Observations and Thanks

[rbslos18]

We booked our first VO cruise yesterday. We have been on 30+ cruises. The premium line we have primarily used has eliminated a promenade walking deck on new ships. This is a must for my spouse. The luxury line we tried a few times was just not us. We cancelled our cruise for 2019 and actually had given up on cruising. A recent article rating VO as the best luxury line peaked my curiosity. VO had never been on my radar. After a couple of days of research I was almost sold. After reading the posts on CC it sealed the deal. Yesterday we booked a cruise. Your posts really helped. They are substantial, helpful and positive in tone. Thanks for sharing and your guidance. 

 

Thanks!

 

[lackcreativity]

While we came from a very different direction from you, we ended up at the same place. We had never taken an ocean cruise before, and had no real desire to do so. However, after taking a Viking river cruise and learning about the then brand new Viking ocean division, we decided to take the plunge. After three ocean cruises with Viking, it is now our favorite way to travel. It's just perfect for us: quiet, understated, with an uncrowded feeling, while beautiful, entertaining, and just the right touch of luxury. The places we have visited are fabulous, and most of all, the people we have met (both crew and fellow travelers) are one of the best parts of the trip.

 

Cruise Critic has been a great find for me. I am happy to pay it forward to new Viking guests. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

[WAVTAM]

Will add to the story. We have done 105 cruises on all the major lines. Diamond +, Elite + , 4 star Mariner.

After a recent Viking promotion, we tried this line and can honestly say we are not going back to the main stream ships. Sophisticated, elegant  but not pretensive. Going in a few week for a month cruise.

[Peregrina651]

You're welcome!

 

I, too, had pretty much given up cruising. I had had enough of the Caribbean and the steel drums and hoopla and noise but wasn't really ready for the luxury lines (butlers, white gloves and fancy dress are too much for me). We had actually started river cruising and found them much more to our taste -- a quiet, floating hotel taking us to places we really wanted to see. Then Viking opened its Ocean division. We felt confident that Viking could translate its river product into an equally as satisfying ocean product. Viking Oceans is river cruising writ large. We booked our first Ocean cruise (Into the Midnight Sun) before Viking had even sailed its first season on a ship that wasn't even built yet --and paid for it 18 months before we even sailed. Then we actually sailed. We were hooked. No more experimenting. Viking itineraries will keep us in cruises for the foreseeable future -- and taking us to places we never thought we would see.

[rbslos18]

50 minutes ago, WAVTAM said:

Will add to the story. We have done 105 cruises on all the major lines. Diamond +, Elite + , 4 star Mariner.

After a recent Viking promotion, we tried this line and can honestly say we are not going back to the main stream ships. Sophisticated, elegant  but not pretensive. Going in a few week for a month cruise.

 

This is exactly what we are looking for. We have always loved the more intimate ships and I have a feeling Viking is the experience we are looking for. The absence of whining and complaining about Viking on CC impressed me. I really appreciate everyone's help.

[rbslos18]

4 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

You're welcome!

 

I, too, had pretty much given up cruising. I had had enough of the Caribbean and the steel drums and hoopla and noise but wasn't really ready for the luxury lines (butlers, white gloves and fancy dress are too much for me). We had actually started river cruising and found them much more to our taste -- a quiet, floating hotel taking us to places we really wanted to see. Then Viking opened its Ocean division. We felt confident that Viking could translate its river product into an equally as satisfying ocean product. Viking Oceans is river cruising writ large. We booked our first Ocean cruise (Into the Midnight Sun) before Viking had even sailed its first season on a ship that wasn't even built yet --and paid for it 18 months before we even sailed. Then we actually sailed. We were hooked. No more experimenting. Viking itineraries will keep us in cruises for the foreseeable future -- and taking us to places we never thought we would see.

 

The irony is I didn't know Viking did Ocean cruises until the US News article last week! I thought Viking only did river cruises. Live and learn. We are now excited but have a year to wait. We have a Mediterranean cruise this summer on a premium line that will likely be our last. The biggest surprise has been when we factor in the things that are included, the pricing is not that far off.

[Peregrina651]

1 minute ago, rbslos18 said:

The absence of whining and complaining about Viking on CC impressed me. I really appreciate everyone's help.

 

Let's be honest, not a complete absence. Viking is not perfect and people will always find something to complain about.

