You're about to discover everything you need to know about a Viking Longship if
you're planning on going on a European river cruise, including what it has and a
few surprising things that it doesn't have. I'm Gary Bembridge and this is
another of my Tips For Travellers. I'm just back from a river cruise on Viking
cruising along the Danube, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to share
with you what I learned and experienced about a Viking Longship. First of all,
what's important to note is that the Viking Longship is the ship that
they have right across their fleet, and pretty much every single river that you
go on in Europe will be on one of these Viking Longship. There are a couple
of rivers which are cannot take the full-sized Longship, like the Douro
in Portugal, and these have a slightly smaller version. But pretty much any of
the rivers, the bigger rivers, you're likely to be on one of these Longships. This is
very important because they are the same: the same look, the same feel, the same
layout. That's hopefully why this will really help you understand what you can
expect if you're cruising with Viking in Europe. The Viking Longships take 190
passengers and they have around about 45 crew. A very good crew-to-passenger
ratio. You have a choice of four different types of accommodation on a
Longship. There's suites, verandah staterooms, French balcony staterooms and
standard cabins. Within Suites there are two types of Suites. There's the Explorer
Suite at the rear of the ship, and these have a separate lounge, separate
bedroom and bathroom. You then have verandah suites which have a seating area,
a balcony and bedroom area. My favourite cabin type is actually the Veranda
Stateroom. These have balconies which you can sit out on, slightly smaller
cabin than the Verandah Suites. The French balconies have
floor-to-ceiling windows but they don't have a separate balcony, but you do have great
views and (of course) you can open the windows to get lots of fresh air. The
most affordable of the four types of cabins onboard is a standard cabin which
are on the lower deck. These don't have floor-to-ceiling windows because
part of these cabins are underneath the water level. So, you just
have a small window across the top. There are a couple of cabins on board which
are designed for people with accessibility needs. Bear in mind on river cruise ships,
and this is true also on Viking, the cabins are pretty small because you
don't have a huge amount of space. What about the facilities that you're going to
find on a Longship? Let's start at the top deck. The top deck is the Sun deck, and
is a big wide-open space across the whole length of the Longship.
There's lots of seating up here and a few areas where you can play
games like crazy golf and deck games. It is a really
popular social place when the weather is great. It's also a place where people
will come out if you're going through locks. As you pass through
the rivers of Europe you're often going to go through a series of locks, and
you're find if you go through one of these big locks in day time, people
will head up out onto the deck to enjoy and watch at the marvel of these
phenomenal locks. The Sun Deck is a great place to hang out, even if you're
in port, and a lot of people go and sit out there have a drink and just soak
in the whole atmosphere of the port. The next level down is where
you have the real social heart of the ship and this is in the lounge. The
lounge is where you have the bar. It's also where all of your briefings takes
place like the port briefings. The Captain's Welcome and
Farewell party is held here. It's also where all the entertainment takes place, like if
local entertainers have been brought on board. You have an onboard pianist too, and
they play at lunchtime, afternoon tea and before and after dinner. Just
before you come into the lounge is the 24-hour tea and coffee making facilities.
At the front of the lounge, right on the bow of the ship, is what's known as
Aquavit. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner here.
For breakfast it has the early riser breakfast and has a lighter breakfast.
There is the lighter lunch here, and in the evenings it has the same menu as
the restaurant. It's a really popular place to eat especially if the weather's great.
When you're sailing through beautiful scenery, people like to have meals up
there. Also on this level you have a small library and a small computer area
where you have a couple of computers , for people that have not brought their own laptops or
tablets. The next level down is probably where one of the most important,
and popular, parts of the ship is: the dining room. It is a great
open space and it is open seated at all times. It's open for breakfast,
lunch and dinner. Breakfast is a buffet and you have a station where the eggs or
omelettes are made, and you can also order things from the menus like pancakes or eggs
benedict. Lunch is also buffet, often with a pasta station and then you
can also order you a starter, main course and desserts from a menu. For
dinner, the menu has three components: (1) a local menu which is
very specific to the part of the river that you're on with a
starter, main course and a dessert, (2) you'll then have an a' la carte menu which
changes every day and (3) you have classics like Caesar salad,
steak and chicken breasts that's available every day. Wine, beer and soft drinks are
included with lunch and with dinner. The wine and the beer will normally be very
specific to the part of the river or the country that you're cruising through.
Also on this level you have the reception area with guest services and
a small shop which sells a wide range of
Viking branded merchandise and other things related to Viking or the cruise
or the country that you're sailing through. Let's talk
about some of the things that you will not find onboard a Viking Longship.
First of all, like all river cruising ships, there is no medical centre.
Unlike on ocean cruises, there is no medical centre and that's because party due
to lack of space but also, on a practical level, these ships are always really close to
land and close to port. So, if there are any medical issues or needs they can
connect you with a local clinic hospital or a medical practitioner. On Viking
there is no fitness centre, no spa, no hairdressers.
Some river cruise companies do have those facilities, but Viking Longships don't
have those. There's also no guest laundry on board, and this is also true of other
river cruising ship. If you have laundry needs you can send
those away on board and they can do those for you. Viking Longships are
consistent and have the same facilities across the entire fleet. They have
a Scandinavian look and feel. If you want to find out more about Viking
River Cruises or river cruising in Europe,
watch my other Tips For Travellers videos because I have many videos packed full
of tips and advice to help you make the most of your precious travel time and money.