Live from Vista—Montreal to Miami

[makai 7]

Thank you Jim!  My mouth is watering at the food porn… I will definitely try the lamb at Toscana in February.

 looking forward to trying Viking in December and will do my own comparison.

[Queen of DaNile]

10 hours ago, kjbacon said:

Your pictures are fantastic and descriptions too. We are on Vista next year and am very excited to try out Aquamar Cafe. Any chance you have pictures of anything other than that gorgeous poke bowl which I will order on day one in your honor!?

Oceania Signature with Mexican Spiced Shrimp

[Waltershipman]

4 hours ago, Azulann said:

Thank you so much for your  detailed trip report on the Vista. Toscana  sounds incredible , both the food and service.  

I was, at the same time ,reading a trip report about the Explora 1 by a another CC  poster that I admire.

IN the end, I will continue to  travel on Viking Ocean, but  I would try Explora in 2024  after they get their communication with cruisers  figured out before and even while on board, depending on the itinerary.  

Love your pictures and your Steve test for food.

Look forward to your next trip report and thank you for taking the time for all of us CC posters who love reading trip repost  no matter which ship or cruise line.

Cheers,

Patti

 

 

Dear Patti and all others

 

Having just gotten off Explora Journeys less than a week ago and with a cruise on the Vista set in January I can tell you with absolute certainty that while some communication with EJ is lacking there is absolutely nothing lacking about the on board experience.  I have been on ovet 100 cruises and am  neither a TA nor a so called influencer just someone who loves to cruise and have been doing so since 1980.

 

The food and service on E J are unmatched i am hopeful the Vista will be excellent 

 

EJ cruise was less than full which meant it was better because i am not sure how a full ship would feel.

 

All in all i have a total feeling of gratitude for having had the Explora experience and hope to have it again.

In addition we had an Ocean terrace 1 cabin which is entry level and it was delightful 

 

All the best

[DrKoob]

5 hours ago, Queen of DaNile said:

Oceania Signature with Mexican Spiced Shrimp

Sorry, I don't think I took anything else. But my buddy Mike Preisman will as soon as his review is done. I will post when he does. Make sure and watch for it. Usually three weeks or so. And thanks for the comment about my photography. Your food shot is better than mine. I never take my Nikon to any food venue so all mine are taken as snapshots with an iPhone.

[Queen of DaNile]

6 minutes ago, DrKoob said:

Sorry, I don't think I took anything else. But my buddy Mike Preisman will as soon as his review is done. I will post when he does. Make sure and watch for it. Usually three weeks or so. And thanks for the comment about my photography. Your food shot is better than mine. I never take my Nikon to any food venue so all mine are taken as snapshots with an iPhone.

LOL. I don't take my Nikon either but sometimes the old Galaxy does the job.

[DrKoob]

1 hour ago, Queen of DaNile said:

LOL. I don't take my Nikon either but sometimes the old Galaxy does the job.

Great shot,. You do food really well.

[kjbacon]

@Queen of DaNile Thank you! I Hope the dish was as good as it looked.

[DrKoob]

Let me sum up...

 

This should be the last post on our Vista cruise from Montreal to Miami. I hope you have enjoyed following along and the photos I have posted. I promised a final review of what we liked and didn't. Also, since Oceania has decided to become more Viking Ocean-like with their new Simply More inclusions, I will finish by comparing the two. They both desire to occupy the same space and attract the same cruisers.

 

When doing this post, I consulted all seven members of our party, and they mostly agreed with me. And please—realize these are my perceptions. Not yours. If you had a different experience on your cruise, let me know, but don't challenge me on my opinion of what I experienced.

 

What we loved...

