Are you someone curious about what it means to cruise in luxury? When it comes to considering or looking into a luxury cruise, the first thing likely to be on your mind is the price.
Luxury cruise lines do cost more than the average cruise line. But why? What is so special about luxury cruise lines, and do they really offer their guests anything more than what can be found on a mainstream line?
Last December, my husband and I decided to embark on a Viking Cruises vacation for our honeymoon. Viking Cruises is considered a luxury cruise brand, but we were pleasantly surprised to find some excellent deals when it came to the price.
This article is all about my own personal opinions and observations while traveling onboard Viking Cruises. We did pay for this cruise with our own money, and all opinions are genuinely my own.
Viking Cruises as a cruise brand
There are some important things to know about Viking Cruises as a cruise line brand.
Viking Cruises started out as a luxury river cruise company but always had aspirations for making it to the sea. In recent years, the brand has expanded, and they now operate an impressive river ship fleet of 64 ships, with more on the way. The cruise line also has 10 ocean ships, with the latest ship -- Viking Saturn -- making its debut this year. The Viking brand has even expanded into the expedition cruising space, with two new and state of the art expedition ships taking guests to intriguing destinations such as Antartica.
The Viking Cruises brand is what I personally refer to as attainable luxury. The ships are beautiful and are truly the prettiest I have seen at sea. However, nothing feels too fussy. The ships thrive off their Scandinavian roots, and all of the ships incorporate this design style throughout.
Guests will be able to enjoy both exquisite luxuries onboard but in relaxed comfort. There is no real dress code onboard. I found most guests wore refined casual clothes when onboard, but there were no floor length gowns or tuxedos to be seen.
(Viking river ship docked)
One of the biggest aspects about Viking that attracted my husband and I to the brand was their focus on immersing guests in the destination. They do a fabulous job of incorporating food from local areas, hosting history talks and culture lectures, as well as choosing incredible itineraries for their guests to explore. I
In my personal opinion, cruising is a lot about the ship itself; however, a huge part of why people choose to cruise is for the actual destinations. Viking does a great way of bringing guests into their ports in a beautiful floating boutique hotel of sorts.
Viking’s slogan, "exploring the world in comfort," perfectly describes the cruise line. I have never been onboard more comfortable and beautiful ships so far in my cruising experiences! Without a doubt, Viking quickly became a true personal favorite of ours.
Something important to note about Viking Cruises, as well as many other luxury cruise brands, is that there are usually no children allowed onboard.
Viking currently has an age requirement that all guests onboard be 18 years of age and older. Due to the luxurious nature of the brand and its higher price point, it is fair to say that Viking tends to cater to guests ranging in the 40-80 age range; however, being in our mid-20s, my husband and I were surprised to find other honeymoon couples onboard as well. We made so many great friends on our voyage! No matter your age, adult guests will thoroughly enjoy their Viking experience.
The Viking cruise we embarked on
My husband I were married during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of this, we had to postpone our honeymoon until over a year after our wedding. However, we are so glad we did! Our cruise honeymoon ended up being more perfect that I could have ever dreamed.
Once we decided we wanted to book a cruise with Viking, we chose to call them rather than book the cruise ourself online. I highly recommend doing this if you are someone considering a cruise with Viking Cruises or any other luxury cruise brand.
By speaking with someone on the phone, we were easily able to have all of our questions answered, and the wonderful individual that we spoke to was even able to apply a discount code we were unaware of to our booking. From the first phone call with Viking, we felt taken care of, and every interaction or call since has been great service.
(Example of standard stateroom onboard Viking ocean ships)
We ended up booking two back-to-back cruises with Viking for our honeymoon trip. One was an ocean itinerary onboard the new Viking Neptune ship, and the other was a river cruise sailing down the Rhine river on one of Viking’s iconic river longships. On the ocean ship, we visited Mediterranean ports such as Florence, Marseilles, Monaco, and Barcelona. On the river ship, we visited ports all along the Rhine river, ranging from tiny little German villages that are not visited by many tourists, to large bustling cities such as Colon.
We sailed on the ocean ship first, and then flew from Barcelona, where the cruise ended, to Basel, Switzerland, where our river ship was waiting for us. This trip was amazing, and Viking did an incredible job of helping us to organize everything from start to finish. The names of the itineraries we cruised on were the "Iconic Western Mediterranean" and "Christmas on the Rhine."
Cruising during the winter was also a magical experience with Viking, and taking a European cruise during the winter is a one-of-a-kind experience that not many mainstream cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival, cater to, as these lines only deploy ships to this region seasonally.
We chose to also arrange our airfare through Viking Cruises due to a promotion they were running at the time we booked our trip. Often, Viking has a free airfare deal running, and I highly recommend keeping an eye out for this sale! This promotion included free airfare and transfers to and from our cruise. This was a wonderful convenance.
