Viking more expensive than Oceania?

[KBs mum]

1 minute ago, Tarwood3 said:

How is the Viking loyalty program?  I was trying to find info on the website about it and it says something about travel credits or something like that?  For those who sail on other lines besides Viking…do you like it better or worse than other lines you sail on?  

 

We have been looking at booking Viking for the first time…we sail Silversea, Seabourn and Celebrity the most, with a couple Oceania tossed in there 

Small discount off brochure price for past customers. Fortunately no tiered loyalty programmes

[Tarwood3]

1 hour ago, KBs mum said:

Small discount off brochure price for past customers. Fortunately no tiered loyalty programmes

Hmmm…that’s a bit disappointing.   Every line offers discount to loyal customers plus the onboard discounts…

[FetaCheese]

1 hour ago, Tarwood3 said:

How is the Viking loyalty program?  I was trying to find info on the website about it and it says something about travel credits or something like that?  For those who sail on other lines besides Viking…do you like it better or worse than other lines you sail on?  

 

We have been looking at booking Viking for the first time…we sail Silversea, Seabourn and Celebrity the most, with a couple Oceania tossed in there 

Viking's Loyalty program is real simple:

 

$200 p.p. fare discount on next booking if booked within 1 year of last cruise.

 

$100 p.p. fare discount on next booking if booked within 2 years of last cruise.

 

(Not sure if last cruise is embark or disembark date)

 

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

7 minutes ago, Tarwood3 said:

Hmmm…that’s a bit disappointing.   Every line offers discount to loyal customers plus the onboard discounts…

You might want to read this thread about promos and future cruise discounts while onboard.

[KBs mum]

1 hour ago, Tarwood3 said:

Hmmm…that’s a bit disappointing.   Every line offers discount to loyal customers plus the onboard discounts…

Thing is, Viking doesn't need to discount to get repeat custom. The ships are often fully booked a year or two in advance.

I don't shop on the basis of discounts I might get sometime in the future. Good brands tend not to have heavily discounting loyalty schemes as their customers value the whole package not just the bottom line. 

We ended up with a lot of points from British Airways, despite them being our airline of last resort. We let them expire, choosing instead to book with other airlines. The discounts didn't make then worth putting up with them when there were alternatives

[Tarwood3]

1 minute ago, KBs mum said:

Thing is, Viking doesn't need to discount to get repeat custom. The ships are often fully booked a year or two in advance.

I don't shop on the basis of discounts I might get sometime in the future. Good brands tend not to have heavily discounting loyalty schemes as their customers value the whole package not just the bottom line. 

We ended up with a lot of points from British Airways, despite them being our airline of last resort. We let them expire, choosing instead to book with other airlines. The discounts didn't make then worth putting up with them when there were alternatives

 I understand what you mean. Im not saying I shop or cruise based on discounts either..but every cruise line has its loyalty programs, some better than others…so I was just asking based on curiosity. You say “good brands” tend not to heavily discount… it’s not just about discounts. We sail primarily Silversea and Seabourn..excellent brands btw… and both have great loyalty programs.  We are offered percentage discounts for re booking but also free things after so many nights, whether it’s free laundry , discounts for things on board, etc….   So I would disagree…good brands do tend to reward their most loyal customers .  I’m not saying it’s gonna make or break me booking a cruise with Viking, I just doubt I would book them over Silversea or SEabourn for the exact same itinerary…

[PasadenaDave]

What turns me off about loyalty programs of large cruise lines is that it creates a class system on the ship to which I don’t belong to.  They exclude certain customers from events and areas of the ship.

 

Loyalty discounts are a better way to handle this.

 

On Viking, there is a differential on booking excursions early and stocked bars based on level of cabin, but once on board everyone is treated the same with access everywhere.

 

 I understand people wanting a loyalty program but like myself, many look for thrift or quality methods of spending money in a different manner than the rest of the herd.

