Video Review

REVIEW OF VIKING ORION

I spent a week aboard Viking Ocean Cruises’ Viking Orion on their Bermuda Escapes cruise. This was my third cruise on Viking Ocean and I was on this one by myself. I will tell you why I was alone, and all of my thoughts on this cruise coming up right after this.

In the spirit of full disclosure, we were invited on this cruise by Viking Cruises. However, no money has changed hands. Viking has no input in the content of this review and they have no idea what I am going to say. I should clarify, that unlike many review websites, CruiseReport is NOT affiliated with a travel agency. We are simply travel journalists. So, if you end up booking a Viking Cruise directly with Viking or through a travel agency, we gain nothing either way.

As I mentioned in my opening, I was on this cruise by myself. My girlfriend, Rickee, who also is the Senior Editor at CruiseReport.com, suffered injuries from a freak accident just days before the cruise. So, we decided it would be better for her recovery to forego this cruise.

This seven night cruise is referred to by Viking as Bermuda Escapes. The itinerary is basically two nights in Hamilton, Bermuda, followed by a day at sea, then two nights at King’s Wharf Bermuda, followed by another day at sea, then one more night in Hamilton before disembarkation. Not the most exciting itinerary, to be honest, but hey, after 18 months of no cruising, it’s good just to be back on a ship.

BERMUDA REQUIREMENTS

Cruising from Bermuda comes with a host of requirements. Everyone sailing on Viking Ocean is required to be fully vaccinated. You must show proof of a negative Covid-19 PCR test that was taken within four days of arrival in Bermuda. This is a requirement of the Bermuda government. You must also complete an online form to receive a Bermuda Travel Authorization, which you must have with you at the Bermuda airport upon arrival. If you do NOT have this travel authorization, there is a $1,000 fine. So…get the authorization before you go. Oh, and there’s a $75 fee for obtaining the authorization form online. But, $75 is a Hell of a lot better than $1,000.

Upon arrival at the airport in Bermuda, which by the way, is brand new and very nice, you will be required to undergo another PCR nasal swab at the airport. And, let me tell you, this is a SERIOUS nasal swab. It will bring tears to your eyes.

VIKING OCEAN CRUISES

Before I get into Viking Orion, let’s talk about what’s going on with Viking Cruises. The company 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. So we have watched this company quietly grow and expand and develop 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 seven Viking Ocean Ships, with another on the way in 2022.

Unlike most cruise lines, Viking ocean ships are all virtually identical. They all carry just over 900 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 Orion 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. 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 an IKEA sense. All of the furnishings and materials are of the highest quality. 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, these ships are geared toward adults, in fact, no children under 18 are allowed.

In my final summary, I will go into a few more details about what makes Viking unique, but let’s get started with my review of Viking Orion.

EMBARKATION

Once you have completed the Covid test at the airport, Viking representatives will greet you just outside of the airport, make sure you have all of your hand luggage, and direct you to a shuttle van for the ride to the port in Hamilton. It’s about a 30-minute drive to the ship. Our flight landed about 3:00 o’clock and I think we arrived at the ship by 4:45.

Once at the pier, you will go through a small terminal building where you are given your contact tracing device. We will talk more about this device later. After you put your hand luggage through the X-ray machine, you are then ready to board Viking Orion. If you have mobility issues, there will be someone from Viking to assist you up the long gangway to Deck 1.

Once aboard Viking Orion, we were escorted to the Star Theater, which was my designated muster station, where Sophie, a member of the ship’s entertainment cast, was conducting a short demonstration on how to put on a life vest. There were maybe 15 people in our group. The demonstration only took a few minutes. One important difference in Viking and some other cruise lines is that Viking does not put life vests in your stateroom. Instead, they keep the life vests at the muster stations. This is actually pretty smart. 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. 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, I was free to go to my stateroom. Just a couple of minutes after I arrived in my stateroom, Jerrick, my stateroom attendant, knocked on the door and introduced himself. He informed me that, due to Covid protocols, he was not allowed to come into the stateroom, so he just pointed things out from the hallway. He explained the mini-bar, told me if there was anything I needed, just to ask him or his assistant Fauzy, and he suggested that I watch the mandatory safety video playing on the stateroom television. He also pointed out that I needed to complete yet ANOTHER Covid test, the Viking Covid PCR test, within the next 15 minutes. Basically, you have to spit into a small plastic tube and collect at least 2ml of saliva. He said he would return in 15 minutes to retrieve the sample.

