One of the many great things about Viking is that their cruises really are an almost all inclusive holiday.

While the cruise fare might be slightly higher than you would find with other lines, an impressive number of services are included in the price. This includes all of your food, drinks with meals, and even your toiletries, so you really don’t need to spend any extra money.

This blog post outlines what is included in the base fare of a Viking cruise, as well as any optional extras that you may want to budget for.

What Costs Extra on a Viking Cruise?

While a Viking cruise is an almost all inclusive vacation, it’s important to know that there are a number of things that aren’t covered in the base far.

If you haven’t sailed on a Viking cruise before, then make sure you read my complete guide for first time Viking cruisers here.

What Is Included on a Viking Cruise

You’ll find that an impressive number of items and services are included within the fare of a Viking Cruise. This includes:

All of your meals, including alternative dining and 24 hour room service
One excursion per port
WiFi
Beer, wine and soft drinks with meals
Tea, coffee and water 24 hours a day
The Nordic Spa and fitness centre
Self service laundry services including detergent
Freyja® toiletries in your stateroom

What Costs Extra on a Viking Cruise

Shore Excursions (Beyond the Included One)

One of the things I particularly like about Viking Cruises is that one free excursion is included on every port day. This is fantastic as the cost of shore excursions can quickly add up, and can often be quite expensive when booked through any cruise line.

Bear in mind that the included options are usually limited, so if you’re sailing a particular itinerary for a second time or you just fancy doing something else, there are additional extra cost excursions that you can choose from.

Alcohol Outside of Meal Times

While many beverages including wine, beer and soft drinks are provided at mealtimes, other drinks do incur an additional charge. This includes any cocktails, premium wines and champagne.

You may wish to purchase the Silver Spirits Beverage Package, which will allow you to enjoy unlimited drinks both with and in between meals. It’s good value when compared to other cruise lines, typically costing around $27 USD per guest, per night, adding up to $378 for a 7 night cruise.

In comparison, a Royal Caribbean Deluxe Beverage Package with the same inclusions can cost you as much as $120 per person per day!

Gratuities

This item really depends on where you have booked your cruise from. In the UK, Australia and New Zealand all of your gratuities will typically be covered by the cost of the cruise. Some people do choose to leave a tip for their cabin steward when disembarking, but this is optional and not expected. You may also wish to carry extra cash to give to tour guides at the end of excursions.

In comparison, passengers booking from other countries like the US will often find that daily gratuities are charged on top of the cruise fare.

Specialty Onboard Experiences

Almost all of the onboard entertainment is included in the price of the cruise, but there are a few optional extras that you may want to consider.

Viking Ocean ships often host onboard culinary experiences such the Kitchen Table culinary school (you can read my review of this experience here).

Flights & Transfers

Again, this depends on where you are booking from and what is included in your package. Flights are included in many of the cruise packages when booking from the UK, but if not, they can be purchased through Viking Air.

Booking your flights with Viking means that they will take care of your transfers to and from the ship. You can also book your flights and transfers independently if you prefer to have more flexibility. This can be particularly helpful if you’re travelling from a regional airport not covered by Viking, or if you want to arrive a few days early for some independent exploration.

Pre and post cruise hotel stays can also be organised through Viking.

Spa Treatments

While the Nordic Spa is free to enjoy throughout your cruise, any treatments such as massages or facials are an extra charge.

I love treating myself to a massage as part of a vacation, but all of the other facilities including the thermal suite, sauna, steam room, cold plunge and snow grotto are completely free. This is something that you often need to pay for on other cruise lines.

Laundry Services

If you don’t fancy using the free self service option on the ocean ships, then you can also pay for your clothes to be processed by the laundry team. Dry cleaning and pressing is also available. Passengers travelling in suites will often have some or all of these things included, which is a great touch.

Note that self service laundry isn’t available on river ships, so you will need to pay if you want anything washed during your trip.

If you have the budget available, getting your worn clothes laundered and pressed can be a great welcome home treat to yourself!

Travel Insurance

This is something that won’t be included in your cruise fare but is 100% essential for any cruise you ever travel on. Make sure that you purchase cruise ship specific travel insurance that will cover you in the unlikely circumstance that you become unwell onboard.

Travel insurance also covers things like missed ports, which occur when the cruise schedule is changed due to unforeseen circumstances. This actually happened to me once on a cruise around the Norwegian Fjords, when high winds meant that we couldn’t dock in Stavanger. The insurance company gave me small a cash payout which I was really happy with.

Hidden Costs Most First-Time Viking Cruisers Miss

Make sure you watch out for these hidden costs, and budget for anything that might apply to you:

Drinks outside of meals
Champagne, premium wine and cocktails (even with dinner)
Pre/post cruise hotels
Extra excursions, spa treatments or onboard experiences like the Kitchen Table
Spending money for use on the ship or in port

In comparison to other mainstream cruise lines, there really aren’t many hidden costs on a Viking Cruise, and I find them to be great value for money.

How Much Extra Should You Budget?

This really depends on what extras you plan on purchasing during your cruise. While you can travel without spending any additional money, you can also spend lots on extra premium experiences if you want to!

Budget travellers can easily enjoy their vacation without needing any additional funds, or with very minimal spend on the occasional drink or souvenir.

Mid-range travellers may want to budget up to $500 dollars per person for drinks (if not using the Silver Spirits Package), additional excursions and spa treatments.

Higher end travellers should budget $1000+ dollars for any premium upgrades, private tours and spa treatments.

Is Viking Still Worth It Despite the Extra Costs?

You do get what you pay for on a Viking cruise, and the higher price point comes with loads of included extras that you just don’t find on other lines. This includes all of your dining, the Nordic Spa, drinks at mealtimes, Wifi, room service, toiletries and more.

Of course there are a limited number of places where you can spend your money onboard if you want to, but this isn’t necessary. You can still have a luxury, high end experience without any extra cost cost.

Final Thoughts: Is Viking Really All-Inclusive?

The answer to this is yes - almost.

If booking from the UK, then you really could treat this like an all inclusive experience, with flights and daily gratuities all included in the cruise fare. You can enjoy alternative dining, relaxing afternoons in the spa and included excursions all without spending any more money.

If travelling from the US, then make sure to find out whether you will need to pay for daily gratuities while onboard. And if you want to enjoy any of the extra cost items described above, then make sure you plan accordingly!

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy your Viking cruise. For more information about Viking Cruises, including my own experiences, take a look at the blog posts below.

What Costs Extra on a Viking Cruise?

What Costs Extra on a Viking Cruise?