Princess Cruisers Compare Crystal, Silversea, and Viking Ocean Cruises

[Mike07]

32 minutes ago, Kountess said:

 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.

 

 

I mean, you don't have to go into the casino, but having an onboard casino means space is being taken away from something else.

[2cruisecats]

2 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

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

La Route des Indes has been on all cruises too and a little twist with each chef.  We first had the Scandinavian Bistro on In the Wake of the Vikings & then again on Midnight Sun.  I'm hoping, since our next cruise is Iceland, that the Scandinavian theme will be in play. Or maybe a menu we've yet to try. No matter the menu, we'll be celebrating our anniversary at the Chef's Table.

[RLK33853]

19 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

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.

 

The whole butler thing is one of those perks that to us, is nice, but not one that would ever be a deciding point when booking.  Previous to these cruises we had only had butlers a couple of other times - and they were pretty uninvolved in your daily routine, more of if you called them, they would come (which we really never did).

 

So like you, we were kind of hesitant/what are we going to use the butler for, but they are so well trained on Crystal they quickly learn what you want or don't want and then follow through.  They will do a myriad of things like shining shoes, unpacking, etc - but no thanks.  We did appreciate the hors d"ourves being delivered each afternoon, a bowl of cashews and chocolates before bed, picking up and delivering pressing, and the two times we had room service the butler makes you think you are in the dining room. If you are worried about them being intrusive - they are not.  Crystal has an electronic do not disturb button that you can deploy.  Suites also have a doorbell and the butler use that.

 

Others we talked to used their butler in a myriad of other ways like making reservations, having drinkns delivered before dinner and the like.

 

Will we pick a crusie because they have a butlers - no - but at the same time they do make things easier.  Your job if you have one, is only to clearly tell them what you want.

 

As to the public spaces, there are probably more on Crystal than on Viking.  The only thing is, as I remember it, the ship is older and may not have as many views to the ocean throught the ship as Viking.  That said, Crystal's forward facing lounge on the top floor is huge, is all floor to ceiling windows, and is extremely luxurious.

 

Hope this answers your questions.

 

Hope this helps.

[RLK33853]

Last part of our review:

 

Overall Comparison

 

Without question we will cruise on both Crystal and Viking in the future.  They are somewhat different in cruise styles, yet both were impressive in their own version. 

 

Crystal’s downfall at present is that they only have two ships and thus their itineraries are somewhat limited (they expect to build 4 more ships).  They are also more expensive.  Suffice it to say though, that like many before us we have been Crystalized and when looking for a cruise, we will always check Crystal first to see if they have what we are looking for.  Further, we see no real need to keep checking out other luxury lines - Crystal is the line for us.

 

Conversely, Viking has more ships, thus more itineraries/timing, provides a Premium product, and on most itineraries we looked at is approximately 25% cheaper than Crystal.  Given our choice, we probably would spend the extra if Crystal had a cruise we wanted to take.  That said, we have already booked another Viking cruise since it had the itinerary and dates we were looking for.

 

Last but not least – we owe a big thank you to the Cruise Critic regulars who provided excellent advice while we planned our voyages.  Kudos to all of you who take the time to help the newbies!

 

And thanks to those who have followed our review.  I hope that we have answered any questions you may have had, solidified your own impressions, or at the very least made you think about these two wonderful cruise lines.

[Gourmet Gal]

On 6/25/2024 at 9:50 AM, Kountess said:

 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.

Why is that a problem for you?  If you don’t gamble you can just bypass the space.

[Kountess]

12 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Why is that a problem for you?  If you don’t gamble you can just bypass the space.

Of course, I could simply bypass the space.  That's not the point.  Just as I am not interested in a cruise line that offers water slides or photography sales, I prefer one without casinos.  This is one of the reasons I love Viking.

[Gourmet Gal]

6 minutes ago, Kountess said:

Of course, I could simply bypass the space.  That's not the point.  Just as I am not interested in a cruise line that offers water slides or photography sales, I prefer one without casinos.  This is one of the reasons I love Viking.

I would certainly avoid a ship with waterslides though they are super fun on a yacht charter.  Now I will also say the photo sales really annoyed me on past Crystal sailings because it was hard to navigate the scrum that surrounded both the photo venues and the display area sometimes.  It also cheapens the experience.  Does Crystal still have photo sales onboard?

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, Gourmet Gal said:

I would certainly avoid a ship with waterslides though they are super fun on a yacht charter.  Now I will also say the photo sales really annoyed me on past Crystal sailings because it was hard to navigate the scrum that surrounded both the photo venues and the display area sometimes.  It also cheapens the experience.  Does Crystal still have photo sales onboard?

Anytime and anywhere I’m approached by a photographer I always tell them I’m in the Witness Protection Program and can’t take photos. Half the time they think I’m serious and they don’t know what to say. 😁

[Jim Avery]

5 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Anytime and anywhere I’m approached by a photographer I always tell them I’m in the Witness Protection Program and can’t take photos. Half the time they think I’m serious and they don’t know what to say. 😁

Better when you don't even get approached

[pathdoc]

I tell the photographers that I'm in the witless protection program.  Some get it and laugh, others look perplexed as I walk on by.

[TinaLee]

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

Demographics

 

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

 

oh, why did you have to go there?