• Obviously, the food. Oceania promises the best food at sea, and in 90% of their venues, they succeed. Every single place to eat was as good or better than any place I have eaten on any other ship. If cruising is all about food for you—you want Oceania.
• The new-ship smell. Kathleen came up with the description. It was great to sail on a ship that was only six months old. Everything was bright and shiny. Of course, this won't be true in a couple of years, but if you get on board this year, you should have the same experience.
• Service was incredible. We haven't had service like this in quite a few cruises. Besides the crew members themselves their training, the way they are treated and how they are managed. What a massive contrast to our last cruise on HAL's Koningsdam, where no one was trained to do their job, and some of the things they did were just dangerous.
• Vista is beautiful. Great design. Some nice art. Just about every part of this ship is gorgeous to look at.
• The shower in my brother's stateroom. I'm not sure if he had a different shower than we did; I do get it. He is a big guy, and a big shower is important to him. Sadly, I disagreed because that oversized shower (a big square) meant there was less room in the rest of the stateroom and less storage space.

 

What we thought needed improvement...

• Their entire system for doing WiFi. Come on, Oceania. It makes me log in and out and kick my wife off. Even worse, it meant she couldn't text me if she wanted to ask me something or let me know where she was. I totally realize that the new Simply More program (which includes two device logins) will be an improvement. But if you have more than one device on the ship with you (a phone, tablet and computer), you will have to log off one to get on the other. That means I have to log off or kick myself off before I can receive something else on the new device. Give us WiFi like every other cruise line if you get "FREE" WiFi. Quick messing with it. Even the guy in the digital center hates it. He said it is his biggest complaint. And from what I have seen on Cruise Critic, it hasn't worked very well since the Simply More changeover.
• Speaking of technology—they need to get an app! Every major cruise line has an app that you can text in (without having an internet package), you can see the daily program, you can check your account, you can see the menus for that evening, and so much more. In 2023, not having your own app says you are just stupid and living in the last century.
• The elevators. I touched on this when I wrote about the ship's public areas, but the elevators are ridiculous, and for a new ship, they broke down far too often. Thankfully, I don't believe anyone got stuck in one, but there are just not enough of them. Sadly, they can do nothing about this, but they can improve it on future ships.
• Very few spaces where you can see the sea. For a cruise line named after the ocean, they didn't want you to see the ocean when they designed this ship. If you don't have a verandah, you can't see the ocean until you are on deck 12. Below that, the only place you can see off the ship is the Grand Dining Room. That's nuts. All the other windows on decks five and six are covered with drapes, and there is no access to outdoor decks, let alone an actual promenade deck that encircles the ship. Again, this is one thing they can't improve on Vista but should make note of for future ships.
• The AC can't keep up. If you are in the Aquamar Kitchen, the Waves Grille and most of the Terrace Cafe and doing a warm-weather cruise—you better love hot and humid temps. Both the Aquamar and the Grille are open to the outside and have no air conditioning that we could see. On cold days, they have heaters but not even fans for hot days. On our last sea day before we got to Miami, the temperature was in the high eighties/low nineties and the humidity was close to 90%. Finding a place to sit in the buffet where you didn't get a blast of hot, humid air whenever someone came into or went out of the room was challenging. If you are from Florida, this probably won't bother you, but those of us from the northern climates were dying.
• Someplace to sit. There is really no place to sit and have a pre-dinner cocktail that doesn't have music playing in it. Piano player in Martinis, dance band in Horizons and string quartet in the Grand Lounge. This is especially true if you want to get together with new or old friends and talk.   But this problem is one they can fix now. Just play excellent background music (like they play all day) in Martinis. No Bill Murray-style lounge singer with a grating voice who tries to drown out every single conversation. That should do it. If people want a quiet conversation pre-dinner, the only nice lounge is the Smoker's Lounge. So many convert that to a regular lounge and just make the entire ship non-smoking?

That's about it. See, we really had a great cruise. Yes, we missed two ports, but O gave us a future cruise credit for the one they were responsible for, and the other was due to weather, so it was not their fault. On the list of all our cruises, I would put it up with our HAL cruise on Nieuw Statendam or one of our early cruises with Celebrity until they decided they didn't like cruisers our age anymore.

