For those who have cruised with Viking & Seabourn:

[Carolfay]

I've done three very enjoyable Seabourn cruises (and two with Silversea and a couple Windstar and an Oceania) - and I'm booked for my first Viking Ocean cruise near the end of July.  The primary attractions were the itinerary (Montreal to NYC) and the chance to cruise on a nearly new ship (the Neptune).  I'm looking forward to comparing, but I don't imagine I'll find too much to criticize.  The number of passengers (about 900) is a bit of a stretch for my taste.  As one of my grandfathers was Sweden-born, I'm just fine with Scandinavian decor and edibles.  After my Viking experience, I'll be glad to field any queries from Cruise Critic folks.

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, Carolfay said:

I've done three very enjoyable Seabourn cruises (and two with Silversea and a couple Windstar and an Oceania) - and I'm booked for my first Viking Ocean cruise near the end of July.  The primary attractions were the itinerary (Montreal to NYC) and the chance to cruise on a nearly new ship (the Neptune).  I'm looking forward to comparing, but I don't imagine I'll find too much to criticize.  The number of passengers (about 900) is a bit of a stretch for my taste.  As one of my grandfathers was Sweden-born, I'm just fine with Scandinavian decor and edibles.  After my Viking experience, I'll be glad to field any queries from Cruise Critic folks.

Ok uncomfortable furniture and meatballs it is then.😁

[BasandSyb]

I posted a reply weeks ago, but it seems it was sucked into the cyberspace vacuum. We did 14 days Cairns to Singapore and Bangkok in November 2022. It was last minute availability as they had significant itinerary changes due to COVID country lockouts and this became a sampler cruise. We 6 Seabourners had been curious for some time to try the product. We pretty much concurred with the following post cruise thoughts -  in brief:
 

Capacity 900, guests 300 and fewer after Darwin and Bali when travel agents doing familiarisations departed. We had seemingly lots of space, but meal times were quite busy.

 

Ship - beautiful and well maintained. Lots of light and open space.

 

Room - much smaller than Seabourn verandah. No walk in robe. Cupboard alongside the bed for hanging clothes. Extreme nuisance for access to clothes, coat hangers knocked against the door all night. About 1/3 less storage space than Seabourn - wouldn’t want to do a longer trip.

 

Bathroom - no tub (Yeah!). Large practical shower. One sink, not two, but large for washing if needed. Very little storage. 

Crew - predominantly Filipino and Indonesian. A few European MDs.

 

Food - less than ordinary. 6 of us concurred. We had a couple of nights that were particularly problematic and management organised 2 special dinners in a private room - these also ended up with issues and poor quality meals. 

Pools - 2. One in the middle of the alfresco eating area - couldn’t think of anything worse for a swimmer or diner. The main pool has a sliding roof. Our cruise was a warm (hot/humid constant 32C +) every time it sprinkled rain the roof would be closed. The indoor temp around the pool would have been near 38-40C with 90% oppressive humidity. Very unpleasant and I recall the whole area had minimal use as the water was also too warm. There is limited seating/loungers outdoors. I cannot fathom how 900 people would use this area on a warm Med cruise.

 

Entertainment - we normally go to a few shows. We did not go to one. I cannot recall why, but assume lack of interest. I recall a magician and a pianist. The CD was virtually non-existent. If you didn’t do trivia you would never have seen him. Very disengaged 10 questions in 10 minutes and left the room as quickly as possible. The A/CD did a better more personable job, but 10 quick questions is hardly worth bothering about. There was a group of lecturers on board travelling from the cruise start in the US. They won everyday as many questions were on repeat. Not a great experience.

 

We had a drinks package. Every time we ordered a drink. We were asked our room numbers to the extent we thought it would be easier to have them tattooed on our foreheads. The bar staff seemed to do endless paperwork on drinks consumed and the amount of liquor in bottles remaining. They are either operating under a highly bureaucratic manual system, or had a theft issue, such was the scrutiny. If a bottle ran out it could be up to 48 hours to be replaced. The elusive store room key!

