Viking runs more than 100 ships across 21 rivers, five oceans and all seven continents, and sells them all on the same promise: adults only, no casinos, destination first, one shore excursion included in every port. The question most people actually have is narrower — Viking Ocean or Viking River, and what is genuinely different between them?
The short answer is that the inclusions are nearly identical by design, and the difference is scale and rhythm. This guide separates the two products properly, covers Viking Expeditions alongside them, and is honest about where the marketing and the reality diverge. If you are comparing river lines rather than deciding between Viking’s two products, our European river cruises guide is the right article — it compares Viking against AmaWaterways, Uniworld, Scenic, Avalon, Tauck and Emerald in detail.
What Viking is known for
- Adults only. You must be 18 on or before the day you embark. This applies to ocean, river and expedition — the whole company.
- No casinos. Fleet-wide, by design.
- One included shore excursion in every port, on all three products.
- Destination-focused, culturally immersive — Viking’s own framing is that it prioritises exploration of the destination over onboard consumption.
- A single-language English experience onboard, aimed at English-speaking travellers.
- Understated Scandinavian design — light, calm, uncluttered, and consistent across every ship in the company.
Chairman Torstein Hagen’s line for the brand is that Viking is “for the thinking person.” Whether that lands as appealing or insufferable is a fair test of whether the line is for you.
Who Viking suits — and who should look elsewhere
Book Viking if you want a quiet ship with no children and no slot machines; if you would rather have an included excursion than a choice of eleven paid ones; if you value knowing what things cost before you board; or if the enrichment programme — lectures, destination performances, UNESCO sites — is the part of a cruise you actually enjoy.
Look elsewhere if:
- You are travelling with anyone under 18. There is no exception and no family product. Princess or Holland America are the destination-forward lines that do carry children.
- You want big entertainment, a casino or a water park. Viking builds none of it.
- You want gratuities in the fare. They are not included. See below — this is the most commonly mistaken Viking fact.
- You want an Alaska cruisetour with owned lodges. That is Princess or Holland America.
What is included — and what is not
Here are Viking’s three inclusion lists side by side. The differences between the columns are the story of this guide.
| Included | Ocean | River | Expedition |
|---|---|---|---|
| All onboard meals | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Beer, wine & soft drinks with lunch and dinner | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 24-hour specialty coffees, teas, bottled water | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| One shore excursion in every port | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Port taxes and fees | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enrichment lectures, destination performances, UNESCO visits | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Alternative restaurant dining at no extra charge | Yes | No | Yes |
| 24-hour room service | Yes | No | Yes |
| Nordic Spa & Fitness Center access | Yes | No | Yes |
| Self-service launderettes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Kayaks, Zodiacs and expedition equipment | — | — | Yes |
The four rows missing from the river column are not exclusions Viking is hiding. They are facilities a 190-guest riverboat does not have. But an advisor who tells a river client “Viking includes the spa” is simply wrong, and that is a bad conversation to have at check-in.
Two things everyone gets wrong
1. Gratuities are not included. Viking’s booking terms are unambiguous: “Gratuities on board and on land are not included in your Cruise Fare or Full Fare.” You can pre-pay them or let Viking add them to your shipboard account, but they are extra on every product. Given how much else is bundled, this is the single most common misunderstanding about the line.
2. Drinks are included at lunch and dinner only. Beer, wine and soft drinks come with those two meals. Specialty coffees, teas and bottled water are included around the clock. Everything outside those windows, and all spirits, is extra unless you buy the beverage package. “Drinks are included on Viking” is half true, and the half that is false is the half people notice at 4 p.m.
Silver Spirits — the beverage package
$27 per person per day, the same price on ocean and river. It covers global beers, select wines, champagne and spirits, craft cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks, with complimentary access to standard tasting events and a discount on premium beverages.
The rules matter: both guests in a stateroom must buy it for the full length of the cruise, it is 21-plus, it is non-refundable, and it is purchased onboard. On river sailings, note that tasting events are not offered and the package instead covers premium wines by the glass and bottle, house champagne by the glass, and any drink except treasure wines, with a 30% discount on those.
