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To Viking, that means a dress, skirt or slacks with a sweater or blouse for women, and trousers and a collared shirt for men. During the day, there is no specific dress code, and people dress casually. If it's a sea day in a warm-weather destination, and you're bound for the top deck, a short-sleeve shirt and shorts are just fine. In keeping with Viking's focus on cultural immersion, lecturers often have expertise related to the places you'll be visiting on your sailing.
The 3 types of Viking cruise ships, explained
Whether you prefer the action-packed ships of Royal Caribbean or MSC, or the smaller ships that can sail along narrower fjords, there will be a Norwegian fjords itinerary for you. If you want to explore modern Scandinavia while gaining access to some of the region’s best museums, such an itinerary is a perfect choice. Scandinavia—and Norway in particular—is an expensive place to travel around, so a cruise can make financial sense for those seeking an introduction to the region. For one price, you get your travel, accommodation, meals, and entertainment covered. Viking’s shore excursions offer an engaging way for inquisitive travellers to learn about other countries and cultures, led by expert guides who are passionate about their region and provide insights into the local way of life.
Viking’s Top 15 European Cruising Experiences
From redefining River Cruises, they swiftly moved on to redefine Ocean Cruising with their matching ships and child-free policies and now are moving into the smaller, but fast-growing market of expedition cruising. There is no physical difference between the Ocean-class ships, they are all the same size, design and capacity. However, the Viking Expedition ships are smaller at 30,150 GRT and carry only 378 passengers each. A good travel agent will quiz you about your particular interests, travel style and preferences, and steer you to the perfect cruise line, ship, itinerary and cabin for you. An agent can also help you if something goes wrong before, during or after your voyage.
Viking River Cruise ship making return to St. Paul - CBS Minnesota
Viking River Cruise ship making return to St. Paul.
Posted: Fri, 18 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Which Viking River Cruise Ships Sail on the Rhine Only?
In March 2019 Viking Sky became stranded off the coast of Norway. 460 of the passengers were rescued by helicopter, with the rest of the passengers staying on board until the ship reached Molde safely. It's not a line that offers megaships topped with every sort of amusement known to humans.
More about Viking Mars
A den of serenity, it's one of our favorite places on these vessels. Every one of the line's 930-passenger ocean ships has a main restaurant (called, simply, The Restaurant) with rotating menus that include dishes that tie to the destination where the vessel is sailing. There also are casual buffet eateries called World Cafe on every vessel.
Viking Expedition Ship 360° Tour
Still, as is typical for cruise lines at the high end, Viking includes a lot in its base price. The latter is something relatively few lines roll into their base fares, and shore excursions can be expensive. This evening dress code is not enforced at the casual World Cafe eateries on Viking ocean ships, where passengers can go even more casual in the evenings. What Viking ships don't offer is a lot of onboard amusements aimed at families and younger travelers.
China Merchants Viking Cruises
That gives Viking 8,370 berths in the upscale ocean cruise market — more than competitors Oceania Cruises and Azamara combined. The small size of our elegant, 930-passenger ships gives you access to fascinating ports that larger ships simply cannot reach. Our ocean and world cruises traverse six continents and offer enriching cultural experiences. Viking has many inclusions on their river cruises, although not everything. On your trip, you'll get at least one shore excursion per port included in the fare, as well as bottled water, all meals plus wine and beer at lunch and dinner, as well as onboard programming and entertainment. On Viking river cruises, wines are included at lunch and dinner and are poured liberally.
Mingle with the locals as they relax in these pool-like thermal baths and watch them play chess in the water. This is one of many treasured activities on Viking’s 15-day Grand European Tour river voyage through four countries, with stops in riverside villages and cities including Cologne, Vienna and Amsterdam. For most travellers, the aurora borealis is the world’s most sought-after spectacle in the sky. On a clear night, these ethereal lights may appear over Norway as faint wisps of green or dramatically dancing ribbons in multiple colours. In Search of The Northern Lights is Viking’s 13-day ocean voyage in the Arctic, sailing between London (Tilbury) and Bergen via the Norwegian fjords.
After 26 years in Europe, Viking knows the most enjoyable aspects of its popular destinations, from major cities to the countryside. Every itinerary has been honed to explore the most beautiful landscapes, stunning landmarks, and unusual customs and cuisines unique to each port of call. A mesmerising view at the perfect time of day, a natural phenomenon that must be seen to be appreciated, or a heart-pumping activity in a place rarely visited. Coffee stations and some snacks are usually available during the day. Room service is limited -- it's breakfast only and only available to passengers in the Explorer Suites.
You'll find Viking's ocean ships in other key cruise destinations as well, such as Alaska, the Caribbean and Panama Canal, Canada and New England, South America, Asia and Australia. Most Viking Longships are 443 feet long, the perfect length to fit into the locks on many of Europe's rivers. Viking has also built slightly shorter versions of the Longships measuring 262 feet, 361 feet or 410 feet in length specifically to sail on rivers where lock sizes or other navigational factors require a smaller vessel.
Since its founding in 1997, the upscale cruise brand has carved out a niche catering to a certain type of thoughtful, inquisitive, generally older traveler looking to explore the world and learn a thing or two along the way. River ships originally put Viking on the map, and they're still at the core of the brand. A secondary pool area with an infinity pool is at the back of each of the ships. Some local initiatives protesting against cruise travel have also gathered momentum, so cruisers should be aware of these issues before setting foot ashore. Layered clothing accommodates the region's variable weather, while specialized gear might be necessary for specific excursions.
In general, it's an educated crowd, with many passengers coming from professional backgrounds or a life of running their own businesses. Most Viking passengers are North Americans who are approaching retirement age or already retired. The company's core market is people who range in age from 55 to 75 years, although it does draw some passengers who are younger or older. Note that there is one more vessel in this same series, called Zhao Shang Yi Dun, that has been permanently transferred to a joint venture that operates for the China market.
During the day -- and anytime in the ship's World Cafe buffet -- more casual clothing such as shorts, jeans, T-shirts and capris are acceptable. It's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with tables for six and eight. Breakfast and lunch are buffets that are served during set times, although you can also order cooked-to-order items off the menu. An elevator runs between the ship's Main Deck and upper deck only; passengers with mobility issues should avoid cabins on the lower deck and may miss out on activities up on the Sun Deck. When the weather's nice, the sundeck on Viking Longships is also a central part of their layout.
Passengers will also find finger sandwiches, scones and teas in the afternoon at the glass-topped Wintergarden lounge at the top of every vessel. What they are is eminently functional, with storage in all the right places, lots of outlets for charging your devices and lighting right where you need it. We love the reading lights built into the fabric headboards, which are in addition to the lamps on bedside tables. You won't have trouble seeing the pages of the Viking Daily activity newsletter while lying in a Viking cabin bed. In general, you'll find a lot of couples on Viking ships and some solo travelers. You'll also find the occasional multigenerational group — a retired couple traveling with their working-age adult children, for instance.
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