(I have previously been hosted by Viking Cruises, however, all opinions are my own)

First Time On Viking Cruises? What to Expect + Essential Tips — Above: The Viking Venus docked in Hong Kong

If you’re thinking about booking a Viking cruise, then you’re in the right place.

Your first Viking cruise - what to expect

I’ve sailed with Viking multiple times over the last few years and have absolutely loved each of my experiences. From travelling around South East Asia to sailing down the Seine at Christmas time, I’ve experienced what both their ocean and river ships have to offer.

This blog post will include tips for first time Viking cruisers, including what to expect on embarkation day, what’s included in the cost of your cruise, and how to get the most out of your holiday.

What Makes Viking Cruises Different From Other Lines?

With so many cruise lines to choose from, it’s understandable to ask what makes Viking Cruises different from other products. Here’s an overview of what you can expect.

Viking is a premium, luxury line, offering high end cruises with a focus on cultural exploration. Founded in 1997, the company was created to provide destination focused itineraries for curious travellers. Each of their trips have an included excursion at each port stop, with an enriching onboard schedule for your time spent on the ship.

In total, the company has a fleet of more than 100 ships - which is incredible when you consider that the line is only around 30 years old!

You’ll notice that Viking Cruises omits some of the frivality and upselling found on other cruise lines. You won’t find a casino on a Viking ship, or a roving photographer selling you photographs at dinnertime. There’s no children allowed under the age of 18, no inside staterooms, and no formal nights.

Things like wifi, spa access, and speciality dining are all included, meaning that the price of your cruise really is all you need to pay.

What types of cruise does Viking Offer?

The cruises offered by Viking fit into three distinct categories: Viking River, Viking Ocean and Viking Expedition.

Viking River Cruises

As the oldest arm of Viking Cruises, the first river ships date back to its inception in 1997. The fleet has since rapidly expanded, and Viking has become the largest river cruise provider in the world, with more than 100 river ships in operation.

Their itineraries cover 21 rivers across the globe, with ships that are designed specifically to suit each individual river. Excitingly, in 2027 Viking are due to launch their first voyages along the Brahmaputra River in India.

Viking Ocean Cruises

Featuring the largest ships in their fleet, the first Viking Ocean ship, the Viking Star, was launched in 2015. There now have more than 10 ocean ships, with additional vessels joining throughout 2028.

These ships are considered mid-sized, and create an intimate, high end experience with less than 1,000 passengers on each voyage. Viking Ocean operates around the world, with itineraries sailing throughout Europe, the US, Asia and Australia.

These ships are luxurious and relaxing, providing everything that you need for a premium break.

Viking Expedition Cruises

Created in 2022, Viking’s expedition cruises visit thrilling locations such as the Antarctic, Panama Canal, Chilean Fjords and the Great Lakes. Other itineraries include Canada and Greenland, as well as the US and Argentina.

These cruises take place on purpose built ships that are equipped for scientific research, carrying laboratories, special operation boats, kayaks and even submarines. The vessels are typically small in size, containing just several hundred passengers, with a focus on the exploration of remote locations.

What to Expect on Your First Viking Cruise

Here is everything you need to know about your first Viking Cruise experience, including embarkation day, the daily schedule onboard, and the general atmosphere.

Embarkation Day

The boarding process for Viking is quick and easy. With less than 1,000 customers onboard their ocean ships, and far fewer on the river and expedition itineraries, I’ve found that embarkation day is a relaxed affair.

As all Viking cruises include complimentary airport transfers, they will be there to greet you when you step out of the airport. The Viking staff are usually very easy to find, often holding a red Viking Cruises sign and wearing a lanyard. After reaching the ship, your luggage will be whisked away from the bus and delivered straight to your cabin onboard.

You may have been issued a specific boarding time, but you can usually check in at any time from 11am. Bear in mind that your room might not be ready until 3pm, so make sure you carry any essentials you may need during that time as hand luggage.

Before boarding you will be required to go through your documentation including your passport, boarding pass and insurance information with a member of staff. This is usually really quick, and you will receive your cruise card before heading onto the ship.

After embarking you will need to attend your muster station and view a safety video on the television in your stateroom. All cruise passengers are required to complete this by law, so it’s best to get it out of the way when you arrive.

Once you’re onboard, a number of venues will be open for lunch. This includes the World Cafe, which is Viking’s upmarket answer to a buffet, and the Poolside Grill. The Restaurant is usually closed at lunchtime on embarkation day.

Daily Schedule

Each day on a Viking cruise is filled with excursions, activities and entertainment. You’ll find all of the information you need on the Viking Daily, which is a paper schedule that will be delivered to your stateroom each evening.

This will typically contain a full run down of everything happening the following day, including port times, the predicted weather forecast, and restaurant opening times.

You can also view the Viking Daily on your mobile phone, although I do enjoy browsing the paper copy in my stateroom each evening.

Atmosphere Onboard

I’ve found that the Viking ships usually have a calm atmosphere, with their elegant Scandinavian interiors and a luxurious feel. As there are only a small number of passengers onboard, the public areas never feel crowded and the evenings often feature live musicians playing classical music around the ship.

