Viking vs Azamara?

[Snowcat1]

Trying to decide between 2 cruises for a cruise in the Greek Islands. Does anyone have experience sailing on both and what are the major difference between the 2 cruise companies? Thanks.

[CDR2001]

We’ve only sailed Viking, but at the same time our brother sailed Azamara, similar itinerary. From conversations, the ports and time in port were about the same. The major difference was the shipboard experience. Viking has all inclusive dining, with a few venues requiring reservations, while Az had some dining options available for an up charge. Viking has free internet, and one included excursion per port. ( some of the included excursions are a city walk, some are a panoramic drive. We prefer the paid optional excursions, but usually take the included ones if we can fit them in also.) Viking night life is usually a short musical show with 4 singers and a small band, not big broadway caliber. There are guest lectures which we find interesting too.  Azamara has a big White Night dance party, and more formal dinner dress. Viking requires nighttime collared shirts on men and no jeans for all, unless dining in the buffet. Vikings cabin categories are fewer, and all passengers are treated the same regardless of category of stateroom or loyalty to the line. ( No special loyalty perks other than a small $100-200 discount.)  That’s a summary of differences based on our conversations. We like the quiet Viking cruise style. 

[Redtravel]

Both are nice.  Azamara includes beverages and tips in basic fare. Viking includes wine or beer with meals and excursions. Other things to consider are itineraries and accommodations.  Azamara ships are old, but nice. Most cabins are small. Bathrooms are very cozy.  Viking has larger cabins with verandas.  Azamara has Azamazing evening events . I have enjoyed them. They are often over the top events.  White night parties are fun.  Viking doesn’t have those events. Viking includes specialty restaurants. Azamara specialty has a surcharge for the specialty restaurants.  Either cruise is good.  

[Vineyard View]

Really glad to see this post. We are looking at 2024. Azamara has a Italy intensive that is attractive. Viking has pretty much the same Mediterranean itineraries for multiple years and not sure that one is really calling me after already experiencing quite a number of the same ports with Viking that we absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed. . I have compared all the costs of included and not included between the two. Depends on what is important to you. We love Viking,  but included excursions are not part of our decision. Promotions on Azamara often include beverage packages. Club Continent suites are similar size to PV on Viking with decent sized bathrooms and balconies, and pencil out well in comparison. We don’t need evening entertainment so White Nights isn’t a selling point for us.  I guess I don’t know what the answer is because we still haven’t decided. Go with what you know, or go with an itinerary that is better suiting your current goals with a company with a good reputation? But isn’t it lovely to have the choices?

I look forward to hearing more from others on this thread. 

Edited December 29, 2022 by Vineyard View

[Canberra601]

4 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Really glad to see this post. We are looking at 2024. Azamara has a Italy intensive that is attractive. 

We have just booked the Azamara Italy Intensive cruise for October 2024 for the same reasoning.  It goes to ports that we have not been to, and are not included in Viking's med itineraries.  

[uktog]

I have done both and have cruises booked on both in the coming year. As you will see on these boards both lines have fierce blinkered loyalists - and if you go to other social media they’re even worse!  

My view in the current climate - each line has their strengths which typically counter the others less good points. To name some:

 

Azamara includes all base drink all the time, however compared to Viking their included wines are really poor. Add on drinks packages cost about the same, but Azamara you can add just one guest and you can buy it prorated mid cruise. Vikings wine choice and quality on their packages is far superior. 

 

Food and service are about the same. My recent Azamara experience would be one cruise it was superior the other it was much inferior to Viking. Consistency is becoming an issue on Azamara. The Azamara speciality restaurants are fine, again inconsistent of late and at times the service can be OTT. There can also be issues getting bookings and you cannot make any arrangements before boarding. Manfredis has a better choice than Aqualina but doesn’t cost you $70. Azamara Chefs Table is a real fine dining experience not matched on Viking. 
 

Cabins on Viking are way better in terms of layout and functionality. The ships are more spacious and a big thing on Viking with the pool roof you keep the pool space and facilities regardless of the weather. There is no indoor spa pool or steam rooms available to all on Azamara (used to have free access to steam room and sauna but that’s now charged for apart from the top suites). 
 

