Oceania vs Viking

[Rotterdam]

On 2/10/2021 at 11:16 AM, azdrydock said:

On our most recent O cruise there were numerous complaints about not enforcing the dress code in the dinning rooms. Christmas eve there were several men in jeans and one in particular with a black tee. As we were leaving we registered our complaint wit the maitre d' and a couple entering overheard us and said they just walked out of one the specialty restaurants mid meal  because of a screaming  infant and young kids bothering them. Maitre d' said we should talk to the Hotel Manager. Hotel manager said  new Oceania policy is for the Maitre d' to uses his discretion on what is acceptable and once seated they will not disturb a guest because they don't want to embarrass them.

 The person in gardening clothes, the grandma that borrowed her 16 year old grand kid's clothes, and seriously overweight man whose tee and shorts did not fit him 20 years ago have followed us on every cruise line. As for us, in our opinion, have always dressed appropriately....😇

Separate thread needed on how others dress on a cruise ship

Sounds like you've been cruising w a group of passengers from FLORIDA

[pinotlover]

2 hours ago, Rotterdam said:

Sounds like you've been cruising w a group of passengers from FLORIDA

We had two cruises in 2019 on Oceania. The staff enforced dress codes on neither. Some of the passengers initially adhering to past “ country club casual standards “ stopped doing so when they realized the past standards were no longer enforced.

 

When, and if, cruising returns on Oceania, it will be intriguing to see if senior management chooses to have minimum standards enforced.

 

If not, Paying customers will have to decide if they want to pay Oceania prices for an Applebee’s atmosphere.

Edited February 17, 2021 by pinotlover

[Paulchili]

41 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

If not, Paying customers will have to decide..........

Are there any Non Paying customers? 😀 I would like to be one of those.

[LB_NJ]

Not been on Viking so this is about food and wine (pre-pandemic).

 

Wine by the glass selection is OK, by the bottle pretty good set of choices.

Also, they have a reasonable policy on bringing your own wines aboard.

If you really care about wine you should probably bring your own bottles and just pay the corkage fee.

 

Included alcohol is really just a numbers game.  Buying an alcohol package (if it is not included) only makes sense if you drink enough to justify the cost.  Otherwise, don't think about it and just pay as you go.  For us, we don't drink enough to almost ever buy a package.  We just order wine or cocktails when we want and it works out OK.

 

If you really want to compare pricing guestimate how much you drink, I am sure someone can get you a current price list.

 

The food is very good on O, not as good as 4 or 5 star New York City restaurants (pre-pandemic), but very good. Personally, I liked the buffet better than the MDR, but that is a personal choice.  While I thought the specialty restaurants were good another couple nearby was not happy.  I think it depends on what you order.

 

I have looked at pricing on Viking vs. O and at least for us can't justify the difference.

[Vineyard View]

So much helpful information on this thread. Thank you very much. 
we too sailed on Viking’s very first Ocean cruise in 2015 on a B2B. Our most recent on Viking was out of NYC and into the Caribbean 10/19. Several cruises in between. We generally purchase the upgraded drinks package as we enjoy having something prior to dinner. With Vikings drink packages you are restricted to wine by the glass, but also a discount on bottles. 
We enjoy Vikings food - but not having sailed Oceania I compare. Specialty restaurants are no extra charge and are quite good. 
We do like the no children policy on Viking. I am curious how many families travel on a off season Oceania cruise. I would assume less so on longer itineraries? 
I agree that Vikings included excursions are hyped up to be much more than they are in reality. 
There are a couple O itineraries that visit some different ports than we have been to. I think based on what all I have been reading, that Oceania is most certainly worth exploring. 

[LB_NJ]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

We do like the no children policy on Viking. I am curious how many families travel on a off season Oceania cruise. I would assume less so on longer itineraries? 
 

 

Although O does not ban children, even in season there are not that many children.  O does not do anything special for children like Royal, Carnival, Cunard, etc. You can look at other threads, most posters say that they would probably not bring children except in very specific circumstances.  FYI, in general O cruisers tend to skew older, especially off season.  

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

We do like the no children policy on Viking. I am curious how many families travel on a off season Oceania cruise. I would assume less so on longer itineraries? 
 

We have rarely had many children on an O cruise  that said  in 2018 we did Norway cruise  there were 40 children  according to the GM

Not sure where they hid them  ..we counted about 10  & all were well behaved

 The Alaska itineraries  they do have a program for children on some of those sailings 

 

I would give Oceania a try & decide for yourself  if  it suits your needs/wants

 

 

[Vineyard View]

Thank you both for clarification around children. Sounds completely reasonable. 
We generally travel in the spring (recent years wildfires in the Fall have put a halt to traveling then). I am not so sure that by Spring ‘22 we will have much freedom to travel Independently in port. I need to get a trip on the books soon though!

