Long Time Celebrity Cruiser

[Relaxinginthesun]

My DW and I have sailed exclusively in Suites on Celebrity and RCCL for many cruises. While we enjoyed our last two cruises on Celebrity, which were both in Royal Suites we were disappointed with level of service in what they now call the Retreat area and the quality of the dining.  Therefore, we are considering trying a new line for our next cruise.  We sail in suites not so much for the extra space, while that is nice, but we like the all inclusive aspect of it.  I would just rather pay for everything up front and from my research so far it seems Viking is pretty much all inclusive. Also, we are used to having a dedicated butler  or a genie on RCCL who provides a high level of personalized service. So I am hoping to hear from others who have sailed on Celebrity and or RCCL,  if the Viking concept really is all inclusive and if not, what am I missing.  Second, is the level of service on-board comparable given there are no butlers.  Finally, I would appreciate anyone who has sailed on both lines providing their opinions on advantages and disadvantages of one line compared to the other.  

[basenji56]

I like Viking but the shore excursions are not actually all inclusive.  There are included excursions which tend to be very basic.  To book the better excursions (you must pay for them), you have to have booked an expensive cabin.  Otherwise, they are often sold out by the time you can try to book them. The other issue with Viking is that you must pay in full often a year in advance.  

Edited May 18, 2023 by basenji56

[Selion]

31 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

To book the better excursions (you must pay for them), you have to have booked an expensive cabin.

Yes, popular/limited space/special access excursions tend to sell out fast and passengers in DV and V categories need to act quick when excursions open to them for booking.  You can always book private excursions or free-roam the ports.  You are not required to take Viking excursions.

 

I'd done mainly included excursions (city tours) and then remained in the cities afterwards.  The quality of the included excursions depend primarily on the tour guides.  I also had a few paid Viking excursions.  The ones from March 2022 were great, since COVID measures were still in place and groups were relatively small.  The ones from November 2022 were lacking, since Viking had reverted to normal programming of about 40 people per group.  With that in mind, I'd arrange my own small-group or private excursions in the future if Viking's included excursion doesn't interest me.

 

As far as inclusive-ness go, it depends on your onboard spending habit.  I have had $0 balance statements from Royal, NCL, and Princess.  Pre-paid everything and bought drink packages.  You can do the same with Viking.  Where Viking's "inclusive" values shine are their included wine & beer at meal times (if you are not a picky drinker), city tours at each port (great for first time visits, otherwise of minimal value), and free use of spa facilities.

 

Comparing service levels between Celebrity & Viking...  FWIW my worst overall cruise experience was on Celebrity in a concierge cabin.  To me Viking's service & the more personal attention onboard was leagues above Celebrity, which felt like a more expensive RCCL without the bump in service as suggested by its price tag.

 

 

Edit: Viking also includes airport transfers if you book air with them.  Handy & could save some decent bucks where the airport & sea port are quite a distance apart (i.e. Civitavecchia & Fiumicino).

Edited May 18, 2023 by Selion

[Virgo61]

Viking includes a lot but not everything. You mentioned that you stay in Royal Suites on Celebrity therefore you have had free specialty dining, the same as Viking. On Celebrity you would have the premium beverage package, on Viking for their silver spirits package you would pay $25 per person per day. Beer, wine and soft drinks are free with meals but not outside of meals unless you have the drinks package. I believe their free WiFi is for 2 devices per person versus one on Celebrity. Finally, Viking does not include gratuities in their price. As others have mentioned the included excursions are fairly basic. If you book a Penthouse Verandah or above you should have little trouble booking optional excursions but Deluxe Verandas and the basic verandas are often out of luck. On our Trade Routes cruise, our optional excursions added about $1600. The Viking ships are lovely and the service is excellent but possibly no more so than Celebrity. Finally food is very subjective and like everywhere else may depend on the specific ship and itinerary. I had a few fairly poor meals on our cruise and some that were wonderful. As others have stated paying a year or more in advance is annoying. I would recommend that you try Viking and decide for yourself.

[Clay Clayton]

I think the biggest difference from what you have mentioned will be the lack of a butler.  Having never had one, it’s not clear to me what they actually do, but I’d having a stateroom attendant at your beck and call is critical, then Viking may not meet your needs as it’s my understanding that no stateroom aboard has a dedicated butler. 
 

I would suggest you search out a travel agent like ours that offers Viking’s maximum allowable onboard credit-this will cover the daily service charge which to us makes Viking all inclusive. 
 

