Cruise lines similar to Viking but less expensive

[Cruzaholic41]

To the OP, you’re not going to find a Viking experience at a lower price. Period. I sail both premium and mainstream lines regularly and in my opinion, Viking is the best line out there - both rivers and ocean. 

[Aquahound]

6 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

How ever would you consider any of these a “premium” line?

 

I'm not even sure why I'm responding to this because I already know how you'll respond.  🙄

 

Despite your personal opinions (which don't mean squat in actual classifications), several travel sites including Fodors list those lines as premium so it certainly is not a stretch for readers and posters to do the same.  

[YourWorldWithBill]

On 11/5/2022 at 2:43 PM, Steerpike58 said:

We just completed our first ever cruise, a delightful 14 day cruise with Viking Ocean (VO) in Europe....

 

So the only real concern with a Viking Ocean cruise is the cost! At over $600/day each ($1,200/day for two), (not including airfare) that's not cheap!.....

 

So - are there any other cruise lines that match many of the Viking elements, but charge less?  I've seen dozens of 'Cruise Line' reviews, but none have taken the specific approach of suggesting which cruise line is most similar to another (obviously) so I was wondering if anyone could offer an alternative?  Or is $600/day ($1,200 for two) a reasonable rate for what you get on VO? 

 

We loved the fact that Viking have only 930 passengers, and felt this gave us an 'uncrowded' feel, but I guess a bigger ship with more restaurants could achieve a similar feel. We have friends who travel on Holland America, so maybe that's an alternative to explore. We would want to get the same high quality food as we found on VO. 

 

After two cruises on Viking we went Holland America to Alaska. The biggest difference we noticed was the food. I agree with Cruzaholic41 that the food on Viking was superlative. Everything we had was excellent. After that we were a bit disappointed on Holland America, but everything else was fine. We chose HAL for that cruise and another upcoming cruise because of the itineraries. 

 

We paid almost the same price, because we chose a Neptune Suite on HAL, so since the price is the issue this might not be a fair comparison, but for us the only thing that made the expensive suite worthwhile was access to the Neptune Lounge and concierge. The concierge can really cut through most things that we needed. Otherwise, Holland America was great, but I really noticed the difference in the food, and I'm not that discerning!

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 minutes ago, Cruzaholic41 said:

When did you sail Viking to make that assertion?  I’ve sailed Viking and Oceania and I thought Viking had better food. 

What you think means zip to me. Perhaps you should look at reviews by the pros including writers for Saveur and Bon Appetit. Note as well that respected F&B authorities like Jacques Pepin, the Dom Perignon group qqet al. have aligned themselves with Oceania. Even Wine Spectator points both its wine and food endorsements toward O.

[Cruzaholic41]

1 minute ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

What you think means zip to me. Perhaps you should look at reviews by the pros including writers for Saveur and Bon Appetit. Note as well that respected F&B authorities like Jacques Pepin, the Dom Perignon group qqet al. have aligned themselves with Oceania. Even Wine Spectator points both its wine and food endorsements toward O.

So you haven’t, which means you don’t actually know. Got it. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

I'm not even sure why I'm responding to this because I already know how you'll respond.  🙄

 

Despite your personal opinions (which don't mean squat in actual classifications), several travel sites including Fodors list those lines as premium so it certainly is not a stretch for readers and posters to do the same.  

Fodors hasn’t got a clue. Look at how CLIA classifies cruise lines that comprise its membership. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

Just now, Cruzaholic41 said:

So you haven’t, which means you don’t actually know. Got it. 

Again, your (and my) opinion pale in comparison to professional critiques. Show me one food magazine or respected food critic who sings the praises of a cruise line like HAL. Also, look at the CLIA data on what the lines you mention spend per passenger for food. 

[Steerpike58]

16 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Sure it may look “cheaper.”

