Azamara regular has a cruise on Viking

[uktog]

As someone who has taken a lot of Azamara cruises, we recently embarked on a Viking cruise in Bergen. This thread is my reflection of the experience compared to Azamara.  I am not going to cross post but I will shortly be doing a review of the itinerary and ports of call that I will put on the Viking board and will cross reference here (just as I will signpost this comparison thread on the Viking board) – So one thread for each board each one with a different focus!

 

We had selected an itinerary – Search for the Northern Lights – a voyage we had always wished Azamara would offer.  We have seen Norway several times, particularly under Captain Johannes direction, but it was lovely to see places in the winter.

 

So to the comparisons:

 

Pre departure: - Throughout our interactions with Viking we have kept coming up against a common theme - that Viking have far superior technology support and this gives you a superior customer experience.  Pre departure there was a wealth of very high quality resources and information was easily accessed in one place.  However Viking also does still have the same curse as Azamara – the absence of a proof reader which gave us issues when trying to track down exactly what covid test results we had to bring as we had page 1 saying one thing and page 2 another.  Not good!

 

Boarding process – Having boarded on Azamara post covid this was a like for like experience.  We found the Viking process way more stressful.  Viking require you to produce quite an amount of saliva in a tube in an open terminal having not drank anything in the previous hour.  You then board, after a brief drill you go straight to your room for quarantine pending your hopefully negative result which takes 5+ hours to come through.  Compared to Azamara’s test and result in the terminal in 20 minutes we did not find the Viking process a positive experience.  Viking continue to test you every day (no wake up coffee from the lovely little nespresso machine in your room, you have to produce your saliva first.)  Also no lie in, the attendant knocks at 8 to collect the sample.  We feel Azamara is now living with Covid, Viking is still trying to eliminate it, and our personal preference is to live with Covid.

 

The ship- Its not fair to compare a 20 year old ship with a ship less than a year old.  If only Azamara could be able to have new ships.  Whilst Viking has 30% more passengers, there is so much more space onboard to sit and relax.  Space is so flexible – for example the deck with sliding roof gave us a lovely venue to lie and read in the warmth as we floated past snow scenes.  The pool deck has a role come rain or shine.  Likewise, whilst there are three shops, they are discretely tucked away and therefore the focus is on space for comfort not space for revenue.  

Of course, the en suite is nicer than Azamara but maybe one day Azamara’s could be as good if only they had new ship investment.  Some simple things Azamara could do now, like their bathroom products – Viking give you more sizeable tubes of each item which reduces waste but what is really helpful for those of us showering without the help of their glasses, each of the four tubes has very distinctive colourings so its easy for the attendant to top you up with what you need as well as for you to use the right one which you cant read the label.

All the ship is accessible to everyone – you have no suite only areas and there is no real focus on loyalty.  So apart from an increase in square footage and earlier access to excursion bookings pre cruise, once outside your room, your type of room is absolutely irrelevant.  We liked this. There are no butlers, everyone gets on and makes their own arrangements agin we liked that.

Having been excited pre cruise about technology I found the wifi a let down – I was expecting better than Azamara but to be honest it was about the same (slow) speed as we have had on Azamara in Norway.

 

The itinerary – as I said, we went because Azamara did not offer it.  On paper, it was a good itinerary but sadly it was not delivered.  There were some weather related issues which are beyond Viking’s control but at the end of the cruise two ports were cancelled and we did not feel, unlike what would happen on Azamara, that Viking made any real effort to find alternatives.  So we had an unplanned four consecutive sea days at the end of the cruise.  Communication of the change was poor – we were out on an excursion when the announcement was made and there was no follow up.  Only by chance another guest told us what was happening several hours later.  No letter was issued to guests as Azamara would have done, and the ship would not put into writing that the ports were missed which is making it very difficult now to claim on our insurance policy which has missed port cover.  So Azamara wins here as even if we had exceptionally lost two ports they would have immediately issued the required papers.

