Ovener

I find the issue of dogs on board so unimaginable that I had to ask AI what it might look like. It's worse than I thought...this critter is even wearing denim and vaping! Seriously, though, dogs on board a ship are a massive turn off for me. Imagine being stuck in a lift with one. That's wrong on so many levels.

I posted this comparison last year, hope it’s helpful.

DO NOT GET A CABIN UNDER THE POOL DECK. We had an upgrade to V4 on Sojourn under the Pool Bar area. Never again. Loud scraping from loungers being tidied early morning, waking me up every day at 5am, and at night too; pounding kick drum / bass speakers during ents. Complained to Seabourn Square and pool area staff…the early morning scraping at least stopped. But noise from above is always going to happen at some stage so just avoid. Incredible that the Wintergarden Suites are below the Pool Deck too! Cabins should be all categorised as V2 or lower below Pool Deck…with a clear warning.

Sorry to have added to your stress. We’ve done two cruises since the lockdowns, one on Viking, then one on Seabourn. The first made us edgy, but it’s my fault - I wanted to get us in a great cabin to celebrate coming back to cruising, so we had a lot riding on it. The fact that Greek shipping regulations required a pre-boarding COVID test and Viking were unclear about what would happen if we tested positive were a real concern. The next cruise on Seabourn was a breeze by contrast. We’ve booked on two more Seabourn cruises for 2023 and 2024 and I’m far more relaxed now - back to the old excitement about great times ahead. Yes there’s more admin, but we’re just so grateful that we can cruise again. The Sojourn was absolutely fantastic - even better than Odyssey four years ago. So please relax and enjoy, it’s all worth it and you deserve it.

Have been to Santorini a lot, first time when I was 19 and the accommodation was £2 a night (admittedly it was inland and the hostel owner locked away our passports and then went missing). Sadly the island has lost its charm. Unless you are flying in and out of Santorini directly and out of season, give it a miss. On the last two cruises with Santorini as a stop we stayed on board for a relaxing day at sea. Everyone we spoke to regretted going on shore and they waited hours for the funicular/cable car. OK, so it’s a blown out volcano. But the beaches are black and hard to access, Fira is packed with tourists and Oia is full of five star cave hotels with staff dressed in white suits like henchmen in 1990s Bond films. I know, I’ve stayed in one of them…and done the mountainside walk from Oia to Fira accompanied by wild dogs. But there are much better Greek islands without the Disney feel…and if you want a great view of the Aegean, just climb up a hill on any one of them. The view of the island from the ship is great in any event. And talking of Bora Bora, I have never been anywhere more disappointing. By the time you’ve had your eighth plateful of tuna marinated in coconut, received 200 mosquito bites, had a three legged gangrenous hound use your laundry as an overnight dog basket, and had a lizard do its business on you all night from your villa’s rafters, you’ll never want to go back. Many thanks to Lonely Planet for your recommendation as to the best hotel there back in 2004.

Looks like the luck of the draw at the moment. We were on Viking Sky in August and the dining experience was really poor. On Sojourn in October food and service were absolutely excellent - as good as pre-Covid. Sorry to hear of bad experiences on Sojourn currently - I guess we were lucky with the rotation of chefs and staff onboard at the time.

I agree with donaldsc, if autocorrect will ever let me spell his name correctly. The Athens Marriott is an OK hotel in an awful location. The food is good in the restaurant and there’s a nice enough bar. Staff mainly good too. The rooms (as the rest of the hotel facilities) are really 4* not 5*: clean, functional, limited wardrobe space and a bit tired. You are on a major highway. There are no views. There’s a maternity hospital nearby so the local shops sell baby clothes. The modern Stavros Niarchos Cultural Centre with parks, water features and an opera house is across the highway. Interesting for a look but only accessible via a dodgy underpass full of tramps. In August, when walking about is limited in way over 100 degrees F, apart from that there’s nowhere interesting to go except by public transport. There is an occasional complimentary bus to town, but never early or late enough. I was really cross that Viking advertised the Hilton (near Syntagma Square) and then did a bait and switch when we booked, as they must know that the Hilton is closed. I wouldn’t do a Viking extension again. The Conrad Hilton at the end of our cruise in Istanbul was again an OK hotel with good food and so-so rooms in an awful location. And appalling chaos at group check in.

