Travel and Lesiure rankings

[notamermaid]

I work in marketing part time and am familiar with all your arguments. On German television sponsoring through ads or the familiar "this programme brought to you by company that" have become standard practise. River cruise companies use various advertising media in Germany. Word-of-mouth and loyalty programmes included. "The-two-for-one" strategy I have not seen so far. I gather from the mention of Downtown Abbey that Viking sponsors the Downtown Abbey series on American television? Quite clever, seeing that one of there pre-cruise experiences is London with a trip to the castle that is the site of the filming.

 

Could somebody please confirm this? Do other river cruise companies sponsor programmes, places or use VIP's for marketing?

 

Thank you.

 

notamermaid

 

By the way, the fact that German language websites are easy for me to access, i.e. read, gives me knowledge about river cruise companies and their practises or plans for expansion in Germany. In the case of that largest company mentioned very interesting.

[notamermaid]

Regarding the 135 m length of ships:

 

it is true that most companies go for the 135m boat, but CroisiEurope has built a few 110m boats in the last years. It makes sense for some rivers, also because of draft. But it also seems part of their company strategy. I would love to find out more.

 

Viking certainly has more max. passengers on their boats than a lot of other companies, but the highest for a 135m boat I have seen so far is the Phoenix Amelia with 216. It is a German company based in Bonn.

 

notamermaid

[papa B me]

Number of passengers was one of my considerations in choosing Uniworld over Viking. Uniworld's 3 newest ships are 135 meters as Vikings longships but only carry 150 passengers.

[No Spin]

I gather from the mention of Downtown Abbey that Viking sponsors the Downtown Abbey series on American television? Quite clever, seeing that one of there pre-cruise experiences is London with a trip to the castle that is the site of the filming.

 

Could somebody please confirm this? Do other river cruise companies sponsor programmes, places or use VIP's for marketing?

 

Thank you.

 

notamermaid.

 

You have been so immensely helpful to people on this board, I'm happy I can finally help you!

 

Yes, Viking has TV ads not only for Downton Abbey, but also for other TV programs in the U.S. I think most people like myself had never even heard of river cruising until seeing those ads. Additionally we never knew there was any other cruise line but Viking.

 

I have never seen any TV or print ad for any other cruise line. And by the way, without exaggerating, we receive print advertising from Viking almost weekly during certain times of the year.

[notamermaid]

Thank you, No Spin, really appreciate your answer. Since my river cruise in 2013 I have never had any correspondence in the form of advertising from the company or my TA and certainly none from any other company. Data protection is relatively strict in Germany and unsolicited mail is frowned upon. There are also laws regards the latter subject, but I am not familiar with them. I do get advertising from other companies, but usually those are connected with my shopping preferences and the telephone and cable TV provider. I suppose I should call my self lucky as regards the lack of paper in my mailbox...

 

The German company ARosa has a well-know TV and music personality as "their face" in the German marketing strategy. It is actually nicely done in my opinion, it has a kind of up-market cultural feel about it.

 

There are tests and surveys in Germany, of course. In one of these tests in 2010 ARosa was rated top company in river cruises in Germany.

 

notamermaid

[caviargal]

 

I have never seen any TV or print ad for any other cruise line.

 

We saw an AMA add on our local educational channel just this week. That was a first.

[papa B me]

I was thinking that all the other river cruise lines must be thrilled with Vikings advertising budget and strategy. It would be curious to know the percentage of first time river cruisers from the US that sail on Vikings competitors became interested in river cruising because of Viking's advertising on PBS or elsewhere. I love masterpiece mystery and for several years would watch the 30 second Viking ad and think that it looked interesting. Went to a local travel agent and she suggested I look at Uniworld since she knew what type of travel I like. Didn't know about all the other lines until I found CC. So Uniworld could easily thank Viking(and my travel agent) for getting a new customer who has sailed once and has two more booked over the next year.

[Rosethorn40]

You have been so immensely helpful to people on this board, I'm happy I can finally help you!

 

Yes, Viking has TV ads not only for Downton Abbey, but also for other TV programs in the U.S. I think most people like myself had never even heard of river cruising until seeing those ads. Additionally we never knew there was any other cruise line but Viking.