[KBs mum]

13 minutes ago, Tarwood3 said:

 I understand what you mean. Im not saying I shop or cruise based on discounts either..but every cruise line has its loyalty programs, some better than others…so I was just asking based on curiosity. You say “good brands” tend not to heavily discount… it’s not just about discounts. We sail primarily Silversea and Seabourn..excellent brands btw… and both have great loyalty programs.  We are offered percentage discounts for re booking but also free things after so many nights, whether it’s free laundry , discounts for things on board, etc….   So I would disagree…good brands do tend to reward their most loyal customers .  I’m not saying it’s gonna make or break me booking a cruise with Viking, I just doubt I would book them over Silversea or SEabourn for the exact same itinerary…

Opinions of quality are subjective. We discounted silversea, Regent and seabourn very early in the reasearch process. Unfortunately they seem to suffer from being part of megaship conglomerates with the same sort of resort (as in Vegas hotel, not ship) vibe as their ship within a ship concepts

Other than Viking we like the look of Hurtigruten, may not be coincidence they are another European independent

[fudgbug]

3 hours ago, KBs mum said:

Small discount off brochure price for past customers. Fortunately no tiered loyalty programmes

Usually $200 pp

[Tarwood3]

10 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

Opinions of quality are subjective. We discounted silversea, Regent and seabourn very early in the reasearch process. Unfortunately they seem to suffer from being part of megaship conglomerates with the same sort of resort (as in Vegas hotel, not ship) vibe as their ship within a ship concepts

Other than Viking we like the look of Hurtigruten, may not be coincidence they are another European independent

Um…way off base. That’s not true at all…if you haven’t sailed them , you clearly have no idea what they are all about.  

[KBs mum]

2 minutes ago, Tarwood3 said:

Um…way off base. That’s not true at all…if you haven’t sailed them , you clearly have no idea what they are all about.  

I know on the TV programmes about them I watched their formal nights had a lower standard of dress than Viking's smart casual. The decor was all naff gold and marble, and there were announcements and crass events in the lounges. Put us off. Reminded us of Las Vegas, fun for a long weekend once (base to go to grand canyon and Hoover dam) but won't go back there

[Tarwood3]

6 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

I know on the TV programmes about them I watched their formal nights had a lower standard of dress than Viking's smart casual. The decor was all naff gold and marble, and there were announcements and crass events in the lounges. Put us off. Reminded us of Las Vegas, fun for a long weekend once (base to go to grand canyon and Hoover dam) but won't go back there

Well to each his/her own.  Like I said, until you cruise a line, you can’t fairly judge them. Despite what anyone says about a cruiseline, we always like to try them ourselves first before rendering judgement.   Not sure you can really understand what its like to cruise by a tv program. Anyway, as long as you are happy where you are, that’s awesome. We choose our cruises based on itinerary , not cruise line. We are usually happy on most cruise lines…. We can appreciate each on their own merits. 

[KBs mum]

1 minute ago, Tarwood3 said:

Well to each his/her own.  Like I said, until you cruise a line, you can’t fairly judge them. Despite what anyone says about a cruiseline, we always like to try them ourselves first before rendering judgement.   Not sure you can really understand what its like to cruise by a tv program. Anyway, as long as you are happy where you are, that’s awesome. We choose our cruises based on itinerary , not cruise line. We are usually happy on most cruise lines…. We can appreciate each on their own merits. 

Fair enough, but we don't chose by cruise line, most of our holidays are by independent travel. We book package holidays (or package elements of holidays) such as cruises if the itinerary seems interesting and the operator good quality. If a company can't look good in a program it has editorial control over doubts are natural. 

We aren't going to spend money on something that looks as though it will not be the sort of ambience we prefer

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, Tarwood3 said:

Hmmm…that’s a bit disappointing.   Every line offers discount to loyal customers plus the onboard discounts…

 

On longer cruises, Viking offer previous pax up to $1,000 pp discount.

 

As a private company, Viking are not members of the mega ship owner's club/lobby group CLIA. As such Viking do not follow the industry norms in many areas, with no loyalty program being one of the differences.

 

Having cruised and worked for a number of cruise lines, I actually enjoyed not having the loyalty program. Once on board, every pax is considered equal, regardless of how many times they cruised with Viking and which cabin category.

 

Viking also provide every pax with many of the perks provided on some cruise line loyalty programs - wifi and laundry (self-service). Prior to leaving our previous preferred cruise line, we were at the highest loyalty level, but on our last cruise, so was more than 50% of the pax.

