Comparing Viking to Oceania

[ReaderGirl57]

21 hours ago, CurlerRob said:

Not all grass is greener. Oceania’s R ships have only 3 accessible cabins - all are inside cabins (Sirenia may have 2 OVs). No accessible cabins with balconies. They also have a habit of not holding them for those who actually need them. 
 

Certainly cheaper, but not without impact on the experience. 🍺🥌

I know this to be true. I booked an Oceania cruise directly with the line in 2020. Since I was booking early, the rep offered me an accessible cabin “because it was bigger.” Since neither my husband nor I are disabled, I declined it because I didn’t want to take it from someone who actually needed it. And was kind of surprised that the offer was made.

[GonzoWCS]

4 hours ago, ReaderGirl57 said:

I know this to be true. I booked an Oceania cruise directly with the line in 2020. Since I was booking early, the rep offered me an accessible cabin “because it was bigger.” Since neither my husband nor I are disabled, I declined it because I didn’t want to take it from someone who actually needed it. And was kind of surprised that the offer was made.

Awesome.

 

Cheers

[rmalbers]

On 5/6/2024 at 4:30 PM, formernuke said:

It seems likely that the accessible cabins need to have larger dimensions and thus a bigger sf. So costing more (at some level) does seem appropriate. If you are using more space than a standard DV (for example) it should cost more. Now whether the amount is proportional I can’t say).

I haven't really looked to close at it but: The other thing (besides size) I noticed is that the accessible cabins seem to be beside the open areas to the elevators and also on (or close) to the buffet, etc. deck/level.  Seems like a conscious design decision to me. The elevators on VO are not exactly huge and the hallways do seem more narrow than, at least, the larger cruise ships.

[Syd58]

5 hours ago, rmalbers said:

I haven't really looked to close at it but: The other thing (besides size) I noticed is that the accessible cabins seem to be beside the open areas to the elevators and also on (or close) to the buffet, etc. deck/level.  Seems like a conscious design decision to me. The elevators on VO are not exactly huge and the hallways do seem more narrow than, at least, the larger cruise ships.

I doubt the hallways of Viking are that much smaller than Silverseas and Seabourn's small ships.  Viking could certainly take more accessibility issues into consideration in the design of its new ships if it chose to.

Edited May 11 by Syd58

[KBs mum]

8 hours ago, Syd58 said:

I doubt the hallways of Viking are that much smaller than Silverseas and Seabourn's small ships.  Viking could certainly take more accessibility issues into consideration in the design of its new ships if it chose to.

The ships are accessible once you are on them. As the boarding ramps are stairs, necessary because the angle would be too steep for a slope at a lot of the docks, and the tenders are not wheelchair accessible,  the lack of roll in showers in the lowest room categories is academic. 

Viking is set up as a cruise line for active people, their policies cover six types of river boats, three types of ocean, busses in a wide range of countries, and many airlines. Often accessibility is limited by factors that Viking have no control over. Given that, they have good accessibility. 

 

Viking is not for you, accept it and move on. A lot of people with disabilities travel with them without drama or problems

[KBs mum]

14 hours ago, rmalbers said:

I haven't really looked to close at it but: The other thing (besides size) I noticed is that the accessible cabins seem to be beside the open areas to the elevators and also on (or close) to the buffet, etc. deck/level.  Seems like a conscious design decision to me. The elevators on VO are not exactly huge and the hallways do seem more narrow than, at least, the larger cruise ships.

Makes sense, often the turning circle into a room is the problem, a straight run at it makes things much easier. Being close to catering and elevators makes sense for those who use things such as sticks or frames

[Syd58]

12 hours ago, KBs mum said:

The ships are accessible once you are on them. As the boarding ramps are stairs, necessary because the angle would be too steep for a slope at a lot of the docks, and the tenders are not wheelchair accessible,  the lack of roll in showers in the lowest room categories is academic. 

Viking is set up as a cruise line for active people, their policies cover six types of river boats, three types of ocean, busses in a wide range of countries, and many airlines. Often accessibility is limited by factors that Viking have no control over. Given that, they have good accessibility. 