 

The food – ok a very subjective issue!  We decided although both are very good, Viking was better.  For us, that was because there is such a range of options all included in the price (Main Dining room does breakfast, lunch and dinner every day as does the World Café upstairs, a Pool Grill that has a more innovative menu, Mamsens a Norwegian style place, waffles, open sandwiches, late night snacks, Chefs Table – four menus over the cruise and Manfredis, a much more genuine Italian than Aqualina.  All food is served piping hot, nicer presentation and (our big preference) slightly smaller helpings.  The crockery is also nicer (slightly finer and with a modern twist) than Azamara. I was however surprised to see that despite their test test test paranoia, they allowed all guests to serve themselves in the Café.  

 

The service – this is a really inconsistent area and particularly in the Main Dining room and Pool Grill, a very big disappointment on Viking.  We discussed this with officers on board because of issues we had.  We all agreed it’s a training issue, the staff do not seem to communicate with each other so you will either be offered things multiple times by lots of staff or not at all.  Unlike the resturants, the bar service was consistent and very good.  All over the vessel, staff do try hard but some just lack the skills (Or English) to address issues. Officers are accessible though not as visible as on Azamara.  Viking is not a cruise that you will have long conversations with different officers or get the opportunity to get to know them.  Talking to other guests, this is the Viking way of doing things its not a Covid related issue. It did not bother us one bit.  

 

Entertainment – a very mixed bag.  You can immediately see a difference in the shows as they are surprisingly less well resourced,  The orchestra/band is a four piece activity – you really can see the impact on the music they made, no wind/brass section means the sound is weak.  Likewise production shows involve only three singers (they were very average in our mind) and no dancers.  So the shows have good scores (Beatles based, Abba based and one generic 60s show) but the delivery was not as Azamara singers and dancers, with far less staging options would have achieved.  That said the Cruise Director did a good show and the Assistant Cruise Director’s show was exceptional – better than what we have seen from some CDs/ACDs on Azamara.  There was a band who played in the nightclub who were awful but you had a good guitar playing, a piano player and a string and piano ensemble who were great playing in various lounges.

Activities are not a Viking thing and there is only one trivia each day.  Did not bother us but others might have had issues on this.  

 

Enrichment Lectures – all were outstanding (four speakers all excellent on Astronomy/Lights, History, Culture and Photography – the latter gave balanced talks covering both “cameras” and Smartphones and then, as a former Fleet Street picture editor gave two excellent talks about photographing the British Royal Family).  All talks started to the minute and were a strict 45 minutes in length. The port talks were very good and were held in conjunction with the shore excursion brief for the port in question.  These talks were brutally honest, telling us what people were and were not liking about each excursion which was helpful and very refreshing.  So this was an area Viking hit Azamara out of the park.  

 

Shore Excursions – another area where we felt Viking we far better.  Each port includes one free excursion which on this cruise tended to be local drive arounds with photo stops and/or museum visits.  They were very well organised and we were impressed by their operations in this area.  The staff were far more knowledgeable than on Azamara.  As an example the other week there was a discussion on this board about finding out about restroom availability pre tour.  Viking have exactly this information for every tour and you can check it out at the desk if that is important to you, so it can be done.

 

So where does this leave us with Viking.  Well they are certainly an excellent option for cruising, but they do need to sort out the service issues in their restaurant venues.  No amount of good food or attractive ship layouts will get the credit it deserves if the service is poor.  We hope to board Azamara next week for a short trip so will be able to test out our perceptions of the relative strengths of the two brands in more depth then.  But we have booked a trip to Greenland on Viking so you can see we are already ready to commit to more cruising day with them.  

 

I hope this helps those wondering if Viking is for them.

 

(and one simple photo to set you off!)

 

[Vineyard View]

Thank you uktog!  This was extremely helpful for me. We have sailed with Viking several times and have enjoyed every trip so far. I was thinking about the service issue you brought up, and have to wonder how much the ongoing new ship launches are impacting that, as we honestly have always had excellent service in all the dining venues. Pretty surprised that the Cafe is allowing self serve….

We have not sailed Azamara as yet. We had a B2B booked for this May and unfortunately had to cancel. That said, I do have my eye on a few different Azamara - as well as Viking - itineraries once we can again travel. 
This review was really beneficial, and does support our continued interest in Azamara. I appreciate your time in writing this. 

[Skicruiser55]

You answered a lot of questions I have about Viking.  We have been considering as friends of ours love sailing with them.  I hope you are on board for the 4/5 Quest sailing.  After years of seeing your posts it would be nice to see your face.

