Small ship luxury cruise lines compete on the details. Which ones have the best cabins, the nicest ships, the most attentive service, interesting shore excursions, delicious food and drink, and top-notch onboard entertainment? After sailing aboard two small ships, the Silversea Silver Shadow and the Viking Sky, we have a few observations.

Larger cruise ships crowding Cabos, Mexico (Photo © David Stewart White)

Size matters. The Silver Shadow hosts under 400 guests, while the Sky accommodates just over 900 passengers. Both are small by cruise ship standards. By contrast, the newly-launched Icon of the Seas from Royal Caribbean has a capacity of 7,600 passengers. So, if you want a small ship ocean cruising experience, both the Sky and Silver Shadow fit the bill. 

Cruise ships are also rated by space per passenger—roughly the size of the ship divided by the number of passengers. While Silversea’s Shadow has a higher space rating, Viking’s Sky felt roomier to us. It’s not just ship size and number of passengers that matter, but design and layout of onboard common areas. Viking was the clear winner in other design elements too. Part of this might be Scandinavian style principles at work. But the relative ages of the two ships also play a part. The Silver Shadow was launched in 2000, while the Sky entered service in 2017. It is worth noting that Viking’s fleet of twelve ocean cruise ships are virtually identical. Viking also has two smaller expedition ships (plus a separate armada of river cruisers). Silversea has twelve ocean ships that vary in age and configuration. A thirteenth Silversea ship is expected to sail soon.

Inside our cabins there was little difference between the two ships. Our cabins—a Superior Veranda Suite on Silversea and a slightly larger Penthouse Junior Suite on Viking—were comparable in style and amenities. There are minor differences, of course. Viking forgoes bathtubs but Silversea offers them. That means the showers on Viking are larger, which we enjoyed. And Viking includes heated bathroom floors which is great for cold-weather cruising. Our Silversea cabin had a more comfortable bed and a bigger closet area. No clear winner here.

Viking Penthouse Junior Suite (photo Courtesy of Viking) 

Food and drink are key factors for many cruise passengers. Our ships each had a large main restaurant, a buffet area, and a couple of smaller specialty dining options. The food and service at the main restaurants was consistently good on both ships. Specialty dining varied more. Viking featured the Chef’s Table and Manfredi’s Italian restaurant. We truly enjoyed the international themed small plates and intimate setting of the Chef’s Table. Manfredi’s on the other hand seemed more like an upscale Olive Garden—it certainly wasn’t like dining in Italy. Silversea had a good Italian restaurant (La Terrazza) although it operated in the same space as the lunchtime buffet which didn’t add much to the atmosphere. For an extra charge, Silversea passengers could dine in La Dame, a tiny French restaurant. The food was not appreciably better than at other onboard restaurants, and we found the service to be attentive, but inauthentic.

The house wines offered at meals on both ships were comparable. Viking has a drinks upgrade option (confusingly named the “Silver Spirits” package), but Silversea claims its alcoholic drinks are all inclusive. The truth is that both cruise lines charge extra for premium wines. We found that it took some effort on both Silversea and Viking to get pours beyond the house wines. Silversea waiters would bring alternative selections when requested. Initially we had to remind Viking’s wait staff that we had the upgraded drinks package. Once that was established, we found a real difference between the two ships. Viking had knowledgeable and personable wine stewards—we did not find these on our Silversea cruise.

Balcony bubbly on the Viking Sky (Photo © David Stewart White)

Although they are both small ships, there is a real difference in the amount of deck space and amenities on the 610-foot-long Silver Shadow versus the 748-foot Viking Sky. The swimming pool is notably larger and nicer on the Sky (and a retractable roof allows use in good weather and bad). The Sky also features a second outdoor infinity pool. Clear advantage to Viking here.

Pool deck on the Silver Shadow (Photo © David Stewart White)

Spa services are an important feature for some cruise passengers. We felt the physical layout of the Silversea spa was slightly better than the Viking version. However, the spa services (hair, nails, and massage) we received on Viking were more professional. And one other important distinction: Silversea spa staff aggressively attempted to sell products to spa customers. There was no such sales pitch on Viking.

What about onboard entertainment? The theater shows on both ships were similar—dancing, singing, well-aged cabaret favorites, etc. The other musical entertainment on the two ships was noticeably different. Silversea’s lounge acts usually largely consisted of a single musician performing with electronic background instrumentation. Viking featured classical duos, a talented acoustical guitarist/singer, and a jazz combo. The entertainment bottom line: Viking wins for sophistication and variety; Silversea gets the nod for energetic performances.

Shore excursions are a big draw on cruises. We experienced significant differences in the planning and management of shore excursions between Viking and Silversea. Viking’s excursions were noticeably better organized and staffed. Many cruise excursions involve bus rides—sometimes long rides—leaving you little time to actually explore sights. Be sure to check the amount of drive time versus tour time before signing up for an excursion. To be frank, cruising isn’t an ideal way to truly experience some places. And excursions can involve all levels of exertion, from simply sitting on a bus, to walking long distances or climbing steep slopes. If you’re ambivalent about going ashore in a group excursion, you can always stay aboard on port days and enjoy having the ship virtually to yourself. Another alternative? Go ashore on your own or hire a local private tour guide. Just don’t risk missing the ship!

Finally, a word about dress codes and formal nights. We honestly thought that we had left behind dress codes in high school. Alas, in the high-end cruise world, the subject resurfaces. Silversea features formal nights where passengers are expected to dress to the nines for dinner. Viking eschews formal nights entirely and expects “elegant casual” attire in the evenings. It is certainly a matter of personal taste, but we preferred Viking’s approach and found the Silversea formal nights to be a bit silly.

What’s our verdict? First, cruising is not for everyone. That said, both Viking and Silversea are high quality choices. Based on our very limited cruise history—but with extensive international travel expertise—the Oscar for best small ship cruise experience goes to Viking.

Viking Sky anchored off Santorini, Greece (Photo © David Stewart White)