Viking versus Oceania

[Classiccruiser777]

I don't mean to slam Holland, as I've never cruised with them. However, my impression of them is that they are DEFINITELY a cut below Viking or Oceania. I've also noticed they have had a lot of norovirus episodes per the CDC website tally, although I realize they DO have a lot of ships, and so I should cut them some slack for that. I've also heard from a friend that the quality has declined over the past 5 years or so.

We have cruised HAL and I agree with everything you said.

 

Also, we just got off the Regatta last Sunday and the food and service was excellent as was the bed, linens included.

 

A couple of additional observations about that cruise:

 

• I went to the reception desk to get a DVD and the person asked me how I was enjoying the cruise, (Atlantic Charms). I told her we loved it and that the food was excellent. She told me that that is the most widely reported complement O hears from guests. She said the food is good because everything is fresh, even the garnishes in the bars.
  

 

• While enjoying a Cafe Americano outside of the Grand Dining Room I watched the bartender restock the liqueur and commented that all the brands were the better ones. He responded by saying that O is a good company and only uses quality products.
  

I think those two unsolicited comments from relatively low level employees speaks volumes about O. My wife and I are hooked!

[dcsam]

Interesting read. After much comparison, we're about to book a Viking cruise. For the lowest balcony, the price difference was significant to say the least. Plus, no kids under 18, walk around deck, 2 pools; open, bright and airy; included tours; included wine and beer, included laundry and Internet. We'll give it a try, but Oceania is also high on our 'to do' list. I'm booking Viking tomorrow.

Edited July 19, 2016 by dcsam

[garycd]

Having used both lines a couple of comments;

 

1. The differential in the quality of food between the two lines are huge! However, if one is satisfied with ok food, but not great food, then the price differential between the two lines may not be worth the difference in price alone. Viking charges extra for their specialty restaurants and those are definitely not up to O's standards.....

 

I guess my summary of the entire experience is that Viking is OK but not great. That goes across the board in most all categories. I wouldn't denounce them as bad in any aspect. On an individual basis one must determine if they'd rather pay less to have OK (to mediocre) food, ok crew service, and just an overall OK pleasant time, to paying more and having a more exceptional experience (most of the time omitting the noro cases) on Oceania. On the food side, let's be honest, some people are just as happy eating at Ponderosa as they are a real steakhouse preparing exceptional food. The wines, offered by the glass on Viking were phlonk. For some, phlonk is fine especially if cheap. It's just a case of what matters to you. If you are just as happy staying in a Holiday Inn resort and not paying the premium to stay in a Westin Resort then I believe you will be very satisfied with Viking over Oceania. Nothing wrong with either decision, just a personal one.

....

 

Pinotlover,

 

Were you on Viking River or Viking Ocean -- or some other line? Viking certainly does not charge extra for their specialty restaurants. And to compare Viking food to Ponderosa's food is absurd. I will not eat at Ponderosa -- even though my last experience with it was as a teenager -- decades ago. I agree that the free wine on Viking is generally not of high quality, but every so often they offer something good, and the Viking free wine was not that much lower quality than the free wine we had on the Marina's maiden voyage. Now I am not that knowledgeable on wine, but am pretty capable on judging food, and overall Viking Ocean and Oceania's food are in the same ballpark. Check out this thread for more details: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2569825

 

In terms of "ok crew service", the staff on both Viking and Oceania are excellent.

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Hi all - Cruise Critic has an article on Viking vs. Oceania Cruises. Hope this helps!

[tvmovielover]

We cruised on the Viking Sea early this year and on Nautica this fall. Both cruises had great itineraries and I would like to cruise on both ships again. They are apples and oranges not good and better. Food is good on both and better than the bigger cruise ships. Prices are higher than some lines on both but there are deals on both especially on new itineraries.

 

Viking does still have more limited itineraries in the usual places. We tried them for the Southern Med cruise that included Algeria (hard to visit without an expensive visa or ship tours though worthwhile), Tunisia, Malta, Sardinia, and Valencia so not the same old thing. We are going again for their Norway tour. I like that all cabins have balconies. The specialty restaurants are okay (and free as mentioned) and there is a lot of good interesting food. I like Scandinavian decor but I cruise for the ports not the ship decorations. The included wine is just okay. Viking attempts with the included tours to continue the included river tours in small towns. Some were great, some not so much. It does not work as well on ocean cruises because ships are mostly not right in town and the tours become mostly bus tours. The pay tours are similar to O tours, higher in price and less good than private tours. The paid tour are best where you must take a ship tour to see something.

