Deluxe Cruises – Viking Cruises Bets You’ll Be Ready For This Epic Journey In 2022-23

How many of the 58 ports on this 138-day cruise have you been to?

Once the world is vaccinated and the pandemic subsides, many will be craving a cruise again. Viking Cruises has a new 138-day World Cruise that might be the most relaxing way to (almost) circle the globe. It visits some of the world’s most famous destinations on almost every continent.

For those with a little less time on their hands, there’s also the 121-day Viking World Journeys which goes to many of the same ports. It begins January 8, 2023.

Start in Florida, end in England, see the world in between

Viking’s World Cruise begins on December 22, 2022 in Fort Lauderdale. It first stops in Cozumel, Mexico, and then sails to Cartagena in Colombia. After transiting the Panama Canal, it stops in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The ship then heads north to Cabo and California before crossing the Pacific to Hawaii and then sails to several French Polynesian islands.

After crossing the International Date Line, you’ll stop at several New Zealand ports before going to nine different stops in Australia. Next up is Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and Burma/Myanmar, and then on to Sri Lanka, India, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, and Israel before heading into the Mediterranean.

Stops in the Med include Greece, Turkey, Italy, Monaco, Spain, and Portugal. After crossing the English Channel, you’ll see the white cliffs of Dover on day 136 and know it’s almost time to become a landlubber again. The last two days of the cruise are spent in Greenwich, England, the gateway to London.

The Viking Neptune

The World Cruise is aboard the spacious and elegant Viking Neptune, which has 465 staterooms in five categories. Each stateroom has a veranda and is a minimum of 270 square feet. Your stateroom has a king bed with luxe linen, free wifi and movies on-demand, a mini-bar, plenty of storage areas, and a spacious bathroom with heated floors. Room service is at no additional charge. While laundry service is available, Viking ships have convenient free-to-use washing machines and driers too.

The ship has countless spaces to sit and relax or be entertained. There are two outdoor pools (one covered by a retractable roof), hot tubs, as well as the LivNordic Spa, with more hot pools, a sauna, and even a Snow Grotto. The ship also has two cinemas, a theater, a walking/jogging track, a fully-equipped gym, and an outdoor sports deck, plus live music, guest lecturers, destination performances, culinary classes, and more.

Guests have eight dining options to choose from, two needing advance reservations: The Chef’s Table for a multi-course tasting menu and Manfredi’s for Italian. The World Café (don’t miss the seafood cold bar) and Pool Grill also have outdoor dining (covered and non). Other centers for meals, snacks, and drinks are The Restaurant, the Wintergarden for afternoon tea, the Aquavit Terrace, Mamsen’s, the Explorer’s Lounge, the espresso bar, the Viking Living Room, and Torshavan bar.

Any guests with food allergies or requiring special diets will be thrilled with Viking’s ability to adapt menus to their needs. There’s always a range of choices that satisfy, and staff double check to make sure your dishes meet all your requirements.

Book before February 28 for bonuses

Booking prior to February 28, 2021 means bonuses of $2,000 per person to spend as you wish on shore excursions, plus $1,000 per person in shipboard credit (double the latter if you’re a Viking Explorer Society Member).

The cruise fare also includes business class flights, onboard gratuities and service fees, the wonderful Silver Spirits beverage package, wifi, an excursion at each port, port taxes and fees.