Your thoughts: Viking Ocean Cruises Is NOT All I Thought It Was (Podcast)

[-Lew-]

Have you had an opportunity to listen to Viking Ocean Cruises Is NOT All I Thought It Was Podcast?  It is a segment of the Essential Cruise Tips Podcast by Gary Bembridge.

 

As someone who have not yet sailed with Viking...I will in fall 2023...I am interested in comments on what is said in the podcast.

[longterm]

I listened to the podcast; the first 5 minutes were highly inaccurate, but the rest of his podcast was somewhat better.

 

My wife and I just returned from a cruise in March from Rome to Athens; the speaker mentioned a stop in Dubrovnik, which is one of the ports we visited and one of our favorites.

 

He said, "Everyone went on the same excursion." That was definitely not the case on our cruise, and given the strenuous nature of the excursion we took, I doubt it is the case for any of the Viking stops in Dubrovnik.

We were part of a group of about 12 who did the Dubrovnik wall walk; we were the ONLY people from the ship who did the 2-1/2 mile walk on the wall around Old Town. We spent more time in Old Town having an incredible lunch--we didn't see any others from our ship in Old Town until we were heading back, so it certainly wasn't the case that everyone had the same experience in that port. The only port where most guests seemed to be in the same area at the same time was Sibenik, where the excursions were below average and it looked like half the ship were in the downtown area at the same time.

Having been on other Viking cruises, both river and ocean, I know from experience that not all cruisers have done the same excursions. On this last cruise, for example, we talked with people who visited the Krka waterfalls--which we didn't; we spoke with a couple who had one of the meal experiences, which we did not; we spoke with people who did a tour of Messina, Sicily, which we didn't, we instead chose to visit towns where "The Godfather" movies were filmed--a great tour, and there were perhaps 12-15 of us out of the 500+ on the ship. There were enough excursion choices that those who wanted to go off the ship could go in different directions.

He didn't care much for the decor on the Viking ship. OK, fine; we happen to love it, and would rather NOT be on a ship that's festooned with neon and bright colors. To each his own on this one.

 

He called it more of a "serious cruise;" perhaps for some, definitely not for us. If by "serious" he meant that there aren't casinos and it's not a drunkfest, I'd agree on that. We did enjoy the videos that were available--some Ted talks (not enough of them in my opinion, though), some good videos on various sites. 

 

Everyone's experience on a cruise will always differ; as a professional musician and someone who's toured all over the world with big-name artists, I'm pickier than most and have never been impressed with the on-board musicians on cruises--but that's just me, and I realize that most other guests enjoy the musicians on board. I've heard some fine musicians on board--okay, one guitarist--but what I've seen is that most other guests seem to really enjoy them.





 

[-Lew-]

Thank you @longterm for your in-depth review of the podcast.  From what I learned of Viking, I had a feeling the podcaster's thoughts were not spot-on.

 

We're doing a B2B2B next fall which includes the Rome to Athens segment.  We are so looking forward to our first Viking experience.  We've visited Dubrovnik and are eagerly anticipating a return visit.

 

[longterm]

3 minutes ago, -Lew- said:

Thank you @longterm for your in-depth review of the podcast.  From what I learned of Viking, I had a feeling the podcaster's thoughts were not spot-on.

 

We're doing a B2B2B next fall which includes the Rome to Athens segment.  We are so looking forward to our first Viking experience.  We've visited Dubrovnik and are eagerly anticipating a return visit.

 

You're going to love that cruise; we would almost do it again. If you're interested in a walking tour in Rome, I could recommend a really excellent tour guide there, who spent 2 days with us and, because she's an archaeologist who'd worked in the Roman Forum, was extremely knowledgeable.

The wall walk in Dubrovnik was really great, but pretty strenuous; we went up or down 1080 steps, and as someone who's got a fear of heights, I was proud of myself for actually doing the whole circuit. But the views are worth it!