 

I loved Nautica for the smaller size. The decor is a little tired but comfortable and clean. The baristas is next to the GDR which meant more seating and a friendly early morning group that stayed rather than taking their drinks away. Even on this smaller ship, afternoon tea was better than on Viking. We hit at a time when the crew had been together for some time so that a few new crew fit in without problems. It really makes a difference and everybody quickly learned our names. I would love to cruise on Nautica again but they have limited shorter cruises and we are not ready for longer ones again. I liked their Toscana but wish they had Red Ginger instead of Polo (I am one of the few who do not like Polo). Red Ginger dishes in the GDR are not the same. Again, try both lines if they have an itinerary you like.

[roothy123]

Agree with 90% of previous poster!!! Love both lines.

[Carol From California]

We have been on two Viking Ocean cruises and four Oceania cruises, all on the Marina. We love both lines. We have one cruise booked on Viking (2019) and nothing currently booked on Oceania, but will definitely sail on Marina or Riviera again. I think Oceania has the edge in the food department. We love the specialty restaurants and the Terrace Café. We do not personally care for the main dining room on Oceania. On Viking we did not care for the Chef's Table restaurant. We enjoyed Manfredi's, the Restaurant and the World Café. We happen to like the Scandinavian décor on Viking. For us it's probably more about the itinerary when choosing a cruise. Both cruise lines are great!

[sabrefan]

An interesting subject. My wife and I have sailed on Oceania 4 times, twice on. Riviera, once on Marina and once on Regatta. We just did our first Viking cruise on a Transatlantic on the new Viking Sun. We enjoyed the interior design and overall layout of the Viking Sun but we also like the Oceania Marina and Riviera too. The Regatta not as much. We felt that overall service in all areas is better on Oceania. Food is definitely better on Oceania. Especially the buffet on Oceania. We really like the idea of staff putting food on your plate, no worry about tongs with onta I ate handles spreading disease. The Oceania beds are much better. We found that the included shore excursion on Viking was no big deal, basically and overview of the port. The buffet on Viking was not very organized, bad passenger flow. The main theatre was also small compared with Marina and Riviera. We decided that we would stick with Oceania unless Viking offered a better itinerary and price.

[harryw]

After sailing exclusively on Oceania for 6 years, with 8 cruises on the Marina or Riviera, we read many good things about Viking. So we recently completed our first Viking Ocean cruise, on the Viking Sea. This is an edited version of my recently posted Feb 5 review.

 

Air Fare Options

 

 

We used custom air on both, and were happy with our booked flights. However, we like O's option of booking cruise without air, at a lower price. Viking will not provide a credit or lower price if you want to decline their air.

 

 

Ship Design - Apples versus oranges, and both have beautiful decor, from furniture to artwork.

 

Cabin - O provides more drawer space than Viking. Cabin stewards excellent on both. Viking had an additional perk of free snacks in fridge replenished daily.

 

Breakfasts -

 

The MDR on both had wonderful breakfasts, attentive service, and very similar menus.

 

Lunches - Lunches at the buffet on both were consistently good with many selections. Though, I missed the Oceania experience of staff reedy to carry food to an empty table. Staff was available on Viking to then take beverage orders, but not as attentive as Oceania. The pizza on Viking looked unappetizing and had few takers, compared to pizza on O which I ate often and had brisk business.

 

On Viking, I missed having a dedicated cook to order pasta station at lunch which Oceania provided with many options, as well as an occasional taco station. Viking did have only one cook to order pasta dish available.

The outdoor grill on both had similar menus with tasty selections, though, unlike Oceania where you would place your order and a server would bring it to your selected numbered table, I had to queue up and wait for the order, hoping there would be a table available, which were scarce compared to O's Waves Grill.

 

Dinner -

 

Three courses on Viking were just right.

O's 5 courses were too formidable. The selection on both was varied enough and waiters were efficient. It was an inspiration on Viking to have multi course local food options on the menu, depending on which country we were visiting. The waiters on Viking not as friendly, chatty and visible as on O.

An oddity on Viking was that we were always asked if we knew which dessert we wanted when the order was placed. (Too soon!) And we were never asked at the end of dinner if we would like coffee, tea, etc.