Is it worth it? Because beer and wine already come with lunch and dinner, the package earns its keep only for guests who drink spirits or cocktails outside mealtimes. For a couple who has a glass of wine with dinner and nothing else, it is money set on fire. For a couple who wants a gin and tonic before dinner every night, it clears easily.
Also extra across all products: optional shore excursions beyond the included one, airfare, and pre- and post-cruise extensions. For the wider picture see how much a cruise really costs.
Viking Ocean
Viking’s ocean ships come in two generations, and both are small by mainstream standards: the original class at 930 guests and 745 feet, and the current class at 998 guests and 784 feet. Viking’s own line is that each sister ship carries fewer than 1,000 guests.
Viking Mira, delivered May 2026 from Fincantieri in Ancona, is the newest in service, with 499 staterooms. Viking Libra follows in November 2026 and Viking Astrea in 2027, both hydrogen-powered. Beyond that Viking has nine more ocean ships and two more expedition ships on order by 2031, plus two further ocean ships for 2032.
Cabins — every one has a veranda
This is a real structural difference from every mainstream line: Viking Ocean has no inside cabins and no ocean-view-only cabins. Every stateroom has a private veranda.
| Category | Size |
|---|---|
| Veranda Stateroom | 288 sq ft |
| Deluxe Veranda Stateroom | 288 sq ft |
| Penthouse Veranda Stateroom | 360 sq ft |
| Penthouse Junior Suite | 432 sq ft |
| Explorer Suite | 808–1,215 sq ft, two rooms |
| Owner’s Suite | 1,448 sq ft |
Rooms carry a king-size Viking Explorer Bed, a 42-inch flat screen and premium toiletries as standard. Our cruise cabin guide covers how to think about category more generally.
Dining on ocean
The venues are The Restaurant, World Café, Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant, The Chef’s Table, Aquavit Terrace, Mamsen’s, the Pool Grill, the Wintergarden and The Kitchen Table, plus 24-hour room service. Viking’s alternative restaurants, including Manfredi’s and The Chef’s Table, carry no extra charge — there is no specialty dining upcharge on a Viking ocean ship.
Where Viking Ocean sails
Scandinavia, the British Isles and Ireland, North America, the Caribbean and Central America, South America, the Mediterranean, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, plus world cruises and Grand Journeys. The catalogue is weighted toward Northern Europe and the Mediterranean — see our Mediterranean guide, Greek Isles guide and Europe travel guide.
The world cruise programme is unusually deep. For 2027–28 Viking offers four voyages: the 142-day Viking World Cruise on Viking Vesta, departing Fort Lauderdale 28 December 2027 and finishing in London — 31 countries, 62 guided tours and overnight stays in 16 cities; World Voyage III at 170 days, extending that with 21 more Northern European and Scandinavian ports; World Voyage IV at 153 days across 37 countries, Los Angeles to Stockholm; and Viking World Discoveries at 125 days, 27 countries, Los Angeles to London. All carry the standard inclusions, including an excursion in every port.
Viking River
The workhorse is the Viking Longship: 190 guests in 95 staterooms. Viking also runs 106-guest ships on the Douro, 80-guest ships in Asia, dedicated vessels on the Nile, the Elbe and the Seine, and Viking Mississippi in the United States.
European rivers include the Rhine, Main, Danube, Elbe, Seine, Rhône, Garonne and Douro. Beyond Europe: the Nile, the Mekong, the Ganges and Brahmaputra, and the Mississippi.
Longship cabins — and a counter-intuitive fact
| Category | Size | What the balcony actually is |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Stateroom | 150 sq ft | Half-height picture window — no balcony |
| French Balcony Stateroom | 135 sq ft | Floor-to-ceiling sliding door with a railing — no floor to stand on |
| Veranda Stateroom | 205 sq ft | Full-size veranda you can step onto |
| Veranda Suite | 275 sq ft | Full veranda in the living room, French balcony in the bedroom |
| Explorer Suite | 445 sq ft | Private wraparound balcony, 270-degree views |
Read those first two rows again. The French Balcony stateroom at 135 square feet is smaller than the Standard stateroom at 150 — and costs more. What you are buying is light and a full-height opening, not floor area, and certainly not somewhere to sit outside. Plenty of guests are happy with that trade. Nobody is happy discovering it on embarkation day.
