Princess Cruisers Compare Crystal, Silversea, and Viking Ocean Cruises

[RLK33853]

     After over 50 voyages with Princess Cruises we found ourselves wanting more, not less for our cruise experiences.  While Princess continues to supply an acceptable mass market product, over the past few years we have noted a decline in their service/management and lack of loyalty back to the customers who have been loyal to them.  Things like the loss of free internet, the loss of unlimited meals at Alfredo’s Pizzeria, suspension of onboard credit for every five cruises after 25, combined with overworked staff (room stewards now look after numerous more rooms/waiters have more tables) – well you get the picture.   Therefore over the past year we have been trying out various luxury lines in the hopes of finding a new cruise “home”.  Last fall we tried Paul Gauguin (loved it), and this spring we did a comparison btbtb for 15 days on the Crystal Symphony (600 passengers – Athens to Civitavecchia), then on the Silversea Whisper (400 passengers – Venice to Civitavecchia), and ended our trip on the Viking Jupiter (900 passengers – Venice to Civitavecchia). 

 

     If you are curious about a Princess Loyalist trying other brands, our review/comparison between Crystal and Viking (which both not only lived up to, but exceeded our expectations) has been posted on both the Crystal and Viking boards.  I have also completed and posted a separate review of our Silversea disaster titled “We apologize, we’ll do better” – a Review of the Silver Whisper and Silversea Management, on the Silversea board.  We would never recommend anyone waste their cruise funds on Silversea.

 

    In contrast, we will gladly cruise in the future with either Crystal (which we found to be the ultimate in luxury), or Viking Ocean (which we found to be more of a Premium experience, or just one step down from Crystal).  The only big difference between the two came down to on Crystal everything comes to you (staff are always asking what they can do for you), whereas on Viking, staff provide anything you want, but you have to ask for it.

 

     We will no doubt still sail with Princess if the itinerary is right, friends are going, etc.  Princess will just not be our first choice.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Thanks for letting us know about your reviews. We have started sailing Oceania and Windstar in addition to Princess. Of course we pay MUCH more for O and WS than we do Princess unless we are in Princess full suite. My expectations on Princess are much lower and I’m usually not disappointed.  

[ldubs]

OP - thanks for sharing this.   If you don't mind me asking, how would you compare the onboard sea day atmosphere on the smaller Viking and Crystal ships to the Princess template?  One thing I like about Princess' traditional ship design are the multiple lounges, lounge shows, and options for just chilling out.   

[geoherb]

There had better be a world of difference when a Cruise on Crystal costs more per day than my 10-day cruise on Princess earlier this month. 

[LACruiser88]

We have sailed on Seabourn several times and there is a world of difference from cruising on Princess!  But, as mentioned previously, there is a world of difference in the cost!

[cr8tiv1]

@RLK33853 would you please add links to your other reviews.  Thank you for sharing with the Princess folks.

[RLK33853]

Here are the links to the Crystal and Viking discussions (on their respective boards).  My posts are the same on both boards, but each discussion will have different comments and specific questions regarding those lines.

 

Crystal Board

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3014762-princess-cruisers-compare-crystal-silversea-and-viking-ocean-cruises/#comment-67547587

 

Viking Board

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3014763-princess-cruisers-compare-crystal-silversea-and-viking-ocean-cruises/#comment-67548004

 

[RLK33853]

48 minutes ago, ldubs said:

OP - thanks for sharing this.   If you don't mind me asking, how would you compare the onboard sea day atmosphere on the smaller Viking and Crystal ships to the Princess template?  One thing I like about Princess' traditional ship design are the multiple lounges, lounge shows, and options for just chilling out.   

 

Activities are definitely more sedate due to the size of the ships and smaller cruise staff.  There are still activities but they tended to be more along the lines of enrichment, etc.  Definitely no bingo but you will see putting challenges or the like

[ebeluga]

39 minutes ago, geoherb said:

There had better be a world of difference when a Cruise on Crystal costs more per day than my 10-day cruise on Princess earlier this month. 

So true, I am taking the decent quality with more days over luxury in this season of life! No need to be attended to for everything, better for my body and mind!