So, once you watch the safety video, which takes about 5 minutes, and complete the saliva test, that completes the embarkation process. MUCH simpler and quicker than the traditional muster drill.

THE SHIP

Viking Orion can accommodate 930 guests. There are 10 Decks accessible via elevators and stairs. Public spaces are on Decks 1, 2, 7, 8 and the Sun Deck, which could be considered Deck 9 forward. 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.

The ship is 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.

ACCOMMODATIONS

My Penthouse Veranda stateroom (#6015) was located on Deck 6 forward. It was a great location for me since each morning I could simply walk up one flight of stairs and easily get to Explorer’s Bar where I would have my morning coffee and work on my blog.

The Penthouse Veranda is 338 sq. ft., which I assume includes the balcony. A standard or deluxe veranda stateroom is 270 sq. ft. which is what we have occupied in the past. The additional 68 sq. ft. is immediately noticeable. The stateroom was very comfortable. Now, I don’t want to give too much away because I have a complete video review of the Penthouse Veranda stateroom on Viking Orion. And, In that video I will tell you exactly what I loved about the Penthouse Veranda, and a few things I was not so crazy about.

I will put a link in the corner of this video and in the description of the video. So, for complete details about the Penthouse Veranda, make sure to watch that video.

In the next section, I am going to cover the health protocols employed by Viking Ocean. But before I do, I would like to ask you a favor. If you are passionate about cruising, it would be a huge help to us, if you would take the time to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Our business was basically wiped out due to the cruise shutdown and we are trying to re-establish our social media presence. Subscribing to our channel is completely free, and you can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook. I will put links in the description of this video. Now, on with the review of Viking Orion.

VIKING HEALTH PROTOCOLS

Viking has a comprehensive set of protocols in place to keep guests safe from Covid-19 and other illnesses. All guests and crew are required to be fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to boarding the vessel. Each guest is provided with a contact tracing device, a small round plastic disk, that can be worn around the neck or carried in your pocket, Guests are required to keep this device on their person at all times, even when ashore.

Each Viking Ocean ship has its own testing lab for Covid-19 and saliva samples are collected from every guest each day. Each evening, during turn down service, a clean collection tube is left in the stateroom. Guests are required to provide at least 2 ml of saliva in the tube each morning and leave the sealed tub on their desk for collection by their stateroom attendant. The process is much less invasive that a nasal swab and really is not a big deal.

Temperature checks are required one each day using electronic iPad devices which are located at the entrance of every restaurant. The devices use facial recognition technology and are pretty cool.

Guests are routinely reminded to wash their hands when entering The Restaurant or World Cafe using 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. And, these sanitization stations are located throughout the ship.

There is a daily health questionnaire that each guest is required to complete. This can be done through the interactive stateroom television, the Viking app, or a paper form left in the stateroom. Basically, the questionnaire asks you to confirm that you are not experiencing any flu-like symptoms.

When guests are moving about the ship, they are required to wear a mask. Of course, when eating, drinking or in your stateroom, you are not required to wear a mask. All crew members are required to wear a mask at all times.

Masks are provided in your stateroom and available throughout the ship in case you forget yours. This is probably the least popular policy because it is the most controversial one, given that all guests have been fully vaccinated. Also, the science has shown that these masks are minimally effective at preventing the spread of Covid-19. I believe the effectiveness of cloth masks is at about 10% and surgical masks only 12%. Also, the mask policy itself lacks basic common sense. You have to wear a mask when walking down a hall by yourself, but when you sit down at a restaurant with five other people to eat, drink laugh and have conversation, you can remove your mask. Ironically, this would be the most likely time for particles to be spread between guests.

So, on a fully vaccinated cruise, a mask policy begins to look more like window dressing and not a serious health policy based on any available science.

