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Ship comparison

Viking Orion vs Viking Vesta

The verdict

Which should you choose?

Viking Orion is a mid-size Viking Ocean Cruises ship carrying 930 passengers, in service since 2018. Viking Vesta is a mid-size Viking Ocean Cruises ship carrying 998 passengers, in service since 2025.

Choose Viking Orion if you want more crew per passenger or more adventure and nature: it outscores Viking Vesta for adventure & nature (7.0 vs 6.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores and it has a crew member for every 1.7 passengers (vs 2.1).

Choose Viking Vesta if you want a lower starting fare, a newer ship or a more romantic trip: it outscores Viking Orion for romantic (9.0 vs 8.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores, its cruises start from $2,599 (vs $5,999) and its maiden voyage was in 2025 (vs 2018).

Side by side

Specifications

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

Viking OrionViking Vesta
Cruise line Viking Ocean Cruises Viking Ocean Cruises
Ship size Medium Medium
Maiden voyagenewer highlighted 2018 2025 (better)
Gross tonnage 47,800 48,900
Passengers 930 998
Crew 550 465
Passengers per crew memberfewer is better 1.7 (better) 2.1
Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier 51.4 (better) 49.0
Decks 14 10
Length 745 ft 784 ft
Beam 95 ft 101 ft
Speed 23 mph 23 mph
Cruiseable ratingout of 10 10 / 10 10 / 10
Cruises on sale 60 98
Upcoming sailings 112 139
Cruise lengths 10–92 nights 7–169 nights
Fares fromlower highlighted $5,999 $2,599 (better)

Bliss scores

How they rate, out of 10

Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday. Viking Orion leads on 1 of the ten, Viking Vesta on 3, with 6 level.

  • Active Viking Orion: 8.0 Viking Vesta: 8.0
  • Adventure & nature Viking Orion: 7.0 Viking Vesta: 6.0
  • Cultural Viking Orion: 8.0 Viking Vesta: 8.0
  • Dining Viking Orion: 7.0 Viking Vesta: 7.0
  • Entertainment Viking Orion: 6.0 Viking Vesta: 7.0
  • Family friendly Viking Orion: 5.0 Viking Vesta: 5.0
  • Party Viking Orion: 5.0 Viking Vesta: 6.0
  • Romantic Viking Orion: 8.0 Viking Vesta: 9.0
  • Spa & fitness Viking Orion: 10.0 Viking Vesta: 10.0
  • Staterooms Viking Orion: 7.0 Viking Vesta: 7.0

Viking Ocean Cruises

Viking Vesta

Viking Vesta joined Viking’s ocean fleet in July 2025. It carries just 998 guests in 499 staterooms, and every stateroom has a private veranda — one of the defining traits of Viking’s all-veranda ocean design.

Sailing now

98 cruises on sale, from $2,599.

Questions

Viking Orion or Viking Vesta?

Which is bigger, Viking Orion or Viking Vesta?

Viking Vesta is bigger at 48,900 gross tons, against 47,800 gross tons for Viking Orion. Viking Orion carries 930 passengers and Viking Vesta carries 998.

Which ship is newer, Viking Orion or Viking Vesta?

Viking Vesta is newer, with a maiden voyage in 2025 against 2018 for Viking Orion.

Which has more space per passenger?

Viking Orion, with 51.4 gross tons per passenger against 49.0 on Viking Vesta. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.

Which has more crew per passenger?

Viking Orion, with one crew member for every 1.7 passengers against one for every 2.1 on Viking Vesta.

Which is better for families?

They score the same for family friendliness in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores: 5.0 out of 10.

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