Paid Excursions, Biz Air Regent vs Viking

[Fogfog]

So comparing Viking to RSSC...

We need some help from Regent experienced cruisers...

A couple of things stand out and we are trying to figure out apples to apples since the cruiselines "offers" are anything but straight forward

 

1-- the airfare (which is a hard question to nail down.)

 

RSSC "includes for Biz air (int'l legs)  and the domestic leg is economy (We'd have to pay to upgrade) IF we are doing it on our own-- they subtract $3k. Depending on the sailing.. $3k may or may not cut it to the Embarkation airport/port/nation.  We would pay the$150 fee pp to have the bigger flexibility and chose airlines etc further out than the "assigned" air. 

 

For Viking we see a $1k allowance and it is from a gateway airport...and would be economy. We'd have to get ourselves to that gateway airport AND we would have to pay the upgrade to Biz for the it'l leg, correct? 

 

In our limited experience, we had a one way biz ticket after a TA to Barcelona. We paid about 25-30% of a one way fare ticket (as per Kayak) by doing the flight through Celebrity. We picked the flights--they did the booking, It was a huge savings.  Does Regent have strong Air relationships?  When I spoke with a Regent agent-- she said "we will look at what airlines/flights are..." She didn't indicate IF Regent has buying power. 

 

2-- Excursions. RSSC offers several "included" excursions per port. Many of the others are for fees-- $150-500 depending on the excursion, if it includes flights etc.  For example--at an AK port, a float plane flight and then "crab feast" is between $150-200. A  helo flight to a glacier with activities may cost upwards of $500. 

Viking offers 1 "included" excursion per port that we can see. We cannot see on the website the for fee excursions. We realize these are port specific... we are trying to get a feel. 

For example-- IF a Regent float plane and crab feast is $150-200... we expect Vikings to be similar? Unless others have experience to tell us Viking doesn't offer such excursions OR that they are more/less

 

The reason we ask is this--

We sailed RSSC about 9 yrs ago and Inclusive WAS Inclusive.

We pulled our RSSC receipts etc and our float plane w crab feast was included.. not $180 pp or whatever it is showing today.

Whale watching boat trip, included,

Helo and dog sled, included...and so on.

 

Now all of those excursions are for fee. So not so much "inclusive"

 

We had been leaning towards RSSC thinking that by the time we factor in the flights and paying for excursions with Viking--that Viking would be more than Regent......

and with Regent--we'd be "all in". 

Drilling deeper--we have found that the Regent we knew is not so inclusive and Perhaps.. Viking can be an equal or better option.

 

Viking has an itinerary we find very attractive..and we were willing to do the reverse with Regent for the "all in" comforts

.... If Regent isn't really all inclusive now.... then it opens up the question.  And Viking can be a real contender.

 

Clear as mud?

 

TYIA for your advice/thoughts about Regent flights (buying power, upgrading domestic to biz) 

and IF any Regent pax have sailed Viking--HOW do they compare.

 

 

[tubeamps]

we are somewhat similar, our last Regent cruise was 2013 and was a great cruise (the Med), our more recent sailings have been on Crystal and the last 2 on Viking.

We are currently booked on Regent Nov 2020, Barcelona to Dubai.

 

I think it will be difficult to get an exact apples to apples comparison but let me share my most recent Viking cruise to my Nov 2020 cruise.

 

 

Viking: 14 day cruise Southeast Asia, we used Viking Air and paid for upgrade to business class. We also did a 4 day precruise to Angkor Wat but I will not include those charges in the comparison.

 

For cruise and BC air we paid approx 21k for room and 4300/pp air putting us at 29600, plus 560 for drink package, total approx 30,160 or 2154 per day, 1077 pp, per day. Room was penthouse junior suite. Gratuities extra, so approx $1100/ pp per day.

 

For upcoming Regent cruise: 22 day cruise, one night comp pre cruise lodging in Barcelona. Cruise is 31,400, concierge D. No additional charges for BC air, gratuities, drinks.

