Loyalty program for repeat cruisers?

[gottagocit]

We are considering trying a Viking cruise for our next voyage after sailing with Princess for many years. I can’t seem to find any details of a loyalty program or other benefits for repeat customers on the Viking website. Is there not one for Viking and if so where can I find the details?  
 

Also I seem to recall reading somewhere a couple years ago they offer matching loyalty program levels of other cruise line cruisers. Is that true?

 

Lastly for anyone who has sailed with Princess how would you compare the onboard experience difference between the two lines?

 

Thanks 

[duquephart]

They will let you purchase another cruise pretty much anytime you like.

[millybess]

1 hour ago, gottagocit said:

We are considering trying a Viking cruise for our next voyage after sailing with Princess for many years. I can’t seem to find any details of a loyalty program or other benefits for repeat customers on the Viking website. Is there not one for Viking and if so where can I find the details?  
 

 

This is how it works:

 

https://thepointsguy.com/guide/viking-cruises-loyalty-program/

 

But you still have to pay for the hat.

[millybess]

I should also add, that if you have a cruise booked, you can ask for your final payment to be 6 months before the cruise. But this depends on how many cruises you have booked.   We have had our final payment extended to 2-3 months before the cruise.  

[Squawkman]

We did one Princess cruise with 2 other couples in 2016 prior to cruising with Viking Ocean (we did a Viking River before than). After experiencing our first Viking Ocean in 2018, we stick with Viking. We completed 6 ocean and 5 river with 3 more ocean and 1 more river booked through 2025.

[Jim Avery]

Viking is much more adult than the mass lines.  No silly black cards, diamond pins, etc.  You can even bring booze onboard if you wish.  And with only 900 or so there is really no need for cards allowing you to jump the queue.   Buy the room you want and any amenities are listed.  Once out the door you are just one of us....🥃

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, gottagocit said:

We are considering trying a Viking cruise for our next voyage after sailing with Princess for many years. I can’t seem to find any details of a loyalty program or other benefits for repeat customers on the Viking website. Is there not one for Viking and if so where can I find the details?  
 

Also I seem to recall reading somewhere a couple years ago they offer matching loyalty program levels of other cruise line cruisers. Is that true?

 

Lastly for anyone who has sailed with Princess how would you compare the onboard experience difference between the two lines?

 

Thanks 

 

Spent 40 years both working for and cruising with Princess, with our last cruise with them being 2015, when their standards dropped below our minimum requirements.

 

Princess would be the equivalent of staying in a Motel 6 and eating at a fast food joint, while Viking would compare to a 4-star resort.

[FetaCheese]

5 hours ago, gottagocit said:

We are considering trying a Viking cruise for our next voyage after sailing with Princess for many years. I can’t seem to find any details of a loyalty program or other benefits for repeat customers on the Viking website. Is there not one for Viking and if so where can I find the details?  
 

Also I seem to recall reading somewhere a couple years ago they offer matching loyalty program levels of other cruise line cruisers. Is that true?

 

Lastly for anyone who has sailed with Princess how would you compare the onboard experience difference between the two lines?

 

Thanks 

Loyalty:  $200pp discount for cruise booked within 1 year of prior sailing, $100pp discount for cruise booked within 2 years of prior cruise.  It's on the V website, but very difficult to find page. Have seen it before.  Called the "Explorer Society"

 

Not aware of any cruise line reciprocal benefits.

[gottagocit]

Thanks to everyone for the helpful replies. Very helpful!  I do like what I’m seeing with respect to cabin size, style, age restrictions and more. 
And yes we agree Princess service and amenities have progressively deteriorated over recent years. 
 

Are there additional expenses/fees such as port fees, daily crew appreciation or taxes that are added to the fare? And how does a Viking airfares compare to what’s available directly from the airlines?

 

thanks much

[formernuke]

Recommended gratuity of $17pp/day added to your bill (you can have it changed or deleted). No other fees. Airline fares sometimes better sometimes worse. Need to check for yourself for your particular case 

[HUNKY]

Gottagocit - Unfortunately there is no steakhouse like Crown Grill on Viking, and Viking's pizza is not as good as Alfredo's.  The buffet, World Cafe is very good as is the main dining Restaurant.  These were better than Princess'.

