Thinking about Viking rather than Celebrity

[Mr. Click]

We are long time cruisers with Celebrity an

ard Royal but have not been on anything since the pandemic.  Thinking about trying Viking for Iceland in June 2023  since the best Celebrity trip is on one of their new Edge class ships and the fake verandas do not really appeal so, asking those who have experience with Viking, what are the big difference?  What can expect in a veranda cabin?  Neither of us drink or gamble so no casino is a plus and :"free drinks" is a waste.   Are the included tours bigger groups on buses?  Anything special to be aware of when booking?  I will likely us our TA to get some added benefits. 

Thanks  in advance

[Azulann]

Former Celebrity cruiser... If you like the aft balconies, try a DV1 on deck 4, and 5. They are between the big Explorer suites. But all DV staterooms are same sq ft. just different locations. 

If you liked the solarium pools on Celebrity  thinking of M class ships. You will be right at home in the spa thermal pool . This area is free of charge , not like the Persian Gardens on Celebrity.

Beyond the World cafe there is the infinity pool area , similar to the Sunset Bar area on Celebrity beyond their buffet. 

And the alternative restaurants, Manfredi's and Chef Table  are included  in the cruise price.  Depending on the  stateroom category you can reserve each of these at least once. But when actually on ship, folks find you can  get revs for them too. 

Included excursion are similar to  Celebrity bus tours or walking tours. I have done the included ones and also other Viking excursions  that are priced  fairly.

Lots of folks did Iceland. Check out someone ship review from last summer. 

Welcome to Viking Forum.

 Celebrity  forum has lots more live reports , which I love reading. 

Welcome  to Viking.

[austinetc]

We cruised on Celebrity one time, so we have limited comparitive data. One thing I will say is that VIking has a better class of passengers. The hot tubs, as one example, aren't dominated by youngish groups that act like they own it all day.

[philw1776]

Viking Iceland July 2021...
 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/seacoast_nh/albums/72157719549944999

 

 

[Clay Clayton]

17 hours ago, Mr. Click said:

We are long time cruisers with Celebrity an

ard Royal but have not been on anything since the pandemic.  Thinking about trying Viking for Iceland in June 2023  since the best Celebrity trip is on one of their new Edge class ships and the fake verandas do not really appeal so, asking those who have experience with Viking, what are the big difference?  What can expect in a veranda cabin?  Neither of us drink or gamble so no casino is a plus and :"free drinks" is a waste.   Are the included tours bigger groups on buses?  Anything special to be aware of when booking?  I will likely us our TA to get some added benefits. 

Thanks  in advance

We cruised Millennium from Vancouver to Tokyo in September 2019 after cruising Viking from San Juan to Barcelona the previous March so I think we got a pretty good apples to apples comparison. We were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed Celebrity after becoming such big fans of Viking.
 

We were in a DV on Viking and a regular Balcony on Millie. The rooms were similar though it’s hard to get a better standard bathroom than on Viking-a shower big enough for even me! Other than the nicer bathroom, the biggest difference to us in the stateroom is the closet. We much prefer the location on Celebrity by the door. In Vs and DVs on Viking it is beside the bed which makes it a little difficult to use. #FirstWorldProblems.
 

We took advantage of a promo on a dining package on X so got to try some of the specialty restaurants at a good price.  We found the steak house on Millennium comparable to Manfredi’s on V. We were offered a deal for Le Petit Chef on X and did not care for it.  Perhaps if we had children?

 

We greatly prefer the size of the Viking ships as you feel like you get to know more people, but we had a great rollcall on the Transpacific and had a number of sea day activities-bridge, LRC, slot pull, etc. Roll calls on Viking tend to be smaller although in the before times Viking provided quite a nice meet and greet. 
 

Biggest difference is the entertainment.  Viking leans towards much smaller production shows and live music at multiple venues as opposed to the big shows. However, there was no enrichment offered on our X cruise which I really missed.  Having a lecture about a historic site you’re going to visit is much different than a port talk about what one can purchase while there. 🤪

 

We have found that in most cases, the included excursions meet our needs. We have only occasionally purchased an optional excursion-typically when it’s one to someplace we have learned through our precruise research that we “have” to see. Typically  the “panorama” tours are on large buses but we have never seen them full. These typically give an overview of the highlights of a port with two or three stops and last 2-3 hours leaving time in the port for independent exploration or to take an optional tour.   Sometimes, the included tour is much more extensive-for example in China, one of the included tours in Tianjin (for Bejing) was to the Great Wall. It was scheduled for 7 hours most of which was on the Highway back and forth. We elected to “do” the wall independently prior to the cruise but if one didn’t have the time or resources, having it included was a good value. 
 

While I didn’t do a comparative analysis of Celebrity and Viking (guess I should have) I did do one for our 2018 Eastbound Viking TA and our westbound Norwegian TA. It might give you some insight to Viking’s differences also. 
https://cruisinwithclay.wordpress.com/2019/02/12/transatlantic-battle/

 

Welcome to Viking, if you haven’t discovered it yet, the newbie thread has lots of good information and hints.  Of course there are a lot  of us here that are happy to answer any questions also. 
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2416372-tips-for-new-viking-ocean-cruisers/page/62/#comment-62141739

[Cienfuegos]

That's a very fair assessment.  The absence of "formal nights" also makes a difference to me.