This comes to approx 1365/day or 682/pp pre day. I used 23 days since extra night is included.

 

Not easy for apples to apples , but a good ballpark estimate for your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 1, 2019 by tubeamps

[Gilly]

 Yes, you can do all the sums and work on the numbers.  I'm sure someone here has done that already and will help with that.  What is impossible to explain/clarify/calculate is the difference an all inclusive price makes in terms of ambiance and atmosphere.  Suffice to say, we just (mid May) got off a 21 day Regent cruise on board Mariner, Tokyo to Vancouver with a $0 final account having eaten and drunk anything we wished for, taken as many tours as we wanted, all of which were included (the one Regent Choice tour we'd booked and paid for on our cc before sailing was cancelled so we had a refund to our cc whilst on board)  We flew business to and fro on the flights of our choosing (we chose to pay the deviation fee as part of our total package) and we stayed overnight in the Regent-assigned hotel at the conclusion of our cruise at a better price than we could have achieved ourselves (and had the benefit of the airport transfer that went with it).  We dined where, when and with whom we chose, no-one ever asked us to show a card or sell us something more and when we requested special menus, room service or particular dishes, they were available as part of the service.  If there was anything we wanted, someone was there to get it (except we seldom wanted for anything) and those aspects of any form of travel are not easily quantifiable in terms of money.

 

Having sailed on both mainstream lines and Regent all-inclusive, my opinion is that there is no comparison.  Not everyone will agree - but having found the product that suits us so well, we are not prepared to compromise.

Edited July 1, 2019 by Gilly
clarification

[Fogfog]

2 minutes ago, Gilly said:

..  Suffice to say, we just (mid May) got off a 21 day cruise, Tokyo to Vancouver with a $0 final account having eaten and drunk anything we wished for, taken as many tours as we wanted, all of which were included (the one Regent Choice tour we'd booked and paid for on our cc before sailing was cancelled so we had a refund to our cc whilst on board)  We flew business to and fro on the flights of our choosing (we chose to pay the deviation fee as part of our total package) and we stayed overnight in the Regent-assigned hotel at the conclusion of our cruise at a better price than we could have achieved ourselves (and had the benefit of the airport transfer that went with it). ...

@Gilly 

Am I understanding you only took the "included" tours except for 1... 

 

and was there an upcharge for you to fly Biz on all legs? Or was your flight 1 leg to Tokyo? 

 

Did you use the 4150 upgrade tot he flight packaging so you could pick the flights you wanted ? We understand that this is an option--otherwise Regent assigns the flights 69 days out

 

We'd be looking at the deviation option as well. 

 

TYIA

 

[jeb_bud]

Your best information about Viking excursions will probably be found on the. Inking board. 

 

Based on on very cursory research I found that the free excursion(usually one per port stop) is a bus tour or similar. Many of the extra cost Viking excursions are no-charge on Regent. I quit thinking about it after that so I have no info on Regent Choice type excursion cost on Viking. 

[Fogfog]

7 minutes ago, tubeamps said:

we are somewhat similar, our last Regent cruise was 2013 and was a great cruise (the Med), our more recent sailings have been on Crystal and the last 2 on Viking.

We are currently booked on Regent Nov 2020, Barcelona to Dubai.

 

I think it will be difficult to get an exact apples to apples comparison but let me share my most recent Viking cruise to my Nov 2020 cruise.

 

 

Viking: 14 day cruise Southeast Asia, we used Viking Air and paid for upgrade to business class. We also did a 4 day precruise to Angkor Was but I will not include those charges in the comparison.

 

For cruise and BC air we paid approx 21k for room and 4300/pp air putting us at 29600, plus 560 for drink package, total approx 30,160 or 2154 per day, 1077 pp, per day. Room was penthouse junior suite. Gratuities extra, so approx $1100/ pp per day.

