Explorer of the SeasvsViking Sky

Side-by-side creator consensus from cruise reviewers across YouTube.

74% Bacon Score™

Explorer of the Seas

🥓Powered by Trip Bacon

Add this Free Widget to your Blog

55% Bacon Score™

Viking Sky

🥓Powered by Trip Bacon

Add this Free Widget to your Blog

Creators' Pick

The Bacon Verdict

Explorer of the Seas wins this matchup

Earns a +19% higher BaconScore than Viking Sky. Based on 1261 creator reviews.

Lead+19%BaconScore

The Bacon Story

Data-driven recap

Across 1261 creator reviews, Explorer of the Seas holds a +19% BaconScore lead over Viking Sky — 74% versus 55%. Explorer of the Seas edges ahead on port destination, while Viking Sky leads on Interior Cabins and Main Dining. Explorer of the Seas sentiment is trending up while Viking Sky is cooling off, so the gap may widen in the months ahead. Coverage spans 263 distinct cruise channels — read the full breakdown for each ship below.

Recommend

of 1.1K reviews

of cruise creators recommend Explorer of the Seas

1.1K videos202 channels3% warn againstDeveloping data

About our Bacon Score methodology

Getting crispierCreator enthusiasm has grown substantially • Divided opinion

Winner

BaconScore+19%

Recommend

of 138 reviews

of cruise creators recommend Viking Sky

138 videos61 channels12% warn againstHigh data density

About our Bacon Score methodology

Going soggyCreator enthusiasm has dropped sharply • Divided opinion

Side-by-side facts

The specs

Explorer of the Seas	Specification	Viking Sky
Royal Caribbean Group	Cruise line	Viking Cruise Lines
1123 videos	Creator reviews	138 videos
202	Distinct creators	61

Explorer of the Seas

Cruise line: Royal Caribbean Group
Creator reviews: 1123 videos
Distinct creators: 202

Viking Sky

Cruise line: Viking Cruise Lines
Creator reviews: 138 videos
Distinct creators: 61

Topic Scoreboard

How they really compare

Explorer of the Seas

Topic

Viking Sky

Where creators agree

Both rate Suites highly

Explorer of the Seas:
4 Happy Bacon
33 mentions
SuitesBoth like it
Viking Sky:
4 Happy Bacon
6 mentions
Explorer of the Seas:
3 Happy Bacon
68 mentions
Specialty DiningBoth like it
Viking Sky:
4 Happy Bacon
7 mentions
Explorer of the Seas:
3 Happy Bacon
61 mentions
Balcony CabinsBoth like it
Viking Sky:
3½ Happy Bacon
18 mentions

Where creators diverge

Biggest gap: Interior Cabins

Explorer of the Seas:
2 Happy Bacon
77 mentions
Interior Cabins0.40 gap
Viking Sky:
4 Happy Bacon
9 mentions
Explorer of the Seas:
2½ Happy Bacon
74 mentions
Main Dining0.31 gap
Viking Sky:
4 Happy Bacon
4 mentions
Explorer of the Seas:
2 Happy Bacon
105 mentions
Buffet0.28 gap
Viking Sky:
3½ Happy Bacon
6 mentions

How to read the Trip Bacon Score

Happy Bacon — creators loved this aspect

Sad Bacon — creators took issue with this

Meh — no strong opinion either way

Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.

About our Bacon Score methodology

Standout creator quotes

Positive · Explorer of the Seas

“we really enjoy this class of ship it's really beautiful”

— Cruise With Ben and David · authority

Positive · Viking Sky

“I highly recommend to be try the steak or the ribeye it is probably the best thing I've ever had”

— Cruise Fever · authority

Critical · Explorer of the Seas

“Kimberly is unfortunately no longer with us now”

— The Shiplife · authority

Critical · Viking Sky

“the captain who has been detained following the collision between his river cruise ship and a tourist boat was the same captain who hit an oil tanker on April first”

— Don's Family Vacations · authority

Drill Deeper

See the full creator breakdown

Each detail page has the full creator panel, topic heatmap, monthly trends, audience breakdown, and verbatim quotes — far more than fits in this comparison.

Royal Caribbean GroupExplorer of the Seas74% BaconScoreSee full ship breakdown

Viking Cruise LinesViking Sky55% BaconScoreSee full ship breakdown

Other Royal Caribbean Group ships

Icon of the Seas

🥓 70% Ship BaconScore™→

Other Viking Cruise Lines ships

Viking Sea

🥓 79% Ship BaconScore™

Viking Sea

🥓 57% Ship BaconScore™↓

Viking Orion

🥓 61% Ship BaconScore™

Viking Venus

🥓 72% Ship BaconScore™↓

Viking Star

🥓 55% Ship BaconScore™↓

Viking Sky

🥓 65% Ship BaconScore™

Viking Mars

Viking Cruise Lines

2 Happy Bacon

240 videos

Watch creators on each ship

Explorer of the Seas

2:49Tips

Cruise Ship Hit By Giant Wave, Injures Guest and Crew

🏅Cruise News Today · 1.3M views · 1 years ago

Mixed

3:48Tips

CRUISE NEWS: Cruise Ship Outbreak, Royal Caribbean Cancels Tours, NCL Urges, & MSC Departure Changes

🥈Cruise Hive · 1.0M views · 2 years ago

Positive

Viking Sky

8:33Compare

Scariest Moments Ever Caught on Cruise Ships!

🥈The Cruiser · 421K views · 1 years ago

Very Critical

9:40Tips

The Must-See And Must Avoid Mediterranean Ports.

🥈Tips For Travellers · 419K views · 4 years ago

Positive

More matchups

Compare with…

How this comparison is built

Scores aggregate every cruise creator review we've indexed for each entity, weighted by creator expertise and capped per channel so no single voice dominates. Read the full methodology →

Explorer of the SeasvsViking Sky

Explorer of the Seas wins this matchup

Score comparison

Opinion trend for Explorer of the Seas

Opinion trend for Viking Sky

The specs

How they really compare

Where creators agree

Where creators diverge

Standout creator quotes

See the full creator breakdown

Other Royal Caribbean Group ships

Icon of the Seas

Wonder of the Seas

Allure of the Seas

Harmony of the Seas

Adventure of the Seas

Oasis of the Seas

Other Viking Cruise Lines ships

Viking Sea

Viking Orion

Viking Venus

Viking Star

Viking Sky

Viking Mars

Watch creators on each ship

Cruise Ship Hit By Giant Wave, Injures Guest and Crew

CRUISE NEWS: Cruise Ship Outbreak, Royal Caribbean Cancels Tours, NCL Urges, & MSC Departure Changes

Scariest Moments Ever Caught on Cruise Ships!

The Must-See And Must Avoid Mediterranean Ports.

Compare with…

How this comparison is built