Maybe live New York to Iceland on Saturn 30/08-13/09

[Kiwi Dreamer]

Taken with my Iphone 12 mini in India 

 

 

[aungrl]

16 hours ago, Kiwi Dreamer said:

Taken with my Iphone 12 mini in India 

 

 

This is a spectacular photo!  Thanks for sharing.  

[KTRaveller]

On 9/7/2023 at 9:33 AM, Azulann said:

I also enjoyed the Erling Scandinavian chef table dinner on a previous cruise. Your pictures bring back memories.

Seeing it is a sea day, I would certainly talk to Food manager  about the nuts in desserts.  Go toughest relations and  ask to speak ot food manager.The chef will certainly  make a dessert that is without nuts . Talk to  folks behind the counter at World Cafe and  let your waiter know  when you sit down for dinner that you have a nut allergy. Viking has always been very accommodating with any food allergies of any kind. 

Am enjoying your trip report so much. 

 

On 9/7/2023 at 8:22 AM, uktog said:

Last night, we enjoyed the Scandinavian chefs table  I know it is not to the taste of everyone, but we thoroughly enjoyed it, and also were delighted with the service which far outstripped anything we have enjoyed elsewhere on the ship in the evenings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then attended the Cruise director Damian‘s show. He really is a very accomplished performer and talking to him at a point later in the evening a really nice guy. 
 

today, we are rocking and rolling in heavy rain as we try to outrun a storm and dodge another one on the way to Iceland. So very much all day, sitting reading and attending talks all of which we have very much enjoyed.
 

One thing is frustrating us, and we are going to try and pick this up with an appropriate manager, but the ship is not good with the designation of products that contain nuts  I think I said previously we had an issue with a birthday cake containing nuts being served. 
What we are finding now is that in the world café at lunchtime the only desert that does not have nuts is the tiny fruit tartlets, and that is getting a little bit repetitive for dear husband  but more bizarrely for absolutely identical products. If we are in the cafe  then they are supposedly safe however the same item on level One is not - something is not right here

 

 

Don't forget the gelato bar -- many nut free options there, most likely -- or Mamsen's  

[KTRaveller]

22 hours ago, millybess said:

I was hoping you would say an iPhone 14.  The Apple event is in a few days and I'm optimistic   the price will go down, as that is what I would like to use.  I also have a Canon which I really like.

 

On our last cruise I met a woman who was using an iPhone 14 and the night photos were fabulous.

 

We are doing the photography tour in Barbados in January and I really hope the accomplished photographer will not be upset I'm using an iPhone. Probably DH will make up for it with all the equipment he carries around. 🙂  Thanks!

Your pictures are wonderful and I'm so excited and reassured. I have held on to my Iphone8 for a long time partly because I've loved the camera and wasn't impressed with some of my friends' photos from later models.  The salesman told me that the 14 has a really good camera and now I'm more convinced. Thanks!!

[KTRaveller]

3 minutes ago, KTRaveller said:

Your pictures are wonderful and I'm so excited and reassured. I have held on to my Iphone8 for a long time partly because I've loved the camera and wasn't impressed with some of my friends' photos from later models.  The salesman told me that the 14 has a really good camera and now I'm more convinced. Thanks!!

forgot the main point -- ordered an iphone14 yesterday and have had some buyer's remorse, or anxiety since...

[uktog]

Today our final stop we made it to the Heimaey Islands a stop often cancelled. In the morning the weather was blue sky, unfortunately by the time it was our afternoon trip the rain had come. As we were both feeling the effects of lots of vigorous walking earlier in the cruise we opted for the drive around tour which suited us. 
There were only sparse puffin sightings, most of the adults left late August however our guide introduced us to a lovely six week old puffling and a sweet story. 
 

Parent puffins leave their offspring at the point they believe they’re ready to look after themselves. When fledging some young get confused by lights and fly into town at night rather than out to sea. There is no food there for them but they can’t fly off. The local children pick up the puffins on the way to school and they are collected and released high up on the cliffs that evening. Our guide’s children found the cute one this morning and will be going out later this evening on the headland to release it hopefully to fly off to feeding areas. 
 

The trip drove us round in the rain past local spots eg the scene of the Glastonbury / Burning man of Iceland and off to the volcano museum. 