 

I have never seen any TV or print ad for any other cruise line. And by the way, without exaggerating, we receive print advertising from Viking almost weekly during certain times of the year.

 

I haven't received any type of advertising from Viking in some time (I guess with one cruise under our belt, and one booked they don't feel the need to do so). However, I am receiving something from Vantage almost weekly. I have to admit that their latest effort was very glossy, high quality and appealing.

[hiccups]

I was thinking that all the other river cruise lines must be thrilled with Vikings advertising budget and strategy. It would be curious to know the percentage of first time river cruisers from the US that sail on Vikings competitors became interested in river cruising because of Viking's advertising on PBS or elsewhere. I love masterpiece mystery and for several years would watch the 30 second Viking ad and think that it looked interesting. Went to a local travel agent and she suggested I look at Uniworld since she knew what type of travel I like. Didn't know about all the other lines until I found CC. So Uniworld could easily thank Viking(and my travel agent) for getting a new customer who has sailed once and has two more booked over the next year.

 

This was the case with me--I saw the ads on PBS (although have also been seeing them on CBS' Sunday Morning news program) and checked out the website. As an ocean cruiser, of course I had sticker shock and came to Cruise Critic to find out if there were less expensive options. After reading lots of posts, then ended up booking Uniworld, ha! So much for less expensive :D

[KathyK13]

We first became interested in river cruising after seeing the Viking ads on Masterpiece Theater, and chose the Danube partly because of the shots of Parliament building in Budapest! I did some research online and considered Viking, AMA, Avalon, and Uniworld. We ruled out Viking because the longships were new and the french balcony rooms much smaller than the other lines'. We ended up choosing Avalon because we got a discount and their dates worked best for us. Then I found Cruisecritic! Information on this site was very helpful when planning our trip. We loved Avalon and are taking our second cruise with them to Paris and Normandy in September. So I guess Avalon has benefited from Viking's ad!

[CPT Trips]

Junk mail from cruise lines, River and ocean seem to be the bulk of our mail. AMA, Avalon, Viking, Vantage and GCT are regulars; from time to time we get mail from others. We got hooked before we saw Viking ads, although we saw the occasional PBS "begathon" river cruise show. It seems that the other river cruise companies go more for print advertising.

 

As far as junk mail . . . I wish these existed in the U.S.!

 

[Hydrokitty]

Junk mail from cruise lines, River and ocean seem to be the bulk of our mail. AMA, Avalon, Viking, Vantage and GCT are regulars; from time to time we get mail from others. We got hooked before we saw Viking ads, although we saw the occasional PBS "begathon" river cruise show. It seems that the other river cruise companies go more for print advertising.

 

Interesting CPT because I requested a GCT brochure when I was ticked off at Vantage and GCT has a trip to Spain that I am VERY interested in.....nothing so far, not even a response to my e-mail. Perhaps the brothers are speaking again.

[Hydrokitty]

I work in marketing part time and am familiar with all your arguments. On German television sponsoring through ads or the familiar "this programme brought to you by company that" have become standard practise. River cruise companies use various advertising media in Germany. Word-of-mouth and loyalty programmes included. "The-two-for-one" strategy I have not seen so far. I gather from the mention of Downtown Abbey that Viking sponsors the Downtown Abbey series on American television? Quite clever, seeing that one of there pre-cruise experiences is London with a trip to the castle that is the site of the filming.

 

Could somebody please confirm this? Do other river cruise companies sponsor programmes, places or use VIP's for marketing?

 

Thank you.

 

notamermaid

 

By the way, the fact that German language websites are easy for me to access, i.e. read, gives me knowledge about river cruise companies and their practises or plans for expansion in Germany. In the case of that largest company mentioned very interesting.

 

Viking actually sponsors several programs on our local PBS station. I've never seen ads on TV for any other river cruise companies. But I do watch a lot of PBS and it seems like Viking is a major sponsor.

[JVilleGal]

I have only seen those gorgeous Viking ads on TV, I would think for most of the American public they must think there is only ONE river cruise company and you see all the river sights from a position in the air above the boat :D

 

I have seen Scenic ads in the Wall Street Journal.

[Hydrokitty]

I have only seen those gorgeous Viking ads on TV, I would think for most of the American public they must think there is only ONE river cruise company and you see all the river sights from a position in the air above the boat :D

 

I have seen Scenic ads in the Wall Street Journal.

