Current experience Azamara v Viking

[excitedofharpenden]

5 hours ago, uktog said:

The one thing we did notice different, was there very very few people who openly indicated they were connected with the Travel trade or were picking up interline rates. which makes me wonder again about a different policy . 

Anyone working in the travel industry should not indicate they are getting interline rates. I have never met anyone on a cruise who does this because the are requested not to discuss it. 

 

Phil 

Edited September 17, 2023 by excitedofharpenden

[uktog]

9 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Anyone working in the travel industry should not indicate they are getting interline rates. I have never met anyone on a cruise who does this because the are requested not to discuss it. 

 

Phil 

Interesting I’ve been party  to or overheard several conversations which unfortunately were on the subject of fares paid and when surprise was expressed at a low price there was a comment which explained interline. I agree it should never be discussed but some folks just can’t resist it! 

[Mackdogmolly]

6 hours ago, uktog said:

They do not publish or share the country or age profile  by passenger, which, of course is always interesting

I wonder why they don’t share the country profile by cruise. It certainly would be interesting .

[fruitmachine]

6 hours ago, uktog said:

The one thing we did notice different, was there very very few people who openly indicated they were connected with the Travel trade or were picking up interline rates. which makes me wonder again about a different policy .

I believe they offer no commission in the UK and perhaps elsewhere, preferring the direct-sales model.

[uktog]

Just now, fruitmachine said:

I believe they offer no commission in the UK and perhaps elsewhere, preferring the direct-sales model.

Correct their sales model is restricted to a few agencies plus direct sales. I believe those agencies engaged have to work to very high standards and are not permitted to discount except in very controlled ways. Once published the very very rarely increase their prices though they have just done so and they do not run sales through agencies. 
 

I’m not sure that the very strict pricing control is something that I would want to see everywhere but I do think it’s to your big advantage that the cruise line requires agencies to work to very high standards. There is a better customer experience precruise (even before the IT meltdown) and often on these boards we read of problems which were actually the fault of the travel agent being identified. Maybe Azamara should set tighter standards and only deal with agencies who hit this higher bar. 

[uktog]

16 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I wonder why they don’t share the country profile by cruise. It certainly would be interesting .

You will find they generally have a less open communication style and I think this is all part of it. 
 

Mind an alternative benefit of their more controlled communication is that you only have one piece of paper comes into your room at night, The Daily, and absolutely no marketing material other than the brochure that is left in your room at the start. To be honest, it was under something else on the lovely tray and we did not notice until the last day and tidying up!!

[Mackdogmolly]

2 minutes ago, uktog said:

You will find they generally have a less open communication style and I think this is all part of it. 
 

Mind an alternative benefit of their more controlled communication is that you only have one piece of paper comes into your room at night, The Daily, and absolutely no marketing material other than the brochure that is left in your room at the start. To be honest, it was under something else on the lovely tray and we did not notice until the last day and tidying up!!

If I’m not mistaken, Azamara publishes the guest demographics in their Daily.

[uktog]

13 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

If I’m not mistaken, Azamara publishes the guest demographics in their Daily.

They do, there are a lot of these niceties (eg senior staff biographies) which it’s not Viking policy to share. I suspect that might be a “deal breaker” for some - the most the captain will communicate is the standard position and temperature plus an outline forecast. The cruise director follows that announcement with very limited summary of upcoming events so audio communication is probably less than Azamara though their daily TV show is delivered more professionally. 

We got used to their more minimalist communications and it wouldn’t be a future concern - to us it’s just a different “culture” - so long as everything safety and health critical was communicated. 

The Cruise Director was very modest, much more modest than many we’ve sailed with across the years on all other lines.

 

They also were very “neutral” about sights we would see - for example it was merely highlighted we would have an afternoon of cruising through the Prince Christian Sound  - no spectacular unbelievable awesome outstanding…… all of which it was. Now the counter of this was some people who hadn’t done any homework didn’t focus on watching what was floating by them. We got to Iceland and one woman asked when would she see an iceberg or glaciers as she’d not seen one yet. Where was she this day! 
 

 

 

 

[Mackdogmolly]

9 minutes ago, uktog said:

They do, there are a lot of these niceties (eg senior staff biographies) which it’s not Viking policy to share. I suspect that might be a “deal breaker” for some - the most the captain will communicate is the standard position and temperature plus an outline forecast. The cruise director follows that announcement with very limited summary of upcoming events so audio communication is probably less than Azamara though their daily TV show is delivered more professionally. 

