The last at the original size
Delivered in April 2023, Viking Saturn closes the series opened in 2015. The
ships built after it belong to a different series, longer and heavier. It is
therefore the last example of a format the line repeated ten times in eight
years.
The delivery statement describes the fleet as composed of identical sister
ships. That is the official phrase, and it is accurate: from one hull to the
next, the deck plan, the cabin categories, the restaurants and the position of
the facilities are the same. A traveller who knows one of these ships knows them
all.
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 Vela belongs to the next
and larger series. Viking Neptune and Viking Mars are exact sisters of this ship.
Should you prefer the newest?
Not necessarily. Within the series, a 2023 ship and a 2015 ship are the same
ship, maintained on the same programme. The age gap does not show where people
expect it to. What does show is the change of series: Viking Star is longer, wider and
carries more guests.
Included, and not included
Included: one excursion per port, all meals, beer and wine at the two main
meals, Wi-Fi with Viking's own note that speed varies, access to the Nordic Spa
and the fitness centre, port taxes and fees.
Not included: gratuities. It is the point travellers used to high-end river
cruising notice first, because the practice there is often the reverse. They are
prepaid or settled aboard.
Also not included: optional excursions, drinks outside mealtimes, spa
treatments and flights outside the line's air package.
A ship without a casino or a kids' club
Viking fits no casino, no children's programme, no production show and no
formal night. The fleet is for eighteen and over, checked on embarkation day.
Cabins have no third berth: there is physically no room for a family.
The line's founder explained the choice by the time spent ashore. In the
evening, the ship's life sits in lectures, a pianist, a quartet and a library.
It is not less. It is something else.
From Montreal
The port of embarkation is reached by air, with a connection in most cases.
Arriving the day before is the prudent rule. On polar itineraries, where the
flight ends at Ushuaia or Longyearbyen, the margin should be wider still.
Voyages AquaTerra operates under a licence from Quebec's Office de la
protection du consommateur. Your payments are held in the trust account required
by the Travel Agents Act, and the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel
Agents covers your file.