En route we saw the Icelandic horses in a paddock 

The island was the scene in the 1970s of the most destructive eruption of a volcano believed to have been dormant for 4000 years. Everyone survived but both our guides told amazing stories of their parents experience during the evacuation. Our tour concluded at the museum which has been built around the wreckage of houses that were engulfed and then dug out

 

 

This is sadly our last port, the old suitcase in the corridors tonight. What has really struck us about our excursions in Greenland and Iceland has been how all the guides are so proud about their communities and all were true locals born and brought up there and knew so many very personal facts. 

We've loved this cruise I will post to sum it all up and what we saw as Vikings strengths and (few) development areas when we are home but it’s been a fabulous ride 

[millybess]

28 minutes ago, uktog said:

What has really struck us about our excursions in Greenland and Iceland has been how all the guides are so proud about their communities and all were true locals born and brought up there and knew so many very personal facts. 

And that has come through clearly in your reporting and in your photography. Thanks for this.  I look forward to reading more from you about this cruise. 

Edited September 12, 2023 by millybess

[jkadventures]

We were on the cruise before yours and absolutely loved it! Our first Viking experience but certainly not the last! We did book another while onboard but it’s not until 2025, as we have plans for next year. I agree about the pride all the local guides have for their towns and it’s easy to see why!

 

[Twitchly]

On 9/11/2023 at 10:32 AM, uktog said:

The town has adopted being a “slow place” part of a global network to encourage a less frenetic life style in the world.

What a worthy goal. I need to move there.

 

Thanks so much for sharing your journey. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Lindy028]

Many thanks uktog for a really informative and detailed report on both the cruise and the cruise line. I know you from the Azamara board, our favourite since our first 

cruise on the Quest in 2010. We are now seriously interested in Viking Ocean and you have convinced us that this would be a good fit! Safe journey home, and look forward to your further thoughts on the cruise.

 

 

[northengirl]

Thanks for all your posts. I’ve enjoyed them all and the photos. It’s put my mind at rest about our upcoming Viking cruise next February. Looking forward to reading your post cruise one with the pros and cons. Safe journey home. 

 

[TayanaLorna]

On 9/11/2023 at 6:21 PM, millybess said:

I was hoping you would say an iPhone 14.  The Apple event is in a few days and I'm optimistic   the price will go down, as that is what I would like to use.  I also have a Canon which I really like.

 

On our last cruise I met a woman who was using an iPhone 14 and the night photos were fabulous.

 

We are doing the photography tour in Barbados in January and I really hope the accomplished photographer will not be upset I'm using an iPhone. Probably DH will make up for it with all the equipment he carries around. 🙂  Thanks!

He won't be upset.  He focuses more on composition then technical.

[Mackdogmolly]

@uktog, have so enjoyed your “live from” of this cruise, and look forward to your wrap up!

[uktog]

So in summary what did we feel about Viking and our overall experience onboard?  I will break it up for ease.

 

The ship

 

When comparing it to Azamara in terms of the ship – well you should not.  It is not like for like.  However, if you were looking at identical itineraries and prices (payment terms are identical in the UK) then Viking would win in terms of the ship.  It’s the little things in so many places, the fact that there is so much space indoors or outdoors to sit either with company or without is a huge bonus.  Viking Saturn may have 300 more guests, but it felt much less crowded particularly in inclement weather.  There was also other small (but significant) differences such as such a great number of spotless restrooms some of a really decent size – for example the one outside the restaurant has been designed to recognise that is a highuse area so had significant additional “capacity”.

 

Our room was a Deluxe Veranda so the second lowest category although the difference between that and the lowest is in amenities provided rather than room size.  It was a lot bigger than an Azamara Veranda and had much better storage and included a Nespresso machine. (They had also put a kettle and teabags in the room, kind of stereotyping UK guests, don’t mind that, we just had it taken away as we are coffee people in the morning). The room was kept immaculate by the two attendants (yes its two still on Viking) though as they do more rooms they are not as good at nipping in when you go out for a few hours for breakfast and a walk, they seem to service rooms in a sequence.  