 

There was a more intimate whiskey bar come nightclub. About 2/3 the size of the Seabourn O class. A very good band and an excellent singer who could belt out anything (Filipino group). The room was too small for this entertainment for 300 guests. Could not imagine the experience with 900 mulling around looking for an elusive seat.

Would we go again? No. We initially thought if there is an interesting and different itinerary. We have subsequently found a couple, but then agreed the on ship wouldn’t we worth it despite the cheaper price.

 

Ultimately, thoughts of a full ship and how it would service passengers scared the heck out of us.

 

I understand it does have a strong Australian following.

I hope this is helpful.

 

 

[Flamin_June]

Well, that puts a poor cheeseburger into perspective. How was the wine?

[saminina]

Never sailed, and never will do Viking Ocean.  A few years ago we did one night on Viking River from Amsterdam.  Paid for fourteen days + $800 for drink package after boarding.  We walked off after first morning breakfast and boarded a Scenic boat.

 

I understand the Viking appeal, but it ain't for us.    Our table mates at dinner and breakfast were VERY happy.  We were miserable.  Dinner:  choice of chicken and rib or fish.  I ordered chicken and requested chicken breast.  Waiter responds "we serve chicken breast on special occasions only."

 

We had nice dinner on the German boat that was tied up next to the Viking boat.

 

Viking:  they win the award for advertising.  Post number 28 seems believable to me.

[SLSD]

7 hours ago, jondfk said:

I too will have an opportunity to compare.  First and second sailings with SB this year, first with Viking early in the new year…

 

And I think we will be on your June SB cruise.  

[jondfk]

6 hours ago, SLSD said:

And I think we will be on your June SB cruise.  

Indeed

[BasandSyb]

15 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

Well, that puts a poor cheeseburger into perspective. How was the wine?

Actually much better than we have on board at the moment. They re-stocked in Cairns.

[Azulann]

19 hours ago, BasandSyb said:

Ultimately, thoughts of a full ship and how it would service passengers scared the heck out of us.

Please do stop by the Viking forum in early June(8)  I will be doing a live trip report  on Viking Jupiter "Scenic Scandinavia"  It is a sold out cruise. 🤩

It will  be my 4th Viking Ocean. My last two was during the pandemic and did have some supply problems , but service was outstanding   and food was very good and varied.

I find the  vibe and type of passengers I have met  as good as the Norwegian Success cake in Mamsen deli  in the beautiful Explore Lounge..😍

I do like reading the Seabourn forum and some of the perennial posters who hang out here.

[BasandSyb]

The highlight was a slice of an apple cake from Mamsens while waiting for trivia. I don’t do desserts (and definitely not at 11:00) but it was stunning. It looked like cake but was wholly apple with spices and fresh cream on top. The strudel you have, when not.

I will follow as I want to understand my opinion in another context. Thanks

[DTtravelers]

On 4/10/2023 at 9:51 AM, SLSD said:

I can see Viking appealing more to a certain sort of person.  I could be totally out in left field, but I see Viking as the perfect line for an engineer who doesn't drink alcohol and is most interested in the destinations and the educational aspect of the cruise.  

This one has me chuckling.  Coming from a large family of engineer types, and knowing 25 or so, the second criteria would mean that Viking would sailing empty.  🙂  

 

I watched with interest what the Octanis and Polaris did in Antarctica this year, because we had friends who signed up for the Octanis after we showed them our pictures of the place.  After 9 Viking flight changes, they finally got a wonderful 12-1/2 hour layover in NY and coach class.  My friend is 6'5" tall.  Their poor TA was tearing her hair out. 

 

As for the itinerary, apparently, nobody told the folks at Viking about the Lemaire Channel, Deception Island, the Weddell Sea, or Elephant Island, all the places that were the high points of our visit.  But they did sit in four coves all day long.  I am assuming so that they could run the guests through the submersibles, but that is just my guess.  It's a far cry from what we were treated to on Seabourn.  We were so lucky: we wouldn't trade our cruise for anything.

[jondfk]

Okay, having stepped off our first Viking Ocean yesterday, I'll offer my opinions versus our two Seabourn sailings last year (Ovation / Norway & Odyssey / Alaska, both 14 day).

