Clay Clayton

Just fyi for anyone whose interested, we ran across a YouTube on Atlas and after going down a rabbit hole and then posting questions on the Atlas forum, and getting a quote from Atlas for January 2025, here is what I posted in response to someone who said Viking was 30-50% more expensive: Just got quotes from Atlas, if booking without any promos from either line your price difference % appears to be about correct if you intend to purchase Silver Spirits and don’t have a TA that provides onboard credit sufficient to pay Viking’s gratuities. However, the promo pricing is much closer to the same when taken on a per person per day basis. While I recognize that Atlas has fewer passengers thereby supposedly increasing the number of landings, given all their cruises are shorter in length, I suspect that there are an equal number of landing possibilities.

Just got quotes from Atlas, if booking without any promos from either line your price difference % appears to be about correct if you intend to purchase Silver Spirits and don’t have a TA that provides onboard credit sufficient to pay Viking’s gratuities. However, the promo pricing is much closer to the same when taken on a per person per day basis. While I recognize that Atlas has fewer passengers thereby supposedly increasing the number of landings, given all their cruises are shorter in length, I suspect that there are an equal number of landing possibilities.

Try it online. There were several cruises that I tried for which it works

The Labor Day one I posted is good until the 8th.

There isn’t a separate list of Silver Spirits wines or spirits. Anyone on board can have any thing on the menu. If you have silver spirits you can have any wine by the glass or any cocktail that costs less than $18. Silver Spirits is simply a different way to pay for your cocktails.

There are some and most everyone seems to love it. I’ve posted a question over there to see if anyone can compare the two, so far no one has been able to answer from their own experience.

No questions about Viking, wish I could find someone who has sailed on both them and atlas but I suspect there are few that do Antartica more than once.

Just found your thread again as we are contemplating doing Antartica this coming January. Some friends from the World Cruise are booked and Viking has a promo on that makes it about as good a deal as it will get on Viking. Reading your posts about the problem with landings does give us pause as it appears Atlas Ocean Cruises has similarly luxurious ships but with under 200 passengers and they are all inclusive for the same or less money than Viking. Such a tough decision for what I know will be a once in a lifetime trip. Thanks for all your posts which will help us make a decision.

Jazz is correct, they make as many landings as possible. Skiingj is also correct about only 100 at a time, but Viking also has a “Special Operations Boat” that carries 12 passengers and a number of 2 person kayaks that are used simultaneously so it’s my understanding that each passenger on board has the opportunity to be on the weather twice a day-either kayaking, landing, or touring the ocean and icebergs aboard the SOB.

Can anyone offer comparisons between AOC and Viking Expeditions? TIA!

If you want a shorter cruise, you can also do a full transit to/from Panama City. Additionally, both expedition ships do full transits.

Haven’t listened to the whole interview-but I think it was before the implementation was delayed.

Open up that candy wrapper and you get another story! Unless you’re fluent in Norwegian you’ll have to use Google image to translate it, but each wrapper has the fairy tail that is illustrated on the front. (fyi, I had been sailing on Viking for 6 years before I learned this).

https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/en/portal/H9A.html?cid=EML|AJO|999|Email+-+240828_multiproduct_h9a&utm_source=email&utm_medium=AJO&utm_content=Email+-+240828_multiproduct_h9a&correlationId=bd4b31df-6ca4-4d34-98ee-9fdc739d28ae-0

Norway just delayed the environmental requirements that (as I understand it) drove the changes that resulted in Vela. So I wonder if like the ferry service Owner mentioned in this article he is mad. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2024/08/28/norway-allows-cruise-ships-in-world-heritage-fjords-until-2032/

FWIW, we regularly had breakfast in the WC with some friends. One of them drank green tea and the other a cappuccino. They always asked a server to bring them their drinks. They would get a pot of tea and the cappuccino as quickly as the server could gather it. Seems like sometimes they would join the table, ask the server and then go get their breakfast. Usually the tea would be waiting when they got back.

Have you not read all the other threads on this forum???? People don’t get dresses anymore, just throw on your robe and go anywhere you want😂

I agree with you about the made to order in the Living Room but once I learned that the best coffee for my taste was using the WC machines to make an americano with an extra shot of espresso, I stopped making coffee in the room.

Some folks prefer sliding doors, while others prefer hinged ones. If you’re not picky then shouldn’t make a lot of difference.

Ours used to not show up until after we boarded, but on our last two cruises it was in our MVJ account a month or two before embarking even though we couldn’t see it. We booked some optional excursions using a credit card on the first day our window opened. A month or so later, I had a credit from Viking appear on my statement. After digging into it, discovered that they used the credit from the travel agent to pay for the excursion. I’ve learned that Viking’s financial systems make little or no sense so hard to say what you may experience.

Ask and ye shall receive! Have fun, I’ll stick with Viking.

Have you tried asking for a quiet table? We’ve found that those near the stern tend to be less noisy.

Same thing happens on one of the Fort Lauderdale to Valparaiso sailing. When you click on it, it shows full price staterooms of which there are only a few. But the other sailing has availability at pretty good pricing for Viking’s expedition ships- around $300/person/night rather than the more typical $550-1000/pp/nt

You’re right! I apologize for my mistake. I could have sworn it was $18. And I googled it and that what came up. Just went to Viking site and it clearly says $17. Sorry.

That’s because it has a separate noodle bar near the aquavit liquor bar. My comment was for the older ships that didn’t have this station included when they were built. But based on a report from Sea, using the pool grill ans a noodle bar in the evening isn’t Fleet wide.