VikingReviews of viking.com

The Viking cruise was wonderful. Their third party travel insurance is a joke. NEVER use Trip Mate. I'm really surprised Viking has chosen to partner with a one star travel insurance provider. They asked for receipts, itinerary, travel dates, etc. They refused to pay a dime. I spent over $1200, had a $900 claim and got zero from them. We were never offered alternative travel insurance...this was the one they said we should go with. Shame on Viking!

The FIRST and MOST IMPORTANT thing I would like to say is make sure your rain gear is indeed WATERPROOF. It RAINS a lot and that is why Norway is so GREEN! It was raining 80% of the time in Iceland and Norway. It was NOT down pouring but after a few hours of drizzling rain our rain coats were saturated and started to seep inside. Our backpacks were water resistant but it had water inside. Luckily we had are stuff in zip lock bags just in case. The arrival flight into Iceland was CHAOTIC and not very well organized. We had two extra carry-on bags that they gave us regular airline tags to put our names on it to ensure they got to our stateroom. That was a BIG mistake. (my mom’s ashes were in that bag) Our luggage that had the actual Viking tags with our room numbers made it but not the one that had the airport added tag even though I put my cabin number and my name on the tag. I was FREAKING out since my mom’s ashes that I promised her to bring her when I travel was in the missing bag. My daughter happened to see the bag just like mine in the hallway by another room and when we realized that mine was missing an hour later knew that it could have been my bag. So, she went looking for it and luckily the bags were still in the hallway so she grabbed it after verifying the name on the bag. The SATURN SHIP and CREW were FANTASTIC! I can’t say enough good things about everything. Food and Service was GREAT! The state room was set up with two separate beds as we asked. Loved the Veranda that we could walk out and see things from our state room. Enjoyed watching the tug boats do their thing in every port. 😊 I even told my daughter “Here comes our lil Buddy”. We got some really good videos and pictures on our phone and GoPros. ROOM service was GREAT! It was nice to order breakfast for the following morning so we were not rushed getting ready for our planned tour for that day. Everything about the SHIP and CREW were AWESOME. They were helpful, polite and looked like they enjoyed their job. I loved the SPA area and enjoyed the Thermal Pool every chance that I had. The FOOD was great! We did try the other restaurants that required reservations and they were great as well. No complaints on the food. They had a particular ice cream (Stracciatella) that they only had twice that I really LOVED and wished that it was more permanent. I did not use the HOT Tub that was right next to it since the stairs were so vertical that I had a hard time getting out. Had I known the issues ahead of time with the ATV and on of the bus tour, I would have just ENJOYED staying on the ship. (LOL) Did not like the fact that the Faroe Islands were cancelled and then the backup port Shetland islands was cancelled as well; however, I knew that the captain was only keeping us safe due to high swells. They should have gone to another port instead of staying an extra day in Geiranger. We did enjoy the HELICOPTER tour, that was fun and AMAZING and worth every penny! DO NOT TAKE THE ATV TOUR! The ATV tour in Iceland at the Isafjordur port SUCKED. The tour place did not have proper gear to be used in the rain. The gloves were not waterproof and I started to get frost bite due to wet cold hands. Definitely NOT worth the money. I have been on other ATV tours before and NEVER had this issue in the rain or snow. Viking please find another tour to use for ATV. I feel that the tours were rushed and the lunch were way too long. We could have spent more time at the sites and less time eating. The Post 4-day Bergen Extension was NOT worth the money since I am a Nature Scenic person. Now I know why the 2-day sold out so fast. The hotel Norge in Bergen beds were way to soft that it hurt my back. The Flam train tour to Voss was way better than the train from Bergen to Oslo. They had us walk to the hotel in Oslo and the only thing open on Sunday were museums. The Clarion Hub hotel room had poor lighting. Both hotels on the extension were NOT 4-star hotels and had NO AC. The Viking rep said goodbye before the bus left to take us to the airport. We had no help at the airport trying to figure out how to use the kiosk to check in for our flight home. This was very STRESSFUL! Luckily my daughter traveling with me was able to figure all this out. This was the first time that I took a Viking cruise. If I ever go on another cruise I be very picky selecting my land tours and will ask for additional luggage tags going forward. FYI, Northern Norway is much more scenic and better in my opinion then southern Norway. Wish they had more cruises that go further north of Geiranger. I may have to fly to the Lofoten islands without a cruise. UPDATE: Decided to try ONE more cruise with Viking and getting a room in the middle of the AFT since that is on my BUCKET LIST. I will hold my mom's ashes this go around until I get to our AFT room. I will spend some ports just relaxing/enjoying the ship. Will provide another review after 2028 for the 2nd cruise.

Never ever have Viking handle your flight itinerary. Viking will select the cheapest fares when air is included in the package. Viking will book connecting flights when direct flights are available. Very disappointing.

