Viking Orion

Alaska in our winter, New Zealand in our summer

Viking Orion follows the seasons around the Pacific: Alaska from May to August, which is winter at home, the Pacific crossing either side of that season, and New Zealand in December, January and February. In Alaska she sails 10-night one-way voyages between Vancouver and Seward, in both directions. Ports change between departures, but Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau and Skagway are typical. Our cruises from Vancouver to Alaska show her departures beside the rest of the season.

The crossings are her longest voyages. In September she leaves Vancouver for Tokyo or Hong Kong on voyages of 23 or 37 nights, and in May she makes the 21-night passage from Tokyo to Vancouver. Calls vary; Kodiak, Sapporo and Shimizu are among them. With weeks rather than days aboard, these are the sailings for anyone who wants the voyage itself to be the holiday, and our Transpacific cruises bring them together.

Between Auckland and Sydney she sails 14-night one-ways in both directions. Stops vary, but Wellington, Dunedin (Port Chalmers), Hobart and Melbourne are often among them, and our cruises from Sydney to New Zealand show these voyages alongside the rest of the season.

For the departures from Vancouver, Seward, Tokyo and Auckland, and her Asian voyages from Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Hong Kong and Bali, we book the flights, the hotel either side and the transfers with the cruise as one holiday.

Viking Orion is one of a set of sister ships that includes Viking Sky, Viking Jupiter and Viking Venus; the rest of the line’s ships are on our Viking Ocean Cruises page.

Viking’s restaurants, from Mamsen’s to Manfredi’s

Viking builds its dining around included venues, with a few that carry a charge. The venues below are the line’s offer across its fleet. The Restaurant is the included main dining room, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a menu of regional specialities and classics. World Café runs open kitchens with live cooking, sushi and seafood, and opens onto the Aquavit Terrace for eating outdoors, while Mamsen’s serves Norwegian specialities in honour of the Hagen family matriarch.

Two of the line’s venues carry a charge: Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant, a trattoria-style room with a private dining option, and The Chef’s Table, a multi-course tasting menu with paired wines that needs a reservation.

Lounges, lectures and the Nordic Spa

Viking’s evenings centre on music and talks. The line lists The Theater for lectures, films and TED Talks, included in the fare; The Living Room, with classical music from the Viking Resident Musicians; and Torshavn, a jazz-lounge setting for live music and cocktails. Drinks in the bars are charged unless covered by a drinks package.

For sea days, The Nordic Spa is free to enter, with a sauna and a snow grotto, while treatments are charged. The Sports Deck has a running track, mini golf and shuffleboard, and the heated main pool has a retractable roof for swimming whatever the weather. On a crossing with long stretches at sea, that matters.

Can you board Viking Orion in Sydney?

Yes: in January and February she leaves Sydney on 14-night voyages that finish in Auckland. If you live in Sydney, boarding needs no flight at all; from another state it is a domestic flight, which we book too. The voyage ends in Auckland, so the flight home leaves from there, and we book that as well. Our cruises from Sydney to New Zealand in 2027 list these departures.

Viking Orion cabins and deck plans

Every cabin grade we list for Viking Orion is a balcony cabin or a suite. On a Pacific crossing your cabin is home for three weeks or more, so it pays to see the layout first: our Viking Orion cabins and deck plans set out each grade deck by deck.

At CruiseAway we sell Viking Orion’s voyages from Alaska to New Zealand. Our Best Price Guarantee applies. To see what is on sale, start with our Alaska cruises from Vancouver in 2027.