They were a bit older on Viking than on Seabourn… I would say 5-10 years older on average and some less mobile. Average age 70? Only saw one group of younger people in their 20s on Viking (in a family group) and of course no under 18s as not allowed. Seabourn had a few families with young children and groups of people in their 30s/40s. Probably more Brits on the Viking cruise than with Seabourn. Seabourn more international overall but predominantly North American like Viking.

7. Tours, enrichment, entertainment and crew Viking is firmly aimed at enrichment rather than entertainment and the cruise very much revolves around destinations and tours. For a seven-day cruise, it feels a bit odd having an overnight onboard in both Athens and Istanbul (as you aren’t doing much cruising) but it certainly helps with seeing more of those cities. However, we had a hotel extension both ends, and it made seeing Athens and Istanbul rather ‘bitty’ with a big pack/unpack session in the middle of each city stop. Viking comes with at least one free excursion per port and we took two of these in Troy and a Bosphorus boat ride in Istanbul. The first was ok, the second great. However, beware any of the tours in Turkey, as they all seem to end up in the guide’s brother-in-law’s rug factory for a demonstration of hard sell, sorry, I mean the ancient art of weaving. Just leave! I can’t believe how many people actually bought rugs. One perk of the owners suite was a private tour on one day. We did that on Crete to the Arkadi Monastery and Rethymnon with a charming guide and driver and it was superb. We didn’t do any Seabourn tours despite booking one on OBC from Sète to Montpellier on our last day (which was cancelled). We don’t like group tours except where essential, so weren’t too bothered and use the OBC to buy two backpacks. For Brits having to pay in dollars with a weak pound, the prices of the Seabourn tours are shocking in any event. Seabourn’s destinations were in Spain and France were all great for walking about and sightseeing and there was a free shuttle bus where the port was away from the centre. Viking wins in terms of lectures about the destinations - it had a university professor whose explanations of the Ottoman Empire were intelligible and succinct. However, talks were timed to clash with dinner. Seabourn’s lecturer on Spain / France was less experienced and less able to articulate, though he was really good at mingling with the passengers and unfailingly polite. Viking’s port talks were more professional (with slides in the Theatre - Seabourn’s are small gatherings in the club), but more geared towards selling their better-value tours. Where Viking slipped up for us was in its unremitting seriousness. We felt there wasn’t much sense of fun onboard. There was a superb violin/cello duo playing every day, which we loved, and a talented classical pianist. And a great guitarist Explorers Lounge. But it’s all pretty sedate. And there is absolutely nothing to do in the afternoons at all after lunch, save for afternoon tea in the Wintergarden at 4pm. We never understand this afternoon tea thing - why more food so soon before dinner? But out of boredom we tried it. It was a nice tea, lovely space, absolutely rammed and service was patchy. There was only one pool deck party but this was for Viking regulars so we weren’t invited. We watched from an upper deck but didn’t suffer from too much FOMO. There was meant to be an Abba night in the theatre but this mysteriously disappeared (maybe some entertainers had COVID?). There was a Beatles evening towards the end but we didn’t go. The entertainers we met were very pleasant and welcoming. Seabourn had far more arranged in the afternoon. There was entertainment every evening in the theatre (though at 