Viking vs Regent - A Personal Perspective

[Buck King]

Viking vs Regent.docxViking vs Regent.docx

[Jim Avery]

Buck,

Thanks for posting a very well done comparison.  Having sailed both lines we agree with all your points,  How's that for rarity?  We have given up Regent for a very puzzling problem with Regent Air.  At their price point it should have never happened.  Next for us is trying Explora Journeys. 🥃

[Syd58]

Thanks for the thoughtful review.  Unlike Regent, I don't consider Viking a luxury line; therefore, the higher price pp on Regent is likely justified.

[Buck King]

58 minutes ago, Buck King said:

Viking vs Regent.docxViking vs Regent.docx 21.08 kB · 25 downloads

After sailing almost exclusively with Regent, we decided to try Viking for our next Ocean cruise. They offered an itinerary not available with Regent at an attractive price. It was a 16 day Los Angeles to Hawaii return. This long post maybe helpful for those who are considering switching or choosing between the two.

 

We called this a personal perspective because it relates to our particular circumstances and should be read in that context. 

 

To wit, we are a retired couple in our late 70s. Other than a 4 night mini cruise with Holland America, all our ocean cruises have been with Regent where we have Gold status. We also did 4 Viking River cruises and one with Avalon. Our exploring and adventure seeking vacations are now in our rear view mirror with the main items on our bucket list having been ticked off. We now prefer quite pampered relaxation with lazy seas days and short excursions but with the opportunity to meet interesting people. Mega cruise ships are not for us. 

 

Before getting into a detailed review, there was a serious issue we encountered on this cruise that threatened our overall enjoyment and we should deal with this first. That issue was annoying noises coming from two different sources. 

 

The worst was from our neighbour's TV. The cabins are mirror images with the TVs fixed flat against the walls across from the beds. We could distinctly hear our neighbor's TV audio but no other sounds from their room. It was so loud that we had to report it to Guest Services three separate days (early mornings) before their TV maximum volume was remotely lowered by IT. The lower level was still annoying at times but thankfully our neighbors no longer used their TV in the early morning. We do not blame our neighbors, as they were likely hard of hearing and not malicious in intent and they had every right to enjoy their TV. 

 

The fault we believe is having the TVs attached directly to the steel walls without sound absorbing backing. This only amplifies the sound. By comparison, Regent has their TVs on a swivel mount in the sitting area. Guest Services did offer to move us to another cabin which we appreciated but declined because the situation did improve and there was no guarantee that the same problem wouldn't occur in the new room. 

 

BTW, we heard no sounds from our opposite wall neighbors.

 

The other and less serious source of annoying sounds was from the rocking and rolling of the ship, especially in heavy seas. We are very familiar with the normal creaking sounds that a ship makes while sailing and these can be almost soothing like white noise. We are talking intermittent clanging, banging, clicking etc that is the result of loose fittings and fixtures. The Star is only 10 years old and apparently refurbished in 2022, so this should not be a problem. By comparison, we did not experience this to the same extent on either the Regent Navigator or Mariner which are much older. 

 

We are assuming and hoping at this time that this noise issue was peculiar to this cruise and our neighbor as we have three more cruises booked with Viking, the next in October. If we experience it again we will cancel the last two.

 

The following aspects of the cruise compares Viking to Regent. Most of the differences were not big issues for us,

 

Cabin: Category DV (second lowest)

·       Smaller at 270 sq ft overall than Regent's lowest category H with at least 300 sq ft. 

·       There is no walk-in closet and the seating area cannot be curtained off

·       The decor is tresh and bright vs what we would call staid on Regent 

·       Ceiling Lights give off heat that can get uncomfortable 

·       Lack of drawers for storage (due to furniture design)

·       No daily fruit or pillow chocolates but candy bars and nuts replaced daily 

·       TV fixed on wall across from bed and not the best viewing from sitting section 

·       Bathroom has heated floor, no bath but a very good shower, 

·       Beds are firmly comfortable like Regent but pillows too soft 

·       Limited room service menu compared to Regent 

·       Unlike Regent, news channels not available most sea days

·       Movies on demand not as extensive as Regent but more than sufficient 

·       Balcony have chairs, not reclining lounges 

 

Food and Drinks:

·       Less variety of items to choose from, lunch and dinner, and less high end options but otherwise same quality on same type items as Regent 

·       There is a buffet option for dinner as well as two no-fee, reserve only specialty restaurants which are about on par with Regent's as to the experience.

