Cruising the Caribbean With Viking: Our “Viking Sea” Review

Are you planning a Caribbean cruise on the Viking Sea? Lucky you!

We’ve enjoyed three cruises with Viking Ocean Cruises now. (See our review of the cruise line).

They offer an adults-only, affordable-luxury experience on stylish mid-size ships – complete with perks like complimentary shore excursions, WiFi, wine and beer, specialty dining and access to the ship’s Nordic spa included in their rates.

Here’s our review of the Viking Sea ship, based on our 11-day cruise in the Caribbean.

We’re going to start in the middle – with our shore excursion in St. Thomas, as it will give you an idea of what it’s like to cruise the Caribbean, Viking-style.

A sudden downpour blankets what should be panoramic views at the mountain top 2,100 feet above sea level.

“Well, there goes that idea,” moans one of our fellow guests, dressed for sunny safari weather, camera at the ready.

The sun takes pity on us, however, at the Magens Bay viewpoint on the way down.

Peeking out, it reveals the come-hither curve of white sand below that’s consistently voted one of the world’s 10 most beautiful beaches.

West Indies Explorer

These 11-day cruises begin and end in San Juan, Puerto Rico, calling in at the following islands:

• Tortola, BVI
• St. Kitts (Basseterre)
• Castries, St. Lucia
• Bridgetown, Barbados
• Roseau, Dominica
• St. John’s, Antigua
• Philipsburg, St. Martin/St. Maarten
• St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Amazon and Caribbean Adventure

Craving a little more zest? How about a 13-day adventure from San Juan to Manaus, Brazil (or the reverse)? Add piranha fishing, rainforest hikes and bird watching in the Amazon to your Caribbean escape with these ports-of-call:

• St. John’s, Antigua
• Castries, St. Lucia
• Bridgetown, Barbados
• Iles du Salat, French Guiana
• Sailing the Amazon River
• Santarem, Brazil
• Parintins, Brazil

We sail from New York to Puerto Rico on a 10-night cruise, with stops at the following:

• Hamilton, Bermuda
• St. John’s, Antigua
• Roseau, Dominica
• St. Kitts (Basseterre)
• Philipsburg, St. Martin/St. Maarten
• Tortola, BVI
• St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Part of the appeal to Viking’s ocean-going cruises is that one free shore excursion is offered in every port (like our St. Thomas tour).

Included shore excursions are rare on ocean cruises, unless they’re expedition-oriented.

Beds are king-size too, dressed with soft white duvets.

We also have a Nespresso-style coffee maker in our Deluxe Veranda stateroom.

And a swack of convenient USB bedside and other plugs means we can recharge our phones, iPad, laptop and cameras all at the same time, without the nuisance of charging first one, then the other.

Oh, and wait till you see the bathrooms. They come with heated floors!

While great for warming tootsies if you’re cruising Northern Europe, we’d rather keep everything cool in our stateroom on this tropical Caribbean cruise, so we ask our steward to turn off the heat.

We prefer hanging out by the striking glass infinity pool at the stern though.

Looking out from the pool’s warm water, we almost feel as if we’re swimming in the sea. We question whether we should even get off the ship!

And so at 4:00 pm, we find ourselves in the serene Wintergarden solarium, perusing a menu of 25 loose-leaf teas before settling on our favorite Earl Grey.

It arrives a white teapot, perfectly steeped.

A waiter presents a three-tiered tower of treats – almond tarts, crustless cucumber sandwiches and plates of to-die-for warm scones, clotted cream and jam.

All the while, a trio of musicians softly plays classical melodies in the background.

Admittedly, it’s not as if we need tea, what with dinner still ahead. But it’s such a lovely way to round out the afternoon onboard, we can’t resist.

Our favorite, Manfredi’s, is one of the best Italian restaurants at sea.

Black-and-white marble floors and vintage photos of Italian actors on the walls lend it an authentic Italian feel, and it has a lively buzz.

Must try: The Bistecca Fiorentina rib eye steak – rubbed with chili, brown sugar and mushroom powder – perfectly broiled to your liking.

The hand-rolled gnocchi in black truffle cream is a worthy appetizer.

The Chef’s Table, on the other hand, pushes the culinary boundaries.

Set five-course menus rotate every three days.

The amusing “Sweet and Salty” pairings are especially fun.

Passion fruit with grilled scallops and beets? Grand Marnier Bavarian cream and strawberry sauce with basil jelly and black Hawaiian lava salt? It works.

And what’s a meal without wine? Pretty dull, in our view. Another one of the perks on Viking Ocean Cruises is that house wine (and beer) is complimentary at lunch and dinner.

Want to up your game? You can upgrade to premium wines by the glass (for purchase) or buy Viking’s Silver Spirits package, an all-inclusive drinks deal.

(We’ve written a whole guide to Viking’s drinks menus and Silver Spirits package, in case you want to know whether it’s worth paying extra for the package.)

In Old San Juan (our last port-of-call), we’re enchanted by the colonial buildings, shops and outdoor cafés.

Wandering the cobblestone streets, we can’t help but linger – anything to help delay packing for our journey home.

Pink and lemon parasols strung high above Fortaleza Street – a new art installation – catch our eye. They make us smile as we walk back to the ship.

We’re not the only fans of Viking Sea.

Viking Ocean Cruises has garnered a slew of awards over the years, including for its Caribbean cruises on the Viking Sea.

AFAR magazine crowned it the “Best Caribbean Cruise Line” and USA Today has dubbed Viking Sea the “Best Small Ship.”

Cruise Critic has chimed in too, praising it as “a stunning vessel that seamlessly integrates comfort and modern, Scandinavian style. The ship’s small size means it rarely feels busy and is able to get into ports bigger ships can’t reach.” 

We especially appreciate that it’s an adults-only ship, making our Caribbean cruise feel more peaceful than some of the more lively family-friendly cruises we’ve enjoyed with our son in the past.

Next time, we’re eyeing a combined Amazon and Caribbean adventure on the Viking Sea!