 

My recollection is Celebrity offered more excursions than Viking. Which makes sense if the ship has 4x more passengers

[Orator]

I am Zenith on Celebrity with more than 100 cruises. With the rise in prices and the cutbacks in benefits I have tried other lines. I’m doing the Viking TA in December and the Silhouette TA in October so I’ll experience the difference. I have been in smaller ships and enjoyed the experience. You might compare the cost per day and might find that Viking might be less than Celebrity. We did Iceland on Celebrity and it was great.

[Clay Clayton]

1 hour ago, Orator said:

I am Zenith on Celebrity with more than 100 cruises. With the rise in prices and the cutbacks in benefits I have tried other lines. I’m doing the Viking TA in December and the Silhouette TA in October so I’ll experience the difference. I have been in smaller ships and enjoyed the experience. You might compare the cost per day and might find that Viking might be less than Celebrity. We did Iceland on Celebrity and it was great.

Comparing the cost per day is one thing I forgot to mention.  For our last TA (which turned into a half TA thanks to Covid) we had almost decided to book Oasis (or one of her RC ships) to see what a HUGE ship was like. But Viking came out with a promo that made their TA only $10 more per person per day when we tried to analyze it apples to apples as well as we could:

RC 

Cruise $2007

Tips $348

Drinks $200

Specialty Dining $300

Total $2855 per day $238

 

Viking $3598 per day ($257

OBC from Travel Agent covers grats + sufficient drinks.)

 

Difference

19 per day or $10 per day per person

Included Benefits:wifi, spa, alternative dining, smaller ship, nicer bathroom

[Baron Barracuda]

We began sailing with X back in '93 and really loved them.  Left for Royal when our kids were young but went back once it was just the two of us.  Several years ago though  they began to change and many of the little niceties that we enjoyed gradually disappeared.  Food quality and selection slipped.  No more shrimp or sushi at the buffet, cheaper cuts of meat in mdr, and for a short time they tried to charge for burgers at the grill.  The constant up-sell pitches for specialty restaurants and the spa grew annoying.  We never actually had a bad X sailing, they just became progressively less special.  That led us to try Viking and we were very happy.  My wife loves the tours, lectures and socializing at afternoon tea.  I love the food.  We find the crew, especially the senior officers pleasant and welcoming.  Our PV3 was huge and didn't cost much more than Concierge Class on X.  We're taking a Viking River cruise this July and hope to be just as satisfied with them..

[eadv]

My husband and I have cruised both celebrity and viking.  We are elite plus on celebrity and have done 12 viking cruises.  We did the circumnavigation of Iceland last July when Viking was starting back up.  It was a wonderful cruise.  You will like it.  As to the difference between Viking and Celebrity, it is more than the types of tours and closet location in the cabins.  Viking is more laid back than celebrity.  They never try to sell you anything.  The Nordic spa down on deck one is fabulous and free.  There are no photographers, no smoking, no umbrella drinks, no children under 18, and no casinos.  You can eat dinner anytime you want (except for the specialty restaurants where reservations are required) and never wait more than 5 minutes to get in.  Their buffet is actually quite good in the evening - crab legs and large shrimp are always there.  On sea days there is high tea every afternoon with a string trio playing in the background.  The decor throughout the ship is nordic and has some nice touches like a small viking museum and original Edward Munch artwork.  There are heated floors in the bathrooms of your cabin.  All cabins are balcony cabins - we like the dv4 category.  Each deck that has cabins has a self serve laundry that is free.  Detergent is supplied free also.  It is a very different experience from celebrity - one that you should try.

[Mr. Click]

Thanks everyone for all of your input.  I see a lot of good information.  No casino is not problem, we live in Vegas and don't bother with them here, no photographers? Great, I am one and have never enjoyed them annoying me, no kids, no problem.  We have done Azamara and enjoyed it other than the age of the ships and lack of azipods so does anyone know if the Viking ships have propeller shafts or azipods?   We really want to do Iceland and had a 12 night Celebrity trip booked for 2020 but we all know how those went.....Thanks again and anyone else with information to share please do chime in.

[Kitekat]

Having recently done our first Viking cruise and also long time Celebrity cruisers, the comparisons are interesting.

 

We loved the bathroom - although our shower door had an annoying leak (not on the hinge side) and we loved the heated floor! But unlike the Solstice class, there is no nightlight in the bathroom and the one operated by the switch alongside the bed is very, very bright reflecting in the mirror too!

 

Breakfast is good - although nowhere near as good as X (and we thought Regent's was awful and they are supposedly top end). Other meals we found bland - little seasoning - and there is little spicy food if that is your bag. The quality is excellent. We loathed Manfredi's but we eat excellent steak at home (and didn't eat any there) and we don't bother with the Tuscan Grill either. We loved the Chef's table on Viking! And the Silver Spirits Package is great value for money. I also think that Viking has the best coffee at sea of any line bar none!