·       Like Regent, the main dining room was our go-to dinner location. Also like Regent, for us the specialty restaurants were not really that special. 

·       House wines are a notch or so below Regent but adequate for us. Asking for a different choice is possible but need to be patient to get it

·       Based on simple calculations, you need to drink the equivalent of 5 cocktails a day (per person) to economically justify the beverage package. FYI, it is acceptable to carry a glass of wine or beer back to your cabin after meals or take your own cocktail to a lounge/public place/restaurant if you brought your own alcohol on board. 

 

The ship: Viking Star (the oldest of the fleet but otherwise same layout as the others).

·       Overall, the ship has a better functional design than Regent ships. 

·       More inviting/interesting public areas for quite relaxation or for meetings or games/activities and they all seem to get well used by the guests 

·       These public areas are essentially extensions of the lounges and the lounges are more like public spaces, if that makes sense 

·       Main dining room and speciality restaurants not as opulent as Regent and seating for 2 usually comes with close neighbors 

·       No casino 

·       Nicer gift shop but strangely located in an out of the way location 

·       Pool area has retractable roof that provides functionality in all weather conditions 

·       Access to Spa including use of sauna and Ice Grotto is free but personal services are extra

·       No free laundry service but very good free laundromat 

 

Entertainment:

·       Tends to be more highbrow, but not in a bad way. Less 60's music and more semi classical. Big on enrichment lectures several times per day.

·       No mini-Broadway type revues

·       Specialty night club called Torshavn tucked away in an out of the way spot for evening/late night dancing where the drinks are said to be more expensive 

 

Fellow Travelers:

·       Seemed to be older, if that is possible, than found on Regent. Unlike Regent, Viking has a no-kids policy. 

·       Men are more casually dressed in the evening (T-shirts, jeans, sneakers, not unusual). 

 

Service:

·       Equal to Regent when being served but the lower staff-to-guest ratio is obvious at times. 

·       We are convinced that wait staff are instructed to not make eye contact with guests unless directly serving them. This can be annoying if you are trying to get their attention as they pass by. 

 

Excursions:

·       The one free (included) excursion per port is normally a bus tour provided by a local company. Not nearly as good as the included tours we experienced on Viking River but similar to the basic bus tours usually offered by Regent as one of their several free options per port. 

·       We did not do any of the optional Viking tours but they did seem overpriced for what was offered. That said, we always thought that Regent's included excursions were not that great either. 

 

Cost/Value:

 

Comparing cruises on an apple and apple basis is very difficult because no two cruise lines offer exactly the same itineraries on the same dates, same length, same amenities with the same cabin categories. The following two examples are close but not perfect comparisons. We included a beverage package and standard crew tips for Viking and assumed no additional cost for paid excursions for either cruise line. All prices are USD.

 

New York City To Montreal, September 2025

Viking DV5 - (12 nights) - $8,505 or $709 PP

($6,900 cruise + $500 air + $650 beverage + $455 tips)

 

Regent H - (11 nights) - $12,500 or $1,136 PP

($12,000 + $500 air)

 

We picked this example because it is one of the future cruises we have booked with Viking. Regent costs 60% more per night which is hard to justify 

 

Athens To Venice, June 2025

Viking DV5 - (9 nights) - $8,850 or $983 PP

($6,400 + $1,600 air + $500 beverage + $350 tips)

 

Regent H - (10 nights) - $11,650 or $1,165 PP

($7,650 + $4,000 air (business))

 

We picked this example randomly and were surprised with the results. Regent is less than 20% more expensive per night but includes business class air. That alone would tip the scales in favor of Regent for us.