 

Viking is not for you, accept it and move on. A lot of people with disabilities travel with them without drama or problems

Not all boarding ramps are stairs, many are sloped.  As has been noted in prior posts, the discussion has been about accessibility issues on Viking Ocean (not river) cruises and potential things they could do to make their cruises more accessible.  This topic is not just about our situation; I strongly suspect there are many people without handicaps who would like to see Viking reassess some of its policies in this area. 

[PasadenaDave]

26 minutes ago, Syd58 said:

Not all boarding ramps are stairs, many are sloped.  As has been noted in prior posts, the discussion has been about accessibility issues on Viking Ocean (not river) cruises and potential things they could do to make their cruises more accessible.  This topic is not just about our situation; I strongly suspect there are many people without handicaps who would like to see Viking reassess some of its policies in this area. 

We strayed from Viking to a much larger ship for an itinerary which we liked.  We got Covid on the ship but even if we had not, we were disappointed concerning the numerous powered chairs stored in the hallways which would be an impediment to egress in an emergency.  There were times that the entry areas to dining rooms looked like assisted living places or theme parks with strollers at the entrance. 

 

We prefer the manner in which Viking treats everyone the same.

[Syd58]

17 minutes ago, PasadenaDave said:

We strayed from Viking to a much larger ship for an itinerary which we liked.  We got Covid on the ship but even if we had not, we were disappointed concerning the numerous powered chairs stored in the hallways which would be an impediment to egress in an emergency.  There were times that the entry areas to dining rooms looked like assisted living places or theme parks with strollers at the entrance. 

 

We prefer the manner in which Viking treats everyone the same.

No cruise ship should allow wheelchairs and mobility scooters to be stored in hallways. Conversely, I see nothing wrong with these being parked out of the way near dining room entrances. 

[Mike07]

1 hour ago, Syd58 said:

Not all boarding ramps are stairs, many are sloped.  As has been noted in prior posts, the discussion has been about accessibility issues on Viking Ocean (not river) cruises and potential things they could do to make their cruises more accessible.  This topic is not just about our situation; I strongly suspect there are many people without handicaps who would like to see Viking reassess some of its policies in this area. 

 

 

 

TBH, Viking's current accessibility policy may just not work for you as there are better options out there that do work for you.

 

[Mike07]

On 5/6/2024 at 4:38 PM, Syd58 said:

Some lines provide a larger bathroom (with a roll-in shower) and a little more floorspace (for wheelchair or scooter turning radius) at the same level non-accessible cabin. There may be some that I'm not aware of, but I personally don't know any others that require those needing an accessible cabin to pay considerably more to book a penthouse junior suite.

 

 

The thing is, everybody wants more personal/private space on a cruise ship and space is always at a premium. Whether it's plane or cruise travel, you generally get more personal space the more you're willing to pay. If your name is Taylor Swift or Tom Brady, you can charter a plane or yacht for yourself. For us normies, we deal with lines better, at, or below Viking's level.

 

 

[Mike07]

On 5/6/2024 at 8:33 PM, Syd58 said:

Their Edge class ships have a good number of accessible veranda cabins.

 

 

It was pointed out that that ship was Celebrity, but even if it were Oceania... the Edge has an extremely different feel from a Viking ship. If Celebrity is more of your thing, do Celebrity, though it's 3x the pax compared to Viking.

 

Outside of certain itineraries that either don't exist within Celebrity's portfolio or something to Australia/NZ, I can 100% guarantee you that I will never step foot on an Edge class ship again. The Solstice ships were nice. The Edge class has put the fear of God into me as to what the Icon and Oasis class ships are.

[DrKoob]

16 hours ago, KBs mum said:

The ships are accessible once you are on them. As the boarding ramps are stairs, necessary because the angle would be too steep for a slope at a lot of the docks, and the tenders are not wheelchair accessible,  the lack of roll in showers in the lowest room categories is academic. 

Viking is set up as a cruise line for active people, their policies cover six types of river boats, three types of ocean, busses in a wide range of countries, and many airlines. Often accessibility is limited by factors that Viking have no control over. Given that, they have good accessibility. 

 

Viking is not for you, accept it and move on. A lot of people with disabilities travel with them without drama or problems

Well thought out. I wanted to add that our Into the Midnight Sun cruise on Viking Venus starts in Greenwich which is a tender port. We have never embarked at a tender port in 30+ cruises but I would imagine that would be very difficult for someone with accessibility issues. 

