Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 6/20/25 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 6/20/25

Crystal Symphony - 9 Night Mediterranean

We spend 9 nights on Crystal Symphony sailing from Barcelona to Rome.

By Chris Dikmen and Rickee Richardson

Tarragona | Palma de Mallorca | Porto Mahon | At Sea | La Spezia | Livorno | Porto Santo Stefano | Civitavecchia (Rome) | Civitavecchia (Rome)

Day-By-Day Cruise Blog

Since our 2023 review of sister ship, Crystal Serenity, there have been some additional changes on Crystal’s ships. Both ships have received a new casino and a new Beefbar specialty dining venue. Therefore, we thought it would be good to update our review of Crystal with a sailing aboard the slightly smaller, and a little older, Crystal Symphony.

THE SHIP

*Crystal Symphony docked in Porto Mahon, Menorca*

“This was our 148th cruise and our fifth on Crystal...”

— CruiseReport

Crystal Symphony is the smaller of the two Crystal ocean ships with a guest capacity of 602. What is interesting is, that when Crystal re-emerged under new ownership in 2022, they actually re-designed the ships to hold FEWER guests! When this ship was first launched, she held more than 900 guests. Crystal reduced the number of suites onboard both ships and introduced new, larger suites in several categories. The result is a very high space-to-guest ratio.

Crystal Symphony has retained much of the original charm of the luxury brand while updating and refreshing many areas.

*Waterfall fountain that spans two decks in Crystal Plaza*

We saw what appeared to be new carpeting throughout the ship. The Crystal Plaza is the main lobby area and it appears to be untouched and original, yet still elegant and classy.

There are three banks of elevators and stairways. There are three midship elevators, three forward elevators and two aft elevators. We never had to wait long for an elevator; however, on our sailing, the ship was only at about 60% capacity. The layout of the ship is very logical and it is easy to find your way around. All public spaces are on Decks 5, 6, 11 and 12. Deck 4 is primarily used for tender operations or to disembark/embark.

WiFi/Internet

Whether we like it or not, we are all tied to technology and a ship’s WiFi is a subject for review. Every guest receives a complimentary “Standard” unlimited WiFi package. After just a couple of days struggling to get some websites to load, I decided to pay the $100 to upgrade to the Premium WiFi package. I think it may have been a $10 per day charge, and since this was a 10-day cruise, the cost was $100.

With the Premium WiFi package, you can have up to four devices connected simultaneously, which was enough for my iPhone, my laptop and Rickee’s iPhone and iPad. Speeds and connectivity varied throughout the cruise, which is typical, but overall, the Premium WiFi was about three times faster than the Standard.

ACCOMMODATIONS

One of the best features of Crystal ships is the spacious suites. And yes, every stateroom is considered a suite, with amenities that you would expect on a luxury cruise line. Our Sapphire Veranda Suite had a large bathroom with a massive rain-shower-head shower. Luxury shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, bar soap, and body lotion are provided. There are dual sinks, and plenty of storage space.

The suite has a separate living room and bedroom, separated by a heavy curtain. The bedroom has a king-sized bed, two nightstands and a large flat screen TV. The living room is furnished with a large sofa, a coffee table, a chair, an end table with storage, a small dining table with seating for two, and a large marble desk.

There are USB (USB-A and USB-C) charging ports at the desk and at each nightstand. US-Style 110v outlets and European 220v outlets were also available at the desk, at nightstands and next to the sofa.

One of our critiques of our Sapphire Veranda Suite on Crystal Serenity was the lack of a full length mirror. Crystal has solved this problem by placing a full length mirror on the back of the suite door. Simple, yet effective.

Our balcony was long, but a little narrow. However, there were large, cushioned chairs on the balcony with padded ottomans. This is probably the most comfortable balcony furniture of any ship on which we have sailed. There are two heavy sliding glass doors leading to the balcony: one in the bedroom and the other in the living room.

The suite furnishings looked fresh and new with no visible signs of wear. After all, the ship was refurbished in 2023. The walk-in closet has plenty of storage for a 30+ day cruise and is equipped with wooden hangers, a complimentary umbrella, a shoe horn, a hair dryer and a large electronic safe. All of the drawers throughout the suite, including the 4-drawers in the closet, are soft close, as is the toilet seat and lid. The closet is located off of the living room instead of the bedroom, which is a little odd, but the layout works.

The bed is really comfortable and all of the linens and bedding are very high quality. The pillows were a little too soft for us but we were able to request firmer pillows which were more to our liking.

Our Sapphire Veranda on Symphony was noticeably smaller than the one we had on Crystal Serenity. I would estimate the suite to have been about 2 feet shorter overall, and a bit narrower. Perhaps this could be the case because the suite’s location on the ship is forward where the hull narrows.

All Crystal suites come with butler service and our butler on this cruise, Milind, was nothing short of amazing. Every special request was handled quickly and efficiently. Milind has been with Crystal for 21 years. And, we met several crew members who said they, too, have been with Crystal for 20+ years.

*Milind has been with Crystal for 21 years*

Crystal butlers can assist with a variety of things during your cruise. They can help with shore excursion tickets, restaurant reservations, picking up and delivering clothing items to be pressed or laundered, shoe shine services, and much more. Each day between 3:30pm and 4:30pm, Milind would show up at our suite with the most delicious canapés.

*Canapés delivered to our suite each afternoon*

Several luxury cruise lines do offer canapés delivered each day, but Crystal has the best we have experienced on any cruise line so far. Milind also asked if we wanted any spirits or wine in our suite. We requested Prosecco (for Rickee) and a bottle of Canadian Club (for me). The pull-out refrigerator drawer located under the desk is a genius design and can be stocked with your favorite beverages, all complimentary.

*Prosecco was placed in our pull-out refrigerator drawer*

Overall, we would rate the Sapphire Veranda Suite a 9 out of 10.

FOOD AND DINING

Crystal Symphony offers guests a variety of dining choices. Crystal food quality remains at the highest levels of luxury cruise line dining.

The Marketplace Buffet

The Marketplace Buffet is open every day for breakfast and lunch. However, there is no dinner service at this venue. Marketplace is one of our favorite buffet restaurants at sea because of the food quality and variety, great table service and excellent seating options. The only nit we have to pick with Marketplace is that it is self-serve. We would much prefer that the crew be the only ones handling the utensils. We feel it is just more sanitary. To Crystal’s credit, there was a crew member stationed at the hand sanitizer machine at the entrance to Marketplace to be sure every guest sanitized their hands before entering.

Highlights of the buffet are the fresh boiled shrimp and the crab claws served every day with a delicious and spicy cocktail sauce.

*Shrimp and crab claws with cocktail sauce*

The food selection and quality is well above average for a cruise ship buffet with mostly hits and very few misses. One day they offered an Asian-themed buffet and it was the best Asian buffet I have ever experienced on a cruise ship. Servers are on hand at Marketplace to take drink orders and, of course, cocktails, wine, spirits and soft drinks are all included on Crystal.

Guests can dine indoors on the port or starboard side at Marketplace and there are serving lines on both sides of the ship. On port days, with many guests off the ship at lunchtime, they may only open the starboard-side serving lines. There are plenty of two-top tables, many with window views and there is seating aft for those who prefer to dine al fresco.

*Sushi and sashimi on the Asian-themed buffet*

Waterside Restaurant

Waterside is Crystal’s main dining room (or MDR). The restaurant is located on Deck 5 midship, across from Reception. This restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day with lunch and dinner menus that change each day. We only dined here once at breakfast and once for dinner and the food and service were very good. They offer an extensive breakfast menu, which includes steak and eggs (one of my favorites). There is no charge to dine at Waterside.

Umi Uma

Umi Uma (formerly Silk Road) is Crystal’s Japanese/Sushi restaurant by Nobu Matsuhisa. It is recommended that guests make reservations to dine here as it is a very popular dining spot. Or, guests can simply show up and sit at the sushi bar, space permitting. Every guest receives one complimentary meal at Umi Uma during the cruise. Additional visits will come with a $50 per person cover charge.

The sushi and sashimi at Umi Uma are next level and are clearly the best we have had on any cruise ship, or land restaurant for that matter. Rickee continues to order the Miso Glazed Cod, an Umi Uma signature dish. And, in my opinion, the Grilled Australian “WAYGU” Beef Filet is the best cut of meat on the ship.

Osteria d’ Ovidio

Osteria (formerly Prego) is Crystal’s Italian restaurant. As is the case with Umi Uma, guests receive one complimentary meal here and there is a $50/pp cover charge for subsequent visits. This is the second time we have dined at Osteria, the first being on Crystal Serenity. We were underwhelmed with our meal and the service at the Osteria on Symphony and felt like the experience on Serenity was better. My lamb chops were a little overcooked, and lacked seasoning. They would have benefitted from a heavily-seasoned breadcrumb crust to add flavor and texture. Rickee’s duck breast looked more like a dessert than a main course. The flavors of both dishes were okay, but nothing special.

Even though we were dining with a group of eight, we felt the service was extremely slow. The waiters were very pleasant, but food was taking a long time to get to the table. We were seated at 7:00pm and we barely made it out in time for the 9:30 show.

We are not exactly sure how the menu at Osteria reflects what Americans think of as “Italian fare”. If not for the selection of pasta dishes, you would think you were dining in a continental cuisine restaurant. And, no Tiramisu on the dessert menu. Seriously?

We long for the good old days of Prego with the delicious Cream of Mushroom soup served in a bread bowl, the Beef Carpaccio drizzled with olive oil and balsamic glaze and the wonderful seasoned-breadcrumb lamb chops. There, I said it.

Beefbar

Beefbar is the newest specialty dining restaurant on Crystal ships replacing Tastes, which was one of our favorite dining venues on any cruise ship. Beefbar originated in Monte Carlo and the brand has expanded with restaurants all over the world. But, if you want to experience Beefbar at sea, it is only available on Crystal ships.

Beefbar is open for lunch and dinner with reservations highly recommended for dinner. The restaurant is located on Deck 11 and has a very open and spacious feel with unrestricted views of the ocean port side. The atmosphere here is much more casual and relaxed than Umi Uma, Osteria d’ Ovidio, or even Waterside.

As a confirmed carnivore, I was not surprised that we dined at Beefbar four times for dinner.

While the menu can be a bit confusing, it is, nonetheless, packed with a lot of delicious offerings. It is hard to tell the main courses from the starters. We found ourselves just ordering a few dishes and figuring it out once they arrived.

In our four visits, we had the opportunity to try most of the offerings there. Our favorites were the Super Kale salad, Angus Beef tacos, Bao Buns, Tuna Ceviche, Mashed Potatoes and the Beef Filet. I tried all three steak offerings, and the filet is the way to go. The Avocado Hummus and Rib Eye Ham were our least favorites.

If your wallet is overstuffed with winnings from the casino, you may wish to order one of the optional Waygu steaks on offer here. That massive bone-in Tomahawk will set you back $540. Even the humble 8oz Rib Cap is $90. The Waygu on display definitely looked like an upgrade in marbling over the standard steak offerings at Beefbar, but they did not look like A5 Japanese Waygu to me. They looked more like Australian or USA Waygu, but with the Japanese A5 price tag.

*Upgrade your steak to Waygu at Beefbar*

Service at Beefbar was excellent (as it is all over the ship) and the time between courses was not as long as we experienced at the other restaurants on board. Food delivery was very crisp.

We did not try the lunch menu at Beefbar, but it looked very appealing. We just could not wrench ourselves away from Marketplace which opened at noon compared to Beefbar which opened at 1:00.

There was a bit of confusion about dining at Beefbar. We were initially led to believe that, as with Umi Uma and Osteria, guests could only dine once at Beefbar on a complimentary basis with a $50/pp cover charge for subsequent visits. Oh, contraire! We discovered that there are no additional charges to dine at Beefbar multiple times! Hence, our four visits to Beefbar for dinner.

Hands down, Beefbar is our favorite dining venue on Crystal and will be the first place we visit when we return.

The Bistro

The Bistro is a small cafe located midship on Deck 6 overlooking the Crystal Cove. This is the best place to get morning coffee. I would visit The Bistro every morning with my laptop to do my daily blog and enjoy my Cappucino or Americano.