Entertainment is a very personal thing. At times I think I like Azamara better at other times Viking. I think it depends on the entertainer. Azamara does focus on bringing local acts onboard and does have its once a cruise deck party and in most cruises a short special evening event and they are back to doing these ashore. These are good but lately we’ve felt so much crew attention goes to the set up and delivery of these events that other things suffer. For example you start losing precious pool space on a ship with less space from just after lunch on the day of the White Night Party. And because there’s no roof the party is really at the mercy of the weather gods. We’ve frozen on too many to get excited about them. 
 

Enrichment. This one there is absolutely no contest. Azamara is very weak here. The calibre and range of speakers is far far superior on Viking who have genuine experts with slick visual presentations. Azamara rely too much on a few rather elderly presenters who claim expertise in every part of the world and offer very poor visual presentations. One our last Viking cruise we had 4 real experts on Azamara 2 only one, a former “spy” was even remotely engaging. 
 

Excursions. We are currently of the view we like the Viking included trips for orientation and find their “to purchase” offerings a more realistic price. We choose based on where we are what we do.  Sometimes on Azamara we invest in the more high cost “exclusive” experiences some have been absolutely memorable for all the right reasons sadly a few have been for all the wrong reasons. Unfortunately unlike Viking whose excursions desk is staffed all day on Azamara they work very reduced hours so if you have issues or want advice it’s not that easy. Unlike Viking they do not offer daily short presentations on the next port. Their so called expert wraps that up in their presentation on the history and culture quality variable real advice lacking and on our last Azamara cruise due to scheduling issues (they’ve only one venue) two ports were covered AFTER they were visited!

 

We love that Viking offer tour departures throughout the day and at a more appropriate time for the activities. Azamara dispatches everyone 8-9.30 sometimes with other trips going at 1 so you can be wine tasting by 9 am - yuk. We also prefer the way Viking pre allocates your bus when the tickets are issued but will try and switch you if you want to make a group. 
 

Internet is a big consideration- currently Viking is free and pretty good allowing for location constraints Azamara was flakey and charged for unless you were at the highest loyalty or in s big suite. That may change Azamara have finally started moving to their new far more efficient service and the argument was always “we need a better service before we can give free access to all”. They seem to recognise that guests expect free WiFi but were probably very constrained by their former Royal Caribbean owners business model where IT was concerned. 
 

You might think I’m saying Viking is therefore better. Well there are areas Azamara are still well ahead. One is a big one for us. If there are issues with a port or weather challenges Azamara will pull out every stop and more to give you an alternative port. We again enjoyed that this summer where on the same day Viking also abandoned calling at the port but substituted a sea day. Azamara will still in many cases head to a port and try (within the boundaries of safety of course) and try - Viking do not. For example on our Norway cruise after we had left a port and still expecting two more Viking announced they wouldn’t be calling at any more ports for the cruise - cue 4 sea days the final day drifting at 5 knots to kill time and gobsmacked land tour guys welcoming other ships but having Viking no shows. That was a big turn off for us. 
 

You will hear also mention that Azamara officers are far more visible and engaged with guests than Viking. I think that one is changing- some of the staff who were the visible officers have left Azamara and the some of the new ones are not as interested in guest engagement whilst on Viking they are becoming more visible. However if being pandered to due to your loyalty or higher category of room and dining with officers is your thing Azamara is for you, if you want a ship fully open to all (subject to availability) a one class experience Viking is for you. 
 

And one final thing in our experience Viking advertise prices and generally stick to them but you have larger deposits and earlier payment dates. Azamara is constant sale sale sale it’s very hard to guess when to push the button but you’ll find much more late availability on Azamara than Viking 
 

[Mrs Miggins]

Mostly I agree with UK Tog.  However I think we have more Viking experience. We have been on both. Viking 5 times, Azamara 12 with several B2Bs.  We sailed both this year.

 

Dress code is similar on both however because Viking is almost all North American clients then our observation would be that in the evening most people are more casual.  

 

There is a greater mix of nationalities on Azamara with more from the UK, Australia, New Zealand.  To me it is one of its benefits.

 

In a CC suite there is no uncharge for the speciality restaurants, otherwise it is $30 extra with packages available.

The all inclusive Azamara policy means you can order included drinks and cocktails all day long.

There are 4 included wines which often change but the waiter will try to find your favourite from before.

This year food on Azamara was better than on Viking and service was superior. Usually I would mark them as similar.  Presentation on Azamara better except in Chefs Table.    We purchased the Silver Spirits package on Viking but often it took much longer to get our choice.

 

Service was better on Azamara this year.  On Viking Sky there were many new hires who seemed out of their depth particularly in the Main Dining Room.   Usually I would mark them as similar.

