Sailing the Baltic on Viking Ocean Cruises

By Cynthia Boal Janssens Editor, AllThingsCruise.com September 2016 Once again the bags are packed, the fridge is cleaned out, my desk is almost clear and Chet is fretting about all the last-minute details of leaving home for a few weeks. Yes, we are bound for another cruise and so looking forward to sailing with a brand new cruise line, Viking Ocean Cruises, in one of our most favorite cruising grounds, the Baltic. The new cruise line…brought to …

Read moreWhat makes Viking Ocean Cruises so special?

ABOARD THE VIKING STAR – We just spent two lovely days in Denmark and today are in Stavanger, Norway. For most folks, the extensive touring in Berlin and Copenhagen wore them out a bit so spending yesterday in the little town of Aalborg was a welcome respite. After a short look-about town, it was a day for catching up … doing laundry (the ship has free self-serve launderettes), responding to email (there is free wi-fi on board …

Read moreThe Viking Star: Taking a look at a typical veranda cabin

ABOARD THE VIKING STAR – We are now well into this 14-day Baltic cruise on the new Viking Star and everyone is beginning to groan a bit. They are coming to realize that we have all been eating too much. The food on board is extremely good and varied and it is just too easy to give into temptation. So let me give you an overview of the dining options. But before that, let me remind you …

Read moreViking Star: Meals on board are very, very good and often have a Scandinavian twist

ABOARD THE VIKING STAR – After the end of our second day touring St. Petersburg, Russia – a full day tour from 9 to 5 – my Fitbit registered 13,236 steps. We certainly did stand and walk a lot exploring the palaces and gardens of the czars. But, hey, St. Petersburg is a bucket list destination for almost everyone aboard the Viking Star and they wanted to make the most of it. So for the two days …

Read moreThe Viking Star: Several heavy days of touring makes everyone appreciate a day at sea

ABOARD THE VIKING STAR — We have only been sailing on the Viking Star for two days. We began in Stockholm and visited Helsinki today. In that time, we have experienced two of the included shore excursions that are another hallmark of Viking’s destination-oriented approach to ocean cruising. Taking another page from its long experience in river cruising, Viking offers complimentary shore excursions in every port. That is pretty amazing. Frankly, the only other companies that I …

Read moreThe Viking Star: Many passengers choose multiple shore excursions on this popular Baltic itinerary