The Bistro offers take-away coffee service from 6:00am to 9:00am. They have a few pastries that guests can grab and go. From 9am to 11:30am, they offer a very nice buffet of fresh fruit, pastries, cereals, yogurt, etc. for what they call a “late-risers” breakfast. The highlight, in my opinion, of The Bistro are the Portugese Custard Tarts. They are deadly delicious and I have never seen these on any other cruise ship. Rickee really liked the large muffins in various flavors.

Room Service

Crystal offers guests 24-hour complimentary room service. There is a room service menu with a nice selection of salads, soups, sandwiches, main courses and desserts. For breakfast, there is an expanded room service menu that offers just about everything offered for breakfast at Waterside restaurant. And, for dinner, you can also order from the Waterside dinner menu from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.

We decided to try room service one evening at dinner time. We placed a call to our butler, Milind, who took our order and arrived about 30 minutes later with our meal. A linen tablecloth and napkins, along with silverware and every other table setup you would find if dining at Waterside, is delivered to your suite.

*Room service is very special on Crystal*

Best of all, the food was all delivered hot and was delicious. We love enjoying dinner in our suite on Crystal. When our meal was over, we called Milind who returned to our suite and removed the dishes.

Afternoon Tea

Many cruise lines, even some luxury cruise lines, have done away with Afternoon Tea. Some cruises still offer it, but at an additional cost. Crystal offers one of the nicest Afternoon Tea services at sea every day from 3:30pm to 4:30pm in Palm Court (Deck 11 forward). Several tables are set with elegant china cups, saucers and plates.

A tea menu offers a wide selection of teas from around the world. My favorite is Earl Gray. Rickee prefers Forest Symphony.

*Delicious sweets, scones and finger sandwiches*

Gone is the Mozart Tea Service that Crystal was famous for but, on one day of our cruise, they did offer a special Chocolate Tea Service with an extravagant selection of chocolate cakes, tarts, cookies, etc. Each afternoon, along with our tea and treats, we were entertained by music performed by either a violinist or piano player.

Of the cruise lines that still offer Afternoon Tea, Crystal offers one of the best, in our opinion.

Trident Grill/Scoops Ice Cream

Trident Grill is Crystal’s casual grill where you can grab a burger, a sandwich or even a pizza. Trident is open for late riser’s breakfast from 10am to 11am, lunch from 11:30am to 6:00pm. Below is a snapshot of Trident Grill’s menu:

CHICKEN CAESAR WRAP • GRILLED HAMBURGER' GRILLED CHEESEBURGER' • GRILLED GARDEN BURGER GRILLED SALMON BURGER' • GRILLED CHICKEN BURGER • "IMPOSSIBLE" VEGAN BURGER • CHINOIS CHICKEN SALAD • GRILLED HAM & CHEESE SANDWICH • GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH • GRILLED REUBEN SANDWICH • GRILLEO MINUTE STEAK SANDWICH • GRILLED TUNA MELT • HOT DOG • CHILI CON CARNE SOUP OF THE DAY • FRESHLY BAKED PIZZA MARGHERITA

FRENCH FRIES • SWEET POTATO FRIES - CRISPY FRIED ONION RINGS

Trident Grill is located on Deck 11 port side, just forward of Beefbar. There is seating on both port and starboard sides of the ship and most of the tables are positioned next to large windows with great ocean views.

Of course, I had to give Trident Grill my cheeseburger evaluation, and overall, it was quite good. The meat patty was thick, flavorful and nicely cooked Medium Well. The bun was fresh and soft and the burger comes with tomato, pickle, onion and lettuce. I would say the burger itself is better than I have had on other luxury cruise lines. I actually had the cheeseburger twice on this cruise. A small tray of condiments is placed on each table with ketchup, Dijon mustard and mayonnaise..

The French Fries were served hot and crispy and kudos to Crystal for offering onion rings. I LOVE onion rings and, while these were just so-so, I appreciate the effort since most cruise lines don’t offer them at all. Actually, I don’t think I have ever had a memorable onion ring on any cruise.

Unfortunately, the burger is where our praise for Trident Grill ends. Rickee found the hot dog to be very tough and hard to cut with a knife, but even the hot dog was better than the pizza. I am an admitted pizza snob and I have to say that the Margherita Pizza offered at Trident, while cooked to order, lacked flavor and resembled a frozen pizza. I ate only two slices and left the rest on the plate.

Adjacent to Trident Grill is Scoops Ice Cream bar where you can get soft-serve ice cream or a selection of Badiani gelato flavors. We did not try the soft-serve, but did try the gelato and we thought it was good. Honestly, once you have had gelato in Rome or Venice, nothing really compares. Scoops is open from noon to 6pm daily.

The Vintage Room

The Vintage Room offers guided pairings and dinners highlighting the vast selection of wines in the ship’s onboard cellar. This intimate, innovative concept offers guests an education in fine wine and cuisine, allowing them to gain privileged insights into the art of enology. In addition to daytime tastings and discussions, guests may enjoy a variety of private wine-themed lunches and dinners by special arrangement with the Head Sommelier. Events enjoyed in the Vintage Room come with an additional charge.

You can think of The Vintage Room sort of like a Chef’s Table experience on other cruise lines. We did not have the opportunity to experience The Vintage Room on this cruise.

ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES

Entertainment

Crystal offers a variety of entertainment on Symphony. On our sailing, there was a show every evening at 9:30pm. Admittedly, we did not attend every show. However, we did attend two “production” shows featuring the two main vocalists and six dancers. There was also a live band backing up some recorded tracks, which always adds impact to production shows. We felt like the band, the vocalists and the dancers were all very good. And, while there is a fairly large stage for this venue, the Galaxy Lounge is, as the name suggests, a large “show lounge” and not a theater like you find on larger ships.

The Galaxy Lounge suffers from average acoustics and we felt, at times, like the mixing of vocals was way off. There were times we could barely hear the singers over the blaring loud music. I am not sure if it is was an issue with the acoustics of the lounge, or with whomever was running the mixing panel. It also seemed like the sound levels were clipping. Again, the performers were great, but the venue sound system needs some attention.

We also attended a show in the smaller Starlite Club (below), and experienced the same issues with audio quality. That said, the seating is very comfortable with good sight lines in both lounges. And, honestly, the entertainment is better than you would expect on a ship with a 602 guest capacity.

In addition to the ship’s singers and dancers, there were additional featured headliners including musicians, singers and a comedian.

A highlight of our cruise was Crystal’s 35th Anniversary White Party, hosted by Cruise Director, Vicki Van Tassel, and held in Crystal Plaza, Deck 5 Midship. For this special event, guests dressed in all white and were served cocktails and canapés and treated to performances by most of the ship’s entertainers. Guests danced until late and an amazing time was had by all.

As for lounge entertainment, we enjoyed piano music by Dan Davies in Avenue Saloon. However, once again, the sound levels were too high to enjoy conversation while the music was playing. There was entertainment in Crystal Cove (Deck 5), Palm Court, and Starlite Club. I should point out that entertainment will vary from one cruise to the next depending on the itinerary and/or the number of guests on board.

As for daytime entertainment, each day begins with the 6am Symphony Today show on your in-suite TV hosted by Cruise Director, Vicki Van Tassel. These shows are provided on demand if you prefer to watch later in the day. Guests can also find replays of any Enrichment Lectures they may have missed during the cruise. The onboard Enrichment lectures and lecturers were excellent

*Vicki Van Tassel interviews former Crystal Captains and Cruise Director, Paul McFarland for Crystal’s 35th Anniversary*

Crystal Symphony guests can visit the Hollywood Theater on Deck 6 to enjoy a movie complete with popcorn. The seating in the Hollywood Theater is stadium-style, just like the movie theaters on land, and is a great place to catch a recent release or a classic.

You can also visit the newly added Le Casino de Monte Carlo. For us, this certainly fits under the heading of entertainment because that was all we gained while we were there! The casino is small but does have a Blackjack table, roulette wheel and several slot machines. On our voyage, the casino was rarely open due to regulations about having to be a certain number of miles out into open ocean.

Activities

Guests had plenty of activities to keep them busy. Daily offerings included:

Many types of exercise classes
Arts and Crafts
Computer classes
Bridge lessons
Pickleball
Golf clinics conducted by resident pro golfer Andy Thuney
A golf net complete with clubs and golf balls
Crystal’s Library complete with Librarian on site
Dance classes with Dance Duo Mark and Bernadett
Bingo
Wellness presentations
Shuffleboard
Walking around the teak Promenade Deck that completely circles the ship
Trivia (sea days only)
Visiting the Aurora Spa and Salon
Relaxing by the pool or in the hot tub
Working out in the Fitness Center/Gym

It is safe to say that you will never be bored on a Crystal sailing.

Cruise Director

All entertainment and activities on board are under the direction of the Cruise Director. Our Cruise Director on this sailing was Vicki Van Tassel. We sailed with Vicki on a different cruise line a few years ago and were so impressed by her energy and sense of humor that, when we learned she had moved to Crystal, we specifically looked for a sailing where she would be on board.

We wanted to include Vicki in our new “Interview” series on our YouTube channel and she graciously agreed to sit down with us for an interview where we learned about her history in the cruise business. After 148 cruises, we have only had a handful of cruise directors make a lasting impression on us, and Vicki is at the top of our list.

ITINERARY

We have been to the Mediterranean more times than I can count. What was intriguing about this particular itinerary is that we got to visit several ports that we have never been to before. In all, we visited four new ports (in bold below).

We collect refrigerator magnets from all around the world. So, whenever we visit a new port, we like to do some exploring on our own and hunt down a magnet to add to our collection. We also have an extensive collection of Christmas ornaments from around the world. Our Christmas tree each year serves as a reminder of all the amazing places we have visited. While some call this magnet thing a hobby, I think it may be more of an obsession!

*Currently, over 275 magnets in our collection*

We often will skip cruise ship shore excursions to explore on our own. On this cruise, we only did two ship’s excursions. The first was a visit to Sarzana, Italy, ($130pp) for what we thought would be an olive oil tasting. As with most excursions, which we refer to as ABC tours (Another Beautiful Church), we visit the church below as part of the tour. We also visited a fort and then walked down the main street of Sarzana.

What we thought would be an olive oil tasting turned out to be a complimentary coffee and pastry at a local pasticceria. We are not sure if they changed the tasting because we were visiting on a Sunday, but one other couple also thought it was supposed to be an olive oil tasting. Nevertheless, it got us off the ship for a few hours and we had plenty of time on our own after the coffee and pastry to explore the town. As it was Sunday, most of the shops were closed.

The most interesting part of the excursion was getting a chance to try Italian hot chocolate, which is nothing like American hot chocolate. This is like a cup of melted dark chocolate that is bitter and eaten with a spoon. Throw in a packet of sugar, and you have a delicious cup of chocolate soup.

*Coffee and pastries in a local pasticceria*

Our second excursion was “Rome On Your Own” ($70 pp) which was basically a motor coach ride from the port of Civitavecchia to central Rome. The cost for a private car/taxi to Rome is about $200 each way, so it was a good value at $70 for the 90-minute drive. We had a few hours to explore Rome on foot, but you really need more than a few hours to see everything Rome has to offer. We have been to Rome a few times and the best way to see Rome is to spend three or four days at the beginning or end of a cruise. Nevertheless, we had a chance to see a few sights that brought back memories of past visits. But, it was extremely hot on our visit and, after walking for three hours, the heat and the crowds really wore us out.

Crystal offers a complimentary shuttle service from the port into most of the cities/towns we visited, making it easy to go into town and explore on your own. On many cruise lines, you would have to pay for a taxi or a bus to get from the port into town. This is a great service that is often overlooked.

Demographics

On this particular voyage, there were more young people (late 30s and 40s) than we have seen on our previous Crystal cruises. There were even a few children onboard. Perhaps this was a result of generational travel wherein grandparents bring their children and grandchildren along on the voyage. Of course there were many older people (60s and 70+) who cruised often and were experienced travelers, many of whom were loyal Crystal cruisers. We also talked to several people who wanted to experience a luxury cruise product for the first time and had chosen Crystal.

HITS AND MISSES

As with any cruise, cruise line or cruise ship, there are things that we really like and some areas where we see room for improvement.

