Viking river cruises

The Cruise Critic website has a subforum specifically for river cruising. There are several permanent threads for new cruisers that have good descriptions of that type of cruising in general, as well as the pros and cons of some of the major cruise lines. As well, there are loads of videos by cruise bloggers on you tube that do the same thing.

As for size- most of the cruise boats are a similar size. You won't find a big difference like with ocean cruise ships.

vijayramraj, do a Search (top of this page or in the menu on a phone) and you'll see a lot of threads about river cruises.

We did a Viking Rhine cruise Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland. It could be done in reverse as well. We enjoyed it very much, They sell out months in advance so act quickly. They are all small cruises with just a 100-200 passengers, not like the giant ocean cruises. There is not much to do on board but eat and drink.

No, I don't think an expensive room is worth it. Almost all the cruising on this trip was done at night so that you have the whole day at your next port. The exception is the Middle Rhine gorge area, the part they show in the commercials. This is done during the day because it is very beautiful with castles and vineyards. So you'll want to be on the top deck for that part, not in your room. The rest of the River is kind of flat and industrial and not that scenic. It's the towns and excursions that make the trip worthwhile. At night, a lot of time is spent going through locks on the river, so you might wake up and open the veranda, and see a concrete wall 6 inches in front of you. You are also low relative to the river, so you dont get a lot of long-distance views. So that's why I say its not necessarily worth it for an expensive room.

No cruises go up the mountains, so I'm guessing you mean add-ons or excursions to visit the Alps. The tour extensions offered by Viking for early days in Amsterdam or extension to Luzern, are very very expensive, but can easily be done on your own if you know how to use trains and make your own hotel reservations. We did three extra days on Luzern which was a wonderful way to spend time in the Swiss mountains.

I would like to do another river cruise, but assume that the conditions will be similar. I thought Viking provide good service. They handled the airline reservations, met us at the airport, and helped us with onward travel.

Viking customer service is top-notch. I agree with Stan; no need for a more expensive room. We went on the Passage to Eastern Europe cruise (Budapest to Bucharest) in October 2021 and absolutely loved it. The excursions, all of which are included, were wonderful.

For the most part we enjoyed our Budapest to Nurnberg Viking cruise. We thought it was expensive (I’m sure my brother didn’t get the tickets while on sale) and better deals could be had on other cruise lines. I’m certain I could have driven and seen the same sights for about 1/3 of the cruise cost. The food, service, and day excursions were fine. Since other cruise boats’ excursions were occurring at the same time, the small towns were overrun with groups from all the different boats.

Our main issue with Viking involved tipping. It seemed like somebody always had a hand out, from the tour guides, to the bus drivers, to the people who helped direct you to the boat or bus to the airport. On excursions, the rear door on the busses conveniently remained closed forcing the passengers to go out the front door past the guide and driver who were expecting a tip. At the end of the cruise one is expected to tip the staff who cleaned the state room (no problem with that) and the cruise director who literally did nothing that I felt was tip worthy. He did his job and nothing more. On our cruise, due to low water, we actually changed boats creating the dilemma as to which crew to tip and how much. To me, tipping is for going above and beyond what’s in the job description, not for simply doing one’s job.

As relaxing as the cruise was, if I went on another one I would try another cruise line.

I've heard good things about AMA and Avalon cruises, but I think Viking is on the low end of pricing.

We’ve done two Viking River cruises - Rhine river (Basel-Amsterdam) & Seine Christmas cruise. We’ve also done several Viking Ocean cruises and are planning an Expedition cruise.

Both river cruises were very nice. There are no inside cabins. We book DV’s because they have a balcony and a bit of extra space. We thought the food was great and the staff excellent. The ship normally docks close to the town’s attractions so we jump off and see the sights. There is an included excursion at every port, usually a bus or walking tour. There are also a number of optional excursions you can purchase for special interests, i.e. wine tastings, cathedral tours, military sites.

I disagree with the poster who wrote about excessive tipping. To the contrary, a tip is added to your final bill but it is totally negotiable. If you don’t want to tip, just ask guest services on board to adjust or remove the charge. We find Viking’s service to be very good so we tip the suggested amount and leave a bit extra for our cabin steward and maybe a server or two who provided exceptional service. We tip the bus guides a euro or two but most people don’t give them anything. We’ve never felt pressured to do so.

Go to Youtube and you'll drown in river cruise vloggers. Some cover all the cruise lines, some focus on specific ones. I recently watched a video about Viking that told me everything there was to know about the rooms and how they are set up. Note that it's often recommended to use a travel agent for cruises since they don't charge you extra but they have pull to get you bonus features.

One person to check out is Emma, the Brit who cruises constantly.