 

Let's Compare

Over the last six months, Oceania has been bringing out its Simply More program that incorporates much of what Viking Ocean Cruises does. It adds free wine and beer at dinner, free internet (but only two devices at a time per stateroom) and more. So clearly, Oceania sees itself competing with Viking Ocean for the same clientele.

 

Since we left Celebrity, we have been looking for a new cruise line to lend our loyalty to. And so far it has come down to Oceania (O) or Viking Ocean (VO). So, since both O and I have decided to make a comparison, here is ours based on this 15-night cruise on O's newest ship and our 21-night cruise on the slightly older Viking Sky last year around this time. Here's how I see it. Again, please realize that this is MY PERCEPTION. If you had a different experience, please let me know but don't attack my reality.

 

• Stateroom Design (Viking wins). Staterooms on Viking for close to the same price are much bigger—there is a ton more storage space, which is important on longer cruises that we seem to take now.
• Bathroom Design (Viking Wins). Even though my brother likes his shower better on Oceania, I like the bathroom layout much better. No wasted floor space
• Internet (Viking Wins). I think I have been over this enough. From the minute we got on board Viking until the minute we got off, we had complete WiFi on every device we owned. I am not even sure if Viking offers an internet upgrade.
• Cruise Ship App (Viking Wins). Oceania has no app. Viking's isn't perfect, but I can at least see what is going on during the day without a paper copy, and I can check menus around the ship and text each other.
• Elevators (Viking Wins). Enough said. Kathleen never had to wait for an elevator on Viking. Ever.
• Lounges (Viking Wins). There were a number of places we could get a quiet drink and have a conversation.
• Closed-in Ship (Viking Wins). You can see the ocean from almost any public space on a Viking Ocean ship. Not true on Vista, where you can't see it until you get to deck 12.
• Promenade Deck (Viking Wins). If I am on deck five and want to know what the weather is like, I have to wait until I get back up to my stateroom to find out. There is no place below deck 12 (other than my verandah) where I can step outside. Plus, as a walker, I much prefer a walking track that is partially protected. With Vista's being on deck 15, they closed on a number of days to walkers and joggers because of strong winds.
• Interior furnishings (Viking Wins). This is really a matter of taste, but I just love Viking Ocean's Scandinavian design. Much of Vista's public space was beautiful, but some bordered on gaudy. I said bordered (the lighting in the Grand Lounge was really close to Vegas).
• Horizons/Explorer’s Lounge (Viking Wins). Horizons is a cocktail lounge/dance hall. Explorer's Lounge on Viking is on two levels. The top one is for quiet reading (I did most of my writing and photo processing up there), and the lower level has a bar and excellent seats for conversation.
• The entire spa (Viking Wins). I am the first to admit that even though we were in a Concierge stateroom, I never tried the Aquamar Spa, but in my mind, Viking wins this one because everyone has access for free. Not just those in Concierge or above staterooms.
• Outside activities (Oceania Wins). Deck 15 and 16 had so much you could do on sea days it wasn't even funny. From bocce to shuffleboard, from pickleball to mini golf (not to mention the golf simulator and cornhole), it was a veritable playground for those wanting an outdoor diversion. If I had one criticism, it would be that they need more barriers to the wind as they had to close these decks fairly often at sea...which defeats the purpose.