Hits

Polished and professional service from a friendly crew
Vicki Van Tassel is our favorite Cruise Director
Resort casual dress code with formal nights only on sea days
Very smooth sailing. We never felt any motion
Umi Uma is the best Japanese restaurant we have experienced at sea
Beefbar restaurant
Marketplace buffet is our favorite of any luxury cruise line
Best canapés at sea
Complimentary shuttle service in port
A true Promenade Deck

Misses

No phone app
Pizza needs improvement
Osteria Italian Restaurant
Confusion over specialty dining
Standard WiFi is very slow

Final Assessment

Crystal Symphony’s sister ship, Serenity, was recently added to our list of our Five Favorite Cruise ships of all time. After this sailing aboard Crystal Symphony, it is safe to say that it shares all of the things we loved about Crystal Serenity. Since our first sailing aboard Crystal Symphony in 2011, the company has had three different owners. In spite of that, Crystal has been able to retain all of its original charm and appeal for those who seek a true luxury experience. There are rumors of some new hardware being added to the Crystal fleet. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this amazing cruise line.

*Our first sailing on Crystal Symphony was in 2011*

John & Sandra Nowlan 12/14/24 John & Sandra Nowlan 12/14/24

A Mississippi River Cruise with American Cruise Lines

We sailed down the lower Mississippi River with American Cruise Lines

By John and Sandra Nowlan

We knew there’d be some great music as we sailed down the Mississippi from Memphis on one of American Cruise Lines new, modern riverboats. We didn’t expect the Southern food and hospitality to be so good nor, as Canadians, to appreciate American history and culture so much.

The music began as soon as we entered the Memphis airport shuttle bus. The unmistakable voice of Elvis Presley singing “Love Me Tender” drifted down the aisle from hidden speakers. The bus Shaked, Rattled and Rolled as it took us to the Guest House at Graceland, a four star, 450 room hotel adjacent to Elvis’ Graceland mansion. American Cruise Lines offers guests an optional two night stay at the comfortable Guest House with free access to the mansion and the separate, vast collection of Presley airplanes, cars, motorcycles, costumes and gold records. We could see why the Graceland complex is the most visited private home in the United States.

Walls filled with Elvis performance outfits

En route to the riverboat, the cruise line gave us a bus tour of Memphis with stops at Beale Street (home of the Blues), Sun Records (where Elvis made his first recordings) and the Lorraine Motel (now part of The National Civil Rights Museum) where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968. We felt a strong sense of sadness as we gazed at the balcony of Room 306.

Our first glance of our Mississippi riverboat was from atop a levee in Memphis. We headed down the steep ramp to board the American Melody through its unusual flipped-up bow. Riverboats on the Mississippi have a unique challenge. With flood-control levees, some as high as 50 feet, all along the Mississippi, American Cruise Lines always carry golf carts to help the elderly and infirm safely navigate the challenging slopes.

In 2018 American Cruise Lines, the largest river and small ship cruise line in the United States, introduced the first modern riverboats in North America. American Melody was built in Maryland in 2021 with a maximum capacity of just 175 guests and an average room size of 350 square feet. Our “Veranda Suite” was 405 square feet and felt more like a spacious hotel room but with better, ever-changing views. We particularly appreciated the comfortable, king size bed and luxurious sheets and pillows. There were plenty of power and electronic outlets, high quality internet, much more drawer space than we’d ever need, very efficient temperature control, a 50 inch TV, and a large bathroom with soft, fluffy towels and two separate nozzles in the shower. We weren’t surprized when we were told that the ACL fleet of 20 riverboats (operating in 35 states) has the largest average guest rooms of any cruise line.

With the failure of American Queen Voyages, the only current competition for American Cruise Lines on the second longest river in the U.S. (the Missouri is about 100 miles longer) is the Viking Mississippi. This cruise ship is much larger than the ACL boats, accommodating up to 386 guests. The Hotel Manager on American Melody told us that the smaller boats of his company are better suited for the Mississippi because occasional low water levels can prevent the bigger, deeper draft of large boats from operating. American Cruise Lines riverboats have never missed a scheduled sailing due to water depth.

Finally heading downriver with a full passenger load (mostly Americans but with a smattering of Canadians, Brits and Australians) we were impressed with the layout of American Melody. Its four story atrium and public rooms never seemed crowded. On Deck 3 forward the large bright River Lounge was used for port briefings, trivia, excellent enrichment lectures and entertainment. The smaller indoor/outdoor Sky Lounge at the back of Deck 4 was a snackers dream, offering freshly baked cookies, 24 hour snacks, a wide selection of drinks, excellent coffee and made-to-order breakfast sandwiches. Plenty of loungers and a wrap around walking track were available on the full length top deck so guests could enjoy the passing scenery, including heavily laden barges pushed by strangely-named tow boats, semi tropical vegetation and small communities. When we reached Baton Rouge, heavy industry tended to dominate the shoreline.

Meals were a special treat on American Melody. As expected, emphasis was on Southern U.S. dishes, especially Creole, Cajun, even a noontime pig roast. We loved our Cornmeal Crusted Catfish with Collard Greens, Gulf Coast Blue Crabcakes, Sea Bass with Sauteed Crawfish and Jambalaya. The fish was particularly tasty. The Hotel Manager told us all seafood is fresh, never frozen. Lunch and dinner included complimentary wine, beer and spirits as well as a good selection of non-alcohol beer and wine. In the evening, white tablecloths graced the tables.

Cornmeal crusted catfish with collard greens

The serving staff on American Melody was young and energetic. By U.S. law, all staff must be American because ACL riverboats do not visit a foreign country. Although friendly and well-meaning we found the restaurant staff to be less efficient and well-trained as the primarily Filipino and Indonesian staff on international river, lake and ocean ships. Hotel Manager Glenn Taylor told us that while his staff may not be as polished as the international competition, they’re always pleasant and accommodating. He added that this is often the first full time job for young servers and he’s delighted that so many have used the riverboat experience as a stepping stone to a career in hospitality.

We were impressed with the quality of evening entertainment on American Melody. The talented performers were better than musical acts we’ve enjoyed on many European river cruises. Our favorites included Mississippi Marshall, a master of the Blues who played a mean guitar (we bought his CD), Chris Gill and the Sole Shakers (a three man band with female vocalist) and the Banjo Cats, a husband and wife team who have mastered several instruments.

The tours (most were complimentary) were outstanding. Who knew that tiny Cleveland, Mississippi, is the home of the impressive Grammy Museum, highlighting the amazing musical talent in southern states and around the Mississippi Delta? A stop in Vicksburg allowed us to visit a private Civil War museum with its huge collection of artifacts from that troubled time as well as the unusual Coca-Cola Museum in the building where Coke was first bottled in the U.S.

In Vidalia, Louisiana we visited a cotton plantation where we were able to hand pick some fluffy cotton, explore a historic cotton gin, then observe in a modern cotton gin the process of cleaning and bundling in 500 pound bales for transport. Along the way we were also able to visit several southern antebellum mansions that resembled a scene from Gone With the Wind. Standouts were The Myrtles in St. Francisville, Louisiana, and Oak Alley in Vacherie, Louisiana.

Oak Alley antebellum mansion in Louisiana

Our highlight in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was a visit to the capital building that dominates the skyline. At 450 feet it’s the tallest state capital in the United States. The panoramic view of the city and meandering Mississippi from the observation deck is spectacular. Built in the early 30s during the Depression, it was a project masterminded by controversial Governor and then Senator Huey Long. He was assassinated inside the building in 1935 where there’s now a memorial. We ended the day relaxing on our balcony admiring a magical pastel sunset.

Louisiana is well known for its plentiful bayous, slow moving marshy waterways. On our last day aboard American Melody we signed up for a tour called, “Cajun Pride Swamp Adventure”. Adventure indeed! Aboard a 40 passenger, flat-bottom aluminum boat, our captain took us through the narrow bayous where alligators were plentiful, either lounging on the shoreline or swimming alongside us (our captain even fed a few without losing his hand). In addition, we met many playful racoons and a family of not-so-playful wild hogs.

A small alligator on the Cajun Pride Swamp Adventure

The guest mix aboard American Melody was interesting. The personable and efficient Cruise Director, Colin Hietikko, told us that many of his American guests had traveled the world in their younger years and now wanted to stay closer to home with something safe and accessible. Older couples were certainly the prime demographic on our cruise with an average age of more than 70. But Glenn Taylor, the hotel manager, said that was slowly changing as the modern, all-inclusive riverboats in the American Cruise Lines fleet were beginning to attract more young people. That, along with fascinating itineraries, is a recipe for continued success.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 10/19/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 10/19/23

Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady

We spend 5 nights aboard Scarlet Lady in the Caribbean

By Chris Dikmen and Rickee Richardson

We spent 5 nights aboard Scarlet Lady on our very first Virgin Voyages cruise.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/27/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/27/23

Crystal Serenity Canada Great Lakes 2023

We spend 8 nights aboard Crystal Serenity

By Chris Dikmen and Rickee Richardson

We spent 8 nights aboard Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity

John & Sandra Nowlan 8/15/23 John & Sandra Nowlan 8/15/23

Viking Octantis. A Great Lakes Expedition Cruise

By John and Sandra Nowlan

From the exterior it doesn’t look like a typical expedition ship. But Viking Octantis combines all the elements of a luxury expedition cruise experience with unique features that make it stand out.

Expedition ships typically store their Zodiacs outside on upper decks. On Octantis the 17 inflatable craft are kept in a huge lower deck area called The Hangar that also houses 16 kayaks, two Special Operations Boats (comfortable, 12 passenger military-style speedboats) and two compact yellow submarines. These spherical submersibles can hold six guests in comfortable seats with a 270 degree view. Quite unlike the Titan and its ill-fated Titanic dive, these two submarines, named John and Paul, rarely go more than 100 feet below the surface but are designed to handle depths of 1,000 feet. On Octantis’ sister ship, Polaris, the two submarines are called George and Ringo.

Viking’s Special Operations Boat in Lake Superior

Viking Octantis is ice certified for polar exploration and will regularly take guests to the Arctic and Antarctic. But our cruise was an unusual and memorable expedition to some remote areas on the Great Lakes, sailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Milwaukee, little known to cruisers, is a delightful city with our historic downtown hotel, The Pfister (dating from 1893), located close to some fine restaurants and the excellent Public Market.

Boarding Viking Octantis the next day we were impressed by the muted and functional Scandinavian design and furnishings as well as space allocation. The ship’s capacity is just 378 guests but the generous public spaces could easily handle more. The many lounges, in particular, were stunning with cozy chairs, electric fireplaces and bookshelves stocked with fiction and non-fiction titles guests could borrow.

Our room was on the smallish size at 220 square feet, but was well laid out with walk-in closets, a very comfortable bed and a bathroom with a generous sized shower. Instead of a traditional balcony (often impractical in frigid polar regions) we loved the “Nordic Balcony”, floor to ceiling windows that half lowered at the touch of a button. Fresh air, a great view and extra space!

Like all expedition ships the emphasis aboard Viking Octantis is on science, learning and exploration. Instead of a casino, pool games or lavish entertainment the ship has two science labs with opportunities for hands-on experiments plus a staff of naturalists for questions and guidance on excursions. With the rich geology of the Canadian Shield around Georgian Bay and Lake Superior a disappointment for us was the lack of a trained geologist to discuss the extraordinary rock formations.

Releasing the weather balloon from the top deck

Science was on full display when Octantis, one of only two commercial ships in the world to work with the U.S. Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, released a helium weather balloon with instruments from the top deck. Data were collected as it rose almost 20 miles into the morning sky.

Being a Norwegian owned ship we expected a fine spa area and weren’t disappointed. All guests had free access to the well-equipped gym, the hydrotherapy pool, heated loungers, a covered open air hot tub called a Badestamp plus a series of Nordic spa rooms with a sauna, steam enclosure, a multi-nozzle rain room, a water bucket room and even a chilly snow grotto for the very brave. For an extra cost, guests could enjoy a manicure, pedicure or massage.

Expedition cruises build up an appetite and Viking lived up to its reputation for fine cuisine. For a relatively small ship the choices were extraordinary. The main dining room called The Restaurant and the excellent World Café buffet had similar menus each day but The Restaurant, with white tablecloths and fine service, was more formal. Many senior officers seemed to get their dinner at The Grill, close to the buffet and offering nightly lobster tails and a selection of top grade steaks at no extra cost for all guests. Wine and beer are complimentary at lunch and dinner.

Creative open faced sandwiches at Mamsen

Many guests loved the Italian specialties at Manfredi’s or the Deck 5 sushi bar. Our favorite venue for lunch was Mamsen’s, named for the mother of Viking’s chairman. Her recipes for Norwegian open faced sandwiches and decadent desserts were inspired.

Expedition cruises focus on non-traditional itineraries and Viking delivered. The Great Lakes is a relatively new region for cruising but it’s the largest area of fresh water in the world and was formed at the end of the last ice age, 10,000 years ago. From an industrial area of Milwaukee (city officials are planning a better cruise terminal) we sailed north on Lake Michigan, then under the Mackinac Bridge, the largest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere, connecting Michigan’s lower and upper peninsulas. Our first stop was nearby Mackinac Island, a unique tourist destination with a 1780 fort, the luxurious Grand Hotel with the world’s longest front porch (660 feet), 13 fudge shops and a law banning vehicular traffic. The island is truly a step back in time as “rush hour” involves bicycles, horse drawn carriages and riders on horseback.

Rush Hour on car free Mackinac Island Michigan

From Mackinac Island we entered Canadian waters on Lake Huron and then Georgian Bay for three stops. The huge bay is sometimes called the sixth Great Lake because of its size (5800 square miles – 15,000 square kilometers). Tours were available to hike wilderness trails or board a Zodiac, kayak or a Special Operations Boat to explore the rugged, pristine shorelines for animal sightings or the dramatic igneous and metamorphic rock outcroppings. On a visit to the town of Parry Sound, Ontario, and nearby Killbear Provincial Park we were inside the UNESCO Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve with its 30,000 islands, the world’s largest freshwater archipelago.

We also visited isolated Killarney Mountain Lodge for a Great Lakes fish fry and the even more remote Okeechobee Lodge, accessible only by boat. It was once a popular holiday destination for Chicago mobsters.

Remote Killarney Mountain Lodge in Georgian Bay

Leaving Georgian Bay and Lake Huron we headed west towards Lake Superior. A cruise highlight for many Octantis guests was our entry into the Soo Locks located between the U.S. and Canadian cities of Sault Ste. Marie. This engineering marvel, dating back to the mid 1800s, bypasses the river and rapids joining Lake Superior to Lake Huron. Operated by the U.S. Corps of Engineers, it uses only gates and gravity to raise or lower about 10,000 ships a year the 21 feet differential between the two lakes.

Our first stop in Lake Superior was to the tiny north shore community of Silver Islet, once the location of the world’s most valuable silver mine. It’s now home to Ontario cottagers who embrace solar power and live totally off the grid. The old fashioned general store does a lively business with tourists.

Silver Islet Ontario Solar panels for all

From Silver Islet it was just a short sail to Thunder Bay, our final stop on an extraordinary Great Lakes adventure. This former fur trading post now has a population of about 110,000 and honors the past at Fort William Historical Park, a living museum recreating the early 1800s with costumed interpreters and a marvelous collection of birch bark canoes.

Birch bark canoes at Fort William Historical Park

Instead of shuttling us directly to the airport as most cruise lines would do, Viking gave us an unexpected and welcome city tour, a visit to the Historical Park, a stop at dramatic Kakabeka Falls (the second highest in Ontario) and time to admire the impressive Terry Fox Memorial and Lookout. The Memorial, adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway, marks the exact spot where cancer activist Terry Fox, with a prosthetic leg, was forced to abandon his coast to coast, cross Canada run for cancer research. Sixty countries and millions of participants now take part in the annual Terry Fox Run.

Viking has become a significant player on the global cruise scene with a fleet of 90 river, ocean and expedition ships. All share Scandinavian heritage and interior design elements. But its two Polar Class 6 ships, Viking Octantis (named for the southern polar star) and Polaris (the North Star) are unique and like their names, have become stars in the fast growing expedition cruise market.

John and Sandra Nowlan are travel and food writers based in Halifax.

Photos by John and Sandra Nowlan

John & Sandra Nowlan 4/28/23 John & Sandra Nowlan 4/28/23

Caviar for Breakfast. A Regent Ultra-Luxury Cruise.

By John and Sandra Nowlan

As much Atlantic Canadian lobster as you want. Prime filet mignon on the menu each night. Unlimited caviar at Sunday brunch. Just three of the culinary indulgences on a cruise line with the motto, “Luxury Refined”.

Regent holds a unique place in the world of cruising. The high end brand of parent Norwegian Cruise Line, its five ships are in the rarified ultra-luxury category but Regent stands out by offering a complete all-inclusive package. Included in the price are a spacious suite with balcony, all meals (including specialty restaurants), drinks (including beer, wine, spirits and cocktails), tours (with a wide variety of choices in each port), gratuities, airport and hotel transfers, even laundry and pressing. In some categories first class flights and pre-cruise hotels are included.

Janice Davidson. Regent’s VP for Creative and Brand Management, told us her greatest marketing challenge is price. “We’re trying to educate people about what comes with all inclusive,” she said. “With our single up front cost, guests could actually pay less than on other lines.”

As soon as we boarded Seven Seas Splendor, Regent’s newest ship, for a week long Caribbean cruise from Miami the luxury and service stood out. Walking around with welcome champagne in hand, the 46,000 square feet of fine Italian marble on walls and floors and more than 500 stunning chandeliers created an ambience unlike any we’ve experienced in 25 years of cruising. The ship, launched in 2020, has a capacity of just 750 guests, all in balcony suites ranging from an impressive 307 to more than 4000 square feet. The crew of 550 provides the best staff to guest ratio at sea. Their friendliness, training and attention to guest needs were evident all week.

Italian marble throughput the ship. The entrance to the main restaurant

We were in one of the smaller suites but were impressed with the layout and generous storage spaces including a walk-in closet. The long couch and convenient work desk were separated from the bed area by privacy blackout curtains while the balcony with its generous table and two cushioned wicker chairs was one of the largest we’ve ever seen. The bed itself was extremely comfortable with high thread count sheets and excellent adjustable reading lights. There were several convenient USB and power outlets. The thermostat was controlled by up and down – warmer and cooler – arrows rather than an actual temperature setting. The small fridge could be filled with whatever complimentary drinks we wanted. The marble lined bathroom had just one smallish sink but a large shower area with both a regular shower head and a rainforest-style shower.

Our suite was near the back of the ship so we could occasionally hear engine rumble, especially when getting underway or docking. But we think the general room soundproofing is excellent since the ship was full and we didn’t hear a sound from any of our neighbors.

Rooms are cleaned and refreshed twice a day with newspaper summaries (from the USA, Canada, Britain and other countries) put on the bed each evening along with tomorrow’s schedule (the spacious library includes a daily, full edition of the New York Times). The large, high resolution TV had many free movies available but broadcast channel choices were very limited.

One negative aspect of not just the suites but throughout the ship was the poor internet service. Regular, free but slow internet is available for all guests. We booked the premium, extra cost package but it was only marginally better. Email and YouTube worked fairly well but posting photos on Facebook was not possible. The technical head on the ship told us that satellite improvements are coming.

Regent continues to excel in its culinary program. The Hotel General Manager, Anatoli Makaev, told us that food costs, per person, are the highest at sea. Regent, he said, is spending three times more for food than before the pandemic. Unlike other lines, there have been no cutbacks in quality or quantity. Chefs continued to get paid during the Covid years and their commitment to guest satisfaction is evident.

For a ship with fewer than 800 passengers, the restaurant and menu choices were remarkable. Every evening in the main dining room, Compass Rose, guests could choose from an “Always Available” menu (from Alaska Crab to New Zealand lamb) or the daily specials including the Executive Chef’s six course “Gourmet Tasting Menu”. A healthy Spa menu was also available. Good quality red, white, rosé or sparkling wines were offered without extra cost each day, even non-alcoholic wines if you wished. Three uniquely decorated specialty restaurants offer French cuisine (Chartreuse), Asian fare (Pan Pacific) or Steaks and Seafood (Prime 7).

Alaska crab appetizer in the main Compass Rose dining room

The Chartreuse French specialty restaurant

The large buffet restaurant on Deck 11, La Veranda, has an excellent selection of breakfast and lunch items. White tablecloths are standard throughout the area (most unusual for a cruise ship buffet) and are a classy touch in the evening when much of La Veranda becomes a fine Italian restaurant, Sette Mari. Coffee quality in the buffet was only fair but outstanding brews were always available at the 5th deck Coffee Connection.

Seven Seas Splendor has a well equipped fitness center and a Spa at the stern of the ship. We discovered the uncrowded Infinity Swimming Pool as part of the Spa and preferred it to the large, main pool on Deck 11.

The Infinity Pool at the stern of the ship

Splendor’s entertainment was, as expected, of a high caliber with a dozen talented singers and dancers, accompanied by the ship band, putting on several complex main stage productions in the evening. The Regent Signature Orchestra, the Cocktail pianist and a DJ also played music for listening or dancing each evening in several lounges throughout the ship. On our final evening a few band members and singers put on a lively Beatles music night, with dancing encouraged, in the Atrium. We were disappointed that the ship’s entertainment did not include a string quartet or even a solo cello or harp. Classical music would have been a lovely touch in the pre-dinner period.

Curtain call after an imaginative main stage production

There was no shortage of games and puzzles throughout the ship. Trivia, Bingo, darts, shuffle golf and beanbag toss were among several ways guests competed for coveted Regent points and prizes at the end of the cruise. We were also pleased to see and hear a retired history professor give illustrated lectures about subjects ranging from Mayan civilization to the Caribbean connection in World War II. Another special treat was seeing actor John O’Hurley (best known as J. Peterman on Seinfeld) perform his brilliant one man show – music and musings – called “A Man With Standards”.

Excellent history lectures in the main theatre

The ship itself was clearly the star of our week-long cruise from Miami but the itinerary was fascinating too. We docked in Roatan, Honduras, for an island tour and swim, then stopped the next day in nearby Belize, the only English speaking country in Central America. Sandra joined a tour to a spice farm where the two chefs from the Culinary Arts Kitchen collected spices to be used in a hands-on cooking class back on the ship. Guests prepared prawn biryani with garam masala and white pepper crepes with cardamom ice cream. In the meantime John visited a typical Mayan village off the grid where a chocolate maker showed how cacao beans were harvested and turned into the popular sweet treats.

Our planned stop in Costa Maya, Mexico, was cancelled because seas were too rough to dock but Cozumel was more tranquil and we relived our youth by boarding a two-person mini speedboat and racing through choppy water with other boats before stopping for a snorkel in warm, pristine waters filled with tropical fish.

Seven Seas Splendor has been called, “the most luxurious cruise ship in the world”. In many ways it’s true. But later in 2023, Regent is launching Seven Seas Grandeur, a sister ship to Splendor. With subtle improvements, Grandeur is now likely to claim the “most luxurious” title. It will be fun to find out.

John and Sandra Nowlan are travel and food writers based in Halifax.

Photos by John and Sandra Nowlan

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 3/10/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 3/10/23

Celebrity Beyond Western Caribbean Cruise

We spend seven nights aboard Celebrity Beyond on a Western Caribbean cruise.

Our food and dining review of Celebrity Beyond.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 1/7/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 1/7/23

Silversea Cruises Silver Endevour in Antarctica

We spend nine nights aboard Silversea Silver Endeavour in Antarctica.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 10/15/22 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 10/15/22

Swan Hellenic SH Vega (Mini-Review)

I am invited to a two-night sailing aboard SH Vega for media and travel professionals.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 10/8/22 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 10/8/22

Discovery Princess in Alaska Review

We spend 7 nights in Alaska aboard Princess Cruises’ Discovery Princess

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 10/6/22 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 10/6/22

Hurtigruten…The World’s First Hybrid Cruise Ship

Travel and food writers, John and Sandra Nowlan spend seven nights aboard Hurtigruten’s Roald Amundsen.