 

Pro's for Viking.  Covered pool which, I agree could be too warm in warm wet climates but would have been most welcome in our two cool SB sailings.  The distinct Wintergarden area use for afternoon tea was also a very nice plus versus anything SB has to offer.

 

The ship operated on a tight schedule and all schedules were held.  A perfect example was getting off the ship yesterday, we received a letter saying independent guests with tagged luggage could depart "at our leisure" from 8:00.  We hit the gangway at 8:15 and were in our car headed out of the parking lot a 8:30.  Similar letters from SB resulted in stupendous waits to exit the ship and waits for luggage ashore of 45 minute on both sailings.  Huge victory for Viking here (and in general on anything operating on an announced schedule - they just never missed).

 

We sailed in a Penthouse Veranda on Viking which more or less compares to the V4 we sailed on Ovation.  There were things to like in both versus the other but nothing that would constitute a show stopper.  Towels were of surprisingly poor quality and small size on both Viking and SB.

 

Win's for Seabourn.  On Ovation, we purchased and used the Retreat and found it fantastic.  I know this is a provocative point for some who object to the separation of classes by additional fee, I'm simply commenting on the service delivered for said fee - it's fantastic - had we a choice of itinerary between and Ovation class ship, and Odyssey class ship or Viking we would choose Ovation / Encore 1000% of the time.

 

The main restaurant, just no comparison.  Viking DR seats 400 (ship capacity 900), SB ships seat ~500 Ship capacity slightly more or less.  Waits for dining on Viking were epic, waits on SB nil or minimal.  Additional point SB aggressively fill their "officers" tables which lessens the load.  Likewise, food quality, which I freely admit is subjective is just better on SB.  The best example is the everyday steak with was served piping hot, of good quality, prepared to order and on a warm plate on SB, exactly none of these things happen on Viking.

 

On the other hand, the Viking buffet is fabulous (it has to be, it has to be the first choice for half the ship or bad things happen, like long lines).  The food was very good (for a buffet) and the space to navigate was generous.  SB basically don't have a horse in this race.

 

The ship overall felt much more spacious on Viking with a 3 level atrium a seat was always available.  Their Living Room bar compares quite favorably to SB Square with excellent service and tasty treats all day.

 

All and all we judge both to be good, high end products.  We paid basically the same per diem for all three sailings (when we included the modestly priced beverage package not included on Viking).  We would sail either one again, serious foodies and those who prefer (as we) to avoid the buffet (even a good one) might well prefer SB.  But I caution you restaurant access is not a given on SB.  On our 14 day Alaska sailing the restaurant opened only 5 days for breakfast and 4 for lunch, on Ovation it operated all 3 meals on all days, this alone would have us shun SB on sailings sold as shorter segments (we're told that's the reason Odyssey operated as it did).

 

 

 

 

[teamflames]

We have only done one of each. Both gorgeous ships.

Seabourn cabins better.

both have laundries.

drinks included on Seabourn, Viking need to upgrade to be fully included.

Viking has walking deck, Seabourn doesn’t.

Viking included spa area superior to Seabourn.

Food subjective - both very good, I would say Seabourn though slightly better, room service amazing and caviar on demand

viking doesn’t include tips 

service - we had major problems on both cruises but Seabourn were just terrible - I was shocked how poor it was.

Viking includes basic shore excursions - we didn’t like this as too basic.

Viking felt more casual but fellow passengers less friendly. Seabourn tends to attract a fun mature crowd, Viking passengers felt conservative.

Dont believe the Seabourn is luxury and Viking is Azamara level hype - not true.

There was very little entertainment on Viking and zero nightlife on our cruise. Also Seabourn do some great “events”.

We have only done one of each. We were so disappointed in Seabourn service. Viking didn’t suit us as we don’t want included shore excursions and like a little more fun.

[stan01]

1 hour ago, teamflames said:

We were so disappointed in Seabourn service.

