We chose to do a repositioning cruise on the Viking Sea in March of 2018 from San Juan to Barcelona. We have sailed over a dozen times on other cruise lines, predominately Seabourn and have done four other trans-Atlantic cruises, but were intrigued by the pictures and reviews of these new ships.

First the good: The Viking Sea was a beautiful ship with spacious public areas. We loved the clean Scandinavian design and our lovely PV1 cabin.

The Mediocre: The food. Perhaps we are spoiled by the exceptional cuisine on Seabourn, but we found the dining experience on the Viking Sea to be very disappointing. With the exception of the specialty restaurants (which were limited to two visits per cruise) the food and service in the main dining room were mediocre at best. There was never enough wait staff, the food was not very good, and the tables were jammed so close together that any thought of a romantic meal for two was impossible. In general we were surprised at the poor level of service on the boat (again compared to Seabourn.) While sitting around the pool, it was rare for anyone to come offer even a drink of water, let alone something alcoholic. This meant one of us (including my handicapped husband) had to go to the bar, order a drink, and carry it back. Read more