By John and Sandra Nowlan

Expedition cruising puts its emphasis on smaller ships visiting isolated and unusual locations. Instead of casinos and entertainers, a team of scientists and historians provide daily briefings and analysis. Hurtigruten, with a long history of Scandinavian coastal service, has now become a significant and innovative player in the growing trend towards Arctic, Antarctic and exploration in remote regions.

*Hurtigruten’s Roald Amundsen in Halifax Harbour preparing for its seven day sail to Boston*

Launched in Norway in 2019 with a maximum of 530 passengers, Hurtigruten’s Roald Amundsen is the world’s first hybrid powered cruise ship. Named for the intrepid Norwegian explorer of both north and south polar regions it uses four Rolls Royce designed diesel engines (one is a spare) but is always connected to two large banks of rechargeable batteries. Emissions are lowered and fuel savings can reach 20%.

*Hybrid Power Plant - Photo Courtesy of Hurtigruten Expeditions*

*John and Sandra Nowlan preparing to board the Roald Amundsen in Halifax*

When we joined the ship in Halifax after its first leg from Nome, Alaska, Roald Amundsen was several weeks into a unique cruise from Alaska and Canada’s Arctic all the way south to Antarctica. With just 260 guests, the ship began an unusual seven day cruise to Boston

All newcomers were given complimentary, bright red waterproof jackets and were fitted for boots. Our itinerary was fascinating – a stop at remote Sable Island, then back to mainland Nova Scotia and the UNESCO World Heritage fishing port of Lunenburg, then visits to three towns in Maine, followed by Cape Cod and finally Boston. Twenty avid cruisers did not disembark in Halifax but chose to stay on the ship for the complete Arctic to Antarctic itinerary. The 157 crew members - Norwegian officers, naturalists from several countries and most service staff from the Philippines - welcomed the new guests, a mixture of American., German and British cruisers. Announcements were in English and German.

The Roald Amundsen, with its distinctive black, white and red livery, is impressive. The interiors reflect modern Scandinavian design with an abundance of natural materials – wood, granite, wool and linen – creating stylish and comfortable cabins and public areas. All cabins have ocean views but there are 83 rooms with balconies and 53 suites.

All rooms are comfortable and well equipped. The complimentary wi-fi signal was usually excellent in rooms and throughout the ship. Our suite had a walk-in closet with plenty of storage space. The king bed was particularly luxurious with twin duvets, silky sheets and excellent lighting. Guests are offered bath robes and slippers in various sizes (a rarity on any but the most high end cruise ships). There are plenty of electric outlets but all are European Style (round prong) so adapters are needed. There’s a coffee maker and a fridge stocked with beer, soft drinks, sparkling water and wine. Paper and plastic are virtually eliminated on the ship and all guests receive a complimentary aluminum water bottle with refill stations on every floor. The Hotel Manager told us that Hurtigruten aims to be the most sustainable shipping company in the world.

*A standard, oceanview room on Roald Amundsen*

*One of 83 balcony cabins, featuring artwork chosen by the Queen of Norway*

Our room had an impressive 50 inch, LED television with limited news channels (MSNBC and Fox from the US with Sky News and BBC from the UK) but the Atrium Lobby has a tall television that hugs a wall for seven full stories with continually changing scenes from nature. The “Boot Room” also had a huge horizontal TV with colorful scenes from Hurtigruten adventures. Impressive! Traditional Norwegian art (with many woodcuts) is found throughout the ship, much of it chosen by HM, the Queen of Norway, with several from her personal collection.

The British Executive Chef on Roald Amundsen was a former Michelin-starred restaurant owner. David McDonald’s cuisine was generally excellent in all three restaurants and the complimentary wine at lunch and dinner was of high quality.

Aune, the main dining venue, seats 240 at blond, wooden tables and features many areas for just two guests in a bright, attractive setting. For all meals (breakfast and lunch buffets and a la carte dinners) the Maitre ‘D records your room number and assigns a table when you enter the dining area. Very progressive! High tech has replaced traditional paper menus and guests are expected to order their meals from the Hurtigruten app. Everyone seemed to be equipped with a smart phone, so there was rarely a problem.

Fredheim is an informal corner for stylish street food. The diner atmosphere works well for an array of burgers, fries and sausages but also Asian dumplings, tortillas, waffles, crepes and a crab roll. Fredheim also offers tall, creamy milkshakes, the best we’ve ever had at sea.

*Best Milkshakes at Fredheim Restaurant*

The full service restaurant is called Lindstrom. Designed for suite guests, others can enjoy the exemplary service and extra perks for 25 Euros a person. The lamb and bison dishes were especially tasty.

The only disappointment with dining during our week on Roald Amundsen was its lack of any East Coast seafood. Even though we started in Halifax and stopped in several important Atlantic fishing ports, the only seafood offered was from Alaska and the West Coast. We were told there were communication problems with the European head office (this was Hurtigruten’s first visit to Nova Scotia) but for repeat cruises in 2023 and 2024, the fresh fish problem will be investigated and resolved.

*There’s a walking track and gym equipment on the top deck*

Hurtigrutan, with its six expedition ships (two of which are now hybrid), may not appeal to everyone. There’s no casino and no traditional evening entertainment (there is a piano in the Roald Amundsen’s main lounge, but no resident pianist). The emphasis, which we and most guests relished, was on science and learning. The Amundsen Science Center, taking up major space on Deck Six, is rich in resources with a science library, maps, illustrations, a large, interactive touch table, artifacts like skulls and walrus tusks and the prime attraction, a series of specialized Zeiss binocular microscopes, one of which is connected to a large screen TV. Seven scientists, covering a wide range of specialties, often gathered seashore specimens like tiny copepods and gave illustrated lectures each evening in addition to talking about our next port.

*Hurtigruten’s team of scientists give nightly lectures on a variety of subjects*

Expedition ships, with their non-traditional ports of call need to be flexible. Landings on Sable Island, a Canadian National Park Reserve located 190 miles east of Halifax, have to be made by zodiacs. Unfortunately the Atlantic Ocean was just too rough the day we arrived. Instead, the captain gave us a full circumnavigation of the 27 mile long sand bar where, with binoculars, we could see the wild horses and thousands of gray seals. The weather the next day was perfect in Lunenburg and most guests visited the large and outstanding Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.

*The popular Amundsen Science Center features high end microscopes and a staff of naturalists*

Maine weather was variable but, in spite of the rain, most guests got off the ship when it was docked in tiny Eastport, next to the Canadian border. This easternmost ‘city’ in the US used to be the sardine capital of the world. Rockland, Maine, required a tender transfer to port but, with bad weather, many guests stayed aboard. Bar Harbor, a popular stop for tradition cruise ships, gave guests on the Roald Amundsen the opportunity to visit Cadillac Mountain (tallest mountain on the east coast of the US) and the rugged seascapes of Acadia National Park, the first national park east of the Mississippi.

*Stormy weather. Roald Amundsen approaches the easternmost ‘city’ in the US, Eastport, Maine*

More bad weather made a visit to Cape Cod impossible and, with Hurricane Fiona churning up the Atlantic, the captain made a wise choice to head for Boston early for an extra overnight. On schedule the next day, most guests headed home from Boston but a couple of dozen of us stayed overnight at Hurtigruten’s recommended hotel, the elegant and historic Fairmont Copley Plaza. Now celebrating its 110th anniversary, it was ideal for connecting to our 90 minute morning flight back to Halifax. And, missing Atlantic seafood on the Roald Amundsen, the lobster roll at the Fairmont’s Oak Long Bar + Kitchen was fantastic.

*Final Night in Boston at Fairmont Copley Plaza*

With expedition cruising becoming very popular, Hurtigruten is planning to repeat its North-South and unique Halifax to Boston itinerary in 2023 and 2024. As the line refines its excellent product, the route should be a huge hit, especially for those cruisers wanting more than a traditional cruise. One guest from Houston had started her cruise in Alaska and was delighted. “We have a new appreciation of the diversity in Canada”, she told us. “Thanks to the excellent expedition team, we learned a lot about environmental input and indigenous culture. The ship is a great size and we don’t miss the casino or Broadway shows one bit.”

John and Sandra Nowlan are travel and food writers based in Halifax.

Photos by John and Sandra Nowlan

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 8/23/22 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 8/23/22

Viking Mars Viking Homelands Cruise

Rickee and I spend 10 nights on Viking Mars

By Chris Dikmen, President, CruiseReport.com

Itinerary: Stockholm, Stockholm, Mariehamn, Aländ Islands, Gdansk, Poland, Bornholm, Denmark, Berlin, Germany, Copenhagen, Älborg, Denmark, Oslo, Oslo, Stavanger, Eidfjord, Bergen, Bergen

INTRODUCTION

Viking Cruises started in 2000 with the purchase of four river cruise ships and proceeded to build a reputation as the world leader in European river cruises. We have been sailing with Viking since 2003, way before the launch of their revolutionary Viking Longships. We have watched this company quietly grow and expand into a major player in the cruise industry.

In 2015, Viking launched their first Ocean cruise ship, the Viking Star, and every year after that, or so it seems, they crank out another ocean-going ship. There are currently eight Viking Ocean ships sailing, with another on the way: Viking Saturn, in 2023. Unlike most cruise lines, Viking Ocean’s ships are all virtually identical. They all carry 930 guests, which, by today’s standards almost qualifies them as small ships. From the outside, the ships are honestly nothing special. If you see Viking Mars docked next to Celebrity Edge Or Carnival Mardi Gras, your eyes are going to move toward the larger, more glitzy ship.

On the inside, Viking ships are subtle and elegant. Nothing is “in your face”. There’s no shock-and-awe when you step aboard a Viking ship. The decor is understated and most definitely Scandinavian, but not in a cheap IKEA way. All of the furnishings and materials are of the highest quality. The interior is comfortable and inviting. The ships are contemporary, but very tasteful. And, they are all virtually identical on the inside. What this means is that when you book your next cruise with Viking Ocean, you only need to concern yourself with the destination, because no matter which ship you choose, it’s going to be just like the last one you were on.

Also, this is a cruise line for adults, in fact, no children under 18 are allowed. There are no water slides, no ropes courses, no rock climbing walls. This 15-night night itinerary is referred to by Viking as “Viking Homelands”.

PRE-CRUISE AND ARRIVAL

We booked our air with Viking and we paid for a business class upgrade with Scandinavian Airlines. Unfortunately, about a week after we purchased our air, SAS pilots went on an extended strike and the airline was basically grounded for more than 2 weeks. So, here we are a week before our cruise and we did not know if SAS would even be in business, much less still flying. Viking’s air department offered to re-book us on IcelandAir going to Stockholm and returning from Bergen on Iberia. Also, our return flight would now require an additional overnight stay in Madrid. Needless to say, even though Iceland Air and Iberia both offer business class, it is not the business class experience we were hoping for. These were very expensive upgrades and we were looking forward to the nice lay flat-business class seats. There were other airlines offering business class service which we would have much preferred over IcelandAir or Iberia. Finnair, for example. However, these airlines were not Viking partner airlines and not available to us. I am not telling this story to complain, only to warn you that when you book air through a cruise line and pay for business class, you may end up on a completely different airline or with a completely different itinerary, or both. That said, with the current state of airline travel, I would highly recommend booking through the cruise line so that you have an advocate to assist you should something go wrong. If we had booked directly with SAS, we would probably have been screwed. I feel like Viking’s air department did all they could to make the best of a bad airline situation.

At the time of our cruise, airlines were experiencing record numbers of delays and cancellations. Also, lost luggage was a real serious concern. For this reason, we reached out to our friends at Luggage Forward and they offered to ship our two large duffle bags from our home in Dallas to Stockholm. We have used Luggage Forward in the past with excellent results. They are a sponsor of this channel. They overnighted our luggage tags and instructions to us and, about 12 days before our cruise, a DHL truck picked up our bags and shipped them to Stockhom. The next time we saw our bags, they were sitting outside of our stateroom on Viking Mars when we boarded. We can highly recommend Luggage Forward.

As it turned out, we got lucky and all of our flights were on time. We arrived in Stockholm the day prior to our cruise. We always plan on arriving an extra day or two prior to embarkation just in case there is a flight delay or cancellation. We were fortunate to be hosted on this trip by Hotel Rival, the #2-rated hotel in Stockholm according to TripAdvisor. This boutique hotel is centrally located in Stockholm and is a perfect pre-/post- hotel for cruise guests as it is less than 10 minutes from the cruise ship port. We enjoyed a very comfortable room and an excellent meal at The Tavern restaurant downstairs. Thank you, Hotel Rival. I should also mention that Viking offers guests pre-cruise and post-cruise hotel accommodations which include transfers from the airport and to the ship.

