Viking Jupiter — Jim Winslett

Started off this morning with breakfast and packing. Rob wanted a t-shirt he saw in a shop yesterday, so we headed over there to get it.

On the way, we passed the famous hot dog stand

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Since it was early (around 10:30am) there was no lineup, so I figured what the hell. We got one last time we were here and we weren’t all that impressed, but with no lineup, I figured I’d give it another shot.

The verdict is still decidedly meh.

I should explain what’s going on here - it’s a wiener made with lamb and pork, a toasted bun, fried onions (beneath the wiener), ketchup, hot dog mustard (which is only used on hot dogs - it’s sweet rather than spicy), and remoulade sauce.

It’s not bad, but it’s boring and nobody needs three sauces on their hot dog.

Then back to the hotel to wait for the taxi. Before long, we were at the docks and thru security and hanging out at the lunch area. After a plate of spaghetti and some wine, it was time to explore the ship while we waited for our luggage to get to the room.

The Viking Jupiter is identical to all the other ocean vessels in Viking’s fleet. It’s a smaller ship (holds 930 passengers) than the ships in many other cruise lines.

The interior is very Scandinavian in design - and the ship is spotlessly clean.

I like how they did the deck numbers by the elevators

Our stateroom is about twice the size of our hotel room!

The washroom is also way bigger than the hotel’s

And the balcony is nice with a good view of Videy Island and its ferry

One thing I never get used to on a cruise ship is how long the hallways are

Up top, there’s a view of the city - “Lief Erikson’s Church” really stands out on that hill!

Plenty of seating areas outside as well

There’s a putting green and bocce court - two games that must get infinitely more difficult when the ship is moving

The ship also has several nice bars - and the drinks are less than half the price of what they were in town!

There’s a lounge and reading area at the front of the ship

And the “Wintergarden” area where they serve high tea every afternoon

There’s a pool area with retractable roof

display of traditional Norwegian National Costumes (their words)

There’s no casino on board, but the lounge/games area has tables where you can play blackjack and other stuff

Deck 2 has a jogging/walking track (4 laps = 1 mile)

Plus a nicely-equipped exercise room

After seeing some of our fellow shipmates, I have a feeling this room won’t be very crowded. I think I might be the youngest passenger on board!

There’s also a big theatre where they show movies as well as give lectures about the upcoming destinations

For dinner, we headed down to the main restaurant

We both had stir-fry beef and steamed rice, which was delicious

And finished off with a cheese plate

…and chambord, which was also good

Oh, and about 5 glasses of surprisingly-good red wine, since wine is included with meals.

Then it was up to the explorer’s lounge for some nice music by a very talented guitarist/singer

While here, we tried “Norwegian coffee” - coffee + aquavit (booze made from caraway seeds). Rob liked it a lot. I’m not sold. I love aquavit - and Iceland’s famous Brennivin is my fave - but I don’t think it goes well in coffee

However, I gotta say that the Caffe Americano I had at dinner is one of the best cups of coffee I’ve had in ages.

After heading back to the stateroom, I changed into my swimsuit and headed to the aft deck and had a nice swim in the infinity pool. I had it all to myself - it was really nice.