Mediterranean
The easiest great cruise there is: short flights, famous ports, and a ship for every kind of family.
Cruise line
Viking
Calm, adults-only ships with Scandinavian design and an excursion included in every port.
Viking's ocean ships carry around 930 guests, are adults-only, have no casinos or children's facilities, and include an excursion in every port; Viking's river and expedition fleets follow the same understated formula.
Viking is for adults who want a serene, culturally minded ship with no fuss. The design is clean and Scandinavian, the pace is gentle, there are no casinos, no formal nights and no children, and an excursion is included at every stop. It sits just below the ultra-luxury lines on price and feel, which makes it excellent value for couples and groups of friends.
Because the ships are adults-only, Viking is not an option for multigenerational groups with grandchildren under eighteen. For grandparents travelling alone or with adult children, it is one of the easiest recommendations we make.
What's included
- Veranda staterooms
- One excursion in every port
- Wi-Fi
- Beer and wine with lunch and dinner
- Speciality dining
Ships
- Viking Star
- Viking Sea
- Viking Sky
- Viking Orion
- Viking Jupiter
- Viking Venus
- Viking Mars
- Viking Neptune
- Viking Saturn
- Viking Octantis
- Viking Polaris
On board
What Viking is actually like
Four honest notes, in our words, on the things people ask us about most.
- Suites
- All-veranda staterooms on the ocean ships, calm Scandinavian design and generous bathrooms; river ships have the Explorer Suites at the stern as the ones to ask for.
- Dining
- Several restaurants including Manfredi's and The Chef's Table, with no speciality charges; good, consistent, not showy. An elegant-casual evening.
- Facilities
- A spa with a snow grotto, an infinity pool, lectures rather than casinos, and no children under 18 anywhere, which sets the atmosphere.
- Children
- Adults only: Viking does not carry guests under eighteen. Ideal for grandparents travelling as a couple or with adult children; not an option for family groups.
Who it's for
- Grandparents travelling as a couple or with adult children
- Couples who want calm and culture over glitz
- First-time cruisers who dread the stereotype
- Travellers who want very good value
Who it isn't for
- Any party with children or teenagers under eighteen
- Travellers who want butlers and ultra-luxury suites
- Anyone looking for nightlife
Not sure Viking is the right fit?
Tell us who's travelling and what matters most. We'll say honestly whether we'd book this line for you, or which one we'd choose instead.
Where they sail
Destinations
Greek Islands
Small ships, island overnights, and a late season that runs into October.
Adriatic & Croatia
Venice, Dubrovnik and Kotor in a week, on ships small enough for the old harbours.
Caribbean
Winter sun for the whole family, on ships that make Christmas and half-term easy.
Norwegian Fjords
No long flight, dramatic scenery from your terrace, and a season made for grandparents.
Baltic & Northern Capitals
Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn and Helsinki in a week, with culture the whole way.
Compared
Viking against the alternatives
The best luxury cruises for over-60s
Luxury cruise lines that suit travellers in their sixties and seventies: pacing, comfort, inclusive fares, accessibility, no-fly options and the ships we recommend most.
The best luxury Norwegian fjords cruises
Luxury Norwegian fjord cruises compared by Blackbury: no-fly departures from Southampton and Dover, small ships with the right decks, and which suits grandparents, couples and families.
Good to know
Viking: questions we're asked
Can grandchildren sail with Viking?
No. Viking's ships are adults-only (18 and over). For a multigenerational group we would look at Explora, Ritz-Carlton, Ponant or a Uniworld family sailing instead.
Further reading
Before you decide on Viking
Our own planning notes: who a ship suits, how many cabins to book, when to go.
Seven luxury cruise myths, dispelled by people who sail them
Crowds, buffets, seasickness, feeling trapped, dressing for dinner, children underfoot and the price. What is true of a 3,000-guest ship is mostly untrue of a 300-guest one. Here is what we tell first-time guests.
What to look for when choosing a cruise with older parents
Mobility, pace, medical reassurance and the small details of a ship that make a week comfortable for someone in their late seventies or eighties.
Cruising with limited mobility: what to check before you book
The questions we ask a ship on behalf of a guest who uses a stick, a frame or a wheelchair, the ports that are kind and the ones that are not, and why the right cabin matters more than the right line.
Ready to start planning?
Tell us who's travelling, where you'd like to go and what matters most. A cruise specialist shortlists the two or three ships we'd actually recommend.