We got used to their more minimalist communications and it wouldn’t be a future concern - to us it’s just a different “culture” - so long as everything safety and health critical was communicated. 

The Cruise Director was very modest, much more modest than many we’ve sailed with across the years on all other lines.

 

They also were very “neutral” about sights we would see - for example it was merely highlighted we would have an afternoon of cruising through the Prince Christian Sound  - no spectacular unbelievable awesome outstanding…… all of which it was. Now the counter of this was some people who hadn’t done any homework didn’t focus on watching what was floating by them. We got to Iceland and one woman asked when would she see an iceberg or glaciers as she’d not seen one yet. Where was she this day! 
 

 

 

 

Where was she, indeed! Great pics!

[Host Jazzbeau]

5 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

I believe they offer no commission in the UK and perhaps elsewhere, preferring the direct-sales model.

 

5 hours ago, uktog said:

Correct their sales model is restricted to a few agencies plus direct sales. I believe those agencies engaged have to work to very high standards and are not permitted to discount except in very controlled ways. Once published the very very rarely increase their prices though they have just done so and they do not run sales through agencies. 
 

I’m not sure that the very strict pricing control is something that I would want to see everywhere but I do think it’s to your big advantage that the cruise line requires agencies to work to very high standards. There is a better customer experience precruise (even before the IT meltdown) and often on these boards we read of problems which were actually the fault of the travel agent being identified. Maybe Azamara should set tighter standards and only deal with agencies who hit this higher bar. 

In the US I don't think Viking vet the TAs, but they do restrict how much a TA can rebate to the customer.  So we not only have the terrible early final payment deadlines but we don't get much knocked off the price either...

[MamaFej]

One thing I particularly appreciated on Viking (besides the best French Onion Soup I've ever had) was the "Gangway" button in the lift/elevator. They clearly program that button to get you to whichever deck on which the gangway is located at the moment. That seems like a very low cost, but rather helpful feature. 

[AllisonJames]

Thank you for this very detailed review. We have only sailed on Viking Ocean once and it was more than 5 years ago but our experience and perspective was very similar to yours…Did not feel like there were noticeably more guests than AZ (and it was a holiday week) and loved all the indoor/outdoor areas — great ship for inclement weather or longer cruise. We are booked on Viking River for next July and yes, their payment policy is a bit crazy…payment in full more than 11 months in advance, but we were happy with the cost for a two-room suite so we paid it and the river cruises really book up so necessary.  Also booked on AZ again but there are areas where Viking is edging out AZ.  Although we did not find the service or the other guests as friendly on Viking as on AZ…I can say the Viking pre-cruise experience, this far ahead, has already been extremely good.

[Mackdogmolly]

11 hours ago, AllisonJames said:

Although we did not find the service or the other guests as friendly on Viking as on AZ

This is kind of my fear, based solely on my Roll Call, which has been deadly quiet. And no automatic M&Ms onboard, either. Someone from the roll call has to organize and notify the ship with names and cabin numbers or some such. No one has volunteered (or shown interest) and as a newbie, I really didn’t want to take it on.
 

[takemewithyou]

25 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

This is kind of my fear, based solely on my Roll Call, which has been deadly quiet. And no automatic M&Ms onboard, either. Someone from the roll call has to organize and notify the ship with names and cabin numbers or some such. No one has volunteered (or shown interest) and as a newbie, I really didn’t want to take it on.
 

For us, it was VERY different than our Azamara cruises.  There was no meet and greet, but I did recognize some of the people from our roll call at the airport or onboard and we struck up a bit of a conversation.  

[uktog]

I dont think Cruise Critic has as much "influence" with guests on Viking.  However, it was so easy to have conversations with others it made no difference for us.  Because more people go on the included trips and Viking add on excursions (their prices are far more reasonable) the linking up for trips has not got the same traction on roll calls.  However you meet people on the tours and afternoon tea is a very social event every day.  There are very few set ups for 2 guests so it becomes a convivial time for a conversation.  Its also short enough each day (under an hour) that if you get a "misconnection" its an easy move on at the end!

