A couple cruise toward retirement aboard the Viking Star

Janice and I were three days into our cruise from Canada to Florida when I made my declaration. Much like entering the Snow Grotto, we were about to undergo a transition: We were each on the verge of retirement.

Transitions are stressful, even when they’re good ones. Living between what was and what will be is scary. Would we go nuts spending so much time together? Would we find ways to enjoy separate pursuits? This cruise sounded like a good way to test-drive the new dynamics of our golden years. We each had spent plenty of time apart in our working lives, and now we’d be sharing a cabin for 15 days, something that could put our marriage on trial.

We’d each been on cruises before—me to Mexico a few times and Janice to Alaska and the Caribbean—but we’d never sailed together. I just hoped Janice wouldn’t want to abandon ship at the first chance.

After flying to Montréal, we boarded our vessel. With a 930-passenger capacity, the Viking Star is a Goldilocks ship: small enough to see familiar faces each day, but big enough to offer many activities. Its smaller size came with other benefits, too. For starters, it allowed us to dock in Montréal, something larger ships can’t do because they’re too tall to pass under older bridges.

I was a little tense as we approached our stateroom for the first time. After all, this was where we’d be spending lots of time together. But I was impressed by our cabin’s contemporary design, with light woods and nautical colors giving it a Scandinavian feel. My favorite feature: the heated bathroom floor. Our room had an ocean-view balcony, something all passengers enjoy. In fact, Viking’s ocean-going ships don’t have any inside staterooms.

Many retired couples we know enjoy doing things together, and we found opportunities to do just that at each port stop. We strolled through the rainy streets of Montréal on a walking tour. We took shelter inside the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal, marveling at its soaring arches. In Québec City, we rode the funicular to the hilltop Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, one of the most photographed hotels in the world. We marveled at the Bay of Fundy, home of the world’s highest tides. In Saint John, New Brunswick, we hurled hatchets in an axe-throwing club.

Then there were the lobster-themed activities. We ate chunks of the crustacean in rolls on Prince Edward Island, and in Maine we toured a processing facility in Eastport and enjoyed a lobster lunch in Portland at Luke’s Lobsters.

Of course, experts say that having separate hobbies is key for couples to get along as they age, so we also looked for things to do apart. Fortunately, Viking had us covered. While at sea, Janice joined a group of ladies making crafts. When she packed for the trip, Janice thought she’d be working on her pine-cone embroidery kit alone in her free time. Instead, she met on deck with about a dozen other women working on knitting and stitching projects. One of them even brought along watercolors to paint scenes. The women chatted for hours, comparing travel stories and becoming friends. It was one of Janice’s favorite parts of the cruise.

Meanwhile, I went to the ship’s fitness center and worked off breakfast on one of its several treadmills and stationary bikes. The gym’s large windows provided great views of passing lighthouses. My biggest challenge on the treadmill came one morning off Nova Scotia in heavy North Atlantic seas. As the ship rocked in the swells, I felt like I was ascending a steep mountain. I just held on and walked. Later, I relaxed at one of the many reading libraries with one of Louise Penny’s mysteries, which take place at sites our ship visited in Québec.

As we inched closer to Florida, we put away our long underwear and splurged for an onboard cooking class. After donning aprons and chef’s hats, our group of 12 was split into teams. Janice felt right at home with her group making couscous. My kitchen skills, however, were rustier. Luckily, I was linked up with four women from Texas who met years ago playing mahjong. We sliced veggies for a Greek salad while a third team prepared a ground lamb main dish. Afterward, we dined on our efforts and toasted our success with glasses of wine. It was another lesson to take into retirement: We can share experiences but do things at our own pace.

Viking is proud of its Norwegian heritage and likes to show it. Our ship included a small display of replica clothing, weapons, and other items used by early Viking explorers. The Viking Star also offered a couple of chilly experiences said to be inspired by Norwegian traditions. At one side of the indoor therapy pool was the Viking Plunge, a bucket of cold water suspended from the ceiling. You dunk it over your head by pulling a chain. I had to try it. Fans of the practice claim that, along with reducing stress and inflammation, the sudden, icy sensation boosts mood and mental clarity. My bone-chilling experience brought me the clarity that I never wanted to do that again.

Not so with the Snow Grotto. After a post-plunge warm-up in the hot sauna, I stepped into the grotto. Standing on a rubber mat in the frigid air, I was surrounded by piles of snow-like ice shavings. An icicle hung from the ceiling’s fire alarm, and blue lights amplified the small room’s chilly atmosphere. But instead of freaking out, I calmed down and found myself enjoying the experience.

Janice never did set foot in the Snow Grotto, but that didn’t matter. As we disembarked in Fort Lauderdale, I had a new appreciation for doing things together and apart. If we could keep that balance going, I knew our transition to retirement would be a success.

If cruise lines had musical personalities, Carnival might be Luke Bryan, Disney could be Mary Poppins, and Viking would be James Taylor: mellow and intimate. It’s reflected in the company’s motto: Exploring the world in comfort.

Viking started out with river cruises in 1997 and branched out to ocean cruises with the Viking Star in 2015. To this day, Viking says no to a lot of things that other cruise lines do: No children. No casinos. No formal nights. No art auctions. No photography sales.

It also says no to fees common to other cruise lines. There’s no charge for Wi-Fi. No cost for wine or beer at lunch and dinner. No fee to dine at the ship’s specialty restaurants. And each port stop includes a no-extra-charge excursion option.

That no-fee attitude was a favorite among our fellow passengers. “I love that there’s no nickel-and-diming,” said Lynn Clark of Santa Fe, New Mexico, who was on her 13th voyage with Viking. That kind of customer loyalty was something we ran into a lot.

Retired Westways copy editor and writer Paul Zieke likes to play golf while his wife, Janice, takes art classes. She often joins him on the 19th hole to toast his round.