9.45pm we find that rather late) and at least three deck parties, many of which were late afternoon sailaways and very jolly, as we Brits say. The cruise director Ryan was brilliant with passengers and omnipresent. There was far more of a sense you were on holiday, meant to enjoy yourself and the staff wanted you see you have fun. The fact that there were many younger passengers on board helped with this too. I’d reckon the average age on Seabourn was at least five years younger. Viking wins hands down for still distributing a daily ‘Herald’ equivalent to everyone. We tried the Seabourn App for a few hours, but it’s just not as convenient and quick to scan as the paper Herald, so we stopped by Guest Services and asked for a physical copy each day. This was delivered nightly like the old days (though placed in the cabin – I guess so it doesn’t look too tempting to others in the pigeonhole!). Highly recommended that you do that. Maybe Seabourn will get the message that just about everyone prefers it. Viking also provided proper mineral water for excursions, not the foul Seabourn recycled stuff. Seabourn passengers BTW were considerably more dressy in the evening than Viking ones. They seemed a bit chattier too, if you like that kind of thing. The Sojourn’s crew were far more present and engaged than on Viking and the captain much more visible. I wondered whether on Viking they were being cautious due to COVID…we only saw the captain once from afar. We were meant to have been invited to a dinner with the captain and crew as part of the Owners Suite package but the invitation never came. Most staff onboard Viking Sky and Seabourn Sojourn were absolutely charming. We got special attention on the Sky due to the Owners Suite, but felt just the welcome and level of engagement was just as good on Seabourn. Viking’s sommelier was incredibly friendly and helpful though. Both ships are clearly dealing with staff shortages and newbies being trained up, but nothing went awfully wrong. Seabourn seemed to have a lot more staff around…there was no waiting at all for a drink by the pool and all ordering and drinks were prompt with every meal. Things took a little longer on Viking. Both Seabourn and Viking seem to leave anything shore-based (i.e. literally the moment you step off) to local agents now. I seem to remember Seabourn had their own crew helping all the way before the pandemic and rather liked that. There’s no big ‘welcome back’ like there used to be. 8. To Sum Up…. The Viking Sky Owners Suite is the most luxurious suite at sea we have ever experienced or indeed will ever. The Sky is a lovely ship too and the staff and crew are charming. Maybe it was the searing heat of Greece and Turkey in August, or the poor dining, or the destinations (Ephesus was amazing though)…but we came back from the vacation a bit tired and disappointed. I expect had we visited somewhere new, like Iceland, we might have felt different. Then we wondered if, post-pandemic, cruising had just lost its mojo. However, coming back to Seabourn six weeks afterwards, things felt a bit more like the old days. Granted, there were fewer and newer staff and the normal random selection of niggles, but it still felt a fun, special, luxury experience. Reading other posts here it seems that - at the moment - everything depends on which Seabourn ship you choose. But Sojourn seemed to have it pretty much all together. We came back happy and refreshed and felt it the holiday been really good value. I guess we’ve found out that, for us, the cruise line is more important than the suite grade. We think Seabourn strikes the better balance between enrichment and enjoyment. So, for the time being, we’ll stick to Seabourn veranda suites. Happy to do my best to answer questions if you have any!