Viking's downside is their inflexibility as reported by UK tog.  We missed Monte Carlo this year which was important to many onboard.  Unusually I saw the Captain at the bar.  I said that on previous Azamara cruises in the Med alternative ports were quickly found.  (Genoa instead of Monaco for example)  He seemed to say it was all too difficult to arrange.  

 

We docked in Ravenna instead of Venice.  Azamara gave us an excellent Future Cruise Certificate.  Viking docked in Tarragona instead of Barcelona - no recompense.

 

Vikings main benefit is their beautiful ships. I love the Spa.

Azamara seem to get better docking positions.

 

Entertainment on Azamara has been better than Viking.   We had an awful magician/pick pocket on 2 nights in the Theatre.  One night a film.  Viking did bring onboard Azamara favourites the tenor David Righeschi and Maria Salvini.  Sadly the theatre was half empty.  We had a good Night under the Stars on Viking but it does not really compare with Azamara's White Night.

The guest lecturer onboard Viking was poor this year, perhaps not typical.

 

For the Greek Islands I would choose Azamara.   They are more flexible.  Their ships are a little smaller.

The itinerary for Azamara 11 days in May 23 is better than the Viking 11 days in May 23 in my  opinion

 

There have been numerous threads on this subject.  All of our plus points will be different.  We all want slightly different things.  Whichever you choose you will have a wonderful time, especially if you have not visited this lovely region before.

 

 

 

[uktog]

Azamara speciality restaurants are now $35 pp.without a package and on three recent Azamara cruises in different parts of the world (not that I’m bothered what people wear) I would say Azamara was much much less dressier than in the past. Can’t remember when it changed but jeans are now permitted at dinner in the main dining room. 
I think service now very much depends which vessel you are on and what point in the crew rotation and training cycle you are at. Having increased capacity by 25% Azamara openly admit they’ve struggled to recruit to their previous standards. There’s a lot of vacancies and there have been some very strange promotion decisions. Our recent Onward cruise was post transatlantic where 200 staff had to be replaced because of US visa issues. Service was not up to the usual standard and the galley really struggled to get hot food out. 
Probably for now you have to focus on the hard differences and not the soft ones dependent on individual attitudes and competence. 

[formernuke]

Thanks to both uktog and Mrs Miggins for very thorough and even-handed information presented! As has been stated, we all have our criteria for choosing, and you both described many of the intangibles which are often hard to come by. Thanks again for the rational discourse.

[Heidi13]

Another consideration is ownership. Azamara was started by RCCL about 12 yrs ago. Earlier this year they sold the brand and ships to a private equity firm - Sycamore Partners, who have no prior cruise ship experience.

 

While only time will tell if this is a positive or negative move for the brand, history dictates that quality doesn't increase when equity/investment firms own a cruise line.

[Snowcat1]

Thank you so much to everyone that contributed to answering my questions. But one think I am not clear about, do Azamara allow children on their cruises?

[uktog]

1 minute ago, Snowcat1 said:

Thank you so much to everyone that contributed to answering my questions. But one think I am not clear about, do Azamara allow children on their cruises?

They do, although you do not often see children on board other than the officers little ones

[montythecat]

On a very fine balance I would recommend Viking but would agree

100% with uktog that Viking are happy to miss a port and 

substitute a sea day without making any effort to maintain the

published itinerary or find an alternative port. They are also inclined

to provide ridiculous excuses for such changes. Azamara seem to

try and avoid such alterations. This might be worth bearing in mind

when booking your cruise.

 

[Twitchly]

44 minutes ago, montythecat said:

On a very fine balance I would recommend Viking but would agree

100% with uktog that Viking are happy to miss a port and 

substitute a sea day without making any effort to maintain the

published itinerary or find an alternative port. They are also inclined

to provide ridiculous excuses for such changes. Azamara seem to

try and avoid such alterations. This might be worth bearing in mind

when booking your cruise.

 

On our British Isles cruise in September, when Viking determined conditions were unfavorable for us to go to the Shetlands, they took us instead to Stavanger, Norway. So sometimes they do find alternatives.

[Mich3554]

We picked up 4 different ports last winter when we lost several ports due to countries not letting us dock.  So YMMV.

[Nippy Sweetie]

On our last cruise on Azamara we often found ourselves wishing we were on a Viking ship. Not quite sure why though. The staff were all pleasant and the stateroom was nice. The food was fine. 