[RLK33853]

33 minutes ago, geoherb said:

There had better be a world of difference when a Cruise on Crystal costs more per day than my 10-day cruise on Princess earlier this month. 

 

As for questions about the cost differences - on Crystal we had an Aquamarine Veranda which comes in at 323 sq ft. - which I believe is approximately 50 sq ft bigger than a Princess mini-suite.  If you just look at the standard Princess fare, Crystal was almost double in price - but once you add in the drink package, specialty dinners, tips, and other things Princess charges extra for, the price is more like 60 to 70% more to cruise with Crystal.   Each person then has to decide it the extra cost is worth it to them.  To us, it is, especially since Princess is definitely moving to position themselves as a mainstream line and continues to take away things we earned via our loyalty.

 

On Viking we had a Penthouse Veranda at 340 sq ft, which is approximately 70 sq ft bigger than a Princess mini-suite.  Viking includes a tour (pretty standard and nothing special) in every port, and free wine and beer with lunch and dinners, and our cost was around 40% more than Princess.

[Shippy]

When discussing Princess....remember that if you are in a Penthouse, there is a world of difference from lower categories

When people ask me which cruise line I like best, I say it depends on the category. You cannot compare a balcony with a mini suite on another line.

 We now only stay in the Penthouse on Princess. We have cruised all the other cruise lines.

 Silversea, Crystal, etc. they are great but smaller ships. We like a bigger casino, showroom, etc. So we stay with other cruise lines.

  If you like smaller ships, they are great    :O)

.

[dockman]

Crystal is a wonderful experience if you can justify the cost.  It is a very different world than a typical mass market cruise.  The clientele and level of staff training and overall quality of food and most everything is obviously different.

 

Like trying to compare four seasons with a holiday Inn....

 

If $$ were no concern I would be on Crystal right now....staying at four seasons pre and post cruise.

[LACruiser88]

It is not a fair comparison to compare Princess to the luxury cruise lines.  On an Automobile Forum, would you see someone compare a Hyundai to a Mercedes Benz?  Probably not. 

 

We have the ability to cruise many cruise lines, but we have chosen to cruise primarily on Princess because of their longer itineraries and fair pricing.

[cdngrl]

I’m intrigued by your findings and wish I could try the more premium lines but they’re not in my budget.

 

Its also difficult to compare those small ships with what Princess has now. My experience on the truly small Princess ships exceeded what is offered on the current ships. Perhaps they were more comparable to the small ships you were on.

 

I’m happy to hear about your experiences for when I win the lottery or when a rich relative I didn’t know I had leaves me an inheritance. 😁

[cheezenip]

12 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

We have started sailing Oceania ... in addition to Princess. Of course we pay MUCH more for O

Could you comment on O's food? I'm very curious if the marketing hype is justified. I'm getting tired of Princess's penny pinching mentality under CEO Padgett (did you know at the Sun's buffet <aka Eatery> they don't change the lunch / dinner buffet selections <except for the meat carvings and dessert> at all? What you get at lunch remains the same the entire cruise ...same goes for dinner). The last straw for me with Princess will be if corporate management decides to make this a fleet wide decision. I'm beginning to explore other options.

Edited June 22 by cheezenip

[RLK33853]

16 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

It is not a fair comparison to compare Princess to the luxury cruise lines.  On an Automobile Forum, would you see someone compare a Hyundai to a Mercedes Benz?  Probably not. 

 

We have the ability to cruise many cruise lines, but we have chosen to cruise primarily on Princess because of their longer itineraries and fair pricing.

 

Sorry but I'm not sure what you are trying to say about this thread not being fair - this is a thread about a Princess Loyalist trying other lines - or in your example, I'm test driving a Mercedes and if I like it I'll pay more for it than the Hyundai.  If  you read my original post it says:

 

"If you are curious about a Princess Loyalist trying other brands, our review/comparison between Crystal and Viking (which both not only lived up to, but exceeded our expectations) has been posted on both the Crystal and Viking boards".

