Viking Cruises is fairly new to the ocean cruise scene (launched in 2015) but it doesn’t seem to be following the crowd. It’s bucking the current trend of the mega-ships and offering what I believe a lot of cruisers really want. Take a look at how Viking Cruises is different with these 12 things you won’t find on Viking Cruises.
1. No Casinos on Viking Cruises
There are no casinos on Viking cruise ships, which can be a positive or a negative, depending on if you like to gamble. Personally, I wouldn’t miss the casino.
Casinos were first introduced on cruise ships as a income generator and have grown larger and larger over the years.
Viking Cruises has decided not to take up precious space on it’s small ocean ships with a casino.
2. No children under 18 years
Viking Cruises offers adult-only cruises. This means that you cannot cruise with Viking until the age of 18. There is a small number of cruise lines that are adult-only, you can find out which ones here.
3. Things you won’t find on Viking Cruises: photographers
Being stopped for a photo when you’re trying to get off the ship in port can be annoying, especially when it creates an unnecessary queue.
One of the things you won’t find on Viking Cruises is this annoyance as there are no photographers onboard. Sometimes a formal photograph can be nice but some cruise lines really push the photos and photo packages as another form of income.
4. Things you won’t find on Viking Cruises: art auctions
Viking don’t do art auctions onboard its ocean cruise ships. There is art all around the cruise ship for passengers to enjoy but you won’t find an art auctions on sea days.
5. No charge for beer and wine at lunch or dinner
On a Viking cruise your drinks at lunch and dinner are complimentary – cheers to that! This creates a more inclusive feel to the cruise and has been taken from the river cruise model.
This allows you to enjoy complimentary beer and wine during your lunch and dinner.
6. Things you won’t find on Viking Cruises: specialty dining
Bravo Viking! Most cruise companies charge for ‘specialty dining options’ but you can enjoy dining at all of the dining venues at no extra cost.
7. No charge for the use of the laundrette
Some people go crazy when they get ‘free laundry’ with their loyalty scheme with other cruise companies but Viking don’t charge anyone to use their laundrettes. They are complimentary.
8. No fee for the spa
On a Viking cruise you can visit the spa for some much needed relaxation and rejuvenation whenever you wish. One of the things you won’t find on Viking Cruises is a charge to access the onboard spa. You can enjoy the spa on sea days or after a busy day in port. How inviting does the spa look? Find out more about cruise ship spas here.
9. No pushy sales techniques for spa treatments
Whilst on a cruise, you shouldn’t be put under any pressure to buy extras. Viking Cruises promises no pushy sales techniques used for their spa treatments.
10. Things you won’t find on Viking Cruises: long lines
To be honest, I’ve never experienced queues on any of my cruises for anything other than embarkation or debarkation but no one goes on holiday to queue!
11. No nickel and diming
On a cruise, do you hate having to pay for every little extra? Viking Cruises agrees too, so a lot of things are included in your cruise fare such as 24-hour room service and a shore excursion in almost every port. This helps you get an accurate idea of your cruise price beforehand, without the scary bill at the end!
12. There’s no charge for unlimited wi-fi
It’s quite pleasant to be unplugged for a few days but it’s also good to have the option of free wi-fi, especially to check final arrangements for shore excursions or staying in touch with friends and family back home.
Information for this blog post was taken from Viking Cruises’ “What Viking is Not.” To find out more about Viking Cruises, check out this guide by fellow cruise bloggers visitwith.us.
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