You’ll find a more lively atmosphere in the Torshaven, which hosts live music and dancing most evenings. There will also be music/dance shows in the Star Theatre, and there will sometime be live music and dancing on the pool deck too.

So while the general feel onboard a Viking cruise tends to be more sophisticated and refined, it’s certainly not boring, and lively entertainment can easily be sought out in selected areas of the ship.

What’s Included (and What’s Not)

Is Viking Cruises all inclusive?

Yes, I would say that a Viking cruise is typically considered to be an (almost) all inclusive experience. This means that your food in all of the restaurants is covered by the cruise fare, as well as drinks with dinner, wifi, spa access, and at least one included excursion in each port.

This is considerably more than what’s included with most other cruise lines, who will often charge you for things like wifi or speciality dining.

That being said, there are a few things onboard that will cost you extra. This includes any alcoholic drinks outside of dinnertime, spa treatments, and additional excursions. This means that while a Viking Cruise is technically not fully all inclusive, it does include all of the essentials and lots of nice extras too.

This is what makes Viking such a premium line - with so many things included, you don’t need to constantly check your cruise account or budget as you go along.

How do Viking’s Drink Packages Work?

As with the majority of other cruise lines, Viking offer a drinks package for those who want to have more options.

Remember that all water, teas and coffees are included in your trip, as well as a range of soft and alcoholic drinks at meal times. It’s really only worth buying a drinks package if you are planning to enjoy it outside of the set mealtimes.

Viking’s main drinks package is the Silver Spirits Beverage Package, which includes unlimited premium wines, additional types of beer, cocktails and spirits (minus some exclusions). These drinks are of course available on a pay as you go basis, but you can make a great saving here if you have a preference for spirits or cocktails, and plan on purchasing more than two drinks each day.

This Silver Spirits Beverage Package costs around $27 USD per guest, per night, adding up to $378 for a 7 night cruise. These prices may differ, so make sure you check the updated price when booking.

The drinks package can be added at any point before departure, or after embarking your cruise. When compared to other cruise lines, the drinks package offered by Viking seems very reasonable and well worth the money.

Top Tip: Note that Viking allows guests to bring alcohol with them onboard the ship, with no corkage fee for use in their restaurants. This is a great option if you enjoy fine wines but don’t want to upgrade to the drinks package.

Viking Cruise Tips for First Timers

Here are my top tips for anyone embarking on their very first Viking cruise.

Book Your Excursions as Early as Possible

The most popular paid excursions tend to book up quickly, so I would advise booking the ones you want as soon as they go on sale.

Keep an eye on your emails, as Viking should be in touch to let you know.

Make Your Dining Reservations Straight After Boarding (or before)

If you’ve booked a standard veranda stateroom, then you won’t be able to book your dining reservations until you board the ship. If this is you, then make sure you sort your reservations as soon as you embark.

Anyone who has a Deluxe Veranda Stateroom or higher will be able to book their speciality dining before sailing - the higher your cabin class the earlier you will be able to book.

There’s no Corkage Fee in the Restaurants

This is a great tip for anyone who enjoys premium wines, but doesn’t want to splurge on a drinks package.

Guests are able to bring their own alcohol onboard, and there’s no corkage fee for use in the restaurants! That means you can bring your own bottles from home or treat yourself while onshore, to enjoy at dinner later that day.

The Laundry Rooms Are Free to Use

This is particularly helpful if you’re setting off on a long cruise of two weeks or more.

All staterooms have access to communal laundry rooms that are free to use whenever you want, so you don’t need to worry about packing enough clean clothes to last for the entire trip.

Ask your Cabin Steward for a kettle if you want to brew tea in your room

This is one for the Brits (or anyone who enjoys a nice cup of tea!)

All Viking staterooms contain coffee machines as standard, but your cabin steward would be happy to provide you with a kettle and tea bags if you ask.

What to Pack for a Viking Cruise

Packing for a Viking cruise is actually pretty easy. As there are no formal nights on any of their ships, you don’t need to worry about packing your three piece suit or a cocktail dress.

The dress code during the day is casual, so make sure you pack your shorts and flip flops for lazy afternoons spent onboard by the pool. Make sure you have some comfy shoes for excursions, as sometimes you may do a lot of walking. Evenings onboard are generally considered ‘elegant casual’, which includes trousers with a collared shirt or blouse, a skirt or a dress.

It’s likely that you won’t be allowed to wear jeans or shorts in some of the venues, including the Restaurant and speciality restaurants like Manfredi’s. If you’d like to dress more casually, then the World Cafe has a more relaxed vibe.

Your Viking cruise packing list should also include laundry detergent, swimwear for the pool and spa, suncream and bug spray (if sailing in a warm climate). It’s also useful to pack layers in case of adverse weather, or for covering up when visiting religious sites.

Viking cruise ships typically provide lovely Freyja toiletries, and you’ll find shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion in your room. This is an easy way to cut down on your packing, as you only need to bring any additional products that you need.

If you’re going on a river cruise, then take a look at my complete packing list, which includes everything that you will need for your trip.