[KBs mum]

8 hours ago, Syd58 said:

Not all boarding ramps are stairs, many are sloped.  As has been noted in prior posts, the discussion has been about accessibility issues on Viking Ocean (not river) cruises and potential things they could do to make their cruises more accessible.  This topic is not just about our situation; I strongly suspect there are many people without handicaps who would like to see Viking reassess some of its policies in this area. 

Unlike you, I've been on Viking ships, river and ocean, and seen the situation for myself. I've also dealt with the fitness to travel and wheelchair permission protocols. As I have said, these protocols are fairly standard, and not even the strictest I've encountered. 

 

River is relevent as Viking sell combined itineraries, so their  policies have to cover every possibility. Hence why they have the permission forms, which are judged on a case by case basis. 

 

The ramps used depend on the docks, and the state of the tide, they can be a ramp in the morning from the lower door and steps to the main door when returning. The tenders also sometimes have to use shore facilities that only have steps. The ports are not allways particularly disability friendly. 

 

With lots of ships and cruises being set up specifically to cater for all disabilities, why waste time obsessing about one that is set up for fit active people. If accommodation or transport doesn't meet my needs for whatever reason I just book elsewhere

[KBs mum]

4 hours ago, DrKoob said:

Well thought out. I wanted to add that our Into the Midnight Sun cruise on Viking Venus starts in Greenwich which is a tender port. We have never embarked at a tender port in 30+ cruises but I would imagine that would be very difficult for someone with accessibility issues. 

Getting on and off small boats usually means a certain amount of abandoning dignity and yells of 'on three!'

If I don't fall in or get covered in green slime from the jetty, we call it a win😄

[Mrs Miggins]

6 hours ago, DrKoob said:

Well thought out. I wanted to add that our Into the Midnight Sun cruise on Viking Venus starts in Greenwich which is a tender port. We have never embarked at a tender port in 30+ cruises but I would imagine that would be very difficult for someone with accessibility issues. 

 

Some tender ports can be very bumpy.  However in Greenwich tenders are not used.  The very short transfer is on the Uber Thames Clipper boats.  The access is step free and wheelchair accessible https://www.thamesclippers.com/plan-your-journey/find-your-pier/greenwich-pier

[caribe traveller]

We often have found more options in the World Cafe or different options than what is on the menu in The Restaurant.

 

We have never missed a show because of eating in the Restaurant, but then we eat at 6pm sharp each night.  Eating for us is clock based.

 

 

I wasn't clear; I meant that the World Cafe offers The Restaurant dinner menu items, but also has a number of other options, such as the sushi bar every night and special offerings either on the back deck or in the pool section.

 

We generally only eat at 6 if we are joining a group.  And having a group takes longer in general.  We have had to rush occasionally to get to the theatre.

 

Our preferred Viking cruise experience is longer cruises; they seem to break those into multiple shorter legs.  This takes from the experience we like as Viking goes on a cyclic repeat of entertainment, lectures, and activities.  With so many more ships, I believe they are having a harder time booking the full itineraries on the longer cruises.  Vacationers traveling for two weeks expect and experience a very different cruise from those who are making the ship 'home' for months at a time.  Understandable.

 

As committed as we have been to Viking Oceans, we are finding it harder to find the cruise experience Viking advertises.  

[CDNPolar]

2 hours ago, caribe traveller said:

 

 

Our preferred Viking cruise experience is longer cruises; they seem to break those into multiple shorter legs.  This takes from the experience we like as Viking goes on a cyclic repeat of entertainment, lectures, and activities.  With so many more ships, I believe they are having a harder time booking the full itineraries on the longer cruises.  Vacationers traveling for two weeks expect and experience a very different cruise from those who are making the ship 'home' for months at a time.  Understandable.

 

As committed as we have been to Viking Oceans, we are finding it harder to find the cruise experience Viking advertises.  

 

We struggle with the concept of a world cruise for some of the reasons you state above.  

 

We are not concerned with the entertainment because it is there or not.  We don't book Viking for the Star Theatre.  We are just as happy sitting in the Living Room listening to the pianist or strings while enjoying an evening decaf coffee with a Cognac.