If you haven’t yet discovered it, this thread has lots of good info:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2416372-tips-for-new-viking-ocean-cruisers/page/62/#comment-62141739
 

 

[DrKoob]

We have 20+ cruises with Celebrity, and we are done with them. Mainly because getting to Elite Plus used to mean something. They took all our perks (except a bag of laundry) and gave them to everyone. Why bother having any loyalty? And we are not thrilled with the Edge class. We would still do Flora in the Galapagos again in a minute. Our best trip ever. 

 

All that said, we tried Viking last fall for three weeks in a Penthouse Verandah. Everything was included except gratuities (which we prepaid), and we bought cocktails by the glass because we got cocktails (with free gin, vodka and rum in our mini-bar at no cost). In a suite, you would get the mini-bar as well. But I won't say we were disappointed with Viking but rather that our expectations were too high. We were not thrilled with the specialty restaurants, but then we aren't thrilled with the ones Celebrity has now. But compared to the old Qsine, the United States Dining room on Infinity (and their sister ships), and Murano, the Viking specialty restaurants don't measure up either. 

 

We also thought that the included excursions would be better than they are. We had heard that they were really good and done in small groups. It turned out that is true on Viking River but not Viking Ocean. Most of the included excursions were either short walking tours or big bus tours. Neither was what we were looking for. We booked a full day in Cinque Terre with a private tour company; it was the best day of the trip. We will sail with Viking again (we love all the things they DON'T have, like kids, smoking, casinos, and art auctions), and their ships and staterooms are drop-dead beautiful. We have another Viking Ocean booked in 2024 and two river cruises as well. 

 

We are also going to give Oceania a try in the meantime. We are looking for our new cruise line. Done with X.

[slewis7]

My wife and I also previously considered Celebrity our go to cruise line and no longer feel that way.  A few distinctions between the lines not mentioned here yet:

 

- The Viking ships tend to feel much less crowded and less busy.

- The entertainment on Celebrity is much more varied.  Viking can be pretty quiet.

- The Viking spa area is open to everyone and is quite nice.

 

While I loved my first Viking cruise, I have not found it to be as enjoyable on my subsequent experiences (since the pandemic).  Our future bookings include Viking, Celebrity and a few other lines that we will be new to.  We are still hoping to find the right fit for us.

[-Lew-]

I suggest the OP take a hard look at Regent.  We did 32 days on Regent Splendor last winter and found this all inclusive line to be excellent.

[Azulann]

21 minutes ago, -Lew- said:

I suggest the OP take a hard look at Regent.  We did 32 days on Regent Splendor last winter and found this all inclusive line to be excellent.

Lew, Are you still going on Viking Sky TA from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale in November 2023? I saw you started a roll call for this cruise.

I am seriously looking at joining my friends on this cruise. 

 

I was a former Celebrity cruiser , liked the Century and M class ships the best. Their extra charges for specialty restaurants and now even room service, and larger ships, though beautiful, is not what I am  looking  for in a cruise line these days. 

Viking is a perfect fit for me. I love most of all the service, the modern new ships, the Scandinavian vibe, and the enrichment lectures by resident historians about history of the areas  you are visiting. Love meeting passengers who are well travelled and engaging. Food has always been good to outstanding. I do like the Chef table and their rotating menus with paired wine. 

 

[-Lew-]

4 minutes ago, Azulann said:

Lew, Are you still going on Viking Sky TA from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale in November 2023? I saw you started a roll call for this cruise.

I am seriously looking at joining my friends on this cruise.

 

Yes we are...

 

We board the Sky in Rome on October 6th for 55 days! 🙄  The total length of our cruise got a bit out of hand due to the number of FCCs from canceled bookings we needed to use...first world problem for sure.

 

We did 55 days last fall on Celebrity Edge and enjoyed The Retreat very much.  Looking forward to our first Viking cruise.

[sabrefan]

We are Elite level on Celebrity and our last Celebrity cruise was on the Edge in February 2020, just as Covid was becoming a real problem. We enjoyed the Edge and had no major problems. We have been on two Viking cruises to date. We like Viking as it is smaller, the layout of the ship and the design of it’s common areas. The cabins are also well organized. We did Alaska last year in a PV cabin and the upcoming cruise in a DV cabin. Had some difficulty getting specialty restaurant reservations  versus no problem last year with PV cabin. Their included excursions are very basic which for some ports is okay because we would prefer time on our own anyway. We had found that Viking food quality had slipped some versus our first Viking cruise. Frankly the food in Celebrity specialty restaurants is as good or even better than that of Viking. No casino on Viking and entertainment is somewhat lame on Viking. Two nights on our Viking Alaska cruise they showed movies in their theatre. One thing I hate about Viking is having to pay in full one year ahead of time unless you have another Viking cruise scheduled then they give you some relief on this policy. We have also cruised with Oceania 4 times and they compare well with Viking, their food is certainly better in our opinion. At the end of the day it is nice to be out to sea again and some little things that don’t measure up are just first world problems.

