You're about to discover the six things that you really need to know, and watch
out for, if you're thinking of cruising in Europe with Viking River Cruises.
I'm Gary Bembridge and this is another of my tips for travellers. I'm just back from
a European River cruise along the Danube with Viking on the Viking of Vilhjalm, and
I thought it would be a great opportunity to share with you the things
that I wish I'd known, and the things that I learned, to help you better
understand a Viking River cruise in Europe. And the things to really watch
out for and make sure that you're aware of before you go. It was
established back in 1997, and so it's not the oldest of the river cruise companies, but
it is a large company. It has over 70 ships (at the time of recording) either
on the rivers or about to enter the rivers, and they're constantly expanding.
It operates in the premium end of river cruising, so not on the ultra-luxury end -
it's in the premium segment. Secondly, in Europe Viking operate what are known as
the Viking longships. These long ships operate on most of the rivers in
Europe. There are a couple of rivers where the longships are too big to
operate on, so they have a scaled-down version. Let me tell you a little bit
about what you can expect on a Viking Longship. It has a 190
passengers and around about 45 crews. So, a high crew to passenger
ratio. When you step on board the longship, the first thing you'll notice is
the decor. It's very Scandinavian in look and feel,
and that of course links back to the original heritage and the founders who
come from Scandinavia. There are four different accommodation types on board.
There are suites at the rear of the longships, they have
veranda suites which have an actual balcony which you can go out on and it has
a table and two chairs. They also have veranda cabins which have
floor-to-ceiling windows, but these are Juliet balconies and no actual balcony you
can step out on. On the lower level they have standard cabins which
have a small window at the top of the cabin, and that's because these cabins
are partly below the water level. On the top deck you have the Sun Deck which is
a big open space where you can sit out and enjoy the weather and the scenery. On
the next level down you have the real heart and hub of the ship,
which is the lounge. This is where you have the bar. It's also where you will
have your daily briefings. It is where people meet during the day and go for
drinks before and after dinner. It's where if there's any entertainment
it'll also be hosted here. In the front of the lounge is what's known as Aquavit.
It has the early riser breakfast out here and also
a lighter breakfast, a lighter lunch and in the evening you can dine
here and it's the same menu as in the main restaurant. To the rear of the
lounge you have the 24-hour tea and coffee making facilities, which are great.
There's also on this level a small library and a couple of computers if you
have not brought your own laptop. On the level below that you have the Reception
area, a small Viking shop, which sells branded merchandise and other products
related to the cruise, and then you have the dining room. This is a great open space.
Everyone can sit here. It's open seated dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Breakfast is buffet, although they do have eggs cooking station where you can order
things like pancakes and Eggs Benedict. Lunch is a buffet and there will often be a
pasta station and again you can order from a menu. The evening is a full
multi-course dinner menu where you'll have a regional menu based on where
you're cruising through, and a la carte and then some standards which are on every
single day. What's as important as what the ship does have is what it doesn't
have. There's no medical centre on board, and that's true of all river
cruising ships because you're close enough to the banks and ports to not
have medical centres. Also, unlike some other River cruise companies, it
doesn't have a fitness centre, it doesn't have a spa, doesn't have a hairdresser,
doesn't have an exercise room and it doesn't carry bicycles. The focus of the Longship
is very much on he hotel experience, the dining experience and
very much around the destinations and the excursions. The third thing to know
about Viking is they offer you an enormous choice of rivers and also different
itineraries on those rivers, because there's such a big fleet in operation
they have huge permutations.You should find pretty much any of the rivers in
Europe that you want to sail on Viking are there. For example, they sail on the
Danube, the Rhine, the Rhone, the Elbe, the Duoro,
Volga, the waters of Bordeaux, they sail on rivers in Holland
and Belgium - and even on those there's lots of different itineraries. So,
as you look at the rivers that you want to go on there's going to be different
itineraries. The next key thing to understand, and watch out for, is what is
and isn't included in a Viking fare. River cruising generally in Europe is
pretty all-inclusive, however, there are nuances and differences based on the
different brands. So, when you look at the Viking fare understanding what you
are going to get is very important because a lot of people, particularly
coming from ocean cruising, take a look at the river cruising fares and think
they're on the high side. That's because there's a lots of stuff included.
