Cost comparison between V, O, and SB

[Twitchly]

17 hours ago, CurlerRob said:

Regarding onboard culture, we really didn't find all that much of a difference.

Good to know. Your review was helpful; thanks.

I’d be interested in hearing about dress as well. In particular, do O or Seabourn have formal evenings? That might be a dealbreaker for us unless they’re easily avoidable.

 

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, SJD117 said:

I love the Scandinavian decor on Viking’s ships. (That’s probably because I’m part Danish.) It’s very welcoming to me — and one of the reasons I look forward to embarking on every Viking cruise. I’m definitely not tired of it.

Same here.  That is probably the 2nd reason we enjoy Viking and have not looked elsewhere.  We are so comfortable here.  When I grew up my mother loved Danish furniture and items and so it sort of gives me a feeling of being home.  Never gotten tired yet after 13 cruises.  I don't like gaudy.  But thankfully there's something for everyone!  (Note :  1st reason is no children).

[CurlerRob]

5 hours ago, Twitchly said:

Good to know. Your review was helpful; thanks.

I’d be interested in hearing about dress as well. In particular, do O or Seabourn have formal evenings? That might be a dealbreaker for us unless they’re easily avoidable.

 

 

Oceania's dress code was essentially equivalent to Viking's. Slacks and collared shirts for men in all but the buffet at dinner. A few jackets in the specialty restaurant s (me included, but that's just habit) - I'm not sure I ever saw a tie. Women were dressed almost identically to Viking as far as I could tell. No 'formal' nights at all. Here's their official words ...

 

"Recommended on board clothing is resort or country club casual. For evening dining, elegant casual resort wear is suggested. We request that casual jeans, shorts, t-shirts, baseball caps, sandals, or tennis shoes not be worn in the restaurants after 6 PM. Baseball caps may be worn in the Terrace Café after 6 PM."

 

As mentioned, we have no personal experience with Seabourn, but I had looked at their dress code. They use different terminology (they have 'formal' nights where pax can dress up, but are not mandated to) but the only addition I see is the requirement for a jacket for men in the restaurant. Their boards suggest that the "evening gown or other formal" statement for women is bunk - that would also be reasonable considering the jacket-only requirement for me. Perhaps a Seabourn-savvy person can comment further! Here's their notice ... 🍺🥌

 

DAYTIME AND IN PORT
Casual, resort-style attire, including jeans and shorts, is welcome in all lounges and dining venues until 6pm.
Swimsuits, brief shorts, cover-ups and exercise attire should be reserved for poolside, on deck or in the spa and fitness center.
Jeans are welcome in all dining venues during the day.

 

EVENING AFTER 6PM WILL BE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
Elegant Casual
• Men: slacks with a collared dress shirt or sweater; Jacket optional
• Ladies: slacks / skirt, blouse, pantsuit or dress.
• Jeans are not appropriate in The Restaurant after 6pm
• Elegant jeans are welcome in all dining venues.

 

Formal
Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn, Seabourn Quest, Seabourn Encore, Seabourn Ovation
Dining in The Restaurant:
• Men: Tuxedo, suit or slacks and jacket required (Tie not required.)
• Ladies: evening gown or other formal apparel

 

Dress in other dining venues is Elegant Casual. 

 

All in, Oceania was essentially identical to Viking in dress requirement, Seabourn appears a bit dressier but not overbearing to my eye. 🍺🥌

 

[duquephart]

Elegant jeans?

[CurlerRob]

1 minute ago, duquephart said:

Elegant jeans?

 

Unclear. Might be a mandatory number of sequins.

 

Numerous discussions on the Seabourn boards. Everything from "thank God" to "end of the world as we know it". Eerily similar to the same dress code rabbit holes that pop up for every line. 🍺🥌

[Jim Avery]

Bring your Bedazzler.😳

[Vineyard View]

On our recent trip, DH took a jacket. He wore it on formal night. He also enjoyed wearing it in TK Grill, but that wasn’t required either. Not everyone did wear a jacket on formal night though in MDR. Many did , and most wore long sleeves from my limited view. I did not see any tuxes but maybe there were some. I did not see any sequined gowns. Most people stepped it up for sure, and jackets were not uncommon, but I wouldn’t call it formal in the old cruising terms of formal where tuxes and gowns were predominant by any means. 
On all other nights I would say most dressed like they do on V. That said, there were some jeans worn by a very few that were in the category of Saturday working outside (anomaly), and then there were some finer cut jeans that looked nice with a nice shirt. 
I didn’t feel there was a snobbish air about it all, but the few who wore baggy everyday jeans did stand out, and not in a positive way. 

