Rainbows and reindeer in the land of the midnight sun: Cruise expert tests the adults-only Viking Mars ship to the Norwegian fjords Lesley Bellew climbs aboard for an 'elegant' voyage from the UK to Scandinavia Seals on white sand beaches and husky puppies are holiday highlights READ MORE: 'I'm a cruise expert and I'd never bring these five items onboard' By Lesley Bellew For The Mail On Sunday Published: 15:28, 5 August 2024 | Updated: 15:50, 5 August 2024 e-mail View comments After sailing along the River Thames to Greenwich, Viking raiders pelted the Archbishop of Canterbury with cow bones before delivering a fatal blow to the head. Fortunately, 1,000 years later, my daughter, Amy, and I receive a much warmer welcome from Viking Mars ’ crew. And after a 10-minute check-in at Greenwich Pier, we board the 930-guest ship moored on the Thames ahead of our Into The Midnight Sun cruise to Norway.
Champagne is waiting in our balcony suite to celebrate Amy’s 40th birthday, and a cabin steward calls in to say mini-bar drinks and the ironing service are complimentary, so we empty the contents of our cases and get them freshly pressed. Lovely. We set about exploring this elegant, adults-only ship where light pours into the grand double-height atrium.
Guests lounge on sofas draped with throws, reading, and listening to the pianist while waiters bring drinks. We stop for coffee, check our schedule and head to Mamsen’s snack bar for Norwegian open sandwiches piled with salmon and .