Viking Ocean Cruises
Viking Ocean Cruises is the ocean and expedition side of Viking, the travel company Torstein Hagen founded in 1997 as a river cruise line. The ocean division was formed in 2013 and began sailing in 2015 with Viking Star; it now runs a fleet of nearly identical small ships for 930 or 998 guests, plus two Polar Class expedition ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, that sail to Antarctica, the Arctic and the Great Lakes.
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About Viking Ocean Cruises
All the ocean ships come from Fincantieri's yards in Italy and share a Scandinavian design with veranda staterooms throughout, an infinity pool, the Nordic Spa and several included restaurants. The newer ships of the Vela design are larger, and Viking plans to add hydrogen-powered sisters, beginning with Viking Libra in late 2026. In 2026 the former Viking Sun rejoined the fleet as Viking Yi Dun, sailing Mandarin-language voyages for Chinese guests.
A Viking cruise is organized around the destinations. Fares include a shore excursion in every port, Wi-Fi, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, specialty dining and spa access, and onboard enrichment comes from lectures and destination performances. Itineraries cover Scandinavia, the British Isles, the Mediterranean, the Americas, Asia, and Australia and New Zealand, along with world cruises of up to 170 days.
What Viking Ocean Cruises is known for
Viking sits near the top of reader polls: Condé Nast Traveler readers have rated it number one for ocean cruises six years in a row through 2026, Travel + Leisure lists it among its World's Best, and U.S. News & World Report has named it best luxury line and best line for couples. Reviewers often credit its calm, uncluttered ships, the amount included in the fare and the focus on history and culture. The flip side of a standardized fleet is that one Viking ocean ship feels much like the next, and Viking itself says it does not try to be all things to all people. Incidents have included the 2019 engine failure of Viking Sky off Norway, which led to a partial helicopter evacuation, and a 2023 episode in which Viking Orion was turned away from New Zealand and Adelaide over hull fouling.
Who it's for
Premium · smaller crowds, better food and service than mainstream
- History and culture
- Couples
Viking suits curious travelers who choose a cruise for the ports: the line says it designs voyages for people interested in science, history, culture and cuisine, and its fares bundle a guided tour in each port with lectures on board. Couples and travelers who want a quiet atmosphere on a ship of under 1,000 guests will find the format consistent from one voyage to the next, and the expedition ships add Antarctica and the Great Lakes for those who want more adventure. Travelers who want a big-ship atmosphere with lots of onboard activities, round trips from a home port they can drive to, or a different style of ship on every cruise will be better served elsewhere.
How it rates
- Cabins
- 5/5
- Dining
- 4/5
- Entertainment
- 3/5
- Service
- 5/5
- Pools & decks
- 5/5
- Value
- 4/5
The fleet's average on each metric, across 15 rated ships in service. Each ship is scored 1 to 5 by Cruise Frog's editors; these are not reader reviews.
Rankings and comparisons
Where Viking Ocean Cruises sails
Ships
Best rated
#14.3 ★Viking Jupiter2019 · 47,842 GT · 930 guestsViking Jupiter is the sixth Viking Star-class ship, built by Fincantieri and delivered in 2019 with 465 veranda staterooms for 930 guests. She was named in Los Angeles, with…
#24.3 ★Viking Mars2022 · 47,842 GT · 930 guestsViking Mars is a 930-guest Viking Star-class ship built by Fincantieri at Ancona and delivered in 2022, with Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the Countess of Carnarvon, as her godmother…#34.3 ★Viking Mira2026 · 54,300 GT · 998 guests · Mediterranean · Northern EuropeViking Mira is a 998-guest ship of Viking's enlarged Vela design, delivered by Fincantieri at Ancona on May 26, 2026, and named in Venice that June with attorney and photographer…Every ship, by class
Viking Vela class
3 ships · 2024–2026 · 53,769–54,300 GT · avg 4.3 ★
Viking Star class
10 ships · 2015–2023 · 47,842 GT · avg 4.3 ★
- Viking Saturn2023 · 47,842 GT · 930 guests4.3/5
- Viking Mars2022 · 47,842 GT · 930 guests4.3/5
- Viking Neptune2022 · 47,842 GT · 930 guests4.3/5
- Viking Venus2021 · 47,842 GT · 930 guests4.3/5
- Viking Jupiter2019 · 47,842 GT · 930 guests4.3/5
- Viking Orion2018 · 47,842 GT · 930 guests4.3/5
- Viking Sky2017 · 47,842 GT · 930 guests4.3/5
- Viking Yi Dun2017 · 47,842 GT · 930 guests4.3/5
- Viking Sea2016 · 47,842 GT · 930 guests4.3/5
- Viking Star2015 · 47,842 GT · 930 guests4.3/5
Viking Octantis class
2 ships · 2022 · 30,150 GT · avg 4.3 ★
Coming soon
Quick answers
What is Viking Ocean Cruises known for?
Viking sits near the top of reader polls: Condé Nast Traveler readers have rated it number one for ocean cruises six years in a row through 2026, Travel + Leisure lists it among its World's Best, and U.S. News & World Report has named it best luxury line and best line for couples. Reviewers often credit its calm, uncluttered ships, the amount included in the fare and the focus on history and culture. The flip side of a standardized fleet is that one Viking ocean ship feels much like the next, and Viking itself says it does not try to be all things to all people. Incidents have included the 2019 engine failure of Viking Sky off Norway, which led to a partial helicopter evacuation, and a 2023 episode in which Viking Orion was turned away from New Zealand and Adelaide over hull fouling.