Edited July 3, 2023 by Vineyard View

[Vineyard View]

19 hours ago, Twitchly said:

Good to know. Your review was helpful; thanks.

I’d be interested in hearing about dress as well. In particular, do O or Seabourn have formal evenings? That might be a dealbreaker for us unless they’re easily avoidable.

 

It’s is only in MDR that they call out “formal”. Other venues to choose from that are not on that night 

[longterm]

18 hours ago, CurlerRob said:

Formal
Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn, Seabourn Quest, Seabourn Encore, Seabourn Ovation
Dining in The Restaurant:
• Men: Tuxedo, suit or slacks and jacket required (Tie not required.)
• Ladies: evening gown or other formal apparel

 

Dress in other dining venues is Elegant Casual. 

 

All in, Oceania was essentially identical to Viking in dress requirement, Seabourn appears a bit dressier but not overbearing to my eye. 🍺🥌

 

Next thing you know, they'll outlaw my red sleeveless fishnet shirt and backwards baseball cap.

 

On a serious note; I don't (and never will) belong to a country club, nor will I ever pack a tux or dress jacket for a cruise. I know it's just our personal choice, but when we travel, we go for comfort rather than posturing; the day I'm wearing a tux in a restaurant is the day I'm waiting tables.

 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2023 by longterm

[Vineyard View]

36 minutes ago, longterm said:

Next thing you know, they'll outlaw my red sleeveless fishnet shirt and backwards baseball cap.

 

On a serious note; I don't (and never will) belong to a country club, nor will I ever pack a tux or dress jacket for a cruise. I know it's just our personal choice, but when we travel, we go for comfort rather than posturing; the day I'm wearing a tux in a restaurant is the day I'm waiting tables.

 

 

 

I hear you. Those days of formal tux nights are long gone for us as I said, there was a lot of flexibility when we sailed on Quest last month with dress, and there were options where you could stay casual on that evening. Other than that night, dress by both men and women pretty much mirrored Viking 

Edited July 3, 2023 by Vineyard View

[Myrtle Ave. Mayhem]

On 7/2/2023 at 12:38 PM, SJD117 said:

I love the Scandinavian decor on Viking’s ships. (That’s probably because I’m part Danish.) It’s very welcoming to me — and one of the reasons I look forward to embarking on every Viking cruise. I’m definitely not tired of it.

Every time I board a Viking ship it feels like coming back to home & family. My great aunt's husband was Danish & their house  & everything in it was Scandinavian Modern. Furniture, tapestries, ect. I'll never tire of the Viking Ocean ships. It feels just like spending summers with Aunt Louise & Uncle Vern. Another aspect I love about Viking is their lineage to the former Royal Viking Line. Although Royal Viking was admittedly more formal than Viking Ocean & was considered a luxury brand, the Viking ships are like a  modern day Royal Viking Star, Sky, or Sea.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Myrtle Ave. Mayhem

[Twitchly]

1 hour ago, Myrtle Ave. Mayhem said:

 

What a fabulous photo!! Thanks for sharing it. I love vintage cruise shots. Another world. 

[Clay Clayton]

2 hours ago, longterm said:

Next thing you know, they'll outlaw my red sleeveless fishnet shirt and backwards baseball cap.

 

On a serious note; I don't (and never will) belong to a country club, nor will I ever pack a tux or dress jacket for a cruise. I know it's just our personal choice, but when we travel, we go for comfort rather than posturing; the day I'm wearing a tux in a restaurant is the day I'm waiting tables.

 

 

 

Never say never!  We would have said the same but our condo (which we love) is in a CC community and membership is required. I try not to think about the $144 a month that we are paying for nothing😢. 