Somehow it didn't all hang together. On Viking there is a coherent feel that goes beyond the decor. Having no extras to pay is good. Free WiFi is a boon. Also the in room TV system is excellent. Films and TV programmes on demand. On Azamara it felt positively antediluvian to have to wait for the start of the film to come round. 

All in all Azamara Onward was OK apart from their shore side communication which was dire. However, we're scuttling straight back to Viking for our next ocean cruise and definitely planning more river cruises as their river cruise ships are just perfect for us. 

All a matter of taste of course. I'm sure you'd be fine on either.

[Vineyard View]

I am watching mostly four different lines - Viking, which is familiar and that we have thoroughly loved. Seabourn,  we will experience due to itinerary in 2023. I would say that all four are having threads of service issues with new/less experienced crew - - and that it does in fact depend on the crew rotation and not just the ship. I guess only time will help rectify that or not. Actual fully compared daily Costs - seem to be up and down based on promotions, but these categories of sailing lines must watch one another closely, and therefore it depends on the current offerings as to which one truly pencils out best. In my opinion, they all seem to fall within the same ‘ranges’, but attract the same/similar market of customers. I have wondered about the ownership of the different lines, and how moving forward post start up that will affect these smaller ship entities. Is it better to know the financial concerns of a reported corporation, or not to know the finances of a privately held company that does not need to disclose that?  I do not know. Maybe sometimes it really does boil down to itinerary to make the final decision. I do know we will not rule out Viking in the future. 

[Heidi13]

15 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

I am watching mostly four different lines - Viking, which is familiar and that we have thoroughly loved. Seabourn,  we will experience due to itinerary in 2023. I would say that all four are having threads of service issues with new/less experienced crew - - and that it does in fact depend on the crew rotation and not just the ship. I guess only time will help rectify that or not. Actual fully compared daily Costs - seem to be up and down based on promotions, but these categories of sailing lines must watch one another closely, and therefore it depends on the current offerings as to which one truly pencils out best. In my opinion, they all seem to fall within the same ‘ranges’, but attract the same/similar market of customers. I have wondered about the ownership of the different lines, and how moving forward post start up that will affect these smaller ship entities. Is it better to know the financial concerns of a reported corporation, or not to know the finances of a privately held company that does not need to disclose that?  I do not know. Maybe sometimes it really does boil down to itinerary to make the final decision. I do know we will not rule out Viking in the future. 

 

What a great thought provoking post.

 

With respect to ownership, this is definitely one of the criteria we use in picking a cruise line. However, rather than being concerned with financial risks, which we mitigate with travel insurance, my concern is the Corporate culture.

 

Since you mentioned Seabourn, I can provide some information on them. They are owned by Carnival and are part of the Holland America Group, which comprises - HAL, Princess, P&O Australia and Seabourn. All 4 separate brands share management staff.

 

In addition to considering the quality of onboard service, which varies significantly with these 4 brands, I research how they respond to issues. 

 

HAL - similar to Viking, the 2020 World Cruise was terminated early, upon arrival Freemantle. All pax using HAL Air were provided flights home, while a number of pax, not using HAL Air, posted they were disembarked having to make their own flight arrangements, which was no easy feat at that time. I believe they were also responsible for any hotel costs while waiting for flights. Compare that to our experience, when Viking terminated the cruise in Dubai. They provided flights for all pax and for 8 of us that couldn't get flights, kept us aboard for free and flew us home at the earliest opportunity.

 

Seabourn - This "Luxury" line has a current issue with their newest ship, which is based in Ushuaia. On the current cruise, shortly after departure, the Master advised the stabalisers weren't fully operational and they would be missing South Georgia. Many pax demanded to disembark, so they returned to port. Pax were advised they would get zero refund and had to make their own arrangements home from BA. Seabourn have advised pax that stabalisers are non-essential and that most of the time they aren't used. That isn't my experience with 7 yrs on cruise ships. They have stated they will time crossings across Drake Passage to minimise movement. In addition to missing South Georgia, they are returning from Antarctica a day early, to miss a storm. I believe they are offering $1K compensation and a 15% FCV. Prior to crossing Drake Passage, pax were advised to stow all loose items and take seasickness medications. Hardly what I consider a "Luxury" experience.

 

Princess - After our 2015 WC, Princess refused to address any of the issues and offer any meaningful compensation.

