VIKING ORION: A STUNNING WORK OF ART IN HER OWN RIGHT
Acclaimed cruise line’s newest oceangoing ship has no reason to stray from its winning formula
On a warm June evening, Viking Cruises (cruise.center/vikingsea) christened its fifth oceangoing ship, the 930-guest Viking Orion, in the Italian port of Livorno.
In keeping with Viking ’s theme of having women of distinction serve as Godmothers for its ships, Viking Orion was christened by chemist, emergency room doctor and retired NASA astronaut Anna Fisher. She was joined by a number of her friends, family and fellow astronauts in a spectacular ceremony in the Port of Livorno’s Fortezza Vecchia. It was here that students of Galileo held an experiment in 1662 to test his projectile motion theory, and Viking Orion’s christening here by a true explorer couldn’t have been more appropriate.
Viking Orion is the fifth ship to debut since Viking Star, Viking ’s first oceangoing ship, set sail just three years ago. Another five ocean cruise ships are scheduled to enter service over the next few years, plus another seven more Viking Longships in 2019, destined for the rivers of Europe.
I’ve now sailed on all five Viking Ocean vessels, and I’m always looking into the little details to see what has changed between successive ships. And the good news is: not a lot. Viking Star was a knockout when she entered service in 2015, so why tinker with the magic formula?
When I boarded in Civitavecchia, Italy, that familiar feeling of “home” washed over me. I love ships of all shapes and sizes, but few can woo me on successive visits like Viking ’s can. I found myself settling into a familiar role immediately: I found some fascinating new books to read ( Viking Orion is a giant floating library of sorts), unpacked, and headed up to the two-storey Explorers’ Lounge overlooking the bow, where a classical trio had already begun to play in the pre-dinner cocktail hour.
What makes Viking Orion and the rest of the fleet so special is that Viking is unafraid to march to its own beat. Its oceangoing ships have no casino, no art auctions, onboard photographers, loud pool music, wacky games, screaming children ( Viking is very adult-centric), and no fees for its soothing LivNordic Spa thermal suite or its delectable specialty restaurants.
If you need these things — casinos, art auctions and the like — Viking may not be for you. If, like me, you enjoy books, live music, on-board lectures and a host of inclusions — like a free tour in each port of call and beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner — you’ll find a lot to love here.
Like her sisters, there is nothing onboard Viking Orion that hasn’t been thoughtfully designed. Carpets and soft furnishings reflect Nordic patterns, while furniture is exceedingly high quality. Everything onboard has a tactile, textured look and feel to it, and the ship exudes plenty of hygge — a Scandinavian word for coziness. These small touches really turn Viking Orion into a stunning work of art in her own right; a ship to be discovered, even savoured.
Other cruise lines could put this kind of detail into their ships and their product, and some do. Many, however, do not. They’re caught up trying to be everything to everyone; a situation that Viking ’s chairman Torstein Hagen noted onboard Viking Orion, “rarely pleases anybody.”
While Viking hasn’t tweaked its magic formula, Viking Orion does have one very new, noteworthy feature: a planetariumstyle theatre known as The Explorers’ Dome. Situated on the upper level of the Explorers’ Lounge, this new venue showcased two new high-definition shows, Journey to Space and Under the Arctic Sky, on my preview cruise through the Mediterranean.
Viking sees the Explorers’ Dome as an extension of the ship’s onboard art collection; a venue that can change and morph as needed. The ship will also have its own Viking resident astronomer, who will lead lectures and stargazing seasons throughout the ship’s maiden season, in addition to the roster of onboard lecturers and destination specialists that routinely sail aboard Viking ’s ships.
If you want to catch Viking Orion, you can hop onboard this year in the Mediterranean, or try out Viking ’s brand new itineraries to Australia, Asia and, in the summer of 2019, sailing to Alaska out of Vancouver.
Happy cruising. Visit portsandbows.com, sponsored by Expedia CruiseShipCenters, 1-800-707-7327, cruiseshipcenters. com, for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behindthe-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Aaron Saunders may be contacted directly at portsandbowsaaron@gmail.com.