How does Viking Ocean Cruises compare to Seabourn?

[longterm]

58 minutes ago, MarciAnn said:

I hate to burst anyone’s bubble but while Seabourn allows children I have never seen more than 2 or 3 very well behaved children on any of the 10 Seabourn cruises I have taken.  There is nothing for kids on a Seabourn cruise—no water slide, kids club, kids’ activities, etc that you would find on a mass market cruise line.  If you are not taking a Seabourn cruise because you think kids are onboard then you are really missing out. 

Personally, I have other reasons that have kept us with Viking as opposed to other cruise lines; while I do assume Seabourn is a very good cruise line, I don't want to have to pay for every excursion; we drink very little, so endless alcohol is of almost no value to us; we've had nothing but great cruises with Viking. I do like some of the cruises they list, so we may try them someday, but I'm not seeing a compelling reason to stray at this point.

 

Also, a DV6 is 270 square feet; on Seabourn, the cheapest suite is 295 square feet  (so an extra 5x5 feet), and doesn't have a balcony; we like to sit out there sometimes.

 

Edited March 12, 2023 by longterm

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, MarciAnn said:

I hate to burst anyone’s bubble but while Seabourn allows children I have never seen more than 2 or 3 very well behaved children on any of the 10 Seabourn cruises I have taken.  There is nothing for kids on a Seabourn cruise—no water slide, kids club, kids’ activities, etc that you would find on a mass market cruise line.  If you are not taking a Seabourn cruise because you think kids are onboard then you are really missing out. 

 

We also have other reasons than accepting children for not considering Seabourn, primary being they are owned by Carnival, the cruise line that invented "Carnivalisation", a process that has decimated at least 3, once great cruises lines, one of which I worked for.

 

Their treatment of pax in Antarctica was also a disgrace, when their new expedition ship damaged a stabiliser and they continued to operate across the Drake Passage. Sadly, that is the standards we experienced on Carnival brands and why we no longer sail on any of their brands.

[SJD117]

1 hour ago, longterm said:

 

Also, a DV6 is 270 square feet; on Seabourn, the cheapest suite is 295 square feet  (so an extra 5x5 feet), and doesn't have a balcony; we like to sit out there sometimes.

 

We do, too — in fact we spend a lot of time on the balcony, watching the world sail by. An all-balcony ship is a big plus for us.

[WNcruiser]

On 2/28/2023 at 1:23 PM, CCWineLover said:

Does Seabourn allow children onboard?  (<18)

Yes, but just like Oceania and Regent I have never seen a child on board. 

[SJD117]

2 minutes ago, WNcruiser said:

Yes, but just like Oceania and Regent I have never seen a child on board. 

Children can’t afford such an expensive cruise line.

[WNcruiser]

1 hour ago, longterm said:

Personally, I have other reasons that have kept us with Viking as opposed to other cruise lines; while I do assume Seabourn is a very good cruise line, I don't want to have to pay for every excursion; we drink very little, so endless alcohol is of almost no value to us; we've had nothing but great cruises with Viking. I do like some of the cruises they list, so we may try them someday, but I'm not seeing a compelling reason to stray at this point.

 

Also, a DV6 is 270 square feet; on Seabourn, the cheapest suite is 295 square feet  (so an extra 5x5 feet), and doesn't have a balcony; we like to sit out there sometimes.

 

It depends on the ship. The Ovation and Encore are all balcony suites. 

[Jim Avery]

Just now, SJD117 said:

Children can’t afford such an expensive cruise line.

Oh yes their parents can.😱

[SJD117]

16 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Oh yes their parents can.😱

I’ve devoted considerable thought to this. It’s possible, just possible, that some youngsters in the Seabourn/Regent/Silversea cohort are indeed able to pay their own way. Allowances are bigger these days, after all, and a nice trust fund goes a long way toward a nice cruise. 

[Vineyard View]

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

We also have other reasons than accepting children for not considering Seabourn, primary being they are owned by Carnival, the cruise line that invented "Carnivalisation", a process that has decimated at least 3, once great cruises lines, one of which I worked for.

 

Their treatment of pax in Antarctica was also a disgrace, when their new expedition ship damaged a stabiliser and they continued to operate across the Drake Passage. Sadly, that is the standards we experienced on Carnival brands and why we no longer sail on any of their brands.

I can sure see your position, given the personal connection. Can’t say that I would feel differently had that happened to me. 
 

We are trying them for different reasons, including mainly the itinerary. Added to that, our balcony stateroom is a total less cost per day for what is important to us. Included  Excursions are a non starter for us, it is for others.  No additional charges for daily stewards, no additional charge for multiple wine selections daily - (we will see how those are). As far as kids, not really worried about them for multiple reasons, including time of year we are sailing, although we know there is not a guarantee. And again, we remain fans of Viking. Just need something enticing in the Mediterranean. I keep looking though!  We’ve decided we aren’t booking 2024 until after this trip so will be sure to add our observations. 
 

[Twitchly]

5 hours ago, MarciAnn said:

I hate to burst anyone’s bubble but while Seabourn allows children I have never seen more than 2 or 3 very well behaved children on any of the 10 Seabourn cruises I have taken.  There is nothing for kids on a Seabourn cruise—no water slide, kids club, kids’ activities, etc that you would find on a mass market cruise line.  If you are not taking a Seabourn cruise because you think kids are onboard then you are really missing out. 

I’m not at all familiar with Seabourn. Does it have casinos? How do it’s daily onboard activities compare to Viking’s? How does its dress code compare? Are there butlers and tiered experiences? 
 

Viking’s low-key egalitarian approach works well for us, but we’re open to other lines if they’re similar in some key areas. 

[janetcbl]

Our favorite line used to be NG/Lindblad, but we got too old and the excursions became  beyond our abilities. We switched to Viking due  to the emphasis on experiences, lectures, amenities and interesting fellow passengers. And the lack of dress up nights, pushing “extras” and large number of passengers.  The wonderful waiters, bartenders, cabin attendants, excursion staff, etc.  are added bonuses.