[takemewithyou]

@uktogOne question we have:  I know the subject of beds is subjective, but I would like to hear your opinion of the mattresses compared to your Azamara experiences.  We find the mattresses on Azamara to be very comfortable.  In reading thru Viking’s posts, I saw some people describe them as stiff and they described actually being sore from sleeping on them.  Did you have any issues with the mattresses?

Thanks! 

[takemewithyou]

@uktogalso, did you try any of the Chefs Tables and if so, how did you like that experience? 

[uktog]

2 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

@uktogOne question we have:  I know the subject of beds is subjective, but I would like to hear your opinion of the mattresses compared to your Azamara experiences.  We find the mattresses on Azamara to be very comfortable.  In reading thru Viking’s posts, I saw some people describe them as stiff and they described actually being sore from sleeping on them.  Did you have any issues with the mattresses?

Thanks! 

We found the beds firm but extremely comfortable.  We had absolutely no issues

[uktog]

2 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

@uktogalso, did you try any of the Chefs Tables and if so, how did you like that experience? 

We tried three tables, pan Asian, Norwegian and Californian. We had the package so had the premium pared wines.  The food is not as much or as elaborate as on Azamara but we preferred the lighter style.  It was lovely and of course is included in the fare.  Like many guests, the Californian menu surprised us how much we loved it, the halibut was outstanding. Of the three trips there, two had very good service and one acceptable but not engaged if you get my drift. 
 

[takemewithyou]

Thanks so much!  We have been stressed over the beds!  It really affects us if the beds are uncomfortable.  We tend to like a softer bed but maybe these will serve as just fine.

 

Those pics of the Chef’s Table meal look wonderful.  We do find there to be too much food on Azamara’s chef tables and therefore don’t do them. They were delicious and fun, but too much food for us. A lighter meal would be great and we will also have the Silver Spirits package for premium wines.

[Host Jazzbeau]

So glad your wish to see the Northern Lights was fulfilled!

 

This sounds like an excellent itinerary.  To me, Viking's biggest weakness is the small number of itineraries that they keep doing over and over.  As that is Azamara's biggest strength, it is really noticeable.  We loved the Viking ships and most aspects of the experience, but we haven't been back because no itinerary appealed.

 

Agree about the Chef's Table – DW normally doesn't want these tasting menus because there is too much food; she was happy to do several on Viking because as you found the smaller portions were just right.

 

One other point about Viking:  unlike some cruise lines that are kicking us Boomers to the side of the road, Viking remains the vision of one man and reflects the kind of cruise line he wants it to be.  No focus groups.  To the extent that your desires mesh with his, Viking is great.  But they aren't open to suggestion about how to change [your suggestions about improving what they are already trying to do are more likely to be welcome and acted on].  I can't think of another cruise line that would have a comparable page on their website like What Viking Is Not !

[takemewithyou]

I wonder…..did you get to see the Northern Lights?!

 

opps!  I did s see some just now in the photo you posted! Embarrassed 😞 

Edited March 28, 2022 by takemewithyou

[BBQ Lover]

I agree with Jazzbeaux. We did have a good time on our Viking cruise; however, we are driven by itinerary, and Viking just regurgitates the same uninspired itineraries, over and over. I think that Azamara does a lot of things right, which includes constantly having the some of the best itineraries that I can find. I love the R-ships, the crew, Destination Immersion, etc., and they deliver all of this at a somewhat decent price point.

 

We were able to find a decent price on a Silversea cruise last November, and we were highly impressed with the product. While we did not like playing dress-up for dinner, we much prefer a country club casual dress code, we still had an excellent cruise. Silversea also has some impressive itineraries, but I would have to find another great deal before we could afford to sail with them again. Considering that they are now including a door-to-door service that tries to rival Regent, they are making it harder for me to find a price point that I am happy with.

Edited March 28, 2022 by BBQ Lover

[Host Jazzbeau]

24 minutes ago, BBQ Lover said:

I agree with Jazzbeaux. We did have a good time on our Viking cruise; however, we are driven by itinerary, and Viking just regurgitates the same uninspired itineraries, over and over. I think that Azamara does a lot of things right, which includes constantly having the some of the best itineraries that I can find. I love the R-ships, the crew, Destination Immersion, etc., and they deliver all of this at a somewhat decent price point.