 

P&O Australia - don't follow them closely, but our son sailed with them on his last Princess contract. He couldn't get off the ship fast enough, requesting he not return to P&O Australia. They would not follow his wishes, so he found another job from onboard, tendering his resignation to the Captain.

 

How the 3 brands dealt with issues, in my opinion, was not effective. Hence the reason I research the Corporate culture and will never sail with a Carnival brand again. 

[KBs mum]

It's not looking good for P&O UK, their new ship maiden voyage seems to be somewhat of a cluster. 

Some passengers didn't manage to get Christmas Dinner despite having booked a table. (source The Times and CC boards) 

[Symmes99]

My wife and I have  been on 3 Azamara cruises (including 1 since they were sold) and 4 Viking Ocean cruises. We enjoyed every one of them. We have 2 cruises booked on Azamara in 2023 and 1 booked on Viking Ocean in 2024. Both lines have done a good job handling my wife’s food allergies (she’s a celiac, plus has allergies to dairy and soy, and is picky about a lot of other food), but overall we like the food on Azamara a little better. We prefer the main dining room on Azamara - it’s more elegant and spacious. The Restaurant on Viking reminds us of a cafeteria, and if you’re seated at the aft end you have to navigate the obstacle course of chairs half blocking the aisles when you exit. We like the theater on Viking better - nicer seating, better sight lines, not as crowded as the Cabernet setup on Azamara. I like the lounges on the outside lower deck of Azamara (deck 4, I think), because it’s quiet and the ocean is right over the railing. My wife prefers the lounge chairs on Viking’s deck 7 by the pool, because it’s livelier and it’s easier to get drinks and food. One thing we now focus on is the itinerary; whichever line has an itinerary that pops will get our deposit. That puts Azamara ahead because they seem to do more adventurous and varied itineraries than Viking. But we also have upcoming cruises on Silversea and Regent for the first time because of unique itineraries, and a 2024 cruise with Oceania (we cruised with them once, 8 years ago) because of an exciting itinerary. 

 

[SoBaycruiser]

On 12/29/2022 at 12:17 AM, uktog said:

 

You will hear also mention that Azamara officers are far more visible and engaged with guests than Viking. I think that one is changing- some of the staff who were the visible officers have left Azamara and the some of the new ones are not as interested in guest engagement whilst on Viking they are becoming more visible. However if being pandered to due to your loyalty or higher category of room and dining with officers is your thing Azamara is for you, if you want a ship fully open to all (subject to availability) a one class experience Viking is for you. 
 

 

We have only sailed Azamara and are booked on a Viking NL trip in March, so I can only compare the pre sailing experience.   I have to disagree with Uktog’s comment that Viking is one class.  To me, money speaks.  If you’ve paid for a more expensive room you get first choice at the excursions.  Some are totally sold out before DV passengers even have a chance to book.  And then there is the specialty restaurant reservations.  Higher paying customers have been known to book many reservations so they have the “option to choose” and cancel later.  Again leaving the “lower class” passengers without reservations until they board the ship.  To me, there should be a limit on how many reservations can be prebooked.  It wouldn’t bother me if higher cost rooms were given two reservations and DV And V rooms 1.  Let everyone get at least one reservation and the remainder can then be up for grabs.  That to me is a one class experience.

 

We have been big fans of the R ships because of their size and our love for the lounge on deck 10 because we have opted more for scenic oriented cruises rather than port intensive.  It was Viking’s two story lounge which enticed us to try them.  We really want to love Viking.  We’ve heard great things about it.  But so far the experience has been much more stressful than with Azamara.

[Vineyard View]

22 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

What a great thought provoking post.

 

With respect to ownership, this is definitely one of the criteria we use in picking a cruise line. However, rather than being concerned with financial risks, which we mitigate with travel insurance, my concern is the Corporate culture.

 

Since you mentioned Seabourn, I can provide some information on them. They are owned by Carnival and are part of the Holland America Group, which comprises - HAL, Princess, P&O Australia and Seabourn. All 4 separate brands share management staff.

 

In addition to considering the quality of onboard service, which varies significantly with these 4 brands, I research how they respond to issues. 

 

HAL - similar to Viking, the 2020 World Cruise was terminated early, upon arrival Freemantle. All pax using HAL Air were provided flights home, while a number of pax, not using HAL Air, posted they were disembarked having to make their own flight arrangements, which was no easy feat at that time. I believe they were also responsible for any hotel costs while waiting for flights. Compare that to our experience, when Viking terminated the cruise in Dubai. They provided flights for all pax and for 8 of us that couldn't get flights, kept us aboard for free and flew us home at the earliest opportunity.

