Viking Orion has started its summer season down under via a 14-night Australia & New Zealand sailing from Sydney. 

This Viking Ocean Cruises-owned adults-only lady of the sea is the fifth of the line’s identical ships together with Viking Star, Viking Sea, Viking Sky and Viking Sun. It was designed and developed by Fincantieri and had its maiden voyage in 2018 via a ‘shakedown cruise’ from Rome to Barcelona. 

Viking Orion spans 227 in length with a 28.8-metre beam. Additionally, the ship sails at an average of 20 knots with a gross tonnage of 47, 800 with a capacity of 930 passengers. 

The ship was initially named Viking Spirit, but was later changed to Viking Orion during her christening in June 2018. 

Viking Orion‘s Suites and staterooms

Viking Orion has 465 staterooms that can accommodate up to 930 guests. It has five different types of staterooms, including the Owner’s Suite, Explorer Suite, Penthouse Junior Suite, Penthouse Veranda, Deluxe Veranda, and a Veranda Stateroom.

The Owner Suite is a two-passenger stateroom that measures 123 square metres with a balcony size of 16 square metres. On the other hand, the 14-stateroom Explorer Suite has a cabin area of 43-65 square metres with a balcony that ranges from 16-46 square metres. 

The ship also has a 32-stateroom Penthouse Junior Suite that measures 31 square metres with a uniform balcony area of 7 square metres. Meanwhile, Viking Orion’s Veranda Cabin has 314 staterooms with an area of 21 square metres and a balcony of four square metres. 

Viking Orion offers an all-inclusive deal which includes:

• one complimentary excursion for every ports of call together with the cruise itinerary route complimentary drinks
• free Wi-Fi with vessel-wide coverage, and unlimited free Internet access 
• free of charge specialty restaurant dining except for the lowest category Balcony cabins
• gratuities – (the suggested per day gratuity of USD 14 per person is automatically added to the guest’s onboard account)

Dining and culinary experience

Viking Orion offers a wide array of dining options which are heavily concentrated on Scandinavian dishes. Also, Specialty restaurants are already included in the guest’s fare as well as beverages (wine, soda, and beer) during lunch and dinner. 

The Restaurant

The Restaurant is the ship’s main dining room located on Deck 2.  This casual open-seating restaurant features mouth-watering selections of regional and contemporary cuisines. It offers a sumptuous breakfast buffet and a five-course gourmet meal for dinner. 

Aquavit Terrace

For guests wanting to have light bites with a glass of wine, the Aquavit Terrace is the place to go. This bar serves as an extension of the World Cafe. This dining spot offers breathtaking views perfect for relaxation. 

World Cafe

Located at the back of the ship, the World Cafe is the Viking Orion’s buffet venue and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This casual dining hub offers global and destination-based cuisines in al fresco dining. In addition, World Cafe also features an open-style kitchen where guests could order items of the day.

The Chef’s Table

The Chef’s Table is one of the only two specialty restaurants in Viking Orion. Open only during dinner, it offers a variety of five-course set meals rotating every two to three days depending on the sailing length. Dining at the Chef’s Table for an intimate experience with a carefully crafted menu with wine pairings requires reservation. 

Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant

For guests who crave authentic Tuscan and Roman cuisine, Manfredi’s is the perfect place to dine. This Italian Grill offers steak in Florentine tradition and locally inspired pasta. This specialty restaurant is located on the ship’s first deck and encourages guests to make reservations as slots get filled up too quickly. 

The Pool Grill

This outdoor dining hub on deck 7 is only open during lunch time. Pool Grill has a variety of meal options from prepared and fresh salads to gourmet burgers like the Pancho Villa burger, the Viking Burger, and the Nordic roll. 

Onboard activities

Though Viking Orion is ports and destination-focused, there are still a lot of activities that guests could enjoy onboard. Since most of the activities on board the ship focus on “cultural immersion”,  expect that there are lectures from experts which are usually held in the theater. Viking gets to invite accomlished and well-known individuals like academicians, historians, and even astronauts. 

For guests who want to watch and listen to the performances of classical musicians, the ship’s Living Room is the perfect spot to be in. The Living Room is an atrium-inspired three-deck-high space at the heart of the ship. Additionally, there’s also the Torshavn which is a lounge space dedicated for musical shows at night. 

Viking Orion also features The Explorer’s Dome – the highest definition planetarium at sea inside a two-deck lounge venue dedicated for both 2D and 3D shows. The 3D theater screens panoramic films on space and the Arctic using advanced technology and Active 3D glasses. This fully immersive astronomy center offers guests free cutting-edge planetarium shows to complement Orion’s educational enrichment focus.

The ship also has a number of bars and lounges that host live music nightly but close by midnight due to port-intensive itineraries. Guests may opt to go the Living Room’s Viking Bar for coffee and cocktails with a pianist. Torshavn at Deck 2 speakeasy with jazz and dancing but passengers must secure a ticket ahead of time. In addition, guests could also visit the Wintergarden Conservatory for daily afternoon tea with a keyboardist. 

Moreover, Viking Orion has two pools – a central pool more frequently used for hanging out in padded loungers, and an aft infinity dip overlooking the sea. Both have hot tubs and scattered cozy nooks. The main pool lounge is covered with a glass magrodome which opens during sunny days and closes during inclement weather. 

Furthermore, the ship has a wellness complex that houses a fitness center beside the deluxe LivNordic Spa. It has a thermal suite, thalassotherapy pool, treatment rooms and snow room – first at sea. Guests could relax and unwind in the sauna, steam room, or heated loungers. 

The compact but well-equipped adjacent gym has Technogym equipment and personal trainers for hire. Passengers are also offered extensive therapies, cryotherapy and cutting-edge fitness options. 

Viking Orion’s deck plan

Viking Orion’s deck plan features a total of 464 staterooms for 930 passengers served by 470 crew members. The ship has 10 decks, two swimming pools, two Jacuzzi hot tubs, and six elevators. Since the Orion is an adults-only ship, it doesn’t have dedicated facilities for kids. 

All decks with passenger cabins have self-service laundry roomsequipped with ironing boards, washers, and dryers. 

Deck 1 houses The Kitchen Table, The Chef’s Table, Manfredi’s Restaurant, and The Bar. The Living Room is also situated on this deck together with the Fitness Center and The Nordic Spa. 

Deck 2 has the ships main dining room The Restaurant together with The Theater, Torshavn and The Shop, while passengers’ cabins are housed at deck 3 through deck 6. 

Deck 7 contains the Aquavit Terrace, the World Cafe, the main pool, the Wintergarden, Mamsen’s, and the Explorer’s Lounge. In addition, the Owner’s Suite and most of the Penthouse Junior Suites are also housed on this deck. 

On the other hand, Deck 8 has the upper level of the Explorer’s Lounge, Deluxe Veranda cabins and Penthouse Junior Suites. 

Click here to see Viking Orion’s interactive deck plan.