Unfortunately, that's one and done for us.

[WNcruiser]

1 hour ago, Mimiya11 said:

Interesting post.   We are Celebrity cruisers trying out Viking for the first time, going on the Viking Star in March as we liked their Panama Canal itinerary.   

 

The idea of a much smaller ship and what we saw on You Tube of the ships themselves is exciting to us.   Your food and service comments are intriguing, so I guess we will need to wait and see and assess for ourselves.   

 

So your next Celebrity cruise is?       

 

Same with us. Taking the Panama Canal cruise this October for our first Viking experience. The price for a penthouse veranda is almost the exact same as a Sky suite on Celebrity but with many less perks. Celebrity also has much better production shows and guest entertainment from what I have read (not interested in lectures). 
 

We are looking forward to a smaller ship but I hope it’s not too quiet for us like Regent was.

[WNcruiser]

1 hour ago, Selion said:

 

Back to first impressions...  DW and I have a "never again" cruise line - Celebrity.  We did a short weekend cruise on Celebrity to the Bahamas, and it did not live up to the reputation (or hype) purported on CC.  We chalked it up to "paying the tuition" and vowed not to spend more money with them.  We'd be upset if we had spent 8 grand and the cruise was not to our satisfaction.

Taking a short Bahamas cruise is definitely not a fair comparison. Those short cruises are never a good idea. Try at least a 7 night on an S or Edge class ship and you will see a huge difference.

[longterm]

I love kids, but don’t want to share a ship with them. 
 

i can’t stand casinos, having worked in them for months out of the year for about ten years. 
 

i like not being upsold at every turn, not having to pay for Wi-Fi, having wine with meals at no cost, not feeling like I’m sailing on a garish floating carnival (pun intended). 
 

I have friends who love the mega ships, the floating casinos, and drifting daycares. 
 

I’ll stick with Viking!
 

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by longterm

[Selion]

31 minutes ago, WNcruiser said:

Taking a short Bahamas cruise is definitely not a fair comparison. Those short cruises are never a good idea. Try at least a 7 night on an S or Edge class ship and you will see a huge difference.

What you are saying is that Celebrity doesn't have a standard service level across its itineraries.  That doesn't sound like a premium cruise line as Celebrity is positioning itself to be.

 

BTW, my Celebrity review of that short Bahamas cruise if you're so inclined: https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=678891&et_cid=3317225&et_rid=232624280&et_referrer=Boards - CC-US

 

Two things Viking didn't do... 1) trying to sell beverage packages while on board and 2) they didn't try to throw us out of the dining room.

[duquephart]

4 minutes ago, longterm said:

I love kids, but don’t want to share a ship with them. 
 

i can’t stand casinos, having worked in them for months out of the year for about ten years. 
 

i like not being upsold at every turn, not having to pay for Wi-Fi, having wine with meals at no cost, not feeling like I’m sailing on a garish floating carnival (pun intended). 
 

I have friends who love the mega ships, the floating casinos, and drifting daycares. 
 

I’ll stick with Viking!
 

 

 

No cost? Really?

[Mimiya11]

58 minutes ago, WNcruiser said:

Taking a short Bahamas cruise is definitely not a fair comparison. Those short cruises are never a good idea. Try at least a 7 night on an S or Edge class ship and you will see a huge difference.

Agree 1000%   

A completely different demographic party group we found on a short itinerary.   

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Nothing is free on Viking.  It's simply the difference between prepaid or pay as you go.  

[Selion]

1 hour ago, Mimiya11 said:

Agree 1000%   

A completely different demographic party group we found on a short itinerary.   

Riiiiight.  It was the fellow passengers who were upselling and serving us in the MDR on short cruises.  Got it.  Understood.  Celebrity's crew only works on longer cruises.  Want to comp us a 7-night Celebrity cruise so we can experience the true Celebrity service?

 

Goes back to what I was saying: first impressions.  The OP didn't have a good first impression with Viking, and will not likely to sail Viking again.  We didn't have a good first impression with Celebrity, and will not likely to sail Celebrity again.

[Blackduck59]

35 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Nothing is free on Viking.  It's simply the difference between prepaid or pay as you go.  

