Just Returned from Viking Sky - Great Cruise and Comments

As you can see from our signature below, we have been on many cruise lines over the years. After enjoying our Viking River Cruise last fall, we booked the Viking Sky on their inaugural cruise. We were very impressed with their product and very much enjoyed our trip.

The cabin was just right. Storage was fine. Then again, we only did carryon like the last two big trips. Bathroom a bit larger than some and great storage. Would be nice if you could turn off the floor heater and save energy. It still was warm even with lights turned off? Free wifi was great - great for email and texting. We did do a facetime but you can not stream video. TV system is very good.

Food was outstanding. Even if you do not like buffets, you need to give this one a try. Never ending wine is nice.

Not a single bit of "nickel and diming". None. Zip.

See more notes and pictures in our blog at http://rtw40.com/44-viking-cruise-wrap-up-and-ship-review

Thanks Viking.

Excellent review...

We will be on the ship in a few weeks.

Deeply appreciated.

Danny Weitz

Sounds like you had a wonderful time on board the Viking Sky but please tell us more.

Could you tell us more about the ports and any of the Viking tours, included or optional, that you did? Can you talk about any of the ports where Viking used shuttle buses? TIA.

Dear garycarla,

Thank you so much for that wonderful review. It is our pleasure to hear that you had a good time and particularly enjoyed the food and wine we offered. Since Viking strives to make guests' experiences better each time, we have made note of your comment regarding the heated floors.

Also, we want to thank you for capturing Viking's true essence with the stunning pictures you took, along with the detailed review you posted.

We hope to cruise with you again in the future.

Have a beautiful week!

Best,

Viking Cruises

As you can see from our signature below, we have been on many cruise lines over the years. After enjoying our Viking River Cruise last fall, we booked the Viking Sky on their inaugural cruise. We were very impressed with their product and very much enjoyed our trip.

 

The cabin was just right. Storage was fine. Then again, we only did carryon like the last two big trips. Bathroom a bit larger than some and great storage. Would be nice if you could turn off the floor heater and save energy. It still was warm even with lights turned off? Free wifi was great - great for email and texting. We did do a facetime but you can not stream video. TV system is very good.

 

Food was outstanding. Even if you do not like buffets, you need to give this one a try. Never ending wine is nice.

 

Not a single bit of "nickel and diming". None. Zip.

 

See more notes and pictures in our blog at http://rtw40.com/44-viking-cruise-wrap-up-and-ship-review

 

Thanks Viking.

As to tours and shuttles. I covered some in the day by day posts. Let me see what I remember.

Naples - you could walk into town or catch hop on, hop off bus right at the pier. I made a major mistake on this port and should have booked the ship paid Pompeii tour.

Sicily - Docked right in town. See the picture of the pier from the ship.

Tunis - took ship tour. I think there was a shuttle to the town. Tour report

Palma - we were close to the port. Took ship tour.

Barcelona - Last port, but some of the itineraries have an extra day here. I would not suggest walking to town though you can. Cab it and do your walking around the Ramblas/Gothic Quarter area.

I loved your pictures. The food on the Viking looks fabulous!

Thanks for taking time to write a great blog.

Gary, that was a very nice review and wonderful photos. You did a great job of capturing the essence of the ship.

One correction that I see is that part about a shuttle at Tunis. If one wanted to go into town a taxi had to be taken. During the port talk it was mentioned that Viking would not be running a shuttle because the taxi people did not want it.

We took the Carthage optional and we were very disappointed with this tour. We only had 15 minutes to visit the ruins. We did enjoy visiting Sidi Bou Said, but I could have spent a little more time there just sitting in a café having tea and pastries. Seems like most of our time was spent negotiating with the local vendors (some were quite pushy).

Thank you for an excellent review. We booked this itinerary on Sea, but had to change our booking to one that did not include North Africa as the British Foreign Office now allow only essential travel to Tunisia. I have therefore enjoyed "my" cruise through your review and pictures.

I was most interested to see that you had a comprehensive police escort on the bus to Carthage. Nearly two years ago 38 tourists (30 Brits) were murdered, and many others injured, by a lone terrorist gun man on a beach in Sous. The coroner was very critical of the police protection, or rather, lack of it. It is good to know that the Police Authorities have upped their game to make the tourists as safe as possible.

Thanks again.

Although I mentioned this on another thread, for some who might see it here, we did take a taxi to see what we wanted (longer at the Bardo Museum). Prices are posted near the taxis and police monitor the taxis while you are in them. Our private time was better than the last included tour of the day which was rushed. Someone on that tour had done the Carthage paid tour earlier and said it was fine-we barely saw anything on the included tour. Taxis were great.

As to tours and shuttles. I covered some in the day by day posts. Let me see what I remember.

 

Naples - you could walk into town or catch hop on, hop off bus right at the pier. I made a major mistake on this port and should have booked the ship paid Pompeii tour.

 

Sicily - Docked right in town. See the picture of the pier from the ship.

 

Tunis - took ship tour. I think there was a shuttle to the town. Tour report

 

Palma - we were close to the port. Took ship tour.