 

Seabourn - This "Luxury" line has a current issue with their newest ship, which is based in Ushuaia. On the current cruise, shortly after departure, the Master advised the stabalisers weren't fully operational and they would be missing South Georgia. Many pax demanded to disembark, so they returned to port. Pax were advised they would get zero refund and had to make their own arrangements home from BA. Seabourn have advised pax that stabalisers are non-essential and that most of the time they aren't used. That isn't my experience with 7 yrs on cruise ships. They have stated they will time crossings across Drake Passage to minimise movement. In addition to missing South Georgia, they are returning from Antarctica a day early, to miss a storm. I believe they are offering $1K compensation and a 15% FCV. Prior to crossing Drake Passage, pax were advised to stow all loose items and take seasickness medications. Hardly what I consider a "Luxury" experience.

 

Princess - After our 2015 WC, Princess refused to address any of the issues and offer any meaningful compensation.

 

P&O Australia - don't follow them closely, but our son sailed with them on his last Princess contract. He couldn't get off the ship fast enough, requesting he not return to P&O Australia. They would not follow his wishes, so he found another job from onboard, tendering his resignation to the Captain.

 

How the 3 brands dealt with issues, in my opinion, was not effective. Hence the reason I research the Corporate culture and will never sail with a Carnival brand again. 

I always appreciate and respect your honesty and knowledgeable feedback and input. These are certainly things to consider. We have sailed Princes, and never will again for a variety of reasons. We sailed HAL years ago, and really have nothing bad to say. They handled a couple of very stressful situations in two ports we visited in Egypt very impressively, but they are not in my site lines right now for future cruises as their smaller ships are mostly sold, and those remaining do not have itineraries that draw me. I have no experience with P&O.
. 
We will experience Seabourn for the first time this year, and yes, I have seen the threads on their new expedition ship that you are referring to. Seems like that part of our world can cause serious sailing issues regardless of line, but I surely cannot comment on the expertise you have with respect to ship functions, nor how they are handling the situation compared to others in that sailing region.  
 

After a lot of reading time on these boards, I find myself, as mentioned before, narrowed down to a handful of lines that I am perusing. I can surmise that each of those lines will offer their strengths and weaknesses. The impression I have formed is that they seem worth a try, and based on itinerary,  will likely draw me towards that line. It could turn out that I may find after experience any of them,  that it was a ‘one and done’ so to speak!

 

I wish Viking would start expanding their Mediterranean itineraries to more varied ports than the same ones that they have had for years now, because I do truly appreciate and enjoy their product, and will sail them again without hesitation. In  2024 I hope that will occur, but I doubt we will see much change by then based on current listings, but with continued expansion of ships, that could change - or when I am ready to get away from the Med in ‘25 then there are several Viking itineraries that are catching my eye. 

Edited January 1, 2023 by Vineyard View

[KBs mum]

3 hours ago, SoBaycruiser said:

  To me, there should be a limit on how many reservations can be prebooked.  It wouldn’t bother me if higher cost rooms were given two reservations and DV And V rooms 1.  Let everyone get at least one reservation and the remainder can then be up for grabs.  That to me is a one class experience.

That is the case, explorer class get 3 per speciality restaurant. Owners suite get 4. Only lowest get none. In practice lots who have travelled with Viking before (us included, in explorer) don't bother booking in advance. Still leaves 3 options without booking

[millybess]

5 hours ago, SoBaycruiser said:

And then there is the specialty restaurant reservations.  Higher paying customers have been known to book many reservations so they have the “option to choose” and cancel later.  Again leaving the “lower class” passengers without reservations until they board the ship.

You are right that the passengers who pay more for their stateroom have the option to book 1 or 2 more specialty restaurant reservations. Yes, there are some cancellations once those passengers board. IMO, one of the ways this could be mitigated is to post the menus of the Chefs Table in advance as they have done in the past. We enjoy dining in Manfredis and our reservations there probably won’t change.

 

I don’t agree with your use of the term “lower class passengers”. It doesn’t apply to Viking cruises. We have found that once you’re on board a Viking ship, your cabin class is never an issue unlike most cruise lines. That’s the main reason we cruise with Viking. 

[Mrs Miggins]

Since this thread is Viking or Azamara, I have not found any differential treatment on Azamara, apart from the speciality restaurant upcharge if you are not in a 'suite'.