Vineyard View

That pretty much sums up, given two lines with excellent reputations, why we ended up booking the Seabourn cruise that we did.

We are pretty big fans of Viking. We have sailed with them several times and have never been disappointed. Ever. We just booked our first Seabourn cruise. It was first about the itinerary - Viking did not offer a similar one - but also I would argue the price/value that was offered. They had a great summer promotion. It was actually about the same cost pp pax per day as Viking - and actually a little bit less. Yes, I crunched the numbers - - including all the perks. We booked a similar total sized stateroom (SB with balcony larger than PV on Viking resulting in larger sq). Much smaller ship and unique ports. And yes, two sinks - but that wasn’t what sold us. Reputation of both lines sold us. That all said, I am reading about issues with service and food on the ship we will be sailing next year on SB…..just as I am reading with most lines post pandemic, including Viking. I will wait to see future reposts on how that shakes out as to whether we continue forward with SB, but feel that most lines will have much more experienced crew by next year post pandemic. I think my point is that we have not at all walked away from Viking, and I would never encourage anyone thinking about them to do so. We look at itineraries now first. Hopefully different itineraries in the future on Viking would will present themselves with new ships, and we will not hesitate to book. We are watching a few existing ones. So our new experience on SB will be a good stretch and grow and we will most assuredly sail with Viking again for a whole lot of reasons.

Thank you for taking the time to post for all of us. Glad your Father was able to join you for this itinerary and I hope that the Quest takes long term turn for the best in service and food. Your first night in the restaurant is promising! Looking forward to your experiences onboard. Enjoy!

Totally agree with this! We surely do not want to cancel ours first SB cruise. I agree that people can be on the same cruise and experience it differently - we have witnessed this multiple times. We also are not high maintenance travelers, and the little stuff is just life happening no matter where one walks, but these posts on Quest over the past couple months do seem to have more dissatisfaction among more passengers than I have to believe that SB would want. I think it’s important to hear different perspectives, and I sincerely hope that the tide of satisfaction on the Quest swings the other way. The only way for us all to know this is for people to continue sharing their experiences. I am grateful for the time it takes to do so.

We also chose the cruise we booked based on itinerary after looking at several. SB reputation and very positive remarks from TA firmed it all up for us. It is up to SB to correct the issues sooner than later. We do not have the history that you have, and obviously a very satisfied history. Hopefully they figure these issues out.

I have been following this very Informative post - it has so much positive reported in experiences and substituted ports , yet a whole lot of negative re SB service on Quest. We have our first SB sailing on Quest booked for next May. We have paid in full, but if by refund available time, I am not reading posts about serious upgrades in service, food, and even professionalism on Quest, I am thinking it’s not the right choice. I read about all the other SB ships being up to standards, but not Quest even though SB has to be aware of the issues, and quite honestly has had the time to address them. Now all that said, I do realize that the hurricane did drastically change the itinerary. That can’t be helped. But servers scooping up salt with their hands, and licking their fingers to smooth their hair while moving on to serve others, dirty silverware…..totally nuts to accept that on any cruise line, in any land restaurant, in any circumstance.

I have to agree on the excursions deal. The included ones offered by Viking are generally a bus ride or walking behind a lollipop with static common on vox. We have tried several and recognize that this ‘included free offer’ really contains no value for us, although I know that it may for others. It would be great if there was a financial option to opt out, but i highly doubt that will happen. That said, we are not fans of most cruise ship excursions regardless of line. We generally DIY or private.

Love your attitude! I don’t want to ‘over plan’ because spontaneity is a big part of the pleasure in traveling!

Thank you for this further information. We have secured a guide for the day and will play by ear how long we engage vs DIY. We generally are independent, but having a specific person to take us to the main areas before exploring on our own, at least at this point, seems like a decent plan. We are really looking forward to this port and will be sure to be up and out for the sail in!

I truly am curious as to why you say this. No judgement. Just would honesty like to know your perspective in making this conclusion.

Thank you for your response. I appreciate the clarification over what I may have been informed.

Love following your thread and pictures. QC has always been on our list to visit! We will be on the Quest next Spring (first SB cruise) and after all the issues I have been reading it does sound as things are settling into what your expectations have been as seasoned SB cruisers. When we booked our cruise we were told the Quest had or is getting ready to go through a major dry dock. Wondering based on this comment if that has already occurred or will be happening?

Take a look at insuremytrip.com squaremouth.com have used both. Great comparison websites based on your needs and requirements. Licensed agents can help you via phone with questions.

We are sailing on a small ship, and one of my most excited about ports is visiting Malta. I just looked at cruise mapper, and aside from us a huge 5k passenger ship will be in port. Having not been before, I am not sure how that will impact this geographic area although impact it will. I am also wondering what we might want to book in advance, and any advice/suggestions. Thank you

We have a cruise on hold that is on a smaller ship and therefore goes to smaller Croatia /Adriatic ports than many. My concern is are they so small that there really is not a lot to do. There is another cruise line (Viking) that has fewer Croatia ports and would sail in April vs late May but is twice the size ship. If you have experience with these small ports - Opatija, Vodice, Vis, and then Sarande (which I am not thrilled about), the others including Kotor, Koper, Crotone, Syracuse, and Valletta are attractive for sure. the second Adriatic option includes Sibenik, Split, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Bari, Crotone, and more in Greece and Italy. we have only been to Dubrovnik and Ravenna, our friends traveling with us have not been in the Adriatic. would appreciate any insight. Thank you