What is included on a luxury cruise
One of the biggest things about Viking Cruises that initially attracted us to the brand was the amount and quality of amenities that are actually included in the price of the cruise. Nearly everything onboard is complimentary and included on all of their ships!
Everything small from wi-fi to laundry is included, all the way to more luxurious offerings such as complimentary access to the thermal spa and afternoon tea everyday. We loved the fact that once we paid for the cruise, we did not have to worry about any fees coming their way at the end of the trip.
Along with Viking’s commitment to immersing their passengers in the travel destinations, Viking Cruises offers all guests at least one complimentary shore excursion at every port stop. This applies to both Viking ocean cruises and Viking river cruises and is a great value to passengers!
For the foodie travelers out there, Viking does an awesome job bringing authentic local offerings onboard, as well as Michelin star quality specialty restaurants that are completely included in your cruise. Guests can eat at any dining venue onboard for no additional cost. And let me tell you, the food is simply incredible! Especially on the ocean ships, guests will be delighted in the quality and variety onboard.
Eating at the two specialty restaurants onboard does require a reservation; however, booking these is free to do, and often times there is availability later on and throughout a cruise sailing. My husband and I loved the Chef’s Table restaurant so much that we booked a second reservation later on in our cruise, and we are still talking about these two meals to this day!
When it comes to alcohol, Viking offers another great value. Onboard both Viking ocean ships and Viking river ships, beer and wine is completely complimentary during both lunch and dinner. Guests are able to enjoy and unlimited amount of both beer and wine during these two meal times.
The design of the Viking ships is truly beautiful. There is nothing about these ships that feels stuffy or over the top. Something interesting is that all of Viking’s ships are designed to be exactly the same. All of the ocean ships are the same and all of the river ships are the same. This means that if you love one Viking ship you are guaranteed to love all the others as well.
One of my favorite spaces onboard the ocean ships is the Winter Garden. This gorgeous Scandinavian style room features so much natural light, and is the most perfect spot to relax after a long day of exploring. Everyday at 4:00pm, Viking hosts an afternoon tea in the Winter Garden onboard ocean ships.
This was truly one of my husband and I’s favorite things onboard. It was so relaxing and truly romantic getting to listen to live music while sipping on comforting tea and munching on tasty treats.
(Pictured aboved is The Winter Garden)
Viking also offers history lectures and presentations. Attending these events is complimentary and so much fun for those who enjoy history and learning more about their travel destinations. Guests can sit back and relax in the comfortable theater while sipping on a glass of wine or cocktail while they learn more about the fascinating places they will be visiting.
The presenters that Viking brings onboard are excellent! Many of them are professors at universities or have studied certain historical topics for decades.
Something else that is offered onboard both the ocean ships and the river ships is local entertainment. For example, when we were docked in Barcelona on our Viking ocean cruise, there was a night when a local band and dancers came onboard and performed. In Colon, Germany, a string quartet came onboard our river ship and played for the guests in the main lounge area. Having local entertainment come onboard is something that I think is really unique and a great touch organized by Viking.
Another great great perk is the included shore excursions. For both the ocean ships and the river vessels, there is at least one included or complimentary shore excursion offered at each port or stop along the cruise. This is a great value for money! Before sailing with Viking, I was skeptical about what these would look like. Would they be good quality? Would they be worth it? My answer is now absolutely!
I was honestly shocked at the wonderful quality of these included excursions. I have been on shore excursions that cost me over $100 per person on other cruise lines that were far worse. Viking does a wonderful job of finding enthusiastic guides who are knowledgable about their cities and who organize wonderful excursions for guests. These included shore excursions tend to be shorter in length, ranging from 2 to 4 hours.
Onboard Viking ocean ships, every guest will have a balcony, or veranda, stateroom. Viking cruise ships have no interior staterooms. Not only does every stateroom have a view, but every cabin features a balcony to enjoy the views and ocean breeze.
Viking river ships have several different types of staterooms onboard. Every room onboard the river ships have at least a window, which means that even in the most affordable cabin onboard the river ships, guests will be able to enjoy natural light in their stateroom.
The value for money on a luxury cruise line, especially Viking, really makes the cost seem to be more and more worth it! If you are someone interested in luxury experience that sailing onboard a small ship provides, Viking offers the perfect combination of refinement but also comfortability and accessibility.
What is not included in a luxury cruise
Nearly everything onboard is included on luxury cruises; however, there are a couple things that are not complimentary onboard. Some luxury lines include more than others, too.
On Viking, alcohol is probably the big one. Guests are able to purchase a beverage package in order to enjoy as many drinks as they like, but if guests are purchasing individual drinks al la carte style, this will be an additional cost.