• Culinary Center (Oceania Wins). I don't even think Viking has a Culinary Center. It is undoubtedly a draw for me.
• Smoking Lounge (Oceania Wins). If you want to smoke on Viking, go outside in the weather. Vista's Smoking Lounge is gorgeous. How about both cruise lines ban smoking entirely, and then Vista can open up her Smoking Lounge to people who want to gather before dinner and not hear music?
• Casino (Viking Wins). Because they don't have one. The space they saved by getting rid of their casino went into the Wintergarden, a beautiful room where anyone can gather. With Viking, we were drawn to the things they don't have as much as to the things they do. No kids under 18, no casino, no ship photographers, no upsell in the spa, no indoor smoking, etc.
• Artist’s Loft (Oceania Wins). Another great extra on Vista. I didn't use it, but it was jammed every single day.
• Complimentary pressing (Viking Wins). Oceania said we got pressing of our clothes when we arrived. There were coupons in our stateroom. Five of them. That means that you can have five things pressed. On Viking (in the PV–the stateroom we had), you got free pressing all the way through the entire cruise.
• Free Laundry (Viking wins). We got about the same amount of free laundry on both ships, but the note on Vista said that it could take "up to three days." Well, if I have three pairs of pants and two are dirty and I send them to be laundered and then I spill something on the one I kept, I am out of luck for three days. I do realize that they were under-promising and over-delivering because many who sent their laundry out got it back one day later. But I can't take that chance.
• Launderettes (tie). Both have great self-serve laundries, although the ironing boards on Vista could be bigger.
• Beds (Oceania wins). This is a hands-down thing. My bed on Viking was almost unusable. It was way too hard for me. Our bed on Vista was excellent (Kathleen thought the pillows sucked, but they didn't bother me that much).
• Ships across the entire line (Viking Wins). We were on Vista, Oceania's newest ship. The entire line has seven ships, with one on the way in 2025. We have heard that Vista, Marina and Riviera are all about the same size and have the same features. But the other four are old R-class ships with some of the tiniest staterooms in all of cruising.—175 square feet in their verandah staterooms, and their Penthouse Suites are only 260 square feet—they call that a suite? Our Concierge verandah on Vista was 250 square feet. The staterooms on those ships are just too small. And those ships were all built in the 1990s. That's just too old. Viking has 11 ships, with one on the way in 2025. They are all identical—seriously. You go on one, you go on all of them. And all were built since 2014, with four of them going into service since 2022.
• Deposit and Final Payment Due Dates (Oceania wins). This is a total given. Viking is notorious for having the earliest final payment dates in all of cruising. For instance, if I buy a Viking cruise today (October 2023) that will sail in December 2024, my Viking Ocean final payment will probably be due on December 31, 2023. But by the same token, Oceania's final payment will be due 90 days before the cruise sales. Of course, you can still get all your money back from Viking before 120 days with only a $100 PP booking fee loss (and you can apply those to another cruise), but the biggest complaint I hear from Viking cruisers or those who want to cruise with Viking but haven't tried them yet is this early final payment date. When someone asks me why they have that early a date, I tell them, "Because they can." Their passengers are amazingly loyal. If people stopped booking Viking or their ships were sailing empty, this might change. But as of now, it isn't.

