Viking River Cruise versus Princess?

[smellycruzer]

I have been trying to plan a bit of travel to Europe in 2016 and 2017 and wonder if anyone in the Princess forum can compare the amenities found on Princess to a Viking River cruise. Does one feel more upscale? Which cruise line offers the best dining options? Which cruise lines' decks feel less busy and more secluded?

 

Ports of call aren't as important to me as I have been to most of Vikings' cities, I am more curious about onboard differences in amenities.

[cruisestitch]

This is an "apples and oranges" situation -- you really can't compare them at all.

[mek]

Our neighbors took a Viking cruise last year and they said they only had one day of scenic cruising. Most of the travel time was at night. Not sure if that is a consideration for you or not.

[skynight]

They are not the same at all. They are totally different experiences. There is one DR and everyone dines together. There is a small buffet area with open deck seating. One lounge. Limited entertainment. Right around 200 passengers. Smallish cabins. You get off almost every day in a new city. Some city tours are included.

 

You don't have all the different venues that you have on a cruise ship.

[waltd]

I have been trying to plan a bit of travel to Europe in 2016 and 2017 and wonder if anyone in the Princess forum can compare the amenities found on Princess to a Viking River cruise. Does one feel more upscale? Which cruise line offers the best dining options? Which cruise lines' decks feel less busy and more secluded?

 

Ports of call aren't as important to me as I have been to most of Vikings' cities, I am more curious about onboard differences in amenities.

 

Just to clarify you are talking about a Viking River Cruise and not the new Viking Star cruise ship that was just built.

Edited June 15, 2015 by waltd

[paul929207]

On most river cruises, wine and most tours are included.

 

With a much smaller passenger count than a Princess cruise, you get to know your fellow passengers. On the other hand their are generally fewer choices for just about everything

[Thrak]

Since Princess ships are far too large to do the river cruises I don't see how there can be any comparison at all.

[Astro Flyer]

My ocean & river cruises have been very enjoyable but they were very different experiences.

 

Ocean cruises are more like a resort hotel with many options to choose from with a brief experience in ports. River cruises have fewer options geared towards a more immersive experience for everyone in ports & more like an intimate luxurious RV experience with a few "friends" that is more all-inclusive.

Edited June 15, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[Essiesmom]

There is a board here for River cruising. Folks there can help you with your concerns. I have never taken a river cruise, but sometimes that board is entertaining reading. Some river cruising lines appear to have better customer service than others, especially where there are high/low water problems. And I have seen Viking referred to as 'the Carnival of river cruising'. EM

[Mom33]

It really is all about the ports. You take a river cruise to experience ports and scenery you can't reach by cruise ships that sail the oceans.

 

Viking is deploying its first ocean liner soon. When that happens, then we can start comparing the two companies and their ship board experience. :D

[msualum]

We took a viking river cruise from Budapest to Bucharest in April. the hotels, transfers, wine or soda at lunch and dinner are included, as well as a tour in each port. Entertainment is very limited, tours are early in the day, dining choices are limited, you find a table that is available, so you may be eating with different people each day. We found the service erratic..not up to princess standards. We also thought the tours were too intense. We didn't have time to absorb what we were seeing because too much was included and we were always on the move. Our cruise was the first for the cruise director, so that may have been part of the problem.

 

My biggest disappointment was that there was a sister ship traveling the same itinerary and docking at the same ports. We had a balcony cabin and the first morning we opened the curtains to see the view and it was a cabin of another ship we were looking into. That was the case for the entire trip. So all tours had twice the numbers and were extremely crowded. When lunch was included with the tour, four bus loads of people had to wait until the first group had eaten and departed. The tours were very informative and the guides spoke English very well, but as I said previously, way too intense.

 

I think Princess and Viking are very different experiences. Viking is much quieter and has a more mature clientele, cabins are much smaller. I guess it depends on what you want or prefer.

[waltd]

It really is all about the ports. You take a river cruise to experience ports and scenery you can't reach by cruise ships that sail the oceans.

 

Viking is deploying its first ocean liner soon. When that happens, then we can start comparing the two companies and their ship board experience. :D

 

Viking has already deployed the Viking Star. Reviews have been posted on the CC Review boards.

[Mom33]

Viking has already deployed the Viking Star. Reviews have been posted on the CC Review boards.

 

Thanks for the heads up!:D

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes Viking already has a new ocean going ship besides their river cruises.

[scienceteacher]

I have been trying to plan a bit of travel to Europe in 2016 and 2017 and wonder if anyone in the Princess forum can compare the amenities found on Princess to a Viking River cruise. Does one feel more upscale? Which cruise line offers the best dining options? Which cruise lines' decks feel less busy and more secluded?

 

Ports of call aren't as important to me as I have been to most of Vikings' cities, I am more curious about onboard differences in amenities.

 

River cruising is mostly bout the cities you are visitiing. Sounds like what you really want is an ocean cruise. Maybe a transatlantic would suit you.

[donaldsc]

Has anyone seen a Princess ship sailing up the Danube or Seine recently? Has anyone seen a Viking river boat cruising the Mediterranean or the Pacific Ocean recently?