We’ve done 2 Viking river cruises because friends like them and we’ve booked a third to use up a voucher. On the first trip we booked a French balcony and on the second we booked a veranda. We didn’t think the Veranda justified the extra cost. Frequently we were docked next to another boat so all we saw was their rooms. The food was good, we had an exceptional cruise director on trip #2 and basically we enjoyed ourselves. I’m not such a fan of the additional tipping (I much prefer the RS system), but I thought it was handled discretely and never felt pressured in anyone’s presence.

We did a Rhine river cruise with Uniworld. We booked a French balcony room which was great. I get insomnia and it was nice to see unnamed towns as we cruised along. We met people on our cruise on their honeymoon who had ended up with a room directly underneath the dance floor. They were not having a peaceful cruise!

Our cruise was all inclusive. The wine choices were a bit limited but if we had been spirits drinkers (we're not) we would have loved it. We also had trouble getting espressos on board as the cruise had been set up for Americans with filtered coffee the default option. Once we worked out that we had to ask for our coffees to be made downstairs in the crew's galley we had much better coffee.

Our cruise was Basel to Amsterdam for 8 days. 8 days was enough for us as we don't like other people organising how we spend our days, and because the food was so good that we ate far too much.

I agree with not paying extra for upgraded room. We did a French Balcony for our first tour Lyon to Avignon but on our next tour decided to do the standard room because they were doing an incredible deal ($1999 + free airfare and silver beverage package) Budapest to Regensburg. We were never in our room except to sleep. During the scenic cruising you definitely want to be on top for the views. If you choose a tour starting or ending in Budapest you definitely need extra days to see the city otherwise you will be disappointed.

We love Viking! 2 river. 1 Ocean. Enjoyed the Danube Walz and and Cities of Light. To keep cost down a French balcony or standard stateroom fine. Rooms are very compact but cozy to us. Ships small but many windows and public spaces to hang out. Decor is minimalistic and Scandinavian….I prefer it….not glitzy and the views are the art! You feel like you are part of the city you are docked. Food is wonderful. I love eating outside when possible from buffet. Guest speakers always interesting. Pleasant music. Highly recommend.

I’m following this thread because River cruises have intrigued me for a number of years. Didn’t really care for the huge ship cruise I did one time.

@donna - the tipping added to the final bill must be new since 2015. On our cruise suggested tips and envelopes were only provided for the room stewards and cruise director.

Our last Viking river cruise was 2018 and I’m pretty sure they could add the tips to your bill. It’s was probably optional but it saved having to worry about cash for tips.

@jaimeelsabio, I think adding the tip to the final bill is new. We did the Viking Rhine river cruise in 2017 and got envelopes as you described. We were concerned about messing it up because there was a percent for the steward, a percent for the cruise director, etc. In the end it turned out to be a non-event. The anonymous envelopes were just deposited in a box by the desk.

We did the Seine Christmas Market river cruise in December 2022 and they added the tip to the bill (like on Ocean).

Most of the European river cruises are very deluxe trips, and therefore they're also very expensive.

For the same price of a river cruise, I can take 3 complete trips to Europe on my own. We've found that ocean cruises to the Eastern Mediterranean or Baltics can be booked for 1/5th the price of an average river cruise, and they mix in well with visiting another country or two on the ground.

Viking is a very good cruise line--on rivers and on oceans. Uniworld, AmaWaterways, Avalon, Crystal and Tauck are other great brands of luxury river cruises. You would be satisfed with any of them.

David, that's our take as well. We can do about three times as much sightseeing on our own as opposed to some of the these cruises and tours.

My only experience with river cruises are two Christmas ones with Tauck. They are all inclusive, so no extra tips or charges for alcohol or excursions. Yes, it’s true you can do a trip on your own and save money. However, sometimes it is nice to relax and be pampered on vacation, not having to worry about travel logistics or making decisions on a restaurant for meals. The fellowship of other guests on these small riverboats is nice. Tauck has excellent customer service.

Note: Viking almost always is advertising a “sale”. This is their pricing strategy.

River cruises do book up quickly so you have to book well in advance.

@BMWBGV
yes, what I've told people, is that our river cruise was "Europe Lite", and not a real in depth European experience. And that is what most of the passengers seemed to want. For many, it was all about the food and drink, a comfortable cabin, and the socializing. Some people never left the boat. So it's definitely an "apples and oranges" choice.

I love river cruising and have done 5 on Amawaterways, with the 6th coming up in April. Here are my thoughts:
- I did a ton of research on my first cruise on where and when to sail, then I found a line that did that. At the time Ama checked all the boxes. I have not felt the need to change lines since, I've been extremely happy.

- Viking could be considered a "Chevy" where Ama might be more "Buick" and Avalon/Uniworld/Tauk even more upscale, "Cadillac" maybe. They all get you there (usually!) but the degree of comfort and service may vary.
- Most river cruises are 7 nights/8 days. When you see Viking advertised as a 10+ day it usually means they've tacked on pre/post land days. Ama will typically make the pre and post options entirely separate.