A typical Longship carries two Explorer Suites, seven Veranda Suites, 39 Veranda Staterooms and 22 French Balcony Staterooms.
Viking Mississippi — the one for a US audience
Viking Mississippi carries 193 all-outside staterooms and runs an itinerary range that has widened noticeably:
| Itinerary | Days | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi Delta Explorer | 8 | New Orleans to Memphis |
| New Orleans & Southern Charms | 8 | Round trip New Orleans |
| Nashville, Memphis & the Cumberland | 8 | Memphis to Nashville |
| Heartland of America | 8 | St. Louis to St. Paul |
| Mississippi & Ohio River Explorer (new) | 8 | Memphis to Louisville |
| America’s Great River | 15 | St. Paul to New Orleans |
| The Big Easy to the Gateway City | 15 | New Orleans to St. Louis |
| Bayous, Blues & Bluegrass (new) | 15 | New Orleans to Louisville |
| Mississippi River Odyssey | 22 | New Orleans to St. Paul |
Two of these embark or disembark in St. Louis, which makes them unusually easy trips for anyone in the Midwest — no international flight, no jet lag, no passport. If you are weighing travel from this region generally, see the best cruise ports near St. Louis.
The two newest itineraries push Viking onto the Ohio River and into Louisville for the first time.
Viking Expeditions
Two ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, both built in 2022 and identical: 378 guests, 256 crew — a ratio of roughly one to one and a half — 665 feet long, and rated Polar Class 6.
They sail Antarctica, the Arctic, the Great Lakes, North America and South America, with Grand Journeys and longitudinal world cruises. The Great Lakes programme is the unexpected one — 8- to 27-day itineraries including Toronto to Milwaukee, round-trip Milwaukee, Toronto to Duluth, and a 27-day Canada and the Northwest Passage sailing.
The expedition fare mirrors Viking Ocean exactly — alternative restaurants at no charge, 24-hour room service, the Nordic Spa, launderettes, free Wi-Fi, port taxes — and adds kayaks, Zodiacs and Special Operations Boats, all excursion gear, and a keepsake expedition jacket on polar itineraries. The included-excursion promise is reworded as “one complimentary landing or shore excursion in every port.”
The cleanest way to describe it: Viking Ocean’s inclusions and service, on a 378-guest ice-class ship, with the expedition kit built in. For how it compares with other operators, see our expedition cruises guide.
Ocean or river? The honest comparison
| Viking Ocean | Viking River (Longship) | |
|---|---|---|
| Guests | 930 or 998 | 190 |
| Ship length | 745–784 ft | 443 ft |
| Cabins | All-veranda, 288 sq ft up to 1,448 | Four tiers: window 150 → French balcony 135 → veranda 205 → suites |
| Dining | Nine venues plus 24-hour room service, alternatives at no charge | One dining room. No alternative restaurants, no room service |
| Spa and laundry | Nordic Spa and launderettes included | Neither |
| Shore excursions | One included per port | One included per port — identical |
| Drinks, Wi-Fi, port taxes | Included | Identical |
| Gratuities | Extra | Extra — identical |
| Silver Spirits | $27/day | $27/day — identical price |
| Reach | Five oceans, seven continents, world cruises of 125–170 days | 21 rivers — Europe plus the Nile, Mekong, Ganges and Mississippi |
The inclusions are almost the same on purpose. That is Viking’s whole brand architecture, and it is why the two products feel like one company. Anyone who tells you “Viking Ocean includes much more” should be pressed to be specific: it includes four more things — alternative restaurants, room service, the spa and the launderette.
What actually differs is scale, and the consequences of scale. River puts you in the centre of a different town almost every morning, with one dining room, no spa, and essentially no sea days. Ocean gives you a 930-to-998-guest ship with multiple restaurants, a spa, a pool, launderettes and days at sea between ports.
Choose river for density of destination. Choose ocean for range and onboard facilities. And if what you are really weighing is river cruising as a category — which river, which line, and what happens when the water level does not cooperate — that belongs in our European river cruises guide, not here. Our ocean versus river versus yacht versus expedition comparison covers the formats generally.