 

My other half was disappointed with Manfredi's on Viking, but I thought it was quite good.

 

Since Viking does not charge extra for their specialty restaurants, that could be a case for not providing the best quality every time.  I would prefer a boost in quality tied to a reasonable upcharge.

[CDNPolar]

4 hours ago, gottagocit said:

. 
 

Are there additional expenses/fees such as port fees, daily crew appreciation or taxes that are added to the fare? And how does a Viking airfares compare to what’s available directly from the airlines?

 

thanks much

 

You have wine and beer and specialty coffee/tea and soft drinks included with lunch and dinner.  You can opt to buy an upgraded drinks package at $25 pp per day and almost all drinks and wines are included - or you can choose to go with included and pay per drink for other items.

 

One included shore excursion in every port and never any port fees.  If you are in a particular port more than one day, there is only one included excursion in that port.

 

Gratuities are added daily to your account pp but you have the option to adjust up, down, or off your bill if you want.

 

We look closely at Viking air prices and often they are the same, but if they are more then we book ourselves.  We personally have not had travel woes with our air booked through Viking, but I have seen the Viking Air department go out of their way to help those that did have issues.  These of course are airline generated challenges not Viking issues, but Viking works with you to remedy the situation.

 

You have to be careful with Viking Air that if you are taking their air without upgrading to Air Plus, then you are issued flights, where as with Air Plus you can drive the choices in the airline, route, schedule, etc.  You will pay additional for this but you are still subject to flights that are within Viking contract rates.

 

Viking contract rates may eliminate your availability to non-stop flights, and may have restrictions or no upgrades available.

 

Often Viking have offered free air and we of course always take that option.

[gottagocit]

Great info!  Thank you guys for the useful details. 

[junglejane]

We have Elite status on Princess and our most recent Princess cruise was July 2022 (British Isles on Emerald Princess). We recently completed our first Viking Ocean cruise, the Panama Canal full transit on Viking Star. We really like Viking and have booked another onboard: Into the Midnight Sun in 2025.

 

I wouldn't go so far as @Heidi13 in saying the difference is like Motel 6 vs a 4-star resort. But we definitely feel that the loyalty program on Princess isn't worth as much as it used to be. For one thing, we've been on Princess cruises where it seems like half the ship has Elite status. Also, the "bundles" they market (drinks, wifi, gratuities, etc) tend to water down the value of the Elite perks. And we agree that there has been a general downward trend regarding food, especially in the MDR.

 

Things that impressed us about Viking:

• Ship size: the Viking ships are so much more manageable to get around. We hardly needed to use the elevators.
• Stateroom layout is well thought out and everything was in excellent condition even though the Star is the oldest Ocean ship.
• Passenger load: public spaces are so much less crowded; no fighting to set a lounger by the pool, no struggle to get a seat in the theatre or atrium; the World Cafe buffet seating is very manageable; so many places to sit and visit, people watch, etc.
• We thought the quality of the food on Viking was superior to Princess, both in the Restaurant (MDR) and the World Cafe (buffet). Not a night and day difference, but a noticeable step up.
• Viking Spa: free for all pasengers, includes a warm water thalassotherapy pool, plush loungers, heated stone lounger, therapy showers, steam room, sauna, and snow grotto!  
• Free self service laundry.
• Beer & wine included with lunch and dinner. Upcharge for premium drink package is just $25 pp per day. You can bring your own booze onboard if you want and even take it to dinner without a corkage fee.
• Excellent enrichment speakers. We had a wide variety of speakers on our Panama Canal cruise. I also liked the fact that if you missed a lecture you could replay it on your stateroom TV..
• No kids. We cruised on Princess with our kids for many years and I hope someday to have grandkids we can take on cruises, but obviously not on Viking.
• Little to no upselling onboard.
• No tacky tables spread out in the atrium selling T-shirts, gold by the inch, etc. No art auction.
• No noisy MUTS or pool games. When they show a movie out by the pool they give people headphones!
• Staff were VERY responsive. I filled out a feedback form (general form asking about lots of onboard experiences) and mentioned something about a shore excursion that I thought should be changed in the future, and to my surprise the shore excursion manager called me the next day to follow up. 