 

Specialty Restaurants - Manfreddi's on Viking had fantastic breads and steamed mussel. My main course was good but not stellar. We passed on the Chef's Table, since the menus on nights we could find reservations didn't thrill us. I would say that our dining experiences at Red Ginger and Jacques on O were more memorable.

 

Room Service - Viking had the best on any cruise line we have been on. Not only were there hot items available to all passengers, but hot dishes like omelettes and pancakes, and coffee always arrived hot!

 

Entertainment - The one man show by the Viking Cruise Director - who sang and had a great sense of humor - was the best show I have seen on a cruise ship in many years. The Viking Band and the two vocalists was the most talented resident band I've ever heard.

The production shows on Viking were forgettable and original songs cringeworthy. But O's shows were not much better. We were happy that Viking didn't have jugglers and

magicians, an Oceania staple.

 

Ship Excursions - Viking was our first experience wit free excursions. We took two. The guide in Santo Domingo was informative and led an

interesting tour. But in Santa Marta, the guide spoke too quickly, was a bit difficult to understand, and allocated too much time at a museum..the time should have been spent at other places nearby.

 

Ship Newsletter

 

The Viking Daily should have listed more port information. I found out later that there were port guides available, but I liked the way Oceania's ship paper provided shuttle information, taxi and bus availability, and distance estimated fares to local destinations, concisely and readable the night before.

 

Onboard Cash

 

It would have been nice to be able to obtain cash onboard on Viking, but it was not available.. Oceania would provide cash through Guest Services.

 

Conclusion - Our Viking cruise trip didn't quite live up to the hype. However, it was a wonderful trip with many many pluses out weighing negatives. This is a cruise line halfway between premium and luxury. If the wrinkles were ironed out this may be our cruise line of choice. But for now the scale is tipped to Oceania.

[Hawaiidan]

Having used both lines a couple of comments;

 

1. The differential in the quality of food between the two lines are huge! However, if one is satisfied with ok food, but not great food, then the price differential between the two lines may not be worth the difference in price alone. Viking charges extra for their specialty restaurants and those are definitely not up to O's standards.

 

2. Viking's included tours are much more cattle car operations than most here would like overall. One still has the option of arranging their own tours and probably should.

 

 

 

3. Some people like the sleek and clean IKEA look of Viking. After about a day, I found it boring. I enjoy all the artwork and upscale furnishings of O over the IKEA look of Viking. It gives those "at sea" days a different filing. Some people sit in their cabins most of those days so it's a each to his their own thing.

 

4. I haven't fortunately been on a noro cruise, but I felt there exists a higher level of personal service on O than on Viking overall.

 

I guess my summary of the entire experience is that Viking is OK but not great. That goes across the board in most all categories. I wouldn't denounce them as bad in any aspect. On an individual basis one must determine if they'd rather pay less to have OK (to mediocre) food, ok crew service, and just an overall OK pleasant time, to paying more and having a more exceptional experience (most of the time omitting the noro cases) on Oceania. On the food side, let's be honest, some people are just as happy eating at Ponderosa as they are a real steakhouse preparing exceptional food. The wines, offered by the glass on Viking were phlonk. For some, phlonk is fine especially if cheap. It's just a case of what matters to you. If you are just as happy staying in a Holiday Inn resort and not paying the premium to stay in a Westin Resort then I believe you will be very satisfied with Viking over Oceania. Nothing wrong with either decision, just a personal one.

 

I will add a comment to the note above about getting into Bergen. For those of us that don't fly in the day of the cruise, getting to Bergen is simple. UA has non stop service from EWR to Oslo. Oslo is a tourist destination of its own., and I wish that Oceania included it in more on its schedule. One of the scenic splendors of Norway is the train ride from Oslo to Bergen. So it's as simple as taking the highly efficient train system to Bergen and a cheap cab ride to the port.

 

excellent review and pretty much what I have heard from others... On thing is they offer free soft drinks ...3 a day I was told. so they run a "tight ship" in terms of cost control..

I looked at their prices and found them higher when you add all the details...

Viking is being run like a river cattle boat that I have seen and watched disgorging passengers to a sea of buses you know "if it is Tuesday this must be Paris" Europe in 7 fun days! Too much sterile organization and lack of options...

I guess some love not having to do anything but pay their fare and have their hands held every second......

[roothy123]

After sailing exclusively on Oceania for 6 years, with 8 cruises on the Marina or Riviera, we read many good things about Viking. So we recently completed our first Viking Ocean cruise, on the Viking Sea. This is an edited version of my recently posted Feb 5 review.

 

Air Fare Options

 

 

We used custom air on both, and were happy with our booked flights. However, we like O's option of booking cruise without air, at a lower price. Viking will not provide a credit or lower price if you want to decline their air.

 

 

Ship Design - Apples versus oranges, and both have beautiful decor, from furniture to artwork.

 

Cabin - O provides more drawer space than Viking. Cabin stewards excellent on both. Viking had an additional perk of free snacks in fridge replenished daily.

 

Breakfasts -

 

The MDR on both had wonderful breakfasts, attentive service, and very similar menus.

 

Lunches - Lunches at the buffet on both were consistently good with many selections. Though, I missed the Oceania experience of staff reedy to carry food to an empty table. Staff was available on Viking to then take beverage orders, but not as attentive as Oceania. The pizza on Viking looked unappetizing and had few takers, compared to pizza on O which I ate often and had brisk business.

 

On Viking, I missed having a dedicated cook to order pasta station at lunch which Oceania provided with many options, as well as an occasional taco station. Viking did have only one cook to order pasta dish available.

The outdoor grill on both had similar menus with tasty selections, though, unlike Oceania where you would place your order and a server would bring it to your selected numbered table, I had to queue up and wait for the order, hoping there would be a table available, which were scarce compared to O's Waves Grill.

 

Dinner -

 

Three courses on Viking were just right.

O's 5 courses were too formidable. The selection on both was varied enough and waiters were efficient. It was an inspiration on Viking to have multi course local food options on the menu, depending on which country we were visiting. The waiters on Viking not as friendly, chatty and visible as on O.

An oddity on Viking was that we were always asked if we knew which dessert we wanted when the order was placed. (Too soon!) And we were never asked at the end of dinner if we would like coffee, tea, etc.

 

Specialty Restaurants - Manfreddi's on Viking had fantastic breads and steamed mussel. My main course was good but not stellar. We passed on the Chef's Table, since the menus on nights we could find reservations didn't thrill us. I would say that our dining experiences at Red Ginger and Jacques on O were more memorable.

 

Room Service - Viking had the best on any cruise line we have been on. Not only were there hot items available to all passengers, but hot dishes like omelettes and pancakes, and coffee always arrived hot!

 

Entertainment - The one man show by the Viking Cruise Director - who sang and had a great sense of humor - was the best show I have seen on a cruise ship in many years. The Viking Band and the two vocalists was the most talented resident band I've ever heard.

The production shows on Viking were forgettable and original songs cringeworthy. But O's shows were not much better. We were happy that Viking didn't have jugglers and

magicians, an Oceania staple.

 

Ship Excursions - Viking was our first experience wit free excursions. We took two. The guide in Santo Domingo was informative and led an

interesting tour. But in Santa Marta, the guide spoke too quickly, was a bit difficult to understand, and allocated too much time at a museum..the time should have been spent at other places nearby.

 

Ship Newsletter

 

The Viking Daily should have listed more port information. I found out later that there were port guides available, but I liked the way Oceania's ship paper provided shuttle information, taxi and bus availability, and distance estimated fares to local destinations, concisely and readable the night before.

 

Onboard Cash

 

It would have been nice to be able to obtain cash onboard on Viking, but it was not available.. Oceania would provide cash through Guest Services.

 

Conclusion - Our Viking cruise trip didn't quite live up to the hype. However, it was a wonderful trip with many many pluses out weighing negatives. This is a cruise line halfway between premium and luxury. If the wrinkles were ironed out this may be our cruise line of choice. But for now the scale is tipped to Oceania.

 

Agree with most of your opinions, harryw, except that I like both Oceania and Viking Ocean equally. I can't pick one over the other. But of course, everyone is different, and everyone's experience is different - depending somewhat on where the ship goes and who's on it!

 

I was just curious who your cruise director was, since it sounds like that person put on a great show. By the way, one thing I found to be different between O and V is the role of the cruise director. On O, the CDs seem to be out and about more, mingling with passengers more and running some of the activities. Personally, I don't care if they ARE doing this or they aren't, but both my husband and I DID notice the difference between the two lines.