Who is Viking Ocean Cruises best for?
Viking suits curious travelers who choose a cruise for the ports: the line says it designs voyages for people interested in science, history, culture and cuisine, and its fares bundle a guided tour in each port with lectures on board. Couples and travelers who want a quiet atmosphere on a ship of under 1,000 guests will find the format consistent from one voyage to the next, and the expedition ships add Antarctica and the Great Lakes for those who want more adventure. Travelers who want a big-ship atmosphere with lots of onboard activities, round trips from a home port they can drive to, or a different style of ship on every cruise will be better served elsewhere.
Where does Viking Ocean Cruises sail?
Viking Ocean Cruises's ships in service sail Mediterranean (4 ships), Northern Europe (4 ships), South America (2 ships), Antarctica (2 ships), World cruises (2 ships), Asia (1 ship), Australia and New Zealand (1 ship) and South Pacific (1 ship).
How is Viking Ocean Cruises rated?
Viking Ocean Cruises's fleet averages 4.3 out of 5 on Cruise Frog, across 15 rated ships. Its best-rated ship is Viking Jupiter at 4.3.
Does Viking Ocean Cruises have new ships coming?
Yes: Viking Ocean Cruises has 5 new ships on the way: Viking Libra (debuts December 2026), Viking Astrea (debuts June 2027), Viking Lyra (debuts May 2028), Viking Vega (due 2028) and Viking Leda (due 2029).
How many ships does Viking Ocean Cruises have?
Viking Ocean Cruises has 15 ships in service on Cruise Frog: Viking Jupiter, Viking Mars, Viking Mira, Viking Neptune, Viking Octantis, Viking Orion, Viking Polaris and Viking Saturn, and 7 more.
What ship classes does Viking Ocean Cruises sail?
Viking Ocean Cruises sails 3 classes of ship in service: Viking Vela class (3 ships), Viking Star class (10 ships) and Viking Octantis class (2 ships).
Who owns Viking Ocean Cruises?
Viking Ocean Cruises is part of Viking Holdings Ltd.
Where is Viking Ocean Cruises based?
Viking Ocean Cruises is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. It has operated since 2013.
What is Viking Ocean Cruises's loyalty program called?
Viking Ocean Cruises's past-guest loyalty program is Viking Explorer Society.
What is the largest Viking Ocean Cruises ship?
Viking Mira is Viking Ocean Cruises's largest ship at 54,300 gross tons, carrying 998 guests.
Cruising with children
Viking Ocean is a choice for a family travelling entirely with adult children. A holiday that includes anyone under eighteen requires another cruise line.
Read the Viking Ocean Cruises family guide →Is a drinks package worth it?
Thinking about a drinks package on Viking Ocean Cruises? Enter the price the line quotes and what you'd pay for a drink on board. If your fare already includes drinks, you can skip this one.
Viking Ocean Cruises includes house wine with lunch and dinner. Viking ↗
Per person, a day, as the line quotes it.
A typical drink you'd buy on board.
Optional. Count coffees and sodas if the package covers them.
The days the package is charged for.
To make the drinks package pay for itself
6drinks a day
A $75-a-day package costs the same as 5.8 drinks at $13. Over 7 days that's $525, or 41 drinks for the cruise.
Pay as you go
At 5 drinks a day, buying drinks one at a time costs about $70 less than the package.
- Drinks package, 7 days
- $525
- Drink by drink, 5 drinks a day
- $455
Break-even is a target for your wallet, not a dare for your liver.
Traveller reviews
What people who've been say. One review each; you can update yours.
Related news about Viking Ocean Cruises and its ships
- Viking named 7 new river ships, and every godparent comes from the travel trade, including its No. 1 seller
At a linked ceremony in Amsterdam, France, Germany and Egypt on Oct. 15, Viking named seven river ships for the Rhine, Main, Danube, Nile and Seine, with travel advisors as godparents.
Ships
- The 12 best adults-only cruise ships, ranked: 2026
Twelve ships where no child can board, from Viking Vela and Virgin's Lady ships to Saga's over-50s newbuilds and the British adults-only ships of P&O, Marella and Ambassador, ranked by our editorial scores.
Ship ranking
- The 5 best adults-only cruise lines, ranked: 2026
Only a handful of cruise lines keep children off every sailing. We rank the five that do, from Virgin Voyages' party ships to Saga's over-50s fleet, and explain which lines only have adults-only ships.
Cruise line ranking
- 5 things Viking River Cruises does well—and 1 it doesn’t
Five strengths of Viking River Cruises, one clear drawback, and the travelers most likely to enjoy its cruise style.
Cruise lines
- 5 things Viking Ocean Cruises does well—and 1 it doesn’t
Five strengths of Viking Ocean Cruises, one clear drawback, and the travelers most likely to enjoy its cruise style.
Cruise lines
- Viking’s October $25 deposit offer: read the full-payment date too
The current US offer has departure-date and itinerary limits. A small deposit does not mean the remaining fare can wait until shortly before sailing.
Cruise lines
- Viking takes delivery of Viking Rota as its river fleet heads toward 114 ships by 2028
The 190-guest Longship joins Viking's Rhine, Main and Danube program, with 18 more river ships, 11 ocean ships and two expedition ships still on order.
Ships