Tour + Cruise Team Leader, Nat, sailed between Rome and Barcelona with Viking. She spent 7 nights onboard the Viking Vesta and loved the Western Mediterranean Cruise itinerary.
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Learn more about the Viking Vesta in Nat’s review below.
Welcome / Boarding
We boarded Viking Vesta in Rome and the arrival process was seamless. We were given our passenger cards on the dock, passports were checked over and our luggage was taken away to be delivered to our cabin later. We were very impressed walking onto the ship, it is so spacious, clean, calming and the staff onboard are so helpful and friendly.
Cabin Onboard Viking Vesta
We stayed in a V2 Veranda, deck 3 aft which is the lead-in. The room was more spacious than I expected with a little sitting area beside our twin-beds. The mini bar was stocked with non-alcoholic drinks and some snacks. The balcony was large enough for us both to relax and there was a small table to eat our room service on. The shower and ensuite was larger than most cruise showers with enough room to comfortably get ready in.
Onboard Facilities
The ship is easy to navigate because it is smaller and locations are well communicated at the lifts. There are so many chairs and places to sit- either on the deck outside, by the pools, by the cafe, in a bar or in the ‘games areas’ where there are puzzles, digital games and board games. There are also games like table tennis and shuffle-board on the top deck.
The Nordic Spa is wonderful. I loved the cold / hot routine of popping into the sauna, cold plunge, steam room and snow grotto. Everyone I spoke to also loved it. We did this most days, along with chilling in the spa/hydrotherapy pool. There was only one time where it was too busy for my liking but usually only a couple other people were there. I had a massage onboard, which was very good. Although it was very expensive, it was the most comfortable massage bed I’ve been on. I didn’t use the gym but the facilities are fantastic and have a view out to sea.
Entertainment was a pianist, a cellist, the Viking band and a guitarist who played acoustic tunes in different locations over the cruise- this was my favourite. I never went to anything in the theatre, but it is a very nice space. Viking features lots of documentaries and history talks.
There are also several laundries onboard and they are included. I used it twice and it was so easy, all the powders are already loaded, you just press the buttons and come back later. You could also pay to have your laundry done if you prefer.
Dining and Bar Viking Vesta
My top dining highlight was eating breakfast on the Aquavit Terrace. You can book a table on the port side but we always found a table no matter the time we arrived. This was the buffet with a huge variety of foods, eggs to order and changing specials. Juice is included in this service and tea and coffee in this space is always available.
It was great for lunch here too, along with the Pool Grill which was quite American with their food offerings (burgers, hot dogs, salads, hot chips). For dinner, The Restaurant, Manfredis & The Chefs Table were all equally as great. The service was efficient and as per most cruises I have sailed on, the food isn’t very hot but it is very delicious. The Chef’s Table is a 5 course dinner paired with wines that changes themes every couple of days so you could visit more than once on your cruise (pending availability) and have a different meal. I didn’t eat at Mamsens with local Norwegian food, just not for me. We had high-tea in the Wintergarden and that was very good, we would have gone again if we had the time.
We had the Silver Spirits Beverage package which made it easy and did not have to worry about the bill at the end. A cocktail was around $11 USD which isn’t too bad if you opted to pay as you go and have a few on the cruise. There are waiters that will take your drink order around/in the pool, which is great. Coffee is available in the buffet or in the Viking Bar, which also has little sweet treats. All the bars onboard are great and it never took too long to get a drink.
Shore Excursions
The shore excursions were extremely well organised, timely, had knowledgeable guides, good buses and the included city tours were really great. They all gave us some free time in each place and had the option to stay back and catch the Viking shuttle at a later time to go back to the ship. The shuttles ran regularly at port for anyone wanting to do their own thing. I did this in Marseille as I wanted to spend more time there and the meeting place was easy to find. We did two full day paid shore excursions and they were just as good as the included tours, just longer. One was at a winery which was special and we had lunch and wines included.
Overall
The best port was in Monaco as we were right in the centre, looking out into the Marina and all the beautiful buildings. All the other ports were, like usual, industrial and not always so pretty. The water was always stunning and arriving in port with the sun rising was always beautiful. The colours at sunset and sunrise were incredible, one of my highlights that cost nothing! It made the infinity pool at the back of the ship really good as you could enjoy the sunset from there or look out to sea.
We loved the little touches like leaving a bookmark in our book we left by our bed and making a ginger tea with real ginger as there was none on offer at the tea & coffee station. The cleanliness & hygiene level is huge on board which is so appreciated.
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