This was my first small size Ocean cruise with about 900 guests. Not sure of the ratio from staff to guests but we were well attended to. The Bermuda itinerary that I did was a new one and only for a short time due to the pandemic. We had two overnights at the start in Hamilton, left for a day at sea, sailed to the other side of the island and docked at Royal Naval Dockyard for 2 nights, and then sailed back to Hamilton at the end.
The Orion is only three years old so everything looked brand new. All cabins have a balcony and the differences were cabin size and locations. We had a Deluxe Veranda, one step up from the lead in and it was very ample. It had plenty of storage space everywhere, especially the bathroom which had a glass enclosed shower door. There was a shelf to place your toiletries inside the shower, which was great. I loved the Nespresso coffee and tea machine that was replenished several times a day so I didn’t have to order room service for my morning coffee.
A 'seasoned' crowd on board - 80% of the passengers were aged 70 plus. Most of the entertainment was geared towards this as well. When I looked at the “Viking Daily” the paper they leave in your stateroom each night, I wanted to find out what was going on after dinner. What I saw was Classical Duo, calming melodies, guitarist performing relaxing tunes, you get the picture. I was pleasantly surprised that they had some great evening shows performed by the Viking singers and dancers; most all of them had to be between 25 to 40 years old. After the main performance in the Star Theater, there were several options before you went to bed. Late Strings, the Piano Bar with classical music but then there was a more upbeat venue from 10:45 to Midnight.
The Viking Orion does have a special domed planetarium which you can book a time slot and see several different presentations. If you are prone to motion sickness, this is not for you. I sat through the 40 minute presentation with my eyes closed. My husband said that it was pretty great and went to see the other shows. They also had a guest Lecturer that was an Astronaut and talked about the US Space program.
The food on the ship was very good. The main restaurant’s menu changed every night with the exception of chicken, pasta, and seafood as a mainstay choice. The Orion has four specialty restaurants that can be booked before you sail, depending on your stateroom type determines how far in advance. Dress codes are enforced in these venues, as they should. Beer, wine, and sodas are included at lunch and dinner, unlimited by the way.
A cool thing to do was to experience the “wet area” of the spa, which was complimentary. After making a reservation, you were allowed one hour. There was a Sauna, a huge Jacuzzi, an ice bucket dump, a snow grotto with real snow, and heated tiled lounge chairs. Slippers and robes were provided in the locker rooms with a cold plunge pool and showers.
A Viking tradition on all of their ships is the afternoon High Tea served in the Wintergarden. Every day at 4:00pm a duo of a violinist and pianist play while they service the tea and sandwiches and sweets.
Every port had some sort of tour included with an option to purchase others. The optional tours costs between $39.00 and $79.00 per person, which I thought was very reasonable.
Covid testing everyday was a requirement. Viking has a lab on every ship now and it was convenient because your cabin attendee placed a plastic vial in your cabin in the evening. You had to fill it up to a certain line the next morning and they came and collected the samples of saliva usually by 9:00am. If you didn’t have it ready, you could place the do not disturb sign on your door but they were back by 11:00am for the collection.
I would certainly sail Viking Ocean again!
Central Travel - Administration
4540 Heatherdowns Blvd
Toledo OH 43614
Office Phone: 419-897-2070
800-633-5577