Things we missed from Princess:

• More variety in dining options; also more variety in selections at the buffet.
• More variety in entertainment options.

Price and itinerary are still important drivers in our choices. For example, before going on the Star, we had put a deposit down on a Princess cruise to the Norweigian Fjords in summer 2025 (Emerald Princess again). We booked a Club Class Mini-Suite so that we could take advantage of Club Class dining. Then when we were on the Star, we put a deposit down on a Penthouse Veranda on the Into the Midnight Sun itinerary in summer 2025 (Viking Jupiter). The Viking cruise comes out to almost twice the cost of the Princess cruise. We won't go on both, and I think we'll probably cancel the Princess one and stick with the Viking one. We're leaning Viking for some differences in the ports but mostly due to the value we place on all the items we listed above as pluses for Viking.

[farmecologist]

7 hours ago, gottagocit said:

Great info!  Thank you guys for the useful details. 

 

Also look for free airfare, reduced rates, and free beverage package deals.  

 

Sometimes you can snag all three!  We have done that twice now.  Some fantastic deals to be had...but the itinerary might not be optimal. 

 

There is also a deals thread where current promo codes are tracked, etc... See link below...it is a very good resource.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by farmecologist

[gottagocit]

Awesome! Thanks so much. 

[CDNPolar]

16 hours ago, junglejane said:

We have Elite status on Princess and our most recent Princess cruise was July 2022 (British Isles on Emerald Princess). We recently completed our first Viking Ocean cruise, the Panama Canal full transit on Viking Star. We really like Viking and have booked another onboard: Into the Midnight Sun in 2025.

 

I wouldn't go so far as @Heidi13 in saying the difference is like Motel 6 vs a 4-star resort. But we definitely feel that the loyalty program on Princess isn't worth as much as it used to be. For one thing, we've been on Princess cruises where it seems like half the ship has Elite status. Also, the "bundles" they market (drinks, wifi, gratuities, etc) tend to water down the value of the Elite perks. And we agree that there has been a general downward trend regarding food, especially in the MDR.

 

Things that impressed us about Viking:

• Ship size: the Viking ships are so much more manageable to get around. We hardly needed to use the elevators.
• Stateroom layout is well thought out and everything was in excellent condition even though the Star is the oldest Ocean ship.
• Passenger load: public spaces are so much less crowded; no fighting to set a lounger by the pool, no struggle to get a seat in the theatre or atrium; the World Cafe buffet seating is very manageable; so many places to sit and visit, people watch, etc.
• We thought the quality of the food on Viking was superior to Princess, both in the Restaurant (MDR) and the World Cafe (buffet). Not a night and day difference, but a noticeable step up.
• Viking Spa: free for all pasengers, includes a warm water thalassotherapy pool, plush loungers, heated stone lounger, therapy showers, steam room, sauna, and snow grotto!  
• Free self service laundry.
• Beer & wine included with lunch and dinner. Upcharge for premium drink package is just $25 pp per day. You can bring your own booze onboard if you want and even take it to dinner without a corkage fee.
• Excellent enrichment speakers. We had a wide variety of speakers on our Panama Canal cruise. I also liked the fact that if you missed a lecture you could replay it on your stateroom TV..
• No kids. We cruised on Princess with our kids for many years and I hope someday to have grandkids we can take on cruises, but obviously not on Viking.
• Little to no upselling onboard.
• No tacky tables spread out in the atrium selling T-shirts, gold by the inch, etc. No art auction.
• No noisy MUTS or pool games. When they show a movie out by the pool they give people headphones!
• Staff were VERY responsive. I filled out a feedback form (general form asking about lots of onboard experiences) and mentioned something about a shore excursion that I thought should be changed in the future, and to my surprise the shore excursion manager called me the next day to follow up. 

