Princess Cruisers Compare Crystal, Silversea, and Viking Ocean Cruises

[2cruisecats]

On 6/22/2024 at 10:10 AM, RLK33853 said:

Today's post compares Crystal and Viking's food, and food venues.

=== LOTS DELETED TO SHORTEN POST=====

 

     Viking restaurants and Specialty venues were very good, certainly better than mass market lines, yet maybe were not at the same level of creativity of Crystal.  Although in the case of Viking's Chef's Table, we, along with most of the others we spoke with had cancelled their reservations due to the quirky menu.  The menu changed during our cruise, yet still didn't seem appealing. 

 

We have cruised with several cruise lines, including Princess, HAL & Cunard, but have found a comfortable home on Viking.

 

Really too bad you cancelled the Chef's Table.  The menus may appear quirky, but please try them next time. It is an experience, a tasting menu -- they describe each course, how prepared, etc and the wines that are paired for each course.  If there is something you can't eat  they will substitute.  I've tried things at the Chef's table that I would never order at home and was surprised that I enjoyed it.  Some find the portions are small. The menus change every 3 days, and yes, there is a menu (or two) that we won't repeat but then there are some we look forward to &  seeing how a different chef tweaks it. We've had some wonderful meals there & are looking forward to another visit on our upcoming Iceland cruise. (Hoping for Scandinavian Bistro or La Route des Indes)

Edited June 23 by 2cruisecats
additions

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, SJD117 said:

Do you intend to compare the guest lecturers on the two lines? The lectures are always a high point for us when we cruise with Viking.

I consider the lectures to be the entertainment on Viking. I have no desire to see or hear any Broadway like musical entertainment. 

[SJD117]

45 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

I consider the lectures to be the entertainment on Viking. I have no desire to see or hear any Broadway like musical entertainment. 

The OP compared shows and singers. No mention was made of lectures.

[RLK33853]

3 hours ago, SJD117 said:

Do you intend to compare the guest lecturers on the two lines? The lectures are always a high point for us when we cruise with Viking.

 

Hi - sorry I really didn't document anything about the lectures since these were port intensive Mediterranean cruises and we never attended any of the lectures on either ship. 

 

That said, we spent a good deal of time talking to one Crystal lecturer each evening in the bar, and had brief conversations with another one around the ship.  Both were extremely friendly, nice and were very knowledgeable in their fields. 

 

On Viking we never had the chance to meet with or talk to the guest lecturers, but we did see one when he was introduced one evening.  He was a very animated and extremely energetic individual.  You could see how he would suck people into his lectures with his enthusiasm.  

 

Hope this helps.

 

Ray

[RLK33853]

2 hours ago, 2cruisecats said:

We have cruised with several cruise lines, including Princess, HAL & Cunard, but have found a comfortable home on Viking.

 

Really too bad you cancelled the Chef's Table.  The menus may appear quirky, but please try them next time. It is an experience, a tasting menu -- they describe each course, how prepared, etc and the wines that are paired for each course.  If there is something you can't eat  they will substitute.  I've tried things at the Chef's table that I would never order at home and was surprised that I enjoyed it.  Some find the portions are small. The menus change every 3 days, and yes, there is a menu (or two) that we won't repeat but then there are some we look forward to &  seeing how a different chef tweaks it. We've had some wonderful meals there & are looking forward to another visit on our upcoming Iceland cruise. (Hoping for Scandinavian Bistro or La Route des Indes)

 

We hear you - we had been looking forward to the Chef's Table and had 2 advance reservations.  Neither menu over our 8 days appeared to be that special so we cancelled and opted to do Manfredi's a second time, and the other evening the Restaurant had somehing (can't remember what it was) that peaked our curiosity so we ate there.

 

Good thing is, that we liked Viking enough that we now have more cruises with them coming up.  We will no doubt try the Chef's Table on one of those.

 

thanks for the heads-up.

 

Ray

[millybess]

33 minutes ago, RLK33853 said:

 

Hi - sorry I really didn't document anything about the lectures since these were port intensive Mediterranean cruises and we never attended any of the lectures on either ship. 