[Heidi13]

We also have 35 years of cruising, with mostly 1 cruise line, but for the past 10 years were increasingly disillusioned with the ever increasing ship sizes and reductions in quality. After extensive research into luxury & premium lines, we selected Viking.

 

First cruise with them starts in 44 days, but we are so confident with our decision we started with a 100+ night World Cruise.🙂 

[Jim Avery]

1 minute ago, Heidi13 said:

We also have 35 years of cruising, with mostly 1 cruise line, but for the past 10 years were increasingly disillusioned with the ever increasing ship sizes and reductions in quality. After extensive research into luxury & premium lines, we selected Viking.

 

First cruise with them starts in 44 days, but we are so confident with our decision we started with a 100+ night World Cruise.🙂 

What? only 44 days till we get kicked off?  Are you sure you counted right?  Btw, what day is this????🍺

[Peregrina651]

Just now, rbslos18 said:

 

 The biggest surprise has been when we factor in the things that are included, the pricing is not that far off.

 

Exactly!

 

And you don't have to buy the most expensive cabin in order to get access to exclusive spaces or services--because there aren't any. Once you leave your cabin, no one knows if you are sleeping in the Owner's Suite or a Veranda. Everyone is treated as if they were in the Owner's Suite.

[Capt_BJ]

 The absence of whining and complaining about Viking on CC impressed me.

 

 

 

I like VO too .... but I think you must be selective in your reading as there are some STRONG "not fans" out there ... like this one:

 

 Viking Cruises-Immoral Greed

[JBDALLAS]

I too am now classified as "Not a Fan" after what VO did to me and my wife. We were in an Explorer Suite on a recent cruise to the West Indies and the suite was unlivable because of the room temp in the high 70s lo 80s 24/7. They moved us (after three days of complaining) to a D cat suite 1/3 the size and now will not even return my calls and emails asking for an adjustment to the price we paid. Immoral Greed indeed. Their Customer Relations leadership and staff is a joke. I have requested a refund for a future cruise we had already put a deposit down for... I am confident they will fight me on that too.

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

What? only 44 days till we get kicked off?  Are you sure you counted right?  Btw, what day is this????🍺

HaHa! Classic competing interests. We are hoping for the days to pass quickly, while you're hoping for them to go slowly.

 

Yep, check MVJ daily and today the front page announced 44 days, so only 43 days until we meet up in the Whale & Ale😀🍺

[Peregrina651]

52 minutes ago, JBDALLAS said:

I too am now classified as "Not a Fan" after what VO did to me and my wife. We were in an Explorer Suite on a recent cruise to the West Indies and the suite was unlivable because of the room temp in the high 70s lo 80s 24/7. They moved us (after three days of complaining) to a D cat suite 1/3 the size and now will not even return my calls and emails asking for an adjustment to the price we paid. Immoral Greed indeed. Their Customer Relations leadership and staff is a joke. I have requested a refund for a future cruise we had already put a deposit down for... I am confident they will fight me on that too.

 

If you haven't already, try contacting Viking at tellus@vikingcruises.com. Include your booking number(s) and your phone number.

[JBDALLAS]

Thank you for the email address. I confess I find it hard to believe that a customer relations manager on a ship can give me "his" business card with an email address on it and when one writes to that address, one gets no response after 8 days, I do not hold much hope for "tellus". But I will give it a try... hope springs eternal.

Thank you again.

JB

[Peregrina651]

35 minutes ago, JBDALLAS said:

Thank you for the email address. I confess I find it hard to believe that a customer relations manager on a ship can give me "his" business card with an email address on it and when one writes to that address, one gets no response after 8 days, I do not hold much hope for "tellus". But I will give it a try... hope springs eternal.

Thank you again.

JB

 

I would not have given you the address if I did not think that they would respond.

[rbslos18]

5 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Let's be honest, not a complete absence. Viking is not perfect and people will always find something to complain about.

 

True. I tend to eliminate the glowing reviews and the extreme negative reviews. The truth usually lies somewhere in between. I believe from what I have read that the average person seems content. As with most list serve groups, the happiest and least happy people tend to post.

[Dauntless]

1 hour ago, Capt_BJ said:

 The absence of whining and complaining about Viking on CC impressed me.

 

 

 

I like VO too .... but I think you must be selective in your reading as there are some STRONG "not fans" out there ... 

