Some optimism? A new ship?

[Riocca]

5 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Which is crazy, because tropical rains often pass very quickly. Much better just to use the roof for colder weather 

Absolutely, it drove us nuts, the Viking ships are nice but we didn’t take to some of the features. Like the aft infinity pool it looks great but in reality having the aft restaurant terrace shared with a pool didn’t work. Imagine the Sunset Terrace a bit larger and shared with a pool, they also allowed those using the pool into the self serve restaurant in swimwear and bare feet.

[Mackdogmolly]

Just now, Mackdogmolly said:

12 minutes ago, Riocca said:

Absolutely, it drove us nuts, the Viking ships are nice but we didn’t take to some of the features. Like the aft infinity pool it looks great but in reality having the aft restaurant terrace shared with a pool didn’t work. Imagine the Sunset Terrace a bit larger and shared with a pool, they also allowed those using the pool into the self serve restaurant in swimwear and bare feet.

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Well, I’m going on my first (warm weather) Viking cruise in just over a month, so I’ll report back!

[futian]

On Celebrity Edge just now and at the captains talk he said all four European shipyards are fully booked for the next 12 years !!!

[BrendaJ]

Oceania certainly made it work for them.  Back in the beginning, Azamara and Oceania started on the same foot, but Oceania started building new ships; they currently have 7 with another set to debut in 2025.   I think they did the right thing by building ships around 65,000 tonnes.   Not small, but it’s probably still a fairly intimate atmosphere compared to large ships.  So far, they seem to be doing well.   I’ve never sailed on Oceania but I suspect they offer a product similar to Azamara’s.   When they first started promoting the Marina, I thought it looked wonderful.

 

Azamara is great, but if I could get the same wonderful services and itineraries, but have a nicer cabin and more dining choices, I’d enjoying trying that.

[uktog]

2 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

2 hours ago, Riocca said:

Absolutely, it drove us nuts, the Viking ships are nice but we didn’t take to some of the features. Like the aft infinity pool it looks great but in reality having the aft restaurant terrace shared with a pool didn’t work. Imagine the Sunset Terrace a bit larger and shared with a pool, they also allowed those using the pool into the self serve restaurant in swimwear and bare feet.

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Maybe then but certainly not right now. We’d no issue with them opening the sun roof after morning showers and ahead of evening showers at the end of August. We were surprised how little space the folded roof took up. All it did was slightly narrowed the walking track. Having enjoyed it so much and seemed the flexibility it gave its an absolute must for any new build. 

We loved the aft area.

 

It’s bigger than any sunset veranda in term of table capacity plus wings round the side and then for those who still want to lie there you’ve got about 40 loungers and tables to snack at. 

There’s also so much seating on the two decks above the cafe

 

 

 

Im going to do a summary review but on balance we would have to prefer the Viking experience over Azamara when considering all factors though of course the factors that score highly with us may not bother others. 

[Riocca]

16 minutes ago, uktog said:

Maybe then but certainly not right now. We’d no issue with them opening the sun roof after morning showers and ahead of evening showers at the end of August. We were surprised how little space the folded roof took up. All it did was slightly narrowed the walking track. Having enjoyed it so much and seemed the flexibility it gave its an absolute must for any new build. 

We loved the aft area.

 

It’s bigger than any sunset veranda in term of table capacity plus wings round the side and then for those who still want to lie there you’ve got about 40 loungers and tables to snack at. 

There’s also so much seating on the two decks above the cafe

 

 

 

Im going to do a summary review but on balance we would have to prefer the Viking experience over Azamara when considering all factors though of course the factors that score highly with us may not bother others. 

Ours was a Caribbean cruise in 2019 they tried different set ups on the aft terrace but most days it was chaos at meal times.

 

 

Don’t get me wrong there were good things about Viking as well in fact the Chef’s Table specialty restaurant was one of the best we’ve experienced.

Having an aft pool would be great as is having an aft eating area, personal opinion is that they should not be combined.

[excitedofharpenden]

@Riocca that last photo is just pure ignorance. I'm afraid these sorts of people are everywhere, but they make my blood boil with their all about me attitude. I try to get over it, but sadly was brought up in a very different way to have respect for others. 

 

Phil 

[Mackdogmolly]

I will be on Viking for a Panama Canal cruise during the rainy season, so both hot and likely to have rain. It will be interesting to see how they handle It. Looking forward to comparing experiences, but we both think that Azamara will always be our first choice.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I don't know what the size limit for Azamara's itineraries is, or what other factors come into play ... but:  neither Viking nor Oceania's newer (larger) ships have itineraries that are anywhere near as interesting as Azamara's.  So we should be careful what we wish for in terms of new Azamara ships, or at least hope that (like Oceania) they keep the old ones even as they build new designs.

[uktog]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I don't know what the size limit for Azamara's itineraries is, or what other factors come into play ... but:  neither Viking nor Oceania's newer (larger) ships have itineraries that are anywhere near as interesting as Azamara's.  So we should be careful what we wish for in terms of new Azamara ships, or at least hope that (like Oceania) they keep the old ones even as they build new designs.

Whilst I agree re southern Europe I have been on or am booked on 3 cruises with Viking. In every case excellent itineraries not offered by Azamara. You also need to remember that Viking due to its shore power capacity can go to places in Norway that Azamara is now no longer permitted to call. The old vessels may lose a lot of appeal if they get more limited in terms of their speed or other environmental issues. I believe there is room for both lines

 

There are certainly some good features on Azamara and some areas they fall quite short when compared to Viking (none being price related). I believe they each could give each other some real competition which could drive up standards on both 

[uktog]

2 hours ago, Riocca said:

Ours was a Caribbean cruise in 2019 they tried different set ups on the aft terrace but most days it was chaos at meal times.

 

 

Don’t get me wrong there were good things about Viking as well in fact the Chef’s Table specialty restaurant was one of the best we’ve experienced.

Having an aft pool would be great as is having an aft eating area, personal opinion is that they should not be combined.

Maybe they’ve acted on feedback- on Saturn there was clear delineation between loungers which were in rows of six chairs and side tables coming back from the aft rail to the point of the pool step in.

The dining tables were behind that mostly undercover but for the sunlight lovers also tables going back port and starboard up the side. 
So anyone who wanted a sunset veranda experience like on Azamara could do so without sharing space with the pool users 

[Grandma Cruising]

10 hours ago, uktog said:

Maybe they’ve acted on feedback- on Saturn there was clear delineation between loungers which were in rows of six chairs and side tables coming back from the aft rail to the point of the pool step in.

The dining tables were behind that mostly undercover but for the sunlight lovers also tables going back port and starboard up the side. 
So anyone who wanted a sunset veranda experience like on Azamara could do so without sharing space with the pool users 

Do Viking not have cushioned mattresses on their loungers (as Azamara has)? That would be a deal breaker for us!

[uktog]

1 hour ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Do Viking not have cushioned mattresses on their loungers (as Azamara has)? That would be a deal breaker for us!

They do on some. You can get cushion if you want but to be honest these loungers were extremely comfortable I was surprised because at first I thought I would not like them 

[G2G]

I enjoyed the one and only cruise I did with Viking which was one of their first post Covid. They had a great deal for solos as not many people were travelling, it was however a short lived offer. They do not encourage solos with their pricing which is usually a double fare. So its once and done for me