 

Summary Thoughts 

In our view and for the given categories, Regent is definitely a notch above Viking with it's larger size cabins, higher staff to guest ratio, slightly better food and drinks, more included excursions and intercontinental business class air. However, these extras come at a price and it comes down to how much one is willing to pay for them. For us, that would be 10 to 20% per night, all other things being equal. The 20% would be if business air is included. Otherwise, Viking is a great alternative and in some ways (eg ship design, cabin decor, no kids) superior. 

[Breckski]

Agree completely with your comments and they really document why we're giving Regent and Seabourn a try.  On many itineraries, Viking is more expensive than Regent if you compare comparably sized staterooms.  We always stay in a PV or higher but have decided the larger staterooms are not the sweet spot for Viking from a pricing perspective.  

[Steve Q]

What a great comparison. We have sailed twice with Viking and the last three with Regent. With Regent, it really depends on which ship you book. We loved Explorer, but would not sail again on Navigator.

 

If you are a couple and like to dine alone, Regent is much more preferable. With Viking you are very close to the next table, while Regent is more similar to a nice restaurant. The food, in our opinion, is a significant notch above Viking.

 

One huge negative about Regent is their Air department. We had so many issues with them on our recent cruise, despite paying for custom air, that we have not booked another sailing. That is just our experience and others may feel differently. 

 

[CurlerRob]

8 hours ago, Buck King said:

Viking vs Regent.docxViking vs Regent.docx 21.08 kB · 86 downloads

Thanks for this. Your extensive and accurate factual comments will help others in their research. 
 

I had to chuckle about the TV noise issue. We haven’t had the issue on Viking, but our first Regent cruise was a TA in Sep/23. Our neighbours played MSNBC 24/7, at a stupid volume that made it impossible to sleep - swivel mount or not. (In fairness, this was poor behaviour, not ship design or soundproofing and stopped after a couple of complaints). If I never hear the MSNBC commercial “filler” again it’ll be too soon 😵‍💫. 
 

Of interest, Oceania’s new Vista is catching a lot of flak for the same TV bleed issue. 
 

I’d add only one item. While we’ve always had excellent crew service on each line we’ve sailed, Regent staff excelled at anticipating our needs - it verged on uncanny.  🍺🥌

 

 

[cruisinchrissy]

Excellent review. Having sailed on both lines your conclusions are the same as mine. 👍

[CDNPolar]

Enjoyed reading all this and the comments.

 

We just keep booking Viking.  We talk about other lines, but then we look and because we have 3 or four future Viking cruises booked, we hold off and it never seems to happen.

 

Interesting, and no offence to anyone, but reviews like this are always subjective.  We have just never really had a reason YET to push us to try another line.  Not that we could not in the future contribute to this discussion and agree to make Regent our new favourite, we just have to make the step and try something new.

[Jjg34219]

We have only sailed Regent once, and it felt like a real “luxury” experience. We prefer Viking for the “not so luxury” experience if that makes sense.

[WanderingBrit]

2 hours ago, Jjg34219 said:

We have only sailed Regent once, and it felt like a real “luxury” experience. We prefer Viking for the “not so luxury” experience if that makes sense.

It very much does. I don't want to feel that I have to live up to my surroundings on vacation, and we're really looking for a comfortable way to explore destinations.

[CDNPolar]

21 hours ago, Buck King said:

 

 

Fellow Travelers:

·       Seemed to be older, if that is possible, than found on Regent. Unlike Regent, Viking has a no-kids policy. 

·       Men are more casually dressed in the evening (T-shirts, jeans, sneakers, not unusual). 

 

 

 

I want to be sure that I am reading this right...  

 

Viking is more casually dressed?

 

What is common on Regent in the evening in the dining rooms?

 

I LIKE the Viking dress code and if I had to be more concerned with a higher standard of formal dress then Regent would not be for me.

