Azamara vs Viking

[Ksqrd]

We are planning a cruise to Australia/New Zealand in 2026 and are thinking of trying Azamara for the first time.  We usually sale with Viking and we are wondering if anyone has traveled on both lines and can tell me how they compare.  The ship we would be on is Onward and I also have heard that ship is rundown?  Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[alfredo1]

I don't think you can classify any of the Azamara ships as rundown. They are over 20 years old but are proper well built ships which age well and are maintained to a high standard. They are very easy to travel with and it is like returning to a comfortable and well established country hotel environment. Viking have very obviously new and expensively fitted out new ships, but the ambience is more Ikea than country hotel. Just my opinion, but I regularly return to Azamara.

[Mackdogmolly]

I am a regular Azamara cruiser and love the ships, the crews, and the fellow passengers. Have only sailed on Viking once, on a Panama Canal itinerary. I would agree that the ships are beautiful, but wasn’t impressed by the food or service. I had to chase crew to get a drink - lol. Not a lot of glitzy entertainment on Azamara, but not really on Viking either. I vote that you give it a try!

[wjfan417]

We were on Onward this summer for the first time. There was nothing run down about it!

[Ksqrd]

That is good to know - thank you!

 

[mchell810]

3 hours ago, Ksqrd said:

We are planning a cruise to Australia/New Zealand in 2026 and are thinking of trying Azamara for the first time.  We usually sale with Viking and we are wondering if anyone has traveled on both lines and can tell me how they compare.  The ship we would be on is Onward and I also have heard that ship is rundown?  Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

uktog did a comparison last year:

 

 

[uktog]

We have done many cruises on Azamara and two on Viking and one more booked. 
As regards the ships I can understand why Viking cruisers might talk negatively about Azamara ships especially if they are not travelling in a suite. The biggest difference is the size and layout of the Azamara bathrooms. In comparison the shower on Azamara is about a quarter of the size of a Viking shower, has a curtain rather than a door and no heated floor. Whether all that matters is a personal preference. 
 

Around the ship on Azamara you have much less public “relaxation” space both indoors and outdoors and with no roof for the pool deck you can be weather dependent. 
 

On Azamara the main dining room is one big room not lots of small sections so it can be noisy. However instead of section teams each table has a dedicated waiter and assistant so we found the service more seamless. However we found the presentation of food and menu selection in the main dining room on Viking more to our liking but that was because we are not big on Asian style food. But to offset that, Vikings evening buffets are nowhere as good or innovative as Azamara. 
 

On Azamara you have to pay for the special restaurants unless you are in a suite. For us we found Manfredi as good as Aqualina on Azamara so would not pay for it however they are revamping the Azamara menus so maybe hold fire on that judgement 

 

Entertainment particularly guest lecturers were better on Viking. 
 

We saw no difference in bar service between the two. 
 

However, here is the big difference on both Viking trips we had several ports cancelled and the captains did not seem able to switch into alternatives where as on Azamara captains have a great degree of flexibility to make the cruise really happen. Azamara officers are much more visible and ready to take comments and fully engage with guests and that does make a big difference.  

[takemewithyou]

In my experience having sailed on Viking once, there is just no comparison!  They are nothing alike.  Viking has Scandinavian decor that looks sleek but is not comfortable.  I will take the more classic decor on Azamara any day because the furniture is comfortable.  The Viking ships are glitzy.  My favorite space was the lounge in the bow….I think it is called the Explorers lounge.  I also love the Living Room in the bow of Azamara….very comfortable and relaxing.

 

The crew on Azamara is incredible!  They have a warmth and an ability to connect with passengers and remember your likes and dislikes.  It is like coming home!  I found Viking staff to be more impersonal.

 

I find the food to be better on Azamara and the service on Azamara is much, much better.  I would say the specialty restaurants on Azamara are better than Viking’s.  
 

The mattress on Viking is hard and firm.  The mattress on Azamara is much more comfortable.  The heated floor in BR on Viking is nice.  I would recommend a Club Continent suite on Azamara to find something comparable to a Vking cabin.  
 

I would recommend trying Azamara and coming with an open mind.  If you want it to be like Viking, you may be disappointed.  I think you will find the food and service better!  Certainly the crew will amaze you.  I find the ships to be the most comfortable than all the others, with the exception of Oceania.  Oceania is very comfortable, also.

 

Another thought…..Azamara is truly destination oriented.  They try not to miss ports.  If a Captain has to miss a port, they try very hard to find a replacement.  The White Night and Azamazing Evening are quite unique to Azamara.
Edited to add: @uktog and I were posting at the same time!

