Explore More Magazine Summer 2019

Your WORLD We catch up

Your WORLD We catch up with where you’ve been and what you’ve seen on your Viking cruises...and where you’re off to next YOUR LETTERS A trip to remember My wife and I would like to thank you all for a very memorable cruise. Everything was just great – the ship was beautiful, and, above all, the level of service was impeccable. Chris Rabbitts The magic touch We have just returned from our third ocean cruise (our 12th cruise overall) and we wanted to tell you, yet again, what a wonderful time we both had. Although we arrived late at night, the staff were still smiling and welcoming and, as usual, they proved to be your greatest asset. There was a selection of sandwiches and a bottle of wine to greet us in our stateroom too, and it is special touches like these that make Viking stand out from its competitors. We are very privileged to have travelled so widely and to have seen a great deal of the world, and much of this is courtesy of Viking. Thank you for all the experiences you have made possible for us. We are truly appreciative and have so many happy memories. Barbara and Keith Horden First-time feedback We are just back from our first Viking cruise and I wanted to say a huge thank you for a truly wonderful experience. Our expectations were high, but they were more than met. From the first telephone conversation I had when making the booking to the Viking escort who dropped us off at the airport on the final day of our holiday, we were made to feel special throughout, and receiving a lovely ‘welcome home’ card and gift was very much appreciated. For me, it was all the extra little touches that made such a difference. Our stateroom was so spacious and always immaculately serviced but features such as the underfloor heating in the bathroom and the helpful lighting in the vanity unit really stood out. I also liked the fact that so much on the cruise was included and no extras were expected for many of the tours, the spa and the option of dining in the alternative restaurants. The quality of the food and drink was fabulous, too, and although we had a Silver Spirits beverage package, we were very surprised at the reasonable cost of the drinks on board. Likewise, the service we received from Viking staff was marvellous, and everyone went above and beyond to make our holiday extra special. I could go on to name lots of people but, quite honestly, everybody deserves to be praised. Now we’re very much looking forward to our next trip: Imperial Jewels of China. Pauline Paddon A toast to the crew Our sixth Viking river cruise, Château, Rivers & Wine, really had the wow factor, and we would love it if our congratulations could be passed onto Captain Darrio and all the crew and staff on board and off shore. Their work effort was tremendous, and nothing was ever too much trouble. It was also our best cruise yet for the entertainment provided, and we are both so looking forward to our next ocean cruise with Viking with great levels of anticipation. Judith and Julian Walther STAR LETTER On the final day of our recent Cultural Cuba cruise, we disembarked Viking Star in Miami, and explored the city. Afterwards, we were dropped at the Bayside Market area and could see Viking Star docked by the waterfront, so we wandered down for a last wave goodbye. A man standing beside us looked up and said: “That is my ship”. We assumed he meant it was his fantasy ship, and we quickly told him it was, in fact, ‘our’ ship as we had just left it. With a wry smile, he replied: “No, it really is my ship”. It was at this point we realised we were talking to our captain, Martin Birkeland. We chatted about the ship and our cruise, and then went our separate ways. It was a lovely end to yet another great Viking experience. Margaret and John Mason You could win... ...a £50 M&S gift voucher if your letter is chosen as our star letter. Email us at uk-marketing@ vikingrivercruises.com PHOTOS: © ISTOCK 8 VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK | SUMMER 2019

LETTERS YOUR PHOTOS #MyVikingStory Follow us on Instagram @VikingCruises for more inspirational images Cruise highlights Clockwise from top left: 1. Journeys linger, in Lisbon, Portugal. TravelEsquire 2. We saw a beautiful array of tulips and orchids on our Keukenhof garden tour. Maria Isabel Darlington 3. A treat from Elisabeth Biscarrat, found on our Viking tasting tour in Strasbourg. CruiseAddicts 4. Taking flight over the Valley of the Kings and the Nile in Luxor, Egypt, an incredible view! Pamela Shaffer 5. The homes along the Guamá River are built on stilts because of the variation of the water level. dianneinlv 6. I adored visiting Èeský Krumlov on my Viking cruise! Kirsten Alana 7. Colourful homes in Dominica. SusanWagener 8. Sunset Over The Middle Rhine - thank you Viking for the amazing view. GeofotoF 9. Huge thanks to the crew who helped make my birthday an amazing one! OneModernCouple YOUR MESSAGES Hit List Fantastic service, beautiful ships, wonderful food and amazing staff… do I need to go on? Viking is simply the best. Lynn Morris The rib eye steak in Manfredi’s is too good to miss! Mark Borrill I’ve been going on Viking river cruises for many years and I know that any ship I travel on will have the same high standard of service. Ann Vine We are aboard Viking Orion in June to see Alaska. This will be our 20th Viking cruise: 16 river and four ocean cruises. We prefer river for cruise experience but ocean for the fantastic luxury. John Varndell We were fortunate to do the Mekong cruise last October and it was a wonderful experience. Everything was very well organised, the ship was stunning and Smiley and Tony, our Viking tour guides, were awesome. Ashley Adsett Whichever Viking ship we sail on, it becomes our home-awayfrom-home. You already know how much we love you, and we wouldn’t dream of sailing with any other cruise line. Ro Davis Lovely people, great food, fabulous culture... what’s not to like? Deborah Davies Loved our visit to St. Petersburg on our Viking cruise. Intend to return. Margaret Scott We have never cruised with Viking before but after seeing so many positive comments we are thinking of booking the Japan ocean cruise for next April. It is very reassuring. Linda Blake SUMMER 2019 | VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK 9