Rethinking the Cruise Onboard the Viking Star
Viking Star, the first oceangoing ship from Viking Cruises, earns a rave review from world traveler (and travel writer ) Matt Long.
It’s always hard to leave a city like Venice, which seems to radiate in a special kind of brilliance you just don’t find anywhere else. But when you’re boarding one of the newest ocean going cruise ships in the world, it’s worth leaving even the Piazza San Marco for the experience. Viking River Cruises is now the standard bearer for river cruising, revolutionizing the industry and taking it from a little considered way to travel to one of the hottest travel trends. When I heard that they wanted to do for ocean cruising what they accomplished for the rivers I was curious but skeptical. Jumping into the already overloaded waters of ocean cruising is daring for any company, especially one with no experience in the industry. Whatever concerns I had though were immediately forgotten after boarding what I think is a game changer for the cruise industry and the travel experience in general – the Viking Star.
Although I’ve sailed the larger, 4,000-5,000 person megaships, it’s not a style of cruising my partner and I love anymore. As we get older we want different things from the travel experience and water slides and screaming kids don’t make the list. We want to experience new destinations in luxury and convenience, to see the best the world has to offer with a little pampering along the way. I didn’t think that was possible any longer with the mainstream ocean cruises and it was the Viking Star which convinced me to return to the world of cruising, just in a different way.
Photo ©Matt Long
The Ship
The new Viking Star is the first of six new ships to be christened by 2020 but onboard you won’t find the mainstays of other ocean going vessels. Look as hard as you may, you won’t find a casino, endless levels of shops and no tacky ways designed to separate you from as much as your hard earned money as possible. No, on the Viking Star the experience is one of premium hospitality and respect. Respect that you’re on vacation, that you have selected to sail Viking for the destinations, but also for the shipboard service. There are a few ways to spend money onboard, but not many and they aren’t constantly being sold as on so many other cruise lines. Instead the attitude is as relaxed as I’ve ever experienced, the passengers as happy a group as I’ve found on the high seas and the entire experience fills a void that many of us didn’t even realize was there. Called “inclusive pricing” by Viking, it means that many of the things we have to pay extra for on other cruise lines are included in the base fare like: every stateroom has a balcony, there is an included excursion in every port, all onboard meals (even premium), beer and wine served with meals, Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, access to the full Nordic-themed spa facility, 24-hour room service and so on. That’s a tremendous value and does a lot in creating a more relaxed and hospitable atmosphere.
Photo ©Matt Long
Technically called a “small ship” ocean liner (accommodating around 900 passengers), the Star never felt too small. It was a very manageable size and getting around the ship was easy and convenient. Mimicking their popular river cruise ships, the Star has the same level of elegance, without adding unnecessary features. It’s a design style I call “Scandinavian luxury,” and while you’ll never find a tassel onboard, you will find beautiful public spaces, artwork and small details that make the onboard experience something very special. While it’s not as big as those massive mega-ships, not once did I feel as if space was at a premium, in fact there are so many options for guests that it guarantees no one will ever feel that way. From the Explorer’s Lounge at the front of the ship with its library and telescope, to the Wintergarden next to the outdoor area, the pools and lounging areas you name it, the ship was designed to facilitate any sort of relaxation guests might want to try.
Traveling gay isn’t an issue either, thanks in large part to the worldly guests on board. If you find yourself onboard a Viking ocean ship, then you share in common with everyone else a fierce sense of curiosity and a desire to see and explore the world. That transcends everything else and within just a few hours onboard, I found myself making friends that I still keep in touch with today.
Photo ©Matt Long
Viking Star Staterooms and Food
The Viking Star did something else I thought impossible; they made me look forward to returning to my cabin at the end of every activity-filled day. Every room has a balcony and there are no interior rooms, which in itself is revolutionary. Room sizes and associated services differ based on category, but even at the most basic the cabins are more comfortable than on any other cruise ship I’ve experienced. Bathrooms aren’t normally something I write a lot about, but I was so surprised by the Viking Star’s bathroom that I just have to mention it. I have to believe that the shower is the largest standard shower currently sailing. Unlike the small cubicles onboard the larger ships that require an understanding of physics and gymnastics to navigate, the showers on the Star are light, airy and enormous, at least by cruise ship standards. My partner and I are both tall, and being able to get around the cabin, including the bathroom, was a luxury unto itself. Other standard features in all staterooms include king-size beds, LCD TVs with both live and on demand programming, and free WiFi is found throughout the ship. Some category types also include complimentary sodas and snacks or alcoholic beverages in the minibar and are replenished daily as an extra benefit.
Photo ©Matt Long
If you’ve cruised before, then the food experience will be familiar to you. There are a variety of restaurant choices from a buffet featuring made to order entrees, light bites available all day at a variety of locations, a main dining room and two premium restaurants. The difference though is that at no time anywhere on the ship will you ever be charged extra for food. Cafes, special stations – it’s all included and that is where Viking sets itself apart. Of course it helps if the food is actually good, and it is. I’m a picky eater and found great options throughout the day from the room service breakfast to daily tea and of course those delicious dinners. To my knowledge Viking is also the only cruise ship where the buffet is actually good. You won’t find giant vats of food or heat lamps in their World Café, instead meals are created a la minute for every guest. That guarantees amazing quality and naturally a fantastic dining experience.
Photo ©Matt Long
Destinations
At the heart of any Viking experience, whether river or ocean, is a focus on the destinations themselves. Fellow passengers onboard Viking Star are smart, engaged and incredibly curious and they travel not just to spend some time next to the pool, although that’s not a bad option, but to learn more about the world around them. Most of the Viking ocean itineraries aren’t like anything else available on the market today. They feature ports that most cruise lines don’t or can’t offer, as well as experiences in those ports that are more immersive than anything else offered in the industry. Keeping to their philosophy onboard the river cruises, each port includes a complimentary tour for guests who want to take advantage of it. That’s a tremendous value-add for all passengers. The complimentary excursions aren’t watered down versions either; they’re robust and engaging tours that offer a fantastic introduction to the various ports. Viking prides itself on keeping the destination front of mind, and so many of those excursions (both paid and complimentary) are immersive opportunities to learn more about the destinations. You don’t find that on any other ocean cruise lines and it makes the overall travel experience so much more robust and interesting than it would be otherwise.
Photo ©Matt Long
Overall
When Viking first started sailing the rivers of Europe they changed an entire industry and they are now doing the same for ocean cruising. Before Viking Ocean Cruises you had two options – go on a mega-ship at a reasonable cost and deal with the annoyances or pay an extreme premium for an over-the-top luxury cruise experience. There was no middle ground and now there is. I honestly and truly believe that Viking has created the cruise line for people who hate cruises, or at least who think they do. They have removed everything that is annoying about cruising and instead accentuated all of the many wonderful positives of the experience. They have once again filled a gap and will once again transform an industry in the process. Many will seek to replicate this success, but just as in river cruising, there will ever only be one original innovator.
Note : The author traveled as a guest of Viking. All ideas and opinions expressed are those of the author.