 

For upcoming Regent cruise: 22 day cruise, one night comp pre cruise lodging in Barcelona. Cruise is 31,400, concierge D. No additional charges for BC air, gratuities, drinks.

This comes to approx 1365/day or 682/pp pre day. I used 23 days since extra night is included.

 

Not easy for apples to apples , but a good ballpark estimate for your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

TY for this. It is helpful.

The air price seems like what we are finding on our own via Kayak. Vikings $1k doesn't get one very far. Was that to upgrade or did you do the flights on your own?

 

We have been wondering about how the air impacts things...   So helpful. 

[Fogfog]

Just now, jeb_bud said:

Your best information about Viking excursions will probably be found on the. Inking board. 

 

Based on on very cursory research I found that the free excursion(usually one per port stop) is a bus tour or similar. Many of the extra cost Viking excursions are no-charge on Regent. I quit thinking about it after that so I have no info on Regent Choice type excursion cost on Viking. 

Yes-have asked on the Viking Board

 

Your advice/thoughts about Regent flights (buying power, upgrading domestic to biz) 

Have you sailed both RSSC and Viking

 

We are surprised at the changes at Regent... Interestingly the fares on the ship have gone up and less is "included"

... but for example--the pre-cruise package for a sailing is almost identical to one we did years ago price-wise. 

Just when you think that old vacation receipts and papers aren't useful--they provide information.

 

 

 

[jeb_bud]

12 minutes ago, tubeamps said:

we are somewhat similar, our last Regent cruise was 2013 and was a great cruise (the Med), our more recent sailings have been on Crystal and the last 2 on Viking.

We are currently booked on Regent Nov 2020, Barcelona to Dubai.

 

I think it will be difficult to get an exact apples to apples comparison but let me share my most recent Viking cruise to my Nov 2020 cruise.

 

 

Viking: 14 day cruise Southeast Asia, we used Viking Air and paid for upgrade to business class. We also did a 4 day precruise to Angkor Wat but I will not include those charges in the comparison.

 

For cruise and BC air we paid approx 21k for room and 4300/pp air putting us at 29600, plus 560 for drink package, total approx 30,160 or 2154 per day, 1077 pp, per day. Room was penthouse junior suite. Gratuities extra, so approx $1100/ pp per day.

 

For upcoming Regent cruise: 22 day cruise, one night comp pre cruise lodging in Barcelona. Cruise is 31,400, concierge D. No additional charges for BC air, gratuities, drinks.

This comes to approx 1365/day or 682/pp pre day. I used 23 days since extra night is included.

 

Not easy for apples to apples , but a good ballpark estimate for your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

Did you pay for any excursions on your Viking cruise?

[Gilly]

5 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

Am I understanding you only took the "included" tours except for 1... 

 

and was there an upcharge for you to fly Biz on all legs? Or was your flight 1 leg to Tokyo? 

 

Did you use the 4150 upgrade tot he flight packaging so you could pick the flights you wanted ? We understand that this is an option--otherwise Regent assigns the flights 69 days out

 

We paid extra to fly business LHR - Tokyo and Vancouver - LHR, both on BA because the Regent offer is different in the UK from that in the US.   We chose our flights because we had independent travel arrangements at both ends.

 

And yes, all the tours (except for the one) we chose were included - that wasn't the reason for choosing them, it just turned out that way.  

[tubeamps]

Angkor Wat was the only paid excursion we took. It was 4 nights, included r/t air from Bangkok, lodging and all meals gratuities, cost was $2k pp.

[flossie009]

Agree wholeheartedly with @Gilly's comments in post #3.

We like Regent's model of everything paid up-front and no account to settle at the end of the cruise.

 

Cannot help with flight costs as Regent pricing in the UK differs from the US in that the base prices only include Economy air not Business. Also, we often take an air credit from Regent and arrange our own flights, using air miles, and transfers.