 

There is plenty of seating around the ship (we went in search of the Northern Lights so we didn't sit around the pool) but some is not very comfortable esp if you are short. Do beware the shedding reindeer skins.

 

The lectures are very good - although I would have to say we have had some excellent ones on X, too but not so many options.

 

Their communications prior to the cruise are confusing and in some cases blatantly wrong (info about our return home was 4 months out of date). In the modern age, it does seem rather primitive to have to ring up to book and pay for excursions! 

 

We are still rather ambivalent about Viking, as you can probably tell, but we would go again but it would depend very much on the right itinerary and the right price.

[Heidi13]

13 hours ago, Mr. Click said:

Thanks everyone for all of your input.  I see a lot of good information.  No casino is not problem, we live in Vegas and don't bother with them here, no photographers? Great, I am one and have never enjoyed them annoying me, no kids, no problem.  We have done Azamara and enjoyed it other than the age of the ships and lack of azipods so does anyone know if the Viking ships have propeller shafts or azipods?   We really want to do Iceland and had a 12 night Celebrity trip booked for 2020 but we all know how those went.....Thanks again and anyone else with information to share please do chime in.

 

The Viking expedition ships have a Azipod system, while the ocean ships use the Rolls-Royce Promas integrated prop/rudder. They are also diesel/electric.

 

Having commanded pax vessels with most of the current propulsion systems, personally I see no advantage of Azipods over conventional systems, with the exception that Viking don't have CP blades or high lift rudders.

[Mr. Click]

On 5/6/2022 at 10:12 AM, Heidi13 said:

 

The Viking expedition ships have a Azipod system, while the ocean ships use the Rolls-Royce Promas integrated prop/rudder. They are also diesel/electric.

 

Having commanded pax vessels with most of the current propulsion systems, personally I see no advantage of Azipods over conventional systems, with the exception that Viking don't have CP blades or high lift rudders.

On our Azamara trip we found the prop shaft vibration really shoot the ship when we had to dash  out of Havana ahead of the weather.  You could really feel the motion at the back of the dining room. It was not pleasant and we had to ask to not be seated back there for the rest of the rip when we were under way.

 

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Mr. Click said:

On our Azamara trip we found the prop shaft vibration really shoot the ship when we had to dash  out of Havana ahead of the weather.  You could really feel the motion at the back of the dining room. It was not pleasant and we had to ask to not be seated back there for the rest of the rip when we were under way.

 

 

Unfortunately this is common on almost all ships, when running at full speed, the aft end is susceptible to vibration, cavitation & rumble. Provided the blades are well balanced, Azipods could have less vibration at full speed.

 

Haven't seen an R-class in drydock, but being diesel/electric, they should have a short shaft, so the actual propeller shaft probably wasn't the source of the vibration. If any of the blades had a nick, or otherwise out of balance this can create significant vibration, especially at full speed. This would be the same on a conventional ship or azipod. If the ship was pitching in heavy weather this will result in cavitation.

 

 

 

 

[Jim Avery]

Andy we have had an aft suite on an R Ship twice.  Both times we had to take the glass off the dining table as it was vibrating off anyway.  R ships have a better than average vibration problem.  As to Viking we have been as far aft as you can go in the Restaurant when going near full speed and had no excessive vibration moments.  R Ships, imho, are not a good design.

[Heidi13]

15 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Andy we have had an aft suite on an R Ship twice.  Both times we had to take the glass off the dining table as it was vibrating off anyway.  R ships have a better than average vibration problem.  As to Viking we have been as far aft as you can go in the Restaurant when going near full speed and had no excessive vibration moments.  R Ships, imho, are not a good design.

 

Haha, just like my last ship. When I buried the throttles astern departing the dock, they could make milk shakes without a blender.

[Mr. Click]

Hmmmm, I do like milk shakes but not enough to sit in the back and get sick for one...

 

Thanks for all of the  info.  If we book it will be more forward.

[Heidi13]

9 hours ago, Mr. Click said:

Hmmmm, I do like milk shakes but not enough to sit in the back and get sick for one...

 

Thanks for all of the  info.  If we book it will be more forward.

 

Apologies, Jim & I got off track again with sea stories. The situation I mentioned certainly wasn't a Viking ship.

[Clay Clayton]

There was a TV documentary about the building of one of Viking’s ships that we watched before sailing on any of them. The “drama” was whether the propellers would be cast perfectly so as to keep vibration to a minimum. I’ve searched Google to see what it was titled and where to watch but haven’t been successful😢 It’s not “Mighty Ships”. Maybe someone else will remember. 

[Kitekat]

I think the programme you recall may be about the Regent's Seven Seas Explorer, 'The most luxurious ship ever built'. There is definitely a section about casting the propellor to minimise vibrations. Fascinating documentary and subsequent ones about cruising on her. 

We missed out due to covid cancellations.