[Tarwood3]

2 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

On longer cruises, Viking offer previous pax up to $1,000 pp discount.

 

As a private company, Viking are not members of the mega ship owner's club/lobby group CLIA. As such Viking do not follow the industry norms in many areas, with no loyalty program being one of the differences.

 

Having cruised and worked for a number of cruise lines, I actually enjoyed not having the loyalty program. Once on board, every pax is considered equal, regardless of how many times they cruised with Viking and which cabin category.

 

Viking also provide every pax with many of the perks provided on some cruise line loyalty programs - wifi and laundry (self-service). Prior to leaving our previous preferred cruise line, we were at the highest loyalty level, but on our last cruise, so was more than 50% of the pax.

Oh wow,..that’s an awesome assessment! Now that’s some good info! I appreciate it! Makes sense to me now!  We are looking at a couple different Viking trips…one in Asia, one in South America, just haven;’t pulled the trigger yet. 

[Vineyard View]

We are big fans of Viking. When I was researching Mediterranean 2023 itineraries earlier this year, I first looked at Viking.  I have to agree with the comments that it would be nice if Viking added some new places, because they have been repeating many of the same ports/itineraries for a long while. I also agree with a couple comments on the included Viking excursions - we have almost only used them as transportation into a place, so that doesn’t enter into our price comparison. We buy Silver Spirits package when we sail Viking, so I add that cost. I would also agree that the per day cost on Viking has bumped up considerably. When adding up the costs we incur with Viking, they are competitive with , and sometimes even more costly, than the other lines I looked at in multiple regions (Mediterranean, Canada/NE, S. America)
So I started looking at other lines - Oceania, Azamara (knowing I would need to bump up to a suite category for a decent bathroom), Seabourn, Regent, and Silver Seas. It was about itinerary, but also total cost. At the end, when adding up all the costs we incur on Viking, that for us Oceania, Azamara entry level suite, and Seabourn were all within a small margin of difference based on the specific time and specials being offered. We haven’t sailed on any of those three, but we ended up booking Seabourn based on itinerary,  and a huge Labor Day sale they were having, bringing per day cost below others. 
We hope to sail Viking again - we have nothing but positive to say about our experiences, both rivers and Oceans - back to inaugural Star cruise in ‘15). But we will also continue to look at these lines. If the experience on Seabourn doesn’t need expectations, I will be first to say one and done. But I absolutely know that we wouldn’t ever be worried about Viking meeting our expectations, as long as the itinerary/total cost works. 

[LindaS272]

29 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

We are big fans of Viking. When I was researching Mediterranean 2023 itineraries earlier this year, I first looked at Viking.  I have to agree with the comments that it would be nice if Viking added some new places, because they have been repeating many of the same ports/itineraries for a long while. I also agree with a couple comments on the included Viking excursions - we have almost only used them as transportation into a place, so that doesn’t enter into our price comparison. We buy Silver Spirits package when we sail Viking, so I add that cost. I would also agree that the per day cost on Viking has bumped up considerably. When adding up the costs we incur with Viking, they are competitive with , and sometimes even more costly, than the other lines I looked at in multiple regions (Mediterranean, Canada/NE, S. America)
So I started looking at other lines - Oceania, Azamara (knowing I would need to bump up to a suite category for a decent bathroom), Seabourn, Regent, and Silver Seas. It was about itinerary, but also total cost. At the end, when adding up all the costs we incur on Viking, that for us Oceania, Azamara entry level suite, and Seabourn were all within a small margin of difference based on the specific time and specials being offered. We haven’t sailed on any of those three, but we ended up booking Seabourn based on itinerary,  and a huge Labor Day sale they were having, bringing per day cost below others. 
We hope to sail Viking again - we have nothing but positive to say about our experiences, both rivers and Oceans - back to inaugural Star cruise in ‘15). But we will also continue to look at these lines. If the experience on Seabourn doesn’t need expectations, I will be first to say one and done. But I absolutely know that we wouldn’t ever be worried about Viking meeting our expectations, as long as the itinerary/total cost works. 