[Syd58]

4 hours ago, Jjg34219 said:

We have only sailed Regent once, and it felt like a real “luxury” experience. We prefer Viking for the “not so luxury” experience if that makes sense.

It all depends on what you're use to and what you like.  I find Viking cabins pretty vanilla and plain looking compared to Silversea, Seabourn, and Regent.

[Buck King]

20 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

I want to be sure that I am reading this right...  

 

Viking is more casually dressed?

 

What is common on Regent in the evening in the dining rooms?

 

I LIKE the Viking dress code and if I had to be more concerned with a higher standard of formal dress then Regent would not be for me.

For Regent's main dining room (Compass Rose), guests typically wear what they call smart casual, i.e. slacks/skirts and blouses or dresses for women and dress shirts and slacks for men, what you would normally see in an upscale restaurant. A very few may go "fancier" with long dresses, jackets and ties. To be honest, similar to what we mostly observed in Viking's main restaurant, but as noted, tee shirts, jeans and sneakers were also seen, which would be very rare with Regent. 

[Cienfuegos]

Really good thread, thanks!

 

Included business class air is a definite deal tipper for me.

[hutch1994]

5 hours ago, Syd58 said:

It all depends on what you're use to and what you like.  I find Viking cabins pretty vanilla and plain looking compared to Silversea, Seabourn, and Regent.

I always find Viking's rooms to look like early 1960 Holiday Inn.

[hutch1994]

5 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

I want to be sure that I am reading this right...  

 

Viking is more casually dressed?

 

What is common on Regent in the evening in the dining rooms?

 

I LIKE the Viking dress code and if I had to be more concerned with a higher standard of formal dress then Regent would not be for me.

On our recent Viking transatlantic cruise, saw people in the main dining room looking like they were about to clean out their basement or mow their lawns.  Very disappointed in that.  Expected better of Viking passengers.

[Breckski]

30 minutes ago, hutch1994 said:

On our recent Viking transatlantic cruise, saw people in the main dining room looking like they were about to clean out their basement or mow their lawns.  Very disappointed in that.  Expected better of Viking passengers.

🤣🤣🤣 Mow their lawns.  I've used a very similar comparison to describe the dress of certain folks in Viking restaurants.  But I say they dress similarly landscapers.  Fits the no jean and collared shirt requirement though.  Landscapers want something to cover their arms and legs with denim being too heavy and hot.

 

Their dress really didn't bother me though as I really don't care what strangers wear.  However, I find humor in this being the outcome of the dress code.  Reminded me of the old warning to bonus compensation plans - be careful what you ask from your employees.

[FetaCheese]

@Buck King

Thanks for your comparison review.  Very objective. 

 

I was on the Star, 28 DEC 2023, Hawaiian Islands voyage.  Very rough seas -- the Captain did warn pax -- but did not hear the many listed loud noises as you described.  We were in DV2, deck 5 midships, so perhaps cabin location makes a difference.  Have read about these loud noises (fittings) on other V topic threads.

 

I want to try Regent, but their fares do seem to be much higher than Viking.  Waiting for the right sale to book !

 

Was also on Star TA FLL/BCN, 18 March 2024, in a DV4, deck 4, far far aft. Cabin location was just fine -- got lots of step in !

 

We were also bothered by loud neighbors TV -- not so loud -- that a complaint was warranted.  Thanks for info that IT can lower max TV volume. Was more bothered by (same) neighbor man loudly coughing, which we could hear almost daily.  Also did not complain about that.

[Jjg34219]

1 hour ago, hutch1994 said:

I always find Viking's rooms to look like early 1960 Holiday Inn.

Looks are very subjective…we find the rooms very functional and love the simple decor and layout of Viking throughout the ship

[Buck King]

18 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

@Buck King

Thanks for your comparison review.  Very objective. 

 

I was on the Star, 28 DEC 2023, Hawaiian Islands voyage.  Very rough seas -- the Captain did warn pax -- but did not hear the many listed loud noises as you described.  We were in DV2, deck 5 midships, so perhaps cabin location makes a difference.  Have read about these loud noises (fittings) on other V topic threads.