 

Our experience and this thread is about trying Premium and Luxury lines due to the  Princess cutbacks.  It is in no way trying to say that Princess isn't as good - of course it isn't in the same category since it's a mass market line - you pay less, but you also get less - yet doesn't make it a poor choice for those who choose Princess.  The only reason I've posted this on the Princess board is to advise others where to look if they wish to read our comparison between Crystal and Viking Ocean (and as you can see by their posts - others are also interested in cruising with other lines).

 

I'm happy for you that you remain loyal to Princess and it meets your needs.  As my original post notes - we too will cruise Princess in the future if circumstances apply like friends are going or itineraries meet our needs.  That said, instead of being our go-to first choice, we will book Princess only when circumstances make it the correct choice for us at the time.

[RLK33853]

For anyone interested, our continued comparison of Crystal and Viking has been posted on those boards.

 

Crystal Board

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3014762-princess-cruisers-compare-crystal-silversea-and-viking-ocean-cruises/#comment-67547587

 

Viking Board

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3014763-princess-cruisers-compare-crystal-silversea-and-viking-ocean-cruises/#comment-67548004

 

 

[ldubs]

18 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

It is not a fair comparison to compare Princess to the luxury cruise lines.  On an Automobile Forum, would you see someone compare a Hyundai to a Mercedes Benz?  Probably not. 

 

I think is it very informative and fair to make these cruise line comparisons. Otherwise, how do we know if the differences are significant and/or important.  It helps those considering other higher priced lines.  

 

Saying there is no comparison without explaining why, is of little value.   

 

BTW, if considering reliability and cost of operation, I would want to compare a luxury logo car to a less expensive brand.    .  

 

Edited Saturday at 02:50 PM by ldubs

[memoak]

22 hours ago, RLK33853 said:

 

As for questions about the cost differences - on Crystal we had an Aquamarine Veranda which comes in at 323 sq ft. - which I believe is approximately 50 sq ft bigger than a Princess mini-suite.  If you just look at the standard Princess fare, Crystal was almost double in price - but once you add in the drink package, specialty dinners, tips, and other things Princess charges extra for, the price is more like 60 to 70% more to cruise with Crystal.   Each person then has to decide it the extra cost is worth it to them.  To us, it is, especially since Princess is definitely moving to position themselves as a mainstream line and continues to take away things we earned via our loyalty.

 

On Viking we had a Penthouse Veranda at 340 sq ft, which is approximately 70 sq ft bigger than a Princess mini-suite.  Viking includes a tour (pretty standard and nothing special) in every port, and free wine and beer with lunch and dinners, and our cost was around 40% more than Princess.

Those prices differences keep me sailing 3-4 times a year with Princess rather than once a year on a luxury line. Any time at see is a good time

[TRLD]

11 hours ago, cheezenip said:

Could you comment on O's food? I'm very curious if the marketing hype is justified. I'm getting tired of Princess's penny pinching mentality under CEO Padgett (did you know at the Sun's buffet <aka Eatery> they don't change the lunch / dinner buffet selections <except for the meat carvings and dessert> at all? What you get at lunch remains the same the entire cruise ...same goes for dinner). The last straw for me with Princess will be if corporate management decides to make this a fleet wide decision. I'm beginning to explore other options.

Spent 22 days on Oceania. They do have grilled lobster and grill to order steaks in their buffet every day. On the other hand I had the worst meal (coagulation hollandaise sauce on extremely undercooked pork medallions) have ever had on a cruise ship in their GDR.  Take away the grilled lobster and steaks, I like HALs MDR better. I also take Princess buffet on their Royal class ships, over that non grill buffet options on Oceania. Was rather not impressed.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

13 hours ago, cheezenip said:

Could you comment on O's food? I'm very curious if the marketing hype is justified. I'm getting tired of Princess's penny pinching mentality under CEO Padgett (did you know at the Sun's buffet <aka Eatery> they don't change the lunch / dinner buffet selections <except for the meat carvings and dessert> at all? What you get at lunch remains the same the entire cruise ...same goes for dinner). The last straw for me with Princess will be if corporate management decides to make this a fleet wide decision. I'm beginning to explore other options.

