Vineyard View

You are right!. I thought for sure that it was correct on my initial posting of Analysis and it was. 13 full days on board, 14 nights. I was too tired last night. So initial posting thread is accurate.

No. I do not count embarkation nor disembarkation days in my count. I have pulled up each itinerary again after reading these. I have recounted. Hanoj, we were probably typing at the same time.

Thanks for all the analysis. I actually short changed the SB itinerary by one day. I was using full days for each rather than nights. Maybe not convention, but I just don’t view embarkation day as a complete day. That’s just me though. So if you prefer to count nights, then these itineraries are: V = 14 nights O = 14 nights SB = 15 nights Sorry for the confusion.

Seabourn offers lower priced OV cabins. They also offer various categories of verandah cabins, like all lines. The prices I quoted here include all taxes. I used pricing comparable to what we booked. Absolutely you can save money on V by dropping down in cabin categories, as you can with O and SB. The verandah cabins on SB are all the same size unlike O and V. And all three have higher priced, larger cabins as well.

I had several people on this board ask me to post this on Vikings board. I originally posted it on Oceania after much discussion about complete, total cost per person on cruises when taking into consideration everything that is important to you. We recently experienced our first journey on Seabourn. During that journey we booked a cruise on a different Seabourn ship durning next April as a result of our experience on this one. When we arrived home, I reexamined two others we had considered for next year on Viking (V) and Oceania (O). I acknowledge that there are built in differences in each of these lines that create loyalty, and those differences are important enough to some to stay loyal. I find this on most lines, and honestly felt that way in the past about Viking. Following is my total cost review. These are all during April/May 2024. I compared Viking 15 day (13 full days on ship) Mediterranean and Italian Sojourn, Oceania 14 Day (13 full days on ship) Barcelona-Rome), Seabourn 14 day (13 full days on ship) Treasures of the Adriatic (the one we booked). Viking includes an excursion in every port that is usually a bus ride or a walking tour. Seabourn has a two cabin category upgrade right now that puts basic balcony cabin pricing midship (which we booked). I wanted to compare what we have booked with SB total cost against the other two. In doing so, I needed to use the cabin categories I selected below to be as close in comparison as possible to the size, location, and amenities I had already booked. I also needed to include beverage packages at the levels included below to be as close as possible to that which is included on SB. I received a 5% discount on SB as a past guest. With V below I used a $200 past passenger discount I would receive on V. I did not include any TA discounts. Viking PV1 (penthouse Verandah) 930 pax max 338 sq ft including balcony. $18,796 SSB (upgraded drinks). 840 Gratuities. 476 Total. $20,112 (One excursion in each port) Oceania Concierge A2. 1238 pax max 291 sq ft (+ balcony ?). $11,398 Prestige drink pkg upgrade. 840 Gratuities. 504 Wi-Fi (to 2 persons). 350 Total. $13,092 OLife used for basic drink. No excursions Seabourn Balcony Midship. 600 pax 246-302 sq ft inside Plus 68-83 sq ft balcony. $14,289 All above amenities included plus some Except that there are no excursions I realize that not all want balconies, midship, drink packages. Not all want additional drink packages outside of the included one white one red wine, and beer during lunch and dinner. I also understand that the itineraries are not exactly the same in the Mediterranean. They were the ones we are interested in during the timeframe we travel. This was an exercise for me to truly understand total out of cost cost differences for us when sailing these lines using a booked cruise we have as our baseline. It was eye opening for me on a few levels. I hope it is helpful for others. It will be interesting to see what happens with Oceania’s new “Simply more” pricing structure launching 7/1. There is quite a bit of information surrounding it available as to how they are restructuring their fares to include more; such as based on length of cruise you have a certain amount of money to apply to any excursions of your choice on the cruise. We obviously experienced differences between SB and V on this recent cruise. Some things on each line we liked better…..but there were a lot of things on SB that we liked better. Again, it’s all about what is important to individual travelers, and our preferences aren’t necessarily the same as others. I will post a review and what we viewed as comparison between V & SB in the near future if there is interest in my doing so.

That is what it has always been. I haven’t seen different, but maybe? I would think I would have noticed it on the boards, but I sure can’t promise!