 

Regarding excursions, we have been sailing with Regent since 2009 which I believe is about the time they started including excursions in the fare.

If memory serves correctly there have always been included ("free") excursions and paid ("Regent Choice") excursions. My understanding is that for the Regent Choice excursions they are cheaper than equivalent offerings on other cruise lines as they are "subsidised" by a certain amount.

 

We have generally found Regent's included excursions to be good, but we occasionally opt for a paid excursion if there is something that really looks tempting.

 

1 hour ago, Fogfog said:

The reason we ask is this--

We sailed RSSC about 9 yrs ago and Inclusive WAS Inclusive.

We pulled our RSSC receipts etc and our float plane w crab feast was included.. not $180 pp or whatever it is showing today.

Whale watching boat trip, included,

Helo and dog sled, included...and so on.

Very surprised that the float plane trip was an "included" excursion. Are you sure? Remember that you would have had to make an up-front payment by credit card at the time you booked that excursion.

 

 

Sorry, I cannot help with information regarding Viking. My husband would love to try a cruise with them; I would not; so that's decided then 😉

[Gilly]

4 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

My husband would love to try a cruise with them; I would not; so that's decided then 😉

 

A woman after my own heart!   (love it!)

[Fogfog]

6 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

 

Very surprised that the float plane trip was an "included" excursion. Are you sure? Remember that you would have had to make an up-front payment by credit card at the time you booked that excursion.

 

 

Sorry, I cannot help with information regarding Viking. My husband would love to try a cruise with them; I would not; so that's decided then 😉

 

We found booking confirmations that show the excursions Reserved and no Price in the next column...

Every excursion we took for the sailing is listed by who, Reserved and  no Price in the final column

I too was surprised like you.

Maybe it was prepaid

DH believes they were included. I thought they were for a fee for those

Interestingly the same excursions - same names etc are offered now that were on our sailing in 2010.

The cabins we had then were "deluxe" and now are Concierge deck 8, and of course the rates went up

The pre cruise Denali is almost identical in scope as was in 2010

We had $1000s in OBC that the last night our kids spent in the shops (watches/clothes etc) as we only had a couple of upcharges for drinks (like a grappa) and a Caviar event. So that is another reason why Dh thinks the excursions weren't for a fee

 

 

[jeb_bud]

1 hour ago, Fogfog said:

Yes-have asked on the Viking Board

 

Your advice/thoughts about Regent flights (buying power, upgrading domestic to biz) 

Have you sailed both RSSC and Viking

 

We are surprised at the changes at Regent... Interestingly the fares on the ship have gone up and less is "included"

... but for example--the pre-cruise package for a sailing is almost identical to one we did years ago price-wise. 

Just when you think that old vacation receipts and papers aren't useful--they provide information.

 

 

 

We have done only two Regent cruises(our only ocean cruises). The first one was to Alaska and we booked our own air as it was all domestic and we got a good price for first/business class flights. 

 

Our second cruise was Barcelona to Venice last April. We chose to deviate and flew SFO-EWR-BCN. Both legs were on United and we got business class seats on both legs. We could have flown direct SFO-BCN but we chose the flights that would get us into Barcelona in the morning so we could get some touristing done in the afternoon. 

 

Coming home we we flew VCE-FRA-SFO, business class for both legs. Aside from the deviation fee there were no upcharges. 

 

[Travelcat2]

Hi Fogfog - I have a bit to add to the conversation but first have a question for you.  Where did you get the information that you will receive a $3,000 credit if you book your own air.  That is quite a large credit so I'm wondering where you are flying from and to for this proposed cruise?  As with everything else in life, prices increase and this seems to be the case with Regent's air credit.  Likely due to airline fare increases, Regent has reduced the amount of their air credit in the past several months.  We generally cannot find a flight using the amount of Regent's air credit.