 

That said, we spent a good deal of time talking to one Crystal lecturer each evening in the bar, and had brief conversations with another one around the ship.  Both were extremely friendly, nice and were very knowledgeable in their fields. 

 

On Viking we never had the chance to meet with or talk to the guest lecturers, but we did see one when he was introduced one evening.  He was a very animated and extremely energetic individual.  You could see how he would suck people into his lectures with his enthusiasm.  

 

Hope this helps.

 

Ray

We always find the lecturers quite approachable for conversation on Viking.  But I agree, the Mediterranean is a very port intensive cruise and there usually isn't much time for onboard activities.

[formernuke]

I assume you are aware t he at you can watch the lectures later on your cabin TV? We end up watching most of them that way. 

[Mike07]

4 hours ago, RLK33853 said:

 

That said, we spent a good deal of time talking to one Crystal lecturer each evening in the bar, and had brief conversations with another one around the ship.  Both were extremely friendly, nice and were very knowledgeable in their fields. 

 

 

 

On both the ocean and expedition ships, I've found the guest lecturers to be dining, as well as, walking around the ship with the rest of us commoners. All of the lecturers were approachable, and I saw them engage in conversation outside of their duty hours with guests when they were approached.

 

Keep in mind with the guest lecturers. I'm not on the lecture circuit myself, but the guests with Viking, I don't think any of them are necessarily receiving compensation outside of enjoying the cruise and food for free and/or a significantly reduced price. I personally have not asked specifics on what's in the guest lecturer contracts, but I'm also not looking to become one myself either. That being said, I have no doubt if I just asked on my most recent cruise, all would have explained how it worked... some more so than others mainly b/c there is a system where the lecturers bid or request different cruise itineraries. Either way, if you get a poor attitude from a lecturer... they were a graded part of the VO survey, and if Viking notices a trend or a theme, Viking will cut their losses and never invite the person back.

 

I'm sure the contracts on a lot of the cruise lines are similar... the guest lecturer comes on at invitation of the company in exchange for free (or nearly free) room and board on the ship. Though, that would be a great topic for CC to dive into if that's not the case.

 

Edited June 24 by Mike07

[FlyerTalker]

I have been advised that lecturer contracts are like Fight Club.  Part of the contract is to not discuss the other specifics of the contract.

 

 

[kctwinmommy]

I will say, we went to a lecture once on our Med. cruise and found it a bit disappointing. It was as though she was reading just from her notes. She stumbled over pronunciation on several words, which for being a lecturer on a topic, I would have thought she would know these names inside & out.

 

She was approachable though, we did talk to her once, right before her lecture actually. So that actually made it a little more disappointing. But I did see other passengers talking to her a few times, so she didn't mind when people came to talk to her.

[RLK33853]

4 hours ago, formernuke said:

I assume you are aware t he at you can watch the lectures later on your cabin TV? We end up watching most of them that way. 

 

Thanks - yes we were aware and it's a good feature/alternative. 

 

We are kind of strange though when it comes to a TV and a vacation.  Other than checking things like Whats Happening on the Ship, or our onboard invoice,  we never turn the TV on.  Too many other things to do onboard.

[SJD117]

11 hours ago, RLK33853 said:

 

Hi - sorry I really didn't document anything about the lectures since these were port intensive Mediterranean cruises and we never attended any of the lectures on either ship. 

 

That said, we spent a good deal of time talking to one Crystal lecturer each evening in the bar, and had brief conversations with another one around the ship.  Both were extremely friendly, nice and were very knowledgeable in their fields. 

 

On Viking we never had the chance to meet with or talk to the guest lecturers, but we did see one when he was introduced one evening.  He was a very animated and extremely energetic individual.  You could see how he would suck people into his lectures with his enthusiasm.  

 

Hope this helps.

 

Ray

Thanks for the information. None of our six Viking cruises have been port-intensive Med cruises, so we’ve had plenty of time for the on-board lectures. They’ve always been well-attended in our experience.