 

I want to try Regent, but their fares do seem to be much higher than Viking.  Waiting for the right sale to book !

 

Was also on Star TA FLL/BCN, 18 March 2024, in a DV4, deck 4, far far aft. Cabin location was just fine -- got lots of step in !

 

We were also bothered by loud neighbors TV -- not so loud -- that a complaint was warranted.  Thanks for info that IT can lower max TV volume. Was more bothered by (same) neighbor man loudly coughing, which we could hear almost daily.  Also did not complain about that.

FYI, they only remotely turned the max volume down after going to the cabin and verifying that the it was above normal levels.

Regarding the Regent price premium, most of their itineraries are priced out of our comfort  zone. However, there are value nuggets if you do your research. Most of our Regent travel has been cost competitive when everything is included, especially if it  includes business air. 

 

[Breckski]

1 hour ago, FetaCheese said:

I want to try Regent, but their fares do seem to be much higher than Viking.  Waiting for the right sale to book 

 

Just wanted to do a quick analysis relating to this.

 

Comparing a 10-night Viking Greek Odessey cruise in Sept '25 to a 12-night Regent Ancient Ruins cruise in Sept '25.  Both are Athens to Athens and have similar itineraries.  Viking advertises theirs as an 11-day cruise while Regent advertises theirs as a 12-night cruise.  So really a two night difference.

 

For a Viking PV3 (338 sq ft) the cost is $799 per person per night.  This does not include tips or SSP.  On a Regent F (356 sq ft) the cost is $746 per person per night.  So, on this cruise Regent is $53 per person per night cheaper than Viking excluding tips that I'm sure most pay on Viking and any beverage package.  With Regent having a slightly larger stateroom.  You'd probably get a higher OBC/discount/rebate from a TA on the Regent cruise.

 

I'm not saying Regent would definitely provide a better cruise.  Just pointing out the cost isn't always as many perceive.

 

Lastly, for the cruise above Regent's lowest category staterooms are less than Viking also, but those cabins have a window - no veranda.  I didn't think that was a fair comparison.

 

[Hobson1754]

13 hours ago, hutch1994 said:

On our recent Viking transatlantic cruise, saw people in the main dining room looking like they were about to clean out their basement or mow their lawns.  Very disappointed in that.  Expected better of Viking passengers.

Yes that was our impression on our last Viking cruise.

[Cienfuegos]

Our church has seen a similar decline in personal garb in recent years. It's not unusual to see people dressed as if they are on their way to the golf course.

 

On the bright side, the pews are filled, and the overflow viewing area often has a few dozen people. I'd rather see casually dressed people in church, than well polished, empty pews.

[CJANDH]

16 hours ago, Breckski said:

Just wanted to do a quick analysis relating to this.

 

Comparing a 10-night Viking Greek Odessey cruise in Sept '25 to a 12-night Regent Ancient Ruins cruise in Sept '25.  Both are Athens to Athens and have similar itineraries.  Viking advertises theirs as an 11-day cruise while Regent advertises theirs as a 12-night cruise.  So really a two night difference.

 

For a Viking PV3 (338 sq ft) the cost is $799 per person per night.  This does not include tips or SSP.  On a Regent F (356 sq ft) the cost is $746 per person per night.  So, on this cruise Regent is $53 per person per night cheaper than Viking excluding tips that I'm sure most pay on Viking and any beverage package.  With Regent having a slightly larger stateroom.  You'd probably get a higher OBC/discount/rebate from a TA on the Regent cruise.

 

I'm not saying Regent would definitely provide a better cruise.  Just pointing out the cost isn't always as many perceive.

 

Lastly, for the cruise above Regent's lowest category staterooms are less than Viking also, but those cabins have a window - no veranda.  I didn't think that was a fair comparison.

 

And don't forget that Regent offers business class air on the international legs versus coach on Viking.