 

In what ways and when?  Seabourn definitely had some pains starting back up after COVID and lost some long time crew so a new generation is being trained and now most have multiple contracts under their belts.  If you prefer personal butler service you might find Regent or Silversea to be a better match.  In the dining rooms we find a waiter we like and then always sit in their section.  On our last cruise we felt the bartenders were short staffed and couldn't keep up with service between 6-7 PM.  I'm hoping we don't see that on our next cruise.  

[teamflames]

1 hour ago, stan01 said:

 

In what ways and when?  Seabourn definitely had some pains starting back up after COVID and lost some long time crew so a new generation is being trained and now most have multiple contracts under their belts.  If you prefer personal butler service you might find Regent or Silversea to be a better match.  In the dining rooms we find a waiter we like and then always sit in their section.  On our last cruise we felt the bartenders were short staffed and couldn't keep up with service between 6-7 PM.  I'm hoping we don't see that on our next cruise.  

We sailed on the Encore end of 2018.

check in was worse than any other cruise. Lunch order in the Colonnade was completely forgotten 2 days in a row. Several mornings had to wait 45 minutes to be asked for a coffee. Drink orders were always wrong, regularly forgotten. It was just bizarre. Last day sat by the pool for an entire day, not once asked for anything. Dirty plates sat there for 6 hours until officers cleaned them. That is just a small sample

[teamflames]

On 4/15/2023 at 3:34 AM, DTtravelers said:

This one has me chuckling.  Coming from a large family of engineer types, and knowing 25 or so, the second criteria would mean that Viking would sailing empty.  🙂  

 

I watched with interest what the Octanis and Polaris did in Antarctica this year, because we had friends who signed up for the Octanis after we showed them our pictures of the place.  After 9 Viking flight changes, they finally got a wonderful 12-1/2 hour layover in NY and coach class.  My friend is 6'5" tall.  Their poor TA was tearing her hair out. 

 

As for the itinerary, apparently, nobody told the folks at Viking about the Lemaire Channel, Deception Island, the Weddell Sea, or Elephant Island, all the places that were the high points of our visit.  But they did sit in four coves all day long.  I am assuming so that they could run the guests through the submersibles, but that is just my guess.  It's a far cry from what we were treated to on Seabourn.  We were so lucky: we wouldn't trade our cruise for anything.

Can I ask how many expeditions a day did you do on your SB Antarctica cruise? We are looking to book for January

[DTtravelers]

We were on Quest, which just finished its last run to Antarctica, so my answer is only partly useful.  Venture and Pursuit are now the two ways to go.  In 6 days we went out 9 times, including 3 kayak, 5 landings, including an ice landing in the Wendell Sea, and zodiacs.  We could also have kayaked at Elephant Island (a rarity), but ran out of steam.  We were blessed with magical weather Dec 2019.  Next time will include South Georgia!

Edited March 7 by DTtravelers

[claranda]

We began cruising with Seabourn in 2010 and have been on seven S’bourn cruises, with our next one booked for March 2025. We first cruised Viking in 2022 and have done two, with our next booked for November this year. We’ve also been on Regent (2) and Crystal (1) and are trying Oceania next year, too. 
 

Thoughts:

Choice of itineraries -  Viking. The choice on Seabourn is very limited once you’ve done a few of their cruises. 

Pricing - surprisingly, now usually Seabourn. In our opinion Viking is hiking up its prices as its popularity and capacity increases. 

Service - Seabourn; no comparison; although standards have slipped a bit on Seabourn, the responsiveness is still there. 

Ship decor/ambience - Viking. Clean, open, Scandinavian lines, no faux bling, more sea views, no casino, so many more places to sit and relax, seems less crowded in public areas.

Stateroom - Viking (so far we have sailed in the junior penthouse suite, which is a bit bigger than the Seabourn veranda suite, in November we will go down to the penthouse veranda, which is a bit smaller than the Seabourn veranda suite). Modern, practical.
Bathroom - Viking, by all means, Viking…

Breakfast - Seabourn (after all, they have English bacon!) seriously, better food and less crowded.

Lunch - Seabourn. The food, the walk around buffet, compared with Viking’s cafeteria ambience. Ah, but fresh tuna steak on Viking.