Food! I thought this deserved a special category all its own

•  Grand Dining Room/Main Dining Room (Oceania wins). I HATE Viking's dining room. There were low ceilings and a staff (at least on our cruise) who was totally disorganized, not to mention some food that wasn't really that good. O wins here big time.
• Specialty Restaurants (Oceania Wins). Was there ever a doubt? There are only two on Viking—Manfredis and Chef's Table. Manfredis is a sorry excuse for an Italian restaurant, and the Chef's Table has a fixed menu. It changes every few days. If you don't like what you get when you go on the day of your reservation, you are stuck. I was stuck. All four Vista specialty restaurants are better than either of these.
• Grille (Viking Wins). Surprise. But the Grille on Viking is so much better than the Waves Grille (for lunch) that it isn't even close.
• Buffet (Tie). I almost gave it to Oceania here, but cold desserts and serving entirely the same menu two nights in a row knocked it down to a tie.
• Mamsens/Baristas (Oceania). I have to get this to Baristas. I love Mamsens, but Baristas's pastries and coffees are so much better.
• Aquamar Kitchen (Oceania Wins). Because there is nothing like it on a Viking ship. And I want to eat lunch there every single day.
• Pricing (Tie): Here's a comparison of two different cruises in three types of staterooms.

Here's a price comparison on a 2024 New England cruise. This is much like the one we did, minus Miami and Charleston.

• Viking Penthouse Verandah (338 square feet) for 15 nights in New England is $8999 per person. Per Night cost on Viking is $599 pp
• Oceania Concierge Verandah (173 square feet) 18 nights New England on Nautica (one of the older ships) $10,599 per person. Per Night costs $588 pp
• Oceania Penthouse suite (260 Square feet) $13799 pp, $766 per night pp.

Or I did a Mediterranean cruise in the same time frame. Comparing a Rivera–10-night Med cruise in the fall of 2024 with a 15-night cruise in the Med on any Viking ship.

• On Viking: Penthouse Verandah for 15 nights Med (338 square feet) $ 11809 Per night $739 pp
• On Oceania: Concierge Veranda Stateroom (242 square feet😞 $6299 pp Per night  $629.
• Penthouse Suite (420 square feet) $ 7599 pp Per night $759

Yes, each line offers different things with their base price, and they aren't all the same. I met a guy on Vista, an accountant who does an Excel spreadsheet for all their cruises. I am not that interested. A few dollars either way doesn't make that big a difference to us. Ultimately, it all comes down to what is important to you. If it's food, sail with Oceania (stick to their bigger ships), but if it is pretty much everything other than their final payment stuff, try Viking. All that said we have future cruises booked with both of them, so I guess we are still deciding.

[PP76]

On 10/2/2023 at 1:08 PM, Hambagahle said:

I am curious to know how you like the Vista suite?  We will be in 9000 on 24 April.  if you sail before then please do post about the suite!!  Thanks.

 

On 10/2/2023 at 4:40 PM, jwindham said:

I for one am glad that the beds are not so high. At 5 feet the couple of times we stayed in an Oceania Suite I had to hoist myself up on the bed, not fun. Open the suitcases and they will go under the bed or just lift up the end of the bed. I did this on the Vista in August and it was not hard at all. Julia

We have just completed the Montreal to Miami cruise on the Vista in a Vista suite, the ship is lovely and Vista suite 12008 was really very nice.

[Azulann]

Thank you so much for your trip report and comparison between two lines.

 I loved your pictures and your writing style. 

I think I  got a good picture of what Oceania cruises are all about on their newer ships. 

Take care and look froward to your future sailings.

Cheers.

 Patti

[friendsoftulie]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your in-depth critique of Vista.  We sail on Vista in two weeks (Panama Canal - north).  Thank You!  I really appreciate all the time you took in your posts.

[DrKoob]

1 hour ago, Azulann said:

Thank you so much for your trip report and comparison between two lines.

 I loved your pictures and your writing style. 

I think I  got a good picture of what Oceania cruises are all about on their newer ships. 

Take care and look froward to your future sailings.

Cheers.

 Patti

Thanks Patti. Stick around (or make sure to subscribe) we are off to Europe for a Christmas Market river cruise at the end of November.

 

[ak1004]

4 hours ago, DrKoob said:

 

Here's a price comparison on a 2024 New England cruise. This is much like the one we did, minus Miami and Charleston.

• Viking Penthouse Verandah (338 square feet) for 15 nights in New England is $8999 per person. Per Night cost on Viking is $599 pp
• Oceania Concierge Verandah (173 square feet) 18 nights New England on Nautica (one of the older ships) $10,599 per person. Per Night costs $588 pp
• Oceania Penthouse suite (260 Square feet) $13799 pp, $766 per night pp.

Or I did a Mediterranean cruise in the same time frame. Comparing a Rivera–10-night Med cruise in the fall of 2024 with a 15-night cruise in the Med on any Viking ship.