Loyalty — Viking Explorer Society
Past guests are enrolled automatically after their first Viking voyage, and there are no tiers — every member gets the same benefits regardless of how many times they have sailed. The programme centres on a rebooking travel credit, larger if you book your next voyage within twelve months of the last one, rather than on escalating onboard perks. Members also receive invitations to onboard members-only cocktail parties, regional Explorer Society events, and the seasonal members’ magazine.
Ask for the current dollar amounts rather than relying on figures in older articles. Viking publishes the credit values clearly on some of its regional sites but not on its main US pages, and a referral scheme exists whose current terms are not clearly published at all. If you hold status with another line, see our guide to cruise line status matches.
How Viking compares
Rather than list competitor inclusions that change every season, here are the structural differences that hold regardless of who updates their brochure:
- Viking is 18-plus across the entire company — ocean, river and expedition. Among mainstream ocean lines that is the sharpest single differentiator there is.
- No casinos, fleet-wide.
- Ocean ships are all-veranda with no inside or ocean-view-only cabins at all.
- One shore excursion is included in every port as standard on all three products.
- Gratuities are excluded, which is where Viking sits differently from the genuinely all-inclusive river lines like Scenic, Uniworld and Tauck.
- Ocean ships carry 930–998 guests, placing them between the small-ship luxury lines and the mainstream fleet.
| Versus | The real difference |
|---|---|
| Holland America | The nearest philosophical competitor — destination-forward, no waterslides. But HAL carries children, has a casino, offers a cruise-only fare with an optional package rather than one inclusive fare, and owns Alaska land infrastructure Viking does not replicate |
| Celebrity | Celebrity has larger and more varied ships, a casino, production shows, specialty dining variety, family capability and a lower entry price. Viking’s advantage is genuinely inclusive fares and no children anywhere |
| Princess | Princess is far larger and cheaper with entertainment, a casino and children’s programming Viking does not attempt. Viking wins on intimacy and inclusion simplicity |
| Virgin Voyages | Both are adults-only. Virgin is loud, design-led and aimed considerably younger; Viking is quiet and enrichment-led. Very few travellers are genuinely choosing between them |
| European river lines | AmaWaterways, Uniworld, Scenic, Avalon, Tauck and Emerald all compete directly with Viking River, and several include gratuities where Viking does not. Our river cruises guide compares them properly |
Booking considerations
Viking sells further ahead than almost anyone, and that changes how you should plan. As of August 2026 Viking had sold 96% of its 2026 capacity and 53% of 2027, and it announces world cruises roughly two and a half years out. Popular cabin categories on flagship itineraries need booking 18 to 24 months ahead. This is not a line where waiting for a late deal works.
- Deposit is $500 per person for standard voyages. Cruise tours over 35 days, including Grand and World Cruises, take 20% of the full fare at booking.
- Final payment follows the invoice issued at booking on standard voyages; World and Grand Cruises are due 180 days before departure.
- Cancellation on standard cruises: $100 at 120-plus days; 20% at 119–90; 35% at 89–70; 50% at 69–50; 75% at 49–30; 100% inside 29 days.
- Cancellation on 35-plus day and Grand voyages: $1,000 at 180-plus days; 20% at 179–150; 40% at 149–120; 60% at 119–90; 80% at 89–60; 100% inside 59 days.
- Viking Air matters more than usual. Booking air through Viking includes round-trip transfers to the ship or hotel; book flights elsewhere and you lose those transfers. Viking Air also allows changes and cancellation without penalty and offers upgrade rates and 24/7 monitoring. Customising flights with an air expert carries a $150 per-guest fee and must be requested no later than 65 days out.
- Air changes are expensive once ticketed — a minimum $350 per-ticket change fee, and cancelling a package with tickets issued costs $350 per passenger on top of the cruise cancellation fee.
- Reduced-deposit promotions do appear from time to time, but they are short-dated. Do not plan around one being available.
Because so much is prepaid this far ahead, travel protection deserves a real conversation rather than a checkbox — see our travel insurance guide.
