Should I try Oceania? (compare to Viking)

[1985rz1]

20 minutes ago, Kiwifromkiev said:

can anybody share (as a ball park figure) what a cocktail and a glass of wine would cost on O, please?

Page down on this list to the drinks menus and you'll be able to fine tune the cost of whatever drink you are interested in:

 

https://www.thepreismans.com/riviera_21_menus.htm

 

Remember to add the 20% autogratuity.

Edited November 13, 2022 by 1985rz1

[Kiwifromkiev]

6 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

Page down on this list to the drinks menus and you'll be able to fine tune the cost of whatever drink you are interested in:

 

https://www.thepreismans.com/riviera_21_menus.htm

 

Remember to add the 20% autogratuity.

This is very helpful, thank you!!! do you happen to know - the OLife Choice "drink package' - presumably this is the House Select option?

[1985rz1]

17 minutes ago, Kiwifromkiev said:

This is very helpful, thank you!!! do you happen to know - the OLife Choice "drink package' - presumably this is the House Select option?

Yes, the House Select.  Beer and wines that on the wines by the glass list  at meals.

Edited November 13, 2022 by 1985rz1

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Kiwifromkiev said:

oh, this sounds like fun (NOT!) - skip the excursions, drink BYO wine 🙂

well I suppose  sometimes  there are excursions that may stop at  a wine store or  you may have time to shop before getting back on the ship 🙄

Seems other people manage  to do it

[MEFIowa]

18 hours ago, Kiwifromkiev said:

oh, this sounds like fun (NOT!) - skip the excursions, drink BYO wine 🙂

My wife and I do excursions in every port AND bring our wine on board and buy beer, hard liquor and wine in port to bring back. Never seems to be a shortage of places near where the ship docks that sell alcohol. You can have it all. Or your cake and eat it, too.

 

And for me something fun is trying to find the least expensive place selling local/area alcohol nearest the dock. In Belize City on a beautiful Sunday on 12/19/21 we spent the day taking in the city. Walked for hours and miles taking in sites and lunch and more. Right by the dock a Belikin beer was $4 a bottle. Right outside the "secure" tourist area it was $3. A block from that $2. And at the little store with the Chinese proprietor a block from that it was $1. And great prices for Belizean Rum, too. Same for the fake tourist trap that is Costa Maya in Mexico. Just 3 blocks from the beach at the small store with the big Tecate sign suddenly the beer, tequila and wine were dirt cheap compared to anything near where the tourists were! The Mexican wine surprisingly good (IIRC Xe).

[Orator]

I only drink bottled water. Is it free in my cabin or do I need a package?

[LHT28]

5 minutes ago, Orator said:

I only drink bottled water. Is it free in my cabin or do I need a package?

Water  is free on the ship  however  not plastic bottles 

They provide you with  a personal metal bottle to carry ashore

They have Vero in the cabin

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/media/2019/OCEANIA+CRUISES+TO+ELIMINATE+PLASTIC+WATER+BOTTLES+IN+PIONEERING+GREEN+INITIATIVE+-+Partnership+With+Vero+Water+Will+Save+More+Than+Three+Million+Plastic+Bottles+Per+Year/

 

[shorton]

We recently returned from our first Viking cruise.  Viking ships are gorgeous. Staterooms are great. But we didn't like the vibe. Too sterile. Too staid. And the food was mediocre. 

As a previous poster noted, Viking has a lot of ships, but the itineraries are the same year after year.  No Africa. No South America. We like a cruise line that offers us a chance to see the world. Oceania  does that. 

[Mariastreby]

13 hours ago, shorton said:

We recently returned from our first Viking cruise.  Viking ships are gorgeous. Staterooms are great. But we didn't like the vibe. Too sterile. Too staid. And the food was mediocre. 

As a previous poster noted, Viking has a lot of ships, but the itineraries are the same year after year.  No Africa. No South America. We like a cruise line that offers us a chance to see the world. Oceania  does that. 

I’m really curious about what you meant by too staid, or sterile, if you also thought the ship was gorgeous. Thinking that both lines appeal to the same subset of mostly retirees who spend similar amounts on their cruises, was it fellow passengers that you didn’t like? Or the rather dull sea day activities, which tend to be sparse? Which ship and itinerary were you on?

 

I do agree that many reports from FB group posts discuss recent lack of good service and food quality in The Restaurant, and maybe Manfredi’s. Thankfully, usually the food (especially at dinner) in the World Café is still reported to be delicious. But it’s a shame that it’s not a table service venue.
 