• On Viking: Penthouse Verandah for 15 nights Med (338 square feet) $ 11809 Per night $739 pp
• On Oceania: Concierge Veranda Stateroom (242 square feet😞 $6299 pp Per night  $629.
• Penthouse Suite (420 square feet) $ 7599 pp Per night $759

 

 

Thanks for the comparison.

 

"On Viking: Penthouse Verandah for 15 nights Med (338 square feet) $ 11809 Per night $739 pp"

 

My calculator gives me $787 per night, not $739. Furthermore, 15 days on V = 14 nights, so the cost per night is actually $843. 

 

For O, I see PH for 10 nights $7,550-$8,900 CAD or $5,555-$6,590 USD, not sure where did you see $7599. So the cost per night for PH is $27-50% more expensive on V. Furthermore, comparing V PH which is 338 sqft to O PH which is 420 sqft is also not apples to apples

 

I also compared the cheapest veranda on O with the cheapest veranda on V in Sep 2024, and got the following numbers.

 

Oceania:

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/baltic-cruises/london-to-london-MNA240910/ 12 nights - $675 CAD or $500 USD per night

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/greek-isles-cruises/athens-to-rome-VIS240903/ 10 nights $635 CAD or $470 USD per night

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/mediterranean-cruises/rome-to-lisbon-VIS240913/ 10 nights $630 CAD or $466 USD per night

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/mediterranean-cruises/barcelona-to-athens-RVA240911/ 10 nights $550 CAD or $407 USD per night

 

Viking:

https://www.vikingcruisescanada.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/eastern-mediterranean/empires-mediterranean/pricing.html#search/sfym=2024-9&sftcm=empires-mediterranean 9 nights $888 CAD or $658 USD

https://www.vikingcruisescanada.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/ancient-adriatic-treasures/pricing.html#search/sfym=2024-8&sftcm=ancient-adriatic-treasures 14 nights $857 CAD or $635 USD

https://www.vikingcruisescanada.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/italy-adriatic-greece/pricing.html#search/sfym=2024-8&sftcm=italy-adriatic-greece 14 nights $857 CAD or $635 USD

 

So V is around 35-50% more expensive for veranda category (with the room 240 sqft on O vs 225 sqft on V).

 

Few comments:

 

Frist, I think comparing the newer O ships is a better comparison because basic verandas are comparable to V, while on the older ships you would need to go to PH to get a comparable size.

 

Second, remember that when V says 10 days, it's actually 10 days or 9 nights, but O's 10 days is actually 10 nights. This could make a significant difference per night on shorter itineraries. For example, your Viking Penthouse Verandah should be 14 nights not 15, which increases the cost per night to $843.

 

The bottom line is that when comparing comparable cabins, V is 30-40% more expensive.

 

Edited October 20, 2023 by ak1004

[DrKoob]

20 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Thanks for the comparison.

 

"On Viking: Penthouse Verandah for 15 nights Med (338 square feet) $ 11809 Per night $739 pp"

 

My calculator gives me $787 per night, not $739. Furthermore, 15 days on V = 14 nights, so the cost per night is actually $843. 

 

For O, I see PH for 10 nights $7,550-$8,900 CAD or $5,555-$6,590 USD, not sure where did you see $7599. So the cost per night for PH is $27-50% more expensive on V. Furthermore, comparing V PH which is 338 sqft to O PH which is 420 sqft is also not apples to apples

 

I also compared the cheapest veranda on O with the cheapest veranda on V in Sep 2024, and got the following numbers.

