Uniworld vs Viking questions

Starting to explore 15 day European river cruise for fall 2017, so we are very much in early stages of this process... we have done one Uniworld and I was very impressed with everything. At that time only wine was included with dinner, now according to a recent quote they are offering unlimited beverages onboard, including fine wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks, specialty coffee, tea and mineral water.

Is the same for Viking or is it just wine/beer at dinner?

Anyone done both lines? If so, how did you feel about the comparisons?

The itinerary we are looking at is pretty much identical.

Thanks to all who respond

From what I have read, they do the wine/beer at lunch and dinner. You can also purchase the unlimited option. There is a current thread on this page about wine aboard Viking with drink menus.

We've taken 2 Viking River cruises. Viking includes beer & decent wine unlimited at lunch and dinner. Our friends prefer Uniworld's all inclusive liquor, because they are into cocktail hour big time. I just order an occasional scotch or martini and end up with a bar tab for the cruise under $50.

The major difference between these 2 excellent cruise lines is the decor. Stark contrasts. Destinations & tours are similar.

Philw1776 thanks for your response, can you please clarify on what you mean by "stark contrasts"

Thanks

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The major difference between these 2 excellent cruise lines is the decor. Stark contrasts. Destinations & tours are similar.

There are MANY differences and these lines are not even in the same league IMO. Uniworld includes: All excursions; airport transfers; all gratuities both on board and ashore; an impressive of very good wines and premium liquors all day, in all venues; room service; gym; onboard wellness coaches offering yoga classes; massage therapist and spa services; guest laundry; bicycles and Nordic walking sticks. There are also pools on their SuperShips. Farm to table cuisine was a highlight of our Uniworld experience.

The decor on Viking is Scan Design in looks and style; Viking longboats are cookie cutters of each other and pack far more passengers aboard than any of the equivalent sized Uniworld ships. Bedding was luxurious and superb, as were bathrooms on Uniworld. The decor was too over the top for my taste, but the overall experience was very good to excellent.

We have not sailed with Viking and will not be doing so in the future. As veteran river cruisers with 4 lines and 12 cruises to date, Uniworld is at the top or our list and we will cruise with them again.

While at first glance most river cruise line itineraries look pretty much the same, the details often differ in important ways and there can be a big difference in quality. Your Uniworld experience was top-end: their ships have among the fewest passengers and therefore more available space; their excursions are broken into smaller groups; and their customer service is top notch. Viking is quite different in all of these categories. Another cruise line you should consider is Scenic: they are as inclusive as Uniworld and highly regarded. If you wine and beer at meals covers most of your alcohol needs, I would also recommend looking at AMA which has been outstanding for us on two different itineraries and is rated by Berlitz as having the best food of any river cruise line. These two lines are very likely to duplicate the things you liked about your Uniworld cruise.

Philw1776 thanks for your response, can you please clarify on what you mean by "stark contrasts"

Thanks

 

 

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Look at the cabin and interior pictures on each line's website. They look very different. You may prefer one style to another or be indifferent. That's all.

While at first glance most river cruise line itineraries look pretty much the same, the details often differ in important ways and there can be a big difference in quality. Your Uniworld experience was top-end: their ships have among the fewest passengers and therefore more available space; their excursions are broken into smaller groups; and their customer service is top notch. Viking is quite different in all of these categories. Another cruise line you should consider is Scenic: they are as inclusive as Uniworld and highly regarded. If you wine and beer at meals covers most of your alcohol needs, I would also recommend looking at AMA which has been outstanding for us on two different itineraries and is rated by Berlitz as having the best food of any river cruise line. These two lines are very likely to duplicate the things you liked about your Uniworld cruise.

Having cruised with all three of these lines, I agree. We enjoyed all three in this order: AMA, Uniworld, Scenic.

We have taken one cruise with Viking and are getting ready to take our third cruise with Uniworld. In our experience with both companies, Uniworld far exceeded Viking in almost every aspect of our cruises, including staff, service, food, guides and accommodations. We like the all inclusiveness that Uniworld offers, not only for the open bar, but for the gratuities. It is nice not having to reach into your pocket to tip a guide or bus driver every time you take a tour.