 

Exactly, I refer to it as "included in your fare"

We enjoyed the included wine and beer on Viking but on another line I could probably get a beverage package either included with the fare or as an extra charge which would cover more than beer and wine and still be a lower fare than Viking. Basically our experience did not justify the cost of our fare.

[Blackduck59]

4 minutes ago, Selion said:

Riiiiight.  It was the fellow passengers who were upselling and serving us in the MDR on short cruises.  Got it.  Understood.  Celebrity's crew only works on longer cruises.  Want to comp us a 7-night Celebrity cruise so we can experience the true Celebrity service?

 

Goes back to what I was saying: first impressions.  The OP didn't have a good first impression with Viking, and will not likely to sail Viking again.  We didn't have a good first impression with Celebrity, and will not likely to sail Celebrity again.

 

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your Celebrity cruise, as it turns out they failed the audition for you. I agree the upselling is irritating.

I'm not sure what the issue was in the MDR was and perhaps that discussion is better had on a Celebrity thread. Suffice to say Celebrity did not fit you and you have chosen to remove them from your list of cruise lines. 

[Selion]

5 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your Celebrity cruise, as it turns out they failed the audition for you. I agree the upselling is irritating.

I'm not sure what the issue was in the MDR was and perhaps that discussion is better had on a Celebrity thread. Suffice to say Celebrity did not fit you and you have chosen to remove them from your list of cruise lines. 

Don't be sorry.  As you said, Celebrity failed their audition for us.  You can read the details in my review for that cruise.  Posted the link a few posts back.

 

My point is that first impressions are everything.  Cruise lines basically have one chance to convince first-time customers to become repeat customers.  Viking did that for us, but didn't do that for you.  Celebrity did that for you, but didn't do that for us.  Of course our opinions are shaped by our own experiences.  What I can't stand is that some feel that our experience needs to be discounted because we didn't shell out the big bucks on a longer cruise.

 

[duquephart]

21 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your Celebrity cruise, as it turns out they failed the audition for you. I agree the upselling is irritating.

I'm not sure what the issue was in the MDR was and perhaps that discussion is better had on a Celebrity thread. Suffice to say Celebrity did not fit you and you have chosen to remove them from your list of cruise lines. 

 

The upselling would boil my blood. In Hawaii we had to run a gauntlet of time share "body snatchers" just to get to and from our hotel room.

[longterm]

2 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

No cost? Really?

No added cost; wine is provided at lunch & dinner at no additional cost.

 

[duquephart]

8 minutes ago, longterm said:

No added cost; wine is provided at lunch & dinner at no additional cost.

 

 

No cost and no added cost are two different things.

[longterm]

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Nothing is free on Viking.  It's simply the difference between prepaid or pay as you go.  

OK, if we're going to start with semantics, let's go ahead and say that water bottles aren't free as you go on an excursion, nor are hot towels, sugar packets, salt, pepper, water at the table, use of silverware, linens, coffee in the staterooms, and on and on ad nauseum.

I think most folks know what I meant when I said that I didn't get upcharged for wine at meals, or for almost anything else that I needed on the ship. It goes without saying that the cost of the cruise covers VIking's cost to provide such amenities as bed linens, little chocolates in the stateroom, wi-fi, coffee pods, salt, pepper, sugar packets, clean towels, soap, shampoo and wine with lunch and dinner. I really didn't think it warranted explanation.

Sheesh. 

 

[longterm]

Just now, duquephart said:

 

No cost and no added cost are two different things.

OMG.

 

 

[millybess]

3 minutes ago, longterm said:

OK, if we're going to start with semantics, let's go ahead and say that water bottles aren't free as you go on an excursion, nor are hot towels, sugar packets, salt, pepper, water at the table, use of silverware, linens, coffee in the staterooms, and on and on ad nauseum.

I think most folks know what I meant when I said that I didn't get upcharged for wine at meals, or for almost anything else that I needed on the ship. It goes without saying that the cost of the cruise covers VIking's cost to provide such amenities as bed linens, little chocolates in the stateroom, wi-fi, coffee pods, salt, pepper, sugar packets, clean towels, soap, shampoo and wine with lunch and dinner. I really didn't think it warranted explanation.