[Sailing12Away]

On 2/10/2021 at 8:42 AM, TrulyBlonde said:

@azdrydock....You mentioned that O does not enforce dress code. I have to say that on my Viking Ocean cruise I was flabbergasted at what they allowed in the main dining room. So much so, that I mentioned it to the maitre d. Also, the sloppy T shirts in the cafe were a turn off too.  Others I spoke to thought the same. Who packs gardening clothes for a lovely cruise vacation?

This made me laugh. This right here is exactly why we have not yet pulled the trigger on a luxury cruise line. I'm on vacation, I will wear what I am comfortable with. I have zero desire to pack an entire suitcase with suites & ties, ballgowns, and 5+ different pairs of shoes. That's precious luggage space for snorkeling gear and alcohol to bring back home from the far away lands being visited.

 

To each their own.

[LHT28]

5 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

I have zero desire to pack an entire suitcase with suites & ties, ballgowns, and 5+ different pairs of shoes.

 

 Do cruise lines still require  this dress code ??

[Paulchili]

29 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

 Do cruise lines still require  this dress code ??

I understand that Silversea still does.

[blacksmith]

Our preferred cruise lines are Oceania, Regent, Viking, and Royal Caribbean Allure (when we bring our grandchildren).
I haven’t packed a suit, tie, or more than 3 pairs of shoes in over 10 years. 

 

[royallondon]

26 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

I understand that Silversea still does.

And Cunard 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Paulchili said:

I understand that Silversea still does.

good thing we like Oceania then 😉

 

[TrulyBlonde]

2 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

This made me laugh. This right here is exactly why we have not yet pulled the trigger on a luxury cruise line. I'm on vacation, I will wear what I am comfortable with. I have zero desire to pack an entire suitcase with suites & ties, ballgowns, and 5+ different pairs of shoes. That's precious luggage space for snorkeling gear and alcohol to bring back home from the far away lands being visited.

 

To each their own.

I have never packed a ballgown for any cruise I have been on. However, I do like my shoes and always carry an extra bag for my accessories. To each their own, but when I am in a nice dining room, garden clothes ruin the atmosphere.

[alainciao]

This has been obliquely referenced but I think you should be aware of the balcony cabin dimensions on the R ships.  215 SF total, 175 for the cabin and the Bathroom is SMALL.  After the tweeting birds and warm floor on V you will be amazed. Negative amazement.  Having said that I’ve spent 52 nights in these cabins.  24 in Asia. However, I must say, before the cruise was over I knew where all heads on the ship were located and their normal use patterns!

[Dwtlion]

6 hours ago, alainciao said:

This has been obliquely referenced but I think you should be aware of the balcony cabin dimensions on the R ships.  215 SF total, 175 for the cabin and the Bathroom is SMALL.  After the tweeting birds and warm floor on V you will be amazed. Negative amazement.  Having said that I’ve spent 52 nights in these cabins.  24 in Asia. However, I must say, before the cruise was over I knew where all heads on the ship were located and their normal use patterns!

I’m confused. Was it the R or the V cabins that had all the head noise? And, if O, where were the cabins?

[LHT28]

the small size of the cabins on the R ships  do not bother  us   but for some it is  a real issue  especially the small w/c

We like the deck 4 cabins  so convenient  to things

[Vineyard View]

I connected with our TA regarding an O 17 day in late May ‘22. I only see it sailing that one time, encompassing several islands of Spain and other more unique ports than the typical Mediterranean itinerary. We have decided that we do want to try O and I really appreciate the posts which provided comparisons between the two. Unfortunately the itinerary that caught out attention has really booked up (yes, I know, snooze you loose). We know a balcony is absolute- and we were hoping for the entry concierge level, but that is no longer available. Not having sailed on O yet, I am not sure if it is worth the difference in pricing, but it sounds really nice. So we aren’t sure what we will do. 
Another question please  - when will O typically launch the ‘23 European itineraries - there are only a few showing at this time. 
Thanks again. 

[mauibabes]

Vineyard View,

September will be the release date for 2023 itineraries and it is scheduled to be the release date for sailings on the new Vista which is a 1200 passenger upgraded version of Marina and Riviera and scheduled to sail in late 2023. 
Since you are new to O, the best pricing is offered when the itineraries are released so don’t snooze. If you want a spring or summer itinerary, get on a Waitlist and place a deposit.  Just because cruises are shown as Waitlisted, don’t let it deter you, let your TA try to do some magic. During these times you can be waitlisted and still get a room on your desired cruise.  Oceania has several ships still in the Med in late Fall so you may still find a desireable itinerary to try Oceania out. They bring three ships back for the Caribbean and South America seasons so you can still find a great trip and even a great Transatlantic.  
 

Sonoma County huh, we are in Bodega Bay all the time and definitely understand the fire season, it has been terrible these past few years.  We have met folks who were burnt out of Bennet Valley and so many lost homes in Santa Rosa.

Good luck and keep watching the  CC posts,

 

Bonnie and Gerry Esker