We have sailed with Uniworld twice with a third scheduled for June of next year. I wanted to elaborate on a point Host Jazzbeau made. The number of people in each group for excursions is much lower then Vikings. We ended up in several ports with Viking ships and was surprised at the difference in size of the groups.

I don't know if this is common or not but we also noticed that we often arrived before Viking and we're still there when Viking left with more time on our own.

I don't know if this is important to you or not but Uniworld has bikes for use when was a major plus for me and my wife. We found were were often able to go for a bike ride after dinner or in the afternoon before dinner. Uniworld also offers unique "active" excursions with bike tours and hikes.

I would also look closely at the itineraries as Uniworld offers several exclusives on each of their trips that offers something are unlikely to find on competing cruises.

Finally, be aware the Uniworld has changed their returning guest discount to 5% which can be a considerable savings. This is on top of any other discounts. They are also offering free airfare on all their 2017 sailings. This came out after I had already booked my trip and they went back and added the discount to my reservation after I asked my TA to call them.

Good luck

I have been on Uniworld twice (both before they went all inclusive). I really enjoyed both, although the decor on the ship that was about to be redone suited me much better. Uniworld decorates each ship differently, to the owner's taste. Unfortunately I find her taste much too fussy for me.

Again I'll put in a plug for the forgotten line on these pages, Tauck. They are truly all-inclusive, have fine decor, have a CD and 3 TD's on board and IMO the big winner is the number of passengers. All boats are very similar in size because of the lock configerations but on a Tauck cruise you'll find just 118 to 130 passengers on board compared to the 140 to 200 on board other lines. This might not be a selling point to some but it is to me.

Isn't comparing Uniworld vs Viking liking comparing the 4 Seasons to The Holiday Inn. Not on the same playing field!

Would love to sail Uniworld or AMA and am a Never would sail Viking.

Thought Avalon was very lovely!

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Would love to sail Uniworld or AMA and am a Never would sail Viking.

... yet those of us who actually have sailed on Viking would perhaps feel otherwise...

I'll add a caveat that both of my Viking cruises have been outside of Europe (China and Vietnam/Cambodia), but on those cruises I could not fault the quality of the service provided...

I understand Viking does a fabulous job in China. So I guess I'll bite my tongue on that one. Did China with A&K for 3 weeks :)

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When I first decided to take a river cruise, I collected brochures, looked a beautiful websites, and asked friends/family for suggestions. Confusing? Yes. Ama and Uniworld are very good. Includes all beverages, fitness equipment, hair salon, pool/hot tub, and bikes. They include more than Viking. I don't drink. The excursions are enough exercise for me. I don't ride bikes. I can wash my own hair. Especially like the L'Occitane products. I have heard that Viking now has their own private brand. Hope it is as good as L'Occitane. Also, the decor of Uniworld is an overload on my senses. Too many bright lights, mirrors, etc. make me uncomfortable. Ama is okay if you get a good director. Unfortunately, I had an inexperienced director on Amacello a few years ago. After that experience, I will not sail on Ama. I like Viking's decor. I enjoy their excursions. I appreciate the slow walkers pace. Viking is very good at organizing.

I have not been on Scenic or Avalon.

Great discussions. We have done both, and to us the only similarity was being on a river. Uniworld provided a very plush atmosphere, superb service, good meals and well versed guides. Our Uniworld cruise brought together a number of folks from down under as well as travelers from the US and Europe; these passengers were well traveled and interesting. On our Viking cruise it was Americans only and for many this was their first venture out of the US. The tour groups on Uni are small in number with great guides; Viking had much larger groups. With Viking you had a fixed dinner hour; on Uni you could enter the DR between hours. The service on Uni was special to us as many of the waiters were students from the Eastern block countries who were making $ to continue their education. The staff were reluctant to accept our gratuities and thanked us profusely for being so gracious to them. Uniworld is just a great company who trained the staff well.