Viking added two new ocean ships this year, as well as two new expedition ships. When they do that, they pull experienced crew to those ships to help train new ones. And we suspect the hiring and training has caused normally highly regarded Viking standards to slip. And they probably haven’t even been able to hire as many new crew members as they’d like, as we all know has happened everywhere in the hospitality segment since Covid. 

 

We are about to take our second Viking cruise in two weeks to the Panama Canal. But I’m more looking forward to trying the recently dry-docked Riviera this March, to check out the differences in style, decor, onboard activities, and of course the famed restaurants.

[bbwex]

This is going to be a different comment than those before.  I have heard only good things about Viking, except with respect to the incident a few years ago in Norway.  For those that don't remember, the ship lost control, and had to be taken under tow.  That tow arrived just before the ship was getting too close to some rocks.  They had already started to evacuate some passengers via helicopter, and had the tow not arrived, and had they not restored some power somewhat after that, the helo evacuations might have had to continue.  Ultimately, the ship was taken into port, everyone was able to disembark safely and the Viking did do a good job of compensating everyone for the ruined cruise.

 

That being said, I have a real issue with the cause of the power failure -- a serious low oil situation on the generators and motors.  These are all electronically monitored at all times, and they had to know that the oil was critically low.  While the oil is expensive, the generators and motors are worth millions, and it is hard to understand why they would have jeopardized that equipment.  Yet they did.  High seas and the motion of the ship, and therefore the motion in the oil sump exacerbated the situation, but that was only because of the failure to maintain safe oil levels.  I know that most passengers would not understand all of this, but Viking never discussed this issue publicly, and has never said, that I have seen, why this was allowed to happen.  I have not yet read the final report of the Norwegian authorities, but pending an adequate answer, I, for one, will never get on a Viking ship.

[LHT28]

49 minutes ago, bbwex said:

This is going to be a different comment than those before.  I have heard only good things about Viking, except with respect to the incident a few years ago in Norway.  For those that don't remember, the ship lost control, and had to be taken under tow. 

 

Could  be the race to be King of  Cruises   could have  cut corners in getting  the ships in the water

 

I recall they also had the shower doors shatter   causing  injuries to some pax

I will not say I will never  sail on Viking  but  probably not 

JMO

[Mariastreby]

2 hours ago, bbwex said:

 

That being said, I have a real issue with the cause of the power failure -- a serious low oil situation on the generators and motors.  These are all electronically monitored at all times, and they had to know that the oil was critically low.  While the oil is expensive, the generators and motors are worth millions, and it is hard to understand why they would have jeopardized that equipment.  Yet they did.  High seas and the motion of the ship, and therefore the motion in the oil sump exacerbated the situation, but that was only because of the failure to maintain safe oil levels.  I know that most passengers would not understand all of this, but Viking never discussed this issue publicly, and has never said, that I have seen, why this was allowed to happen.  I have not yet read the final report of the Norwegian authorities, but pending an adequate answer, I, for one, will never get on a Viking ship.

I’m not a gung ho Viking cruiser, but how could they have been voted Number 1 cruise line for something like 4 years straight by two leading travel magazines? People would be losing all faith in them traveling safely if any of what you said was even close to open knowledge. The official reason the press was given was that one engine did stop working, or lost power, as you said. According to Viking’s PR (perhaps suspect), the involved ship (the Sky) was repaired and has been sailing again like all the other ships. 
 

But it’s been, what, 4-5 years since the incident? Yet you said yourself, the Norwegian authorities have obviously come to the conclusion that did not find negligence. Though you haven’t read the report.  If they had found provable negligence, Viking would be down the toilet. One could surmise that maybe money changed hands, but that would be supposition.
 

I also find it very hard to believe that a company that was really trying to break into the upper tier ocean cruise business would cut such a dangerous corner like that to save money. Where are you getting your facts from, about the low oil? Are you friends with someone who worked in the engine room?

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Mariastreby said:

I’m not a gung ho Viking cruiser, but how could they have been voted Number 1 cruise line for something like 4 years straight by two leading travel magazines?

Surveys  can be misleading

 

[Redtravel]

On 12/6/2022 at 12:55 PM, Mariastreby said:

I’m not a gung ho Viking cruiser, but how could they have been voted Number 1 cruise line for something like 4 years straight by two leading travel magazines? People would be losing all faith in them traveling safely if any of what you said was even close to open knowledge. The official reason the press was given was that one engine did stop working, or lost power, as you said. According to Viking’s PR (perhaps suspect), the involved ship (the Sky) was repaired and has been sailing again like all the other ships. 
 