[duquephart]

Is elite the level where you get "one free scoop of gelato?"

Edited May 20, 2023 by duquephart

[slewis7]

8 minutes ago, duquephart said:

Is elite the level where you get "one free scoop of gelato?"

Yes, I believe so.  That used to be something my wife and I mocked but given how the Celebrity has changed over the years, it is one of the better loyalty benefits currently. 🤣

[island lady]

We have been Pinnacle (their highest level) for some time now on Royal Carib, and also sail in suites.  But we have been getting more and more disappointed in the service and food lately on that line, plus our loyalty benefits are being eroded in the last few years.   We have been very "loyal to Royal" for some years now...but no longer.  

 

So we are now looking forward to the Viking cruises we have booked, and hoping that will be a better fit for us.  Sailing in suites on that line as well.  

[island lady]

duplicate

Edited May 20, 2023 by island lady

[Virgo61]

I have to say that in all of my Celebrity cruises I have never gone to an art auction nor have I been bothered by children. We generally travel when school is in session. And my husband and I both enjoy spending 30-60 minutes in the casino, so that was something we missed on Viking. Viking's spa was very nice. As for photos, you are hard pressed to find a photographer on Celebrity these days. I was less bothered by the simple entertainment on Viking than I thought I would be but we always travel with friends. Clay mentioned TA ship board credit and that should indeed cover gratuities on Viking as ours did but our TA gives us so much credit on Celebrity that it often covers the price of the excursions, especially if you're in a suite.

[OnTheJourney]

Having just gotten off the Summit, while it was a very nice experience as expected, surely in Aqua Class at least some of the amenities have been taken away. X is totally catering to suite level it seems, given that they now devote the entire front of the ship to them as a "retreat". I can't speak for concierge class, having never done that.

 

But, since our next to last cruise was with Viking, I will say this - if Viking cruised out of our two favorite (and close by) ports - Baltimore and Bayonne - I'd be likely to sail with them most of the time unless X or RCL had itineraries we really liked that Viking didn't. I like Viking for the less crowded and more relaxed feel overall. Love their afternoon tea also. X offers scones as an advertised daily "tea", but it's not even listed in the daily planner! Most disappointing. By the time we found out about the scones the cruise was 3/4 over.

 

Plus, I'd say the food on Viking is generally of a higher quality. Probably reasonable to say that ALL lines have cut back on certain measures of quality and amenities. Given some issues I have with Blu during this last trip, not sure that we'd do Aqua again especially since they cut out some of what previously made it a bit more special than regular veranda 2A / 2B (( think?) rooms. 

Edited May 21, 2023 by OnTheJourney

[Iloveketo]

We have done 6 Ocean cruises with Viking. We have never sailed with anyone else. From reading your post I don’t know if you will be happy with Viking. Once on the ship everyone is treated quite equally. No special areas off limit to the lower cabin categories. Though there is an included excursion at every port. The optional ones sometimes are sold out if you don’t book a suite. Please check out what each cabin category entitles you to. We have recently travel with cruiser from Regents and Oceania who found fault with Viking. 
We love Viking Ocean, but not everyone agrees. 

Edited May 21, 2023 by Iloveketo

[LibertyBella]

I am not sure why folks think that one cruise line is the perfect "fit," and will provide everything they think they want/need.

 

I will say, having cruised fifty years on more than ten different cruise lines, that desires vary based on the moment. (BTW, I do not really care about all my status levels, as there are only so many free cocktails one can drink at one captain's party, and I rarely drink alcohol.)

 

When I travel with my energetic nieces and nephews, then a child-friendly line like RC or NCL is perfect.  When husband and I want an interesting itinerary and a more sophisticated yet still big ship cruise experience, we veer toward Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America.  In our younger days we would jump on a Carnival cruise just to have some sea days in the sun.  We often love to "dress to impress," so for those cruises we just have to book Cunard and get out the tuxedo and ballgowns. We have found that Viking provides a consistent quality with a cordial ambience.