 

Just a comment as to space. I don't know which cabin type you occupied, but on December sailing in a veranda cabin, there was a small dresser in the closet that held a lot of clothing items (or whatever). It's my understanding that the dresser is going to be in all cabins on all ships soon. That should take care of what some consider limited space on Viking ships.

 

I didn't read the whole thread, but I assume this has been pointed out: specialty restaurants on Viking Ocean ARE included in cruise price, just like Oceania.

[roothy123]

excellent review and pretty much what I have heard from others... On thing is they offer free soft drinks ...3 a day I was told. so they run a "tight ship" in terms of cost control..

I looked at their prices and found them higher when you add all the details...

Viking is being run like a river cattle boat that I have seen and watched disgorging passengers to a sea of buses you know "if it is Tuesday this must be Paris" Europe in 7 fun days! Too much sterile organization and lack of options...

I guess some love not having to do anything but pay their fare and have their hands held every second......

 

Lots I disagree with, as stated by Pinotlover and Hawaiidan. But a couple comments:

 

Yes, lots of people take Viking's included excursion in each port, which makes for many buses. Lots of folks are coming from river cruises and haven't learned anything different - yet! But of course, V. offers other excursions (cheaper than O's) and anyone can find and take their own excursion without relying on the ship's. So there ARE choices and as more people learn it's OK to go off on your own, there will be less of a cattle call.

 

From what I've seen, Viking is a little more expensive. However, it's hard to compare prices, since Viking offers these things free: beer/wine/soft drinks at lunch/dinner, excursion in each port, excellent internet, and use of spa area as long as you don't want a treatment. Sometimes Viking includes the airfare too, and then I believe you get the transfers free too. If you buy O's Olife package, you get some goodies plus (usually) free airfare, the value of which must be decided before you can compare prices between Viking and Oceania.

 

Food, I rate Oceania a little higher overall, but not hugely. Service - possibly a little better overall on Oceania, especially if you count how fast the cabin attendants clean up your room on O! But service is great on both, and Viking staff are certainly doing a great job. Ship decor (including cabin) & maintenance - Viking is tops, especially if you love the light, more modern look. I do, and the cabin bathrooms are wonderful. Love the desk, too. Itineraries? Viking is building more ships and soon I suspect they'll be like Oceania - going everywhere!

 

Want a casino? Choose Oceania. Want an overnight in a port? Viking's more likely to have it. Hooray for choice and competition. I'll continue to sail on both lines!

[vakamalua]

We looked at a few Viking Ocean itineraries in 2019. What turned us off was having to pay the entire fare IN FULL (rather than a deposit) when you make a booking even though the sail date could be 18 months or more away. Imagine the float that Viking is making on all that cash up front...

[harryw]

I think that our Cruise Director’s name on Viking was Jaime; he mentioned during a show that he was recently promoted...

I would add that the most common complaint I heard onboard was dissatisfaction with air arrangements that were not customized and left to Viking, but ours were fine.

We had a deluxe veranda. The fewer drawers compared to O were definitely noticeable.

[harryw]

We looked at a few Viking Ocean itineraries in 2019. What turned us off was having to pay the entire fare IN FULL (rather than a deposit) when you make a booking even though the sail date could be 18 months or more away. Imagine the float that Viking is making on all that cash up front...

Good point. We were surprised about the full payment

schedule.

[workstocruise]

We are taking our first Viking Ocean cruise this July. We booked it last August with a $1000 deposit for two of us. I paid the balance in Feb. which was ok with me. We have sailed on 4 river cruises and usually have to pay in full up front. We have sailed 4 times on O and love their ships but we like to try different lines for something new.

[Paulchili]

We looked at a few Viking Ocean itineraries in 2019. What turned us off was having to pay the entire fare IN FULL (rather than a deposit) when you make a booking even though the sail date could be 18 months or more away. Imagine the float that Viking is making on all that cash up front...

 

As pointed out elsewhere, this is negotiable and upon that advice we negotiated a final payment much closer to sailing than Viking had originally asked (via our TA).

[sammiedawg]

I just posted on a similar thread on the Viking board.

We have done a couple Viking trips, liked it but didn’t love it. I value the Oceania comfort level and great food more than I value the included Viking tours. Looking forward to three more Oceania trips.