 

In terms of upgrading on domestic flights.  In our experience, it is less money to take the credit and use it towards a Bus/First Class flight that we book on our own.  We always book our own domestic flights.  Note:  as has been mentioned, Regent's flights from the U.K. are completely different that from the U.S.  

 

One thing that has not been mentioned is alcohol (which may or may not be of interest to you).  As you know, Viking offer wine, beer and soft drinks during meals as well as a glass of sparking wine upon embarkation.  PH and above passengers get a bit more (in their suite) and you can bring your own alcohol onboard.  Regent remains inclusive for alcohol and serves top brands - during meals - between meals - in lounges - in your suite, etc.

 

You mentioned one of our favorite excursions in Alaska - the Crab Feast.  I do not doubt that you received this excursion at no cost but when we did it several years ago, there was a cost (that was considerably less than other cruise limes).  The last time we were in Alaska, we did the included tour to the same location - had the wonderful crab lunch and enjoyed it almost as much as the plane (which I was terrified of).

 

I would like to correct what a previous poster said about included excursions.  While there are some bus excursions, this is not all Regent offers.  There are boat tours, snorkeling tours, tours that include lunch, etc.  In November we will repeat an included excursion in Funchal where we will stop and taste some Madeira wine, visit a huge food market where they have the black scabbard fish on display (only found in two countries in the world), and will have lunch at a beautiful restaurant where volunteers help to make the bread and put the meats on skewers.  The lunch includes plenty of wine.  It is truly a lot of fun.

 

Another aspect of Viking and Regent is that Regent is a luxury cruise line while Viking is premium plus (similar to Azamara and Oceania).  This makes apple to apple comparisons difficult.  We have not sailed on Viking (but if my DH wanted to go and I didn't - we'd give it a try - we always try to accommodate one another and manage to do it with a positive attitude).  All I know is what I read on CC and what I was told by a former Regent officer that left Regent for Viking (has since left Viking).  I was told very simply that we would not like Viking but jeb_bud has sailed on Viking so his information regarding that cruise line is much better than mine!

 

 

Edited July 1, 2019 by Travelcat2

[Fogfog]

Hi @Travelcat2

The "reduce the price by $3k"  if you handle your own flights was current before new pricing/fare increases went into effect today. Regetn put new fares/pricing into effect beginning July 1

 

We have put in a wait list deposit for a Regent sailing and the agent tells us that when/if we clear waitlist the offers then will vary..so we shall see.

 

Re the Float plane, Helo, etc We have our Regent paperwork from 2010 which is how we know which excursions we did--and can see reserved  and in price column -- nothing noted.  We can see we flew economy (Alaska Air) and we can see the rooms (we had 3 and opened the balconies to eachother--one long veranda--was glorious) 

 

On the excursions-- we were just surprised/disappointed that excursions we did included are now a fee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hanoj]

We concluded a 12 night Mediterranean cruise with Viking less than a month ago. We paid Viking $4,198 pp for biz flights from PDX to AMS to VCE (front rows on KLM Cityhopper - not really first class) with return flights from BCN to ATL to PDX. 3 of the 4 legs were Delta with both the international flights in a Delta One cabin  Our flight from ATL to PDX was domestic first class. We also paid $50 pp for Viking's Air Plus (allowed our TA to have a say in the flights and we got exactly what we wanted). 

 

We have not yet sailed with Regent, but we did not take any of the included excursions with Viking on our most recent cruise, choosing instead to explore the ports on our own, either by walking or using the free Viking or port provided shuttles. We don't care for bus tours (unless there is something we really want to see and there is no other expedient way) and the included walking tours usually move slower than we prefer and focus on religious sites. When we've done the walking tours on previous cruises, invariably, we'll see a shop we want to explore but there isn't sufficient time and when we get to the free time portion of the included tour (which is often abbreviated from what was expected due to traffic delays or the guide being a chatter box), we can't remember where it was or there is insufficient time to get to it.  We now do more preparation in advance about each port so we can determine how best to maximize our shore time.