5. The Ships Viking Sky is immaculate and feels pretty much brand new, despite being over five years’ old. It holds about twice as many passengers as Seabourn Sojourn, but never feels uncomfortably full. It’s tastefully designed in Scandinavian Modern and the central atrium is a standout feature. It’s more like a floating hotel than a ship. Nothing is swanky or overdone, just high quality. It’s great to have a wraparound promenade deck for walking on, and the pool area is nice for an early morning swim. But, as mentioned, the canopy over it keeps heat and moisture inside as well as protecting from the elements. I’m a big fan of Scandinavia, having lived and worked in the region, and I have an MA in its culture and history. But you do get the impression that you are floating around in a minor Norwegian embassy and are being subjected to an experimental cultural diplomacy project. From the Munch Moments to the Norwegian classical music (there’s not a huge repertoire…), the open sandwiches, the pea and ham soup, the staff’s woolen sweaters, the chairman’s poached salmon, the saunas, the Viking museum…it all gets a bit much. I think that would have been fine if cruising around the Baltic (or Iceland) but when you’re in Greece and Turkey there’s a weird disconnect. Have you ever been wandering around Ikea and thought: ‘enough of Sweden already – I just want a bookcase…’? Seabourn Sojoun was more of a known quantity (having been on Odyssey a couple of times before and Ovation). It’s far more yacht like, particularly around the pool, with polished wood and teak decks. About twelve years old, though in much better shape than I was expecting. The décor is a bit old fashioned now (who uses burgundy any more?). The really low ceilings are disappointing after Viking and the theatre doesn’t compare well (columns intruding on sightlines with Seabourn). But there are cozy corners like Seabourn Square (very handy when you don’t have a Nespresso machine) and it’s much nicer sitting out around the pool without a canopy roof. The restaurants on Seabourn are better decorated too. There’s more of a sense of occasion to the Seabourn MDR with its double height core, lit alabaster and sub-Ian Shrager voiles. And tables for two are much better spaced out on Seabourn: they are about 18 inches from each other on Viking. The Thomas Keller Grill, love it or loath it, reeks of class with its polished wood and leather. The speciality restaurants on Viking, Manfredis and the Chef’s Table are humdrum by comparison. Weird when the rest of the ship is so nice. Viking’s World Café feels like a large cafeteria and there is almost no-where to sit out in the shade. Sojourn’s Colonnade has plenty of outdoor seating and even feels special when the post-tour 1.55pm feeding frenzy descends on the buffet. So let’s get onto the tricky subject of food. 6. The Food This was one of the main reasons we preferred the Seabourn cruise to the Viking one. The food on Viking was poor. Not just one or two meals, but almost every meal was a major disappointment. The main restaurant opened for breakfast at something like 8am or 9am (why so late?). Tours every day started at or before 8am. So the choice was room service (with a very limited menu) or the World Café with its school dinner vibe. I’ll grant you, there was congee available, good gravadlax and a pecan danish that could sink the Titanic. But nothing else of note. The eggs benedict were hard and stone cold. The quality of the bread and patisserie (save for a meh Norwegian rye bread) was downright awful. The croissants were dry and clearly not made with butter. The coffee was poor. There was insufficient staff to clear away tables outside and a vague feeling of chaos. We managed to get to the MDR one morning (much better service and menu) when the ship was docking later. But guess what, everyone had the same ideas and there were long queues. Most days we had an open sandwich and soup in the Mamsens café for lunch from a short choice. The World Café didn’t appeal and the pool grill was so hot and humid it would have been impossible to eat there. Our best lunches were onshore Mezzes in Kuşadası and Istanbul. We had three dinner bookings in the speciality Italian Mannfredis. The first night I had a nice steak but poor calamari to start. The second night my wife had a chicken escalope that looked and tasted like a piece of chicken breast stuffed into a pizza. That got left. There wasn’t really anything else on the Mannfredis menu we wanted. Italian food is so all-pervasive now it doesn’t seem much of a treat. So more Mannfredis after that. We heard that the Chef’s Table (which does a tasting menu) was slow and we hate the sheer time and faff around tasting menus. So most nights we went to the restaurant. It was ok, but had a boring menu. Small portions and almost no vegetables, herbs or garnish. We tried the World Café one night for their lobster night. It was hard and overcooked. Now before you think we’re fussy, my wife never, ever, comments about poor food on holiday. Until now that is. Having really nice wine included in the suite package helped make up for it, as did some lovely canapés brought to our suite. But otherwise the dining fell really flat. Was that just another problem with cruising post-pandemic? Luckily the cuisine was great on Sojourn, and we didn’t notice any difference to how it was pre-Covid. From the buttery almond croissant with early morning coffee, to the always-available caviar, the themed evening meals in the Colonnade, the interesting healthy breakfasts at the Patio and the ambitious main courses in the restaurant…it was all top notch. We’re getting a bit bored with the Thomas Keller Grill choices now, but they sure do a mean ribeye. We were talking about this difference in quality at dinner one night on the Sojourn. We were overheard by a head waiter who’d had the same role on a Viking ship. He says it’s because on Seabourn food is cooked to order whereas on Viking it’s pre-prepared. I can certainly believe that.

