Viking Ocean Cruises review

About Viking Ocean Cruises review

By the ULTIMATE Cruises Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Viking took its river thinking to sea in 2015 and has added a near-identical sister ship almost every year since. Its fare covers more than most, from UK flights to an excursion in almost every port. Here is who it suits, what is included and how to choose a voyage.

Viking began in 1997 on the rivers of Europe and spent almost two decades refining one kind of holiday: unhurried, destination-led and quietly comfortable. When it went to sea in 2015 with the Viking Star, it built the ocean ship its river guests had been asking for, at a scale that, in Viking’s words, allows direct access to most ports.

Today the ocean fleet is a family of near-identical small ships carrying 930 or 998 guests, every stateroom with a private veranda, and the fare covers more than almost any rival at its price (vikingcruises.co.uk, Oct 2026). Here is what you need to know before you book.

Choose by itinerary rather than by ship: the ships are sisters, and that is the point.

Who Viking suits

Viking calls its guests thinking people, and the ships are built for reading, conversation and long views. It suits curious travellers who want to understand a place, couples and friends who enjoy a lecture before dinner, and first-time cruisers who like the reassurance of one fare covering flights, transfers, an excursion in almost every port, wine with dinner, Wi-Fi and gratuities.

If you want lively nightlife or a ship built around families, a mainstream line will suit you better; if you want a calm, adult ship with a sense of purpose, Viking is hard to beat.

The ships

Viking’s ocean ships are sisters, and that is the point. The earlier ships carry 930 guests; the newer generation, from the Viking Vela of 2024 onwards, carries 998. Inside they are almost identical: the Living Room beneath the Atrium, the two-storey Explorers’ Lounge, the Wintergarden for afternoon tea, the Infinity Pool, a Main Pool under a retractable roof and pale Scandinavian woods throughout. Return guests board knowing exactly where the library corners and the quiet seats are. Viking Vesta (2025) and Viking Mira (2026) are the newest in the ship list.

Next comes the Viking Libra. Floated out at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard in March 2026, she has about 54,300 gross tons and 499 staterooms for 998 guests, in Viking’s figures, and her propulsion is partly based on liquefied hydrogen and fuel cells. Viking describes her as the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship; delivery is scheduled for November 2026, with a first season in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Her sister, the Viking Astrea, follows in 2027.

Staterooms and suites

Every Viking ocean stateroom has a private veranda and a king-size Viking Explorer Bed. The Veranda and Deluxe Veranda Staterooms measure 288 sq ft, and because the ships are sisters you enjoy the same public rooms as every suite. The Penthouse Veranda (360 sq ft) and Penthouse Junior Suite (432 sq ft) add earlier boarding from 11am, priority reservations at the alternative restaurants and priority spa bookings.

The Explorer Suites, from 808 to 1,215 sq ft including the veranda, have bathrooms with a bathtub, glass-enclosed shower, double vanity and heated floor, and include the Silver Spirits beverage package. There is one Owner’s Suite per ship, at 1,448 sq ft, with the Silver Spirits package, a shore excursion with private car and driver in a port of your choice, four priority reservations at each alternative restaurant 100 days before departure, and first priority for spa bookings.

Dining

Every restaurant is included on Viking’s ocean ships. The Restaurant serves regional cuisine and always-available classics behind all-glass walls, with beer, wine and soft drinks at lunch and dinner. Manfredi’s, inspired by Italy’s trattorias, and The Chef’s Table are the alternative restaurants, both at no extra charge; book them early through My Viking Journey, because suite guests receive priority reservations before departure.

The World Café serves a wide choice of dishes, and the Aquavit Terrace, which Viking says offers more al fresco dining than any ship at sea, turns the teak deck by the Infinity Pool into an open-air dining room at night. Mamsen’s is the quiet corner for a small plate with a big view, and afternoon tea is served in the Wintergarden.

The Nordic Spa

The Nordic Spa is, in Viking’s words, “a soothing sanctuary of Nordic wellness”. Access is included on the ocean ships: you move from the sauna to the Snow Grotto, then on to the fitness centre. Treatments are booked separately, with priority for suite guests. On the Sports Deck you will find a walking track, bocce, a golf putting green and shuffleboard.

Life on board

The evenings follow a quiet rhythm. The Theater seats up to 450 and divides into two cinemas for Destination Insights and TED Talks; the Viking Resident Musicians play in the Living Room; and Torshavn, a late-evening jazz and cocktail lounge in the spirit of 1940s Hollywood, is where the night ends.

Where Viking sails

The ocean ships sail Scandinavia, the British Isles and Ireland, the Mediterranean, North America, the Caribbean, South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, with world cruises between them. In Northern Europe, summer voyages call at Bergen, Stockholm and Copenhagen and cross the Arctic Circle; the Mediterranean has its own quiet-season programme, and Viking’s 2027–29 brochure adds Iberian round trips from Barcelona. In Asia, voyages run from Bangkok (Laem Chabang) to Hong Kong and from Hong Kong to Tokyo.

Antarctica, the Arctic and the Great Lakes are sailed by Viking’s expedition ships, and its river ships sail the Rhine, Danube, Seine, Douro, Nile and Mekong, among many waterways.

What’s included, and what isn’t

From the UK, Viking’s ocean fare covers return flights from London and selected regional airports with transfers, one shore excursion in almost every port, all meals, beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, Wi-Fi, onboard gratuities and port taxes (vikingcruises.co.uk, Oct 2026). On the ocean ships, the alternative restaurants, access to The Nordic Spa and fitness centre, 24-hour room service and self-service launderettes are included too.

What you add are spirits outside meals (unless you are in an Explorer Suite or the Owner’s Suite, where the Silver Spirits package is included), private and optional tours, and spa treatments.

How Viking compares

Viking’s nearest rival in spirit is Oceania, which includes every specialty restaurant and asks you to choose between wine and an excursion credit; Viking includes both an excursion in almost every port and wine with meals, and from the UK adds flights. Against the luxury all-inclusive lines, such as Regent Seven Seas with unlimited excursions and drinks, Viking is simpler and less expensive, with fewer suite grades. Against the big resort ships it is a different holiday altogether: calmer, adult and built around the destination.

Booking tips

Choose by itinerary rather than by ship, because the ships are sisters. Book the Veranda Stateroom if value matters most; move up to a Penthouse grade for earlier boarding and priority reservations, or to an Explorer Suite if you would buy a drinks package anyway. Book Manfredi’s and The Chef’s Table as soon as My Viking Journey allows, and if a brand-new ship matters to you, look at the Viking Libra’s first Mediterranean and Northern Europe season.

Our advice: start with a Scandinavian or Mediterranean voyage in a Veranda Stateroom, use every included excursion, and let the evenings run to a lecture, a quiet dinner and jazz in Torshavn. That is Viking at its best.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Viking Ocean Cruises review before you go.