 

We were able to find a decent price on a Silversea cruise last November, and we were highly impressed with the product. While we did not like playing dress-up for dinner, we much prefer a country club casual dress code, we still had an excellent cruise. Silversea also has some impressive itineraries, but I would have to find another great deal before we could afford to sail with them again. Considering that they are now including a door-to-door service that tries to rival Regent, they are making it harder for me to find a price point that I am happy with.

Recent threads on the Silversea forum are full of longtime Silversea fans who are aghast at recent Silversea foul-ups.  Many are shore-side, but there was a recent Antarctica cruise that never should have sailed and was not handled well before, during or after.  [And yes, the dress code is a major obstacle for me.]

[Vineyard View]

I would totally agree with the comments on Viking regurgitation of the same itineraries…they have Introduced some variations, but I haven’t noticed unique or really new offers in a while. They have new ships coming out - maybe they will get more creative. Azamara does have a big advantage from what I can tell from this perspective. 

[portofrome]

Thank you for the great review and comparisons!

[uktog]

4 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

I would totally agree with the comments on Viking regurgitation of the same itineraries…they have Introduced some variations, but I haven’t noticed unique or really new offers in a while. They have new ships coming out - maybe they will get more creative. Azamara does have a big advantage from what I can tell from this perspective. 

Onboard they were indicating with three new ships coming in the next year, they will be able to flex itineraries more.  I think though it’s kind of in-line with what Jazzbeau says, they’re filling their ships based on current offerings and so only do marginal tweaks. No changes for the sake of them. They did say they’re doing South Pacific as part of their World Cruise and hope to do that leg as a regular in the coming year. (You can’t buy it as a single leg for now). 
They will need new itineraries to regularly tempt us.

[Mrs Miggins]

Thanks for this review.  We have done 10+ Azamara cruises and 3 Viking Cruises.  We are B2B on Azamara Quest in a couple of weeks.  We have a Viking cruise in September.  Viking suggested we might like to move our New Year cruise forward since the French were likely to not allow those from the UK off the ship in our 3 French stops. That was excellent and thoughtful service.

Our experience thus far is all pre covid.

I would agree with a lot of your points.  

However the service we experienced in the Viking MDR was very similar to Azamara,  Viking is bringing on new ships and presumably new staff.  Their crew is extremely loyal and motivated so I would expect things to return to normal soon.

The ship and the cabins are wonderful.

You did not mention the wonderful Spa.  At the moment you have to book but we found it a wonderful retreat on our previous trips.

We loved the speciality restaurants on Viking at no extra cost.

We loved the live music all around the ship. We found nightly entertainment similar to our last Azamara cruise but inferior to our first few Azamara experiences.

The band in Torshaven was excellent on all 3 cruises and the small venue encouraged dancing rather than the empty Living Room on Azamara on several nights.

The Reception/Customer Service area was exceptional on Viking and somewhat mixed on Azamara unless you got to the management.

Agree entirely about the itineraries.  However in some of the highlight destinations the included tours make life much easier.  For example in Santorini we were taken to a different small port by boat then bussed up to Oia before returning (or not if you wanted) to Fira.  On the other hand Azamara have been known to switch the itinerary on the hoof if there are too many other cruise ships.

The elephant in the room is Viking's Covid testing.  I think a great deal of money was spent on the onboard   laboratories.  In the beginning this made people more amenable to choosing Viking for their safety record.  However many now feel it is over the top.  I would agree.  However they are at least consistent and their protocols are easily available.  Azamara seem to be all over the place and you have highlighted the current booster debate.  The information regarding necessary paperwork is out of date.  I remain confused.

 

I love both lines and believe you would have had a different experience pre covid.

In Valencia for example the shuttle service by Azamara was a shambles - Viking was disciplined.

 

In summary Viking is more efficient and Azamara is more adaptable.

 

[Riocca]

Thank you for your interesting comparison, we’ve only done one Viking Oceans but it was interesting some things obviously worked better but some were the still the same.