 

DON

[TW6cruiser]

We have been on 5 or 6 Princess cruises (Baltic, Greece, Panama, Mexico , Caribbean) and one Viking river cruise (Tulips and Windmills- to the Netherlands and Belgium). Both are nice, and both have pros and cons. You can't compare really. The cabin was more upscale on Viking and the bathroom was not tiny, we had a flat screen tv and movies on demand. All great. But no laundry on board the river cruise or place to do ironing. (I snuck my small travel iron on). The food was great on Viking but meals are at set times. If you want a snack at a different time you better have something stashed in your room. Viking does not nickel and dime you (wine/beer included with dinner, no "selling" of photos and coffee cards). But no entertainment on a river cruise after dinner except the piano guy in the bar. Who was good but that's it. Other than some nights on the river cruise they would have local folk entertainers come on but nothing great. On a river cruise you can get to your cabin in no time as the ship is small. Service on the small ship is very personable (the chief engineer fixed my dress shoe with glue!). So they are both great cruises, I'll do both again. Just very different. I'm in my late 40's and I was like a kid on the river cruise. Everyone on the river cruise was way too casual at dinner for me but that's just my opinion. It all depends on where you want to go.

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

We took our first river cruise two years ago. We used Vantage. Most of the comments you have heard here are very true. Only 170 passengers. River cruise ships are all similar in size. They can only be as long as the shortest locks and only as tall as the lowest bridges.

 

On the river cruise, you will pay more, but everything is included. Every port includes an excursion. Wine, beer and soda come with dinner. Wifi is included and works better. What you won't find is much in the way of entertainment. There are no casinos and usually no pools. A river cruise is much more about the ports and not the ship. However, we found the cabins to be very nice. Princess could learn a lot about designing their cabins from the river cruise companies. We had a very roomy shower.

 

We sailed from Budapest to Amsterdam. Great trip. We would not hesitate to do another river cruise with the right itinerary.

[Hlitner]

We have done many Princess cruises and also a Viking River Cruise (14 days from Amsterdam to Budapest) and agree with the posts that this is just not a valid comparison. But, as also noted, Viking has now started their own cruise line (with 2 new ships) which does look like a fascinating concept. Having been on 14 cruise lines (and Elite on Princess) we are intrigued by the Viking cruise ideas and might make them our 15th line :).

 

But I will say that when DW and I did that 2 week Viking River Cruise we vowed not to take another European River cruise until we were at least 75 years old! We still prefer to simply fly or cruise over to Europe, rent a car for a few weeks, and do things at our own pace. Being rushed through Bratislava in less then 4 hours (on our Viking Cruise) left us wishing we had simply driven to that city.

 

Hank

[caribill]

We have done many Princess cruises and also a Viking River Cruise (14 days from Amsterdam to Budapest) and agree with the posts that this is just not a valid comparison. But, as also noted, Viking has now started their own cruise line (with 2 new ships) which does look like a fascinating concept. Having been on 14 cruise lines (and Elite on Princess) we are intrigued by the Viking cruise ideas and might make them our 15th line.

 

 

Some comparison between Viking ocean cruises and Princess pricing

 

Sample per person per day Viking cruise prices:

14 nights midnight sun cruise:

veranda (lowest priced cabin) $421/person/day

deluxe veranda $478.50/person/day

penthouse veranda $600/person/day

penthouse jr. suite $700/person/day

explorer suite $893/person/day

 

12 nights Balcelona to Venice cruise:

veranda (lowest priced cabin) $308/person/day

deluxe veranda $360/person/day

penthouse veranda $500/person/day

penthouse jr. suite $585/person/day

explorer suite $785/person/day

 

and on Princess

 

 

12 nights Balcelona to Venice cruise on Island Princess:

inside $83.25/person/day

oceanview $253/person/day

balcony $325/person/day

mini-suite $358/person/day

full suite $608/person/day

[tcdcruiser]

I was aboard the Viking Hlin and the Royal Princess during the month of May 2015. Here is the CC URL for the Viking cruise http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2219219

 

While it is difficult to compare I can offer a few thoughts.

 

Stateroom

While small, the Viking cabins are fine. I usually book a Princess mini suite but nevertheless found the Viking cabin adequate. You will find the showers quite smaller than Princess.

 

Staff

Very comparable to Princess.

 

Food

Very comparable to Princess.

 

Entertainment

Viking, due to space constraints, has no entertainment. However, the piano player was quite good.

 

Cost

Here's the big difference. Price per person per day on Viking is dramatically more expensive. Cost for our Viking Veranda Cat A stateroom (7 days) was $10k and the Princess Royal Trans Atlantic (14 days) for a mini suite was $5K.

 

Final Thoughts

We were delighted with the Viking ports (Rhine River), but was disappointed in the shore excursions. Viking prices their product as if they were Seabourn, but fail to deliver that level of service.

Edited June 19, 2015 by tcdcruiser

[smellycruzer]

So helpful tcdcruiser, thanks!