Things we missed from Princess:

• More variety in dining options; also more variety in selections at the buffet.
• More variety in entertainment options.

Price and itinerary are still important drivers in our choices. For example, before going on the Star, we had put a deposit down on a Princess cruise to the Norweigian Fjords in summer 2025 (Emerald Princess again). We booked a Club Class Mini-Suite so that we could take advantage of Club Class dining. Then when we were on the Star, we put a deposit down on a Penthouse Veranda on the Into the Midnight Sun itinerary in summer 2025 (Viking Jupiter). The Viking cruise comes out to almost twice the cost of the Princess cruise. We won't go on both, and I think we'll probably cancel the Princess one and stick with the Viking one. We're leaning Viking for some differences in the ports but mostly due to the value we place on all the items we listed above as pluses for Viking.

 

 

Nice review and comparison.

 

We want to try a large ship - larger than Viking - but we are nervous to the number of people, the anticipated crowding, kids, noise, and just in general feel like we are in a popular shopping mall the day before Christmas!

 

I have been on a larger ship, my husband has not.  I would look forward to the buffet on a larger ship, because of the increased variety, but not the crowds or line ups.  I have become so familiar with Viking's World Cafe that I am good sticking with it.  

 

I may be wrong, but I also think that the larger ships have more of what I would call "fast food" or 'junk food" as options on the buffet, which I would rather for my diet stay with Viking well prepared selections at the buffet.

[Heidi13]

17 hours ago, junglejane said:

I wouldn't go so far as @Heidi13 in saying the difference is like Motel 6 vs a 4-star resort. But we definitely feel that the loyalty program on Princess isn't worth as much as it used to be. For one thing, we've been on Princess cruises where it seems like half the ship has Elite status. Also, the "bundles" they market (drinks, wifi, gratuities, etc) tend to water down the value of the Elite perks. And we agree that there has been a general downward trend regarding food, especially in the MDR.

 

 

We were also Elite for many years, but rarely used the minimal perks, as we mostly booked "Friends & Family" cruises on our son's ship, or through the online program, as we were signed up by one of the shore executives. Both those options only get blue cards.

 

Another consideration is how Princess & Viking change ship sizes. The latest Viking newbuild will have a capacity for 988 pax, with the entire ship increasing size, so the public spaces and dining facilities are increasing along with additional cabins. Based on the new estimated tonnage, the pax/space ratio of the new Viking ship will increase. Therefore, more space per pax.

 

Before the Carnivalisation, P&O/Princess designed and built the Grand Class, an exceptional class of vessel. After Carnivalisation, starting with the Caribbean Princess, they added an entire extra deck of cabins (500 pax) to the same hull. With no increase in public spaces, we found the "Super Grands" way too crowded. We suffered 1 cruise on Emerald, and never booked another cruise on that ship, or any of her Super Grand sisters. 

 

Our last Princess cruise was the 2015 WC and about 60% of the ship was Elite. In 15 weeks, they only replaced the mini-bar 3 times and the laundry service was a joke, due to the volume. Only usable perk was some internet, but that is always available to everyone on Viking.

 

How we quantify Princess standards can also be relative to when we started cruising, with my first Princess cruise being in 1979, aboard the original Island Princess. Back in those days, Princess was a quality cruise line, but on our final cruise in 2015, the standards were decimated. 

[junglejane]

We started cruising on Princess in 2005 on the Caribbean Princess and as mentioned our most recent one was in 2022 on the Emerald. I agree with everything @Heidi13 said about comparative ship size and public space availability. That's one of the biggest things that struck us on our cruise on the Star. It becomes especially evident of course the more time you're at sea versus in port. On our Panama Canal full transit on Viking Star, we only had 4 ports in 17 days (2 of the original 6 ports were cancelled) so we spent a LOT of time onboard. We had plenty of time to appreciate all the benefits of the much less crowded ship. But it also brought into focus the fewer options for dining and entertainment.