[CDNPolar]

17 hours ago, kctwinmommy said:

 

 

I'm sure every ship/cruise director is different. We had a great one on ours, Aaron. He was a performer in his past life, so he joined in on several different shows that we went to. Usually just singing one song though, as to not upstage the singers. We did have 4 singers on ours for the main theater shows that I thought were quite good.

 

 

 

We love Aaron.  We have cruised three times with Aaron as Cruise Director.  

[CDNPolar]

For us the lectures are a big part of every Viking cruise we have been on.  We go to as many as we can.

 

Overall, the lectures are great but you get the occasional dry monotone presenter that "lectures" in a way that induces sleep. 

[JF - retired RRT]

On 6/21/2024 at 8:51 AM, deec said:

I am curious how different is the price point.

I can answer that one...after you factor in all of the "included" on Viking and the "no longer or never included" on Princess - the difference for a Princess Mini-Suite (which is sort of comparable to the Viking DV that we booked) the difference for our Hawaii cruise on Viking was about $1500 more. 

However, we have gotten as much as $1000 OBC (shareholders, veterans, TA, FCD) on Princess which doesn't appear to be possible with Viking.

The silver lining with Viking is that once we've paid gratuities we are done spending $$$.

[Jim Avery]

33 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

I can answer that one...after you factor in all of the "included" on Viking and the "no longer or never included" on Princess - the difference for a Princess Mini-Suite (which is sort of comparable to the Viking DV that we booked) the difference for our Hawaii cruise on Viking was about $1500 more. 

However, we have gotten as much as $1000 OBC (shareholders, veterans, TA, FCD) on Princess which doesn't appear to be possible with Viking.

The silver lining with Viking is that once we've paid gratuities we are done spending $$$.

Being on a beautiful ship with FAR fewer fellow passengers is worth something too.  To us it is priceless..🍸

[OneSixtyToOne]

22 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Being on a beautiful ship with FAR fewer fellow passengers is worth something too.  To us it is priceless..🍸

No kids… also Priceless. 

[kctwinmommy]

28 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Being on a beautiful ship with FAR fewer fellow passengers is worth something too.  To us it is priceless..🍸

Yes! That was a reason we went with Viking this past one. We were tired of the same ol' stuff with our previous trips.

[RLK33853]

Demographics

 

Crystal 

 

The demographics on the Symphony were pretty much exactly what Crystal advertises.  Passengers were mainly from the United States, between the ages of 60 and 80ish, seemed financially stable, and were world travelers.  Everyone was friendly and conversations (until you go to know them) usually centered on things like travel experiences – suggestions and recommendations, food, restaurants, excursions, or anything that would help you when planning your next trip - instead of what you did, blah, blah, blah.   

 

     While we were worried that a luxury line may be a bit snobby, it was anything but.  Out of all the passengers and over the 15 days we sailed, we found only two examples of those who felt they were superior to others - one a family of four who thought the world revolved around them, and another fellow who seemed to only want to talk to everyone about how expensive his watch was.  It seems that Crystal passengers know who they are and don't feel the need to impress anyone - while on mainstream lines you find more passengers who think they have to.   

 

     The other thing we found refreshing, was that for the most part everyone was fairly fit and active. 

 

     The vast majority of fellow cruisers were returning Crystal passengers. 

 

     Crystal also has the solo cruise fare (not sure how it works), but there were a lot of singles, both men and women on our cruise. 

 

     Crystal also supplies dance partners during the evening – mostly gentlemen for the women, but the female dance performer also approached and partnered with the single men.  This seemed to be something that draws passengers to Crystal.

 

Viking

     

     The demographics for Viking seemed to be all over the map.  Passengers were friendly, of every nationality, probably every income bracket, in their 20’s right up to 80’s, and everyone we met were there to have a great trip. 

 

     One thing to note - it did seem that a vast majority of passengers were travelling with other couples or family members.  I only mention this as we connected with fewer individuals due to others already having their social circle with them. 