4. The Suites Unsurprisingly, the Viking Star Owners Suite is a much bigger and better cabin than a standard Seabourn veranda. But there are still things we preferred in the latter. At nearly 1,500 square feet, the Owners Suite is billed as Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen’s home at sea, and it feels very much like a swanky, spotlessly clean Norwegian apartment. It’s between the bow and midships on deck seven and we didn’t feel as much as a bump when the ship was cruising. There’s a large boardroom (not much to do in there as a passenger but nice for quiet reading and views from the floor to ceiling windows). There’s also a sauna, again with floor to ceiling glass, but with outside temperature of over 100 degrees every day it sadly didn’t appeal. I can see that for a journey around Iceland it would be great. It made a great place to dry out our toweling robes though. The main draw is the drop-dead beautiful sitting room and dining room (with well-stocked double wine cellar and mini kitchen) giving on to a long balcony, which is very private as it has the boardroom on one side and the sauna on the other. In fact, the whole suite is very private as it is situated away from other cabins between a lobby and Mamsens, a Norwegian café. As a result, it was very quiet (except when passengers stopped to chat outside the door for half an hour – understandable, given that’s a public area). The bedroom is a bit smaller than you’d imagine, but had a beautiful king bed and excellent linens. Slightly comfier than the Seabourn one. The bathroom is huge with a walk in shower but, curiously, no bath. Must be the Chairman’s preference. This seemed like an omission to us. Seabourn towels are cosier and Molton Brown products are better than Viking’s (Freyja). The Owners Suite has also two additional WCs dotted about. There’s a large walk-in closet but it has less usable hanging space than the standard Seabourn veranda cabin. No hooks anywhere either: Seabourn has many dotted about. The interior decoration is stunning: very high-end Scandinavian modern furniture and original paintings by the Norwegian abstract expressionist Jakob Weidemann. The cabin is also furnished to make it personal to the Chairman, with lots of family photos and an excellent library of specially curated books reflecting his interests, which we enjoyed. Make no mistake, from the Chairman’s choice at dinner (Poached Salmon) to his mother’s open sandwiches at Mamsen’s, you’ll know all about who owns this company by the end of a Viking cruise. The wines in the cabin cellar were meant to be personally curated by him too but were actually the same as the Silver Package Wine list. That didn’t matter because you could ask for whatever wine you wanted from the master wine list and you could either have that with your dinner or brought to the cabin by the sommelier, all included. Viking lighting controls have ‘moods’ but are thankfully easy to use. Air Con was a nightmare on the first day in Athens, and we couldn’t get the cabin cool enough to counter the searing heat. But some engineers kindly fixed that. I get the sense that aircon doesn’t work too well on any ship when it is docked in the blazing sun. By contrast, the Seabourn Sojourn veranda suite (365sq ft) is looking a bit old fashioned now, but it’s cosy. It’s small by comparison to the Viking Owners Suite, but large compared to Viking’s normal cabins (you’d need to upgrade to their Penthouse Veranda to get a similar size). And we find the size is perfectly fine for us for a week or two. It’s superbly thought out in terms of space management. There is even a bath! The only niggle is the pinch points in the corridor when you’re both trying to get changed. Air conditioning is a LOT louder than on Viking and we couldn’t turn it off. The main downside in position was that the cabin, also deck 7, was underneath the pool deck and Patio Bar. There was a lot of noise from dragging of chairs above late at night and early in the morning which woke me up. Guest services kindly fixed this by talking to the staff, but we understand it’s a perennial problem. And you just can’t avoid the noise of any on-deck parties in any event. So won’t go for a cabin under the pool deck again, but it didn’t spoil our enjoyment much. Cabin stewards on both Viking and Seabourn were totally excellent: friendly, helpful and kept the suites spotlessly clean. There is no ‘butler’ service on either line. However, were we more socially minded, or had we been in a group, in the Viking Owners Suite we could have thrown a fully catered dinner or drinks party for friends with waiting staff. That’s a nice perk. Given the unbearably hot temperature in Greece and Turkey in late August, once the aircon had been sorted out, the Viking suite was a fantastic place to chill out after an excursion, so we became real homebodies. It was hard to find a place on the Viking Sky with a consistent temperature where we wanted to sit. The pool area was like a steam room (not helped by the cover being partially drawn) and how anyone was able to lie, let alone eat lunch there, is a miracle. The Wintergarden was also pretty hot, but the Atrium area was chilly. The Explorer’s Lounge was about right, but as it was just next to our room we didn’t see much point going there except for lunch at Mamsen’s. By contrast, having a smaller cabin on Seabourn (and the nicer outside temperatures in October) made us get out and about and use the ship more.

