Current experience Azamara v Viking

[travelberlin]

On 9/15/2023 at 12:15 PM, uktog said:

Part Two

 

Entertainment

 

Entertainment is more extensive and varied on Viking our cruise having a classical pianist, a classical duo (piano and violin), a guitarist, a four piece band (piano, guitar bass and drums) and a duo who would play in the nightclub with some or all of the band.  On the singing front we had four singers (one of whom did her own show) a cruise director and an assistant cruise director who also both did shows.  Apart from the male singer in the duo who was awful all the others were top notch and the cruise director Damien in particular was extremely talented an charming,  All the shows they were involved in were excellent and above Azamara standard.  Unfortunately the two guest entertainers (a guitarist and a ventriloquist) were of a very poor standard, below anything we have seen elsewhere so Azamara is well head in terms of the guest entertainers.

 

One thing we loved on Viking was Dancing Under the Stars – which of course benefits from the pool deck having a roof so is an all weather guaranteed event – in our case it was probably about 4c outside that night.  There is no buffet before it, everyone dines in other venues as usual and then comes for the dancing.  Honestly if that meant the food budget was better used across the time I was onboard I would like Azamara to go that way!  It was a fantastic night, it was as much fun as white night but we were not cold, worried about rain or sitting at tables that had the remnants of a meal setting.  A far higher % of guests were dancing (they did play more slower numbers!!!) and the absence of pressure to pack an outfit just for one night was for me a bonus.  

 

Viking makes a thing about enrichment and here again they were streets ahead of Azamara with their resident historian and four speakers three of who were top notch.  (The fourth only did one very simplistic how to use your iphone talk).  Corey Sandler and Brigadier General Joe Shaeffer both really made our cruise with their talks which of course we could watch on catch up an hour after they were done and thanks to the technology onboard, these were broadcast quality replays.  Whilst I accept Azamara does not have that technology, they could try and book speakers of this quality (though I understand Viking look after their speakers better, that’s what one onboard who had been on both indicated) and a simple thing – Viking requires their presentations to be in a standard format in terms of background colour, font type and size.  It helps so much  and would be a no cost improvement Azamara could make.

 

We used the included Viking tours -all were walk arounds or short bus trips.  They worked well for us given we have been in several of the ports before.  But we know they do not work for some and some find the booking process stressful though it was clear if you did not get a space before boarding, you could usually get a space onboard.  As an aside, we loved the Quiet boxes they worked so well, but our greater like is that shore excursions are handled via Guest Services so there is always someone you can talk to, and there were never lines to have a conversation other than the one morning  when due to very late arrival into port everything had to be rescheduled (though amazingly the letter of changes was in our room 30 minutes after the problem was announced and all the ships digital displays reflected the changed hours, locations etc. Obviously the beauty of integrated electronics.

 

Another difference is in relation to the Port Talk/Shore Excursion presentations.  On Viking these are not “sales pitches”  Each on happens late afternoon the day before the port.  They are double headed by the Cruise Director (who bookends the presentation with an introduction to the port and concludes with top tips) and the Shore Excursion Manager who clearly knows the detail of everything they are offering.  He covered logistics, number of steps, types of incline and surfaces you would be walking on, times to restroom stops and the likely content of any included meal.  They also as we discovered automatically transfer to the operators all allergy information and require them to act on it accordingly.  So DH had snacks in one included tour specially prepared for him – they were ready.  Whilst the information transfer may currently be challenging for Azamara, the Shore Excursion Team having detailed knowledge of every excursion and sharing it should be readily achievable.  So again Viking is well ahead here.

 

Staff Service

 

So where might Viking be less good – I would say that whilst there are a few employees who are really good at providing service and remembering guests and their preferences, many rely only on their hand held devices and will spend more time looking at them than you.  The technology is great but at times it is limiting the service when it should be the opposite.  The dining room staff are allocated on a section rather than table basis so you will get several people trying to look after you and very rarely do they communicated well.  Our experience, the restaurant manager (Yuri) and head in Manfredi’s (Olivia) were really on top of their game and we could see them nudging staff to get things right.  But it was inconsistent.  