It’s interesting to hear your process of how to choose a cruise, despite being very satisfied with Viking. We are not big cruisers, having done most of our travel independently the last 40+ years. We did a cruise binge with Viking in 2019-2020 (4 cruises) and haven’t looked at any other lines since. Post-Covid shutdown, we’ve done one international land trip (Iceland) and one Viking cruise (TA—SJ to BCN). And we have four cruises with Viking lined up over the next two years. If they don’t have an itinerary that interests us, we’ll just do independent travel until they do. I’m not sure I can explain why we wouldn’t care to cruise with other high end lines, but it’s probably just that at this stage of our lives, having found an excellent product (despite a few quirks here & there), we’d prefer to stick with what’s comfortable and familiar.

[Vineyard View]

2 minutes ago, LindaS272 said:

It’s interesting to hear your process of how to choose a cruise, despite being very satisfied with Viking. We are not big cruisers, having done most of our travel independently the last 40+ years. We did a cruise binge with Viking in 2019-2020 (4 cruises) and haven’t looked at any other lines since. Post-Covid shutdown, we’ve done one international land trip (Iceland) and one Viking cruise (TA—SJ to BCN). And we have four cruises with Viking lined up over the next two years. If they don’t have an itinerary that interests us, we’ll just do independent travel until they do. I’m not sure I can explain why we wouldn’t care to cruise with other high end lines, but it’s probably just that at this stage of our lives, having found an excellent product (despite a few quirks here & there), we’d prefer to stick with what’s comfortable and familiar.

Nothing wrong with that at all. It works for you. We are happy to sail with Viking again when it has the itinerary we are looking for at the time.  I am looking at one for 2024 that is longer than our traveling friends could take with us in 2023. Maybe  we are stepping out on a limb, so to speak, with trying another line. IDK. But they both have very good reputations, so I guess we will find out. 
 

[Tarwood3]

On 12/11/2022 at 4:06 PM, Vineyard View said:

Nothing wrong with that at all. It works for you. We are happy to sail with Viking again when it has the itinerary we are looking for at the time.  I am looking at one for 2024 that is longer than our traveling friends could take with us in 2023. Maybe  we are stepping out on a limb, so to speak, with trying another line. IDK. But they both have very good reputations, so I guess we will find out. 
 

I think you will like Seabourn…we really love them.  As I have said earlier, we book based on itinerary, so not really loyal to anyone.  We seem to be happy on every line we have been on the for the most part. They are all a little different. Each has its own culture and since we love to travel and experience different places and cultures, we also appreciate something different on board with different cruise lines.  I dont want the same experience on board every single time I travel.  We have done Silversea, SEabourn , Regent, Crystal , Paul Gauguin , Oceania, Azamara, Celebrity , Holland America and Royal Caribbean. 

[Vineyard View]

9 hours ago, Tarwood3 said:

I think you will like Seabourn…we really love them.  As I have said earlier, we book based on itinerary, so not really loyal to anyone.  We seem to be happy on every line we have been on the for the most part. They are all a little different. Each has its own culture and since we love to travel and experience different places and cultures, we also appreciate something different on board with different cruise lines.  I dont want the same experience on board every single time I travel.  We have done Silversea, SEabourn , Regent, Crystal , Paul Gauguin , Oceania, Azamara, Celebrity , Holland America and Royal Caribbean. 

Thank you! Are there any of these that lines that you wouldn’t sail on again?  As I said, we have traveled Viking and love them…..will sail them again, for the right itinerary. They are expanding in various regions, which is great with their new ships and some look interesting without doubt.  Their Mediterranean sailings need a pretty big refresh though,  and that is what we are looking for 23/24. After that it’s likely time for revisiting other areas in our world. 

[Tarwood3]

4 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you! Are there any of these that lines that you wouldn’t sail on again?  As I said, we have traveled Viking and love them…..will sail them again, for the right itinerary. They are expanding in various regions, which is great with their new ships and some look interesting without doubt.  Their Mediterranean sailings need a pretty big refresh though,  and that is what we are looking for 23/24. After that it’s likely time for revisiting other areas in our world. 