Yes, sorry twodjs, I should have been more clear. OB is the lowest cabin grade on Seabourn, in this case a guaranteed veranda suite. Given Seabourn picks your cabin late in the day, you may end up next to lifts, be subjected to noisy connecting doors, or get smaller rooms or shaved-off balconies. In our case we got a cheap upgrade offer to a V4 grade cabin the week before. We took it to give us some more certainty. But that meant - although we were handy for early morning coffee in Seabourn Square - we were also directly below the Patio Bar area. More on that later! We have tried one of the Owners Suites on Seabourn before. Unlike Viking, Seabourn has a number of them and they are not the top suite (that’s the Wintergarden). They are great in terms of space and the ones at the prow of the ship have wonderful wrap around balconies. Aside from private transfers, there are no other perks outside of the cabin and you are treated exactly the same as all other passengers on the ship. Our view now is it’s better to save your money on Seabourn and take a standard cabin. They are spacious enough.

2. Pre-cruise, post-pandemic Given the state of the world now, we’re lucky to cruise at all and we’ll have to be even luckier in the future. Our favourite leisure activity is as popular with the under 40s as steak, smoking and SUVs. Just check out the Instagram ‘welcome’ by the younger generation for any new cruise ship launched on social media (sinking emoji). And with massive debt and high energy costs, the cruise companies are exposed. Crystal is unlikely to be the last victim. So, let’s make the most of what we have, and enjoy it now, before cruising is redefined as rowing around the Serpentine with a sardine sandwich. I read Prince Felix Yusupov’s Lost Splendour about twenty years ago and the idea of a sudden downfall has always stuck with me (remember at school a cold football landing on your face out of the blue when you’re stuck in defence in a match you don’t want to play?). But, hey, that might never happen. So let’s just be brutally honest about how cruises are now. We booked both cruises through TAs. Viking prices don’t change over time, as far as I can see, and there don’t seem to be discounts available (I think in the States TAs may hand out various levels of OBCs?). Seabourn prices are up and down like a yo-yo with flights, Seabourn and TA discounts, OBCs and upgrades offered from time to time. I can understand what Viking is doing, as some people just want the headline price, but I quite like the idea of grabbing a bargain at the right time. Particularly as Seabourn is good at reducing the price if you spot a later deal. And the Seabourn deposit is normally paid later than with Viking. Having booked, half of the fun of a cruise is the anticipation, right? But the immediate difference we found between cruising pre- and post-pandemic is the constant, nagging sense of dread that the worst might happen. Late flights, flights cancelled on the day, British Airways on strike. Potential outbreaks of Covid on board. Having to cross-pack in case of lost luggage. Stuffing as many undies as you can into hand baggage between medicines, chargers and a mandatory ‘long-sleeved collared shirt’ or two just in case. Hiding your hand baggage under the seat at the departure gate in case the beady-eyed ground crew condemn it to the hold and who knows what? How many neuroses can cruising give you these days? For the Viking cruise, Greek regulations meant a Covid test at the hotel during the two-day pre-cruise stay in Athens. There seemed to be no information on the Viking website about what would happen if we tested positive. Our TA suggested there would be a 48-hour window to rebook on another Viking cruise in the same calendar year, but if that was at a lower price, we’d have to forfeit the difference. That made us edgy about the holiday rather than excited. It wasn’t fun - but given the sheer expense of the Viking cruise - we underwent an informal quarantine for a fortnight before and dived for cover at the airport whenever anyone coughed. Luckily, we passed the test after an Athenian nurse searched for the Northwest Passage in our skulls with a stick. Passengers were only informed if they tested positive, so we had a lingering worry for a day until our certificates came through. Now that Seabourn don’t require a test themselves, we didn’t need one before Barcelona. So that was less worrying in advance (though if we had been departing from Athens we’d still have needed a test under Greek rules). And we still had to upload vaccination certificates to British Airways and filled in the Verifly app for supposedly speedier Seabourn boarding (though it didn’t seem to make a difference). With all the rigmarole and need to examine changing regulations, the cruise companies should award passengers who finally get onboard a free MA in Advanced Pre-Cruise Administration. 3. Transfers / Boarding We took the two day pre-cruise extension with Viking in Athens just in case there was a problem with our included flights. Originally the hotel would have been the Hilton (walking distance to Syntagma Square) but because of a refit it was the Athens Marriott, way out of town and nearer to the port. Transfers were included. We were met at the airport on arrival by a lovely driver in a private car. This boded well, but it was only because we were the only couple on our flight. All other transfers were by shared bus. The food and staff at the Marriott were good, the bedrooms OK, but (even with a bus link) the location was awful. The Stavros Niarchos cultural centre opposite (via a very dodgy pedestrian tunnel) was quite interesting for an early morning walk in 95 degrees, but otherwise nothing interesting nearby. In retrospect we should have skipped this extension, given the Viking Sky remained berthed in Athens for one extra night after boarding. The extensions provide no difference in service/treatment for cruisers with higher grade cabins. Boarding was quick and easy for both cruises. The nice thing about the Owners Suite on Viking was there was an incredibly impressive personalised welcome. We were shown to our cabin individually. As we arrived the hotel director, chef, sommelier and cabin attendant were there to welcome us outside our suite. That was something really special. We were onboard around Noon and a beautiful selection of canapés was laid out waiting for us. With Seabourn Sojourn we also had included flights. This time we did without a pre-extension and relied upon the Seabourn guarantee that they’d get us to the ship. The next stop was about 250km down the Spanish coast in Valencia with a direct train link, so we figured that a late flight wouldn’t be too catastophic. Luckily, we were only half an hour late on the flight and after an hour hanging around at the airport to collect other passengers we were in our cabin by 2.30pm, ordering club sandwiches. So Viking really wins on boarding here, but that’s down to our suite category. It was lovely to have a private transfer off the plane with Viking, but that’s more luck than anything. A coach is a coach and Viking and Seabourn offer the same levels of transport for most airport transfers.