Sheesh. 

 

You left out the chocolate bunny 😊

[longterm]

8 minutes ago, millybess said:

You left out the chocolate bunny 😊

We didn't get any chocolate bunnies; I'm going right now to demand our chocolate bunnies!

I forgot to mention that the use of pillows isn't free, and neither was the use of those bathrobes.

 

I guess I didn't realize that that money we spent actually went for something. I just thought it was play money. Silly me. 

 

[Heidi13]

7 hours ago, basenji56 said:

$6000 vs $2000 for regular veranda.  Maybe not always that much.  But at least double for same cabin.  Viking does include some extras (coffees, some alcohol) so it is difficult to make an exact comparison.  

 

I compared our 2 World Cruises with Princess then Viking. For a similar location balcony cabin, the Viking base fare was about double the Princess base fare. However, after the cruise, when everything was added, the Viking cruise was almost exactly the same per day, once everything was considered.

[longterm]

16 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

I compared our 2 World Cruises with Princess then Viking. For a similar location balcony cabin, the Viking base fare was about double the Princess base fare. However, after the cruise, when everything was added, the Viking cruise was almost exactly the same per day, once everything was considered.

Exactly. I'd much rather pay once and know what I'm getting, rather than getting on board and being told, "Wifi? Sorry, that's extra. WIne? Beer? You pay for everything, chum. Want to eat in Chef's Table? Fork out some shekels. Excursions? Sure, if you have the bucks." 

We were just on the Rome->Athens cruise, and my tab at the end of the 15 days was... wait for it... ZERO. We had an OBC that we used for my wife's salon appointment, and beyond that, were provided everything we wanted with the price of the cruise.



 

[basenji56]

31 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

I compared our 2 World Cruises with Princess then Viking. For a similar location balcony cabin, the Viking base fare was about double the Princess base fare. However, after the cruise, when everything was added, the Viking cruise was almost exactly the same per day, once everything was considered.

This thread inspired me to book a Viking Cruise over Christmas (no kids is a definitely plus).  One of the "perks" they offered was the Silver Spirits package.  Unfortunately, I don't drink so this is not much of a perk.  I asked if I could get a bit more onboard credit but was told no.  The price is around twice the Celebrity cruise that I cancelled.  But, yes, when you add the things included, the difference is much less.  

 

[duquephart]

2 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

This thread inspired me to book a Viking Cruise over Christmas (no kids is a definitely plus).  One of the "perks" they offered was the Silver Spirits package.  Unfortunately, I don't drink so this is not much of a perk.  I asked if I could get a bit more onboard credit but was told no.  The price is around twice the Celebrity cruise that I cancelled.  But, yes, when you add the things included, the difference is much less.  

 

 

Maybe they'll let you transfer the perk. 😊

[basenji56]

2 minutes ago, duquephart said:

 

Maybe they'll let you transfer the perk. 😊

I wish!  On Celebrity, I use the drink package perk for specialty coffees and sparkling water.  But that is already included on Viking.  I guess I can get virgin drinks that I would otherwise have to pay for?

 

[KBs mum]

5 hours ago, WNcruiser said:

Same with us. Taking the Panama Canal cruise this October for our first Viking experience. The price for a penthouse veranda is almost the exact same as a Sky suite on Celebrity but with many less perks. Celebrity also has much better production shows and guest entertainment from what I have read (not interested in lectures). 
 

We are looking forward to a smaller ship but I hope it’s not too quiet for us like Regent was.

I think it likely you and Viking aren't a good fit. They focus on the lectures, not the entertainment, and the peace and quiet is a major plus for lots of Viking passengers. The atmosphere on board is similar to a 4/5 star hotel. Regent is probably livelier. 

All this is subjective, everyone has different priorities, but do a bit of research, and book with knowledge of the product. 

[Twitchly]

5 hours ago, WNcruiser said:

We are looking forward to a smaller ship but I hope it’s not too quiet for us like Regent was.

Sounds like we need to check out Regent. We’re very boring. 😬