 

However there were other nicer touches Azamara could adopt even in their current layout such as better bathroom products in colour coded tubes (no trying to work out from the tiny print is this the shampoo or the shower gel) and leaving lovely chocolate bars and two bags of snack nuts in the fridge each day for you to have when it suited you (or squirrel for the next day) rather than the small creamy square centimetres you get at night from Azamara.  Other little touches  included (OK clever ongoing marketing) we bring a lot of books and had them on the shelf.  When we went to read the first one we found they all now had Viking bookmarks in them.

 

Food

 

In terms of food, we had previously sailed on Viking in March 2022 and our last Azamara cruise was December 2022.  Viking food was far better than Azamara and seemed even more enjoyable than on our first Viking cruise.  They appear to have a much higher budget per head (or alternatively  spend it differently, there is no elaborate brunches, buffet or white night food – more on white night later…).  There was always a dish involving beef, often served as steak in some form on the main dining room menu and whilst there were some spicier dishes, the focus on Viking was on herbs and flavouring rather than spice.  Lobster featured twice along with cod, the duck was cooked to perfection and the pasta was to die for.  Desserts were beautifully presented and very varied.  There is also an everyday menu (including a standard steak, chicken and an excellent salmon dish) if you want and of course in the evening the world café reflects the restaurant food plus some special stations should you prefer that.  

 

A major difference is the way Viking serve food.  A waiter does not take orders from several tables and head to the galley and come back with towers of plates to then distribute.  Food is finished off and brought out on a table by table basis.  We had a useful conversation with the Executive Chef who explained how they manage this on Viking.  As a result in the main dining room it felt, also helped by its sectioned layout, that like you were in a restaurant not a banquet hall and unlike our last Azamara cruise nothing had to go back and everything was piping hot.

 

We had two dinners in Manfredi and two Chefs tables (Scandanavian and Californian).  All were lovely meals with the food cooked to perfection.  The service on our first Manfredi visit was “off” but the Head Waiter identified this before we made the point, it was due to a galley malfunction, and insisted we came back a second time.  Second time it was as she said it would be – spot on.  These two venues are at no additional charge and deluxe veranda level guests are guaranteed one reservation in each.  However if you can be flexible on time and do not want 6 or 6.30 tables you could pretty much go as often as you like.  The chefs table is not the same “extravaganza and pomp” as on Azamara but then I am not spending almost $200 and I would say if the Azamara table is 5 star, this one is 4 star -its pretty enjoyable.

 

The World café was very good as was the more extensive pool grill with much more varied salad bar.  The Pool Grill however is not open in the evenings (but its onion rings are far less “processed”).  There is also a dedicated Asian station with its own chef offering cooked to order dishes from that part of the world breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

The afternoon tea served daily in the Wintergarden with musical accompaniment (but no dress code) is so lovely – four pages of teas to choose from, three tiered serving stands and scones with proper clotted cream - even the special Aqualina afternoon tea comes nowhere near that experience.

[uktog]

Drinks

 

A big difference is Viking only includes wines and beers at meal times and gives you six sodas restocked as required in your room fridge.  We went for the additional Silver Package which costs $25 each per day, both have to have it and you cannot buy it for part of the cruise.  So that is an expense you have to bear in mind though many agents do include it as a “perk”.  It is however a far better package than on Azamara with a much more diverse range of wines all available (about 40 in total) and several spirits that would be beyond the package on Azamara.  All were available though we did have some issues in the dining room re their service I will cover later.

 

I found the staff mixed martinis and cocktails extremely well and have the spirits to mixer balance far better on Viking.  They very much worked to measured amounts so if you are someone who likes your favourite bartender to be heavy handed on the spirits, you are better with Azamara however they had no issue serving doubles.  As one with a much “lower capacity for spirits” these days the Viking approach worked far better for me.

 

Entertainment

 

Entertainment is more extensive and varied on Viking our cruise having a classical pianist, a classical duo (piano and violin), a guitarist, a four piece band (piano, guitar bass and drums) and a duo who would play in the nightclub with some or all of the band.  On the singing front we had four singers (one of whom did her own show) a cruise director and an assistant cruise director who also both did shows.  Apart from the male singer in the duo who was awful all the others were top notch and the cruise director Damien in particular was extremely talented an charming,  All the shows they were involved in were excellent and above Azamara standard.  Unfortunately the two guest entertainers (a guitarist and a ventriloquist) were of a very poor standard, below anything we have seen elsewhere so Azamara is well head in terms of the guest entertainers.

