After taking a Viking Ocean Iceland cruise on Viking Star, we couldn’t wait to try the almost brand-new Viking Vesta. We enjoyed our sailing and have put together this guide to help you decide if Viking Vesta is the right ship for you. We’ll tell you about the Viking Vesta deck plan and whether you’ll notice the ship is bigger, which Viking Vesta restaurants are the best, and provide tips to help you make the most of your time onboard if you do decide to book a Viking Vesta cruise.

Viking Vesta: An Overview

Viking Vesta has 998 passengers and is a bit larger and wider than most other ships in the fleet. That said, the only change we noticed was the World Café’s new ice cream and dessert section (because who doesn’t love dessert!?!). Unless you’re a dessert fanatic like me, you probably won’t notice any difference at all aside from the fact the ship is lovely and new.

Viking Vesta Deck Plan

Even though Viking Vesta is slightly larger, the deck layout is the same as the line’s other ships. If you’ve been on another Viking Ocean cruise, you’ll be able to find your way around with ease. Most of the cabins are on the middle decks, aside from a few staterooms on Decks 7 and 8. Deck 7 is also where you’ll find things like the pool, buffet, and our favourite bar at the front of the ship with 180-degree views. With a ship this small, it doesn’t really matter what deck your cabin is on as everything is within easy reach.

Viking Vesta Atmosphere

The overall vibe on Viking Vesta is serene and deeply relaxing, which is exactly what you want when you’ve returned from a day in one of Europe’s major ports. Even when some unpredictable winter weather rolls in, like the high winds which forced an itinerary change on our sailing, the calm atmosphere and comfortable ship conditions remained the same. On one rainy afternoon, we went to the complimentary Nordic thermal suite, alternating between the hydrotherapy pool, the steam room, and the snow grotto. The snow grotto wasn’t so bad as you’re not in there long but it’s hard not to scream under the dump bucket when the cold water splashes on your back. It’s a good feeling though.

Viking Vesta Restaurants: Our Top Picks

For food-loving Australians, the Viking Vesta restaurants on this all-inclusive ship are a massive standout, especially since none of these alternative dining venues attract an extra surcharge. We usually started our day with a pastry and coffee at Mamsen’s, then had lunch in the buffet. It was always easy to get a seat and we never had to wait long for a table for two in the main dining.

The two specialty restaurants (Manfredi’s Italian and the Chef’s Table which serves a degustation menu) are open for dinner and require reservations. Complimentary beer, soft drinks, and a rotating daily selection of red, white, and sparkling wines are served during lunch and dinner. We cruised in Europe’s low season and had good weather for most of the trip, so we took advantage of the outdoor dining area at the World Café too.

Top Tip: The 14 night sailings like the one we did are often two seven-night sailings sold as one trip. This is great as it means you can lock in the restaurants for your second sailing when the first cruise opens for dining bookings. Book your restaurants as soon as they open as the best times go quickly.

The Best Viking Vesta Cabins

One important thing to know straight up is there is no such thing as a Viking Vesta interior cabin. All the staterooms on Viking Vesta have a balcony, and all the standard staterooms (i.e. not the suites) are pretty much the same. The main thing you’re paying for when you book a more expensive veranda cabin is the ability to book dining and the complimentary included excursions earlier than other people. I’d suggest avoiding the lowest cabin category if possible, as you can only book dining and excursions onboard with these cabins. Given the restaurants and excursions are complimentary, you don’t want to miss your favourites.

Viking Vesta Shows and Music

Instead of neon lights and loud pool parties, the entertainment on Viking Vesta also leans into the ship’s classical elegance. Our favourite thing to do each evening was seeing who was playing in each of the bars and going there to enjoy a pre-dinner drink and listen to the music. The music is generally a classical duo plus a band playing easy listening music and also a singer/guitarist.

The same classical musical backdrop accompanies the traditional afternoon tea served daily in the Wintergarden lounge, although this was a bit of a scrum to get a seat if everyone was on the ship. After struggling to get a seat a few days in a row, we stopped going and save ourselves for dinner.

Viking Ocean doesn’t pride itself on its shows and therefore they’re pretty lowkey with a small group of singers and dancers and hardly any staging. If you don’t have anything else to do it’s worth heading along to a show on Viking Vesta, but don’t cut your dinner short or rush to get there.

Viking Vesta Free Excursions

One of the best things about Viking Ocean Cruises is they include at least one complimentary excursion at every port. These excursions are great if you’re a first-time visitor and aren’t familiar with the place you’re going to. For example, we loved the entertaining walking tour we did in Kotor in Montenegro. However, in Kusadasi in Türkiye, the complimentary tour visited Ephesus, one of Europe’s most famous historic sites. This was fabulous for most passengers but not for us as we’d already been to there twice.

Viking Vesta Paid Excursions

Instead, we opted for one of Viking’s for-a-fee shore excursions which took us to two ancient Ionian cities, Miletus and Magnesia. Here we got to see a vast amphitheatre, a Roman bathhouse and one of the world’s best-preserved ancient stadiums. If you’re wondering whether the paid Viking Ocean excursions are worth the cost, we can assure you they are thanks to the small group sizes, professional organisation, and excellent guides. We have never been disappointed with any river or ocean paid Viking tour.

Viking Vesta Passengers

In general, the guests on Viking Vesta are well-travelled and curious people aged 50+ who enjoy history, culture, and exploring destinations in depth. The only surprise on our Viking Vesta cruise was how much the passenger vibe differed on each of the seven-night cruises that made up our 14-night trip.

For the first week, the passengers were typical Viking guests. Generally quieter, cultured and keen on the ship’s classical performances and listening to the music. The passengers on the second seven-night sector were a party crowd and liked to stay up later, drink more and kick on at the ship’s bars. It goes to show that even if you think you know a cruise line well, you can still be surprised!

Disclosure: The writers travelled as guests of Viking Ocean Cruises.

Want more great cruise advice? Check out our tips for choosing the perfect cruise, cruising with grandchildren, cruising with tweens and cruising with kids of all ages, solo cruising, the best activities on Ovation of the Seas, doing a Transatlantic cruise with kids, cruising in Australia or Papua New Guinea, Iceland cruise tips, cruising on a megaship, scoring a bargain cruise fare, cruising the Mediterranean, making the most of a cruise ship kids club, luxury cruising with kids, and the Byron Beach Club on Carnival Cruises. We have also reviewed Disney Wonder, Viking Vesta, Douglas Mawson, Carnival Encounter, Celebrity Edge, Carnival Adventure, Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas, Carnival Splendor, Voyager of the Seas, Nieuw Statendam, Viking Helgrim, Pride of America, Coral Expeditions in Tasmania and the Great Barrier Reef, Celebrity Solstice, and Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth.