Cost comparison between V, O, and SB

[Vineyard View]

I had several people on this board ask me to post this on Vikings board. I originally posted it on Oceania after much discussion about complete, total cost per person on cruises when taking into consideration everything that is important to you. We recently experienced our first journey on Seabourn.  During that journey we booked a cruise on a different Seabourn ship durning next April as a result of our experience on this one. When we arrived home, I reexamined two others we had considered for next year on Viking (V) and Oceania (O).  I acknowledge that there are built in differences in each of these lines that create loyalty, and those differences are important enough to some to stay loyal. I find this on most lines, and honestly felt that way in the past about Viking. Following is my total cost review.  These are all during April/May 2024.
 

I compared Viking 15 day (13 full days on ship) Mediterranean and Italian Sojourn, Oceania 14 Day (13 full days on ship) Barcelona-Rome), Seabourn 14 day (13 full days on ship) Treasures of the Adriatic (the one we booked). Viking includes an excursion in every port that is usually a bus ride or a walking tour. Seabourn has a two cabin category upgrade right now that puts basic balcony cabin pricing midship (which we booked). I wanted to compare what we have booked with SB total cost against the other two. In doing so, I needed to use the cabin categories I selected below to be as close in comparison as possible to the size, location, and amenities I had already booked. I also needed to include beverage packages at the levels included below to be as close as possible to that which is included on SB. I received a 5% discount on SB as a past guest. With V below I used a $200 past passenger discount I would receive on V. I did not include any TA discounts. 
 

Viking PV1 (penthouse Verandah) 930 pax max

       338 sq ft including balcony.                                  $18,796

       SSB (upgraded drinks).                                              840

       Gratuities.                                                                   476

       Total.                                                                    $20,112

       (One excursion in each port)

 

Oceania Concierge  A2.     1238 pax max

       291 sq ft (+ balcony ?).                                       $11,398

       Prestige drink pkg upgrade.                                      840

       Gratuities.                                                                 504

       Wi-Fi (to 2 persons).                                                 350
       Total.                                                                  $13,092

        OLife used for basic drink. No excursions

 

Seabourn Balcony Midship. 600 pax

       246-302 sq ft inside

       Plus 68-83 sq ft balcony.                                    $14,289

       All above amenities included plus some

       Except that there are no excursions
 

I realize that not all want balconies, midship, drink packages. Not all want additional drink packages outside of the included one white one red wine, and beer during lunch and dinner. I also understand that the itineraries are not exactly the same in the Mediterranean.  They were the ones we are interested in during the timeframe we travel. This was an exercise for me to truly understand total out of cost cost differences for us when sailing these lines using a booked cruise we have as our baseline. 
It was eye opening for me on a few levels. I hope it is helpful for others. 
 

It will be interesting to see what happens with Oceania’s new “Simply more” pricing structure launching 7/1. There is quite a bit of information surrounding it available as to how they are restructuring their fares to include more; such as based on length of cruise you have a certain amount of money to apply to any excursions of your choice on the cruise. 
 

We obviously experienced differences between SB and V on this recent cruise. Some things on each line we liked better…..but there were a lot of things on SB that we liked better. Again, it’s all about what is important to individual travelers, and our preferences aren’t necessarily the same as others. I will post a review and what we viewed as comparison between V & SB in the near future if there is interest in my doing so. 

 

 

 

[Packman1000]

Thanks for posting.  Interesting.  How much lower would the V price be if one dropped down from the penthouse veranda?  Do none of these lines charge extra for taxes?  I have never looked into Seabourn, but I might need to.

[Vineyard View]

Seabourn offers lower priced OV cabins. They also offer various categories of verandah cabins, like all lines. The prices I quoted here include all taxes.  I used pricing comparable to what we booked. 
Absolutely you can save money on V by dropping down in cabin categories, as you can with O and SB. 
The verandah cabins on SB are all the same size unlike O and V. And all three have higher priced, larger cabins as well. 

[deec]

looking forward to your review/comparisons

our TA often encourages us to check into O and Seaburn...not sure why we are loyal other than familiarity is easy and comfortable.

[Jim Avery]

 

[Clay Clayton]

9 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

 

I compared Viking 15 day (13 full days on ship) Mediterranean and Italian Sojourn, Oceania 14 Day (13 full days on ship) Barcelona-Rome), Seabourn 14 day (13 full days on ship) Treasures of the Adriatic (the one we booked).

Thanks for your comprehensive analysis!  One question-why does Viking's 15 day cruise become 13 full days when O & SB's 14 days become 13 full days also?

 

I looked at the Viking itinerary you listed and it's 14 nights onboard which is typically how I do my per person/per day comparisons.  It appears from looking at the Oceania itinerary is only 13 nights onboard while the Seabourn one has 14 nights just like the Viking one you used for comparison. 
 

Thanks again -you've opened my eyes to take a look at Seabourn. 

[aungrl]

10 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

I had several people on this board ask me to post this on Vikings board. I originally posted it on Oceania after much discussion about complete, total cost per person on cruises when taking into consideration everything that is important to you. We recently experienced our first journey on Seabourn.  During that journey we booked a cruise on a different Seabourn ship durning next April as a result of our experience on this one. When we arrived home, I reexamined two others we had considered for next year on Viking (V) and Oceania (O).  I acknowledge that there are built in differences in each of these lines that create loyalty, and those differences are important enough to some to stay loyal. I find this on most lines, and honestly felt that way in the past about Viking. Following is my total cost review.  These are all during April/May 2024.
 

I compared Viking 15 day (13 full days on ship) Mediterranean and Italian Sojourn, Oceania 14 Day (13 full days on ship) Barcelona-Rome), Seabourn 14 day (13 full days on ship) Treasures of the Adriatic (the one we booked). Viking includes an excursion in every port that is usually a bus ride or a walking tour. Seabourn has a two cabin category upgrade right now that puts basic balcony cabin pricing midship (which we booked). I wanted to compare what we have booked with SB total cost against the other two. In doing so, I needed to use the cabin categories I selected below to be as close in comparison as possible to the size, location, and amenities I had already booked. I also needed to include beverage packages at the levels included below to be as close as possible to that which is included on SB. I received a 5% discount on SB as a past guest. With V below I used a $200 past passenger discount I would receive on V. I did not include any TA discounts. 
 

Viking PV1 (penthouse Verandah) 930 pax max

       338 sq ft including balcony.                                  $18,796

       SSB (upgraded drinks).                                              840

       Gratuities.                                                                   476

       Total.                                                                    $20,112

       (One excursion in each port)

 

Oceania Concierge  A2.     1238 pax max

       291 sq ft (+ balcony ?).                                       $11,398

       Prestige drink pkg upgrade.                                      840

       Gratuities.                                                                 504

       Wi-Fi (to 2 persons).                                                 350
       Total.                                                                  $13,092

        OLife used for basic drink. No excursions

 

Seabourn Balcony Midship. 600 pax

       246-302 sq ft inside

       Plus 68-83 sq ft balcony.                                    $14,289

       All above amenities included plus some

       Except that there are no excursions
 

I realize that not all want balconies, midship, drink packages. Not all want additional drink packages outside of the included one white one red wine, and beer during lunch and dinner. I also understand that the itineraries are not exactly the same in the Mediterranean.  They were the ones we are interested in during the timeframe we travel. This was an exercise for me to truly understand total out of cost cost differences for us when sailing these lines using a booked cruise we have as our baseline. 
It was eye opening for me on a few levels. I hope it is helpful for others. 
 

It will be interesting to see what happens with Oceania’s new “Simply more” pricing structure launching 7/1. There is quite a bit of information surrounding it available as to how they are restructuring their fares to include more; such as based on length of cruise you have a certain amount of money to apply to any excursions of your choice on the cruise. 
 

We obviously experienced differences between SB and V on this recent cruise. Some things on each line we liked better…..but there were a lot of things on SB that we liked better. Again, it’s all about what is important to individual travelers, and our preferences aren’t necessarily the same as others. I will post a review and what we viewed as comparison between V & SB in the near future if there is interest in my doing so. 

 

 

 

Yes, please.  Post the review comparing V and SB here, as I'm guessing everyone who was interested in your cost analysis will be interested in this, as well.  Thanks for creating a new thread for this one.  Very helpful to see it laid out this way.

[Hanoj]

31 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Thanks for your comprehensive analysis!  One question-why does Viking's 15 day cruise become 13 full days when O & SB's 14 days become 13 full days also?

 

I looked at the Viking itinerary you listed and it's 14 nights onboard which is typically how I do my per person/per day comparisons.  It appears from looking at the Oceania itinerary is only 13 nights onboard while the Seabourn one has 14 nights just like the Viking one you used for comparison. 
 

Thanks again -you've opened my eyes to take a look at Seabourn. 

Each itinerary is 14 nights. Viking’s use of “days” departs from convention and really is dates. O and SB “days” correspond to nights. I prefer cruise marketing displayed using nights (Regent and Azamara).

[Clay Clayton]

24 minutes ago, Hanoj said:

Each itinerary is 14 nights. Viking’s use of “days” departs from convention and really is dates. O and SB “days” correspond to nights. I prefer cruise marketing displayed using nights (Regent and Azamara).

I understand but that isn't what Vineyard View has included in his analysis. The Oceania itinerary he included is actually 13 nights.  And the Viking and Seabourn are both 14 nights.  I was also confused as to why he said the 15 day cruise was actually only 13 days.  

[Vineyard View]

Thanks for all the analysis. I actually short changed the SB itinerary by one day. I was using full days for each rather than nights. Maybe not convention, but I just don’t view embarkation day as a complete day. That’s just me though. So if you prefer to count nights,  then these itineraries are:

V = 14 nights

O = 14 nights

SB = 15 nights 

 

Sorry for the confusion. 

 

[Hanoj]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

I understand but that isn't what Vineyard View has included in his analysis. The Oceania itinerary he included is actually 13 nights.  And the Viking and Seabourn are both 14 nights.  I was also confused as to why he said the 15 day cruise was actually only 13 days.  

Perhaps @Vineyard View will need to clarify. The only Oceania Barcelona to Rome in April/May 2024 is aboard Marina. I assume this is the referenced cruise. It embarks May 18 and disembarks June 1. This is 14 nights. Apparently the number of full days (i.e., 24 hours) is an important metric to the OP. Since all three itineraries cover 15 dates there are 14 nights and thus 13 full days. Each itinerary embarks in the afternoon and disembarks in the morning. Viking counts both embarkation and disembarkation dates as “days” in its description.

[Vineyard View]

1 minute ago, Hanoj said:

Perhaps @Vineyard View will need to clarify. The only Oceania Barcelona to Rome in April/May 2024 is aboard Marina. I assume this is the referenced cruise. It embarks May 18 and disembarks June 1. This is 14 nights. Apparently the number of full days (i.e., 24 hours) is an important metric to the OP. Since all three itineraries cover 15 dates there are 14 nights and thus 13 full days. Each itinerary embarks in the afternoon and disembarks in the morning. Viking counts both embarkation and disembarkation dates as “days” in its description.

No. I do not count embarkation nor disembarkation days in my count. I have pulled up each itinerary again after reading these. I have recounted.  Hanoj, we were probably typing at the same time. 

[Hanoj]

9 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

No. I do not count embarkation nor disembarkation days in my count. I have pulled up each itinerary again after reading these. I have recounted.  Hanoj, we were probably typing at the same time. 

Your Seabourn cruise is on Encore embarking April 21, 2024? If so, it is 14 nights. The itinerary shows two entries for April 30.

Edited June 30, 2023 by Hanoj
21 instead of 24

[WanderingBrit]

I have a spreadsheet template that I copy for each itinerary I'm comparing, and break it all down to a per night cost - factoring in all the same elements as discussed here in addition to the number of ports.

 

The differences between cruise lines seem to vary depending on destination, and so I've found it pays to repeat the exercise with each trip we contemplate.