 

One thing we loved on Viking was Dancing Under the Stars – which of course benefits from the pool deck having a roof so is an all weather guaranteed event – in our case it was probably about 4c outside that night.  There is no buffet before it, everyone dines in other venues as usual and then comes for the dancing.  Honestly if that meant the food budget was better used across the time I was onboard I would like Azamara to go that way!  It was a fantastic night, it was as much fun as white night but we were not cold, worried about rain or sitting at tables that had the remnants of a meal setting.  A far higher % of guests were dancing (they did play more slower numbers!!!) and the absence of pressure to pack an outfit just for one night was for me a bonus.  

 

Viking makes a thing about enrichment and here again they were streets ahead of Azamara with their resident historian and four speakers three of who were top notch.  (The fourth only did one very simplistic how to use your iphone talk).  Corey Sandler and Brigadier General Joe Shaeffer both really made our cruise with their talks which of course we could watch on catch up an hour after they were done and thanks to the technology onboard, these were broadcast quality replays.  Whilst I accept Azamara does not have that technology, they could try and book speakers of this quality (though I understand Viking look after their speakers better, that’s what one onboard who had been on both indicated) and a simple thing – Viking requires their presentations to be in a standard format in terms of background colour, font type and size.  It helps so much  and would be a no cost improvement Azamara could make.

 

We used the included Viking tours -all were walk arounds or short bus trips.  They worked well for us given we have been in several of the ports before.  But we know they do not work for some and some find the booking process stressful though it was clear if you did not get a space before boarding, you could usually get a space onboard.  As an aside, we loved the Quiet boxes they worked so well, but our greater like is that shore excursions are handled via Guest Services so there is always someone you can talk to, and there were never lines to have a conversation other than the one morning  when due to very late arrival into port everything had to be rescheduled (though amazingly the letter of changes was in our room 30 minutes after the problem was announced and all the ships digital displays reflected the changed hours, locations etc. Obviously the beauty of integrated electronics.

 

Another difference is in relation to the Port Talk/Shore Excursion presentations.  On Viking these are not “sales pitches”  Each on happens late afternoon the day before the port.  They are double headed by the Cruise Director (who bookends the presentation with an introduction to the port and concludes with top tips) and the Shore Excursion Manager who clearly knows the detail of everything they are offering.  He covered logistics, number of steps, types of incline and surfaces you would be walking on, times to restroom stops and the likely content of any included meal.  They also as we discovered automatically transfer to the operators all allergy information and require them to act on it accordingly.  So DH had snacks in one included tour specially prepared for him – they were ready.  Whilst the information transfer may currently be challenging for Azamara, the Shore Excursion Team having detailed knowledge of every excursion and sharing it should be readily achievable.  So again Viking is well ahead here.

[uktog]

Staff Service

 

So where might Viking be less good – I would say that whilst there are a few employees who are really good at providing service and remembering guests and their preferences, many rely only on their hand held devices and will spend more time looking at them than you.  The technology is great but at times it is limiting the service when it should be the opposite.  The dining room staff are allocated on a section rather than table basis so you will get several people trying to look after you and very rarely do they communicated well.  Our experience, the restaurant manager (Yuri) and head in Manfredi’s (Olivia) were really on top of their game and we could see them nudging staff to get things right.  But it was inconsistent.  

 

Wine service in the main dining room was uncoordinated.  Our preference is to order a change of wine for our main course  which Azamara always copes beautifully with this. It was not a success on Viking.  On several nights early in the cruise we had to chase the second wine, one night it appeared as we had our last bite of our main.  We solved the issue, we asked them to bring both our wines at the start (on the pretence of breathing).  Cracked the problem!! 

 

On the same note, the Captain was pretty invisible though, if I am to base my judgements on our previous Azamara cruise, the hotel director is more visible on Viking.  However even he is not a Heike!  I suppose to sum up if you want a cruise where the officers and staff are to become your best buddies, Viking is not for you.  It is not a factor for us.