Edited Sunday at 04:09 PM by takemewithyou

[TrulyBlonde]

I have cruised both lines but it has been a few years now. Viking ships are beautiful and new. AZ are smaller, older, and more intimate. I was not impressed with the service on Viking and the food was nothing special either. Unless they had an exceptional itinerary I would not be interested.

 

We have a cruise booked on AZ this Oct. because the itinerary was better than all of the other lines and longer times in ports. We don't really care about the food, the older ship, etc. For us it is a floating hotel that meets our needs. I also love dining al fresco and the back deck on AZ is a highlight for us. I hope it is still there? 

 

 

 

 

[takemewithyou]

11 minutes ago, TrulyBlonde said:

I have cruised both lines but it has been a few years now. Viking ships are beautiful and new. AZ are smaller, older, and more intimate. I was not impressed with the service on Viking and the food was nothing special either. Unless they had an exceptional itinerary I would not be interested.

 

We have a cruise booked on AZ this Oct. because the itinerary was better than all of the other lines and longer times in ports. We don't really care about the food, the older ship, etc. For us it is a floating hotel that meets our needs. I also love dining al fresco and the back deck on AZ is a highlight for us. I hope it is still there? 

 

 

 

 

Oh yes, you can still dine Al fresco at Windows cafe! 

[Mackdogmolly]

14 hours ago, uktog said:

the ship on Azamara you have much less public “relaxation” space both indoors and outdoors and with no roof for the pool deck you can be weather dependent. 

When we sailed on Viking, the weather was beautiful, but they still kept the roof to the pool closed, making it stifling. Had to go to the smaller, stern pool for any relief.

[uktog]

1 hour ago, Mackdogmolly said:

When we sailed on Viking, the weather was beautiful, but they still kept the roof to the pool closed, making it stifling. Had to go to the smaller, stern pool for any relief.

Did you ask them to adjust the AC?  On our cruise it was warm but threatening showers the pool was shut but they came and changed the ac and also showed us how to lower the window at our chairs which gave us a “balcony” 

[Mackdogmolly]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

Did you ask them to adjust the AC?  On our cruise it was warm but threatening showers the pool was shut but they came and changed the ac and also showed us how to lower the window at our chairs which gave us a “balcony” 

It was a beautiful, sunny day with not a cloud in sight. No need that I could see for the pool roof.

[Riocca]

1 hour ago, Mackdogmolly said:

It was a beautiful, sunny day with not a cloud in sight. No need that I could see for the pool roof.

We had a similar experience on Viking Sea, our cruise was in the Caribbean and they only had to see a cloud to close the roof. The ac was running but couldn’t cope with the heat and humidity so the pool area became unusable.

[Dynacruiser]

On 9/29/2024 at 6:47 AM, Ksqrd said:

We are planning a cruise to Australia/New Zealand in 2026 and are thinking of trying Azamara for the first time.  We usually sale with Viking and we are wondering if anyone has traveled on both lines and can tell me how they compare.  The ship we would be on is Onward and I also have heard that ship is rundown?  Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

I could understand that a person who is used to sparkly and glitzy cruise ships would look down at a Azamara and think "it's rundown".  

 

Azamara guests are usually folks who can afford nice things, but are down-to-earth and they prefer feeling welcome and more "at home".    Most repeat guests can tell you the names of their 5 or 10 favorite servers, bartenders, cabin attendants or senior crew members.  

 

When I read Azamara first-time cruisers describing mismatched furniture, stained carpet, unpainted areas, and "low quality cheap wine glasses", I often wonder if I am sooo blinded by the smiles of the friendly crew members, that I choose to ignore imperfections.

 

You should evaluate what you would enjoy more, and decide if you should give Azamara a chance.

[lisiamc]

We have done 24 Azamara cruises, and six Viking Ocean cruises. We like both lines, but there are some things on Azamara that make a big difference for us. There is more trivia on Azamara (although Azamara seem to be testing the idea of no morning trivia on port days 😢) There are more late nights and overnights in port on Azamara than on Viking. There are also now more different, destination-focused activities on Azamara - the new Destination Immersion evenings (buffet and entertainment on deck, strongly focusing on the country/port) in addition to the on-shore Azamazing Evenings that we had on Onward in August were a big hit with us.

 

Edited to add: Viking have very nice showers and bathrooms, no question. (I am very appreciative of the heated floors!) On the other hand, I never spend more than 10 minutes/day in the shower, and we have managed just fine in Azamara showers and bathrooms since 2007. 

Edited Tuesday at 07:46 PM by lisiamc