[CCWineLover]

3 hours ago, Twitchly said:

What a fabulous photo!! Thanks for sharing it. I love vintage cruise shots. Another world. 

I always think of viking ocean ships as “coming home” !  We love that comfortable feel of knowing where everything is.  It’s like going to Disneyland over and over as a kid!!

[May B]

On 7/1/2023 at 7:02 PM, Azulann said:

  What was the onboard culture like? I have  read the Seabourn forum and Silver Seas forum and Crystal. IMO,  there are  regular posters on those forums that I would not have anything in common with , in fact, nmost  seem very pompous and full of themselves.

Here on Viking forum ,  the regular posters are all folks I would love to cruise with based on their posts over the years.😍

Oh, no, Patti! You wouldn’t want to cruise with me? I’m crushed!

 

Actually, near the end of our first Viking Ocean last week, Mr B and I compared our Crystal experiences with our Viking Jupiter. We ended in a disagreement! Mr B gives the edge to Viking, while I give it to OC. We have two new Crystal booked, followed by a Viking Saturn in Dec. 2024. By then, we’ll REALLY be able to compare.

 

We are so fortunate to be able to travel like this.

 

Thank you, OP, for this great thread. I didn’t take time to follow it while I was on Jupiter.  I’ll now go back and pick up where I left off!

[May B]

9 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

I always think of viking ocean ships as “coming home” !  We love that comfortable feel of knowing where everything is.  It’s like going to Disneyland over and over as a kid!!

How about going to Disney over and over as an adult?

 

If you’ve never been to the Flower and Garden Show at Epcot, I highly recommend it! It spans many months, so I also suggest you should avoid the heat and humidity which usually arrives around May 1st and stays indefinitely. This year, May was surprisingly mild and enjoyable. We celebrated our son’s 52nd birthday there. For many years, he had a season pass (Florida resident, with blackout dates, not a totally outrageous price).

 

Food and Wine is probably also wonderful, but I haven’t gotten to experience it.

Edited July 4, 2023 by May B

[Twitchly]

2 hours ago, May B said:

Actually, near the end of our first Viking Ocean last week, Mr B and I compared our Crystal experiences with our Viking Jupiter. We ended in a disagreement! Mr B gives the edge to Viking, while I give it to OC. We have two new Crystal booked, followed by a Viking Saturn in Dec. 2024. By then, we’ll REALLY be able to compare.

Would you be willing to share your thoughts on the two cruise lines? And his? 

[Azulann]

3 hours ago, May B said:

Oh, no, Patti! You wouldn’t want to cruise with me? I’m crushed!

 

Actually, near the end of our first Viking Ocean last week, Mr B and I compared our Crystal experiences with our Viking Jupiter. We ended in a disagreement! Mr B gives the edge to Viking, while I give it to OC. We have two new Crystal booked, followed by a Viking Saturn in Dec. 2024. By then, we’ll REALLY be able to compare.

 

We are so fortunate to be able to travel like this.

 

Thank you, OP, for this great thread. I didn’t take time to follow it while I was on Jupiter.  I’ll now go back and pick up where I left off!

MayB, I would love to meet you and Mr. B on any Viking cruise. 🥂Where are you going on the Viking Saturn in Dec 24?  We booked The Star for Feb 2025 for Greek Odyssey. My sister has never been to Greece. 

This thread has me  beginning to think about Seabourn or Oceania. But want to be on newer ships. Not old refreshed ones.  

I see Oceania has a Bermuda cruise out of NYC . I loved, love my Viking cruise around Bermuda during COVD.  too bad Viking does not do a Bermuda cruise.

I agree that we are indeed fortunate to be able to cruise.  

 

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, Azulann said:

I loved, love my Viking cruise around Bermuda during COVD.  too bad Viking does not do a Bermuda cruise.

 

Patti and May -

yes, we are indeed very fortunate to be able to travel and have the health to do so.

We also enjoyed thoroughly the Welcome Back Bermuda cruise we did in July 2021.

We also wish Viking would "reinstate" something like that.  They could do maybe a month of one ship doing 1 week round Bermuda cruises like back then.  

FYI - we are going on the Neptune this December on a Transatlantic from Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale.  It stops in Hamilton, Bermuda (as well as Azores).  I think it's a one off though.