If you're up for a really great meal in Old Town, we had lunch at a place called Proto; you can find it by walking down the main street in Old Town--go through the city gate, and then it's just inside an alley off to the right. I've included a photo here of one of the lamps that line the exterior of the restaurant. Perhaps the best fish I've ever had, and the service was first-rate. Not cheap though!

[-Lew-]

13 minutes ago, longterm said:

You're going to love that cruise; we would almost do it again. If you're interested in a walking tour in Rome, I could recommend a really excellent tour guide there, who spent 2 days with us and, because she's an archaeologist who'd worked in the Roman Forum, was extremely knowledgeable.

The wall walk in Dubrovnik was really great, but pretty strenuous; we went up or down 1080 steps, and as someone who's got a fear of heights, I was proud of myself for actually doing the whole circuit. But the views are worth it!

If you're up for a really great meal in Old Town, we had lunch at a place called Proto; you can find it by walking down the main street in Old Town--go through the city gate, and then it's just inside an alley off to the right. I've included a photo here of one of the lamps that line the exterior of the restaurant. Perhaps the best fish I've ever had, and the service was first-rate. Not cheap though!

 

We've visited Rome many times and will be there for 6 day's prior to embarkation.  We're always up to see and learn more, so yes please post info regarding the tour guide you mentioned.

 

We did not opt for doing the wall walk in Dubrovnik.  Comments by our cruise companions suggested we made the right decision.  It was a hot day and even hotter on the wall.

 

I've added Proto to Google Maps.  Will definitely check it out.  Thank you...

[JollyJacqTar]

I’m not familiar with the podcasts but Gary Bembridge also does YouTube videos and I think the titles (not just him and not just cruise videos) are deliberately provocative to ensure that people click on them, which presumably generates income. I don’t get drawn in by them anymore! 

[longterm]

21 minutes ago, -Lew- said:

 

We've visited Rome many times and will be there for 6 day's prior to embarkation.  We're always up to see and learn more, so yes please post info regarding the tour guide you mentioned.

 

We did not opt for doing the wall walk in Dubrovnik.  Comments by our cruise companions suggested we made the right decision.  It was a hot day and even hotter on the wall.

 

I've added Proto to Google Maps.  Will definitely check it out.  Thank you...

We used a woman named Marisa at ToursByLocals.com; she only does walking tours, so expect a full day on your feet--but she was fantastic, and a really nice person to boot. Highly recommended.

[-Lew-]

20 minutes ago, longterm said:

We used a woman named Marisa at ToursByLocals.com; she only does walking tours, so expect a full day on your feet--but she was fantastic, and a really nice person to boot. Highly recommended.

 

Thank you!  I found Marisa on the Tours By Locals website.  Will keep her in mind.

[Heidi13]

Mr Bembridge bills himself as a "Cruise Expert", but I found that his podcast provided a standard of reporting well below what I would consider as expert reporting and/or opinions.

 

Personally, I also didn't agree with his generalisations during the initial 4 or 5 minutes and found lots of inaccuracies. If he is a "Cruise Expert", I expect he would thoroughly research what Viking Ocean provides and then report on each aspect, and how well they achieve the published standard.

 

Although he didn't openly compare the Viking Cruise to mega ships, with a gazillion pax, casinos, annoying photogs, wacky pool games, marriage games, etc. the insinuation was most definitely present.

 

Decor - get again, Viking clearly publish their ships are a clean, modern Scandinavian design, which he should have known prior to the cruise. I see no point in comparing the decor to the rich panelling and stuffy opulence of luxury ships and the older British liners. Those are standards I grew up with, but now enjoy the Viking decor. Most refreshing.

 

Shore-ex - his statement that all pax follow along on the "Included" shore-ex like a bunch of sheep is certainly not my experience, except possibly in Nuku Hiva, when the self-exploring ashore was the only shore-ex. Between Viking optional shore-ex, private tours and independent exploration, in our experience less than 50% of pax take the "Included" shore-ex. However, where the "Included" shore-ex is the best tour, that number increases significantly. I note, he only made this comment in 1 of the ports, so if it didn't occur in the other ports, why mention it as an issue.