- As a Rick Steves-type traveler I will do my own extensive pre/post planning rather than use the cruise line's package. That gives me more control and more options.... and I love to plan. Also, when I put the cruise in the middle or at the end It gives me 7+ very relaxing days in the middle of a 3 week trip to totally recharge.
- Someone mentioned having to change Viking ships due to low water. Ama ships are designed in such a way that low/high water issues impact them MUCH less. Yes, it can happen but it is much more rare than on Viking.
- Viking offers "one complimentary shore excursion" per port. Ama will have multiple options, and 99% of them are included in your fare. On occasion there may be something special like a Viennese concert while in port but those are few and far between. They have "late risers", easy walkers, active tours, and bike tours! Sometimes I wish there were fewer options then I wouldn't know what I was missing!
- I have sailed the Rhine, Danube, and the Rhone with the Seine coming up in April. Personally, I like the Danube, especially for Christmas Markets.

- Cabin Category... The only one I would stay away from is the bottom of the boat/"Swan View" but then again, that's a personal preference. I tend to vacation in the fall so a "veranda" or dual balcony is of less interest to me. But the full window of the "French" balcony is nice for light and air. Also, the veranda portion of the balcony eats into the size of your room. When I sailed with my daughter at Christmas and we needed twin beds, that space taken up by the balcony was missed! You the vast majority of time the scenery is better from the top deck or lounge. If in your cabin you can only see your side of the river!
- Also, a significant portion of your actual sailing is done over night. You will leave a port in the evening, sail overnight, and wake up in the next port. Scenic sections of the river are done in a morning or afternoon but those are more limited.

- Yes, with cruising you get a taste of a culture/city/country but that is what informs my return trips. There was not enough time in Vienna to see and do everything, so I went back! It's a great, safe, organized way to get a "taste of" your destination... much like a RS land tour.
- These ships are small but well appointed, and very comfortable. Viking runs the largest ships with a max of about 200 passengers. Ama's run from around 140-160. The AmaMagna which is a unique double-wide ship on the Danube holds 196.

- A couple of euros to good guides and bus drivers is suggested. Crew tips are recommended at $10/day per person and tips for the cruise director are separate. Crew tips are split amongst ALL ship's crew including those you don't see. The Cruise Manager is considered separate from the ship's crew.
- Yes, on the surface they are expensive, but your ship is a floating hotel taking you from city to city. The food is top-notch, service is exceptional. Could you put an itinerary together for less? Yes, just as I could on my $3500 RS tour of Venice-Florence-Rome... but it was nice to let someone else manage the details, and you pay for that.

I felt like this vlogger did a good job of ranking the tour companies, my wife also once found a company called Scenic which doesn't advertise as much to Americans and was a bit cheaper. There are also lots of vlogs on how cruising works and what to expect, you could spend hours watching (and learning).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvpVqYfhEXU

Phred, I agree with you about Gary Benbridges vlogs. He has quite a few videos about river cruising, as well as all the ocean cruise videos. Tips for Travellers is one of the highest rated cruise travel channels on you tube.

We took a Rhone River cruise with Viking. We opted for a French balcony. The ports were so crowded that ships were tied up three abreast, so our view was normally of the suite in the next boat. We usually like to wander around a city which we weren't able to do. The group always needed to get back to the ship for the next meal. We could have found our way back to the ship later and dined in town, but then there was always the feeling that we had paid for the meal already. The staff and food were great as were fellow travelers. Ultimately we decided we were too young (mid-60s) and would consider taking a cruise when we could no longer be as active.

Thanks everyone for posting your thoughts and information. This was most helpful. I did end up booking a trip in fall with Viking based on most of the reports,

Stan, I get it. Thanks.

I saw one cruise for $1900 and that's not unrealistic for our budget. I see the appeal and as I get older it looks better all of the time!

One thing I miss with independent travelling is talking to other travelers. I really enjoy comparing experiences with others.

IrishEyes, yes, I would also feel pressured to return to the boat for a meal as I already paid for it, doggone it. Mary and I are in our early 60s, but I could see a point in the future of a river cruise.

I seldom have heard any complaints after a Viking River cruise. Usually people want to sign up another. The price can be reasonable if you look and wait for deals. Depends on your stateroom also. Even airfare has been cheaper if we find a deal. We haven’t had but only one experience where we had to walk thru another docked ship. That actually was kinda fun. We find the commorodity enjoyable and more intimate. As far as meal…I understand if you have them paid for….and why eat in the town. But you can…people do and there is usually time. So…up to you! Enjoy!

We have done several river cruises. Prior to booking, I always compare what is available with several companies.

Viking is always competitive, but we have always found a better deal with other companies.

We just did a wonderful Gate 1 Tour with a two river cruises in Egypt. Viking's price was significantly higher.

Compare each company, what you get and how much does it cost.