EMBARKATION

After enjoying the complimentary breakfast at Hotel Rival, we ordered an Uber to drive us to the cruise port which, as it turns out, is only about 10 minutes from the hotel. Embarkation begins at 11am and we arrived right at 11am and guests were already in line at the small makeshift tent set up next to the ship. Check-in was a breeze. We simply presented our passports and we were handed our stateroom keys and invited to board the ship. It could not have been any easier.

Unlike my 2021 cruise aboard Viking Orion, our 2022 cruise on Viking Mars had no pre-cruise Covid testing requirements. Of course, these protocols can change at any time, so make sure you check the Viking website for the protocols on your particular sailing. Once we stepped aboard Viking Mars, we were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine and invited to head to the Star Theater for a life vest demonstration, which only took a few minutes. Viking does not put life vests in your stateroom. Instead, they keep the life vests in the muster stations. In the event of an emergency, you don’t have to go back to your stateroom to get your life vest. You simply go to your muster station where a life vest will be waiting for you. This actually makes much more sense to me. It also frees up storage space in your stateroom, and prevents guests from dragging life vest straps up and down stairs, which can easily cause someone to trip and fall.

After the life vest demonstration, we were told that our stateroom would not be ready until 1pm. However, we decided to stop by our stateroom anyway to drop off our hand luggage before going to lunch. We were greeted in the hallway by Ida, our stateroom attendant, who informed us that our stateroom was in fact cleaned and ready for us ahead of schedule. He mentioned that we needed to watch the safety video playing on the stateroom television and to confirm through the Viking App that we had watched it, which we did.

After watching the video, which takes about 5 minutes, we headed to World Cafe on Deck 7 aft for lunch.

THE SHIP

*Viking Mars Docked In Copenhagen, Denmark*

Viking Mars can accommodate 930 guests. There are 10 Decks accessible via elevators and stairs. Public spaces are on Decks 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9. Deck A is below Deck 1 and is only used for embarkation in some ports or tender operations. A bank of 4 elevators aft are quite large and very fast and they go from Deck A to Deck 8. There are two forward elevators that go all the way from Deck A to Deck 9. The medical center is located on Deck A forward.

These ships are extremely easy to navigate and large touch screens are located in the elevator lobbies to help, just in case you get lost. The elevators even have a GANGWAY button that will always deliver you to the correct deck for disembarkation when in port. Very smart design. In fact a lot of thought has obviously gone into the design of these ships.

DELUXE VERANDA STATEROOM

Our Deluxe Veranda stateroom 6046 was located on Deck 6 midship. It was a great location for me since each morning I could simply walk up one flight of stairs and easily get to World Cafe where I would have my morning coffee and work on my blog. The Deluxe Veranda is 270 sq. ft., Last year on Viking Orion, I was in a Penthouse Veranda which, at 338 sq. Ft., is noticeably larger. Nevertheless, the Deluxe Veranda stateroom is very comfortable.

As we enter from the hallway, you find the door to the bathroom, which we will go into in more detail at the end. There is a large cabinet with a shelf for storage, a coffee maker/espresso machine, a very large electronic safe, large enough to hold a laptop, iPad and all your valuables and three large drawers for storage. The bed can be configured as two twin beds or as a single queen-size bed, as we have here. One one side of the bed you will find the closet behind sliding doors. The space between the bed and closet is very narrow and cramped.

Inside the closet, there is another dresser with three more large drawers for even more storage above with space for hanging clothes. The other side of the closet is purely for hanging clothes. There is a shelf on top for more storage as well. Complimentary bath robes and slippers are provided as well as an umbrella. It should also be emphasized that all of the drawers throughout the stateroom are the soft-close type to cut down on excess noise between staterooms. As for the bed, I found it reasonably comfortable while Rickee claimed it hurt her back. I have since learned that we should have requested a topper for her side of the bed. It just did not occur to us to ask. The mattress was firm enough for my liking, but the pillows were a little soft for me. I finally did request a firmer pillow and our stateroom attendant brought a memory foam pillow that was perfect.

All of the bedding is very high quality and comfortable. The bedside tables are larger than you will find on most cruise ships, each one has a drawer, storage shelf and even a pull-out writing desk. Both nightstands have two USB charging ports, and new on Mars is that one of the USB ports is now a high-speed USB-C port. There is a 110 volt US-style outlet and a 220-volt European-style power outlet on each night stand. This is about as nice of a setup as we have seen on any cruise ship. There are light switches on each side of the bed to control all the lights in the stateroom as well as one that will turn on the bathroom light, which can serve as sort of a night-light to help you find the bathroom in the dark.

*Excellent Charging Ports on Nightstand*

Over each night stand. There is a bedside lamp over each nightstand and the switch acts as an on/off switch or if you hold down the switch, it is a dimmer so you can adjust the light. There are small, adjustable reading lights on each side of the bed as well. Across from the bed is a 42” HD TV with a good choice of programming I have found on any cruise ship. There is a choice of news channels, complimentary movies, TED talks and destination oriented content. There is also a very sophisticated interactive system for checking your onboard account balance, booking restaurant and spa reservations or shore excursions. However, on this itinerary, the live TV was not functioning when we were in most ports-of-call.

The living room features two chairs instead of a sofa. The long coffee table is adequate for in-room dining, however, a removable square table top would make for more dining space. Across from the sofa is a large desk slash vanity with more than enough room to work on a laptop. The desk lamp has two more USB charging ports in its base. There is a 220-volt European-style outlet on each end of the desk, and 2 110-volt US-Style outlets on the right side of the desk. The desk also has two Audio Vox receivers in their charging base for use on shore excursions. The telephone can be used to make phone calls from your stateroom, or to contact guest service, or other departments on the ship.

One of the signature features of a Viking Ocean stateroom is the clever flip-up lighted vanity mirror in the center of the desk. Underneath the mirror is ample storage for a world cruises worth of cosmetics. There is also an expansive mirror just above the desk. The desk chair is also very comfortable.

On one side of the desk is a large pull-out refrigerated mini-bar drawer. Here you will find cold sodas, beer, spirits and snacks. In fact, this is the coldest mini-fridge I have seen on a cruise ship and the drawer design is very efficient. We had the Silver Spirits drink package and were not charged for any sodas we consumed from the mini-bar.

The balcony is accessible through a sliding glass door, which, by the way was VERY hard to open. Nevertheless, a sliding glass door is much preferred to a hinged door since they are quieter when they close, and they do not take space away from the balcony.

There are two comfortable chairs on the balcony and a table large enough to enjoy al fresco breakfast, or a sunset glass of champagne. The balcony is not very deep, so you cannot stretch out in lounger fashion, but is it certainly large enough to sit comfortably and watch the world go by.

Now, let’s head back inside and check out the bathroom. Just outside of the bathroom, across from the closet, is a full length mirror. There are hooks on the back of the bathroom doors to hand your robes, or pajamas. There is a large glass enclosed shower with a shelf where you can put soaps, shampoos, razor, etc. I suppose ladies can also use this shelf for shaving your legs. A small wire soap rack would be a welcome addition here. Also, the shower would leak and we would get a lot of water seeping out into the bathroom floor. I had this exact same problem on Viking Orion last year, so there must be something going on with the design of the shower stall. The water pressure was always good but we did experience a fluctuation in water temperature and a couple of days, no hot water at all. I love the spacious shower stall and the wrap around glass. There is a nice size vanity with a large sink, a drawer on each side and some shelf space underneath. There are glass shelves on each side for your smaller toiletries. And, something that is a real step above, a heated floor! You never have to step out of the shower onto a cold bathroom floor.

*One Of The Nicest Bathrooms On Any Cruise Ship*

Bathroom amenities are premium Freyja brand, which is Viking’s own brand. You get shampoo, conditioner, body wash and body lotion in very large tubes. The bar soap is Freyja brand as well, and all bathroom amenities are replenished as needed.

So, was there anything that I did not like about the Deluxe Veranda? There are a few improvements that could be made for sure. Adding some hooks to the hallway wall would be a welcome addition. Rickee and I both would prefer a small sofa to the 2 chairs in the living room. We had an issue with the heat in our stateroom. Basically, there was not any. We had the thermostat turned all the way to hot and the unit was still blowing cold air from the vent. After a call to guest services, this was quickly addressed and fixed. The live television reception was abysmal during this sailing. Perhaps we just noticed it more on this cruise because we were quarantined for 5 days and stuck in our stateroom.

As you might have guessed, I was pretty impressed with this stateroom. I personally love the Scandinavian decor that you find throughout Viking ships, and that is carried over into the staterooms as well. The blue and beige color scheme gives the stateroom a cool and relaxing feeling.

Also, there is no clock in the stateroom, other than the one on the television. And, in the middle of the night, I really don’t want to turn on the TV to see what time it is. A small clock on one of the nightstands, or even mounted on the wall, would be a nice addition. Something else that I wish had been mounted to the wall are some hooks! I love hooks to hang up caps, jackets, etc. The only hooks were on the inside of the bathroom door. I always travel with some small magnetic hooks that I can use, but it would not take much for Viking to add a few hooks.

HEALTH PROTOCOLS

Since my last Viking cruise in 2021, the company has relaxed many of the strict Covid protocols. Even though Viking recommends getting a pre-cruise Covid test prior to sailing, it is no longer a requirement, at least not in the countries that our cruise was visiting. As I stated previously, these protocols can change depending on the destination. All guests were required to be fully vaccinated, but boosters were not required. As for masks, all crew members were wearing N95 masks throughout the cruise but guests were no longer required to do so, unless it was required by local regulations when on shore excursions. Masks are still provided in your stateroom. The contact tracing medallions that were required in 2021 are gone, as are the daily temperature checks at World Cafe and The Restaurant entrances. Guests are still reminded to wash their hands when entering The Restaurant or World Cafe at sinks near the entrance to these venues. At other venues, guests are reminded to use the hand sanitization stations. And, there is always a crew member there to remind you. Hand sanitization stations are located throughout the ship. Guests are also no longer required perform the daily Covid test which required spitting into a test tube each morning.

*In 2021, Viking Required A Daily PCR Test*

The buffet line at World Cafe is now self-serve. Having the crew serve you in the buffet line is the one protocol that we wish would have remained. We applaud the relaxation of these policies and it signals that cruising is returning to “normal”.

Some may find it odd that we celebrate the relaxation of these protocols since we did end up testing positive for Covid-19 on this cruise. The reason for our position is simple. Other than social distancing measures, and having crew members serve food in the buffet, we never believed that the strict protocols provided much real protection from the virus. Throughout 2021 with all of the strict protocols in place, cruise guests continued to get infected with the virus. Once it became more obvious learned that the “vaccine” per3formed more like a traditional “flu shot” and would not prevent the spread of the virus, all of the other measures started to look ridiculous. I think even the CDC figured that one out. I mean, if you can’t prevent Covid from spreading on a cruise ship, a completely closed bubble where everyone is “vaccinated”, everyone is tested, everyone is wearing masks, everyone is socially distanced, then you simply cannot prevent it from spreading.

Rickee started to feel bad on day 4 of the cruise, but nothing serious. Her symptoms started as a headache and a mild sore throat. By day 8, however, she had developed a nasty cough that kept both of us up through the night. When we went to the Medical Center on the morning of day 8, I had a mild headache, but I often get that from just sleeping wrong. I went into more detail on all of this in a couple of videos which I posted from the cruise, so if you want more details, I will put links to those videos above and in the description below.

*Viking Provided Us With OTC Meds at No Charge*

Overall, I feel like Viking’s medical staff did a good job of following up with us daily to see how we were feeling. The meds they gave us did offer some relief from the symptoms. By the end of the 5th night of quarantine, our symptoms were mostly gone. The only remaining symptoms were fatigue and a lack of appetite. We were able to move around the ship on the final day of the cruise, but we missed some of the most beautiful ports on this sailing. Also, much of the video I was planning to shoot of the ship did not get done because of our quarantine. Okay, enough Covid talk.

