The second, and the last
Viking Jupiter is the second ship in the series to receive the Explorers'
Dome, and it remained the last. The hulls delivered after it have none. If the
planetarium matters to you, your choice narrows to two ships out of ten, and
that is worth knowing before comparing itineraries.
Delivered in February 2019, it was described by the yard at the time as the
sixth unit of a series of sister ships. That phrase captures the line's
industrial logic well: build the same hull, again and again, and fill it with
different itineraries.
The hull
Two hundred and twenty-eight metres, 47,842 gross tons, nine decks, 930 guests
in 465 cabins all fitted with a veranda, about 465 crew. Viking Orion is the other ship
with a planetarium. Viking Neptune and Viking Venus are strict sisters, without one.
Choosing between identical ships
When ten hulls are precisely the same, the ship stops being a criterion. What
remains is the itinerary, the season and the port of departure. An advisor who
has you agonising between two of these ships is wasting your time, except
precisely on the planetarium question.
Viking Saturn, for its part, offers a newer and larger hull, which is a genuine point of
comparison.
What the package covers, and what it does not
One excursion is included in every port of call. Meals are included too,
specialty restaurants among them, with no surcharge. Beer, wine and soft drinks
come with lunch and dinner. Wi-Fi is included, with the caveat Viking writes
itself: speed varies. Access to the Nordic Spa and the fitness centre is
included, as are port taxes and fees.
Gratuities are not included. Viking says so in its terms, and it is a real
difference from some luxury river lines. You prepay them or settle them
aboard.
Also on you: optional excursions, drinks outside mealtimes, spa treatments
and flights, unless you buy the line's air package.
What is not aboard
No casino. No children's programme. No large-scale production show. No formal
night and no dress code. The line accepts travellers aged eighteen and over, the
age assessed on embarkation day, and its cabins carry neither a third nor a
fourth berth.
These are choices rather than omissions. The programme plans long hours
ashore, and evening life turns on lectures, a pianist, a quartet and a library.
A traveller looking for the constant animation of a large ocean ship will be
disappointed. A traveller escaping it will find exactly what they came for.
Booking from Quebec
Ocean itineraries rarely start close to home. A departure from Bergen,
Barcelona or Ushuaia takes a connection and often a hotel night before
embarkation. That night is not a luxury: a delayed flight that makes you miss a
ship costs far more than a hotel room.
Voyages AquaTerra holds a licence from Quebec's Office de la protection du
consommateur. Your payments move through the trust account required by law and
the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel Agents covers your file.
