This was our second Viking Ocean Cruise so we knew exactly what to expect and Viking met our expectations & more. We chose this itinerary (Iceland/Faroe Islands/Norway) to celebrate my husband's 60th birthday. Viking provides the best value all-inclusive, "quiet luxury" cruising we've experienced with spacious balcony rooms throughout the ship, top-notch service, delicious & varied dining, specialty restaurants, inclusive wine/beer, inclusive tours in each port of call and the best on-board entertainment we've experienced to date on this ship. After our many cruising experiences, this particular crew appeared to truly enjoy working for Viking and took pride in performing their jobs. We booked another cruise with special on-board discounts and have also gone on several Viking River Cruises (a different but equally rewarding experience).
This Itinerary cruised around Iceland -- starting in Capital Reykjavik & stopping at 3 other ports: 2nd largest (& most scenic) city Akureyri just south of the Arctic Circle (our favorite port) and two very small villages (Isafjordur & Seydisfjordur), which provided an up-close cultural look at life in Iceland. The included tour in Isafjordur traveled to a nearby fishing village with a few hundred inhabitants. We visited their community center where natives sang Icelandic folk songs. We left Iceland feeling like we had a good sense of it's people & proud culture.
As there was a storm brewing in the North Atlantic, Viking sailed to the Faroe Islands and docked in Capital Torshavn a day early. This allowed us to walk around Torshavn on our own an afternoon before our scheduled arrival. The next day we went on an Optional Tour to Eysturoy. We look forward to going back to the Faroe Islands someday because the lush landscape was like Polynesian Islands but due to rain & mist covering everything in sight, visibility was poor.
Spacious Room & Bathroom with Balcony. Comfortable bed with limited drawer space but plenty of hanging closet space and room under bed to store luggage. Large Flat Screen TV mounted on wall across from bed allows for comfy viewing with an expansive list of movies. We often watched port & history/culture presentations from our cabin. Heated floors in bathroom a cozy feature. Small Fridge allows for storage of extra drinks & leftovers. First round of mini bar snacks included. Steward always helpful & friendly. Viking provides complimentary Birthday Cake & Champagne in cabin.
Viking Included Tour of Town/Waterfall & nearby Fishing Village of Bolungarvik where we learned about old Viking Fishing life and also heard native Icelanders sing folk songs