But, then on HAL (or even Viking) ships, you’re stuck with their food.😳

If all that matters to you is $, do a true “net daily rate” comparison - door to door - of all required and optionally preferred amenities (and don’t forget airfare or an air credit which lines like Oceania offers). 
That comparison may surprise you particularly if you then add the qualitative components of food, service and ambiance.

Do your homework and you’ll most likely v find Oceania on your short list.

 

We're comparing an Oceania and a Viking cruise to Japan/Taiwan/Hong Kong right now; Oceania seems comparable, overall, price-wise. Unfortunately, the specific itinerary on Viking seems slightly better for our needs (15 days Viking vs 12 days Oceania), so we are likely going to go back to Viking for this one.   It seems like, for a given itinerary, it's going to be worth comparing the two cruise lines and making a decision on overall merits (and ship, when it comes to Oceania, given the varied sizes). 

 

The room sizes are not the same, making comparisons difficult.  We were perfectly happy with the 'V' / 'DV' balcony cabin on Viking, at 225 sq ft + 45 sq ft balcony. We certainly wouldn't want to go smaller, but we don't need to go bigger. On Oceania, 'Nautica' ship (which is the one sailing our itinerary), you either get a 'Veranda' / 'Concierge Veranda' at 175 sq ft + 45 sq ft balcony (which is smaller than we want) or, upgrade to the 'Penthouse Suite', at 260 sq ft + 60 sq ft balcony. Bigger than we need, obviously attractive - but - adds $200 per person per day minimum to the cost. 

 

Regarding food, we consider ourselves 'picky' and 'demanding' eaters (but not 'fancy' or 'luxury' diners); we live in the SF bay area (as do you, it seems!) and are well-served by an amazing array of different cuisines - amazing Afghan, spicy Sichuan, great Italian, great Thai, etc. But we don't expect that kind of food on a cruise. On our Viking cruise, we greatly appreciated the fact we could request a seared Ahi Tuna or Sea Bass or Swordfish steak grilled to order at any time in the 'buffet' (World Cafe), and 'The Restaurant' always had a really well prepared salmon steak. The lamb chops in 'The Restaurant' were perfectly prepared also (not easy to find). We struggled to get good reservations in the specialty restaurants, but - we found the experience at the 'Chef's Table' to be overly fussy anyway, and really enjoyed 'The Restaurant' and the 'World Cafe' on a daily basis.  I could order an espresso drink at any time in various bars (free), and the 'World Cafe' had a passable espresso machine for my breakfast lattes (free). So I'm curious to know how the food on Oceania would differ.

 

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, Aquahound said:

 

I'm not even sure why I'm responding to this because I already know how you'll respond.  🙄

 

Despite your personal opinions (which don't mean squat in actual classifications), several travel sites including Fodors list those lines as premium so it certainly is not a stretch for readers and posters to do the same.  

I think it is a stretch to call those lines premium. They are in the upper tier of the mass market. But if you want to go by marketing you could call them premium. OP is not going to find an experience like what they state they desirre on Holland America on any mass market cruise line. To think that they are going to pay less and get a similiar experience is wishfull thinking. Holland America might be a good value though for OP. Oceania, Azamara and Viking I would call real Premium lines but not luxury lines. 

Edited November 6, 2022 by Charles4515

[njhorseman]

10 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

I think it is a stretch to call those lines premium. They are in the upper tier of the mass market.

This ^^^

10 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Oceania, Azamara and Viking I would call real Premium lines but not luxury lines. 

And this^^^

We've cruised on Celebrity and Holland America, but not Princess.

We've cruised on Oceania and Azamara, but not Viking.

 

Based on our personal cruising experience and opinions, the latter are premium, the former upper end mass market...and based on customer feedback from years past when I owned a travel agency I'm not even certain that Princess belongs with Holland America and Celebrity.