 

     Returning Passengers - it was probably 50/50 – a complete mix of first time Viking cruisers, and those that had been on Viking in the past and were loyal to the brand.  

 

Excursions

 

     We rarely take ship tours, instead we like to explore ports ourselves or with a private guide.  Just as important to us is to do so on our own time schedule.  But this time we did want to experience what Crystal and Viking offer.  Note that Viking includes a daily excursion in their fare, although they are usually walking tours.  Paid excursions are available.

 

Crystal

 

     We only took one excursion but it was so over the top it was magical and almost felt like we were in a fairy tale.  It was a private evening concert at Ephesus and came highly recommended on Cruise Critic by former Crystal passengers.  Transportation was via bus, although by the look, feel, and smell, the bus had just come off the assembly line – fresh, extremely clean, and comfortable.  During the half hour trip to Ephesus our guide provided an overview of how everything would work and where the bathrooms (recently cleaned, fresh, spotless) were, so that if anyone needed them before the concert they could use the facilities.  Upon entering the ancient site we found that there was a red carpet leading to the terrace overlooking the ancient amphitheatre, arches to walk through were decorated with flowers, which led to stand up tables with white tablecloths laden with fruit, snacks, and hors d’oeuvres.  An open bar was set up and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) flowed freely – with white gloved, tuxedo clad servers pouring wine on the terrace and coming into the amphitheatre at the intermission of the concert to do a refresh.  We were allowed around 30 minutes to go explore the ancient site prior to the concert.  At this time it was getting dusk and we were called to the amphitheatre.  The concert was provided by a Turkish symphony company (10 individuals) and while I don’t really look for classical music in my daily life, they were very good.  What made the evening so special was as the darkness fell, subtle lighting then lit the ancient rock amphitheatre.  As I said, a truly magical evening and worth every penny.

 

Viking 

 

     We took a few of the included excursions and they were simple but well done.  Talking to others who took the paid excursions resulted in both positive and negative viewpoints depending on the tour itself and their expectations. 

 

     We did take the Post Cruise 4 day tour in Tuscany with Viking.  While the accommodations were as advertised (an amazing Tuscan Villa), the tour itself was not.  We had been told that the tour was limited in size, and would be around 8 to 10 people.  Imagine our surprise when we disembarked the ship and found our intimate tour had grown to 54 people on 2 buses.  We mentioned this to our travel agent upon returning home and she discussed this with her Viking representative.  Without asking for compensation, Viking noted that they had not delivered what they had advertised, apologized, and voluntarily provided us with Future Cruise Credits for half of our cost for the full post cruise excursion.  You can’t get much better customer service than that.

 

     While not advertised as a selling point prior to the cruise, both Crystal and Viking sailed by Mount Stromboli off the Italian coast on the way to Naples.  Crystal's entertainment was scheduled so not to interfere with the viewing, and the ship actually slowed so that we could view the active volcano while it blew lava into the sky.  Viking advertised that they would be sailing by, but didn’t slow or linger.  Thus while not as good of a show, Viking still provided passengers a view of an active volcano.  Good job on both cruise lines to include a truly spectacular sight.

 

Public Spaces

 

     Crystal had so many public spaces that when you walked around, the ship almost felt empty. 

 

     Viking also had a large number of public spaces and at no time did the ship feel crowded.

 

     Public washrooms on both Crystal and Viking were spotless, well appointed, large, and had real hand towels for each individual.

 

Overall Ship Condition

 

     Crystal is an older ship but you would never know it - recently updated, and in great shape. 

 

     Viking Jupiter is only 6 years old and looks like it was just delivered.  I'm sure if you looked around you may have found a scratch or chip somewhere, but you would really have to look.

 

     Both ships were completely spotless and well maintained.

[Mike07]

Thanks for putting the details and your thoughts into this thread!

[TayanaLorna]

On 6/23/2024 at 12:09 PM, kctwinmommy said:

@RLK33853 - it's interesting about the comment related to running out of things. I wouldn't have expected that on Viking either. And yet, at the end of our cruise, they ran out of peanuts in the Explorer lounge.