If you are someone that thinks they will enjoy several drinks a day throughout a cruise, I would recommend considering Viking’s alcohol beverage package. It is priced very reasonably compared to many cruise lines, at about $200 per person for the entirety of a cruise sailing. As I mentioned before, beer and alcohol is complimentary to all guests during lunch and dinner, but this does not include cocktails, or drinks during non meal times.
Something else that is not included are treatments at the spa onboard the ocean ships. If you want to splurge on a spa or salon treatmeant, such as a massage, manicure, pedicure, or haircut, they do come at an additional cost. It is important to note that this is separate from the Thermal Spa! Access to the Thermal Spa is completely complimentary to all guests onboard the ocean ships.
(Example of French Balcony stateroom onboard Viking river ships)
Viking does a wonderful job of supplying complimentary shore excursions to guests to enjoy, but it also has some great paid-for excursions available to passengers as well. For those guests looking to see or do a little bit more, or looking for a truly unique experience, you can purchase other shore excursions through the cruise line.
These extra shore excursions are usually longer in length, lasting from about 4 to 8 hours typically. These paid-for extra excursions are also set at a very reasonable price, ranging from $60 to $150 on average. Sometimes, shore excursions on mainstream cruise lines can cost upwards of $150 for a longer full day shore excursion!
(Plenty of viewing locations all over the Viking river ships)
As with all cruise lines, gratuities are not covered in the initial price of a cruise with Viking. Gratuities are the cost that goes towards compensating all of the hard working crew members onboard who help make a cruise vacation truly wonderful. Guests can choose to prepay their gratuities before their cruise or wait to pay gratuities after the sailing.
Read more: Tipping on a cruise ship: Guide and what to do
Besides gratuities, alcohol, spa treatments, and extra shore excursions, everything else is included in a Viking Cruise!
Things I think make luxury cruises worth it
Due to the nature of how many things are included in luxury cruising, especially with Viking, I would venture to say that the initial higher price is worth it!
One of the reasons that my husband and I decided to choose Viking for our honeymoon was because the nature of the brand fit our desires, but also when we broke down the price of everything that was included we realized sailing with Viking was nearly the same price as sailing with other cruise line brands if we added on all of the amenities and features that Viking includes in their initial price.
While the sticker shock may seem intense at the beginning, we walked away from our cruises with Viking feeling that we had a wonderful vacation that was definitely worth the money and that we had gotten a great deal!
(Example of standard stateroom bathroom onboard Viking ocean ships)
The included amenities are definitely what make cruising with Viking worth the additional cost. Amenities such as wifi, laundry, specialty dining, thermal spa access, and excursions, will add up in cost extensively on most bigger cruise lines. However, all of these things are included on Viking’s ocean ships.
Viking river ships are a very different experience than ocean cruising. The river cruise experience as a whole is in a lot of ways its own type of vacation. Viking river ships are much smaller, and therefore do not have amenities such as pools, complimentary laundry, or a theater.
However, they do offer the luxury of docking right in the center of some amazing cities around the world and offering the ability to cruise down a river while enjoying spectacular views. Shore excursions are also included on river cruises, as well as all dining, and beer and wine during lunch and dinner. As with the ocean ships, once onboard river ship guests will find that nearly everything onboard is complimentary to them.
Things I like more about mainstream cruising
At this point its no surprise that I truly loved our experience with Viking Cruises. In fact I am already in the midst of planning our next! However, there are some things that I think are important to consider before booking a Viking Cruise.
Luxury cruising often means that the ships are much smaller. One of the things that I think some guests will appreciate more on larger scaled ships is the theater shows and the larger scale entertainment. Our Viking ocean cruise featured some very talented singing and dance performers, as well as the history presentations. But for those guests looking for stunning broadway style performances or impressive stunts, Viking may not be the cruise brand for you.
(Viking ocean ship docked near Cozumel, Mexico)
Viking is all about their destinations, which means that the entertainment is not always the utmost focus. While we really enjoyed the entertainment onboard our Viking cruise, it was not the most awestruck I have been during a cruise theater show. For those looking for more intense entertainment, I would look to larger cruise brands.
If you are someone who enjoys the large scale and copious amount of onboard activities, luxury cruise lines and Viking may not be the best fit. However, if you are someone who wants to enjoy relaxed luxury spaces and areas for relaxation, Viking may be the perfect fit!
What luxury cruises are not
Luxury cruise lines are not usually vessels that cater to families. Luxury cruise lines, including Viking, are all about fostering relaxation for their adult guests, offering an atmosphere of refinement, while transporting passengers to incredible destinations worldwide.
