huge palm trees and orange trees everywhere. The city seemed to us half Barcelona half Madrid. We enjoyed the city very much but there wasn't enough free time before we went back to the bus.
Cartagena (Spain)
We took the bus tour and it was a bit boring. We went to a lighthouse and saw the ocean coast line filled with hotels. The water swirling around the rocks were varied in beautiful blue colours.
We then drove awhile through some rocks that had been blasted leaving colours on the hills. The history was interesting but the tour wasn't great even though our guide was very thorough.
I would have only given the tour a 2 but we saw the incredible Roman Theater Ruins that wasn't discovered until 1987. It was very interesting and amazed me that it was just recently discovered.
The town looked nice but we only had 15 minutes to explore which wasn't enough. I'd say the tour should focus just on the town and the ruins rather than driving around.
Cadiz
We went on the Viking walking tour. Cadiz had beautiful buildings and squares. We visited the cathedral with our guide.
We left the tour midway to explore on our own because there was too much talk and standing rather than moving and seeing as much of the city as we could. We really liked the city. It was lovely, filled with tall palm trees. We discovered a large market, walked around a bit and then walked back to the ship via the seawalk.