 

I think our two competing Norway bookings for 2025 bring the issue into clear focus for us: how much more are we willing to pay for much more desirable ship size and all the other benefits I outlined in my post above? Both are 14 day cruises. The Viking one has 4 sea days and the Princess one has 5 sea days. The Princess itinerary is RT from Southampton and goes to Iceland and Norway. The Viking itinerary goes from Greenwich to Bergen and stops at Shetland & Orkney Islands, which we haven't been to before and doesn't go to Iceland. Even though the Viking cruise is almost twice as expensive, we're still leaning Viking for the better ship experience plus the stops in Shetland/Orkney..(OTOH I've learned the hard way that ports are never guaranteed.)

 

3 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

I have been on a larger ship, my husband has not.  I would look forward to the buffet on a larger ship, because of the increased variety, but not the crowds or line ups.  I have become so familiar with Viking's World Cafe that I am good sticking with it.  

 

I may be wrong, but I also think that the larger ships have more of what I would call "fast food" or 'junk food" as options on the buffet, which I would rather for my diet stay with Viking well prepared selections at the buffet.

My comments are based on the Princess buffet, which I have the most experience with, and my one experience with Viking. I wouldn't say that the greater variety on Princess is attributable to more junk food. On Viking Star the buffet tended to have a lot of the same food that they were serving in the Restaurant plus a few other things. On Princess there is less duplication of the MDR and more options including more ethnic (usually Asian) options, a bigger salad bar, etc. But the downside is you feel like you're competing to grab a precious seat and once you do grab one it takes a lot longer for a staff member to come and ask you about drinks, etc.

 

Also Princess ships don't have the "shopping mall/theme park" feel you find on Royal Caribbean, but they definitely do feel crowded. I wouldn't say that we are ready to totally write off Princess as an option for the right situation, but now we're very aware of the differences between Princess and Viking.

Edited December 2, 2023 by junglejane

[Myrtle Ave. Mayhem]

My grandparents & great aunt were frequent Sitmar & Princess cruisers in the 70's & 80's. Their stories, pictures, & the brochures gave me the cruise bug way before "The Love Boat" came on TV. For my first cruise I originally booked the Sitmar Fairwind, but by the time I sailed she was in full Dawn Princess mode. Absolutely LOVED Princess back in the day. Pacific/Island Princess in my top five ships I've ever been privileged to sail aboard. It's been sad to experience the slow decline of Princess. A shadow of it's former self. A 2021 cruise aboard Discovery Princess was the final nail in the Princess coffin. 

 

With Viking it's as if I've discovered my cruise heaven. The onboard ambiance, service, & attention to detail have me besotted with this line. To have crew remember me from previous sailings call out my name & welcome me back feels like a homecoming. Viking Ocean ships remind me so much of Pacific/Island Princess, but in an updated form. The Viking loyalty program isn't wildly generous as I've only sailed seven Viking Ocean so far. After all, Viking is the higher price point.

 

I hope you go with Viking & experience for yourself this glorious line!

[Naismith]

On 12/1/2023 at 4:45 AM, CDNPolar said:

You have wine and beer and specialty coffee/tea and soft drinks included with lunch and dinner....

Are soft drinks included only in dining room venues, or also at the buffet/deli spots?

 

Thanks.

[Azulann]

56 minutes ago, Naismith said:

re soft drinks included only in dining room venues, or also at the buffet/deli spots?

Soft drink are  included during the lunch time and dinner time  in all venues. buffet, pool grill , Mamsen , any bar.  The times are listed in the Daily. I think lunch is from 11:30 -2:30? or something like that. Also in any DV cabin and above you  will have soft drinks in your mini frig. Your stateroom  attendant will stock it each day with what you would like. Let them know the first day what beverages you like.   

Enjoy your  Viking cruise.

[puffy]

I have been the largest ship Symphony of the sea to the smallest viking river cruise. It really depends what you like to do. For food, it is no comparison, viking is always win IMHO, But for entertainment , viking does not have much. There are no casino in Viking which my hubby love and where we get all our free cruise. There are also free flight promotion from viking in some route. But for the price point, you pay for what you get. They do offer 100 /pp discount for pass guest .