 

Price - Clearly luxury/premium cruises cost more per day than the mainstream mega ships. His comments were based on a mega ship pax, not your average luxury/premium line pax. From personal experience, while our 2020 Viking Cruise was almost twice the cost of a 2015 Princess equivalent, the final per diem cost was virtually identical, with the Viking standards vastly superior.

 

In summary, a very poor report of a cruise that came from a person that I believe had pre-conceived ideas about the cruise, based on mega ship cruising. His sensationalised personal take was neither well informed or completely accurate. My initial take from the first few minutes is that Viking pax are a bunch of sheep following along with the program - couldn't be further from the truth.

[Twitchly]

That was fascinating. Thanks for sharing it.

 

I really don’t have anything to compare Viking to; the only other cruise line I’ve used was long ago and for work. So when he comments on the sheer volume of cruisers jamming onto a single excursion, I would add that we often experienced the same thing, but I just assumed that was part of any cruise experience. We chose a few excursions that didn’t feel quite so jammed, but overall it felt like most of our sightseeing was done with hordes. Again, I assumed that was common to all cruise lines. For our upcoming cruise, we’re considering doing more on our own.

 

He mentions that his partner would miss the casino and “high-end” evening entertainment of other cruise lines; that’s not us at all, but obviously tastes differ. We also loved the aesthetic of Viking’s decor.

 

He notes the focus on learning about the places you visit with Viking, which is one of the main things that drew us to it. We really enjoyed the opportunities Viking offers to do that. And he thought the food was excellent, as did we.

 

But what I found especially interesting about his comments — and what will probably draw the most impassioned debate on these boards — was what he had to say in the first few minutes about what he called Viking’s almost “paternalistic” approach to its passengers. That feeling of being “cared for” by Viking is something I’ve seen mentioned often as a big positive on internet boards — “Don’t worry, Viking will take care of you” is a frequent phrase. He found it a mixed bag, appreciating some aspects (the staff’s attentiveness to his desire to avoid alcohol) and not others (feeling too directed into a more Viking-curated experience, and Viking’s daily testing protocols).
 

Again, I don’t know how other cruise lines compare. But his comments turned on a light bulb for me about the high passions expressed around Viking’s daily testing rules and why my husband and I may be out of step with a significant part of Viking’s demographic about this — and about other things as well. We’re not really looking to Viking to “take care of us” to quite the degree that others might be, at a number of levels. So while Viking is a great fit for us in some ways, this podcast has helped me better understand where it’s not, and why.
 

If someone is considering sailing with Viking for the first time, I think they’d do well to listen to this podcast and see what they think. 
 

 

Edited May 14, 2022 by Twitchly

[longterm]

1 hour ago, Twitchly said:

That was fascinating. Thanks for sharing it.

 

I really don’t have anything to compare Viking to; the only other cruise line I’ve used was long ago and for work. So when he comments on the sheer volume of cruisers jamming onto a single excursion, I would add that we often experienced the same thing, but I just assumed that was part of any cruise experience. We chose a few excursions that didn’t feel quite so jammed, but overall it felt like most of our sightseeing was done with hordes. Again, I assumed that was common to all cruise lines. For our upcoming cruise, we’re considering doing more on our own.

 

He mentions that his partner would miss the casino and “high-end” evening entertainment of other cruise lines; that’s not us at all, but obviously tastes differ. We also loved the aesthetic of Viking’s decor.

 

He notes the focus on learning about the places you visit with Viking, which is one of the main things that drew us to it. We really enjoyed the opportunities Viking offers to do that. And he thought the food was excellent, as did we.

 

But what I found especially interesting about his comments — and what will probably draw the most impassioned debate on these boards — was what he had to say in the first few minutes about what he called Viking’s almost “paternalistic” approach to its passengers. That feeling of being “cared for” by Viking is something I’ve seen mentioned often as a big positive on internet boards — “Don’t worry, Viking will take care of you” is a frequent phrase. He found it a mixed bag, appreciating some aspects (the staff’s attentiveness to his desire to avoid alcohol) and not others (feeling too directed into a more Viking-curated experience, and Viking’s daily testing protocols).
 