 

Wine service in the main dining room was uncoordinated.  Our preference is to order a change of wine for our main course  which Azamara always copes beautifully with this. It was not a success on Viking.  On several nights early in the cruise we had to chase the second wine, one night it appeared as we had our last bite of our main.  We solved the issue, we asked them to bring both our wines at the start (on the pretence of breathing).  Cracked the problem!! 

 

On the same note, the Captain was pretty invisible though, if I am to base my judgements on our previous Azamara cruise, the hotel director is more visible on Viking.  However even he is not a Heike!  I suppose to sum up if you want a cruise where the officers and staff are to become your best buddies, Viking is not for you.  It is not a factor for us.

 

Technology, Website and Shore Service

 

The wifi worked very well – we experienced no significant outages even in Greenland.  The website worked a treat, my booking as a travel agent reservation but all the time I saw accurate information on My Viking Journey.

 

Our flights were included in the fare, we asked for a price to move up to Business Class and the cost was far less that the published economy to business class difference.  All our flights were on British Airways.  The connection times were good and I had the flight references 60 days before hand where I could manage seats using my airline loyalty.  I also note I earned full loyalty points.  This has never been my experience with Azamara.

 

I had one occasion where I had to call Viking direct, their UK business is handled from an office in London and the call was answered promptly by an extremely knowledgeable well spoken agent – say no more!!

 

Conclusion

 

Will we sail again on Viking?   - absolutely (bookings now in place)

Will we sail again on Azamara – absolutely (bookings now in place)

Who would we book with in the future?  - All depends how our experience is on our next two Azamara cruises, will we book again with them, move away for a small percentage of our cruises or move away for a significant percentage?  

The ball is in Azamara’s court. they have a lot to prove, Viking now has very little to address for us – and with new itineraries coming on for them and the older Azamara ships getting more and more port restricted that is going to play another card into Vikings hand.

 

Lets see – happy to clarify any points…..

Thank you for your comparison. How about prices? Could you please tell us the per diems on both lines? Does Viking offer solo discounts? Unfortunately the Viking webpage does not show me prices. I would have to request a quote. 
Ivi

[Mackdogmolly]

Just off the Viking Mars Classic Panamá Canal sailing. I agree with a lot of @uktog’s positive points about Viking. Mars is a beautiful ship, brand new, and even with a full sailing, it never felt crowded, even on sea days. We were a little disappointed in the food, however, although I know this is both subjective and can vary from chef to chef and ship to ship. The Chef’s Table was good, although the salmon substitute I had was over cooked. Nothing really outstanding in the main dining room and my pasta of the day in the Italian specialty restaurant was just ok. As Ann said, the Pool Grill has a nice salad bar, but there is no table service. The included wines were hit or miss, but I had the SS package so had more options. They were out of a couple of the Chardonnays, but I could usually find something drinkable by the glass.

The main pool has a retractable roof, which in spite of several nice days, was only opened once, and it was unbearably hot on a warm day when closed. We much preferred the open air aft infinity pool deck. But getting bar service there (or on the main pool deck) was a challenge. 
The bars had solo or duo classical performers, at volumes you could speak over, which made for a pleasant cocktail hour. We only went to the “nightclub” once and didn’t enjoy the band, so we left. The guest speakers were a mix, all pretty good, including marine biologist, Dr. Greta Aeby, who was on our last Azamara cruise. 
The included excursions were pretty basic and lining up outside for excursions is the one time we really felt like cattle being herded!

We never met anyone other than people from the US, although everyone was perfectly friendly. I do prefer the more international mix on Azamara.

Would we book another Viking cruise? Probably, if the itinerary appealed and the price was right. But for now, I’m looking forward to my next Azamara cruise.

Edited October 31, 2023 by Mackdogmolly

[Mackdogmolly]

Oh, and Viking is not really set up to do sea day brunches the way Azamara does. Their main dining room is split in two with the kitchen in the middle, so it isn’t really one big space. Mars did have a fun little event on the 3 sea days, however on the aft pool terrace at lunch time. One day there was a pasta station, with different kinds of pasta, one day a Cuban sandwich station, and one day a Cesar salad station with both salmon and chicken toppings. 