[May B]

41 minutes ago, Twitchly said:

Would you be willing to share your thoughts on the two cruise lines? And his? 

I’d love to! But it’s only “old Crystal”, since so far that’s all we know.

 

The biggest difference is the entertainment in the Star vs. the Galaxy (Viking vs. Crystal). Crystal’s stage is much larger, and the band is larger. Production shows include dancers. Guest performers are good to great. Did you ever get to enjoy organist Hector Olivera?

 

https://hectorolivera.com

 

plus the Galaxy has plenty of cocktail tables. Mr B claims he’s happy with just four singers and four band members, every night, on Viking. YMMV. Oh, and they’re augmented by two lounge-type singers, as well as the cruise director and assistant cruise director, both of whom have great singing voices, in some of the shows.

 

Dinners in main dining room, I give the nod to Crystal, Mr B to Viking. I do agree with him that the fish offerings on Viking are a tad more upscale: halibut (three times!), red snapper, Chilean sea bass, ahi tuna, Dover sole on Viking. Once halibut and red snapper on Crystal, the same night. That was before we knew we could special order something for a future night. Crystal also has other fish on menu, just not as every night-ish as we had on Jupiter. Mr B doesn’t like the foam accents, common on Crystal. Plus on our last Crystal, Nov. of 2021, fish was consistently over cooked, except at Umi Uma. Umi Uma is the best dinner at sea, bar none. 

 

Crew wonderful on both, I say big nod to Crystal, Mr B says small nod.

 

Pool Grill on Viking vs. Trident Grill on Crystal. Both great. Medium nod to Viking for more and nicer seating, and char-grilled ahi tuna 😌, plus nice salad bar almost same as inside World Cafe. Crystal’s burgers were juicier (higher fat content) and there are nice other options, but that ahi tuna is so wonderful. Plus Viking has hot dog that can be Scandinavian style, on flatbread with shrimp salad. Crystal’s cooks seem to be much happier. 
 

Pool area nicer on Viking, with two of them. Midship one is covered with easily retractable roof. Aft one is small infinity pool, with its own hot tub. 

 

Buffets are comparable (wonderful). Outdoor seating a bit more protected on Viking, but I don’t love having tables by the pool, and that’s true at both pools on Viking. 
 

Bistro on Crystal has more variety than Mamsen’s, is open much more, and is in a great location.
 

Staterooms fine on both ships. Different but fine. 

 

Music around the ship, I think we both give nod to Crystal. On Viking, we had the string duo, the piano player, and the guitarist. On Crystal, two piano players, one in lounge outside MDR, and one in a place called Avenue Saloon, with easy listening before dinner, and a real lounge entertainer, after dinner. Plus string duo, and duo of guitar and singer. So four on Crystal vs. three on Viking. 

 

I never went to TorsHavn on Viking when they had dancing, although the one night there was dance music with full group of entertainers, at the pool, was a wonderful event. On Crystal, Palm Court has dance music, often, and that venue has wide open views, up top forward. Explorer Lounge on Viking is similar but different.

 

Crystal had and will again have dance hosts, plus bridge instructor and sanctioned bridge on every cruise, plus computer classes, plus art classes, and trivia at a time I preferred.

 

Viking has 1500 piece jigsaw puzzle, very classy Scrabble game, computer games, and books all over the place. Crystal has really nice library, plus magic shows.

 

Both have really good enrichment.

 

Big nod to Crystal for open bar. On Viking, we brought on one bottle of a wine we really like, and 75 ml of Maker’s, b/c I’d heard they weren’t able to stock it onboard Jupiter. I probably would’ve drunk more if we’d had the drink package, which is decent value on Viking. If we hadn’t brought our own, my bar tab could’ve been around the same price as the drink package, or even less. So while I give the big nod to Crystal, I would’ve consumed more calories either on Crystal or with Viking drink package. I already consumed enough calories as it is! So maybe that’s a nod with an asterisk. Actually, I think Crystal’s mixed drink menu vastly exceeds Viking’s, although Viking had a few I wanted to try, but never did.