Again, I don’t know how other cruise lines compare. But his comments turned on a light bulb for me about the high passions expressed around Viking’s daily testing rules and why my husband and I may be out of step with a significant part of Viking’s demographic about this — and about other things as well. We’re not really looking to Viking to “take care of us” to quite the degree that others might be, at a number of levels. So while Viking is a great fit for us in some ways, this podcast has helped me better understand where it’s not, and why.
 

If someone is considering sailing with Viking for the first time, I think they’d do well to listen to this podcast and see what they think. 
 

 

Respectfully speaking, I wouldn't recommend this guy's podcast to anyone; it speaks to the way the Internet is open forum for any self-described expert to make statements that are often inaccurate, openly biased, and a waste of one's time.

We've never sailed on any other cruise lines other than Viking, so I would never offer my opinion as knowledgeable about the megaships. Based on all the videos we've watched about the giant ships, we choose not to go on other cruise lines because they're not our style; I wouldn't deign to review one of them.

If someone wants a truly objective review of Viking Cruises, they should look to the seasoned Viking people on here who have done many more cruises than we have; their opinions are based on lots of sea days, and their loyalty to Viking are testaments to a company that is well-run.

[lackcreativity]

Everyone wants different things from a vacation and makes

different choices for that reason. Though we are 69/70 years old, I still work part time and together we run a good size eBay business. When we take time for a vacation, we are happy to have Viking take care of the details for us.

That does not mean we are "herded like sheep" or pressured to use Viking excursions. Using a mix of included excursions, optional excursions, free Viking shuttle bus service, and even an occasional private tour, we choose our own path. 

All of the things that make Viking different from megaship mainstream cruises are why we had never cruised before our first Viking cruise, and remain repeat passengers. I am glad there are a variety of cruise experiences. We have found ours.

[longterm]

6 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

Everyone wants different things from a vacation and makes

different choices for that reason. Though we are 69/70 years old, I still work part time and together we run a good size eBay business. When we take time for a vacation, we are happy to have Viking take care of the details for us.

That does not mean we are "herded like sheep" or pressured to use Viking excursions. Using a mix of included excursions, optional excursions, free Viking shuttle bus service, and even an occasional private tour, we choose our own path. 

All of the things that make Viking different from megaship mainstream cruises are why we had never cruised before our first Viking cruise, and remain repeat passengers. I am glad there are a variety of cruise experiences. We have found ours.

I agree with you 100%; we never cruised either before Viking because the giant ships just didn't appeal to us. We LOVE the Viking ocean and river ships--hard to choose between them for me. We're doing one of each in the next 2 years.

 

Your mentioning that you're semi-retired but still work a little is the same as us; I have an IT business that requires that I connect to servers every morning; my one big request to Viking would be to fix their Internet speed--it was pretty awful in March, although it wasn't so bad back in December.

Edited May 14, 2022 by longterm

[lackcreativity]

1 hour ago, longterm said:

 my one big request to Viking would be to fix their Internet speed--it was pretty awful in March, although it wasn't so bad back in December.

I realize that internet speed on a ship must be affected by multiple factors, but on our April sailing from Barcelona to Ravenna, it did seem to be much more problematic than on our previous cruises. Not only was speed a problem, but often connectivity was not available at all. I was just using for travel related fun, so not a big problem since I had plenty other things to do. Needing to check in for work could be frustrating.

[Clay Clayton]

Generally speaking I find that Gary does a good job of fairly reviewing and providing information to his viewers about the wide  variety of cruises available.  He has a number of videos that speak highly of Viking, especially when he compares them to more luxury lines. 