We plan to take another Uniworld cruise next month and have crossed Viking off our list.

I will give Viking credit for the advertising on US television. I think it has paid off for them.

Great discussions. We have done both, and to us the only similarity was being on a river.

Love that! :D:D

I have taken four river cruises with Uniworld and two with Viking, and will be taking my fifth Uniworld cruise next month. It's easy to see that I am sold on Uniworld, but I think that from what I have read, I would be equally happy with Scenic or AMA. I have found the service and food excellent on Uniworld and the excursions and guides very good indeed, and have no reason at all to change lines, unless there is a particular itinerary that they do no have that would interest me.

I enjoyed my two Viking tours, but neither were mainstream cruises (no pun intended). One was on the Mekong, and that was essentially a Pandaw cruise with one Viking representative aboard. The other was in Russia from St. Petersburg to Moscow six years ago. I think that at that time Viking had a distinct edge over other Western-based lines, since they owned their own ships (still do I believe) and had been doing these cruises for some time. The ship was comfortable (newly refit), the food was good, and the Russian guides aboard were excellent.

I can't comment on the new Viking Longships plying most of the rivers of Western Europe other than to say that they carry rather more passengers than I prefer on a river cruise.

I do like the all inclusive price for Uniworld but others may have different preferences. One thing that makes me avoid Viking now is their insistence on full payment on booking, even if the cruise is a year or more away. I think that they are alone among river cruise lines in this practice. Uniworld, for example, requires a deposit on booking and full payment 90 days in advance of the cruise.

I hope this is helpful, but everyone has their own preferences, budget and needs, so it is well to make some detailed comparisons before choosing.

There's no question that Uniworld offers an inclusive product with lots more than Viking. The big question is "What's it worth?" A quick look at the Uniworld and Viking web sites for a Budapest to Amsterdam cruise show a difference of about $170 per person per day. so you have to ask yourself, is the Uniworld difference worth $300-$350 a day for a couple. For some it is, and for others it isn't.

To each his or her own.

FuelScience

I have never paid a year in advance for any cruise. I have booked Viking cruises direct and through a online TA. The usual is a normal deposit with full payment 90 days out. My TA also gave us OBC. Viking does offer a small discount using E-checks. I don't do E-checks. I pay using a credit card. Using a credit card offers me protection against default and some travel insurance. I also use a card that either pays back money,airline miles, or hotel points. I never let anyone into my bank account even to save some money.

I have never paid a year in advance for any cruise. I have booked Viking cruises direct and through a online TA. The usual is a normal deposit with full payment 90 days out. My TA also gave us OBC. Viking does offer a small discount using E-checks. I don't do E-checks. I pay using a credit card. Using a credit card offers me protection against default and some travel insurance. I also use a card that either pays back money,airline miles, or hotel points. I never let anyone into my bank account even to save some money.

My error. I see that Viking's terms are deposit with final payment due 90 days before the cruise.

I haven't dealt with Viking in some years, but when I did, full payment in advance were the terms. It is possible, though I can't recall, that the advance payment was required for a special fare.

Sorry for the confusion I may have caused.

I think it depends on the "DEAL" of the day when you have to pay. When I inquired last Feb. about a sailing, I was told (for 2) $2000 deposit, and final payment due in June. This was for a sailing for April 2017. I said thanks but no thanks! Incidentally the price was close to Ama, Scenic, and Uniworld for the same itinerary and accommodations.

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Uniworld decor looks like a museum or funeral home. Guess some people like that but not for me.

I think it depends on the "DEAL" of the day when you have to pay.

Yes, you are correct. For our Bordeaux cruise this year and our 2017 Rhine cruise, we had to pay in full significantly ahead of time. The airfare deal we got for both, however, made us okay with this.

Before we took our first Viking cruise on the Danube last year, I researched all of the major lines, but kept coming back to Viking mainly due to the ship décor. Getting ready for Viking cruise # 3 next year, so obviously it works for us :)

Jeff