[Vineyard View]

9 hours ago, Hanoj said:

Your Seabourn cruise is on Encore embarking April 21, 2024? If so, it is 14 nights. The itinerary shows two entries for April 30.

You are right!. I thought for sure that it was correct on my initial posting of Analysis and it was. 13 full days on board, 14 nights. I was too tired last night. So initial posting thread is accurate. 

[milling73]

As you mentioned, Viking's price does include excursion at each port, whereas the other 2 do not.  Granted the included excursion is usually more of a general overview and not necessarily a main attraction or must do experience; but still a factor to consider. For some, the included tour is the only excursion taken at port.   So I guess my question would be - what is the cost of those introductory types of tours from the other 2 companies?  Add that cost in for each port, and then the overall comparison is more fair / accurate.   There is also the overall decor / layout / quality of the ships to consider. (granted that is subjective taste) While we have not sailed either of the other two lines, when pricing varies by thousands, there is usually a reason.  (the saying "you get what you pay for".  Seldom are there exceptions to this statement, in any commodity. Flying coach vs 1st class, passengers reach the same destination at the same time, however the experience of the flight is vastly different.)

[Hanoj]

Another way to consider Viking's included excursions with O and SB not including excursions is that those of us (moi) who favor DIY or private tours in port can do so much more affordably with O or SB in terms of total trip costs. For example, on our May 2020 Viking British Isles Explorer cruise that was cancelled, we had decided to DIY in nearly every port which included plans to rent bicycles in Kirkwall (weather cooperating) and mostly walk the other ports and purchase tickets for visits to major sights (like Edinburgh Castle). I can buy private tours for much less than O and SB sell similar tours and the total trip costs will be far less than with Viking. $5,800 - $7,000 can go a long way towards buying private tours, especially if arranging to share with other guests (a great way to make use of the roll calls). Note: arranging private tours is more challenging since cruise resumption due to diminished supply. 

 

Viking was a great introduction to ocean cruising for us, and the included excursions contributed positively towards this. It helped us gain confidence to DIY and to arrange private tours. Using ship tours (included and purchased) can feel easy and comfortable. But the beauty of travel is we can become more adventurous with the experiences gained from prior trips. Another thing we did with some of the Viking included tours was to arrange with the guide beforehand that we would depart from the tour and arrange to meet at a designated place at an agreed upon time (if the tour included a bus ride to/from the ship). We always tipped the guide as if we had stayed with tour and always made sure we were early to the designated meet up for trip back. 

 

Thank you @Vineyard View for sharing your analysis. With the challenges facing all cruise lines, I feel loyalty to any one cruise line will become more expensive and such cost comparison analyses will help consumers determine what is most important. The more that well traveled cruisers cross over between brands, the more likely such competitive measures will help mitigate steep price increases. I also expect there to be leap-frogging in the industry. Oceania fans may observe this with the new marketing campaign beginning July 1, 2023.

 

 

[SJD117]

58 minutes ago, Hanoj said:

Viking was a great introduction to ocean cruising for us, and the included excursions contributed positively towards this. It helped us gain confidence to DIY and to arrange private tours. Using ship tours (included and purchased) can feel easy and comfortable. But the beauty of travel is we can become more adventurous with the experiences gained from prior trips. 

Over the last 40+ years, we’ve done 50 foreign trips on our own, plus six cruises (five on Viking). For us, Viking hasn’t helped us gain DIY confidence, because we developed that confidence long before we took our first Viking cruise (in 2019). 
 

Perhaps because of our background, the cruising industry’s heavy use of shore excursions to “sell” the trip experience has always baffled us. Why does anybody need a tour to enjoy their time in port? That said, we’ve taken our share of included and private tours, sometimes to get out of town, in other cases for pure convenience. But most often, we’re comfortable seeing the local sights on our own, just as we’ve done over the last four decades.

[Hanoj]

8 minutes ago, SJD117 said:

Over the last 40+ years, we’ve done 50 foreign trips on our own, plus six cruises (five on Viking). For us, Viking hasn’t helped us gain DIY confidence, because we developed that confidence long before we took our first Viking cruise (in 2019). 
 