Our cruise was their Caribbean itinerary in February 2018 and we encountered many of the service problems at that time we put it down to the rapid growth in ships as they were moving the trained staff to the latest ship leaving problems on the existing ships. We know the problems Azamara had integrating one ship, Viking at that time were obviously struggling for staff.

Being a hot itinerary our thoughts on the retractable roof were quite different, it only needed a slight threat of rain for the roof to be closed and with 30 degree temperatures it rapidly made that are unusable. The Aquavit Terrace was at first glance nice but in practice wasn’t great especially when passengers in wet swimming costumes and bare feet were being allowed to freely enter the buffet.

Again I agree with the comments regarding itineraries, we keep looking at Viking as we have some FCC following problems on a river cruise, but have yet to be inspired. Maybe it’s down to the size of the ships those extra tonnes can make a big difference on access something that could well effect Azamara if there are eventually new builds.

[audobon_tx]

11 hours ago, uktog said:

We found the Viking process way more stressful.  Viking require you to produce quite an amount of saliva in a tube in an open terminal having not drank anything in the previous hour.  You then board, after a brief drill you go straight to your room for quarantine pending your hopefully negative result which takes 5+ hours to come through.  Compared to Azamara’s test and result in the terminal in 20 minutes we did not find the Viking process a positive experience.  Viking continue to test you every day (no wake up coffee from the lovely little nespresso machine in your room, you have to produce your saliva first.)  Also no lie in, the attendant knocks at 8 to collect the sample.  We feel Azamara is now living with Covid, Viking is still trying to eliminate it, and our personal preference is to live with Covid.

 

Thanks, Anne.  This is a deal killer for us.  No Viking until, and if, sanity returns.  

[excitedofharpenden]

Thanks for the comparison Ann. I know you love Azamara as much as I do so it was a very good read. 

 

Phil 

[Mackdogmolly]

Thanks so much, Anne!

[oddjob16]

Thanks for the "review". Skipping two ports without contemplating making an effort to replace them is not very positive for Vikings reputation. For us that would be unacceptable and definately a "never again" moment.

Being from Norway it seems difficult to become a Viking guest anyway. Nearest sales agent is probably in the UK. Their web site is either UK or US.

 

[150edmiston]

Thank you UKtog.  Very useful info and comparison.  We have american friends who have sailed viking,  but felt it was a little impersonal vs azamara.  Great tech on board, food was great but just that 'welcome home' was missing. 

 

Like most of us, we've pretty much been living under a rock for the last 2 years. We managed three weeks in spain last sept, and a week in virgin gorda this month,  but thats been it (we both came back with Covid).  More hols planned but no cruises for the time being.  Thanks again for sharing.  David

[Harrietq]

uktog, excellent “compare and contrast” between Viking and Azamara!

 

We are Viking cruisers who found Azamara. I’ve said if I could take Viking’s ships, scale them down to 700 pax, keep their lecturers, and put Azamara’s food, crews, entertainers, Azamazing evenings, and itineraries into one, it would be my dream cruise line. My husband and I think Azamara’s food is many notches above Viking’s. 

 

We look forward to our third cruise on Quest in a week. We’ve been on Journey and Pursuit. We have one large credit to use at Viking; going forward we’ll look to Azamara first!

[Host Jazzbeau]

Just saw this article that says the Northern Lights might be visible over the uppermost United States and much of Canada tonight (Wednesday) – except that cloud cover will spoil it for much of those areas:

https://www.accuweather.com/en/space-news/northern-lights-to-glow-over-us-wednesday-night/1164891

 

Who knew you didn't have to schlep all the way to Norway? 

[Redtravel]

Thanks for sharing your comments.  We like Azamara and Viking.  Both do a good cruise. Viking is a much larger operation than Azamara. Viking trips are usually extremely well planned.  On one Viking trip, cruise director got sick.  The sub was excellent. He knew his stuff.  Azamara is great when things go as scheduled. Viking has better resources to recover when things go astray.  Viking ships are beautiful.  Cabins are spacious.  Amenities are excellent. Azamara ships are old. Even with renovations, the cabins are small. Bathrooms are tiny.  When picking a trip, Azamara often is not chosen if a similar itinerary is offered on Viking. We also like Oceania’s larger ships. Oceania does a great cruise.