ak1004

I would assume that most if not all of them have self laundry.

Self laundry is free (washers and dryers). In my opinion, the best use is the extra excursions.

After doing 20 ocean cruises, we just returned from our first river cruise on Uniworld River Empress and absolutely loved it! The itinerary (Basel-Amsterdam) was fantastic, with mix of some larger cities (Basel/Amsterdam overnight, Frankfurt and Cologne) and some smaller charming villages/towns. Highly recommended. Uniworld is one of the most inclusive lines, and it's considered a luxury river line. We had two shore excursions that were extra (and very reasonably priced), everything else was included - gratuities, one excursion in each port (typically choice of 2-3), wines and spirits, Internet and shuttles to town. Some alcoholic beverages were extra cost (the "Diamond Selection" of brands. We tipped mot of our tour guides, but this was our choice. We were on the low deck (the swan cabin), and I consider it the best value. All cabins are the same size on this ship (except for 4 "suites", the only difference is that higher decks have larger windows or French balconies. To me, there is no real value to have a larger window, and the only advantage of the French balcony is that you can have some fresh air. But the added cost is really not worth it in my opinion. Service was outstanding, probably the best we had on any cruise ship, including Silversea and Crystal. After 2-3 days they learned our preferences and you didn't even have to ask for your favorite drink, they just knew it by heart. On paper, the 3:1 crew/passenger ratio doesn't look promising, compared to 1.4:1 that luxury ocean ships have, but somehow they manage to provide such high level of service with so few people. This is still a mystery to me - somehow those ratios work differently on river ships. You feel like you are staying in a luxury boutique hotel. The officers are very visible and approachable, we had some long conversations with the hotel manager Vasil and the cruise manager Tomas. I learned a lot about river cruises from them. The dress code in the evening was very casual, with some people even wearing shorts, but they were in minority. Most were wearing casual slacks and shirts. Two gala nights where some men were wearing jackets, but definitely not required. We liked the dress code very much. Our cruise manager Tomas was amazing. So knowledgeable, organized and friendly. The excursions were very well organized and planned, always on time, with professional and knowledgeable guides. Average group size was around 20 people, with maximum of 28. Couple of times we had groups as small as 12-14 people. Typically there was a selection of 2-3 excursions in the morning, then back to the ship for lunch, and then another "Masterpiece" excursion in the afternoon at extra cost, or you could just explore on your own. Most of the time the ships docked right at the center of the city, which was a huge positive compared to ocean ships. Food was excellent, despite relatively limited choices (4 starters, 2 soups and 4 main courses). I always had something to choose from, and I'm very picky. Lunch buffet was among the best we had on any ship. All ingredients were top quality. We were only 88 guests, with full capacity of 130 guests, so we had no issues dining alone if we wanted to. But with ship at full capacity, you are forced to share tables (there are no tables for 2), which could be an issue for people who like to dine alone. We shared tables with other people on some meals and sometimes dined alone. We met some very nice people, everyone was very friendly, so this was not an issue at all. The average age was about 65-70, with a few older and few younger. Despite its age (over 20 years), the ships is very well maintained. The AC worked very well, the water pressure was great, no plumbing issues of any kind, and we never heard the engine. Some of the negatives: Cabins are TINY. No minibar in the cabin. We spend very little time in the cabin and it's definitely very low priority for us. But compared to lines like Silversea with 305 sqft cabins that have walking closet and separate sitting area it is still a negative. But river cruises are 90% about the itinerary. The ship is really small, with not much to do (no pool, hot tubs etc). Only one lounge and one restaurant. I believe newer ships have more facilities, sometimes some alternative restaurants. No place to hide, so if you want some privacy, this is not a ship for you. Evening entertainment was very limited. Internet varied from fair to poor. Overall, we had a great time and will definitely sail with Uniworld again. Itinerary will be the main factor, but all other factors equal, we would probably prefer one of their newer "super ships".

We did one cruise on Crystal and one on SS so far (two more booked), so obviously a very small sample. However, based on this sample: Service comparable, slight better on C. Food comparable, slightly better on SS. Cabins much better on SS. Enrichment and entertainment much better on C. Overall, I would say they are comparable as an overall package (depends what is more important to you), BUT (and this is a big BUT): current prices on C are not competitive in my opinion. Entry level cabins start both around $500 USD per day, but entry level on C is 210 sqft and on SS 305 sqft, so to get a more accurate comparison, you need to go to the next category on C and it is much more expensive. Not to mention that SS includes excursions and C does not. Personally I believe you cannot go wrong with either of them, and we gladly book both given the right itinerary and price.

We got our flights for our May 2024 cruise. Both are direct flights from/to Toronto with Air Canada. So far so good.

