I had done many cruises but I really wanted to splurge on the Viking Cruise. I heard it was the best overall cruise line & the West Indies Explorer package really seemed to fit the bill for my husband & I. It was a special trip for many reasons but mainly to celebrate my retirement. The customer service while booking the cruise was great & even after Hurricanes Maria & Irma, we still decided to ...
Wanted to try a transatlantic cruise as an alternative to flying. And wanted to cruise on a smaller boat to avoid the long line-ups at embarkation and disembarkation. Although we were concerned that a smaller ship might experience a lot of movement in the open ocean in poor weather, the weather was relatively good so we don't really know if rough seas would have been a problem. There was a good ...
--This Trip was taken as a result of a voucher issued by Viking to compensate in part for problems incurred on a River Cruise. At the suggestion of our Travel Agent and due to time constraints in using the Voucher, we chose this trip on the Viking Star. I rarely find the Embarkation and Debarkation smooth. This went fairly well.
--The Ship was small next to many we have sailed but was well laid ...
We chose the Atlantic crossing to have ample time at sea to relax, and a few nice ports.
I will focus mostly on some things I hope will be helpful for future cruisers.
We agree with most other reviewers that the ship is beautiful, and the crew is exceptional (however, we found fantastic crew on almost any other cruise line/ship).
In preparation, here's my experience:
-Viking charges ...
We had never been to the places we visited. Viking gave us the high lights of the areas. We met knowledgeable people, saw so many wonderful places we had never experienced before. The crew and staff made traveling so easy, we got spoiled and had no worries. We celebrated my husband's birthday; They make it a super day. As they did when we had our 43 anniversary in Oct. on the same ship. They were ...
It was a new wonderful experience crossing the Atlantic. However, the pre-trip to Puerto Rico was greatly overpriced by Viking. The room amenities were very sparse and there were no excursions included. Our Viking representative was not that good. For example, I needed a dentist and the representative from Viking was nowhere to be found. We had a medical issue on board. My husband's issue ...
WE heard so much about Viking, that it was time to see if the ship is as good as they say. Let me tell you it was the BEST ship we have been on. We got 6 days to go everything about the ship when we were crossing the Atlantic Ocean. We booked 2 more cruises with Viking while on board the Viking Star. The food was better than we hoped. The variety was excellent. The staff was always smiling and ...
To be honest we took this cruise because there were not as many port visits, and so we could relax more on the ship, having cruise with Viking before, we know that the service on the ship is always excellent.
Attend the lectures, although not all were to our taste, but the ones that where, we really enjoyed. Plus the activities were really good and kept us very interested. especially the shows ...
It came along at a time we could go for a very good discount. My husband and I loved the smallness of the ship and the amount of people. The entertainment and cabin service were the best we have encountered. The food was very, very good especially in the Restaurant. Liked that wine and beer came with dinner. Our stateroom came with a mostly free mini-bar. But didn't always get restocked when it ...
The overall experience was really great. The crew was friendly, welcoming, and always helpful. The ship was brand new and beautiful, with large and very elegant public areas. The public spaces were bright, clean, airy and un-crowded. The rooms were roomy and comfortable, and all were unobstructed balcony rooms with twice a day service. Wine (or beer) was included with lunch and dinner. The ...