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Viking Ocean Cruises

Traveling The World In Comfort, Again

By CHRIS OWEN

April 18^th, 2016

istanbul

Traveling from Orlando to Istanbul we passed through three airports. In Orlando, with Spring breakers mostly all back to school, security checkpoints were rolling along about as they always do. At New York’s JFK, the situation was about as always; one busy place. It was Istanbul’s International airport I was most concerned about, thinking a massive security presence would be noticed after recent terror related incidents.

A PLEASANT AFTERNOON IN ISTANBUL

Once again, I found a place where valid security concerns had been transformed into travel-thwarting fear. The difference between the two is significant.

See Valid Security Concerns vs Travel-Thwarting Fear for more

Troy

If the modern day name of Canakkale does not jog your elementary school history class memory, the ancient city name of Troy and the iconic Trojan horse probably does. This is where legend has it that the ancient Greeks slipped into town during the Trojan War. It was something that had never been done before. Once done, it could never be repeated as the element of surprise surely would not be to anyone’s advantage.

turkey from a number of angles

We saw that first hand visiting the ruins of Troy, lured by the fable of the Trojan Horse that most of us had grown up with and drawn important life lessons from. On the scene, led by degreed professional Turkish guides we learned far more than details of the huge wooden horse that gave ancient Greeks entry to the city during the Trojan war. In fact, our guides barely mentioned it, instead focusing on the huge chunk of history that has occurred at the location.

making a local connection

In Troy, we enjoyed the archeological ruins and interesting commentary of our guide. Walking through the town center on the way back to Viking Sea, we chose to stop for lunch at a local seaside restaurant as many generations of travelers before us might have. Just stopping there would have been the stuff of the other cruise lines who check that box off and call it a connected day.

athens

The day began as many others on our Empires of the Mediterranean itinerary. Walking off the ship at the Port of Piraeus Cruise Terminal, we found the anticipated Viking fleet of motor coaches waiting and settled in for what was to be a three and a half hour tour.

athens on tour

On the way to Athens, our Viking guide talked up a storm, concisely summarizing real world knowledge in alignment with established historical perspective without flaw. Questions along the way? No problem to get an answer. Better yet, our guide fit that answer into the timeline and running commentary she was sharing with us as we went. The subtle difference is rather huge when peppered with common questions first-time visitors customarily have.

the temple of zeus

Of particular interest and noticed on today‘s tour, Viking made it easy to remember/find the meeting point for our return to the ship after free time enabled a trip to the Temple of Zeus. Not included in the tour, the 6 Euro extra charge was totally worth it and made for a nice ending to our time off the ship.

sunset in athens

We stayed late in port for a lovely sunset seen from the deck of Viking Sea

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santorini

It began with a tender ride to shore, much like the other half dozen times I have visited Santorini, Greece. Starting with a drive up Mount Profitis Ilias we visited the island‘s highest peak.

opening doors

In the village of Pyrgos we stolled among homes built around the ruins of a Venetian fortress before stopping at a local home for an experience that will probably be remembered as a highlight of the entire voyage. Viking by river or ocean opens doors to amazing experiences as we travel in comfort around the world.

seven times is a charm

I had visited Santorini six times previously on as many different cruise lines. This time was different. This time we went on tour with Viking Cruises and opted to visit the home of a local person in Santorini. The day began with a ride up to the highest point on the island where we were met with breathtaking views and the beginning of what would be our best experience of the trip.

seven times is a charming lady

Of the seven times I have visited Santorini, this one was the best by far, due to a wonderful guide and the serious local connection we made visiting the home of our new friend Nitsa Sada Sananda Koraka

Visiting nitsa's home

There is a TV commercial for Viking Cruises that shows them opening doors that enable fabulous travel experiences around the world. This was one of those doors.

a day in montenegro

One of the few days of less than wonderful weather we experienced was in Kotor, Montenegro. That was a first for me at a place where I thought the sun always shined. Still, on tour with Viking Cruises we saw an entirely different side of Kotor, exploring first by excursion boat, ending in a small fishing village where Whitney and I grabbed lunch.

Also seen in port, Holland America Line’s ms Prinsendam.

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dubrovnik

On the ground in Dubrovnik, a must-do activity was to visit the city market to stock up on Croatian Sea Salt, something we cook with at home throughout the year. Choosing standard White, Black Croatian Sea salt, I also picked up some Rosemary, Red Wine and Orange Peel-infused varieties along with recipes to try each. Spices make for great souvenirs when traveling that take up little space in luggage and usually come at a reasonable price. Actually, pricing can be quite a bargain compared to imported (and not as fresh) spices found locally in the U.S.

seen in port

I was surprised to see Holland America Line’s new ms Koningsdam in port at the same time we were in Dubrovnik.

pula

A day in Pula, Croatia took us on a walking tour of the city center then off to Chiavalon a manufacturer of Extra Virgin Olive Oil where we learned that most of the Olive Oil we buy in grocery stores is old and not all that great. Armed with that knowledge though, we found some fresh olive oil at our local store. It’s a part of travel that I enjoy the most; learning about things at the source, especially culinary information which also brought us fresh Croatian Sea Salt and Greek spices on this trip.

our last port of call

Pula was our last port of call on Viking Ocean Cruises Empires of the Mediterranean itinerary, one Lisa and I had enjoyed before in reverse order. Interestingly, sailing this same trip with Whitney in reverse order brought an entirely different experience I will cherish forever.

viking ocean cruises - the ships

Returning to Viking Ocean Cruises to sail new Viking Sea on the ship’s maiden voyage, I expected familiarly. Twin sister to Viking Star, that’s exactly what I found. Following the same comfortable cruising formula for success that propelled Viking River Cruises to greatness, the second vessel for Viking Ocean Cruises is indeed a carbon copy of the first. Again we see the focus shift from a ship-oriented experience to what’s ashore. Viking’s promise of taking us deep into destinations continues without pause. Harder to hit with expert marksman accuracy; crew that complement the hardware. Even with a jet-lagged, fuzzy eyed view upon boarding, it was comfortably easy to see: Viking has hit that mark with extreme accuracy, the likes of which I have never seen before.

Of particular interest, a brand new ship on her very first sailing with real passengers on board that seems as though it has been sailing for years. Not surprisingly, Viking has doubled its fleet while simultaneously duplicating the same comfy onboard ambience we experienced on Viking Star last year. Of the history-making event, Viking chairman Torstein Hagen commented, “Too often in recent years the most talked about ships have been the biggest ships. It is our view that some cruise lines have focused too much on building bigger ships and not enough on helping guests connect with the destination.”

Further proof of Hagen’s words are found all around us aboard Viking Sea. Familiar decor elements, ship layout and design have taken the notion of each ship having a personality of its own off the table, squarely placing the focus on destinations.

travel the world in comfort

It’s more than a slogan. It’s what they do and prove to us over and over again.

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