 

A few nice little touches on Viking add to why we both were happy to book another Viking. Elevator buttons that say Gangway are nice! Crew and staff greeting us at times on our way off and on the ship is classy. The day 600 of us took the train to Berlin, maybe 50 crew and staff welcomed us back after our 12 hours away! In general, though, Viking is so calm and peaceful. Great vibe.

 

Included tour every port in Viking is nice. Not all great but definitely of value.

 

It’s unlikely I’d ever choose by costs, but if I did, I’d have to remember gratuities are included in cruise fare on Crystal, but not on Viking. Same for booze and wine. Also would have to remember to compare veranda staterooms. Crystal has some ocean view that we liked a lot (with bathtub that I would love but I think they’re going away in the refurbishing before returning to service).

 

Both ships have wraparound promenade deck, slights nod to Crystal b/c it’s nicer.

 

That’s probably way more than you wanted to hear. A friend asked which line we’d choose if the itineraries were the same, and I said I’d choose Crystal and Mr B would choose Viking. 😳😁😉

[May B]

2 hours ago, Azulann said:

MayB, I would love to meet you and Mr. B on any Viking cruise. 🥂Where are you going on the Viking Saturn in Dec 24?  We booked The Star for Feb 2025 for Greek Odyssey. My sister has never been to Greece. 

This thread has me  beginning to think about Seabourn or Oceania. But want to be on newer ships. Not old refreshed ones.  

I see Oceania has a Bermuda cruise out of NYC . I loved, love my Viking cruise around Bermuda during COVD.  too bad Viking does not do a Bermuda cruise.

I agree that we are indeed fortunate to be able to cruise.  

 

So glad you booked Greece! 
 

We booked Malta, Morocco and Mediterranean for Dec. of ‘24. It includes five new stops for us: Corsica, Malta, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco! Includes a few sea days, to catch our breath.

[Azulann]

3 minutes ago, May B said:

So glad you booked Greece! 
 

We booked Malta, Morocco and Mediterranean for Dec. of ‘24. It includes five new stops for us: Corsica, Malta, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco! Includes a few sea days, to catch our breath.

Oh how wonderful. I did a Malta to Barcelona  Welcome back cruise. The ship is right along side the harbor walk in Malta with a dynamite view of other ships coming into the harbor.

 Did  Tangiers twice, once on Viking and once on Celebrity.  Loved that port and walking through the Medina

with a guide. Bought spices and argan oil  which I love. 

Corsica is delightful  and have some great Corsican white wine to bring back on board. 

Please do a trip report if you are so inclined.  Tunisia and Algeria sound so exotic and with ancient sites.

[CCWineLover]

26 minutes ago, May B said:

So glad you booked Greece! 
 

We booked Malta, Morocco and Mediterranean for Dec. of ‘24. It includes five new stops for us: Corsica, Malta, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco! Includes a few sea days, to catch our breath.

Fantastic!  We are on Dec 24 Malta, etc on the Saturn, May.  We'll see you there!

Kent

[May B]

29 minutes ago, Azulann said:

Oh how wonderful. I did a Malta to Barcelona  Welcome back cruise. The ship is right along side the harbor walk in Malta with a dynamite view of other ships coming into the harbor.

 Did  Tangiers twice, once on Viking and once on Celebrity.  Loved that port and walking through the Medina

with a guide. Bought spices and argan oil  which I love. 

Corsica is delightful  and have some great Corsican white wine to bring back on board. 

Please do a trip report if you are so inclined.  Tunisia and Algeria sound so exotic and with ancient sites.

Mmmm, this gets me even more excited! I will make notes.

 

And I agree with you that short cruises to Bermuda would be nice (from your previous comment). But what I love most is that your sister is getting to see places she’s never been. I hope she had a good guide in Berlin. 

[Myrtle Ave. Mayhem]

 

 

3 hours ago, Azulann said:

MayB, I would love to meet you and Mr. B on any Viking cruise. 🥂Where  too bad Viking does not do a Bermuda cruise.

I agree that we are indeed fortunate to be able to cruise.  

 

@Azulann , May, & Kent - Viking & Bermuda was/would be a match made in Heaven! I'm thoroughly onboard, pun intended.