I watched the video (which this podcast seems to be the audio of) a week or two ago and while I did disagree with some of his findings, I didn’t have the visceral reaction that many here have had. Perhaps having the visual with the audio makes a difference?  In any case, I know Mike and I have stated that having Viking available to deal with the details of a trip is a real positive for many. We have said that if his elderly Mom wanted to do a cruise alone with one of her girlfriends that Viking is one of the few we would be comfortable her taking.  Once she gets on a plane, she would only have to look for Viking’s red signs until they dropped her back at the airport. For those of us more seasoned travelers, having the ability to take a look at their included offerings is a plus, though we sometimes go off on our own. 
 

Just like everything in life, I think it is good to hear varying opinions and then reach one owns conclusions. Gary is one of the influencers I respect because unlike many he pays for his own cruises as opposed to taking free trips. ( He does apparently make sufficient income from advertising to support a lot of  cruising - color me jealous!😂) But for everyone one of his videos we watch, we watch three or four from other bloggers, YouTubers, etc. 

[Twitchly]

I’ve watched a few of Gary’s videos as well (including at least one other Viking Ocean review he did a while back, which was quite positive) and would agree with Clay. He seems pretty even-handed to me in his reviews. I’d much rather hear an honest take on something than a glowing advertisement. In this case, I think he was wise to point out aspects of Viking’s culture that might not appeal to some and will appeal greatly to others. That’s something I want from a reviewer.
 

I also think there are limitations to just asking a cruise line’s most loyal/experienced customers what they think. Generally, they’ll also be that line’s biggest fans. Nothing wrong with that, and I definitely learn a great deal from them, but there’s also something to be learned from why someone doesn’t want to cruise again with a given company, or why they might cruise with several companies for different kinds of experiences. Since I’m so inexperienced in this form of travel, I particularly value hearing different viewpoints. 

[longterm]

14 minutes ago, Twitchly said:

I’ve watched a few of Gary’s videos as well (including at least one other Viking Ocean review he did a while back, which was quite positive) and would agree with Clay. He seems pretty even-handed to me in his reviews. I’d much rather hear an honest take on something than a glowing advertisement. In this case, I think he was wise to point out aspects of Viking’s culture that might not appeal to some and will appeal greatly to others. That’s something I want from a reviewer.
 

I also think there are limitations to just asking a cruise line’s most loyal/experienced customers what they think. Generally, they’ll also be that line’s biggest fans. Nothing wrong with that, and I definitely learn a great deal from them, but there’s also something to be learned from why someone doesn’t want to cruise again with a given company, or why they might cruise with several companies for different kinds of experiences. Since I’m so inexperienced in this form of travel, I particularly value hearing different viewpoints. 

Very good points; you're right that loyal fans are going to of course give glowing reviews. However, having traveled a lot both professionally and as a leisure traveler, I tend to think that I would give an honest assessment of a Viking cruise, whether there were some weak points or not. I see posts on here from people who have far more cruises under their belts than I, and I've tended to agree with their evaluations of cruises, both their strong and their weak points.

My only misgivings about his review was that he made it sound like everyone piled off the ship and all headed to a single destination. That hasn't been my experience at all; there are always some decent (often excellent) options for excursions, and I've never felt overwhelmed by crowds when getting off the ship for a Viking excursion. I *have* seen instances where multiple buses headed to the same sites--Pompeii would be one example--but even then, I never felt like the crowds were overwhelming. 

So in this particular instance, I felt that his review was highly inaccurate, and given that it was his first and only cruise on a Viking ship, not a good representation of what to expect on a Viking cruise. While I'm a loyal Viking traveler, I think I would give a much more measured and informed review of a Viking cruise, and I just don't think he did that. 

But that's just one man's opinion; yours is certainly equally valid and I respect that. 🙂

[Twitchly]

Fair enough. For what it’s worth, this wasn’t Gary’s first Viking Ocean cruise. He did a review last summer that was overall very positive. He’s been on one more Viking Ocean cruise than I have at this point. 🙂

[donaldsc]

My impression of Gary's review on Viking cruises is that he appears to be out of touch with reality.  Based on what he has said about Viking I can imagine what types of cruises he likes and they are definitely not what Viking offers.  Some people cruise to learn about and enjoy other cultures.  Count me in that group. 

