Cruised Viking river but..........

[lahlah57]

......Has anybody cruised with Crystal and do you believe Viking ocean is very similar with Crystal? Looooooove Crystal but really like Vikings itineraries too.

I believe Viking is even more inclusive than Crystal boasts.

Just want an opinion since I am thinking ahead as to which one to choose.

[kathy9]

Of course it will be hard to know what Vikings Oceans will be like and probably not fair to judge based on the first few sailings but.....

I find it very frustrating that there is no guest web portal. I do not want to have to book excursions with my TA or make dining reservations either.

I also don't like this "class " system they have in place for booking excursions, making dining reservations and even boarding.

We are in the deluxe veranda cat but if you are a veranda you can't even book dinner reservations at the regular dining venue before boarding..... Strange!

Maybe every one will have big markings on their sea passes!

I keep writing to Viking about a web portal but get very vague responses. Also no CC party so far any way......

Kathy

[TERRIER1]

Of course it will be hard to know what Vikings Oceans will be like and probably not fair to judge based on the first few sailings but.....

I find it very frustrating that there is no guest web portal. I do not want to have to book excursions with my TA or make dining reservations either.

I also don't like this "class " system they have in place for booking excursions, making dining reservations and even boarding.

We are in the deluxe veranda cat but if you are a veranda you can't even book dinner reservations at the regular dining venue before boarding..... Strange!

Maybe every one will have big markings on their sea passes!

I keep writing to Viking about a web portal but get very vague responses. Also no CC party so far any way......

Kathy

 

I am in the deluxe veranda category as well and have no idea about booking excursion and dining. How did you find out about we can't book dinner reservations until we board? I was under the impression that it was open dining. Thanks.

[kathy9]

Deluxe veranda can book 60 days prior it is the veranda cat that can't book till they board. Look at the FAQ section of the Viking website .

Also different web packages depending on your cat and what time you can get in your cabin on embarkation!

[loum140]

The only positive in all this lack of information is the fact that in a few days suite passengers on the April 11 sailing can start booking excursions, so perhaps we will be able to find out what they will cost????:confused:

 

We love Viking (4 prior river cruises) but this has been a really frustrating 18 months as we love to plan our port stays well in advance and in this case, many of the ports are repeats for us so we would either take optional excursions or private guides. We are in deluxe veranda so can book in February but the recommended private guides might be taken by then.

[roothy123]

The only positive in all this lack of information is the fact that in a few days suite passengers on the April 11 sailing can start booking excursions, so perhaps we will be able to find out what they will cost????:confused:

 

We love Viking (4 prior river cruises) but this has been a really frustrating 18 months as we love to plan our port stays well in advance and in this case, many of the ports are repeats for us so we would either take optional excursions or private guides. We are in deluxe veranda so can book in February but the recommended private guides might be taken by then.

 

It's a bit of work, but I would guess that if you went on the Oceania Cruises site and looked for similar excursions, you would get an idea of what the excursions will cost. Of course, Oceania doesn't even price their excursions until maybe 3-4 months pre-cruise, so maybe there's nothing much to look at. You can also look on the internet or on the Viator or Shorebee websites to get an idea of what common excursions might cost if you purchased them online. (These would be with groups - not a private excursion.) Viking, Oceania and the other cruise lines don't create and lead their own excursions, so they are dependent upon what vendors are offering in each port, and the prices they are charging. Sometimes you can find online a very similar excursion to what the cruise line is offering, although of course you may have to provide your own transportation to a pickup spot.

 

As to Crystal, I haven't been on them (too large a ship for my liking) so I don't know how they compare to what Viking aspires to be. However, it has been my impression that Viking is copying many of the things that Oceania has in place - open seating, no charge specialty restaurants, casual dress with no formal nights, plenty of al fresco dining, no photographer, modest entertainment, great food and service, less nickel and dime-ing than most lines, and yes, what some have called "the caste system" for booking specialty restaurant reservations. Like Viking, Oceania allows suite owners to book restaurant reservations earlier than others, and guarantees their suites will be ready earlier than others, and stuff like that. However, I DID notice that for our sailing from Venice, everyone regardless of stateroom category can board at 11 AM, so there is no advantage there for people in a higher stateroom category than me. The chart in the FAQs section that was mentioned before is pretty good for outlining what you get in each category. I personally have no problem with that. When we booked, Viking's literature stated that the veranda rooms came without certain benefits, so it was no surprise later on. Besides, I'm used to being in the last group to be able to make dinner reservations, and it has never proved to be a problem on Oceania. I suspect Viking will have no problem getting their veranda cruisers into the specialty restaurants, assuming they are halfway flexible with when and where they dine.

 

Celebrity has its own little "caste system" going on the Celebrity Summit. They have one deck, spa deck, that has its own restaurant. The place was half empty every time I walked by, so I got the idea it was not used very much, but at least the people who paid extra for that set of staterooms couldn't ever complain about waiting to be served, not being able to get a table for one, etc. I only hope that the quality of the food was better in "Blu" because Celebrity's food was nothing to rave about!

Edited January 7, 2015 by roothy123

[Vineyard View]

Seems to me that almost all cruise lines have their own twist of a 'caste system'....it is part of the package in paying higher categories.

I would also think that as mentioned, excursions on other lines will have a ball park price you could determine - and that private excursions are available to book anytime you would like to - those tour operators will know arrival times before the cruise to fine tune the day..

[kathy9]

Why should I have to determine what Viking Oceans will charge for an excursion or where and the times the ship will dock?

Every other cruise I have taken does have a "caste System". Azamara, Wind Star, Celebrity etc...... but it didn't seem to be for things like the ability to book regular reservations in the Restaurant or when you could get into to your cabin on embarkation.

Kathy

[TERRIER1]

Why should I have to determine what Viking Oceans will charge for an excursion or where and the times the ship will dock?

Every other cruise I have taken does have a "caste System". Azamara, Wind Star, Celebrity etc...... but it didn't seem to be for things like the ability to book regular reservations in the Restaurant or when you could get into to your cabin on embarkation.

Kathy

 

I agree. Also, Oceania has some of the highest cost excursions in the industry. I do know that all categories will be guaranteed a place of the "free" included excursion or at least that was what I was told by a Viking agent. The timing of the free excursion is what falls into the "caste" system.

[loum140]

Okay. We have reconsidered and will not seek private guides for any of the ports on our Istanbul/Barcelona cruise.

 

We have studied the descriptions of both the included (free) tours and the proposed optional excursions and have determined that in some cities we will just walk or take a taxi to the places we want to see that Viking does not offer. We are satisfied that many of the included tours will be sufficient but plan to try to book a number of Viking's optional excursions for cities we have already visited.

 

I tried, unsuccessfully, to get an idea of the cost of excursions on other cruise lines but the Viking options that appeal to us most appear to be unique in many cases.

 

The only issues now are cost and whether or not we can get our first choice of tours.