Viking Ocean Cruises·Viking Venus

Viking Venus - Australia & New Zealand

4.5(42 reviews)
via U.S. News & Cruise Critic · Jun 2026
|14 Nights|9 Ports|4 Sea Days

A 14-night one-way crossing from Sydney to Auckland that overnights in both bookend cities and threads the Bass Strait, Tasman Sea, and Foveaux Strait between nine port calls. It hits Melbourne, Hobart, and five New Zealand ports including art deco Napier and geothermal Rotorua via Tauranga, with a Viking shore excursion included at every stop.

Nature LoversSeniorsCouplesAdventure SeekersAdults Only

Price Range

$$$$$

Ultra-Luxury

DepartureSydney, Australia
Dress CodeElegant Casual
MealsIncluded
WiFiIncluded

*Prices vary by cabin type, sailing date, and availability. Confirm rates with Viking Ocean Cruises before booking.

Ship Details — Viking Venus

View full Viking Venus details

Year Built

2021

Tonnage

47,800 GT

Passengers

930

Crew

550

Decks

9

Class

Viking Ocean

Itinerary & Route Map

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Onboard Amenities

The Spa (Thermal Suite Included)
Infinity Pool
Explorers Lounge
The Theater
World Café
The Restaurant
Manfredi's Italian
Aquavit Terrace
Library
Fitness Center
Wine Bar
Pool Bar
Main Pool with retractable glass roof (magrodome) and hot tub
Aft Infinity Pool off the Aquavit Terrace
Nordic Spa (LivNordic) — complimentary thermal suite
Snow Grotto
Dry sauna, steam room, thalassotherapy pool, cold plunge pool
The Restaurant (main dining room)
World Cafe buffet with Aquavit Terrace alfresco dining
Manfredi's Italian/Tuscan steakhouse
The Chef's Table tasting menu with wine pairings
Mamsen's Norwegian deli
Pool Grill
Wintergarden afternoon tea
24-hour room service
Star Theater (two-deck show lounge and cinema)
Torshavn nightclub
Explorers' Lounge (two-deck bow observation lounge)
The Living Room atrium and library
Fitness center
The Spa and salon
The Kitchen Table cooking school
All-balcony staterooms with heated bathroom floors and free WiFi

Cruise Highlights

Overnight stays in both Sydney and Auckland for harbor-city evenings
Hobart's convict-era history and Tasmanian wilderness excursions
Dunedin's Otago Peninsula albatross and penguin colonies
Geothermal Rotorua and Maori cultural experiences from Tauranga

About the Ship

What Travelers Say About Viking Venus

Reviews of the ship itself — the same for every Viking Venus sailing. Based on 350 discussions.

Viking Venus is one of the newer ships in Viking's ocean fleet, debuting in 2021, and it earns the line's top marks while delivering the same refined, adults-only formula Viking is known for. With about 930 guests, all in veranda staterooms, it pairs understated modern Scandinavian design — knitting-pattern atrium motifs, fireplaces and faux-fur throws — with a deliberately calm, no-kids atmosphere. U.S. News rates it 4.5 out of 5 across 42 passenger reviews, ranking it the top Viking ocean ship, a reflection of its fresher build and consistently praised crew, even though the review base is smaller than the older ships'.

What People Love

  • Outstanding crew and service, frequently described as radiant and superb, backed by a roughly one-to-two crew-to-guest ratio
  • Strikingly beautiful modern Nordic design, with hygge touches like fireplaces, faux-fur throws and atrium knitting motifs that reviewers call the prettiest ship they've sailed
  • Excellent all-inclusive dining across The Restaurant, Manfredi's, The Chef's Table, World Cafe and Mamsen's, with praise for special-diet handling

Common Complaints

  • Weak entertainment is the most common complaint — no casino, no production shows, and the ship can feel like it lacks life at night
  • Too sedate or sleepy for some travelers, with an explicitly older, largely retired demographic
  • Limited daytime onboard activities, with some guests noting there is very little to do on sea days
See the full Viking Venus ship page — all 16 pros & cons, review & FAQs

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