 

LOL.....but I do love seeing the Parliament Building in Budapest....it's one of my favorite places!!

[CPT Trips]

Junk mail from cruise lines, River and ocean seem to be the bulk of our mail. AMA, Avalon, Viking, Vantage and GCT are regulars; from time to time we get mail from others. We got hooked before we saw Viking ads, although we saw the occasional PBS "begathon" river cruise show. It seems that the other river cruise companies go more for print advertising.

 

Interesting CPT because I requested a GCT brochure when I was ticked off at Vantage and GCT has a trip to Spain that I am VERY interested in.....nothing so far, not even a response to my e-mail. Perhaps the brothers are speaking again.

 

You will actually find more information on their website than in the catalog if you click around a bit. You can also have them call you from the website.

Is it a cruise or a land tour?

Remember who told you . . . ;)

[sammiedawg]

It was very difficult for us to choose a river cruise line and put a relative value on prices for different lines. I can do that easily with ocean lines. Overall we were happy with our Viking experience but unsure if we will do another. Their food was the weak spot IMO. On our first night we sat with another couple who sails Oceania, our mutual comment was the food is a far cry from Oceania. For this reason I would not rate Viking as number one but they are the big kahuna in the marketplace, thus more votes.

Fellow Viking passengers seemed satisfied, especially newbies to any type of cruising.

Kudos to Viking for introducing River cruises to the masses, especially in the US. Their marketing is stellar, from the TV sponsorship, brochures, electronic communication. Their local travel agent programs are most impressive as well.

[caviargal]

Their food was the weak spot IMO. On our first night we sat with another couple who sails Oceania, our mutual comment was the food is a far cry from Oceania. For this reason I would not rate Viking as number one but they are the big kahuna in the marketplace, thus more votes.

Fellow Viking passengers seemed satisfied, especially newbies to any type of cruising.

 

Have not and will not cruise with Viking. We are Oceania cruisers and found both AMA and Uniworld very comparable in terms of food quality with even better service.

[DavidTheWonderer]

I continue to be amazed at the constant tension on CC in regards to Viking.

 

Some other boards on Cruise Critic besides "River Cruising" similarly break out into bouts of toxicity, so it is not just Viking fans/detractors on this board. (Think "Regent" for example.) Meanwhile, some other boards maintain a modicum of civility at all times. I don't know why this arises on some boards and not other ones.

 

It doesn't take long to recognise the keywords that will cause some threads to instantly descend into the depths of slinging of mud (or worse) and just avoid reading them. There are still lots of reasonable folks around posting and replying to some other threads on all the boards that I follow.

[Hydrokitty]

 

You will actually find more information on their website than in the catalog if you click around a bit. You can also have them call you from the website.

Is it a cruise or a land tour?

Remember who told you . . . ;)

 

I won't forget. :D It's a land tour and what I wanted to know was information about how they handle customers who switch companies. Like some will honor a competitor's frequent traveler perks.....but I'm still waiting for an answer to that question. I also wanted a catalog because I'm old-fashioned, I like to see the pictures! Website is good but not as much info as catalog for choosing a trip, plus I have the info at my fingertips whenever I want to look something up.

[remydiva]

With the dollar up, y'all are going to hear more of us. :rolleyes:

 

And less of us...:o

[ural guy]

Rosethorn40 "However, I am receiving something from Vantage almost weekly. I have to admit that their latest effort was very glossy, high quality and appealing."

 

Agree, the Vantage mailing is nice to look at, w/ big print that's easy to read.

[CPT Trips]

 

I won't forget. :D It's a land tour and what I wanted to know was information about how they handle customers who switch companies. Like some will honor a competitor's frequent traveler perks.....but I'm still waiting for an answer to that question. I also wanted a catalog because I'm old-fashioned, I like to see the pictures! Website is good but not as much info as catalog for choosing a trip, plus I have the info at my fingertips whenever I want to look something up.

 

All I can say is that the Vantage rep I spoke with would not but his instructions in an email. I still don't know exactly where I stand vis a vis loyalty credits as my account is STILL down for maintenance. But I am optimistic.

 

Call GCT, ask your questions and request a catalog. If they aren't responsive . . . well then