One excursion per port included with what you paid to cruise on Viking. Other excursions are available for a cost.

We took our first SB cruise last month. There were jeans worn in the MDR. Some were what one might call questionable as to ‘dressy’ for certain. Actually no question. That said, there were very few who did this, and IMO they stood out as a result. I think in hindsight I may have noticed this more because of reading these threads. I thought to myself, these are not fine jeans that look classy, these look like what DH would never wear out to dinner locally, nor would I. Then I realized that it wasn’t really impacting my meal. My time with DH. My total enjoyment of our time together. That was what counted. And I was grateful I was with whom I was.

I have not sailed SS. Ship excursions are not a go to for us. We prefer DIY or private (finding more difficult to find post C). So for us, lines that include them are not something that we gravitate towards now as the price is reflected in the ones that do include them. Conversely, it is a bonus for those that do.

This must be fairly new. On multiple V cruises we have done, there has only been one included excursion in each port. Based on threads on Vikings board, i have not seen mention of this change. Depending on the port, it was a bus drive overview with maybe a couple photo ops, or walking tour. For us, those excursions were not what we would call past ‘entry level’ for lack of better word. I would love to hear back from you with an update on this. Not saying it isn’t so, truly, and if true would sure be a step up from before. We sailed the North Sea with them in the past - all Viking pre C, and it was then only one choice in each port. And the ports were different than you list

I posted it on this thread because the thread deviated earlier and I was asked to report back our experiences with SB and V. I was responding to those several posts. I do not want to derail this thread so I will post separately as asked. It may take a couple days but I will do that. As well as my feedback of comparison between the two - which is what led me to the price comparison afterwards. In the meantime it is accessible on the O board.

I will write up the review that I promised between our Viking experiences and our recent Seabourn cruise in the next several days. I have been busy doing an in-depth pricing comparison between Viking, Oceania, and Seabourn in anticipation of the upcoming pricing changes at Oceania. I wanted to put together a true cost per day comparison between the three with as close as possible cabins and their locations, length of days on ship, similar time frames (April/May) in the Mediterranean next year. They are not totally matched up in areas/ports but I chose what was of greatest interest to us. I used the comparison with Seabourn verandah midship as my base. There are other cabins of less or more cost available on all companies. I don’t think this is the correct thread to post it, but you can find it on Oceania ‘looking for greener grass’ thread. If someone thinks it should be,ported here on Viking in its own separate thread I will be happy to do so. It was eye opening. It further cemented that depending on what is important to you individually certainly helps define what lines may be a better option for you. That said, with Oceania’s changes on July 1 the game will change with them. Likely significantly.

I was just thinking about this. SB has OV cabins (unlike Viking). I have not compared those prices as we really do always book verandah. But maybe if you run the numbers they are fairly close. I have no idea. They will still include drinks that are not important to you, but with the changes coming with O it could pencil out well. Again, I only have the one SB experience so I am not an expert by any means to compare.

Wow! How fun! Enjoy every minute!

Thank you for posting this. I believe when were there late April water will be a bit chilly still. It’s a great alternative for those who have thoroughly explored Olympia though.

We are booked on a 14 day next April. It is a B2B 7 day. Reading this makes me concerned.

Everyone has their must haves and not important, so to speak. The prices that used did not use PH for O and still ended up close to SB. We do not need PH level. We do always want Balconies, nice wine, and the occasional cocktail. It is something we enjoy. We really enjoyed the caviar on SB because that is an indulgence that worked for us. Viking excursions are worthless to us. We also are DIY or private. So included excursions on brands such as Viking or SS is not a financially sound decision for us. There are really good points made here regarding balcony levels on O and associated costs. I used concierge because of the extra amenities being closer to SB and V. We are still looking a the O itinerary that I listed. It is a later travel date than we prefer, but the ports are attractive. I think at the end of the day, I will continue to look at both lines. Not sure about Azamara. For us the entry level suite would be important for any R ship due to bathrooms. for me it was a really good exercise in understanding total true costs on three different lines and I truly found some surprises at the end of it.

