Hanoj

Even the gluten free crust pizzas (I have a wheat allergy) at Waves were excellent!

Revenge travel spending impacted hotel/resort demand sooner than it did for cruising, no doubt in large part due to earlier relaxing of various COVID restrictions.

Also, there’s a much broader range of options available, from low end to high end, among hotels/resorts and their amenities and inclusions than there is with cruises - Marriott alone has over 30 brands. Because of this I can tailor my land based travel more readily to suit my preferences and budget. 
 

We’ve cruised primarily to get an overview of the different regions we’ve sailed and have yet to do any repeats to a previously visited region. Cruising is more expensive for us since there are things we pay for that we don’t use (included alcohol and excursions are prime examples) and dining is the primary one. We are very utilitarian when it comes to eating and it is difficult to get cruise cuisine of the quality we are accustomed to at home (organic, locally sourced, pasture raised, grass fed beef, wild caught fish, etc.). That’s okay and we accept this when cruising. But I also have food allergies which are not easily avoided, which we deal with by preparing our own meals during land trips. We also lack culture because we would prefer to have a meal at ship’s buffet instead of a multi course meal at the MDR or a specialty restaurant - we may have set a least amount of time spent record in Red Ginger during our Vista cruise in August. We were very satisfied with the food, but it’s not a big deal for us. We also prefer to eat earlier than most, and than the time dining venues open.

Prior to our May 2020 Viking cruise was cancelled (and we cancelled a July 2021cruise) we expected to cruise each year and were considering more than one a year. Through the shutdowns and after we became more independent in our travel experiences. We went nearly 4 1/2 years between cruises before sailing Vista in August 2023. While there were many things we enjoyed about the ship and the cruise, we realize we don’t particularly like being beholden to someone else’s schedule, whether it’s dealing with getting a tender ticket for independent exploration or when we can dine. Add this to the aforementioned “decline,” we undoubtedly cruise less frequently.

Decline seems widespread in the travel and hospitality industries, though it appears more acute with cruising since this form of travel/vacationing is more expensive compared to other modes, and the supply logistics are more problematic, thus affecting food quality (and quantities) in particular.

It feels like cruise patrons (across different lines and luxury categories) must expect less (to match expectations with present realities) but pay more. Not a great recipe for business success for what most consumers consider as discretionary consumption. This discretionary spending will manifest differently as some will cruise less frequently, some not all, and others will select lower cabin categories, shorter cruise durations, and or sail with different lines. It appears the present challenges will be met by more crossovers (between cruise lines and between vacation modes - land based vs cruise, etc) and thus less brand loyalty. Hopefully this will temper fare increases. We are definitely in this camp, and will probably be favoring more resort destinations, travelled to by plane or automobile. We plan to do more “tours” on such trips, especially when visiting a new locale. 
 

The timing of Oceania’s new Simply More campaign, regarded by some as a thinly veiled price increase initiative, in the current cruise “decline” climate may not have been the most astute. But, then, there seem to be many company executives, both with publicly owned and privately held companies of all sizes, making inexplicably poor and myopic decisions. 

Who is John Galt?

I (the DH) did self service laundry once, relieving DW of this chore she does when home. It was enough to decide not to again while cruising as it is not how I want to spend my time. I did two loads, one delicate and one normal, and was careful to avoid leaving unattended when the cycles were done. I caught a break when the wash was over as all three dryers were unoccupied. Thus I split my laundry between the three dryers to speed things up. There was unattended complete wash in one machine, so I stayed in the laundry room with my Kindle in case the other guest showed up, in which case I would make one of the dryers available, though the other guest did not arrive before our laundry was finished. Overall, this was not a poor experience, but I suspect the dryers may not have completely dried the clothes in one cycle. This was aboard the Star in 2018.

We have only sailed in PV staterooms. We considered moving up to PS for the extra space and included laundry service but decided the PV is very adequate and that the retractable room divider in the PS was not practical for our purposes. My wife goes to sleep much earlier than I and I’m a night owl, using my Kindle, a book light, or my iPad with earbuds (no tv on) without any cabin lights on. Trips to the bathroom we felt would be quieter than using the retractable room divider. Plus, the perceived (the mind makes it real) savings of the PV fare compared to PS makes paying for laundry service an easy decision for us. We would pay for laundry service (and perhaps pack lighter) if we decided to use a DV stateroom.

11 hours ago, ak1004 said:

Going back to the topic of "decline" - there appears to be a contest for stupid and for abusive behavior towards passengers on many lines. Looks at this topic:

 

 

“Decline”understates these apparent trends. Devolution is more apt. 

1 hour ago, bookbabe said:

As an FYI to future readers of this thread, those two awesome cabins have been “discovered” by Viking, and the equivalent cabins on Vela, 5118 and 5119 plus the two deck 4 aft ES, have been reclassified as ES1 cabins, with the corresponding price hike.  The only ES2 cabins left on Vela are the two deck 6 aft ES.

 

😪

4 hours ago, WanderingBrit said:

 

That's not what the Viking FAQ states. The dress code applies to all "dining venues, performances, and special events". I would interpret that to include all areas in the ship where live music is performed in the evening, including Explorers Lounge.

 

As I said in my reply, enforcement is another issue - but the published dress code is what it is.

So, as long as there is not a performance or special event in the Explorer's Lounge, explorers can wear shorts?

23 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

If TV is part of the problem, should be fairly easy to fix I would think? Especially if they are aware of the issue and admit there is a problem.