 

Oceania:

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/baltic-cruises/london-to-london-MNA240910/ 12 nights - $675 CAD or $500 USD per night

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/greek-isles-cruises/athens-to-rome-VIS240903/ 10 nights $635 CAD or $470 USD per night

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/mediterranean-cruises/rome-to-lisbon-VIS240913/ 10 nights $630 CAD or $466 USD per night

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/mediterranean-cruises/barcelona-to-athens-RVA240911/ 10 nights $550 CAD or $407 USD per night

 

Viking:

https://www.vikingcruisescanada.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/eastern-mediterranean/empires-mediterranean/pricing.html#search/sfym=2024-9&sftcm=empires-mediterranean 9 nights $888 CAD or $658 USD

https://www.vikingcruisescanada.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/ancient-adriatic-treasures/pricing.html#search/sfym=2024-8&sftcm=ancient-adriatic-treasures 14 nights $857 CAD or $635 USD

https://www.vikingcruisescanada.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/italy-adriatic-greece/pricing.html#search/sfym=2024-8&sftcm=italy-adriatic-greece 14 nights $857 CAD or $635 USD

 

So V is around 35-50% more expensive for veranda category (with the room 240 sqft on O vs 225 sqft on V).

 

Few comments:

 

Frist, I think comparing the newer O ships is a better comparison because basic verandas are comparable to V, while on the older ships you would need to go to PH to get a comparable size.

 

Second, remember that when V says 10 days, it's actually 10 days or 9 nights, but O's 10 days is actually 10 nights. This could make a significant difference per night on shorter itineraries. For example, your Viking Penthouse Verandah should be 14 nights not 15, which increases the cost per night to $843.

 

The bottom line is that when comparing comparable cabins, V is 30-40% more expensive.

 

I got all my numbers off of O and V's websites. Keep in mind that like airline fares, things change by day or even by hour.

Edited October 20, 2023 by DrKoob

[ak1004]

1 minute ago, DrKoob said:

I got all my numbers off of O and V's websites. Keep in mind that like airline fares, things change by day or even by hour.

 

I don't think so. O prices don't change on a daily basis, unless there is a sale.

 

In any case, I provided links for specific sailings. I also mentioned the difference in number of days/nights, and also pointed out to the mistake with the V PH per day cost. The conclusion is very clear, and many past V guests also mentioned that V is now significantly more expensive than O.

 

 

[ak1004]

4 hours ago, DrKoob said:

• Stateroom Design (Viking wins). Staterooms on Viking for close to the same price are much bigger—there is a ton more storage space, which is important on longer cruises that we seem to take now.
• .

 

The numbers don't support your conclusion.

 

O cabins

Veranda 240/290 (without balcony/with balcony)

PH 350/420

V cabins

Veranda 225/270

PH 280/340

So O has 15 sqft more of internal space on regular veranda, and 70 sqft more of internal space on PH.

 

And as I showed, O is also significantly cheaper in each category. 

[Vineyard View]

I have to agree with ak1004. I’ve done so many price comparisons between VO, SB, and O that it’s overload at some point. Each and every time, VO comes out more expensive than either SB or O. I have added in every single amenity between the three, every single extra or included charge, and dollar for dollar that is how it plays. 

We also sailed in PV, so I can see where you are coming from in the cabin comparisons. But a really significant difference, as ak1004 points out, is that any VO cruise marketed as ‘x’ days is not the same as SB or O. Example is VO markets a 15 day, that is actually 14 nights (pattern repeats on their offerings with various lengths) whereas on O or SB that is a 14 day cruise. That changes the math on a per person per day cost basis quite a bit. 
 

Are there services, venues, cabin lay out, ship lay out etc. differences between them. Yes. Absolutely and that has to come into play in making decisions. But total cost per person per night…those are hard dollar comparisons if that is what your decision is based upon. For us, that is not everything. Itinerary, time of year, etc factor in….but side by side….For us, the product on VO didn’t measure up to SB….looking forward to our first on Oceania. 
 

Would we sail VO again…for the right itinerary and price, yes. I just haven’t found that post Covid. 

[kjbacon]

@DrKoob I’ve really enjoyed your pictures and reviews. Thank you for taking us along with you and spending so much time reporting. Your thoughts on Ember got my attention. I’ve seen other negative reviews and it’s a shame because it replaced Jacques, which was so darn good.