Edited November 6, 2022 by njhorseman

[Aquahound]

3 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

I think it is a stretch to call those lines premium. They are in the upper tier of the mass market. But if you want to go by marketing you could call them o premium. OP is not going to find an experience like what they state they desirre on Holland America on any mass market cruise line. To think that they are going to pay less and get a similiar experience is wishfull thinking. Holland America might be a good value though for OP. Oceania, Azamara and Viking I would call real Premium lines but not luxury lines. 

 

Just now, njhorseman said:

This ^^^

And this^^^

 

Hey, I agree.  Three lines come to my mind when I think of premium, and it isn't those three.

 

But at the end of the day, it's really just our opinions because travel sites can't seem to agree on the classifications.  There doesn't seem to be concrete categories anymore.  Some sites do refer to those lines as premium.  In fact, I took FBF's advice and looked at CLIA.  Wasn't gonna say anything, but CLIA calls Celebrity premium as well.  😉

[LHT28]

25 minutes ago, Steerpike58 said:

 I could order an espresso drink at any time in various bars (free), and the 'World Cafe' had a passable espresso machine for my breakfast lattes (free). So I'm curious to know how the food on Oceania would differ.

 

So I am guessing  you have not looked at the website  for Oceania  or the brochures

you can see sample menus  for the restaurants

 

They have a cooked to order grill in the Terrace  where you can get a variety of fish/meats/lobster  daily

Specialty Coffee is available  no charge

The best way   to see if they might suit you is to try a  10 day plus cruise  & decide for yourself

 

Everyone has different wants/needs

JMO

[Hlitner]

2 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

I think it is a stretch to call those lines premium. They are in the upper tier of the mass market. But if you want to go by marketing you could call them o premium. OP is not going to find an experience like what they state they desirre on Holland America on any mass market cruise line. To think that they are going to pay less and get a similiar experience is wishfull thinking. Holland America might be a good value though for OP. Oceania, Azamara and Viking I would call real Premium lines but not luxury lines. 

Even if we were to buy the "premium" term (mostly pushed by Flatbush Flyer here on CC) we would have great difficulty applying it to the old Renaissance ships that still make up a majority of "O's" vessels.  The bathroom and shower sizes in the normal cabins on those ships are small...even by mass market standards.  Good food is fine, but cruising is about more than food.  Even a Days Inn can have a decent restaurant, but that does not change the physical limitations of the typical Days Inn room.  Viking, on the other hand, designed their ships to be somewhat more spacious than typical mass market vessels.  Consider that the Viking ships have a space ratio of about 53 (tons per person) while the old R ships of O have a space ratio of 44.  But O also has plenty of 3rd and 4th berths which also negatively impacts the space ratio.  

 

Evaluating a cruise line based on cuisine is difficult since food is very subjective.  But looking at the actual ship and space ratios does tell us a lot about spaciousness which is not subjective.  A tiny bathroom with a tiny shower cannot be spun into anything else.   It almost seems like O has become two different lines, the one with the mass market R ships and the line with their newer ships with a 50+ space ratio

 

Getting back to the OPs question, I do not think they will find anything comparable to Viking for less money.  Viking lovers would probably argue that there is nothing quite like Viking at any price, given their lack of casinos and no-kid (nobody under 18) policy.

 

Hank

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Aquahound said:

 

I'm not even sure why I'm responding to this because I already know how you'll respond.  🙄

 

 

Why not just used the ignore feature & you will not be tempted  to respond  🙂

 

[Steerpike58]

9 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

... The bathroom and shower sizes... 

Funny you should mention this. I don't know how big our bathroom was on the Viking ship, in our 'DV' balcony cabin, but - it was a lovely, functional bathroom. It didn't have a tub (which we don't want or need) but the shower itself was as good as any shower I've ever used.

 

The shower had two controls - one for 'flow', and one for 'temperature'.  It's almost impossible to find that these days in any hotel - just about everywhere has gone with the horrible 'single control' design that basically doesn't let you control temperature independent of flow. And the shower head - it was absolutely perfect - no gimmicky 'massage' settings, just a perfect delivery of water! 