 

People that major in the minors seem to always find a problem and then instead of trying to solve it they just keep repeating it over and over until it upsets everyone, the complaining, not the problem.  I had never done a cruise before and didn't see why I would as most reports in my area are about the Carribbean  and having been raised with access to the beach it seemed to hold no real interest.  I was lucky enough to be in an accident and survive with a nice settlement and then a Viking brochure crossed my path.  The line hadn't  started construction yet  but I signed for a V cabin on the VH cruise and It opening was 2 and a half years away. My money was gladly given to Viking as soon as I realized it was a lot cheaper than a college degree and I wasn't worried about funding Viking as they were going to get it in the long run., Plenty of time to really investigate the destinations to be able to know what I was looking at when I got there.    Looked into all the ship perks and was ready for a trip of a lifetime.  Best investment in me I ever made and 2 years later I did the MO cruise with no regrets.  In some ways, you miss out on all the comparisons of you don't know first hand.  Of course CC, Rick Steves and Youtube are now my good friends.  I'm glad they take care of you without being invasive.  The passengers for the most part have been delightful.  I know I could get the cruise for more or less money on other lines.  Though I thought about it, I want to feel like I'm on vacation with with people of the same interests and Not having to avoid the college kids, little kids or pretentious elite. 

[Hockeyump]

My husband refused to cruise based on what he had read about the larger cruise lines.  I had always wanted to cruise but agreed that the big ships held mo appeal.  He then watched a programme about the Homelands cruise and said he thought he could manage a Viking cruise. I jumped at that and we did Bali to Bangkok earlier this year and it was very good.  Weren't planning to go again but another one booked! Should say we are in UK so can do Europe as land tours ago look further afield.  We wtim only ever do Viking!!

 

 

 

 

 

[rbslos18]

7 hours ago, Capt_BJ said:

 The absence of whining and complaining about Viking on CC impressed me.

 

 

 

I like VO too .... but I think you must be selective in your reading as there are some STRONG "not fans" out there ... like this one:

 

 Viking Cruises-Immoral Greed

I am selective in my approach to reviews. I tend to eliminate the most glowing and the worse. Compared to other  Cruise line Boards, VO cruises are more content than most lines.

[lackcreativity]

13 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Exactly!

 

And you don't have to buy the most expensive cabin in order to get access to exclusive spaces or services--because there aren't any. Once you leave your cabin, no one knows if you are sleeping in the Owner's Suite or a Veranda. Everyone is treated as if they were in the Owner's Suite.

This is one of my favorite things about Viking. We always do the "budget luxury" version of a Viking cruise, and could not be happier. Once in a while we may miss out on an optional shore excursion because we are the last ones to have access to booking excursions, but if it were a very important site we wanted to visit we would book a private tour instead. Mostly, on the few times this happened, we were just as happy with our second choice. 

[rbslos18]

19 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Exactly!

 

And you don't have to buy the most expensive cabin in order to get access to exclusive spaces or services--because there aren't any. Once you leave your cabin, no one knows if you are sleeping in the Owner's Suite or a Veranda. Everyone is treated as if they were in the Owner's Suite.

I love the concept of everyone being treated the same. I found with the premium lines that we had to get a higher level cabin which had us eating in a separate section of the dining room. When I did the math I found that paying Viking a 10%-15% premium provided us with a smaller newer ship, with no formal nights and no nickel and diming which I find annoying. Viking appears to be a sweet spot between the premium lines and the luxury lines. 

 

 

 

 

[Mahogany]

I'm never sure when posters say "premium" and "luxury" lines, which cruise line they're describing. But I board my first VO in 3 weeks and am looking forward to comparing it to the lines I usually travel: Crystal, Regent, and Seabourn. My only complaint so far has been the solo pricing, but because I am in a Penthouse Suite, I figure that's the reason I am paying double. Can anyone who sails VO regularly tell me whether solo passengers "get a break" in other stateroom categories? And I mean, for all cruises, not just poorly-selling itineraries. And, please, don't think I am complaining. I chose the category room I wanted, but I am curious if I had chosen a verandah whether there would have been a discount from 100% surcharge.

[Peregrina651]

The single supplement is 100% regardless of the cabin. Reductions are rare.

 

[Cienfuegos]

Viking Ocean seems to focus on consistency and reliability, at least from my perspective.  By eliminating irritations like the casino, shipboard photographers, formal night, assigned seating, nickel and dime charges, even room food and beverage, they let the guest enjoy the trip. Even with onboard selections of excursions, they've come in at or below my target expense for the cruise

 

That's not to say a $20 tip for great service isn't welcome, it is. But, it's not expected.