 

I do believe that one statement he made was completely wrong.  He stated that you have to book through Viking and not a TA.  My TA was very happy to book my Viking cruises w/o any problems.

 

As far as décor is concerned, there are a lot of us who prefer the classic Scandinavian to the overly plush décor on other ships.  One other thing.  Viking ships are a reasonable size as compared to the oversized tubs that are used by most of the other cruise lines.  There are a lot of us who prefer small ships and the other lines have completely ignored that market.  I have cruises on 3 lines scheduled this year - Viking Ocean w ~900 passengers; an Alaska cruise on a ship w ~200 passengers and a Clipper sailboat w ~160 passengers.  

 

One last thought.  Viking does not allow children under 18.  I like that.  

 

DON

Edited May 15, 2022 by donaldsc

[Louise257]

4 hours ago, donaldsc said:

My impression of Gary's review on Viking cruises is that he appears to be out of touch with reality.  Based on what he has said about Viking I can imagine what types of cruises he likes and they are definitely not what Viking offers.  Some people cruise to learn about and enjoy other cultures.  Count me in that group. 

 

 

As far as décor is concerned, there are a lot of us who prefer the classic Scandinavian to the overly plush décor on other ships.  

I think you need to listen again to what Gary actually said. Ignore the clickbait at the beginning.

[Jammy Bun]

Prior to him becoming a YouTube influencer to pad out his retirement income, he and his partner cruised only on Cunard ships.   I think he's pretty fair in his YouTube reviews generally, though I wish he would speak a little slower!

[longterm]

An article that relies on clickbait usually doesn't hold up well without it. 

[longterm]

18 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

I realize that internet speed on a ship must be affected by multiple factors, but on our April sailing from Barcelona to Ravenna, it did seem to be much more problematic than on our previous cruises. Not only was speed a problem, but often connectivity was not available at all. I was just using for travel related fun, so not a big problem since I had plenty other things to do. Needing to check in for work could be frustrating.

That's what we found as well; in December it was acceptable, but in March it was awful, so much so that I used my iPhone as a hotspot in lieu of wifi, whenever I could get a cell signal.

 

[Mich3554]

I just listened to the podcast and DH just overheard it.  His comment was that if Viking started putting the things he wanted on Viking, we’d be looking at another cruise line.

 

Different strokes for different folks.   
 

We just got off of a river cruise and spent several days in both Budapest and then Prague.  Budapest was our last stop.  When we got to Prague (a destination that neither DH nor I had been to), both of us wished we had an ‘included excursion’ to give us a bit more history of the area.

 

If I want to go to a casino, there are a dozen a stone throw from where I live.  In fact, the only reason why we even go to one is that they have a very excellent restaurant in it.  I can find karaoke or other such entertainment like this at local bars downtown.  So why would I spend $500+/day to do what I could do at home?

 

The other thing I objected to is that how Viking directs everyone.  Viking directs you up to the point you want to be directed.  I schedule our flights, our ground transportation and additional extensions or excursions outside if Viking too.  I also spend a considerable amount of time doing so…..because I am adding value to what WE want to do.  Some people want the all inclusive part, where Viking takes care of you from airport to airport.  Why is this a bad thing?  TBH, it’s a good thing as not everyone can navigate as well as others and need the help.  
 

I think it is funny that we deliberately chose a cruise line for reasons he objected to Viking.n Again, different strokes…

[CILCIANRQTS]

Gary has done all the “basic” cruising topics, so he now has to venture into more esoteric ( and subjective) areas. As stated above, this also allows him to cast a wider net and try to develop a buzz about his offerings.

I too have viewed his very positive prior reviews of Viking. He must be an attorney, as he has an obvious ability to argue either side.

Like anything on the internet, opinions and accuracy will vary widely.