Viking Jupiter, a Tour.

November 17, 2022. At sea off the west coast of Africa.

At 3 o’clock in the morning it was my good fortune to find enough bandwidth to upload the images that I had taken of various areas of our cruise ship, Viking Jupiter.

This is a vessel in the “small ship” class. At 745 feet in length and with a beam of 94.5 feet the Viking Jupiter can host up to 930 guests.

I recently read that Royal Caribbean is preparing to launch a ship that is capable of hosting over 7500 guests. Including crew that would be a complement of over 10,000 people making it the world’s largest passenger vessel ever afloat. Thank you, but that’s an experience that I will let others enjoy.

Key features of the Viking ocean “experience“ are the things that are missing: no children, no dress-up nights, no picture nights, no casinos, and no “nickel and diming“. What we have found is a thoughtful adult experience. I have previously shared images of a daily calendar. There is a wealth of relaxation and recreational activities but also enrichment opportunities that include a variety of lectures and presentations on topics relevant to the cruise.

Mornings begin with wake up in our well appointed state room. All rooms aboard Viking Jupiter include a balcony. There are no interior staterooms.

Depending on The ship’s direction and whether your accommodation is port or starboard, morning may feature sunrise, or evening may feature sunset.

At the topside center of the ship there is a main swimming pool. The glass roof above it can be opened or closed depending on weather conditions.

At the rear of the ship is another swim area with hot tub that features an “infinity pool“ which presents the illusion of floating off the end of the ship.

Surrounding both of those two swim areas are couches, recliners, and tables where one can eat or simply take a break to relax with a good book or a drink.

A third swimming option is presented in the ship’s spa. The spa includes hot tubs, a large circulating pool, sauna, steam room, ice room, and other amenities.

Other relaxation areas include The Explorers Lounge which provides a forward view of the ship,

the Wintergarden where afternoon tea and entertainment may be enjoyed,

various windowed halls, some of which include Nordic themed displays,

an amphitheater for entertainment, lectures, and group presentations,

and of course no cruise ship would be complete without plenty of areas to enjoy adult beverages.

There are three restaurants available for elegant dining, two of which require reservations. “Elegant casual“ is the dress code, suit coats are not required.

A central grand staircase features a video rotation of art. It leads down to a venue where live classical music plays in the afternoon and evening.

My morning experience typically begins in the well-equipped gym.

There is also a top deck recreation area and a quarter mile open deck walking track around the vessel. When seas are a bit “up“ it makes for an interesting alternating uphill/downhill experience made all the more challenging by a stiff breeze.

I have found that I enjoy the “at sea” days just as much as the “in port” days. This current sailing is scheduled for 22 days. Our prior two were of 15 and 21 days duration. We have discussed future cruises, even speculated that an around the world cruise would be a fitting celebration for 50 years of marriage. Whether or not those thoughts become “next things” remains to be seen.

For now we are enjoying this experience and… Peace Everyone. Pete