 

I like the adults-only, small ship cruises, as the overall experience is, as they say, "country club casual," but we are still very active, and sometimes, we get a tiny bit bored after a few days if the ship is too small.

 

I have 100% NEVER found a cruise ship dining experience as great as some of the wonderful land restaurants I have been to in my life and around the world, so I do not really rank cruise lines for dining.

 

All I can say is it is amusing to read these threads comparing and contrasting cruise lines and trying to debate one over another--fifty years from now I hope all the lines are still going strong and our great-grandchildren still have the opportunity to cruise like we do(Maybe a cruise to the moon as well?). My only loyalty is to cruising.

[CalTrojan]

I cruised in a Celebrity Suite on the Celebrity Equinox for a one week Mediterranean cruise a few years back and recently stayed in an Explore Suite on the Viking Sky for a one week cruise this past winter.  I think like everyone said, it's all highly dependent on personal preference.

 

I know the Celebrity Suites don't have as much inclusions as Royal Suites on Celebrity, but does include the butler service.  My experience was that even without the butler like Celebrity, I found higher service standards on Viking.  I assume this is because Viking ships are significantly smaller with higher passenger to crew staffing and more uniform service standards across the ship.  Think of it like the entire ship is functionally Celebrity's Retreat.  The inclusions for a Royal Suite on Celebrity are fairly similar to what you'd get as most non-suite passenger on Viking, like a fully stocked cabin mini-bar, wifi, free alternative dining, 24-hr room service, a shore excursion per port, all beverages at meal times, spa thermal suite access.   And Viking Explore Suites get only peripheral perks because services are so inclusive across the ship (the suite perks were mainly a longer lead time to make reservations for services and complimentary unlimited laundry service).

 

Also I used my butler on Celebrity to navigate mostly the big ship complexities, like making reservations at restaurants or arranging other services when competing with 2000+ other passengers.  On Viking, because the passenger load is so much less, a lot of those complexities are gone, so the need for someone to facilitate those types of challenges is gone.  The benefits of priority access are not needed on a smaller ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[duquephart]

The opportunity to compete with other cruisers is a criteria for us.

[SteelCity Cruiser]

19 hours ago, Iloveketo said:

We have done 6 Ocean cruises with Viking. We have never sailed with anyone else. From reading your post I don’t know if you will be happy with Viking. Once on the ship everyone is treated quite equally. No special areas off limit to the lower cabin categories. Though there is an included excursion at every port. The optional ones sometimes are sold out if you don’t book a suite. Please check out what each cabin category entitles you to. We have recently travel with cruiser from Regents and Oceania who found fault with Viking. 
We love Viking Ocean, but not everyone agrees. 

You don't need to be in a suite to get optional excursions.  We were in a Deluxe Veranda suite and were able to get every excursion (optional included) that we wanted.  Next cruise we'll be in a Penthouse Veranda and only 1 excursion we wanted was sold out and I understand there were an extremely SMALL number of openings to start with, but we got all the others we wanted as well.  The Veranda staterooms are the last to book and folks in those rooms are the most likely see most optional excursions sold out because something like 90% of the passengers had sign up dates before them.

 

[OnTheJourney]

On 5/21/2023 at 7:10 PM, Iloveketo said:

Once on the ship everyone is treated quite equally. No special areas off limit to the lower cabin categories.

I like this part of it. I don't understand Celebrity's philosophy of adding a huge amenity (the retreat) for one class of passengers but then apparently taking away previously offered amenities to other (aqua) people. It's like a step back to the old days of 1st / 2nd / 3rd class in limiting areas of the ship to certain groups. I get the incentives for RCL and X pax by wanting to continue cruising so that they, too, might one day have access to these areas on the ship and other perks, or to pay for suite level, etc. to have the front of the ship all to themselves, but I don't miss any of that stuff when on Viking. I just read again several descriptions of what I was SUPPOSED to get with Aqua class, and it simply didn't happen. I told them on the survey. It's all about catering to suite level rather than the rest of us 2nd class passengers LOL. 

Edited May 23, 2023 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

9 hours ago, SteelCity Cruiser said:

we'll be in a Penthouse Veranda

Nice room. Sometime also try a Penthouse Jr. Suite. Great location on deck 8. Easy access to Mamson's and also the upper level of the Explorer's Lounge. 

[OnTheJourney]

10 hours ago, CalTrojan said:

Think of it like the entire ship is functionally Celebrity's Retreat.

Good way to think of it! I agree.