Viking Are Doing It In Some Style!

Viking are synonymous in the cruising world with river cruising and very successful they are too, but there is a new kid in Viking’s town and that is ocean cruising which is going from strength to strength. Especially now that Jane McDonald has been on Viking Sky, I predict a real surge of interest.

So, Viking have just launched the new ship, the Viking Sky and boy she is looking good. Before I rave anymore about what you get on a Viking ocean cruise it is worth while taking a read on the background of them.  They were founded way back in 1997 and quickly became very big in river cruising.  The founder Mr Torstein Hagen saw a gap in the cruising market and Viking Ocean cruising was born. Mr Hagen is a man I would like to meet, I love his philosophy on cruising such as and I quote ”  people spend so much time saying what they will do , other cruise lines always add things on – we take things away. No casinos, no children, no umbrella drinks, no photographers, no art auctions, no charge for beer or wine.”  Viking are destination focused and they say the only challenges they face is they don’t have enough ships!

So, what is Viking all about? Well, every stateroom has a private balcony, there is no speciality dining, if you want to eat at the chefs table, there is no supplement to do so. Complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, free 24 hour room service, speciality teas and coffees anytime, complimentary excursion in nearly every port of call, free wi-fi (of course restrictions do apply!) and tips are included in the cost.

There are of course other cruise lines that do include all of the above so Viking do have to stand out don’t they? I think it is the standards on board along with the attention to detail that does this for me.  They are on sale for 2018 and 2019 and destinations include Scandinavia and the Baltic, Mediterranean and the Adriatic, the Americas, Caribbean, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Another to watch out for with Viking is they have a long term plan to cruise down the Mississippi – that will be different!

Next time you are planning your next cruise, take a look at them.

Till next time x