I spy an opportunity for Viking: they can eliminate TVs from their staterooms and add another “no” to their marketing campaigns. 😎

We were in 8015 when we sailed Vista in August. I heard no noise from adjacent staterooms and I have very acute hearing. Either we were surrounded by unusually quiet neighbors or the insulation between units is not uniform throughout the ship. 

Simply More . . . noise from neighbors? Less time in ports for more time hearing "NO!" and "YES!" from opposite sides of your cabin. Who's world, who's way?

6 hours ago, sharkster77 said:

Viking doesn't do anything to "hide" the gratuities from you---if you are an educated shopper, you learn about who includes tips and who does not quickly.  Land tour companies don't always include tips either.  Nobody puts a gun to your head or makes you walk the plank if you don't want to tip.

While this a hyperbolic truth, it seems Viking is missing an opportunity to add another “no” to their marketing campaign: no gratuities. 
 

8 minutes ago, daydreamer62 said:

It was only a matter of time. Sou Azamara is the last hold out now?

Perhaps Azamara can differentiate itself from its competitors by adopting a new tagline: “Damn the Torpedoes (err, Missiles) - Full Speed Ahead!”

Nothing for us aboard Vista in August 2023, celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary. Our TA said she submitted this information to Oceania. I don’t know if do anything for special occasions, or if there was communication gaffe for our situation. 

17 hours ago, daydreamer62 said:

Interestingly Viking and Azamara still have not pulled out so Oceania definitely weren't the last to do so 

Yesterday Viking announced altering their itineraries to avoid transiting the Red Sea on their current world cruises with the Sky and the Neptune. They will now sail around the Cape of Good Hope and along the west coast of Africa.

Any options being given guests with the altered itinerary?
 

And Viking is still offering staterooms on Sky's sailing March 13, 2024 from Singapore to Greenwich, with unaltered itinerary showing transit by way of the Red Sea. Granted, not many stateroom are available per Price & Build (most categories show sold out). But still.

4 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Agreed that Viking doesn't explicitly position themselves in those markets.

 

 

Not until Viking includes gratuities. It would be ironic if Oceania does this before Viking.

But, by price Seabourn has some sailings (at least ones we might be interested in) much lower on a per person, per night basis than does Viking. In one recent Mediterranean cruise comparison in November 2024, SB was about $6,000 less total fare (excluding air - though Viking doesn't seem to lower the fare if free air is declined) than a similar Viking itinerary. This price differential should more than cover purchased SB excursions included with Viking. Granted the particular SB was on "sale" and the Viking one was nearly fully sold.

4 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

The sea days just sort of glide by.  They are doing all the Hawaiian port talks on sea day afternoons, so once we get there , we will be prepared and not have to rush back to attend the next one (of course you can always watch them later in your room).  Last night was a “special” dinner in the WC called A taste of the USA.  I guess most people thought they had a taste of USA every day, because when we got to the Restaurant about 7 pm it was packed.  They could hardly find a place for us.  Likewise the Captain’s reception last night.  The line to get in was all the way back to Torshavn.  So we skipped it.  We know this captain and have met most of the senior officers anyway.  Then, since HI is two hours behind LA time, we set our clocks back an hour, so had an extra hour to stay up and play.  We will do that again, probably Sunday.  The captain warned us at the noon report that the seas would be rough overnight, eight foot waves, and they were.  But really not that bad, and although our window is covered in water this morning, the sun is coming out.  Bridge tour later, then trivia.  I hope I can attach pictures later today!

On what deck is your stateroom?

2 hours ago, claranda said:

Nice…but how about adding the sq meterage for us Europeans?!

In metric terms a square foot is a square with sides 0.3048 metres in length. One square foot is the equivalent to 0.09290304 square metres.

Must be issues with the site. There are numerous recently originated threads throughout the boards showing many replies but “0” views. Problems are likely related. 

3 hours ago, kcpvwill said:

Assuming this is not a Viking announcement then, but a joke.  

I certainly hope it's but a joke. If not, and I've become clairvoyant, I will need to use greater care.😏

3 hours ago, ak1004 said:

I checked Regent several times. Their pricing doesn't make sense to me. 10 nights in Europe on the newer ships (Splendor and Grandeur) start around $800 USD per night (after air credit) and most sailings are close to $1,000 USD per night or more. O starts around $300-350 per night. I know it's not apples to apples comparison in terms of inclusions, but even SS has many sailings around $500-600 per night, and SB you can get even under $500. I don't think Regent is that much better than SB or SS to justify that kind of price.

Are these per person prices?

2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Jim

In private conversations on Sky, many managers are as frustrated as we are.  It appears that they realize that the longer until we learn of Viking’s plan the harder their jobs are going to be. 

Announcement: due to the overwhelming popularity of bridge and galley tours, enhancing the authentic cruise experience, and the inordinate difficulties of rerouting around the southern tip of Africa (made more challenging since competing lines did so sooner), Viking is pleased to offer a new onboard experience called “Damn the Torpedoes - Full Speed Ahead,” honoring the American Navy’s first full admiral David Farragut. This will provide guests who wish to remain onboard the Sky and Neptune world cruises an opportunity to make history instead of passively learning about it as “we stay the course undeterred through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.” Viking Resident Historians will be provide expert commentary, including salient readings of Moses’ exodus from Egypt and accounts of the Battle of Mobile Bay. Copious amounts of popcorn, canapés, and libations will be complimentary. 

#realworldcruise  

72 hours, which may span the time between the current sale’s ending 2/29 and the OP’s embarking her cruise 3/2. 

Perhaps Viking is aiming for a figurative Hail Moses parting of Red Sea with safe transit🙃.