Since the first time Ted and I cruised with Viking, we’ve been impressed with everything: the 1:2 crew/passenger ratio; the service; the friendliness of the staff; the maintenance; the atmosphere; the food; the stateroom’s heated bathroom floor and full-size shower; the generous stateroom storage space; the amenities including the spa, a mini-fridge in the room, higher-end restaurants, and room service; the beverages–fruit juice, soft drinks, and coffee all day and all night; beer and wine at meals–all included; and whatever else can impress travelers. On shore, a port city tour is always included; other excursions have an additional cost. Everything on a Viking cruise is about the guests and spoiling them.
Let’s start with maintenance. There are no trashcans onboard except in the staterooms and the public bathrooms. Passengers are not expected to clean up after themselves. Just leave your dirty dishes or napkins, etc. on a table and your used towels at the pool or the hot tub. A staff member will pick up the items within minutes.
Cleaning the floors and picking up trash is only the beginning of keeping the ship clean. Going to the atrium one afternoon, we saw a staff member wiping down all the walls inside the elevator. Windows are washed constantly. I never saw a window spattered with saltwater spots for more than a short time before it was washed. As Ted and I relaxed in the Winter Garden with our coffee and hot chocolate one morning, we saw a staff member polishing (not dusting) the grand piano in the room. As we passed through a lounging area, we saw a housekeeper dusting the black scrollwork decorations you see in the photos below. He was using a damp cloth and his finger to get into every opening. He reminded me of the Marines: he left no dust behind.
Every room on Viking ships has a veranda and every veranda and its outdoor furniture is cleaned daily and washed at least once weekly—more if needed. One day, Ted and I were standing on our veranda and noticed a little damage on the railing (left photo below). We joked that it was time to get a new railing. We never mentioned it to anyone else, but when we went out on our veranda after returning from our excursion of the day, we had a new railing (right photo).
Another day, as we were leaving on a shore excursion, we noticed a large black smudge on the side of the ship. It was probably the result of the ship bumping against the black rubber tires along the dock that protect docking ships from damage. Ted and I looked at the smudge (noticeable because it was about six feet in diameter and the only dark spot on the white ship) and joked again, “Uh-oh! Better scrub that off.” When we returned from our shore excursion, crew members were painting over the smudge. Another day, we saw crew members washing the exterior of the ship.
Crew members are constantly on patrol to keep things nice. People always feel comfortable moving furniture around to suit the situation. Maybe they don’t want to face the sun, or they want to form a conversational group or something. After they leave, however, it’s only minutes before a crew member straightens things up so that it looks nice for the next people who want to spend time in that area. There is never a feeling of “Why do the passengers always have to move the furniture and make more work for me?” It’s always more of a “I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves. I’m going to make this nice for the next person.” Notice how the deck chairs and the dining room chairs are all in alignment. Used beach towels are replaced with identically folded and properly positioned clean towels, and back rest pillows are properly spaced and placed against the dining room bench seats. This is true of furniture throughout the ship. Everything always looks clean and new and ready for guests—and it always looks inviting and comfortable.
One of Ted’s and my favorite things to do onboard is to sit in the ship’s Winter Garden in the morning with a cup of coffee (Ted) and a cup of hot chocolate (me). Sometimes we shift the chairs around to keep the sun out of our eyes, but they are always re-positioned soon after we leave and our recyclable cups have been disposed of. If we sit in the atrium or anywhere else on the ship to read, chat, or just relax, a passing staff member will offer to bring us a beverage.
One night, as we came to dinner, Ted and I noticed duct tape on the frame of the dining room doorway. It looked like something might have bumped the edge trim and loosened it. When we returned for breakfast the next morning, the duct tape was gone and there was no sign of any damage. Yes, I took a picture, but only because Ted and I were joking with each other about how soon the damage would be repaired and I wanted a timeline. We expected the repair within 24 hours, but overnight was even faster.
Staterooms are kept immaculate too. I would straighten things up a bit (top photo below) when we left our room in the morning, but it didn’t help to try to do more because that meant the stewards had to re-do what I’d done so that things would be arranged in “the Viking way.” The left photo below shows how the room is straightened for daytime use. While we are at dinner, the stewards do a turn-down and deliver any official messages (and sometimes gifts) Viking sends us. After dinner, the stateroom looks like the lower right photo.
Details are important in the bathroom too. No matter where on the vanity shelf or in the shower we leave the Viking toiletries, when we return to the room, they are always placed in this order in the shower and on the vanity top (see below) with all the labels facing forward. Details, details.
The entire Viking cruise experience is amazing, but the best part is the crew. They are always happy, polite, and pleasant (maybe they fake it when they don’t feel great, but it doesn’t show). They always greet everyone they pass with a “Good morning/afternoon/evening, sir/madame,” and if you look the least bit uncertain, they immediately offer assistance. One day, as Ted and I were leaving the dining room after dinner to attend a theater event, one of the staff members, as usual, wished us a good evening. I wished him a good evening in return, saying I knew he’d be working, but I hoped he’d have an easy shift. He humbly replied, “I am lucky. I have work.” Wow! Such a simple statement, but filled with gratitude and meaning.
The staff members we know the best are always our room stewards because they work on our deck all day every day, so we see them the most. Here are Ali (left) and Citra (‘chee-tra), our stewards for our 30-day Mediterranean cruise. At home in the Philippines, Ali lives with her grandmother and uses her salary to help her grandmother financially. Citra, from Bali, is married and has a young son and daughter. After a few years with Viking, he will return to Bali permanently.
The four of us became very good friends, and Ali and I hugged each other repeatedly when Ted and I left the ship. Ali and I both had tears in our eyes, and she told me, “You are my other grandma.” Citra (a man) was more reserved and shook our hands to say good-bye. Note: Citra knows the steward we had for six weeks on our 2019-2020 Australia/New Zealand cruise. That steward’s name was Alvin, and he introduced himself to us as “My name is Alvin. I have two brothers named Simon and Theodore.” (Get it? Haha!)
Viking ships have lots of clean windows, providing beautiful views as we cruise. Here’s a sunset we saw over the lagoon at Venice. Never stop exploring.
