When planning a cruise holiday, once you've settled on an itinerary and a cruise line, choosing the right stateroom is an important decision - once you are onboard you are generally committed. To assist with this process for the popular Viking Ocean Cruises, we summarise the highlights and inclusions for each stateroom type.
Viking Ocean Cruises was one of the cruise lines we featured in our blog Reviewing the Luxury Cruise Lines of the Mediterranean. There are many noteworthy highlights of Viking, and we were fortunate enough to have the New Zealand Sales Manager for Viking present to the Fine Travel Team. One aspect that really impressed us was that Viking boldly tells guests what it is not, and these "exclusions" have resonated with Fine Travel clients:
The Scandinavian styling and onboard experience has made Viking an extremely popular cruise line in a very short space of time. The following video will give you an insight into the onboard styling, experience and atmosphere (before you reach for the volume - there's no sound with this clip).
Fine Travel works directly with Viking Cruises to arrange Ocean and Luxury cruises for our clients. This allows us to provide consistent prices and access special offers and inclusions Viking may have available.
Learn More About How to Choose Your Cruise Holiday
This is a good question - and with any other cruise line you would be right. Viking Ocean cruises is a unique in that each ship is identical (the same applies to Viking's River Cruise ships). Each ship has 465 all veranda staterooms, so the observations in this guide therefore should apply to any of the Viking Ocean cruise ships.
In many cases yes - the cost of the stateroom may dictate which one you choose. Sometimes though, understanding the inclusions and differences between staterooms may result in you seeing the price differently. Some of these inclusions may seem inconsequential, such as the time you board, or when you get access to your stateroom. Others may have a more significant impact, such as priority for booking onboard restaurants (such as the Chef's Table pictured above) and booking shore excursions.
You'll want to avoid spending your time onboard thinking: "Well if I knew that I would have paid extra for the next category up!" or hearing your fellow passengers talk about something they have received that you did not (such as the Veranda and Deluxe Veranda staterooms not including alcohol in the mini-bar).
The following comments are based on information provided to us by Viking and therefore are presented as a "best endeavours" guide for decision making. They are highlights of some key differences - each stateroom has more inclusions than we have listed. The inclusions can change at Viking's discretion and therefore we confirm the actual inclusions with Viking before you commit to your stateroom to avoid any disappointment.
This is the lead in stateroom and the key features include:
Each subsequent stateroom type provides the equivalent or greater benefits (and we comment on the most relevant).
The Deluxe Veranda is the same size as the entry level Veranda stateroom, however the differences are around benefits such as accessing your stateroom, a timeframe of accessing shore excursions and guaranteed reservations at restaurants. As the picture demonstrates, this is largely a bedroom with a small seating area and balcony. In summary:
The Penthouse Veranda is a step up in size and inclusions. Notable benefits are an additional guaranteed reservation at Manfredi's and Chef's table and greater priority for booking shore excursions. In summary the benefits include:
From the Penthouse Junior Suite level and above, the stateroom size and configuration becomes the key focus. Although there are additional benefits, the Penthouse Junior Suite is the first stateroom that has a separate living and sleeping area. This is an important consideration for couples, especially on longer cruises, who might want the flexibility to keep different hours. This is also the first level of stateroom that includes complimentary dry cleaning and laundry.
Details include:
The Explorer's Suite gives guests that first sense of the home away from home - an experience more akin to going to a holiday, where you have a separate living and sleeping area, bathroom and wrap around verandahs. Key additional features include:
The Owner's Suite is a luxurious way to cruise with Viking Ocean cruises. It is the largest suite onboard including an expansive private veranda and multiple rooms. It's truly remarkable design includes:
Whether you are considering a Viking Ocean Cruise or a Viking River Cruise, the Fine Travel team is available to help you navigate the available options.
Viking has released a new campaign with special offers available until 31 March 2020. To view the online brochure click the button below (it will launch as an online brochure in a new window)