Cruiseable Plan my cruise

Ship comparison

Explora III vs Viking Sea

The verdict

Which should you choose?

Explora III is a mid-size Explora Journeys ship carrying 922 passengers. Viking Sea is a mid-size Viking Ocean Cruises ship carrying 930 passengers, in service since 2016. Explora III has no Bliss scores yet, so the verdict rests on the figures we do hold.

Choose Explora III if you want more space per passenger: it has 80.2 gross tons per passenger (vs 51.4).

Choose Viking Sea if you want a lower starting fare: its cruises start from $2,899 (vs $4,160).

Side by side

Specifications

marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.

Explora IIIViking Sea
Cruise line Explora Journeys Viking Ocean Cruises
Ship size Medium Medium
Maiden voyagenewer highlighted — 2016
Gross tonnage 73,904 47,800
Passengers 922 930
Crew — 550
Passengers per crew memberfewer is better — 1.7
Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier 80.2 (better) 51.4
Decks — 14
Length 879 ft 745 ft
Beam 108 ft 95 ft
Speed — 23 mph
Cruiseable ratingout of 10 — 10 / 10
Cruises on sale 109 64
Upcoming sailings 123 135
Cruise lengths 7 to 25 nights 7 to 28 nights
Fares fromlower highlighted $4,160 $2,899 (better)

Bliss scores

How they rate, out of 10

Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday.

Explora III has no Bliss scores yet.

  • Active Viking Sea: 7.0
  • Adventure & nature Viking Sea: 5.0
  • Cultural Viking Sea: 7.0
  • Dining Viking Sea: 6.0
  • Entertainment Viking Sea: 6.0
  • Family friendly Viking Sea: 4.0
  • Party Viking Sea: 5.0
  • Romantic Viking Sea: 7.5
  • Spa & fitness Viking Sea: 8.0
  • Staterooms Viking Sea: 7.0

Viking Ocean Cruises

Viking Sea

Viking Ocean Cruises launched its second ocean cruise ship in April 2016. Nearly identical to its sister ship, Viking Star (see review), the 930-passenger Viking Sea focuses on destination immersion, giving guests ample time to explore ports large and small.

Highlights

  • Local musicians playing regional music in three-deck atrium
  • Offshore excursions introducing local culture
  • All-veranda staterooms
  • Afternoon tea service in the Wintergarten

Sailing now

64 cruises on sale, from $2,899.

Questions

Explora III or Viking Sea?

Which is bigger, Explora III or Viking Sea?

Explora III is bigger at 73,904 gross tons, against 47,800 gross tons for Viking Sea. Explora III carries 922 passengers and Viking Sea carries 930.

Which has more space per passenger?

Explora III, with 80.2 gross tons per passenger against 51.4 on Viking Sea. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.

Still deciding?

Tell us what matters and we will match the sailing

Send your dates, budget and who is travelling, and our partner travel agency will come back to you about Explora III, Viking Sea or a ship that suits you better.

Plan my cruise

Compare different ships