1. A fair comparison? On a Seabourn Odyssey cruise around Greece in 2018, a friendly Canadian couple told us how they much preferred Viking Ocean, in terms of ship design, enrichment and fellow passengers. As Seabourn fans, we were intrigued and booked up a Viking cruise around Iceland for 2020. But Covid hit and we took the cruise credit. 18 months later, in a post-lockdown surge of blood to the head and you-only-live once attitude, we decided to place all chips on red. We used the credit towards booking the very top cabin, the Owners Suite, on Viking Sky for an Athens-Istanbul seven day run in August this year, our first post-Covid cruise. The reasoning being that - even if we didn’t like Viking (or were isolated in our suite with Covid) - at least we’d enjoy the cabin. Luckily, we later found just enough missing chips (and a voucher) stashed in the bottom drawer to place a bet on a Seabourn Sojourn OB suite in October: seven days Barcelona to Barcelona via the Balearics and French Riviera. We’ve never done OB before, so that really was a gamble. But, with special offers, it came in at less than one third of the price of the Viking cruise and seemed irresistible. So, which do you think was the better cruise? There have already been a few Cruise Critic comparison threads about Seabourn versus Viking Ocean. But is this a fair trial? The drop-dead gorgeous Viking Owners Suite, after all, comes in at over 1,500sq ft with its own private wine cellar, sauna, boardroom and a host of onboard perks. Spoiler alert: the short answer is that we enjoyed both cruises…and feel lucky there’s still a cruise industry left to provide such great holidays. But we much preferred our time on Seabourn, even though a few things have gone downhill post-pandemic. In part the verdict is down to personal preferences, itineraries, weather and external factors beyond each line’s control. But at the end of the day, our next cruise is on Seabourn. And in the next few posts I’ll set out why.

