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. 

On 9/1/2024 at 11:03 PM, GICNJC said:

They both generally do one landing excursion per day.  Staff attention to detail is the same.  Food is slightly better on Atlas.  Viking has a Submarine, Atlas does not.  The entry on to the zodiaks is easier on Viking.  Major difference is price, Viking is 30-50% more than Atlas.

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. 

1 hour ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Thanks, unfortunately I want it for Iceland's Natural Beauty and that cruise is not on the list.

 

I will ask VIking, but fear that this one won't work.

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

16 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

Anyone have a promo code for September?

 

Looking for a new booking, but we are previous Viking guests and have other bookings live now.

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

11 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

Thanks so much for the link. Are the $8 wines by the glass the silver spirit wines?  First time booking Viking, so I’m a bit confused by the wine list for the premium spirits. I thought I read beverages up to $18 and sommelier’s wine selection. Are the sommelier wines by the glass annotated somewhere?

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. 

2 hours ago, Australia08 said:

Just in case you had questions about the expedition ship. Or maybe you have done expedition before. I know you are the expert on everything with Viking Ocean. I follow your travel reports all the time. They are great!
 

Are there any Atlas threads on CC?  

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. 

4 hours ago, Australia08 said:

Let me know if you have any questions. I’ve been curious about Atlas based on the brochures that come to the house. Looks wonderful. 
 

I will say that the food and rooms on Viking were great. I usually go for the PV on the Ocean ships, but they were too expensive on the Expedition ship. The Nordic Balcony was great. Seemed so much roomier than the DV on the Ocean. We loved the drop down window, too. 

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. 

On 8/26/2024 at 2:17 PM, Australia08 said:

The larger regular jets did not stop to refuel. I’m not sure why we ended up on the small regional jet. There were a mix of passengers and crew going home. 
 

The post cruise trip we did was independent travel, not Viking. We wanted to spend a few more days in Buenos Aires and wanted to stay in hotels on both sides of the Falls. Then we headed to Rio to stay with a friend. Thus we planned our own post Viking cruise itinerary. 

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. 

16 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I think you're wrong.  This is from the Viking Expeditions Antarctica Brochure:

15 hours ago, skiingj said:

I believe Viking does not make any landings if interested in Antarctica.  The ships are larger.

 

Key word believe.  I guess they do land.  If they sail with 300 pax you can only have 100 on land at any given time.  This might mean less time on land.  Atlas sails with 170 or less.

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!

2 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

i also just did a search and it seems viking doesnt do full transit of the panama canal which is a bummer!

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

24 minutes ago, SailorPaulH said:

He seems happy here:

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2024/08/22/viking-holdings-ceo-torstein-hagen-sits-down-with-ji-m-cramer.html

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

On 8/25/2024 at 6:09 PM, PasadenaDave said:

I pulled out a book which I have not read for a few years and look what I found.  Sadly this was a wrapper from a chocolate from a refrigerator in a Viking cabin.  I guess I know where I was the last time I read this book.

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/

4 hours ago, Planning to cruise said:

While we are on the topic of hot drinks a niggle for us on Viking Oceans is that at breakfast there is a jug of coffee on each table.  If you dont want that - we dont - you have to get up, walk to the drinks station, possibly wait for space, get water, teabag and milk.  The plus is your drink is as you like it. 

 

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. 

56 minutes ago, Mich3554 said:

My trick using those machines is a cappuccino with a shot of espresso. 

Only problem is you have to get dressed! 😉

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. 

On 8/16/2024 at 12:17 AM, rjp50 said:

Thank you!  This really does provide some real savings.  This may move this into the "worth it" category.  I was looking at a DV4 cabin but for only $500 pp more we can get a PV3 "guarantee".  We had a PV1 before and really liked it.  I'm not sure what the downside of getting a guaranteed cabin would be other than not being able to pick the specific cabin.  Do you know if there are any bad PV3 cabins?

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

12 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

It makes perfect sense. Thanks! Plus doing the daily gratuities math, the OBC we get from our TA will pretty much pay that bill, with about $100 in OBC left over. Which begs my next question. Once the TA posts the OBC to our shipboard account, is there somewhere on the My Viking Journey website interface where it will be listed, possibly in the Payments and Cart section?

 

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.  

31 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

Thats about it. They should just go naked. It would be cheaper, more comfortable and show more individualism. Naked and a baseball cap worn backwards. But then they couldn't go more casual, could they? But hey,they  have a right to be comfortable .They don't need to wear shoes without socks. Just go barefoot. 

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

20 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

I find the dining room annoyingly noisy when it fills up.  Bad acoustics.

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

2 hours ago, I am Not A Crook said:

First....thank you for posting.

Is Tiffin Allegro your real name?  Sounds romantic.

I did a fake booking for a cruise and got the following-

Too expensive for my taste!

1. Select a Date

Grayed out months have no sailings.

2024

 

Select a Date

Radio Button	Date	Cruise Direction	Offer Applied	Cruise Fare Per person	Airfare Per person
	Nov 11	Santiago (Valparaiso) to Ushuaia		From $0	From FREE

Offer Pricing

Hide SOLD OUT dates

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

46 minutes ago, zelker said:

Just put a deposit on a 32 night cruise for the end of January, 2025 and can confirm that the gratuities are $17pp/day.  Do they differ if one pays pre-cruise vs onboard?

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. 

9 hours ago, ericosmith said:

On the Neptune the Pool Grill was just plain closed at dinner...well, except for bbq night.

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.