Only ones are Royal Caribbean. Just too many people for me. And I didn’t care for Crystal. Food and crew were good   I just didn’t like the ships themselves. They were old and didn’t care for the layout. I guess that’s a moot point now that they went BK. We will see what the new owners do with the ships. Otherwise I like all the rest   

[Mrs Miggins]

We are only interested in European cruises.  Viking itineraries need an update as many others have said.  

This year we cruised with Azamara, Scenic and Viking.  I have booked a lovely itinerary with Azamara which includes several new ports for us.  We have been cruising for 20 years so it's difficult to find a new place.  I will also book Scenic again.  I have not booked anything on Viking yet.  Our last cruise with them was lacking in a number of ways.  Viking is still a class act with their big bonus being their beautiful ships but food, service and entertainment were not up to the standard of our previous cruises.

New itineraries please, and then they will be back on our list.

[Jammy Bun]

25 minutes ago, Mrs Miggins said:

We are only interested in European cruises.  Viking itineraries need an update as many others have said.  

This year we cruised with Azamara, Scenic and Viking.  I have booked a lovely itinerary with Azamara which includes several new ports for us.  We have been cruising for 20 years so it's difficult to find a new place.  I will also book Scenic again.  I have not booked anything on Viking yet.  Our last cruise with them was lacking in a number of ways.  Viking is still a class act with their big bonus being their beautiful ships but food, service and entertainment were not up to the standard of our previous cruises.

New itineraries please, and then they will be back on our list.

Agree re the need for more interesting European itineraries!  And, for us, more departures from the UK would persuade us to remain with Viking.  Living in the North of England, we very rarely have direct flights to the ports that Viking currently uses for changeovers.  A flight to Barcelona from our local airport would be 2 hours - using Viking we are routed through Amsterdam or Frankfurt and it takes all day.  We've still got a 'Risk free' voucher to use and I'm struggling to summon up any enthusiasm (though I do realise this is a 1st World problem! 🙃)

Do you think Viking reads these boards?

[Mrs Miggins]

Despite all the advertising in the UK the percentage of UK passengers seems very low.

There were only about 20 on our Viking cruise.  On Azamara we had 49%.  I don't think Viking are very interested in us.  Their audience is from North America so naturally everything is geared towards them. 

 

 I do think it rather strange that their Piano and violin duo in The Atrium was often playing to a single figure audience but Viking seem to think that gives an "high or upper class" feeling to the ship.  I felt rather sorry for the girls who appeared as disinterested as those few in the room.  When the bar got a little livelier and louder they were completely ignored.  When they finished a couple of people did clap but with very little enthusiasm. 

We have had good times on Viking and met some lovely people,  but there did seem to be a lot of underwhelmed guests onboard.  The crossover from River Cruising is obviously a good source of new clients but many seemed completely unaware of the essential differences between River and Ocean.

 

[KBs mum]

41 minutes ago, Mrs Miggins said:

Despite all the advertising in the UK the percentage of UK passengers seems very low.

There were only about 20 on our Viking cruise.  On Azamara we had 49%.  I don't think Viking are very interested in us.  Their audience is from North America so naturally everything is geared towards them. 

 

 I do think it rather strange that their Piano and violin duo in The Atrium was often playing to a single figure audience but Viking seem to think that gives an "high or upper class" feeling to the ship.  I felt rather sorry for the girls who appeared as disinterested as those few in the room.  When the bar got a little livelier and louder they were completely ignored.  When they finished a couple of people did clap but with very little enthusiasm. 

We have had good times on Viking and met some lovely people,  but there did seem to be a lot of underwhelmed guests onboard.  The crossover from River Cruising is obviously a good source of new clients but many seemed completely unaware of the essential differences between River and Ocean.

 

We went from river to ocean, the product is not as good as river for  food and customer service, and the port talks are sales pitches rather than information. If you're used to rivers the entertainments are largely irellevant, not being necessary for an enjoyable holiday. We were disappointed by the lower standards but otherwise thought the product fairly similar other than the band being intrusive when playing in the lounges.

Passengers from other more typical cruise lines seemed to us to be the ones who hadn't done enough research 

Viking need to decide if they are river cruising at sea or just another premium cruise line. At the moment the product is sufficiently different that price isn't easily comparable, but they need to improve the service and food