Yes I can 😊. The GDR (grand dining room) breakfast that everyone gets is better than the full suite Sabatini’s breakfast.  I was very impressed by that. I loved the lollipop lamb chops and had them every morning.  The lunch menu had a different multi course tasting menu that featured a cuisine such as Indian.  It was very very unique and we enjoyed trying a variety of dishes that we had never even heard of before. 
The Grill on the upper decks had small but delicious lobster tails and cooked to order filets daily.  The Rueben sandwich and hamburgers were excellent too. This area turned into a pizza parlor with red and white checked tablecloths in the evening. The pizza was very good in my opinion.  Around the corner was the fresh housemade real ice cream that was responsible for us gaining a few pounds as the Henry Slocum special flavor changed daily and was always so good that we could not resist trying it!  
 

The barista made excellent beverages and the noshes there were nice. 
 

The Terrace buffet had a plethora of fresh berries, fruit and salad fixings in addition to the carving stations and other dishes that the crew served up.  I really loved not having passengers serve themselves. The chef would be there most days making fresh pasta and I got some great tips on how to improve my pasta making skills from him. 
 

All of the specialty dining venues were good to great and included in your fare. I think what I liked the most about O was that once you left your cabin there was no distinction between the PH and lower tier cabins.  All the food and dining options were all included and everyone ate the same food. 

‘The captain had an open bar throughout the ship one night and there were 2 for one twice daily happy hours. We are allowed to bring on any amount of wine, beer and spirits.  
 

All that said, we met a lovely couple from our RC and ate many meals with them. They are long time O cruisers.  We would be eating the exact same food and while we liked it or loved it they would be very critical of it. I mean very critical.  Food is subjective and you’ll have to try O to determine if it’s to your liking.  We had a few misses (like a French onion soup that was flavorless) but overall found the food to be good to excellent and definitely much, much better than Princess (and we do like the food on Princess!) 
 

We also sailed Windstar and found that we enjoyed them more. The menu was less extensive but the quality was higher. Every single dish at every single meal on WS over 10 days was simply over the top amazing.  The room service menu on O was way better than Princess but on WS it was outstanding.  Simply stunning. 
 

We have 3 more O sailings and 3 more WS sailings. Since the advent of Os simply more program we are unlikely to book them unless we get a good last minute deal.  Since we’ve only sailed once on each line we are by no means experts on either. I have well over 300 days on Princess though. 

Edited Saturday at 04:47 PM by HaveDogWillTravel

[MacMadame]

On 6/21/2024 at 7:05 AM, RLK33853 said:

suspension of onboard credit for every five cruises after 25

I am not familiar with this. (I haven't taken a Princess Cruise so I have no loyalty perks.) What does it mean?

[memoak]

Just now, MacMadame said:

I am not familiar with this. (I haven't taken a Princess Cruise so I have no loyalty perks.) What does it mean?

At one time there was loyalty OBC for every fifth cruise starting with your 25th cruise. They started at $25 and went up to $100 if I recall 

[cruisequeen4ever]

Thank you for sharing; I’ll go read your comparison.

[TRLD]

On 6/21/2024 at 10:11 AM, ebeluga said:

So true, I am taking the decent quality with more days over luxury in this season of life! No need to be attended to for everything, better for my body and mind!

Pretty much agree. While we do sail on luxury and premium lines if they match when and where we want to go. Not unusual for us to do 3 different lines in a single 30 to 60 day trip.

 

But for most case we do not find them worthwhile. A lot of what you are paying for, alcohol and overly attentive service we do not need or want. The times we have had a butler, we have usually told them that we will call if we need anything otherwise use their time else where.

 

The premium and luxury lines remind me of my old board meeting days. Good venues, good food, but a bit tedious.

 

On the other hand there are some great companies in the 40 to 50 person ship sizes that do great in depth cruises around the smaller Greek islands, Croatia and other similar environments, that may cost similarly per day as a Premium or luxury line, but where the focus is the unique stops that even the luxury or premium lines listed here do not reach.

Edited Saturday at 08:06 PM by TRLD