 

Personally I wouldn't take on the setting up an event onboard, its not entirely straightforward from what i heard

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by uktog

[excitedofharpenden]

3 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

This is kind of my fear, based solely on my Roll Call, which has been deadly quiet. And no automatic M&Ms onboard, either. Someone from the roll call has to organize and notify the ship with names and cabin numbers or some such. No one has volunteered (or shown interest) and as a newbie, I really didn’t want to take it on.
 

If it was me I'd make a good mention of meeting up for sailaway somewhere for those that want to put faces to names. If people want to come then they will. Easy. No organising necessary. For those that may have booked tours together then sharing an email address if they are happy to do that. I've set up a separate email account for Cruise Critic chat to reduce the chances of spam.

 

I left meet and greets behind a while ago, but have met some lovely people through them. Now I've done enough rubber necking and happy to do my own thing 😁

 

Phil 

[Mackdogmolly]

34 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

If it was me I'd make a good mention of meeting up for sailaway somewhere for those that want to put faces to names. If people want to come then they will. Easy. No organising necessary. For those that may have booked tours together then sharing an email address if they are happy to do that. I've set up a separate email account for Cruise Critic chat to reduce the chances of spam.

 

I left meet and greets behind a while ago, but have met some lovely people through them. Now I've done enough rubber necking and happy to do my own thing 😁

 

Phil 

Because of the free excursions on Viking, there is less organizing of private tours (none on my roll call). And unfortunately, sail away is at midnight on this cruise! But I take your point. 

[Sleep7]

👋Hi uktog!

I really enjoyed reading your day by day review on the Viking Board and also your summary and comparisons at the end.

I feel just the same way as your quote..

 

"Will we sail again on Viking?   - absolutely (bookings now in place)

Will we sail again on Azamara – absolutely (bookings now in place)"

 

I don't know if it's the same in the UK but for us Viking Ocean costs at least twice or sometimes three times as much as Azamara.  That is going by cruises we have booked recently.

I think Azamara has an amazing product and I'm so glad that it's much more reasonable for us than a Viking cruise.  We will continue to sail on both lines though as they are both wonderful!

Thanks for your review and happy sailing to you always.

 

[uktog]

The pricing in the UK per day when you factor it down to like for like is not that different.  I do my calculations on a per day basis and they are within £40 of each other.  Viking prices here look higher until you take account of the fact they already include economy airfare and they seem to have access to good prices for business.  I also factor in a "value" for the included tours which this time (and next) will fully meet our needs for where we are going.

I think the difference also is we never get great travel agent discounts like guests in the US get so whereas Azamara US attracts travel agent discounts and benefits, often substantial (Viking only gets controlled sums if any) so will look cheaper, we here are always working with very little discounts so it brings them closer anyway.

[Sleep7]

8 hours ago, uktog said:

The pricing in the UK per day when you factor it down to like for like is not that different.  I do my calculations on a per day basis and they are within £40 of each other.  Viking prices here look higher until you take account of the fact they already include economy airfare and they seem to have access to good prices for business.  I also factor in a "value" for the included tours which this time (and next) will fully meet our needs for where we are going.

I think the difference also is we never get great travel agent discounts like guests in the US get so whereas Azamara US attracts travel agent discounts and benefits, often substantial (Viking only gets controlled sums if any) so will look cheaper, we here are always working with very little discounts so it brings them closer anyway.

Hi!

So interesting that the prices are not that different between the two lines in the UK.

In the USA (to me) they are very different with Viking being MUCH higher than Azamara.

And I'm not including any discounts given by a travel agent.. Usually I only book directly thru the

cruise lines.

Anyways..as you said.. love both.. will continue to book both depending upon the itinerary.. the date and the price.😊

[BrendaJ]

Thank you for the very comprehensive and fair review.   You made me really want to try Viking.   However, from Canada, their prices are extremely high.  Doing a comparison between Azamara, Seaborne, Silversea and Viking, Viking’s price per night for similar itineraries was higher than the other three in many cases.   The only itineraries where Viking was a bit cheaper were transatlantic.

 

From what I can tell, Viking does not include gratuities.  If that is true, that must also be added to the Viking price per day, as well as basic cocktails, if that is something you enjoy.  For the prices I saw, I’m probably more likely to try Seaborne than Viking.   I don’t know all that much about Seaborne other than they are a luxury line, and some of their ships are definitely older than Viking’s.  Viking does appear to have some unique itineraries, including some cold weather trips that I would find very interesting.   I do like the idea of included excursions, although in many cases, a short bus tour or walking tour would not be what I would select.