 

But having said that - I didn't like the room 'climate control' as much.  The climate control was one of those 'single dial' affairs, which means you can just 'increase' or 'decrease' temperature, which may or may not mean, AC vs heating.  Why I don't like this - at the end of the day, I like to basically turn the heating/cooling 'off' so as to avoid the noise of the blower while sleeping. If there's no 'off' setting, I will set mode to 'heat' and then select a low temperature on the assumption that the room will never drop that low (or, set 'cool' mode, and then a high temperature on the assumption that the room will never get that hot, if it's summer). But if you only have a single 'dial', and you adjust it up or down, the heating / cooling kicks in immediately, defeating the purpose. I ended up wearing earplugs anyway for other reasons, so this wasn't a major issue but I was disappointed by the thermostat! 

 

I wouldn't choose a cruise line based on these items, but they did influence the overall enjoyment! 

 

 

[LHT28]

9 minutes ago, Steerpike58 said:

Funny you should mention this. I don't know how big our bathroom was on the Viking ship, in our 'DV' balcony cabin, but - it was a lovely, functional bathroom. It didn't have a tub (which we don't want or need) but the shower itself was as good as any shower I've ever used.

 

I will say the W/C on the R ships  are small but functional

a lot of people like the R ships

But  if trying Oceania  I would go with one of their larger ships  Marina/Riviera or Vista

but then again the  thermostat will be an issue  

not sure what lines have thermostats  with the off button  

maybe someone will comment

JMO

[Hlitner]

41 minutes ago, Steerpike58 said:

Funny you should mention this. I don't know how big our bathroom was on the Viking ship, in our 'DV' balcony cabin, but - it was a lovely, functional bathroom. It didn't have a tub (which we don't want or need) but the shower itself was as good as any shower I've ever used.

 

The shower had two controls - one for 'flow', and one for 'temperature'.  It's almost impossible to find that these days in any hotel - just about everywhere has gone with the horrible 'single control' design that basically doesn't let you control temperature independent of flow. And the shower head - it was absolutely perfect - no gimmicky 'massage' settings, just a perfect delivery of water! 

 

But having said that - I didn't like the room 'climate control' as much.  The climate control was one of those 'single dial' affairs, which means you can just 'increase' or 'decrease' temperature, which may or may not mean, AC vs heating.  Why I don't like this - at the end of the day, I like to basically turn the heating/cooling 'off' so as to avoid the noise of the blower while sleeping. If there's no 'off' setting, I will set mode to 'heat' and then select a low temperature on the assumption that the room will never drop that low (or, set 'cool' mode, and then a high temperature on the assumption that the room will never get that hot, if it's summer). But if you only have a single 'dial', and you adjust it up or down, the heating / cooling kicks in immediately, defeating the purpose. I ended up wearing earplugs anyway for other reasons, so this wasn't a major issue but I was disappointed by the thermostat! 

 

I wouldn't choose a cruise line based on these items, but they did influence the overall enjoyment! 

 

 

I could not ignore your wise comments about the cabin A/C controls.  Having cruised on over 65 ships (we lost count decades ago) of 16 cruise lines we have never had a truly satisfactory temperature control in any cabin or suite.  Nearly all are a single control, most without any reference to specific temperatures.  On some ships they actually work and on other ships it does not matter where you set the thing as the cabin is always to warm or too cold.  I do understand a little about these systems thanks to a couple of regular CC posters who worked in senior positions on ships.  There are limitations to what is practical in a closed A/C system with hundreds or thousands of cabins and public rooms.   I do not recall ever having a ship thermostat that gave me options other than warmer or colder (no modes).   That makes sense since ship suites/cabins do not have their own A/C systems but only allow some localized control of a regional system.