But it’s been, what, 4-5 years since the incident? Yet you said yourself, the Norwegian authorities have obviously come to the conclusion that did not find negligence. Though you haven’t read the report.  If they had found provable negligence, Viking would be down the toilet. One could surmise that maybe money changed hands, but that would be supposition.
 

I also find it very hard to believe that a company that was really trying to break into the upper tier ocean cruise business would cut such a dangerous corner like that to save money. Where are you getting your facts from, about the low oil? Are you friends with someone who worked in the engine room?

Viking is the biggest cruise company.  I get lots of emails with links to vote.  More people to vote. Ignore those cruise polls. They are just hype.  Viking is a good solid company that does a good cruise.  Not fancy.  It’s good for people who are visiting a place for the first time.  With the recent incident with the windows breaking from a rogue wave, there may be some people who choose another way to vacation.  

[tipsygirl]

On 8/20/2022 at 2:37 PM, PhD-iva said:

I like that Oceania‘s pricing is à la cart. That way I can pay for what is important to me, and DIY other aspects. For example, I can bring on board bottles of wine and only pay a $25 corkage fee in a restaurant. There’s no fee if I consume it in my cabin. At happy hour I can get a cocktail (double) for the price of one. When I have an unlimited beverage package, I probably drink more than is good for my waist line. So, I like being able to consume alcohol without having an unlimited enticement.

I have heard that Viking does good shore excursions. Depending on the area visited, I might prefer to join in a private group excursion; more customized and more personalized instead of paying for it in the cruise price. It all depends on your preferences.
One thing Oceania does so much better than Viking, is the cuisine. Everything I read tells me this is true. O’s food is much better than Viking’s. For this statement, I rely wholly on the vast majority of opinions I have read on cruise critic; I have never cruised on Viking myself. Enjoy your cruise!

We were on our first Viking Ocean cruise earlier this year. Regarding Viking's included excursions, most were very good. We had one very bad included tour, and one very bad ship tour that we paid for. FYI, On Viking it does no good to complain, which we already knew from previous Viking river cruises.  Food was definitely NOT up to Oceania standards, and the main restaurant was very crowded, with tables very close together.  No social distancing. Also, though wine is included with meals, it was  not very good.

Their ships are beautiful. 

 

We are about to take our 3rd cruise on Oceania. We have only sailed on the larger Oceania ships. 

Regarding pricing on Oceania....If the cruise is one where we want to do excursions we pick the O Life price and select the excursions option.

If we are not concerned about exploring the ports we will be visiting , or plan to arrange our own tours, we select the cruise only fare

We usually book our own air and take a credit for the air. 

We either bring our own wine on board (we have a wine suitcase), or purchase wine onshore. We don't frequently drink mixed drinks, so don't buy the drink package, and pay as we go for any bar drinks we

purchase.

 Oceania's Brochure price is just so Oceania can advertise 2 for 1 pricing.

We love the food on Oceania and the service is very good. We especially like the Penthouse suites where we have a butler and a nice size cabin. 

We like the flexibility of the Oceania pricing

 

[Mariastreby]

40 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

Viking is the biggest cruise company.  I get lots of emails with links to vote.  More people to vote. Ignore those cruise polls. They are just hype.  Viking is a good solid company that does a good cruise.  Not fancy.  It’s good for people who are visiting a place for the first time.  With the recent incident with the windows breaking from a rogue wave, there may be some people who choose another way to vacation.  

Im sorry, but I have a couple of problems with this. I have NEVER gotten a voting linked email from any cruise line or travel magazine. I am on a number of fb group pages, and people post about everything to do with Viking, both bad and good. If this were common, people would be discussing it, but no one has in the 1-1/2 years I’ve been part of those groups. 
 

Viking may not look “fancy”, but it is far more than just a solid company that does a good cruise. That’s an apt description of maybe Princess or HAL, lines that also “get you there”, but that don’t offer a lot of included benefits. Viking has always been considered a step up, the same as Oceania, but below Regent and Silversea in price and luxury. If Viking is only good for a first time cruiser, then why do they have multiple repeat cruisers? On our first cruise with them last spring, we were among only 10% of first time cruisers on that sailing. Which was a totally full ship, by the way. 
 