Cabins & Ships Explained

One of the lovely things about Viking Cruises is that none of their ships have inside cabins. This means that you’ll always have a sea view, regardless of where your room is based.

The ships themselves reflect the line’s Nordic roots, with beautiful Scandinavian design that runs throughout the fleet. Generally smaller in size, this allows Viking’s ships to dock in a wider range of ports, and also makes them easy to navigate as a passenger.

Something that's unique to Viking Cruises is that most of their ships are virtually identical. This is for good reason - embarking on a Viking cruise ship has a familiar feel, almost like home, and after just one voyage you will remember your way around for years to come.

There are of course major differences between the river, ocean and expedition vessels, which reflects their distinct purposes. Some of the river ships also vary depending on the river that they’re build for, and you’ll find that the Nile ships look very different from the Seine ships.

I’ve written a number of articles reviewing Viking’s ships and cabins.

Read my blog post where I tour and review a Viking Ocean ship here. I’ve also written about my Deluxe Veranda Stateroom on the Viking Venus, which you can read here.

If you want to see inside a Viking River ship, including my cabin, then read my other article here.

Food & Dining on Viking Cruises

The excellent food is definitely one of my favourite parts of a Viking cruise - particularly as the staff are so accommodating to people with dietary restrictions.

Unlike many other cruise lines, all of the restaurants onboard the Viking ships are complementary, so there’s no need to budget for any additional fees. You’ll probably spend most of your time dining the the Restaurant, which is the aptly named main dining room across all types of ships.

Seating here is usually first come first serve, while the speciality restaurants require a reservation due to their popularity. For a more casual meal, make sure you visit the World Cafe. Chilled out yet much more upmarket than the typical cruise ship buffet, this is a lovely place to eat at any time of day.

Read my full guide to dining on the Viking Ocean ships here.

And my guide to dining on the Viking River ships here.

Best Viking Itineraries for First Timers

Trying to pick a favourite itinerary is almost like being asked to pick a favourite child. Viking offer a wide range of itineraries all around the world, so wherever you want to travel, you’re sure to find something that fits your needs.

If you’re looking to book a river cruise, then I would recommend going for a Danube or Rhine river cruise, which visit several countries all in the space of 8 days. If you’ve always wanted to visit Paris, then you should definitely consider the Seine river cruise, which begins and ends in the capital.

For first time ocean cruisers, I’d recommend one of the Mediterranean itineraries, visiting countries like Italy, Greece and Spain. Of course, you can always do what I did and jump straight in with one of your dream itineraries. If you’ve always wanted to explore Canada or South East Asia then I say just go for it - you won’t regret it.

Is Viking Cruises Worth It?

For me, travelling with Viking Cruises is definitely worth the money.

While the prices do tend to be slightly higher than other mainstream cruise lines like Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, this is for good reason.

Viking include absolutely loads within the price of the cruise fare, from free airport transfers to all inclusive speciality dining. Wifi is also completely free, as is 24 hour room service and access to the spa facilities. Plus all of the ports have at least one included excursion! All of these are usually things that cost extra on other cruise lines, and they don’t tend to be cheap either.

If you’re looking for a luxurious, high end experience with a focus on culture and exploration, then I definitely think you’ll find Viking Cruises to be worth the price tag.

FAQs About First Viking Cruises

Are Viking Cruises good for seniors?

Yes, Viking is an excellent cruise line for seniors - although you definitely don’t have to be one! I’ve seen people of all ages sailing onboard Viking Cruises, although the typical age range does generally skew slightly older.

Seniors will particularly love the small size of the ships, which are really easy to get around, and the friendliness of the crew who are always happy to help with anything.

Are drinks included on Viking Cruises?

Wine, beer and soft drinks are all included at meal times, while premium wines, beer, cocktails and spirits are an extra charge. Speciality teas, coffee and water are also available for free throughout the day.

You could easily go on a Viking cruise and never pay for a drink, while other people choose to purchase the Silver Spirits Beverage Package.

What is the Viking cruises dress code?

During the day, Viking cruise ships usually have a casual dress code. You’ll see people wearing shorts, activewear and other casual outfits all around the ship, with swimwear in the spa and by the pool.

Evenings usually go by an ‘elegant casual’ dress code, which is still fairly relaxed, but excludes jeans and shorts in most of the restaurants.

Can kids go on Viking Cruises?

No, Viking Cruises only admit passengers who are over 18 years of age. There are no facilities available for children.

Final Thoughts

If you’re read this far, then you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of Viking Cruises - and not just because I’ve worked with them.

Their product is genuinely fantastic. The ships are beautifully decorated and immaculately clean, with delicious food and a great atmosphere. The spa is gorgeous, the crew are always friendly and the service is great. Plus the beds are comfortable, the private balconies are a good size, and the excursions are brilliant too.

Despite this, there will be some people who won’t enjoy a Viking cruise. This includes families with children (who won’t actually be allowed onboard), and people who are after a bigger focus on entertainment like Broadway style shows and waterslides.

I hope you’ve found my guide helpful, and that you have a fantastic time on your first Viking cruise!

First Time On Viking Cruises? What to Expect + Essential Tips

Your first Viking cruise - what to expect