Get the right Viking product
The ocean-or-river decision is the easy part once you see the inclusion lists side by side. The harder questions are which itinerary length suits how you actually travel, whether a French balcony is worth paying more for a smaller room, whether Silver Spirits pencils out for your drinking habits, and how far ahead you need to commit given that 2027 was already more than half sold by mid-2026.
Cruise Planners – Neal Lewis & Associates can compare Viking sailings against each other and against the lines that compete with them — cabin category value, what the fare genuinely covers once gratuities are counted, the air programme trade-off, and whether a competing river or ocean line serves you better for the same money. There is no planning fee, and we can identify promotions, onboard credit and group opportunities where they apply.
Request rates and information with your dates and travel party. To browse first, start with Find the Right Cruise or the Advanced Cruise Search.
Frequently asked questions
Are children allowed on Viking cruises?
No. Viking is 18 and over across every product — ocean, river and expedition. The booking terms require you to be 18 on or before the day you embark.
Are gratuities included on Viking?
No, and this is the most commonly mistaken Viking fact. The terms state plainly that gratuities on board and on land are not included in the cruise fare. You can pre-pay them or let Viking add them to your shipboard account.
Are drinks included on Viking?
Partly. Beer, wine and soft drinks are included with lunch and dinner only. Specialty coffees, teas and bottled water are included 24 hours. Drinks outside those windows, and all spirits, are extra unless you buy the Silver Spirits package.
Is Wi-Fi really free on Viking?
Yes — free Wi-Fi is standard on ocean, river and expedition. Viking’s own caveat is worth repeating: connection speed may vary.
Is the Silver Spirits package worth it?
It costs $27 per person per day, both guests in a stateroom must buy it for the full cruise, and it is non-refundable and sold onboard. Because beer and wine already come with lunch and dinner, it earns its keep only for guests who drink spirits or cocktails outside mealtimes.
Are specialty restaurants extra on Viking Ocean?
No. Viking includes alternative restaurant dining at no extra charge, which covers Manfredi’s and The Chef’s Table. River ships have a single dining room and no alternative restaurants at all.
Do all Viking ocean cabins have a balcony?
Yes. The ocean fleet is all-veranda — every stateroom has a private veranda, from the 288 square foot Veranda Stateroom up to the 1,448 square foot Owner’s Suite. There are no inside or ocean-view-only cabins.
What is the difference between a veranda and a French balcony on a Longship?
A veranda is real outdoor space you can step onto, in a 205 square foot stateroom. A French balcony is a floor-to-ceiling sliding door with a railing and no floor to stand on, in a 135 square foot stateroom — which is actually smaller than the 150 square foot Standard stateroom with its half-height window.
How many people are on a Viking river ship?
A Viking Longship carries 190 guests in 95 staterooms. Douro ships carry 106 and the Asia ships 80.
How big are Viking ocean ships?
Either 930 guests at 745 feet for the original class, or 998 guests at 784 feet for the newer generation. Viking’s own line is that each sister ship carries fewer than 1,000 guests.
Ocean or river for a first Viking cruise?
The inclusions are nearly identical, so choose on scale and rhythm. River, at 190 guests, puts you in a different town centre almost every morning with one dining room and no spa. Ocean, at 930–998 guests, adds Manfredi’s, The Chef’s Table, the Nordic Spa, a pool, launderettes and room service, plus days at sea. Pick river for density of destination, ocean for range.
Does Viking sail the Mississippi?
Yes. Viking Mississippi runs 8- to 22-day itineraries, including two that embark or disembark in St. Louis — Heartland of America (St. Louis to St. Paul) and The Big Easy to the Gateway City (New Orleans to St. Louis). Two newer itineraries extend onto the Ohio River to Louisville.
How far in advance should I book Viking?
Further than most lines. By August 2026 Viking had sold 96% of its 2026 capacity and 53% of 2027, and world cruises are announced roughly two and a half years ahead. Popular categories on flagship itineraries need 18 to 24 months.
Ships, inclusions, pricing, itineraries and booking terms change, and delivery schedules move. Details here reflect published information at the time of writing and should be confirmed for your specific sailing before booking. Cruise Planners – Neal Lewis & Associates does not control supplier pricing, promotions, itineraries or onboard policies.