FOOD AND DINING

*The Sushi At World Cafe Is Some Of The Best You Will Find At Sea*

There are many dining options available on Viking Ocean ships. Let’s start at the top of the ship and work our way down. On Deck 7 aft you will find World Cafe, the ship’s Lido Buffet. World Cafe is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. World Cafe is one of our favorite buffets on any cruise line. If you have followed us in the past, you know that we are not big fans of buffets. The food is usually cold, flavorless and sub-standard. World Cafe seems to do a better job than most. There is seating and nearly identical serving lines on both the port and starboard sides of World Cafe. At the aft of World Cafe, you will find some additional seating as well as seating on the Aquavit Terrace for al fresco dining. When the weather is nice, large sliding doors can be opened to give the entire dining room an open-air feel.

At breakfast, you can choose from all of the popular items, or you can have eggs made-to-order. However, there are some changes from my Viking Orion cruise last year. You can no longer get a waffle made to order, unless you want a vegan waffle. You can only get one of the pre-made waffles from the buffet serving line. The fried rice at breakfast is gone and that was my daily go to item. There is an Asian serving station at the aft-facing section of World Cafe where they still offer some Asian specialties in the morning, like the Shu Mai dumplings and egg rolls. But, I really miss the fried rice.

For lunch and dinner, the hot dish items change every day and there is a carving station where you can have a slice of roast beef, chicken, or even Porchetta on one day at lunch! The pizza can be found at the aft section of the starboard serving line, while ice cream is served on the port side. The pizza, quite frankly, is really good if you can get a slice right out of the oven. However, after only a few minutes on the serving line, the crust becomes limp and the pies just lose their flavor.

One thing that is missing from World Cafe is a sandwich station where you can have a sandwich made to order. They do offer a daily sandwich offering, but sometimes Rickee just wants a simple ham and cheese sandwich on a baguette, which you can get on most cruise ship buffets.

The Asian stir-fry station that I enjoyed so much on Orion last year is also on Mars. During lunch and dinner there are daily specials offered here. And, while every one I tried was good, they are no longer prepared a la minute as they were on Orion. The dishes have been pre-cooked and are self-serve. There are some noodle dishes offered here that are still prepared to order which are good. I found it odd that you have to go back to the port or starboard serving line to get rice to go with your entree.

Dinner is served at World Cafe every evening from 6pm to 9pm and they still have the wonderful boiled shrimp and crab legs on the starboard serving line. On the port side serving line, you will find a selection of some of the best sushi offered on any cruise ship. There are several evenings where we wanted a light dinner and made a meal on the sushi and the boiled shrimp.

On Deck 7 Midship you will find the Pool Grill serving burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches. The burgers here are thick and juicy and can be made to order. I wouldn’t say these are the best burgers I have had on a cruise ship, but they easily in the top 3. When the line here is long, service can be very slow, so patience is required. The fries here are crispy but on our two visits, were not served hot. They still put Cole slaw on the plate and I am not sure why because all it does is provide liquid to make the fries soggy. And yes, they DO have onion rings but you have to ask for them, they are not on the menu. The onion rings have a very crunchy Panko breading and are quite good.

On Deck 7 Forward, port side, you will find Mamsen’s. I like to think of Mamsen’s as a Norwegian snack bar. Norwegian specialties are available here throughout the day and this is a good spot for early riser’s coffee each morning. The traditional Norwegian waffle is something that every guest should try at least once. And, don’t balk at the dark curls of Norwegian cheese. The cheese is a carmelized goat cheese and it actually complements the flavor of the syrup-soaked waffle.

Mamsen’s is generally open from 6:30am to 11:00am then reopens with snacks from 4:00pm - 5:00pm and 10:00pm to midnight. The cakes and sweets here looked amazing.

*Surf And Turf Served At The Restaurant*

On Deck 2 aft, you will find The Restaurant, which is the largest dining venue on the ship. The Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch on sea days and dinner every day. We had dinner here one evening and were very impressed with the service and the food. I would say that the meal we had was as good as any main dining meal on any cruise ship and better than most. On my Viking Orion cruise they were requiring reservations to dine at The Restaurant but not on this cruise. The Restaurant is now considered one of the “Casual” dining options.

There are two specialty restaurants on Deck 1 aft. Manfredi’s is Viking’s Italian Restaurant and remains one of the best restaurants on any cruise ship. Manfredi’s is only open for dinner and the menu is the same every evening. It offers an excellent choice of Italian specialties. Unfortunately, we were only able to dine there one time on this cruise thanks to our quarantine. I had the Antipasti starter, which was excellent, Rickee and I both had the cream of mushroom soup, which was also very good.

My main course was the legendary Bistecca Fiorintina, a marinated and grilled Rib Eye that is still the best steak you will find on any cruise ship. HOWEVER, my Bistecca was noticeably smaller than I have had on previous Viking Ocean cruises. It was still delicious, and it was still a decent portion, but it was smaller. Maybe this is a supply chain issue? Rickee had the risotto, which she devoured.

*Bistecca Fiorintina at Manfredi’s Is Still The Best Steak At Sea*

My history with Manfredi’s side items has taught me to stick with the creamed spinach, which was as delicious as I remembered.

Next door to Manfredi’s on Deck 1 is The Chef’s Table, also only open for dinner. This is a unique ethnic Dégustation dining concept that features a set 4/5-course tasting menu which changes every 3 or four days. The meal includes a wine pairing with each course, however, an upgraded premium wine pairing is available for an additional $25 per person. If you have the Silver Spirits package, as we did on this cruise, the upgraded wine pairing is included.

We have dined at The Chef’s Table multiple times, but never experience the XIANG menu. I am so glad we changed our reservation to try this new, for us, menu. It may be our new favorite. The beef tenderloin main course was to die for.

All dining on board Viking Ocean ships is complimentary. On other cruise lines, you would easily pay an additional $30 to $50 per person to dine at Manfredi’s or The Chef’s Table. There is one other dining venue on Deck 1 and it does come at an additional cost. The Kitchen Table, which is an interactive cooking lab.

Viking also offers 24-hour complimentary room service with a menu which can be found on the stateroom television. Room Service breakfast can be ordered using the breakfast menu in your stateroom and hanging the menu on your door before going to bed. During our quarantine we were limited to using room service for all of our meals. Room service was generally good with delivery of our food arriving within 30 minutes of placing an order. There were a few hit or miss items. A couple of items we ordered did not make it on the tray and a couple items we did not order did show up. Breakfast room service seems to be the most efficient, probably because they do more of that than lunch or dinner.

Ham and Cheese Omelette From Room Service

The last dining venue which is very special is Afternoon Tea at Wintergarden on Deck 7 midship. Wintergarden may be one of the most beautiful spaces on any cruise ship and is perfectly suited for Afternoon Tea. Afternoon Tea is offered every day from 4pm to 5pm. Guests are offered a menu with a large selection of teas. Freshly-made scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserves are delicious. And, a three-tiered tray of more sweets and savory finger sandwiches may have you reconsidering, or at least delaying, your dinner plans. We had tea here twice and both times it was amazing.

BAR SERVICE

There are five bars and lounges on Viking Mars. The Viking Bar is located on Deck 1 midship, just off the Atrium. Here you will find very comfortable seating on Deck 1 and even on Deck 2 just above the Atrium. The Viking Bar is open from morning to midnight. This was one of our favorite places to come before dinner to listen to classical music and enjoy a cocktail. Torshaven is located on Deck 2 and is more of a nightclub atmosphere with live entertainment most evenings. Torshaven is open from 9pm till closing.

The Pool Bar is on Deck 7 midship and on Deck 7 aft is the Aquavit Bar. Both of these bars open at 10am. The pool bar closes at 8:00pm while Aquavit stays open until 10pm. Explorer’s Bar is still our favorite hangout with expansive views of the ocean and comfortable seating.

Bar service in all of these venues was excellent and drink prices are competitive with other cruise lines. A glass of Viking Sparkling Wine is still only $5.50 and it is our favorite sparkling wine on any cruise line. A glass of Ponte Prosecco is $8. Most beers are in the $5 range which is pretty typical. Canadian Club or Crown Royal are $8, although Crown Royal was not available on this sailing. I seem to recall a Happy Hour special on previous Viking Ocean cruises, but I did not hear it mentioned on this cruise.

It should be pointed out that beer, wine, and soft drinks are complimentary with meals. Here’s a little insider tip: if you are primarily a wine or beer drinker, you could get by with a long, leisurely dinner at the World Cafe which is open until 9:00pm. Take your “meal” or snack out on Aquavit Terrace and you can drink free from 6pm till 9pm!

Viking offers a Silver Spirits Beverage Package for $19.95 per night/per guest, or $140 for a 7-night cruise. Compare that to Carnival that charges $51.95 per day for their Cheers drink package. And, on Carnival, you are limited to 15 drinks per day. Does anyone really exceed 15 drinks per day?

We purchased the Silver Spirits package on this cruise and consider it to be a very good value, even though we really did not get to use it for the 5 nights we were in quarantine. Now, we COULD have used it because they will actually deliver cocktails to the stateroom. But, we just did not feel like enjoying cocktails while recovering from Covid. Not only do you get all house wines, beers and liquors, including cocktails, house drinks, mixers, long drinks and soft drinks throughout the day, but it also includes the Premium Wine Pairing at The Chef’s Table. That’s a $25 value by itself.

ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES

When it comes to keeping guests entertained, the primary focus is on the destination itself. There are included excursions in every port, and optional excursions, at an additional cost, in most ports. There are lectures held in the Star Theater during the afternoons which also focus on the destination. On sea days, you might find team trivia or Baggo competition, but that’s about it. On days in port, there is very little offered in the way of onboard activities. This is where a Viking Ocean cruise feels a lot like a Viking River cruise. This is a much slower-pace experience. The focus is on the destination and relaxation.

While Viking is not famous for impressive, glitzy production shows, we were VERY impressed with the shows we attended. Viking DOES have a cast of vocalists and a live band that put on some entertaining evening shows. Under the leadership of veteran cruise director Aaron Syfert, all of the vocalists were excellent. There was also a piano virtuoso and a magician who each had shows in the theatre.

As for lounge entertainment, Paolo played the guitar and sang each evening at Explorers and was one of the best lounge performers we have ever enjoyed. The Classic Duo performed in the Atrium each evening as did pianist Sofia. On previous Viking Ocean cruises, we have seen Adagio dancers, but there were none on this sailing. Most likely, Viking is still rebuilding their entertainment after the Covid shutdown.

One area where Viking really excels in the LiveNordic Spa located on Deck 1 forward. There is a substantial fitness center fully equipped with TechnoGym circuit machines, free weights, treadmills and other cardio equipment. The spa is one of the best you will find on any cruise ship and it is complimentary. There are beautiful locker/changing rooms for both men and women, dry sauna, cold plunge, showers, a huge Thallasotherapy pool and hot tub. The Snow Grotto was being worked on during our cruise, but is usually full of real snow and is quite refreshing after stepping out of the steam room.

The heated relaxation beds are amazing and there are pool loungers where you can take a peaceful nap. If you want to really wake up, try the cold water bucket dump! This is one of the venues I planned to visit toward the end of our cruise and was unable to due to our quarantine. The LivNordic Spa offers a wide variety of spa treatments and massages and has a full hair and nail salon. Of course, there is a charge for these services.

There are two swimming pools on Viking Orion: one is located midship on Deck 7 and a sliding roof can completely cover this pool in inclement or cold weather. There is a large hot tub at one end of the pool and plenty of loungers, both in the sun and in the shade.

There is an infinity pool and another hot tub aft on Deck 7 at the Aquavit Terrace which is a signature feature of all Viking Ocean ships. This is the best place on the ship to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

There is a walking path on Deck 8 where 4 laps will add up to 1 mile. The Sports Deck on Viking Orion is Deck 9 forward and features mini-golf, table tennis, bocce ball and lawn bowling as well as two shuffleboard courts. There is also comfortable seating up here for some amazing views while sailing through the fjords. Viking Mars, by the way, does NOT include a planetarium. Viking Jupiter and Orion are the only Viking Ocean ships to have this venue.