As to the rogue wave, that’s in a whole other category. That Antarctic area, and Drakes Passage, are known for problematic waters. Those are excursion ships, which have extremely little in common with a regular ocean ship. The week prior to the tragic incident, another expedition ship had two deaths. Passengers were out on a special excursion boat, another rogue wave hit that, flipping it over in icy waters. Two people died in that accident. The only reaction I have to these incidents is - don’t take that type of cruise. And if you research rogue waves, you will find how completely unpredictable they are. A less strongly built expedition ship than Viking’s Polaris may have suffered far more damage. 

[Sailor Sam 407]

Can anyone advise if Oceania uses any sort of earpiece system for their excursions?
I know that Viking uses a ‘Whisper’ system for their excursions and it makes the whole experience so much better when you don’t have to stand close to the tour guide to hear them. 
Thanks

[Orator]

Currently on Viking Neptune. On January 4th I board Oceania Riviera and will see what’s a better fit for us. To this point Viking has been excellent.

[Mariastreby]

30 minutes ago, Orator said:

Currently on Viking Neptune. On January 4th I board Oceania Riviera and will see what’s a better fit for us. To this point Viking has been excellent.

Enjoy that new ship! We were on the other new Viking ocean ship of 2022, the Mars in May & June. Coming up in 11 days, we’ll embark Viking’s first ocean ship (built 2015) for 2 weeks over both holidays. And actually disembarking the Star on the 4th. Are you going from the Neptune right to the Riviera in Florida? Or time for going home in between?

 

Then our first cruise on Oceania, also on the remodeled Riviera, will be on March 2nd. I’m also looking forward to comparing both cruises. 

[Orator]

27 minutes ago, Mariastreby said:

Enjoy that new ship! We were on the other new Viking ocean ship of 2022, the Mars in May & June. Coming up in 11 days, we’ll embark Viking’s first ocean ship (built 2015) for 2 weeks over both holidays. And actually disembarking the Star on the 4th. Are you going from the Neptune right to the Riviera in Florida? Or time for going home in between?

 

Then our first cruise on Oceania, also on the remodeled Riviera, will be on March 2nd. I’m also looking forward to comparing both cruises. 

Neptune arrives on December 22nd and will about two weeks between the cruises. Enjoy your cruises.

[rizello]

Thanks for the continued conversations on this topic.  I am still thinking about an Oceania cruise and will look forward to the reviews coming from several of you after you experience both lines.

[MEFIowa]

30 minutes ago, rizello said:

...I am still thinking about an Oceania cruise and will look forward to the reviews coming from several of you after you experience both lines.

Wife and I did our first cruise ever on Oceania on Riviera 12/21. Loved it so much we just came back from our 2nd (Sirena, 11/22). Have our 3rd-4th booked for Med in 2023. And our 5th booked for the Baltic in 2024. I doubt I'll do a Viking cruise. At least no other cruise line even being considered until 2025

[LGW59]

5 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Wife and I did our first cruise ever on Oceania on Riviera 12/21. Loved it so much we just came back from our 2nd (Sirena, 11/22). Have our 3rd-4th booked for Med in 2023. And our 5th booked for the Baltic in 2024. I doubt I'll do a Viking cruise. At least no other cruise line even being considered until 2025

Curious to know what ships you sailed on prior to Oceania and what made O so spcial for you guys?  Mostly a Celebrity cruiser here, doing my first O in May 2-23, really looking forward to the smaller ship.

[MEFIowa]

11 hours ago, LGW59 said:

Curious to know what ships you sailed on prior to Oceania and what made O so special for you guys?  Mostly a Celebrity cruiser here, doing my first O in May 2-23, really looking forward to the smaller ship.

As I said in my post, was our very first cruise. Ever. We didn't think we'd enjoy a cruise so never had thought of one. Then COVID. So we did ours 12/21. We were spoiled and pampered on this cruise. Only 719 passengers and 780 crew. But we loved the food, the ship, the staff, the crew, our room (concierge veranda), etc. Didn't have to worry about small kids or infants or drunk college students. We loved the laid-back atmosphere. And had fun in all the ports (we don't stay on the ship but get off and out and really try to do something unique at each one).

[ORV]

20 hours ago, rizello said:

Thanks for the continued conversations on this topic.  I am still thinking about an Oceania cruise and will look forward to the reviews coming from several of you after you experience both lines.

I've never been on Viking, so I have nothing to add to this conversation. I do like Oceania though.