The Ship’s Public Areas

With a few hours til we arrive at our next port in Tahiti, we thought we’d share some highlights of the public areas of the Viking Sun, our home-away-from-home for the next four months. All Viking ocean ships are built in Italy and utilize exactly the same footprint. With a maximum of 930 passengers and a total weight of 48,000 tons, Viking ocean ships are considered small cruising ships. The maiden voyage for the Sun was in 2017, and vigilant maintenance and a passenger to crew ratio of 1.69:1 keep her “ship shape.”

There are 9 decks on-board, so we’ll start at the top with the Sports Deck. The Sports Deck offers panoramic views in all directions from the bridge, and it’s the ideal spot for those preferring an outdoor fitness experience. There’s a walking track; lots of games such as bocce ball, shuffleboard, and ping pong; and a putting green. People enjoy practicing yoga up there, and there are plenty of nooks and crannies to just chill in/on the sun.

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Further down, there’s a retractable roof that opens to the main pool, pool bar, and pool grill below. During inclement weather or unrelenting sun, the roof can be fully or partially closed to allow full use of the pool deck most of the time. We enjoy a casual lunch at the pool grill, which features a selection of cold salads as well as grill items such as burgers, fries, and foot-long Norwegian hot dogs topped with shrimp salad and caviar!

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The two-story Explorer’s Lounge is one of our favorite places to watch the sunrise/sunset, enjoy casual entertainment and cocktails, or just relax. It has a galaxy theme throughout, and houses Mamsen’s, which offers early risers coffee, breakfast, lunch, and even a midnight snack. Mamsen’s pastries are an indulgence we allow ourselves only occasionally, our favorite being the success cake!

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The Wintergarden provides passage between several areas of the ship, and offers daily afternoon tea as well as another restful place to relax with beautiful artwork and comfortable seating.

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The on-board shops offer fashions, jewelry, specialty items, souvenirs, and toiletries, and the Liv Nordic Spa and Fitness Center is a haven for fitness and relaxation products and services…so much a part of the Viking experience that it will have its own post later in the cruise.

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The first deck living room is the central hub of activity! Entertainment is offered throughout the day, and a bank of computers is available for guests to avail themselves of the free Wi-fi which works most of the time. There’s a lending library with a curated selection of books as well as an exchange option that allows guests to pick one and leave one. The bar offers a wide selection of beverages, specialty coffees, and snacks throughout the day and well into the evening. The grand staircase is a central meeting place, and rotating artwork is projected at the top of the stairs.

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We hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse of the more public areas of the Viking Sun. We promise to cover the restaurants and bars as well as the spa, entertainment, and our cabin in greater detail in future posts. But for now we’re heading to the Explorer’s Lounge for some music and a snack!