[takemewithyou]

3 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Just off the Viking Mars Classic Panamá Canal sailing. I agree with a lot of @uktog’s positive points about Viking. Mars is a beautiful ship, brand new, and even with a full sailing, it never felt crowded, even on sea days. We were a little disappointed in the food, however, although I know this is both subjective and can vary from chef to chef and ship to ship. The Chef’s Table was good, although the salmon substitute I had was over cooked. Nothing really outstanding in the main dining room and my pasta of the day in the Italian specialty restaurant was just ok. As Ann said, the Pool Grill has a nice salad bar, but there is no table service. The included wines were hit or miss, but I had the SS package so had more options. They were out of a couple of the Chardonnays, but I could usually find something drinkable by the glass.

The main pool has a retractable roof, which in spite of several nice days, was only opened once, and it was unbearably hot on a warm day when closed. We much preferred the open air aft infinity pool deck. But getting bar service there (or on the main pool deck) was a challenge. 
The bars had solo or duo classical performers, at volumes you could speak over, which made for a pleasant cocktail hour. We only went to the “nightclub” once and didn’t enjoy the band, so we left. The guest speakers were a mix, all pretty good, including marine biologist, Dr. Greta Aeby, who was on our last Azamara cruise. 
The included excursions were pretty basic and lining up outside for excursions is the one time we really felt like cattle being herded!

We never met anyone other than people from the US, although everyone was perfectly friendly. I do prefer the more international mix on Azamara.

Would we book another Viking cruise? Probably, if the itinerary appealed and the price was right. But for now, I’m looking forward to my next Azamara cruise.

How long was your cruise and did you miss any ports? 

[Mackdogmolly]

11 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

How long was your cruise and did you miss any ports? 

It was 10 nights and we didn’t miss any ports.

[takemewithyou]

17 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

It was 10 nights and we didn’t miss any ports.

That’s good.  We missed two ports on a shorter cruise on Viking.  We felt similar to the way you felt about the food and the included excursions.
Another common complaint are the beds being very firm.  How did you find them?

Edited October 31, 2023 by takemewithyou

[Mackdogmolly]

19 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

That’s good.  We missed two ports on a shorter cruise on Viking.  We felt similar to the way you felt about the food and the included excursions.
Another common complaint are the beds being very firm.  How did you find them?

I thought the bed was a little too firm too, but I still got a good nights sleep. The pillows were nice, much like Azamara’s

[takemewithyou]

2 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I thought the bed was a little too firm too, but I still got a good nights sleep. The pillows were nice, much like Azamara’s

Yes, the beds are firm.  If I remember correctly, the cabin attendant put a comforter on as a pillow topper and that helped.  I much prefer the Azamara beds.  

I don’t remember the pillows, but don’t remember having any trouble so they must have been ok.

 

I did like the bathroom and the heated floors.

[uktog]

We slept like babies on Viking but have also had no issues on Azamara beds. For us the lunchtime offerings were good but we don’t really like brunches so maybe we’re more easily satisfied. 

[Mackdogmolly]

2 hours ago, uktog said:

We slept like babies on Viking but have also had no issues on Azamara beds. For us the lunchtime offerings were good but we don’t really like brunches so maybe we’re more easily satisfied. 

I love the special brunches on Azamara

[marinaro44]

2 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I love the special brunches on Azamara

And the Fruhschoppen

[Mackdogmolly]

2 minutes ago, marinaro44 said:

And the Fruhschoppen

I had to look that one up!

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

We did our first Viking cruise last year and are looking to book an Azamara cruise for next year. We really enjoyed our Viking cruise especially the overall ship experience. But, the included excursions were not worth the money we didn’t pay and if going with an upgraded excursion it costs as much as those on cruise lines that do not include excursions. Our included Wifi was very slow. At the end of the day, we decided that as much as we enjoyed Viking it wasn’t worth the high cost especially when having to pay for the entire cruise upfront. Viking did spoil us for the smaller ship experience and that is why we want to try Azamara.