 

I'm sure every ship/cruise director is different. We had a great one on ours, Aaron. He was a performer in his past life, so he joined in on several different shows that we went to. Usually just singing one song though, as to not upstage the singers. We did have 4 singers on ours for the main theater shows that I thought were quite good.

 

Out of all of our cruises, we found the performers on our Alaska cruise to be least entertaining. I don't like to say the worst, but they were nowhere near the level of talent as our other cruises.

On 2 of our cruises, Viking ran out of chocolate for the room fridges.

[TayanaLorna]

On 6/23/2024 at 1:44 PM, 2cruisecats said:

We have cruised with several cruise lines, including Princess, HAL & Cunard, but have found a comfortable home on Viking.

 

Really too bad you cancelled the Chef's Table.  The menus may appear quirky, but please try them next time. It is an experience, a tasting menu -- they describe each course, how prepared, etc and the wines that are paired for each course.  If there is something you can't eat  they will substitute.  I've tried things at the Chef's table that I would never order at home and was surprised that I enjoyed it.  Some find the portions are small. The menus change every 3 days, and yes, there is a menu (or two) that we won't repeat but then there are some we look forward to &  seeing how a different chef tweaks it. We've had some wonderful meals there & are looking forward to another visit on our upcoming Iceland cruise. (Hoping for Scandinavian Bistro or La Route des Indes)

La Route des Indes has been on every cruise we have done.  The Scandinavian Bistro on only one - Midnight Sun.

[Mike07]

5 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

On 2 of our cruises, Viking ran out of chocolate for the room fridges.

 

 

That's horrible!

[Kountess]

 I might have considered Crystal, but not anymore.  I just read the following this morning:

Luxury cruise line Crystal is bringing casinos back to its ships less than a year after removing them.

The line has partnered with Monte-Carlo Societe des Bains de Mer to bring Casino de Monte-Carlo locations to sea, featuring 1,000 square feet of gaming that includes slots, blackjack, roulette and more.

[TayanaLorna]

On 6/24/2024 at 10:10 AM, RLK33853 said:

Demographics

 

Crystal 

 

The demographics on the Symphony were pretty much exactly what Crystal advertises.  Passengers were mainly from the United States, between the ages of 60 and 80ish, seemed financially stable, and were world travelers.  Everyone was friendly and conversations (until you go to know them) usually centered on things like travel experiences – suggestions and recommendations, food, restaurants, excursions, or anything that would help you when planning your next trip - instead of what you did, blah, blah, blah.   

 

     While we were worried that a luxury line may be a bit snobby, it was anything but.  Out of all the passengers and over the 15 days we sailed, we found only two examples of those who felt they were superior to others - one a family of four who thought the world revolved around them, and another fellow who seemed to only want to talk to everyone about how expensive his watch was.  It seems that Crystal passengers know who they are and don't feel the need to impress anyone - while on mainstream lines you find more passengers who think they have to.   

 

     The other thing we found refreshing, was that for the most part everyone was fairly fit and active. 

 

     The vast majority of fellow cruisers were returning Crystal passengers. 

 

     Crystal also has the solo cruise fare (not sure how it works), but there were a lot of singles, both men and women on our cruise. 

 

     Crystal also supplies dance partners during the evening – mostly gentlemen for the women, but the female dance performer also approached and partnered with the single men.  This seemed to be something that draws passengers to Crystal.

 

Viking

     

     The demographics for Viking seemed to be all over the map.  Passengers were friendly, of every nationality, probably every income bracket, in their 20’s right up to 80’s, and everyone we met were there to have a great trip. 

 

     One thing to note - it did seem that a vast majority of passengers were travelling with other couples or family members.  I only mention this as we connected with fewer individuals due to others already having their social circle with them. 

 

     Returning Passengers - it was probably 50/50 – a complete mix of first time Viking cruisers, and those that had been on Viking in the past and were loyal to the brand.  