Perhaps because of our background, the cruising industry’s heavy use of shore excursions to “sell” the trip experience has always baffled us. Why does anybody need a tour to enjoy their time in port? That said, we’ve taken our share of included and private tours, sometimes to get out of town, in other cases for pure convenience. But most often, we’re comfortable seeing the local sights on our own, just as we’ve done over the last four decades.

Prior to our first Viking cruise (river) in 2017, I had not travelled abroad (besides British Columbia) since the early '80s. Raising kids (7) and getting them all through college were higher priorities than world travel. So for us, the conveniences of a floating hotel with included excursions was very useful way to resume travel abroad.

[milling73]

arranging own shore shore excursions kinda depends how long in port.  Throughout our travels, We have primarily traveled on our own..but  we also enjoy cruise or bus tours.  The only risk of arranging own excursion during cruise ports with limited time allowed for stay -  if you are caught up in traffic, difficulty in directions, or any number of possible scenarios -- if not back in time -- your ships sails without you.  If you are on a ship arranged excursion, they wait.  That factor alone is worth due consideration.

[CCWineLover]

Nice writeup and figures.

However, no one as addressed how to you put a price on some of things Viking is known for?

-Cost of having No Children?  Priceless for some

-Cost of having No Casino?  Priceless for some

-Cost of no Photographers?  

    you get the picture

 

A strict $ for $ may work for some people and for others there are non-quantifiable aspects.

Thanks goodness there are cruise lines for everyone's needs and interests.

[Jim Avery]

We do our homework too but almost never choose the cheapest option.

[Vineyard View]

I will be happy to address some of that in my write up. There were no photographers. The casino was tucked away in an area of the ship we never frequented. We happened upon it one evening, looked inside. It was so tiny and not a soul in sight. We also didn’t see any kids. We don’t want to sail with kids either. I asked about that. They are allowed. There is nothing for them to do. We sail when they are in school so we are not around all those crowds in ports as well. 
But you are correct CCWinelover. There are things I like about V better. There are things I liked about SB better. 

[Vineyard View]

24 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

We do our homework too but almost never choose the cheapest option.

Agree. That would be Carnival, etc. Not going to happen

[Vineyard View]

7 hours ago, milling73 said:

As you mentioned, Viking's price does include excursion at each port, whereas the other 2 do not.  Granted the included excursion is usually more of a general overview and not necessarily a main attraction or must do experience; but still a factor to consider. For some, the included tour is the only excursion taken at port.   So I guess my question would be - what is the cost of those introductory types of tours from the other 2 companies?  Add that cost in for each port, and then the overall comparison is more fair / accurate.   There is also the overall decor / layout / quality of the ships to consider. (granted that is subjective taste) While we have not sailed either of the other two lines, when pricing varies by thousands, there is usually a reason.  (the saying "you get what you pay for".  Seldom are there exceptions to this statement, in any commodity. Flying coach vs 1st class, passengers reach the same destination at the same time, however the experience of the flight is vastly different.)

I did point out that the other lines do not include shore excursions. I did not point out all the extras DH and I felt were a step above V, as that was not the purpose for me in doing this.
We do not value excursions. We enjoy DIY or private. When we sailed V and an included tour took people to a city center, we did exactly as Hanoj does. We asked where and when to meet to return to the ship. We did our own thing, and still tipped the guide. So for us, the value proposition of an included bus ride or walk is meaningless. We honestly do not enjoy walking with groups of people with earbuds in as the method of exploring places. Or sitting in a bus watching the scenery go by with the occasional photo stop. It is the last thing we want to do when we travel. Other people enjoy doing that. If doing that is worth the extra cost to some, that’s great. No judgement.  
I would say though that if I looked at dollars only, the average prices of tours on SB would have been hard pressed to spend that amount of difference. And conversely, what was included in the Seabourn fare that we enjoyed - would have cost a lot of extra money had we ordered it on V. 
Again, everyone needs to make choices based on what is important to them. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Vineyard View