 

Barcelona - Last port, but some of the itineraries have an extra day here. I would not suggest walking to town though you can. Cab it and do your walking around the Ramblas/Gothic Quarter area.

Thanks for the run down. Our itinerary includes Sicily, Tunis and Barcelona, so I was particularly interested in those cities. The pictures were very helpful. What did you think of the included tour to Erice? How much of the tour time was spent driving to and fro and did you have enough time in the town itself?

In Tunis, we are thinking of the all day tour (Carthage and Bardo Museum). Did you hear anything about it? How was the included tour?

TIA.

garycarla, great post. Since the Viking Sky is a new ship did it have any odors or smells ("new house" or "new car" smells). Have chemical sensitivities and would appreciate any feed back before I book.

Thanks

MISC COMMENTS:

New Ship : Did not notice any "new smells". Maybe the shakedown cruise(s) helped with that? I have somewhat sensitive to certain smells like perfume,hair spray and diesel fumes, but did not encounter anything onboard.

Tunisia : Yes, you did have to take a taxi - missed that. The included tour did not allow us to see very much, but was okay.

Erice Tour : I think the plan is to use the gondola to go the hill, but it was undergoing maint. while we were there. Quite a drive up the mountain, but not bad. As you can see in the pictures on our blog, we were in the clouds that day and did not have a view. It would have been nice to stop halfway up for a photo opportunity since we were not able to get pictures once we got up there. Can not blame Viking for fog/clouds - though some did.

Tours In General : We tend to enjoy the ship more than tours in some cases. We suffer from ABC. (Another Bloody Church). LOL!

Questions asked by another poster via private message. Much better to share here.

We are on sky april 15 2015 Barcelona to Stockholm 21 days

Any tips on which cabin to choose ?

Drink package worthwhile for light drinkers, cost?

Dress mode needs ,any need for formal gear?

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000}span.s1 {font-kerning: none}

Do you know if you can now, at this late date, upgrade air included ticket from y to business

As to cabin - I am thinking they are all great. We avoid those right under the pool deck. We had a room right across from elevator. Never heard a thing.

Drink package - we drink LOTS of wine. Did not bother with drink package. Drink costs onboard are reasonable. Package is $20 each per day - with rumor it might be dropping. Depends on what you drink. Do the math.

Dress mode - no formal dress needed at all. We traveled with carry-on only.

Business vs Coach - I doubt you actually have a "Y" ticket (full price coach). If you do, check direct with airline. Everyone wants an upgrade, so hard to get. If your plane has 2 seats on one side (330 or 767), try hard to get those.

Questions asked by another poster via private message. Much better to share here.

 

We are on sky april 15 2015 Barcelona to Stockholm 21 days

Did the Sky sail in 2015?

Did the Sky sail in 2015?

Guessing that was a type Since they said they were ABOUT to sail.

We went to Trader Joe's this morning and purchased a bottle of Muscadet which was served at The Chef's Table. It was a nice, white French wine which we enjoyed. Hope we enjoy it as much as we did on board :).

Which Muscadet? Trader Joe's is my favorite!

Garycarla, I'm jealous you can do carryon. We are on Barcelona-Stockholm April 15...22 days....and even though I think I am a pretty light packer I am having problems deciding what to take....the first incarnation of the luggage packing is in the works with I'm sure much to trade out. I always think...what if?? And we have different climates...

Thanks for the review!

We went to Trader Joe's this morning and purchased a bottle of Muscadet which was served at The Chef's Table. It was a nice, white French wine which we enjoyed. Hope we enjoy it as much as we did on board :).

Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine [not to be confused with Muscatel :D] is a wonderful wine for any seafood pairing. The best one I have had is Domaine de la Pépière, but all have been at least good [as long as they state "sur lie"]

Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine [not to be confused with Muscatel :D] is a wonderful wine for any seafood pairing. The best one I have had is Domaine de la Pépière, but all have been at least good [as long as they state "sur lie"]

That's the one :).

OK...thanks!! I will add it to my Trader Joe's list....love that place!

Sadly, grocery stores in NYS are not allowed to sell wine. [No "two buck Chuck" for us...]

What? You can't buy wine in a grocery store? Where do you buy it then? You are in New York? What the heck? And by the way two buck chuck is three buck chuck out here. Actually it beats lots of wines in taste testings, but I haven't bought it in a long time.

Sadly, grocery stores in NYS are not allowed to sell wine. [No "two buck Chuck" for us...]

Same here in Mn.

But our Trader Joes have an attached liquor store under the same roof but a separate entrance.

What? You can't buy wine in a grocery store? Where do you buy it then? You are in New York? What the heck? And by the way two buck chuck is three buck chuck out here. Actually it beats lots of wines in taste testings, but I haven't bought it in a long time.

We have liquor stores or Costco has a liquor store attached at some locations. Supermarkets sell beer and wine coolers , their regular wine is terrible but nice selections of beer.

Oh my gosh. Never heard of such a thing!!