 

My comparison of the two lines draws a different final conclusion than yours and that’s ok because preference is just that, preference! Best to you.

[Hambagahle]

22 minutes ago, kjbacon said:

@DrKoob I’ve really enjoyed your pictures and reviews. Thank you for taking us along with you and spending so much time reporting. Your thoughts on Ember got my attention. I’ve seen other negative reviews and it’s a shame because it replaced Jacques, which was so darn good.

 

My comparison of the two lines draws a different final conclusion than yours and that’s ok because preference is just that, preference! Best to you.

I wonder how long it will take to have Oceania remove Ember and put Jacques in that space??  They seem to have shot themselves in the foot with this one.

[Gracie115]

Intereting comparison.  We are trying Oceania on Vista in December and thinking about trying Viking sometime in the future so all your comments are appreciated.

 

One note, I'm pretty sure that Oceania, in the last month, changed final pay date to 6 months out, which is still better than Viking.  

[ak1004]

2 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

Intereting comparison.  We are trying Oceania on Vista in December and thinking about trying Viking sometime in the future so all your comments are appreciated.

 

One note, I'm pretty sure that Oceania, in the last month, changed final pay date to 6 months out, which is still better than Viking.  

No they didn't. Penalties start at 6 months, final payment still 5 months.

[gentlemancruiser]

17 hours ago, DrKoob said:

 

• Outside activities (Oceania Wins). Deck 15 and 16 had so much you could do on sea days it wasn't even funny. From bocce to shuffleboard, from pickleball to mini golf (not to mention the golf simulator and cornhole), it was a veritable playground for those wanting an outdoor diversion. If I had one criticism, it would be that they need more barriers to the wind as they had to close these decks fairly often at sea...which defeats the purpose.
•  

I love play pickleball and that was one of the worst courts to play on.  Most everyone gave up trying to play there.  The surface prevented the ball from bouncing or if your ball hit a seam on the surface it sent the ball off in different directions.   

Was a total waste of money.  Also the nets are set up for paddle tennis.   

I watched a couple try to play shuffleboard and they gave up because the surface wasn't right, simliar thing for bocco ball etc.   Golf clubs were just terrible, the grips on several driver & wedges was falling off.   

 

I have to give this feedback because while the spaces look inviting, like the Vista Lounge, it JUST DOESN'T WORK.   

[sunlover12]

@DrKoob Thanks for your review. I haven't been on Vista but I hope to someday. Just to clarify a couple of things.  You mentioned Viking doesn't do an upsell in the spa.  Oceania doesn't either.  They don't try to sell me anything after the service. No ship photographers on Oceania either.

[DrKoob]

1 hour ago, gentlemancruiser said:

I love play pickleball and that was one of the worst courts to play on.  Most everyone gave up trying to play there.  The surface prevented the ball from bouncing or if your ball hit a seam on the surface it sent the ball off in different directions.   

Was a total waste of money.  Also the nets are set up for paddle tennis.   

I watched a couple try to play shuffleboard and they gave up because the surface wasn't right, simliar thing for bocco ball etc.   Golf clubs were just terrible, the grips on several driver & wedges was falling off.   

 

I have to give this feedback because while the spaces look inviting, like the Vista Lounge, it JUST DOESN'T WORK.   

Thanks Gentleman Cruiser! I didn't use any of those, just saw them so it's good to have report from someone who did.

[DrKoob]

6 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

Intereting comparison.  We are trying Oceania on Vista in December and thinking about trying Viking sometime in the future so all your comments are appreciated.

 

One note, I'm pretty sure that Oceania, in the last month, changed final pay date to 6 months out, which is still better than Viking.  

One thing a lot of people don't realize (and I didn't mention) is that if you one Viking cruise (river or ocean) that is fully paid for, you don't have to make final payment on any subsequent cruise until either a) six months before the cruise or b) you take the fully paid for cruise.