Viking small enough for better port access?

[rjp50]

I saw a video yesterday talking about an Azamara cruise that was able to get into a port right in the center of town versus the industrial port that the larger cruise ships had to go to.  That got me wondering if the Viking ships are small enough to allow better port access than what lines like Celebrity or Princess can get into.  Have any of you had experiences where your mooring was considerably better because of the modest size of the Viking Ocean ships?

[Heidi13]

32 minutes ago, rjp50 said:

I saw a video yesterday talking about an Azamara cruise that was able to get into a port right in the center of town versus the industrial port that the larger cruise ships had to go to.  That got me wondering if the Viking ships are small enough to allow better port access than what lines like Celebrity or Princess can get into.  Have any of you had experiences where your mooring was considerably better because of the modest size of the Viking Ocean ships?

 

Compared to the Celebrity and Princess ships mega ships, there are many ports in the World that the Viking ships can visit, that mega ships can't. You will also find examples where Viking ships dock alongside, but mega ships must tender.

 

However, compared to Azamara ships, which are about 160' shorter and have about 18" less draught, the Viking ships will be unable to visit some port accessible to Azamara.

 

London is a classic example where Viking ships sail down the Thames to Greenwich, whereas mega ships must dock at Tilbury, Southampton or Dover.

 

In some ports, such as Sydney, the size of mega ships preclude them from sailing under the Harbour Bridge, so mega ships must dock at Circular Quay's OPT. The OPT dock is next to the historic Rocks area, Opera House and the CBD. Smaller ships generally dock at White Bay, which is a few miles from the CBD. Therefore, in Sydney, mega ships get the premium dock space.

[formernuke]

There are also now a number of port cities that are limiting cruise ships based on numbers of passengers ashore. Often that number is about a thousand. This might give Viking an option in some ports that others won’t have. 

[rjp50]

I should have been more explicit in my question.  We have sailed much of the Mediterranean on the larger ships and visited many ports more than once - to the point that we are somewhat "done" with the Mediterranean - at least those ports that can deal with the larger ships.  What I am wondering now that we are opening up to sailing with Viking, what specific ports does Viking either visit that can't be visited by the larger ships or where Viking has a distinct advantage of either being being docked in the center of town versus a commercial port or can be docked versus tendered?  In other words, what specific itineraries of Viking are there that would give us a new perspective of Mediterranean or European, in general, travel?

[lackcreativity]

In Kotor, Montenegro we docked right across from the entrance gate to the Old Town. We could walk off the ship into Rhodes, Greece, Cartagena in Spain, Split in Croatia, Sibenik in Croatia, Copenhagen in Denmark, Bergen in Norway, and Zadar in Croatia. Sometimes Viking docks right in the heart of Barcelona, though we have never done so.  

 

I can't confirm whether bigger ships can do that as well, or if Viking is always able to get those spots, but it is great when it happens!

 

We also love the Mediterranean, but are looking for some variety in ports. We have visited most every port there that Viking visits and keep hoping for some new additions.

Edited April 7 by lackcreativity

[pavementends]

It's not only whether a particular ship CAN visit certain ports. It's a question of whether there is demand for a particular port, whether space can be reserved, and what the port cost is.

 

There is really no alternative to looking at individual cruises and then making the best choice available.

[OneSixtyToOne]

We docked right in Monaco with Viking, but I have read that some people tender or use a different port, it depends on availability. 

[Jim Avery]

rip, Viking is still a 745' long ship.  Not that long ago she would be right up there with the largest cruise ships built.  Also Viking is, in many cases the "new kid on the block" when it comes to long standing port agreements.  In many cases on our Viking world cruises V would be out at the container port while a larger mass market would be docked closer to town.  If you really want a different, smaller type Med cruise I recommend you take a look at SeaDream Yacht Club.  They really do get into smaller spaces the big rigs have to avoid.  Very nice.

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, rjp50 said:

I should have been more explicit in my question.  We have sailed much of the Mediterranean on the larger ships and visited many ports more than once - to the point that we are somewhat "done" with the Mediterranean - at least those ports that can deal with the larger ships.  What I am wondering now that we are opening up to sailing with Viking, what specific ports does Viking either visit that can't be visited by the larger ships or where Viking has a distinct advantage of either being being docked in the center of town versus a commercial port or can be docked versus tendered?  In other words, what specific itineraries of Viking are there that would give us a new perspective of Mediterranean or European, in general, travel?

 

When being assigned a docking location there are many additional factors to consider than just the size of the ship. In some ports you also have to consider the ship's manoeuvring capabilities with respect to proximity of navigational hazards and weather. Viking ships with fixed props and non-high lift rudders are not as easy to handle in the wind as some larger ships with azimuthing pods or high-lift rudders.

 

Since Viking are comparatively new to ocean cruising, you also have long standing docking agreements to consider. Therefore, even if a Viking ship can fit a smaller berth, if multiple smaller ships are in port, other companies may get the better berth due to longstanding contracts. In the Meddy, you often have multiple ships in port, so this could arise.