There is one other area of the ship that is often overlooked and that would be the public restrooms. Being a pretty heavy coffee drinker in the mornings, I do tend to visit the public facilities often to, shall we say, return a gift. The public restrooms on Viking Orion are spotless, first of all. There is hand soap and sanitizer at the sinks along with real hand towels to dry your hands. But from a health and safety standpoint, they also put paper towels by the doors and even a sign recommending that you use a paper towel to open the door handle. I have always done this in hotels, restaurants and cruise ships, but it is nice to see the Viking actually accommodates this sanitary behavior. And, they provide a small trash can so you can quickly dispose of the paper towel upon exiting the restroom. Oh, and to make using the public restrooms a pleasant experience, they even play the natural sounds of birds chirping while you are doing whatever it is you do in there.

FOOD AND DINING

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. Quite simply, this is one of my favorite buffets on any cruise line. If you have followed us in the past, you know that neither Rickee nor I are big fans of buffets. The food is usually cold, flavorless and sub-standard. Not so at World Cafe. 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. There is a waffle station where a fresh hot waffle can be topped with anything you can imagine. My favorite breakfast at World Cafe is the fried rice and Shu Mai dumplings. I am sure these are provided for Asian guests, but not being a huge fan of eggs and bacon, this was my go to breakfast!

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.

There is a new station, unique to Viking Orion and Viking Jupiter, located at the aft of World Cafe. At dinner, this station prepares Asian stir-fry to order and at lunch it becomes a pasta station. At breakfast, made-to-order omelets are created here.

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. The fries are hot and crispy and there is a small salad bar where you can enjoy some pre-burger starters.

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 was my Go To 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.

There is one other dining venue on Deck 7, but I am going to save that one until the end of my Food and Dining review.

On Deck 2 aft, you will find The Restaurant, which is the largest dining venue on the ship. The Restaurant has full table service and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day with lunch and dinner menus that change each day.

I had dinner here on my first evening. The service was excellent and the food was served hot and was delicious.

Reservations are requested to dine at The Restaurant and you can make reservations through the Viking app, the interactive stateroom television, or by calling Guest Services.

There are two specialty restaurants on Deck 1 aft. Manfredi’s is Viking’s Italian Restaurant and, in my opinion, 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. On my first visit, I had the Antipasti starter, which was excellent, although almost too large for just one person. On my second visit, I ordered a starter portion of the Pasta of the Day, a mushroom tortellini that was decadent.

On both visits, my main course was the legendary Bistecca Fiorintina, a marinated and grilled Rib Eye that is a steak lover’s dream come true. This is the best steak you will find on any cruise ship.

There are several side dishes on offer at Manfredi’s. I tried the sautéed Cherry Tomatoes and the creamed spinach. I would definitely order the creamed spinach again, but I would take a pass on the tomatoes.

Manfredi’s? Maybe the best restaurant at sea.

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 5-course tasting menu which changes every 3 or 4 days. The meal includes a wine pairing with each course, however, an upgraded premium wine pairing is available for an additional $25 per person.

On my first visit to The Chef’s Table, the menu was MEXICO, featuring Mexican flavors. Being from Texas, I was disappointed since I already get so much Mexican food, or so I thought. This turned out to be one of the best meals I had on this cruise. On my second visit, the menu had changed to Asian Panorama, which I have had previously at The Chef’s Table on other Viking ships. The presentation and preparation were even better than I remembered. Both of my meals at The Chef’s Table were excellent.

Oh, and in case I failed to mention it, all dining on board Viking Orion, and all Viking Ocean ships is complimentary. On other cruise ships, 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. The Kitchen Table, which is an interactive cooking lab. Unfortunately, this venue is temporarily closed due to social distancing measures.

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.

There is that one bonus venue on Deck 7 I promised to tell you about at the end of this section. But before I do, I would like to once again ask you to take a moment to click the SUBSCRIBE button and join our community of passionate cruise enthusiasts. Remember, it is free to subscribe and as a subscriber, you can be notified each time we post new videos.

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 choice of teas from a vast menu. Fresh 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.

I promised to tell you what I liked and what I didn’t like about Viking Orion, but honestly, when it comes to the food and dining, there is really not much to complain about. Overall, it may be the best overall dining of any cruise ship.

BAR SERVICE

There are five bars and lounges on Viking Orion. 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.

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, whenever that is.

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.