Tea - Viking, really superior, so beautifully presented, too.

Dinner - Seabourn. This is where the difference shows most with food quality. We sometimes get fed up with the monotonous American style of the food on Seabourn, though; but Viking seems to be losing its more varied/European options, too. Seabourn will serve you special meals on request, Viking doesn’t.

Wine - Viking. The list of included wines on Seabourn is very short, and we don’t pay their ridiculous prices for Sommelier choice bottles. Viking has a nice list of about 13 whites and 13 reds by the glass, but of course you pay for them, either individually or by getting the drinks package if you want a drink outside mealtime hours. But the individual and package price is much more reasonable than any other cruise line. 
Bars - Seabourn.
Entertainment - not really our thing, but the volume level on Viking suited us better. We’d love both lines to cut the ever present ‘muzak’ in public areas. 
Excursions - Don’t have sufficient info. The Viking free excursion is sometimes useful, but you are paying for it up front, it’s not really free. Tend to do our own thing or use local providers. 
 

Hope that’s of interest. Sorry to be so long-winded! We enjoy both lines for differing reasons…
 

 

 

 

[claranda]

Oh, sorry, forgot the spa on Viking - absolutely brilliant, and very good competitively priced massage.

[Vineyard View]

Thanks for your comparison Claranda. I think ot is really fair and balanced, with accurate points. 
 

I would only say this. We’ve  sailed Viking several times, and only Seabourn one time. In your point #1 - we feel the same about Viking Mediterranean itineraries, as they are mostly the same as have been offered for years, but having only sailed SB one time, their Mediterranean itineraries are different for us! Different viewpoints for the same reason. 
 

We do not care for the MDR on Viking. Feels very cafeteria style in the center area, whereas the Seabourn MDR provided more space between the tables and the layout.  That said, the openness on V with all the windows is a bonus. 

We agree with your points, and yes, V pricing post Covid is crazy….which is how we ended up with Seabourn. At the end of the trip we felt overall SB to be a superior product. We haven’t sailed Oceania but it is on the possibility list for the right itinerary. There is  a lot of unhappiness over on those boards around shortened port days and changed itineraries. That is concerning to us. Right now I hope it will be SB next Spring for us. 

[BuckGood]

Seabourn allows kids Viking does Not! 🤷‍♂️

[lackcreativity]

Claranda,

 

Your comparison was just what I was hoping to find here. It seems very even handed, and the things you liked about Viking are some of the same things that have kept us cruising with them. Like Vineyard View, we have become very familiar with the Viking Mediterranean itineraries and are in search of some variety.

 

Viking did introduce one new itinerary that at first seemed appealing (with Malta and Morocco) but the time of year, the number of sea days, and yes the price caused me to look elsewhere. I acknowledge that losses during the pandemic require changes, but I still have to watch our personal bottom line too! Oceania and now Seabourn are of interest. 

 

Thanks for your input.

 

 

[claranda]

Thanks, lackcreativity, glad it was helpful. It’s interesting looking at itineraries from the points of view of American and British cruisers. We do very little cruising in the Med or Canary Island because they’re so close. We’re off to Lanzarote for five days next week, for example, just because we feel like it. The itineraries I was thinking of are those going further afield from the UK, for example Africa and Asia, and there Viking offers more. It’s all a matter of perspective!

[Breckski]

On 3/11/2024 at 3:03 PM, Vineyard View said:

We do not care for the MDR on Viking. Feels very cafeteria style in the center area, whereas the Seabourn MDR provided more space between the tables and the layout.  That said, the openness on V with all the windows is a bonus. 

We agree with your points, and yes, V pricing post Covid is crazy….which is how we ended up with Seabourn.

 

We agree completely with your comment on the Viking MDR.  On a 14-day cruise, we eat there one or two times.  Choose the World Cafe buffet over the MDR, but really try to eat in Manfredi's or the Chef's Table.  The tables are so close together in the MDR.

 

We're doing our first Seabourn cruise in Dec and a Regent one next year because Viking has gone a bit overboard 😁 😁 😁 with their pricing model.