Sailing the Baltic Sea With Viking Ocean Cruises

I’ve wanted to travel through the Baltic Sea for some time, and my number-one choice was Viking Ocean Cruises. Besides the awards and accolades Viking has received, the company’s an expert on that region—its roots are in Norway.

Viking says it “provides destination-focused itineraries designed for experienced travelers who have an interest in geography, culture and history. Each journey includes a shore excursion in every port and an exclusive Viking Culture Curriculum program that provides deep immersion in the destination through performances of music and art, cooking demonstrations, informative port talks and carefully selected guest lecturers.” I found all that to be true, making for a wonderfully engaging cruise.

We chose the 11-day “Russia & Baltic Sea” trip on Viking Sky because the itinerary was perfect for us. The trip is part of a more extensive 22-day “Majestic Fjords and Vibrant Russia” trip. But, as we are not yet retired, we elected to do the first 11 days of the journey through the Baltic Sea.

After landing in Stockholm, we were met by greeters waiting right outside baggage (impossible to miss!) to take us to the Viking Sky. We arrived earlier than our boarding time, which is based on cabin class, but it was not an issue.

The greeters took our luggage and gave us directions to get into the old town of Stockholm, Gamla Stan, to walk around. The ship was about a 20-minute walk to the old town, but Viking also operated a shuttle bus both days we were in Stockholm to take passengers back and forth. We spent the afternoon walking around and even visited the Royal Palace.

Later we returned to embark on our beautiful ship and get acquainted with all of Viking Sky’s offerings. The ship is open and airy, and all cabins have balconies. The interior has a three-floor open atrium. With the beautiful artwork and Scandinavian décor and menus, traveling this region with Viking feels very authentic and comfortable.

For our first full day in Stockholm, Viking included a panoramic tour around the city showing its historic sights and discussing its history and culture. However, we chose the excursion that would take us to see the Vasa Museum, a fascinating museum surrounding an almost perfect salvaged 17th-century ship.

After, we were taken to a wonderful lunch and then a boat ride through the canal area surrounding Stockholm. Our guide was knowledgeable and interesting, and I would say it is a must-do in Stockholm. After the tour, we easily shuttled back to town where we wandered on our own again and visited the Nobel Museum. As the ship stays later in port, we could have chosen to stay in town for dinner as well, which is always a great option when traveling.

Next was a fabulous day at sea. We visited the spa—it has open access to its saunas, hot tubs and exciting snow grotto. Then we enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea in the beautiful Wintergarden room and heard guest lecturers discuss the Vikings and Imperial Russia in preparation for the next few days. There also was the chance to get to know the officers and crew of the ship with games and music.

Unlike most cruises that offer only two days in Russia, Viking offers three. Days four through six of the cruise were in beautiful St. Petersburg. From arrival around 11 a.m. Thursday through departure around 6 p.m. Saturday, you could be as busy or as relaxed as you wanted to explore St. Petersburg.

Viking’s shore excursions ranged from a two- or three-day program to individual trips that take you to the many sites. The cruise line even has a tour to fly and see Moscow. The included option was the panoramic overview of the beautiful city with its European vibe that includes both historic palaces and churches and new buildings and expansive housing, along with many canals and squares.

Passengers could also take part in individual visits to places such as Catherine’s Palace, Peterhof Palace and Gardens, The Hermitage Museum, Yusopov Palace and the Fabergé Museum, to name a few. For some exclusive time in St. Petersburg, Viking arranged private excursions such as Hermitage behind closed doors, a privileged access evening or a Black caviar tasting with classical music.

Nighttime offerings included the Russian Ballet, Swan Lake at the Alexandrinsky Theatre (a beautiful experience) and native songs and dances at a popular Russian venue. Although you could certainly spend more time in St Petersburg, since we were able to see and do so much, we felt three days was an ideal amount of time to visit.

Slowing the pace for us a little, we visited Estonia next and participated in the included Old Town walking tour. Also offered were bicycle trips, chocolate workshops and more extensive Upper & Old Town tours. Tallinn’s Old Town is a UNESCO site for its medieval streets and cathedrals, in addition to the birthplace of Marzipan candy and some beautiful shops including the amber shops selling the indigenous gemstone.

The next two days were the islands of Visby, Sweden, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the remains of Viking settlements, and Bornholm, Denmark, a beautiful merchant town with delicious smoked fish. Both islands had included tours as well as shuttles so passengers could linger, eat and shop in town if desired.

Our last full day onboard was in the beautiful city of Copenhagen. We took the included walking tour of the city which covered Copenhagen's history, the current city and its progressive and purposeful green mentality, as well as the beautiful canals and Nyhavn area. We heard stories of the famous resident, author Hans Christian Anderson, and saw the famous statue of the Little Mermaid.

After the tour, we stayed and wandered around Copenhagen. The restaurants are some of the best, most progressive in the world, and the food was delicious. The people were friendly, helpful and happy, riding bikes or sitting by the water’s edge, just enjoying the beautiful weather we were having. It's a beautiful city and definitely worth the trip to visit.

We had such a lovely trip and saw so much on this beautiful cruise. With its wonderful itinerary, fabulous food, amazing crew and officers, we were sorry we had to leave and, of course, were envious of those taking the remaining part of the cruise. But, hopefully, we will be back onboard soon to explore another region with Viking Ocean Cruise.