My Experience On Board Viking Ocean

I recently had the pleasure of experiencing my first Viking holiday aboard the beautiful Viking Mars. Although Viking is well-known for river cruising, I experienced one of their luxurious ocean cruises, sailing from Athens to Istanbul.

The main thing I took away from my Viking Ocean experience is that this is a cruise line that is for explorers. If you want to immerse yourself in the destinations you visit, then Viking is the cruise line for you. With one included shore excursion per port and somewhere new to explore each day, this experience is as much about the destinations as it is about the onboard experience.

First Impressions

Viking Mars offers beautiful Nordic interiors, with pleasant wood tones, creams and a clever use of natural light in all areas, so the spaces on board always felt open and expansive. The décor is Scandinavian-chic, giving a cosy feel throughout the ship. The atrium – the beating heart of the ship – offered a lovely lounge area to sit down and relax with a coffee in the morning or an indulgent library space to curl up with your holiday read. Upon embarkation, we were greeted with a champagne reception, the perfect way to start a holiday.

I stayed in a portside veranda stateroom, so each morning I was greeted with a view of our destination as we docked for the day and with a pod-coffee machine in the room, this allowed for the perfect gentle wake-up. The stateroom offered ample storage space, with a generous wardrobe including satin-padded hangers for those garments you want to keep pristine. The bathroom was well equipped, with a walk-in shower cubicle and toiletries, which were replenished daily. The mini bar included a selection of mini liquors, as well as a bottle of the house champagne. The room steward took our preferences for the mini bar and ensured we were well stocked throughout the sailing.

Delectable Dining

The variety of dining options on board means that every taste can be catered to easily, with plenty of options to choose from whether you wish to enjoy a three-course meal with table service in The Restaurant or help yourself to the buffet in The World Cafe, where you can find a selection of daily specials, a sushi station and noodle bar. Wherever you choose to dine, the quality and diversity of the cuisine are equally matched, as is the excellent service.

Viking also offers two speciality restaurants, which are both exceptional. One evening, we enjoyed a five-course meal at The Chef’s Table; the menu changes every three days, and we happened to have a reservation when they were running a Great British menu, which included a quail scotch egg starter followed by a small portion of fish and chips, a Sunday roast, which was served to perfection with all the trimmings, and a Scottish take on a trifle – beautiful layers as you’d expect, but with the addition of Scotch whiskey as opposed to sherry!

There is another speciality dining restaurant on board – Manfredi’s Italian. Reservations for this fill up very quickly, I recommend doing this on the Viking Voyager app as soon as reservations open! They serve up a daily changing special and Italian favourites such as antipasti board starters and pasta dishes for mains. Classics like tiramisu can also be found in the dessert section.

Destination Immersion

Viking Ocean voyages are very much centred around the destinations you visit, with the ships acting as the perfect base for explorers who want somewhere luxurious to stay between ports. Every passenger is able to book one shore excursion per day, as is included in your cruise fare, and I took full advantage of this, which enabled me to learn so much about these fascinating Mediterranean cities.

I wanted to share some of my top tips for travellers visiting any of these ports of call, whether on your own Viking cruise or any other sailing…

• Athens: Get there the day before you sail if your flights are landing after 12 pm to allow for a more relaxed embarkation process. Utilising Viking Air ensures your luggage allowance, as well as full porterage from baggage claim at Athens airport right the way through to your cabin on the ship.
• Rhodes: Explore the old town and city walls. It’s a very manageable walk, only 10 minutes from the port. There is so much history to uncover, as well as beautiful side streets, local bakeries and cafes to explore.
• Kusadasi: I highly recommend going to Ephesus from Kusadasi if you like historical sites. The Greco-Roman architecture is so well preserved since excavation, and is an ancient history buff’s dream. If you’d prefer to explore Kusadasi itself, there are many bazaars to visit. Make sure you stop in a café to try the apple tea!
• Cennakale/Troy: The town of Cennakale is beautiful. There is a Trojan Horse there (from the Hollywood movie that was donated to the town), and many wonderful eateries and markets to visit. Troy is also only a short bus ride away, you can walk its several walls unguided.
• Istanbul: The Blue Mosque is a must; ensure you have appropriate attire and plan your visit outside of prayer times. The Hagya Sofia museum gives a fast-paced tour through the history of Constantinople to Istanbul and is well worth the ticket price. Baklava, Turkish coffee, doner kebab and kibbeh are just a few of the local delicacies you simply have to sample!

Overall, Viking Mars offers a small-ship destination-focused experience, with a cosy and intimate atmosphere in spaces like The Living Room, where you can enjoy perfectly blended cocktails accompanied by a pianist or string duo.

If you’d like to experience life on board for yourself, we have an incredible selection of offers on Viking Ocean sailings that you won’t want to miss! Viking are currently celebrating their 10th anniversary and have decided to mark the occasion by offering their passengers the choice between a FREE drinks package or £300 onboard spend for a limited time only…

If you have any questions about sailing with Viking or would like to know more about what offers are available, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We provide personalised service, alongside our first-hand experiences and offers you won’t find elsewhere. Simply call our Cruise Concierge today on 0808 278 3751.