What is included? The obvious things are included like your accommodation
and Dining is included. Some of your drinks are also included. At
lunch and dinner wine, beer and soft drinks are included. You'll normally
find there'll be a choice of wines, obviously often a white and a red wine
is included. Also excursions are included. You'll find at every place you stop
there's normally at least one included excursion within your fare. Sometimes
there will also be a choice of excursions and you might have a choice of
two or three excursions that are included. The excursions do tend to focus
on the historical, the cultural and the arts side of a destination. You will find
in some places there are optional excursions, which you do have to pay for.
For example, in Vienna there was the opportunity to go to a classical concert
in the evening. Entertainment is also included within the fare.
Entertainment is not on the scale of an ocean cruise ship. Every evening
there will normally be one activity which could be local singers,
dancers or musicians. It could be a quiz.
There's also a pianist who will play often around lunchtime, before dinner and
after dinner. What is not included? First of all, gratuities are not
included within the fare. At the time of recording, the gratuities recommended
were two euros per person per day for the program director and 12 euros per
person per day for the rest of the crew. Drinks outside of lunch and dinner
you also have to pay for and you can pay for those ad hoc or they do
sell what's known as a Silver Spirits drinks package, which will then
cover you for the entire time. Bear in mind of course, your 24-hour teas and
coffees are always available and that is included within the fare. If you
want to do things like send stuff to the laundry or, of course, buy things in
the shop that is not included within the fare. The next important thing to
understand is the passenger mix and what sort of passengers you likely to find on
board. Viking River Cruises and also their ocean cruises are an adults-only
experience.You have to be over 18 before you can go on a Viking River
cruise. River cruising generally still is the slightly older traveler experience,
and you are more likely to find people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and even above on
river cruises, particularly in Europe. Of course you are or going to get a
range. You're going to find it's mostly people from the USA, UK and often
a lot of Australians. It's an English language experience and the whole
program is done in English. What I also found on river cruising, and I did find
this very true on Viking, is you find a lot of groups of people travelling together.
Some groups of friends or multi-generational people travelling
together. So, although there's lots of couples they are often on board with
friends and family. What about solo travellers? If you are a
solo traveller and you want to travel on Viking, the best thing to do is to sign
up for their email newsletters or work very closely with Viking or your travel
agent as what they do is certain cruises during the year will have
either no single supplement or anywhere up to 50% surcharge if you're
travelling in a cabin by yourself. They tend to be cruises at the
beginning and end of the season, so less peak times. If you plan to go on a Viking
River cruise, or any river cruise, do you think about your degree of mobility and
how active you are. The Longships do have some cabins for people with
mobility issues, however in my personal opinion, river cruises are really best
enjoyed by people who are a little bit more mobile. This is because it can be quite a
challenge getting on and off the Longships because the nature of where
you're docking and the ramps, and in the places calling on are old
traditional places so you find lots of cobblestones, lots of stairs and not
necessarily lots of mobility friendly ways of getting
around. One thing I would say about Viking is they do go out of their way to
make sure if you do have a mobility issues that they help you and work
really hard to make sure you have a great cruise. There is an elevator on the
Longships, but it does only go between two floors, so
between the floor of the lounge and the floor that has dining room on. Another
key watch out and thing to understand is the dress code. The dress code on a Viking
River cruise is pretty casual and relaxed. In fact the only real rule that
you need to bear in mind when thinking about packing and what to bring, is you are not
supposed to wear denim jeans or shorts in the dining room in the evening.
The rest of dress code is pretty relaxed. Some people do make more of an
effort to dress up for the Captain's Welcome Party and the Captain's Farewell
Party, then some people dress up a bit smarter. It's more important to think about
things like good walking shoes, layers if it gets cold or if it gets hot you have
layers that you can layer up or down, things to protect you against rain if
there are showers. These are much more important to think about that when it comes to
thinking about a Viking River cruise than which of your "Glad rags" and smart clothes
to wear. Viking River Cruises is probably the best known river cruising company in
the world, and certainly within Europe they have a large fleet on
lots of different rivers. They really do focus very much on the hotel, the
dining and the food experience and immersing you in the places that you go
to. If you're interested in Viking or you're interested in river cruising in
Europe, watch many more of my Tips For Travellers videos. I have lots of videos
with lots of tips about river cruising in Europe.