Recently had a 2 week Med cruise from Venice to Barcelona on Viking Sea. On embarkation and while waiting for the room to be ready we opted for the ship familiarisation walk around. This was led by an individual who packed a 15 minute walk around into 90 minutes during which he used the word 'Viking' 100 times - all a bit much. The good stuff - Ship is spotless, you will not find a speck of dust anywhere. Cabin similarly kept in immaculate condition. The 'hotel' crew, particularly the Philippino contingent are excellent, polite and efficient. The ship is cool (in both senses) relaxing and comfortable. There is a relaxed and uncrowded atmosphere and plenty of quiet and comfortable places to relax in. Room service meals available any time and breakfast in your cabin (sorry Stateroom) as you wish and at no extra charge. Food quality though is generally good but varies a bit and for some reason they don't seem able prepare any sort of meat well. Chewy steaks, fish and even chicken is the norm. Maybe they are supplied with cheaper cuts. Overall the food tends to be rather bland, perhaps catering more for the American market. The food although acceptable would not come near UK 5 star status. Shore trips are well organised as are embarkation and disembarkation, transfers etc. In common with many cruise lines they tend to leave port late afternoon or early evening - not ideal in the Med. where towns are just coming alive after siesta time. On board entertainment - A good Philippino band of the type experienced travellers will have seen in hotels worldwide. A pair playing classic music in the Atrium - good but boring. And so called Vocalists - terrible and best avoided. There was a closing show which featured only the 'Cruise Director' singing. So awful it was embarrassing to witness. At the end of the trip the same Cruise Director led some of the key hotel staff on stage and flipped into cheerleader mode endlessly chanting 'Viking, Viking Viking .... and expecting the passengers to join in. A toe curlingly yuckie and cheap end to the cruise. Maybe the Americans, who seemed to be the majority of passengers, like that kind of thing. In summary then - ship great, service great, excursions good, food average, entertainment best avoided. Would I go with Viking again? Quite possibly. p.s. Noticed several comments about onshore Viking booking and payment services, maybe based in various countries. My experience of buying the cruise in the UK was excellent with no problems.

It all seemed so simple and well planned. This ship was beautiful, the food was great eveyday!

I went on an Alaska cruise Anchorage to Vancouver. It was very interesting for an urban person.HOWEVER, be advised the risk of covid and influenza is significant. I got covid On the last 3 days of the cruise. My neighbor got covid 2 weeks before on a Rhine Viking cruise. Apparently the risk of covid is not prevented by 2024 covid injections or previous covid infections. This was my 5th infection. Also on the Alaska cruises the covid infection rate is much higher going from Anchorage to Vancouver, because of the 60 mile bus ride from anchorage to the boat boarding at Seward. I would recommend a covid booster immediately before the cruise, covid test kits, which cost 100 Dollars in the ship medical clinic a thermometer and a supply of Paloxavid. And going from Vancouver to Anchorage. Staff was great. Many people were quite fragile. Admired their courage

Everything about the cruise was wonderful! People and crew very accommodating. The shows were amazing and well enjoyed by all.Now to the part why I gave 4 instead of 5 stars was the excursion Lord Of The Rings in Christ Church. It was the only excursion I REALLY was wanting to do Although very expensive $339. Having to book this so quickly as to avoid closed. The excursion was booked as I thought we were going to see the house the area where it was filmed etc. I was not aware that the 8 hr tour was a bus ride to there and back where you looked in the distance at a rock area and was given a photo book of the filming of the Lord of The Rings. With the driver talking the whole time about the filming. All it was were rocks. green grass and sheep, rivers. I didn't think I paid for this. I thought it was the actual housing. All I saw was Lord of The Rings and had my travel agent book it as I was at work when the time was to sign up. I was not the only person that complained and the 4 hr ride back people were falling asleep. That was the whole day in Christ Church. I really think the excursion planner should be more descriptive and let people change the title. Most recognizable locations!!! Are you kidding me! The location that we drove for 8 hrs I could have seen in Az, Utah, Colorado. I didn't need to pay that amt nor drive 8 hrs listening to someone talking about the hills and the rivers and etc. So if you REALLY want to See more about the Lord of the Rings and not 8 hrs pick the Hobbit ! which is the next day In Wellington all don't waste your time or money on the one I had my travel agent sign me up on. The Trilogy on Amazon is cheaper

The two of us did a Viking cruise through the Panama Canal and really enjoyed it. The ship was fantastic. The service and food was excellent. I like the fact that no children are on board. I deducted one star because I saw the cruise discounted 60 days before departure. We had already paid. I requested an onboard credit of the difference and they were firm about saying no. Watch your wallet with them. I noticed that a lot of these negative reviews had to do with Viking air. I would never let a cruise company handle my air reservations. Viking is a cruise company not an airline.