Guests considering Viking should take into consideration that this cruise line does not have some of the amenities and features that can be found onboard larger scale ships. For example, guests will not find casinos onboard, no photography sales or photographers, no art auctions, no waterslides or other majors "thrills," and no high pressured sales.
(Viking has maps onboard of each port, available to all guests)
Viking has self proclaimed themselves as “the thinking person’s cruise.” This means that they are very focused on things such as cultural enrichment. Guests will not find loud party atmospheres onboard, or lots of drinking, but rather calming live piano, guitar, and violin musicians will be found onboard.
For those interested in the exciting parties of mainstream cruises, Viking and luxury cruises are usually not the cruises to consider.
Where to find money saving deals on Viking Cruises
It may come as a surprise, but luxury cruise lines such as Viking do occasionally offer sales or promotions!
In fact, the main reason we were able to sail on Viking for our honeymoon was due to some of the great promotions that Viking was offering at the time. Prospective guests can either request a brochure via Viking’s website or can visit Viking’s special offers tab on their website to see some of the promotions currently being run.
Some common sales and promotions put on by Viking include free airfare, reduced cruise fare, free beverage packages, onboard credit, and a free room upgrade. Not all of these sales are run at the same time, but it is definitely worth checking their website, as well as calling Viking and asking if multiple promotions can be applied to one sailing.
Due to sales, we were able to save thousands of dollars on our Viking cruise experience! We walked away from the phone call with Viking feeling reassured that we had secured a good deal. Viking’s representatives are all very kind and genuinely care about the happiness of their customers.
In fact, some of the representatives I have spoken to were able to find promotions and apply them to our cruise that I was not aware of before the conversation. If you are someone considering a luxury cruise or a sailing with Viking, I highly recommend calling the cruise line directly and speaking to a representative.
Should you consider a luxury cruise?
If you are someone who the idea of a luxury cruise appeals to, I recommend checking it out! Viking was exactly what we were looking for when it came to picking a special vacation for our honeymoon, and it was an incredibly meaningful trip that we will remember forever.
Luxury cruise lines do a wonderful job of providing exceptional service and care onboard that usually is above and beyond. This was definitely true with Viking. We were very impressed with the Viking staff every step of the way, and we are so excited to plan another cruise with them soon.
(We sailed with Viking during December, and the river ship was decorated for the holiday season)
If you are looking to travel with guests under 18 years old, I would recommend considering a cruise with another cruise line due to many luxury cruise line’s age restrictions. There are some upscale mainstream cruise lines, such as Celebrity Cruises and Princess Cruises, that have youth programming to keep them entertained while adults enjoy some more refined experiences.
Every cruise passenger desires different things from their vacation. Because of this I recommend putting in the time to research various cruise lines before booking-- this will help ensure that you have the most perfect cruise vacation for you!
How much did our luxury cruise cost?
(Viking Cruises ocean ship parked next to Norwegian Cruise Line ship)
So, how much did our luxury cruise cost?!
At the end of the day, our luxury cruise sailing with Viking Cruises cost us about $9,000 of our own money. This included a 7-night sailing on an ocean ship, all airfare and transfers from the airport to ship and back, beverage packages, a 7-night sailing onboard a river ship, as well as all of the complimentary amenities and features onboard the ships, such as shore excursions and all specialty dining.
On the ocean ship, we had the most affordable stateroom category, which included a balcony. On the river Viking ship we had a French balcony category stateroom that provided incredible river sailing views.
(Example of the daily ship schedule delivered to all staterooms each day)
We were able to secure a great deal due to the time of year we booked, as well as the promotions and sales that were being conducted at the time.
Because of this, I cannot guarantee that others will be able to find a similar cruise experience for the same cost, whether it be more expensive or less. But I do recommend checking Viking’s website frequently, ordering a complimentary brochure, or calling in order to check on any deals that might be happening.
Conclusion
Luxury cruise lines have a lot to offer guests who are looking for a truly unique and special experience. I myself would describe Viking as relaxed luxury. Yes, Viking comes at an initially higher price point, but overall once everything is factored in, Viking turned out to be quite comparable in price to other larger scale cruise lines.
If you are someone who desires the quiet relaxation and beautiful aesthetics of a smaller ship, I would say yes to considering a cruise with Viking! This cruise brand does a wonderful job of incorporating the destinations the ship is at with its onboard enrichment, and immersing guests in the travel destinations.
We thoroughly enjoyed our experience with this luxury cruise brand. At the end of the planning process we were surprised to find that the vacation did not cost as much as we had anticipated. When all of the complimentary amenities and features are considered, I personally believe the price was truly worth it!
Hayley Phillips
Hayley Phillips is a military spouse currently living in Florida and loves all things travel and travel planning.