 

I think we have to have the mindset that we are on the ship for 45 or 90 days and we are just going to relax, read, meet some new friends and perhaps socialize a bit.

[rmalbers]

10 hours ago, Mrs Miggins said:

 

Some tender ports can be very bumpy.  However in Greenwich tenders are not used.  The very short transfer is on the Uber Thames Clipper boats.  The access is step free and wheelchair accessible https://www.thamesclippers.com/plan-your-journey/find-your-pier/greenwich-pier

Interesting, I assume they use those boats for handling the luggage also, I was thinking handling the luggage on their regular tenders would be, lets just say, a lot of work for the crew.

[caribe traveller]

3 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

We struggle with the concept of a world cruise for some of the reasons you state above.  

 

We are not concerned with the entertainment because it is there or not.  We don't book Viking for the Star Theatre.  We are just as happy sitting in the Living Room listening to the pianist or strings while enjoying an evening decaf coffee with a Cognac.

 

I think we have to have the mindset that we are on the ship for 45 or 90 days and we are just going to relax, read, meet some new friends and perhaps socialize a bit.

We do enjoy the Star Theatre for the entertainment and the lectures.  It is not that the entertainment is there or not; it is that it is the same entertainment every 14 days whereas on a World Cruise or even a 90 day cruise the lecturers have an opportunity to develop series of presentation for an in-depth experience.  Two-week vacationers don’t generally attend the lectures, want the ABBA or Beatles shows, spend hours at dinner with the other 2,4 or 6 people traveling with them.

As we are retired, we can relax, read, meet friends, and socialize at home.  We are very active in our community and a learning program.  We don’t book for the theatre, the restaurants, the bars, or the pool.  We are there for the cultural possibilities to enhance the itinerary, to learn about the destinations, and to meet curious fellow cruisers.  It’s just getting more difficult to do with the new Viking spin.

[SJD117]

1 minute ago, caribe traveller said:

We do enjoy the Star Theatre for the entertainment and the lectures.  It is not that the entertainment is there or not; it is that it is the same entertainment every 14 days whereas on a World Cruise or even a 90 day cruise the lecturers have an opportunity to develop series of presentation for an in-depth experience.  Two-week vacationers don’t generally attend the lectures, want the ABBA or Beatles shows, spend hours at dinner with the other 2,4 or 6 people traveling with them.

Your comment reminds me of a Viking cruise we took in 2019 that happened to be the first leg of a world cruise. A person wrote on CC that folks like us had a different “agenda” than people who were going all the way through.

 

I take issue with this opinion, not only due to the pejorative word “agenda,” but also because it’s difficult if not impossible to generalize among passengers based solely on cruise length. In our case, for example, we love the lectures on board even though we’re often just “two-week vacationers.” 
 

IMO, it’s not helpful to drive an artificial wedge between passengers. We’re all enjoying the wonderful cruise experience that Viking provides. Why not leave it at that?

[DrKoob]

15 hours ago, Mrs Miggins said:

 

Some tender ports can be very bumpy.  However in Greenwich tenders are not used.  The very short transfer is on the Uber Thames Clipper boats.  The access is step free and wheelchair accessible https://www.thamesclippers.com/plan-your-journey/find-your-pier/greenwich-pier

Have to thank you for the link. We were looking for a way to get from our hotel in Greenwich up to Richmond and we can use this Uber Boat to take us all but the last four miles. AWESOME! 

[Breckski]

16 hours ago, SJD117 said:

I take issue with this opinion, not only due to the pejorative word “agenda,” but also because it’s difficult if not impossible to generalize among passengers based solely on cruise length. In our case, for example, we love the lectures on board even though we’re often just “two-week vacationers.” 
 

IMO, it’s not helpful to drive an artificial wedge between passengers. We’re all enjoying the wonderful cruise experience that Viking provides. Why not leave it at that?

I wouldn't get upset at the post.  We never take 90-day vacations either, primarily due to our dog.  As such, we limit our trips to 3 weeks.  I think if we were to take a 90-day trip, we'd view the trip a bit differently. Just as I'd have a different agenda/plan if I took one of those 3-day cruises some lines offer.

 

I don't think the comment was made to drive a wedge between passengers.  To me, it just pointed out fundamental differences due to length.