 

We did pay for 5 optional excursions. 2 were the "On Your Own" type where Viking provided a bus (one was to Florence for $69 pp and the other to Nice for$49 pp) with a guide who talked while on the bus. These had the convenience of easy transport from ship to destination and back, with very clear instructions about the meeting time and place for the departure back to ship. We also had a "Discover Aix-en-Provence" tour ($79 pp) that we made into an "on your own" by telling the guide before we got on the bus. Four other couples who did the tour told us it was a great decision since they didn't have enough free time. We also did a "Handcrafting Traditions of Corfu" ($69 pp) which was really a shopping excursion with a bus ride through the countryside to a small village with a ceramics maker and an olive wood carving shop next door. This tour also included a guided walking tour of the old town component, but we skipped this to get back to the ship to off load our purchases before returning to walk the old town on our own. Our final paid excursion was of Sorrento & Pompeii for $109 pp which provided free time in Sorrento and a guided tour of Pompeii.

 

Thus far, we have only cruised with Viking (one river, two ocean) and we really like the no kids, no casino policies. However, although we have had favorable cruises with Viking, there have been miscues that may be indicative of a company's whose primary focus is marketing vs. operations (e.g., Viking Sky incident, new itinerary debacles, etc.) and that may be expanding too fast. We are looking into other lines, with Regent being at the top of my list.

[Gilly]

2 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

We have not sailed on Viking (but if my DH wanted to go and I didn't - we'd give it a try - we always try to accommodate one another and manage to do it with a positive attitude).

 

We are the same - if one of us doesn't want to go, then we don't.  (I guess that was aimed at me)

Edited July 1, 2019 by Gilly

[DavidTheWonderer]

One things that distinguishes different cruise lines is the space per passenger on the ship.  A rough indicator is the gross tonnage (GT) per passenger: the higher the better.

Viking Star comes in at 51 GT per passenger, which is a typical value for premium lines.

Regent Mariner and Voyager come in at 69, which is typical for luxury lines. This is about 35% more space per passenger than Viking Star.

Mass market lines are typically much less than either of these.

On ships, space is expensive.

Edited July 1, 2019 by DavidTheWonderer

[Travelcat2]

25 minutes ago, Gilly said:

 

We are the same - if one of us doesn't want to go, then we don't.  (I guess that was aimed at me)

 

No, definitely not aimed at you.  We were the same for a long time.  My DH wanted to go to India forever and I didn't want to go.  Finally I realized that I was taking something away from him by being stubborn so I agreed to go (with a good heart ....... meaning not going with a bad attitude, etc.). Actually, India had some of the best food we have ever tasted.  The heat was horrendous but I'm glad that we went.  After that seeing how happy it made him to go to India, I told him to book the Amazon (another place that I didn't want to go).  Except for the heat, I enjoyed the Amazon.  Fortunately, at the end of the day we always had our suite on Regent to go back to and it was nicely air conditioned.

 

We continue to do things that the other one wants to do and it has worked out well (not always big things..... tomorrow night I want to go to a high end tequila tasting with a friend...... he doesn't want to go because he is afraid that there will be too much alcohol but he offered to drive us there and pick us up when we are done.). It took years to realize how nice it can be to compromise.

 

 

[Fogfog]

11 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

No, definitely not aimed at you.  We were the same for a long time.  My DH wanted to go to India forever and I didn't want to go.  Finally I realized that I was taking something away from him by being stubborn so I agreed to go (with a good heart ....... meaning not going with a bad attitude, etc.). Actually, India had some of the best food we have ever tasted.  The heat was horrendous but I'm glad that we went.  After that seeing how happy it made him to go to India, I told him to book the Amazon (another place that I didn't want to go).  Except for the heat, I enjoyed the Amazon.  Fortunately, at the end of the day we always had our suite on Regent to go back to and it was nicely air conditioned.

