Viking has a pretty specific personality.
That is a good thing when it matches yours.
The ships are quieter. The focus is more heavily on the destination. There are lectures, cultural programs and excursions instead of a schedule built around belly-flop contests and late-night deck parties.
And because Viking is adults only, there are no kids clubs, splash zones or families racing toward the buffet with three toddlers.
For some people, that sounds wonderful.
For others, I would recommend something else.
That is the point of working with an advisor. The question is not whether Viking is a good cruise line. It is whether Viking is a good cruise line for you.
That is probably the best place to start.
No kids under 18. No casinos. No waterslides. No giant party deck. On Viking's ocean ships, there are not even inside cabins.
Instead, Viking puts most of its attention on where you are going.
If your idea of a great cruise is spending the afternoon by the pool and heading to the casino after dinner, I can recommend several cruise lines that will probably make you happier.
If you would rather spend the day exploring Rome, walking through a village along the Rhine, listening to someone who actually knows the history of the place you are visiting, or watching Antarctica go by outside your window, then Viking deserves a look.
I'm a Viking Certified Travel Advisor in Keller, Texas, and I help travelers throughout Dallas-Fort Worth and nationwide choose between Viking's river, ocean and expedition cruises.
More importantly, I'll tell you if I think Viking is actually the right fit.
Europe Without Packing Your Suitcase Every Other Day
This is where Viking built its name.
A European river cruise solves one of the biggest problems with a traditional multi-city Europe trip: your hotel moves instead of you.
You unpack once and travel along rivers like the Rhine, Danube, Seine or Douro, usually arriving close to the places you actually came to see.
That can be a much easier way to experience several European destinations than checking out of a hotel, dragging luggage to a train station, finding your next hotel and doing the whole thing again two days later.
But river cruising is not just an easier version of an ocean cruise.
The ships are smaller. Entertainment is more limited. The destination is the entertainment.
If you want to spend your evenings seeing big production shows and your afternoons around a giant resort-style pool, river cruising probably is not your answer.
If you want to walk through Strasbourg in the morning, be back aboard for dinner and wake up somewhere completely different, now we have something to talk about.
For People Who Like Cruising More Than Cruise Ships
Viking Ocean occupies an interesting space.
You still get the convenience of a cruise, but the ship is not trying to become the destination.
There are no casinos, no children under 18 and no formal nights. Every ocean stateroom has a veranda, so you are also not choosing between an inside cabin, an oceanview cabin and fourteen slightly different versions of a balcony cabin.
The itineraries are destination focused, with cruises through places like the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, the British Isles, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean and beyond.
And Viking includes more in the base fare than many traditional cruise lines, including dining, Wi-Fi, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, and a complimentary shore excursion in each port.
That does not mean absolutely everything is included. There are still optional excursions, upgraded beverages and other extras you can purchase.
The difference is that the base price tells you considerably more about what the trip is actually going to cost.
When "Somewhere Different" Means Antarctica
An expedition cruise is a completely different conversation.
You are not choosing one because the ship has the best steakhouse.
You are choosing it because you want to go somewhere that is difficult to reach any other way.
Viking Expedition voyages are built around exploration, with ships designed for remote destinations and onboard experts who help you understand what you are actually looking at.
Antarctica is the obvious example.
There is a pretty substantial difference between seeing a picture of Antarctica and standing outside while an iceberg the size of a building moves past you.
Expedition travel also requires a little more flexibility. Weather and conditions matter. Plans can change because nature gets a vote.
For the right traveler, that is part of the experience.
For somebody who wants every day scheduled down to the minute six months in advance, we should probably talk about that before you put down a deposit.
Viking runs promotions throughout the year.
The headline offer is useful.
The details are more useful.
A promotion may apply to certain itineraries, departure dates, stateroom categories or airfare gateways, so I would rather check the sailing you actually want than choose a vacation simply because a banner says "Free Airfare."
Have a Viking offer you received in the mail or by email?
Send it to me. I'll take a look at it and tell you what it actually means for the trip you are considering.
The questions you may not know to ask
What Does Viking Actually Include?
This is one of the reasons comparing Viking strictly by the advertised cruise fare can be misleading.
On Viking's river and ocean cruises, the fare generally includes:
There are optional excursions and upgrades available too, so "included" does not mean there is nothing else you could possibly spend money on.
But when we compare Viking with another cruise, I look at the whole trip instead of putting two advertised fares next to each other and pretending they include the same things.
Sometimes Viking comes out considerably more expensive.
Sometimes the difference gets much smaller once you add what you would have purchased separately on the other cruise.
That is the comparison that actually matters.
And Then There Is the Airfare
Especially If You're Flying From DFW
A European river cruise that starts in Budapest is not very useful if we forget about getting you to Budapest.
I look at the cruise and the trip around the cruise.
That can include Viking Air, flights booked independently, pre-cruise hotels, post-cruise stays, airport transfers and extensions.
Viking Air can be a good option on some itineraries, particularly when there is a strong airfare promotion. When air is purchased through Viking, airport transfers associated with the cruise can also be included.
But I do not automatically recommend Viking Air simply because you are taking a Viking cruise.
Sometimes booking your flights separately gives you a better schedule, better seats or more control.
We compare them.
The cheapest airfare at 2:00 Tuesday afternoon is not much of a bargain when it gives you a 37-minute connection in Frankfurt.
Which Viking Itinerary Should You Choose?
This is where a search box stops being especially helpful.
There can be multiple Rhine itineraries, different directions, different lengths, extensions, cabin categories, departure dates and airfare offers.
Ocean itineraries can visit many of the same countries but spend very different amounts of time in port.
And two trips that look almost identical on the first page of a brochure can feel completely different once you start looking at the actual schedule.
So I start somewhere simpler.
- What do you actually want to see?
- How many days do you have?
- How much walking are you comfortable doing?
- Do you want a busy itinerary or some room to breathe?
- Is there one destination that would ruin the trip if we somehow skipped it?
- Would you rather spend the money on a better cabin or stay three extra nights in Europe?
Once I know those answers, narrowing Viking down gets a lot easier.
What I Do as Your Viking Travel Advisor
You can book Viking directly. I'm not going to pretend you can't.
The reason to book through me is that you get another person looking at the trip before you spend thousands of dollars on it.
I'll help you compare:
And once it is booked, you have one person who knows your trip and who you can call or text when you have a question.
There is no additional planning fee for Viking cruise bookings through Travel By Cook.
I am compensated by the supplier, and your cruise booking is based on the same published Viking pricing.
Robert Cook — Travel Advisor Serving Keller, North Fort Worth & the DFW Metroplex
Call or text: 682-337-9466
Email: travelbycook@gmail.com
CLIA Certified Cruise Counselor | IATA | KHM Travel Group | Florida Seller of Travel ST37113