Have to say, I am impressed with Guest Services. They had a word with the Patio staff and after a couple of nights there was no early morning noise. Guest Services was good to follow up regularly too. The evening parties on deck above were also very noisy in the cabin, lots of kick drum, bass and dancing shoes, but we kind of expected that. All in all, if you like early nights and sleeping beyond 5.30am, avoid cabins below the pool deck. Guess I made a schoolboy error in choosing one, but it would be helpful if Seabourn warned of possible noise in these cabins (Hapag-Lloyd specifically identify cabins that may have noise issues). It would be interesting to hear if the top-of-the-range Wintergarden Suites (also below Pool Deck on deck 7) have ever had complaints. That said, the rest of the cruise more than made up for the issue and I can’t get too upset.

Sorry to add to this thread after such a long time. I had assumed Seabourn might have addressed this issue. But no. Lots of loud dragging noise at random times above our cabin waking me up or preventing me sleeping on Sojourn (739) just below the Patio Bar area. Noise up until 11pm at night and from 5am in the morning. Checked on what’s happening this morning and staff are just dragging rather than picking up chairs and tables. Have reported to Seabourn Square so let’s see what happens. On the upside, rest of the cruise excellent.

As former Londoners - just about to take our first Viking cruise - thought you might want to know about these less well known places to visit in case you had done all the rest… Near Tower Bridge: Dennis Severs’ House (Folgate Street). A recreation of an 18th/19th C London townhouse as though the family had just walked out. I think it needs to be pre-booked. Lots of narrow stairs and a full chamber pot in the bedroom - very authentic! Wilton’s Music Hall. A semi-restored music hall from Victorian times, ten minutes’ (edgy) walk from Tower Bridge north side. Nicer if you approach via pedestrianised St Katherine Docks with its shops and cafes. Re-opened for theatre 20 years ago, you can visit the wonderful Mahogany Bar during the day. Bermondsey Street - South London street ten minutes from Tower Bridge (south side) with great boutiques, bars and restaurants and the fabulous White Cube gallery featuring changing displays of modern art. Slightly edgy, so ditch the Hawaiian shirts. The Watchtower over the cemetery at the end of the street (to stop grave robbers supplying bodies to the local hospital!) is now a nice cafe. The Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street - London’s highest public garden in a skyscraper overlooking the City and Thames - and it’s free! Forget the London Eye, but you do need to book online in advance. Piccadilly / St James (if doing the Conrad extension): Both auction houses Sothebys and Christie’s are open to the public on viewing days and some of the ever-changing collections are quite remarkable and always well displayed. The Queen’s Gallery (next to Buckingham Palace) is relatively small but perfectly formed and showcases amazing art from the royal collection - currently focused on Japanese works of art. About two miles north east is Holland Park with its beautiful Japanese gardens - handy for the new Design Museum in the old Commonwealth Institute , and Japan House (with ever changing exhibitions) in Kensington to the South. Nearby is Lord Leighton’s House - reopening in October - a Victorian Artist’s oriental dream. To the North you’ll get to stroll through the film set houses of Notting Hill and walk down the Portobello Road market to the amazing interior design shops of Westbourne Grove. All these require good walking legs and stamina but are fun if you want something different!