 

I’m curious about the technology available on Viking, seeing as they are newer ships.   Celebrity’s Edge-class ships have some really fabulous technology.   They have a phone app that allows you to do the following:  check in, view the daily itineraries and excursions before and during the cruise, attend a virtual safety drill, view deck plans, track your spending, unlock your cabin, control the cabin temperature, television, window coverings and lighting, make restaurant reservations and view menus, and send messages to fellow passengers.   For me, it was a game changer.  I’m curious if Viking has similar technical treats.

 

In any case, if the price differential stays the same, I’m unlikely to try Viking in the near future, as appealing as it seems.

[cayman09]

Viking Ocean wanted full payment 15 months in advance and wouldn't budge. I had been on their river cruises and reluctantly paid in full 6 months prior to sailing but this 15 month policy is a deal breaker for me. I'm happy on Oceania and I'm booked on Azamara now. They will be my go to for the near future.

[Mackdogmolly]

37 minutes ago, cayman09 said:

Viking Ocean wanted full payment 15 months in advance and wouldn't budge. I had been on their river cruises and reluctantly paid in full 6 months prior to sailing but this 15 month policy is a deal breaker for me. I'm happy on Oceania and I'm booked on Azamara now. They will be my go to for the near future.

Yes, I booked my Viking Ocean cruise relatively last minute, so it wasn’t that painful.

[nordski]

1 hour ago, BrendaJ said:

Thank you for the very comprehensive and fair review.   You made me really want to try Viking.   However, from Canada, their prices are extremely high.  Doing a comparison between Azamara, Seaborne, Silversea and Viking, Viking’s price per night for similar itineraries was higher than the other three in many cases.   The only itineraries where Viking was a bit cheaper were transatlantic.

 

From what I can tell, Viking does not include gratuities.  If that is true, that must also be added to the Viking price per day, as well as basic cocktails, if that is something you enjoy.  For the prices I saw, I’m probably more likely to try Seaborne than Viking.   I don’t know all that much about Seaborne other than they are a luxury line, and some of their ships are definitely older than Viking’s.  Viking does appear to have some unique itineraries, including some cold weather trips that I would find very interesting.   I do like the idea of included excursions, although in many cases, a short bus tour or walking tour would not be what I would select.

 

I’m curious about the technology available on Viking, seeing as they are newer ships.   Celebrity’s Edge-class ships have some really fabulous technology.   They have a phone app that allows you to do the following:  check in, view the daily itineraries and excursions before and during the cruise, attend a virtual safety drill, view deck plans, track your spending, unlock your cabin, control the cabin temperature, television, window coverings and lighting, make restaurant reservations and view menus, and send messages to fellow passengers.   For me, it was a game changer.  I’m curious if Viking has similar technical treats.

 

In any case, if the price differential stays the same, I’m unlikely to try Viking in the near future, as appealing as it seems.

As you probably know, Viking has an “expedition” ship on the Great Lakes. “Expedition” because it must be smaller than their regular ships in order to navigate the Welland Canal. Despite the fact that we have visited many of the ports and sights on the itinerary, we thought it would be interesting. Checking the prices put an end to that interest.

i appreciate your comments on the Edge class as some other posters are quite critical.

[BrendaJ]

10 minutes ago, nordski said:

As you probably know, Viking has an “expedition” ship on the Great Lakes. “Expedition” because it must be smaller than their regular ships in order to navigate the Welland Canal. Despite the fact that we have visited many of the ports and sights on the itinerary, we thought it would be interesting. Checking the prices put an end to that interest.

i appreciate your comments on the Edge class as some other posters are quite critical.

I think most cruisers who really love Azamara and what they offer would not be thrilled with Celebrity’s largest ships, where the onboard atmosphere is energetic and busy and perhaps a bit glitzy.   After sailing Azamara’s quiet, small ships, Celebrity might feel a bit jarring.  I personally find Celebrity’s food to be fine, and their service is also fine for my needs.   It’s not as personal as Azamara’s, but I don’t need it to be.   I really love the newest Celebrity ships - I find them beautiful, comfortable and exciting (other than perhaps a bit of seating that seemed to be design more for form than function).  

 

I’ve also had some interest in some of those ships that sail the Great Lakes (it would be wonderful to avoid those long flights) but the prices for those cruises are bonkers.