The Star Theater is located on Deck 2 forward and is where you can enjoy lectures during the day, or evening entertainment. There are also two cinemas in the aft section of the Star Theater which are used to show movies, or can be used for additional theater seating during a show.

If you are a sun worshipper, you will probably spend most of your time on Deck 7 aft, around the Infinity Pool, or on Deck 8 aft where an expansive deck can accommodate a lot of sun loungers.

ITINERARY AND EXCURSIONS

Our 15-night Viking Homelands cruise visited Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Poland and Aländ Island. This is a very port intensive itinerary with only one official day at sea. It is unfortunate that we missed 5 of those days due to our quarantine, but, it is what it is.

One of the great values associated with Viking cruises is that guests are offered an included excursion in every port. Of course, there are optional excursions that can be booked at additional cost, but having an included excursion in every port is something only a handful of cruise lines offer. On this itinerary, we found the included excursions, overall, to be good. That said, you will typically get a much better experience with a purchased excursion. The included excursions are typically motor coach tours and/or walking tours lasting 2 to 3 hours.

In addition to included excursions, Viking also provides guests with a complimentary shuttle in most ports. The shuttle will typically take guests to and from the city center or popular shopping areas. This is another huge value since many ports are located in industrial areas, often miles from city centers. We have been on many cruises where, if you want to go into town, you have to pay for a local taxi, which can be expensive and can be difficult in foreign countries with foreign currencies and language barriers. Typically, the shuttle buses run every 30 minutes.

*Complimentary Shuttle Buses Are Offered In Most Ports*

Stockholm, Sweden - Stockholm is a city in which you would be wise to spend a couple of extra days at the beginning or end of the Viking Homelands itinerary. Viking offers pre-/post-cruise hotel extensions in Stockholm, or if you prefer to book on your own, we can highly recommend Hotel Rival which is a beautiful boutique hotel perfectly located for cruise guests.

The ship overnights in Stockholm and there are a lot of different excursions offered here. We opted for one of Viking’s included excursions, “Panoramic Stockholm” which, like many of Viking’s included excursions, involves a motorcoach ride. The excursion takes about 2.5 hours and we felt like it offered a nice tour of the city. The local guide did a good job of explaining many of the sights along the way. We did make one stop at Stockholm Town Hall for photos and a bathroom break. We would recommend this excursion if you have been to Stockholm before, or if you combine it with another excursion. There is a lot more to see in Stockholm than what you will see on this tour.

Day At Sea - There was only one day at sea on this itinerary, making it one of the most port-intensive itineraries we have ever enjoyed. On days at sea, Viking Mars offered some additional onboard activities such as team trivia and Baggo competitions. There are also excellent lectures offered in the Star Theater.

Mariehamn, Aländ Islands - This was our first visit to Mariehamn and we did not choose a Viking excursion here. Instead, we opted to simply walk into town on our own. Actually, we took a free shuttle train into town then walked back to the ship. As long as you have no mobility concerns, it is an easy walk into the town center which is about a mile from where the ship docks. Mariehamn is a Finnish island and the shops here do accept Euro and everyone we encountered spoke very good English. The pedestrian street in the city center is lined with small shops, cafes and other businesses. The path leading to/from the ship is clearly marked with big yellow markers in the sidewalks, so you can’t get lost.

*Walk To/From The Ship Is Clearly Marked In Mariehamn*

We walked back to Mars in time for a late lunch, then decided to disembark again to walk to Pommern, an early 20th century Tall Ship that has been turned into a museum. Pommern is docked right behind where the cruise ships dock so it is an easy 5-minute walk. Viking guests are invited to tour the ship for free; just show your room key and you will be invited onboard!

*A tour of Pommern Is Well Worth Your Time*

Gdansk, Poland - This was our first visit to Gdansk and, once again, we chose one of the Viking included excursions: City of Gdansk on Foot. This was a very good excursion, with one exception. Apparently, one of the local guides failed to show up so his tour group was combined with our group resulting in a completely full motorcoach. We suspect that this might have been where we contracted Covid as there were a few people coughing on this tour and there was no way to socially distance. The excursion took us to the main pedestrian street in Gdansk which is lined with cafes and shops, many of which are selling amber jewelry. The tour included an amber demonstration at a local amber shop, but since we had 50 people in the group, there were too many people to fit comfortably in the small shop. We were given about 45 minutes of free time here to explore on our own. We walked through the narrow streets lined with local souvenir vendors. We were able to buy our refrigerator magnets (we collect them) from a local vendor who agreed to accept Euro since he could not get his credit card reader to work. This is a good tour for photographers as you will get some views of the river, the town hall clock tower and Neptune’s Fountain. We can recommend this excursion.

Bornholm, Denmark - In Bornholm, we chose Scenic Bornholm, one of Viking’s included excursions. The motorcoach tour lasted about two hours and is basically a drive around the small island with a stop at a church. Honestly, this is not an excursion I would recommend, unless you just want an excuse to get off the ship for a couple of hours. There was not much to see on this excursion.

Berlin, Germany (Warnemunde) - I would consider the port call at Warnemunde to be the highlight of the cruise. This is the closest cruise ship port to Berlin and Viking offers a variety of excursions here. If you wish to visit Berlin, you will have to purchase an optional excursion. Every excursion in Berlin requires a 2.5 hour train ride from the port to Berlin, and another 2.5 hour train ride back to the port from Berlin. So, be prepared for a long day. We chose the Sachsenhausen & Berlin excursion ($229 per person) which included a visit to a Nazi concentration camp and “traditional German lunch” at a local restaurant. I should mention that this is not the excursion we wanted to take. We really wanted to take the Berlin and Lunch at Reichstag excursion ($279 per person), but it was sold out by the time we were able to book excursions. You can also do Berlin on your own, but you will be required to purchase the train ride ($000 per person). This would be a good option if you wanted to do a Hop On/Hop Off Bus tour of Berlin. This might be what we do on a return to Berlin.

Over 700 guests gathered in the Star Theater on the morning of the Berlin excursions to take the train to Berlin. The train station is less than 200 yards from the ship and is an easy walk. The train cars have seats that face each other and our car was only about 1/2 full, so we were able to stretch out and put our feet on the seats facing us. The train is relatively comfortable and offers a very smooth and quiet ride. Snacks are handed out to guests as well as bottled water.

Once we arrived at the Berlin Hauptbahnhof Train Station, we were greeted by our local guide who led us to our motorcoach for the morning tour of Berlin. We made a stop at the Berlin Wall for photos and a bathroom break. Even though we did drive by Checkpoint Charlie, we were on the wrong side of the coach to get a photo and there was not a stop here. This is a good reason to do a Hop On/Hop Off bus in Berlin. Our final stop before lunch was at a Holocaust Memorial park and the Brandenburg Gate. Our German lunch was at one of the large tourist restaurants that can serve hundreds of guests at once. Lunch consisted of a pretzel, pork roast, sauerkraut, roasted potatoes and apple strudel for dessert. The food was good, not great.

After lunch, we boarded the motorcoach for the drive to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. This was a very interesting, but emotionally draining tour. After touring Sachsenhausen, we were taken to a train station for the train ride back to the ship. Overall, we can recommend this excursion and felt like it was a good value.

*One Of The Remaining Barracks Where Prisoners Were Housed At Sachsenhausen*

Copenhagen, Denmark - This was the day where Rickee felt too bad to get off the ship and join me for the Viking included tour: Copenhagen By Foot. My main mission for this morning tour was to seek out a local pharmacy (or, Apoteka) where I could purchase some cough syrup and other OTC cold meds for Rickee. I joined the walking tour group which gathered shoreside at 10am. I asked our local guide to point out a pharmacy along our route so that I could get what I needed, but unfortunately, he was not much help.

The walking tour itself was just okay. There is a lot more to see in Copenhagen than what you will find on this excursion. The excursion lasted about 2.5 hours and, honestly, it was more standing than walking. We would walk leisurely for about 10 minutes, then the group would stop to look at whatever the guide was talking about for another 10 minutes. These walking tours tend to be a very slow pace, so don’t think that they are a good way to get some exercise. We did walk to a couple of monuments, including the famous Little Mermaid. But, trust me, there is a lot more to see in Copenhagen than this tour will deliver. That said, it might be a good excursion to do early in the morning, then book another afternoon excursion.

Älborg, Denmark - By the time we arrived in Älborg, Rickee had developed a pretty serious cough and I was getting desperate to get her some cough medicine and other cold medications. We suspected that if she went to the Medical Center for treatment, they would test her for Covid and probably test me as well. We knew that a positive test meant that we would be quarantined. So honestly, we held off as long as we could. It is not as if we were exposing other guests since Rickee did not feel like getting out of the stateroom anyway. If we had not been in Älborg on a Sunday when all of the pharmacies were closed, we may not have gone to the Medical Center. But, it was Sunday, so we decided to go to the Medical Center.

As anticipated, Rickee was given a rapid Antigen test which immediately came back positive. Next, they asked Rickee to take the PCR spit test since it is a more accurate test. The nurse brought me one of the tubes for a spit test as well. We were informed that if we tested positive, we would be quarantined and required to remain in our stateroom for five nights. All of our meals would be delivered to us through room service. If Rickee tested positive in PCR and I tested negative, I would be allowed to continue normally and leave the stateroom, but Rickee would be quarantined. After the PCR tests were administered, we were told to return to our stateroom until the results came back in about 2 hours, which we did. After only an hour, we received a call in our stateroom from the nurse informing us that we both tested positive for Covid. Interestingly, I only had very mild symptoms at this point, just a mild headache.

So, the rest of this itinerary, which by the way, was the most beautiful part of the itinerary, we were only able to see from our stateroom. It is a real shame since many of the remaining ports we visited were places we have never been before.

SUMMARY

We are big fans of Viking Ocean and Viking Mars. Viking Ocean remains as one of our top five cruise lines of all-time. Remember, we have sailed on 39 different cruise lines. We did notice a few minor changes to the food service in World Cafe, but you would really have to be nit-picky to notice it.

The complimentary WiFi on this sailing sucked. On most days in port, WiFi was non-existent. When the ship was sailing, WiFi worked most of the time, but it was extremely slow. You will not be able to stream video. In fact, it won’t even allow access to YouTube. Fortunately, I had purchased an international data plan from Airalo.com prior to this cruise just for this eventuality. An international data plan like the one Airalo offers would allow me to use my iPhone 13 Pro as a WiFi hot spot when the ship was in port, assuming, of course, that I could get a cellular signal. The second benefit was I was able to use Google Maps or Apple Maps to find the closest pharmacy or restaurant or other point of interest when walking in a foreign city. We use Apple Maps all the time when we explore foreign cities on our own. For about $100, I was able to purchase an International Data Plan that worked in every European country we visited on this cruise. The Airalo eSim is simple to install and worked perfectly. There were a couple of ports where I had trouble getting a cellular signal, but overall, it worked perfectly and I will definitely use this service again in the future. As a result of my experience on this cruise, CruiseReport is now an Airalo affiliate. So, if you are interested in this service, you can click here for more information.

I am not sure why cruise lines cannot seem to figure out this WiFi situation. I swear I have been fighting this for 20 years and it does not seem to be getting any better. This is not unique to Viking. Earlier this year, we struggled to get any Internet service aboard Celebrity Apex and we had their top tier plan. Along with the WiFi issues, the Live TV broadcasts on the ship’s televisions were non-existent when the ship was in port. Why? This became a real annoyance when you are locked down in your stateroom for 5 days and nights with no WiFi and no live TV.

We do miss having a casino on Viking ships, but we can live without it. We both love the fact that there are no children under 18 allowed, no pushy photography sales, no art auctions, no charge for alternate dining, free WiFi, complimentary use of launderettes, no smoking and no formal nights. You don’t experience that feeling of being nickle-and-dimed on Viking.

On this cruise there were 780 guests, or thereabouts, and the ship did feel quite full. There were some lines to get into the theater in the evenings. Afternoon Tea in Wintergarden felt pretty crowded as well. This was probably the highest occupancy sailing of any Viking Ocean cruise we have been on so far.

A Viking Ocean cruise is one of the best values in cruising. And, it is the only cruise line that can take you through the rivers of Europe, the oceans of the world, soon, the Mississippi River and expedition cruising.