 

Technology, Website and Shore Service

 

The wifi worked very well – we experienced no significant outages even in Greenland.  The website worked a treat, my booking as a travel agent reservation but all the time I saw accurate information on My Viking Journey.

 

Our flights were included in the fare, we asked for a price to move up to Business Class and the cost was far less that the published economy to business class difference.  All our flights were on British Airways.  The connection times were good and I had the flight references 60 days before hand where I could manage seats using my airline loyalty.  I also note I earned full loyalty points.  This has never been my experience with Azamara.

 

I had one occasion where I had to call Viking direct, their UK business is handled from an office in London and the call was answered promptly by an extremely knowledgeable well spoken agent – say no more!!

 

Conclusion

 

Will we sail again on Viking?   - absolutely (bookings now in place)

Will we sail again on Azamara – absolutely (bookings now in place)

Who would we book with in the future?  - All depends how our experience is on our next two Azamara cruises, will we book again with them, move away for a small percentage of our cruises or move away for a significant percentage?  

The ball is in Azamara’s court. they have a lot to prove, Viking now has very little to address for us – and with new itineraries coming on for them and the older Azamara ships getting more and more port restricted that is going to play another card into Vikings hand.

 

Lets see – happy to clarify any points…..

[DGHOC]

Brilliant review, thanks so much! I've very much enjoyed reading about your trip, you've offered us a very balanced view throughout.

 

Following our recent trip in June, I'm in agreement with so much of what you've said. We don't tend to eat in the Restaurant so can't compare comment on that but we found the service in the Chef's Table and Manfredi's to be very good. The World Cafe was excellent too. We had below par, slightly stodgy waffles in Mamsen's one morning and a pretty grim fishcake one lunchtime, though that was a day when most had left the ship for excursions; I suspect they had a skeleton staff manning the fort.

 

I'n glad you enjoyed the cruise and that you've booked more; always a sign of a satisfied customer. We too have found the London office excellent. 

 

Thanks once again.

[uktog]

6 minutes ago, DGHOC said:

Brilliant review, thanks so much! I've very much enjoyed reading about your trip, you've offered us a very balanced view throughout.

 

Following our recent trip in June, I'm in agreement with so much of what you've said. We don't tend to eat in the Restaurant so can't compare comment on that but we found the service in the Chef's Table and Manfredi's to be very good. The World Cafe was excellent too. We had below par, slightly stodgy waffles in Mamsen's one morning and a pretty grim fishcake one lunchtime, though that was a day when most had left the ship for excursions; I suspect they had a skeleton staff manning the fort.

 

I'n glad you enjoyed the cruise and that you've booked more; always a sign of a satisfied customer. We too have found the London office excellent. 

 

Thanks once again.

Thanks 

Goodness how could I forget Mamsens- the most beautiful open sandwiches at lunchtime and an apple cake my husband could eat as the chef had not used ground almonds in the pastry as he did elsewhere.  We were lucky to enjoy very good waffles onboard as our bathroom scales can confirm today

[northengirl]

A great review thanks.  I liked the comparison to Azamara.   Definitely put my mind to rest about our upcoming cruise.  Thanks very much.  Glad you had a great time. 

[CurlerRob]

Thank you for such a fact-based review. That is exactly what potential pax need. 🍺🥌

[millybess]

On 9/11/2023 at 7:55 PM, OneSixtyToOne said:

I used an iPhone 14 Pro for these night shots of Venice.

 

On 9/11/2023 at 6:11 PM, uktog said:

Thank you for your lovely comments - the honest answer is an IPhone 14. I used to drag a Canon plus changeable lenses with me but now I do not 

Off topic @OneSixtyToOne  and @uktog Are there any books you would recommend on photographing with an iPhone?  Or did you just experiment with it?

[uktog]

5 minutes ago, millybess said:

 

Off topic @OneSixtyToOne  and @uktog Are there any books you would recommend on photographing with an iPhone?  Or did you just experiment with it?

I just experiment and learned as I used it.  I practised at home taking lots of random things before I first relied on it on holiday

[millybess]

9 minutes ago, uktog said:

I just experiment and learned as I used it.  I practised at home taking lots of random things before I first relied on it on holiday

Thank you. We’re cruising next month and I’ve been working on trying to attain photos of the same quality as yours.