 

We continue to do things that the other one wants to do and it has worked out well (not always big things..... tomorrow night I want to go to a high end tequila tasting with a friend...... he doesn't want to go because he is afraid that there will be too much alcohol but he offered to drive us there and pick us up when we are done.). It took years to realize how nice it can be to compromise.

 

 

Amen

DH was not keen on some particular trips I have wanted to do...and he is coming around and we are planning.

He wants to do some that will be a compromise for me. 

One is he wants to camp ON Antarctica which IS an Excursion for some sailings. I WILL be fine on the ship, wine in hand and a ship bathroom ! I want to do the sailing - just not THAT excursion. TY very much

Married more than 33 yrs we continue to work on things... luckily we have goo heritage...my folks and grands were all married Til Death Do Us Part 

Edited July 1, 2019 by Fogfog

[Bigdogwon]

28 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

Amen

DH was not keen on some particular trips I have wanted to do...and he is coming around and we are planning.

He wants to do some that will be a compromise for me. 

One is he wants to camp ON Antarctica which IS an Excursion for some sailings. I WILL be fine on the ship, wine in hand and a ship bathroom ! I want to do the sailing - just not THAT excursion. TY very much

Married more than 33 yrs we continue to work on things... luckily we have goo heritage...my folks and grands were all married Til Death Do Us Part 

My DH is planning on camping in Antartica this November, $250pp and this is what they describe, you must eat early (they ask other passengers to please let the campers eat first) your off the ship by 8:30pm and they give you a shovel to dig out your sleeping area, an expedition sleeping bag. You cannot bring anything ashore food etc. There is an emergency toilet located several feet from your camping area, everything must be packed out, so they encourage you NOT to go!  With me this is the camping deal killer, all night (its never dark) and not using the restroom. They also warn of the large sea mammals my visit and not to engage them yea right. Oh and before you get off the ship everything must be disinfected.  

[Fogfog]

22 minutes ago, Bigdogwon said:

My DH is planning on camping in Antartica this November, $250pp and this is what they describe, you must eat early (they ask other passengers to please let the campers eat first) your off the ship by 8:30pm and they give you a shovel to dig out your sleeping area, an expedition sleeping bag. You cannot bring anything ashore food etc. There is an emergency toilet located several feet from your camping area, everything must be packed out, so they encourage you NOT to go!  With me this is the camping deal killer, all night (its never dark) and not using the restroom. They also warn of the large sea mammals my visit and not to engage them yea right. Oh and before you get off the ship everything must be disinfected.  

Yes I read they have to "pack out" any poop etc...   OMG😱

I understand the reasons. 

Am thinking they should stop eating after lunch... 

Which line are you doing this sailing? There is a wide variety of lines/fares etc.

[seaknots]

6 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

but if my DH wanted to go and I didn't - we'd give it a try

 

or if comped 🙄

[Focused1]

Back to the topic of price comparison between Regent and Viking. I sailed for the first time on Viking (Auckland to Sydney) in February not to compare with Regent, of which I have sailed  a number of times, but just curious. Although I don’t have the exact figures, the per diem was close to Regent’s for a similar trip. 

 

However, I can certainly attest to the fact that there are very few similarities to the Regent experience versus the Viking experience. Yes, you can upgrade to business class for a reasonable price but everything else is extra. Drinks are included during meals. (We purchased the premium drink package but that doesn’t stop them each and every time asking for your room number or refilling your premium wine glass with house wine without asking what you are drinking.) Included excursions are just bus tours, mostly without a tour guide so the bus driver does both. Accommodations are very basic. We had an aft Explorer Suite. It was so cramped and poorly furnished with bulky low quality furniture, we were so disappointed. I could go on. 

 

Bottom line is you wind up paying for Viking almost as much as you would for Regent but you receive a lower quality experience in so many ways. As TC2 stated earlier in this thread, Viking is a premium not luxury line... it is apples versus oranges. Viking is not worth the higher price they command for a premium cruise line.