First cruisers nervous about Viking Ocean ...

Hello there! My wife and I are taking a belated 25th anniversary cruise on the Viking Star next year, May, 2016. We have never cruised before, and are doing a cruise from Venice to Istanbul.

From the description and ship photos, this cruise is PERFECT for us. We don't want a lot of casino, movie theater, circus acts, water slides, etcetera on this cruise. We want upper tier (not 'top' tier) accomodations, quieter cruising on a smaller ship than the behemoths they are launching now, and this looks like it.

What prompts this post is an admittedly small number of fairly negative reviews about the Viking Star's first few voyages. I can only find 8 reviews but some are from unabashed Viking River cruise fans, so not company bashers. Only 38% "Loved It", and many other lines have many more reviews and 85-95% "Loved It" ratings.

We can cancel our cruise without penalty, and I was considering doing that then going to a travel agent (we booked directly with Viking). But I may be being overly nervous. Here's my quandary.

Viking has a stellar reputation in river cruising in Europe, that's why my wife picked them. The ocean cruise business is a completely different business than river cruising. My guess is that the complaints I'm seeing are simply the result of this being a brand new ship and brand new business for Viking, and I suspect by a year from now the ship will be fully broken in and the crew will be operating like a well-oiled machine, as they will have picked up valuable ocean cruise experience. I have no doubts the company has high standards.

But I am taking a risk on what is a new business line for Viking when there are plenty of other lines with deep ocean experience I know we would love. My wife thinks I'm over worried and we should just wait. I just want this to be a fantastic experience because I am fairly convinced I will want to do more cruises and I want the wife to have an incredible experience.

Stick with Viking and trust they'll come up to speed? Or cancel and go to an agency and try a more experienced line? Again, this trip is a year away as I type this, so no particular hurry.

Thanks for your advice!

-John

P.S. The reviews I am seeing may be from the very first cruise, so take that into consideration. I think the maiden voyage was this month.

Well, the people who have sailed her, including a 'Live From' thread, are on the Viking Ocean board here at CC, under Cruise Lines P-Z. Suggest you do some reading there. EM

Welcome to Cruise Critic JCinPA.

All new ships experience a lot of hiccups in their first few months at sea. Even cruise lines with enormous fleets need time to get their crews up to snuff aboard each brand new ship.

I'm sure that by the time you set sail next year the Viking Star will be a well oiled machine.

The Viking Star looks absolutely spectacular.

Here is a link to some gorgeous pictures from http://www.shipparade.com

http://shipparade.com/az/Viking_Star/Viking_Star_cruise_ship_photos.htm#Interior_Photos

Here is a link to the current Live Thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2195063

Jonathan

You are thinking that this is a "be all, end all" experience. It's not. It's a vacation! Take it, or leave it...you aren't going to space...you're taking a week or so, and having a holiday!

I think you're way overthinking this. If this particular vacation isn't your cup of tea...next year, do something different!

Cruises aren't for everyone. Ship cabins are minute, compared to decent hotels. If space is something you concern yourself with...a cruise in a standard cabin will drive you nuts...so tight! Book a suite if you want moving about space!

How you book has nothing to do with your experience...booking directly thru the cruise line, or thru a TA....you get the same result!

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

People who are not happy tend to let everyone know about it. People who are happy are less likely to post that

Here's a link to a great Live from the Viking Star with excellent pictures from ocean liner historian Peter Knego:

http://maritimematters.com/2015/05/viking-star-trek-maiden-voyager-part-one/

Jonathan

Check out Regent... It's fabulous and All Inclusive, Air, Tours, tip, all alcohol - all day. And unlike Viking Ocean you don't pay until you are 90 - 120 days from sailing. Ships have 700 passengers and all cabins are a min 300+ sq ft and all cabins have balconies. No inside cabins no window cabins ....

As this is a new ship, there are only 8 reviews.

I wouldn't put too much into "38%" with such a small sample.

Read each review and see if there is a common trend and if it is something that will make or break the cruise.

For example: if everyone writes the showers are too small or embarkation lunch was crummy, that may not be a deal breaker. But if they all say the crew is rude, everyone got sick after dinner and the cruise line suddenly tacked on an additional $500 fee..well that is a different issue.

Agree about posting on the Viking board, but since this is a new ship, be prepared not to get any answers.

Personally I think the ships sounds great and wish I could go, but you need to decide what works best for you.

As you say, you are not going till next year. You will find with any new ship, however well-established the cruise line, there are always teething troubles, that's why a lot of us prefer to wait a few months till things have settled down before booking one. And as paul92907 has said, people who are unhappy are more likely to be prompted to write a review than those who are satisfied. That's just human nature. You say the cruise looks perfect for you. I wouldn't think of cancelling it in your place. I'd look forward positively and I'd stop reading reviews!

As this is a new ship, there are only 8 reviews.

I wouldn't put too much into "38%" with such a small sample.

Read each review and see if there is a common trend and if it is something that will make or break the cruise.

For example: if everyone writes the showers are too small or embarkation lunch was crummy, that may not be a deal breaker. But if they all say the crew is rude, everyone got sick after dinner and the cruise line suddenly tacked on an additional $500 fee..well that is a different issue.

I quickly glanced over a 3 star review where a person said the pros included: the ship, crew, spa, cabin, and food.

The cons were: non-listed excursion times, and no real maple syrup. There were a few other things, but I didn't read anything that would make me stay away from this cruise based on that particular review.

It's important to carefully read reviews and not just glance at a percent or score.

Agree about posting on the Viking board, but since this is a new ship, be prepared not to get any answers.

Personally I think the ships sounds great and wish I could go, but you need to decide what works best for you.

eta: my computer is acting up and this (my edited post) was posted twice. Sorry about that