@notamermaid thanks for all the updates! What’s the potential impact of the current situation on the cruises? We are on Sep.2-12 sailing from Basel to Amsterdam.

We take mostly short cruises, 10-12 night combined with 2-4 nights pre cruise. I just searched Viking for 9-11 nights itineraries. Guess how many results I got? 6. All over the world. Only 2 of them in Europe. Even if I go to 12-17 days, there are only 17 in Mediterranean. I would call it pretty limited. As for similar cost, I'm not sure which itineraries you are looking at, but I previously gave an example of Mediterranean cruise of 9 nights at $7,700 CAD. Similar cruises on O are $5,000-5,500 CAD for 10 nights. I wouldn't call it similar cost. I also looked at Canada sailings you mentioned (St Lawrence to Quebec City). SB has a similar sailing for less money. To me, this is absurd.

And this is how it should be. No regrets. I'm sure Vikings provides great experience, I just believe there are better alternatives in terms of value for money and itineraries.

We are among those people.. didn't try all lines, but sailed on Oceania, Azamara, Crystal and Silversea, we like O food the best.

Not sure.. the only one I see is this one - https://www.vikingcruisescanada.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/eastern-mediterranean/empires-mediterranean/index.html No Argostoli, Ravenna or Split and no sea days. Cost in June 2024: $7,800 CAD for 9 nights. Comparable cruises on O: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/mediterranean-cruises/venice-to-rome-MNA231011/ https://www.oceaniacruises.com/greek-isles-cruises/athens-to-venice-RVA241015/ https://www.oceaniacruises.com/mediterranean-cruises/venice-to-rome-RVA241025/ 10 nights around $5,000-5,500 CAD

I looked at European cruises. No single itinerary is unique or something you cannot get on O SB or SS. We cruise for the itinerary, so paying 12-24 months in advance and paying more than SB just doesn't make sense. Apples to apples.

You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. - Abraham Lincoln I guess he was wrong in this case..

We feel the same way. We did pay in full for couple of cruise (Uniworld and SS) a year in advance, but got a nice discount in return (10-15%). Giving someone an interest free loan for 12-24 months is not my cup of tea.. Not to mention that their prices now are higher than SB..

Celebrity is in the same category as Princess and HAL. Very comparable in terms of service and food. Oceania is a HUGE step up. SS is another step up, but much smaller in my opinion. O is much closer to SS than to Celebrity. I would not even put O and C in the same sentence when comparing lines. A different galaxy.

Cannot find it. How are the prices compared to Vista?

I know. But still much better than the current Silver Air, at least you are in control. We were able actually to book very good flights online with Celebrity.

When we sailed with Celebrity, we had an option to book our own flights through their website. Very convenient, you are in full control, and he prices were actually pretty good. This was before Covid, not sure if this is still the case, but it would be a big improvement.

Exactly the same for us. Business from Toronto to Europe is $5-6k CAD, there is no way I will pay for a flight more than I pay for a cruise.. so looking for award tickets 355 days in advance. They usually go fast, and it's becoming a big issue. SS doesn't have any admin fees if you book D2D, and sometimes they have flights at very good fares. Those cancellation fees won't work for us. We will need to book 12 months in advance when we know we can get good flights. And if by then prices are up or no available cabins, then we will find another cruise line for this period. or book SS 2 years in advance.

So you believe it's related to post Covid new conditions? What's your explanation? This ports cancelation in Portugal was questionable to say the least.

I don't think it's a matter of loving Oceania, but you have to agree that "missed 4 ports on the 9 cruises" is really not enough information. Were 9 cruises 10 night each? 20 nights? 30 nights? I'm sure you would agree that it makes a big difference in terms of percentage of missed ports. As a side note, missed ports is a big concern to us, but I would still prefer to miss ports on O than sail Celebrity or Princess and not miss a single port. A different galaxy.

Yes, this is what we are doing. Getting a refund of the deposit less SBC. Thank you for your help.

Book by Sep.10 2023. It expires on Sep.10. We don't have anything to book from what's available, and we don't want to book something knowing that we will need to change it anyway. If they refuse to extend it, so be it.

Okay, this is different from our case. We booked last September and had to use it till Sep.10 2023. I still have a hard time understanding why they wouldn't extend it, but I guess it is what it is. No matter what we say, O (and any cruise line) will do what they consider the best for them. Same with the new pricing, new cancellation policy etc. And the customers will do what they consider the best for them.

Well, if we had a specific cruise in mind, we would book it and wouldn't need an extension. We were waiting for 2025 itineraries since we are fully booked till end of 2024. But they are out somewhere in September and our certificate is valid till September 10, and we are travelling first half of September. Unless I misunderstood what you were saying.

Looks like Crystal has similar issues - Port changes without notice.