 

I will confess that DW and I have never been in a cabin that is too cold.  We can live with chilly and live it at night.  But we have had more than our share of cabins that would not cool below 75F (we have a room thermometer built into one of our travel clocks).  The worst temps have happened on a couple of HAL cruises (which were in very warm climates) but the engineering staff usually managed to get the issue corrected.  The worst temp problem happened on one of our all time favorite ships, the Prinsendam.  We loved that old ship so much that we were able to excuse the temp problems...keeping in mind that it was an old vessel.

 

Hank

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, Steerpike58 said:

Regarding food, we consider ourselves 'picky' and 'demanding' eaters (but not 'fancy' or 'luxury' diners); we live in the SF bay area (as do you, it seems!) and are well-served by an amazing array of different cuisines

I agree.  I never quite understood how people have come to believe that cruise food is the epitome of fine dining.  Cruising is an all in one bundled package faced with satisfying a multitude of people in an enclosed setting.  You are not going to get the creativity, the freshness nor the quality that you. would in a fine establishment that serves 40 people a night. Yes some meals are better than others on a cruise but overall I have found good food on all lines I have sailed.
 

 I did not find the food on  Oceania any better than HAL of the same year.  Things may have  changed as that was 2018 that I sailed both almost back to back.

 

I have never sailed Viking and cannot speak to their product .
 

 

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Steerpike58 said:

but I was disappointed by the thermostat! 

 

Cruise ships are complex and -- having read numerous posts by a certain chief engineer who regularly contributes here -- I think people need to go into a cruise understanding that some things are necessarily going to be different about a cabin at sea versus a hotel room on land. 

 

I agree with Hank, also having been on numerous lines, that the climate control in cabins is often hit or miss. I am not particularly fussy but it often takes me a day or two to figure out exactly how I should set the thermostat to achieve the best cabin conditions for myself....

 

[CPT Trips]

4 hours ago, Aquahound said:

 

 

Hey, I agree.  Three lines come to my mind when I think of premium, and it isn't those three.

 

But at the end of the day, it's really just our opinions because travel sites can't seem to agree on the classifications.  There doesn't seem to be concrete categories anymore.  Some sites do refer to those lines as premium.  In fact, I took FBF's advice and looked at CLIA.  Wasn't gonna say anything, but CLIA calls Celebrity premium as well.  😉

Thanks for looking at CLIA and reporting it. I went to their website and wasn’t successful in searching it for the data that other poster referenced. 

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

...
 

 I did not find the food on  Oceania any better than HAL of the same year.  Things may have  changed as that was 2018 that I sailed both almost back to back.

 

...
 

 

Did you really sail both HAL and Oceania on the same year and not notice any differences in the included meal food quality?

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, navybankerteacher said:

Did you really sail both HAL and Oceania on the same year and not notice any differences in the included meal food quality?

I really did.  I do eat fairly healthfully and that may account for my observation.  I tend to stay away from heavy food. As I said this was 2018 and things may have changed.  I have only sailed HAL and AMAwaterways this year.  HAL has slipped a bit and I was unimpressed with AMA cuisine

[Aquahound]

7 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

Thanks for looking at CLIA and reporting it. I went to their website and wasn’t successful in searching it for the data that other poster referenced. 

 

Yeah, it took a little bit to find it.  Here's a link to their Celebrity description:

 

Celebrity Cruise Line | CLIA (cruising.org)

[Charles4515]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I did not find the food on  Oceania any better than HAL of the same year.  Things may have  changed as that was 2018 that I sailed both almost back to back.

I find this surprising. I found Oceania food to be a much better than HAL on the whole. And the Terrace Cafe was a huge difference than the HAL buffet. Even beverages, the ice tea on HAL obviously fountain type. Oceania ice tea tasted like it had been fresh brewed. Specialty coffee is included on Oceania. If I desired a coffee or tea a server was right there to take my request. 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

I really did.  I do eat fairly healthfully and that may account for my observation.  I tend to stay away from heavy food.

What is heavy food??