I was surprised at how expensive Viking has become. We first sailed rivers with them 10 years ago. We sailed on their first ever Oceans inaugural and have sailed them since. It wasn’t like that in comparison regarding pricing. I was also surprised at how close true total costs were between SB and O. After our recent first cruise on SB we were greatly impressed. The cabins were top drawer. Bathrooms had dual vanity sinks, shower, bath with shower all done in full marble, with a walk in closet. Standard verandah. I could go on. I cannot compare O as I have not sailed yet, but in looking at the cabins, there is a difference. JMHO. That said, I am very attracted to this O itinerary next year and am very torn. SB sails 4/21 (preferred with hopefully less crowds) O sails 5/18 (will be more crowded for sure) It will be interesting to know how that compares in pricing in Canada.

It was hard to find exact cabin size comparisons. ‘Thank you for pointing these variances out. You are absolutely correct. SB balcony, including balcony, range from 314 sq ft to 385 sq ft depending on location. I could not determine how to find where those ranges of sizes were, so I chose the lower category on O to be conservative on the numbers. You are correct though in that if the SB balcony cabin was in the larger size range offered, then the Penthouse on O would be a more equal comparison in size and would certainly increase the price on O. The sizes on V stated for each category include balcony. So again, could go either way.

I compared Viking 15 day (13 full days on ship) Mediterranean and Italian Sojourn. Oceania Barcelona -Rome 14 day (13 full days on ship), and Seabourn 14 day Treasures of the Adriatic (13 full days on ship). Viking includes an excursion per port that is a bus drive or walking tour. Seabourn has a two cabin category upgrade now that puts basic balcony cabin cost midship. I wanted to compare what we have booked with Seabourn total cost. In doing so I needed to use the cabin categories I selected below to be as close in comparison as possible to size and location on ships. I also needed to include beverage packages at levels included to be as equal as possible. I received a 5% discount on Seabourn due to past cruise. I used a $200 past passenger discount i would receive on Viking in pricing. I did not include any TA rebates. I looked at April/May 2024 Viking, PV3 (Penthouse Veranda) (930 pax) 338 sq ft incl balcony. $18,796 SSBP (upgraded drinks). 840 Gratuities room steward 476 Total. $20,112 One excursion in each port (bus drive or walking tour) Oceania Concierge A2. (1238 pax) 291 sq ft (+ balcony?). $11,398 Prestige package upgrade 840 Gratuities room steward. 504 Wi-Fi 350 Total. $13,092 Olife used for basic drinks. No excursions included Seabourn Balcony midship (600 Pax) 246-302 sq ft inside Plus 68-83 sq ft balcony. $14,289 All else included except excursions I realize that not all want balconies or drink packages that include cocktails or additional wines other than those poured at meals. This was an exercise for me to truly understand total cost differences when sailing these lines using a booked cruise as my baseline. It was eye opening for me. I hope it is helpful for others It will be interesting to see what the new included amenities does to Oceania total pricing.

Okay. That makes more sense. Thank you.

So regarding cancellation penalties, to be clear, Oceania will now charge $250 per person, from the time you book the trip up to the penalty phase, if you cancel? And this fee cannot be waived if you book another cruise with them at the same time? We had to pay Azamara $300 when we needed to change a B2B, and they would not let us transfer to another sail date. Our cruises with Viking carried a $100 per person penalty but they (in the past) allowed it to be transferred. Our currently booked Seabourn cruise has zero charges if we cancel prior to penalty phase.

Totally agree. On the few occasions! Hvar did not call to us as one of those occasions though! Lisbon did, and several others, but not always.

Very true. I would agree. Our only time in hiring private guides that was a big mistake was Cairo. Nightmare getting back, but that’s another story. So I have been convinced that looking into all this further, and maybe considering an excursion. Or a private. Thanks all again. I love all the pictures shared here too! Thanks again!

Thank you for further information. I honestly do not see us taking a 2 hr bus ride each way. We chanced it on our trip last month and it reminded us of why we won’t/don’t do that with ship excursions. I know we would love to experience these further destinations for their uniqueness and charm, but maybe not on this trip. I am really glad that I asked on this board. You all really did help me determine what will likely be best for us. I will, however, check further into the private guide before finalizing this decision. thanks to lol of you.