Zhao Shang Yi Dun (Viking Sun) Review

5.0 / 5.0
402 reviews

Excellent Choice

Review for the Caribbean Cruise on Zhao Shang Yi Dun (Viking Sun)
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Joseph Osegueda
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Dec 2018

My wife and I (I'm in my 70's)wanted to see Belize and Mexico primarily to see the ancient Mayan ruins but we didn't want to see the normal tourist hot spots that you can get on television documentaries all the time so we ventured into the excursions offered by Viking Oceans. We chose Viking Oceans because it was a smaller cruise shipt and didn't carry thousands of passengers giving us a more intimate yet sociable experience. We went to Miami a few days early and made the mistake of staying in a hotel on the beach. The hotel that was booked for us was terrific but our mistake was getting a hotel on the beach. During the time we were there, the beach was really quite empty (cooler weather) but the shops and nearby restaurants were too overcrowded for us(again we like things more private and intimate). Our embarkation started with being picked up by the Viking staff and getting a short tour of Miami before heading to the ship. The tour was very interesting and went well. The ship seemed gigantic but getting to our rooms and having the bags delivered went off without a hitch. Every staff member was more than helpful making sure all our needs were met. The cabin was spacious well designed, clean, well stocked. comfortable and the veranda was a terrific place to go and just chill and drink some wine,

The four dining rooms allowed plenty of room for places to eat and room service 24/7. I was never disappointed about any menu's but even though we had booked our reservations about eight months prior to our departure, their two specialty restaurants were booked for the entire trip and we never got to use it. The only thing I wish they would do is give every guest a chance to eat there at least once during the trip by simply limiting pre-booking to the larger suites to one visit on any given day and then allowing them to book more days once they were on the ship but again only allow one booking per day for any day and time they choose.This will allow everyone a chance to book any available restaurant at least once. Don't get me wrong, the food in all the restaurants was terrific but the smaller ones allow for more intimate dining which is what we would have preferred.

There was never a lack of things to do or see on the ship. We walked throughout the ship familiarizing ourselves with its layout and that took us just about a full day. Social gatherings and just sitting out on the decks and relaxing always gave us opportunities to meet new people and make new friendships.

Cabin Review

Cabin Balcony Cabin

The cabin was larger than our hotel room, very comfortable, terrific staff, well serviced and a great place to relax.

Port Reviews

Miami

Bicycling, swimming, surf boarding, exploring the beach, eating, or just laying out and enjoying the great weather was a real treat.

Key West

We didn't go ashore for key west because we have been there many times before, we just stayed on the ship, ate, drank wine, relaxed and enjoyed the company of new friends and our own private time.

Cozumel

Lots of fun, haven't ridden an ATV since I was a kid, seemed even better at my age.

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