My favorite watering hole, however, is on Deck 7 forward. Explorer’s Lounge offers your favorite beverage along with beautiful views of the ocean.

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 $5.50 and it is our favorite sparkling wine on any cruise line, by the way. 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. I seem to recall a Happy Hour special on previous Viking Ocean cruises, but I did not hear it mentioned on this cruise.

In should be pointed out that beer, wine, soft drinks are complimentary with meals. Sooooo, if you are primarily a wine or beer drinker, you could get by quite nicely with a lengthy dinner at the World Cafe which is open until 9:00pm. Just sayin.

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?

I purchased the Silver Spirits package on this cruise and consider it to be a very good value. 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. When I dined at Manfredi’s the wine stewardess recognized that I had the Silver Spirits package and brought a better quality red wine to the table rather than the house wine.

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.

Viking is not known for it’s high impact, glitzy production shows. If you want broadway-style entertainment, you will only find that on ships with 4,000+ passengers. Viking places more emphasis on relaxation and destination than it does on elaborate production shows. That said, I have seen a lot of YouTube videos where they completely dismiss the entertainment on Viking ships, and that is unfair and inaccurate. Viking DOES have a cast of vocalists and a live band that put on some entertaining evening shows.

We were treated to two such shows on our cruise. An ABBA tribute and a 60s British Music tribute, both of which were very entertaining. There is a Classic Duo that performs in the Atrium at various times during the day, as well as Antal Farkas, one of the best pianists I have ever heard on a cruise ship. And, Michael plays the guitar and sings at various venues. One of the best shows on our cruise was from Brian Rodriguez, Viking Orion’s Cruise Director. Brian is an accomplished tenor and has an amazing voice. One evening in the Atrium he treated us to a wonderful display of his vocal talents.

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.

There are not as many daytime activities on Viking Ocean as you would find on other cruise lines. There is Team Trivia, lectures and a few other organized activities, but it is sparse. Again, the focus is on the destination.

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!

The LivNordic Spa offers a wide variety of spa treatments and massages and has a full hair and nail salon.

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 no promenade deck or jogging track, so if you are a runner/jogger, you are pretty much limited to the treadmills in the LivNordic fitness center.

The Sun Deck on Viking Orion is located above Deck 8 forward and features mini-golf, table tennis and lawn bowling as well as two shuffleboard courts. The large dome rising from the Sun Deck is the planetarium which is accessible from the Explorer’s Dome on Deck 8 forward. Viking Orion and Viking Jupiter are the only Viking Ocean ships to feature a planetarium and it is really a cool feature. There is no charge for the planetarium experience, but you do need to make a reservation.

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. This space was virtually unused on our cruise since the ship was only at about 25% guest capacity.

ITINERARY

My seven night cruise was Viking’s Bermuda Escapes cruise. Honestly, not the most exciting itinerary I have done with Viking, but after 18 months of no cruising, it is nice just to be back on a ship regardless of the destination. I don’t mean to disparage Bermuda as a destination, but I have been here so many times in the past and feel as though I have seen everything I need to see. Viking did offer a lot of included excursions both in Hamilton and in King’s Wharf, making this cruise a good value from the excursion point of view. There are also several optional excursions and all of them were very reasonably priced.

SUMMARY

As you may already be able to tell, I am a pretty big fan of Viking Orion. This was my third Viking Ocean cruise and it is one of my three all-time favorite cruise lines.

I cannot detect any lack of service or quality from our past Viking Ocean Cruises. They are consistently good in all aspects. Are there some things I would like to see changed? Maybe a few more daytime activities, and pump up the evening shows a bit more. Covid may have tamped down these things a bit so it may be a case of waiting until things completely return to normal. Unless, this IS normal?

I sort of wish they had a casino, but I can live without it. I 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 laundrettes, no smoking and no formal nights. You don’t experience that feeling of being nickel-and-dimed on Viking.

I was also very impressed with the fact that, inspite of my cruise being at less than 25% of capacity, about 175 guests actually, they kept both sides of the buffet service open. Most cruise lines would have shut down one serving line, but they kept every restaurant open and at full service. THAT was impressive. They wanted every guest who did make the trip to get the full Viking experience.

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.

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