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May 13, 2022
Viking Cruises: Ocean or River?

We have sailed on numerous Viking ocean cruises as guest enrichment lecturers and workshop hosts. Our recent Grand European Tour is our first Viking river cruise. In this post, we will discuss some of the similarities and differences between ocean and river.

First, here are some of the things that make Viking cruises different from other brands:

• Viking cruises are for adults. You will not see any children under 18 years old on a Viking ship.
• Viking does not nickel-and-dime you to death. There are no surcharges for premium restaurants. There are no surcharges for bottled water. There are no surcharges for wine, beer or soft drinks during lunch and dinner. There is no corkage fee if you bring your own bottles to drink onboard. The spa will not try to sell you things.
• There is an included excursion in every port of call.
• On a Viking cruise, the focus is on the destination. There are no casinos, photographers, art auctions, water slides, rock climbing walls, etc.
• That said, there are numerous onboard activities related to the destination. These can include port talks, enrichment lectures, local performances and demonstrations, etc.

As the company chairman says, Viking is “the thinking person’s cruise.” You take a Viking cruise because you want to learn about the places you visit: the history, culture, art and science.

Viking basically invented modern river cruising. They entered ocean cruising in 2015 and immediately shot to the top of “best of” lists, a distinction they have held ever since.

So… would you prefer a Viking ocean cruise or a Viking river cruise? That depends on your taste and preferences. Here are some of the major differences we noticed. Neither side is better or worse; they are just different.

• SIZE: The river longships (190 passengers) are much smaller than the ocean ships (930 passengers). There is plenty of room for everyone on either, but there is simply more space on an ocean ship.
• SCHEDULE: There are no “sea days” on a river ship. Every day you are in port, though you can choose how busy you want to be. If you hate sea days, you may prefer a river itinerary. On the other hand, if you look forward to “down days” to relax and recharge your batteries, you may prefer an ocean itinerary.
• On a river ship, everyone pretty much eats, goes off ship and takes excursions on the same schedule. On an ocean ship, the schedule tends to be more flexible.
• SCENERY: When you are sailing, on a river ship there is always something to see. From the Sports Deck, a lounge or your stateroom, you can watch the shore go by… sometimes with incredible scenery. On an ocean ship, when you are not in port, there is often nothing but ocean in every direction.
• SEASICKNESS: You are very unlikely to get seasick on a river cruise. Depending on your ocean itinerary, the seas may be as calm as a lake… or they may get choppy at times.
• AMENITIES: Ocean ships are larger, so they have more traditional amenities. These include a medical center, hair and nail salon, spa with thermal baths, exercise room, swimming pools, laundry rooms, larger library, etc.
• DINING: On a river ship there is the restaurant, the Aquavit Terrace, and a self-serve coffee/cookie station. On an ocean ship there is the restaurant, the buffet, two specialty restaurants, a Norwegian deli, a full-service coffee and snack station, and room service.
• MUSIC: Our river cruise had a versatile keyboardist who provided background music in the lounge. On ocean cruises there is a pianist, a guitarist, a classical duo, and a dance band with vocalists who all entertain at various locations during the evenings. The ocean ships also have a quartet of vocalist performers who work with the band to provide entertainment shows.

So… do we prefer an ocean cruise or a river cruise? Well, Viking ocean cruises have this great enrichment lecturer named Russell, and this great workshop host named Gail…

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