 

Excursions

 

     We rarely take ship tours, instead we like to explore ports ourselves or with a private guide.  Just as important to us is to do so on our own time schedule.  But this time we did want to experience what Crystal and Viking offer.  Note that Viking includes a daily excursion in their fare, although they are usually walking tours.  Paid excursions are available.

 

Crystal

 

     We only took one excursion but it was so over the top it was magical and almost felt like we were in a fairy tale.  It was a private evening concert at Ephesus and came highly recommended on Cruise Critic by former Crystal passengers.  Transportation was via bus, although by the look, feel, and smell, the bus had just come off the assembly line – fresh, extremely clean, and comfortable.  During the half hour trip to Ephesus our guide provided an overview of how everything would work and where the bathrooms (recently cleaned, fresh, spotless) were, so that if anyone needed them before the concert they could use the facilities.  Upon entering the ancient site we found that there was a red carpet leading to the terrace overlooking the ancient amphitheatre, arches to walk through were decorated with flowers, which led to stand up tables with white tablecloths laden with fruit, snacks, and hors d’oeuvres.  An open bar was set up and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) flowed freely – with white gloved, tuxedo clad servers pouring wine on the terrace and coming into the amphitheatre at the intermission of the concert to do a refresh.  We were allowed around 30 minutes to go explore the ancient site prior to the concert.  At this time it was getting dusk and we were called to the amphitheatre.  The concert was provided by a Turkish symphony company (10 individuals) and while I don’t really look for classical music in my daily life, they were very good.  What made the evening so special was as the darkness fell, subtle lighting then lit the ancient rock amphitheatre.  As I said, a truly magical evening and worth every penny.

 

Viking 

 

     We took a few of the included excursions and they were simple but well done.  Talking to others who took the paid excursions resulted in both positive and negative viewpoints depending on the tour itself and their expectations. 

 

     We did take the Post Cruise 4 day tour in Tuscany with Viking.  While the accommodations were as advertised (an amazing Tuscan Villa), the tour itself was not.  We had been told that the tour was limited in size, and would be around 8 to 10 people.  Imagine our surprise when we disembarked the ship and found our intimate tour had grown to 54 people on 2 buses.  We mentioned this to our travel agent upon returning home and she discussed this with her Viking representative.  Without asking for compensation, Viking noted that they had not delivered what they had advertised, apologized, and voluntarily provided us with Future Cruise Credits for half of our cost for the full post cruise excursion.  You can’t get much better customer service than that.

 

     While not advertised as a selling point prior to the cruise, both Crystal and Viking sailed by Mount Stromboli off the Italian coast on the way to Naples.  Crystal's entertainment was scheduled so not to interfere with the viewing, and the ship actually slowed so that we could view the active volcano while it blew lava into the sky.  Viking advertised that they would be sailing by, but didn’t slow or linger.  Thus while not as good of a show, Viking still provided passengers a view of an active volcano.  Good job on both cruise lines to include a truly spectacular sight.

 

Public Spaces

 

     Crystal had so many public spaces that when you walked around, the ship almost felt empty. 

 

     Viking also had a large number of public spaces and at no time did the ship feel crowded.

 

     Public washrooms on both Crystal and Viking were spotless, well appointed, large, and had real hand towels for each individual.

 

Overall Ship Condition

 

     Crystal is an older ship but you would never know it - recently updated, and in great shape. 

 

     Viking Jupiter is only 6 years old and looks like it was just delivered.  I'm sure if you looked around you may have found a scratch or chip somewhere, but you would really have to look.

 

     Both ships were completely spotless and well maintained.

Thank you for this comparison review.  I looked at Crystal before we found Viking but was afraid, like you were, that the clientele would be a bit snobby.  I also wasn't sure if i would be comfortable having a butler as i am a bit of an introvert and very much a do it herself gal.  How does that work out?  Lastly, i am interested in a comparison of the brightness of the interior public spaces and the ability to see outside on the different decks.  I just love walking around the Viking ships with the huge windows in all areas.