Train from Viking Cruise to Luzern and from Luzern to Geneva

Where does the Viking Cruise end?????

Basel Switzerland

I guess you mean you are ending your cruise at Basel, and want to get to Luzern.

I don't quite understand the question. What do you want to know? You just get yourself to Basel SBB station (by tram or taxi), buy a ticket and get on the train. All rail lines in Switzerland have at least one train per hour. Basel SBB to Luzern is two trains per hour at xx:04 and xx:17 (Same minutes past each hour), and takes just over 1 hour.

Same for Luzern to Geneva, go to the station, buy a ticket and get on the next train. Do you actually want to go to Geneva, or to Geneva airport? Those are two different stations.

You can look up train times and prices for anywhere in Switzerland on the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) website: https://www.sbb.ch/en/

What kind of suggestions are looking for, asking about??? Is train travel recommended??? Of course. Only way to go. You may want to see this --
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/switzerland/cruise-ends-in-basel-fly-home-via-basel-or-zurich

Train travel is a foreign concept to most Americans. So to answer this particular question I think the OP is just looking for the complete story "how to ride the train". It's very very sad that Americans (myself included) have been brainwashed into thinking that cars and planes are the only "real" forms of transportation and that trains are just nostalgic dinosaurs of transportation history.

So the answer to this OP is: Take a taxi to Basel HB (main train station), go the ticket counter and tell the person where you want to go. They will sell you the appropriate ticket. While your there ask for the time and track where your train departs. Board the train with your ticket and sit back and relax until you arrive in Lucerne. Exit the station and take a taxi to your hotel. Of course you can always just walk to your hotel, but I'm guessing you don't want to do that.

Thanks all good to know it will be easy and no pre-ticketing needed. As you guessed I'm from So California and yep no / little public transportation. Looking forward to the train rides through beautiful Switzerland.

Deborah, the station you want in Basel is called Basel SBB, Basel has two "main" stations, neither of which is called Basel HB.

Depending which of the three possible places in Basel your boat docks, the taxi will cost CHF 30 - 50. Taxis are not cheap in Basel.
The easier way is to catch the tram, which cost CHF 3.80 per person. Basel is a tram (and bus city). It is easier to catch a tram than drive.

A ticket from Basel SBB to Luzern costs CHF 34 per person, 2nd class.
The quick way to buy a ticket is from the ticket machines, but if you are unsure you may be better of going to the manned ticket desk which would take a few minutes longer (~5 minutes).

Again, all this is on the SBB website: https://www.sbb.ch/en/

Our Viking cruise docked at the furthest possible spot from the Basel train station, Dreilandereck. The Viking front desk was able to set up a van to the train station for 56€, shared between three couples, so we ended up paying 20€ per couple. It was a convenience to pay in euros, since we didn't have a chance first to get Swiss francs at an ATM.

FYI -- if you need to buy your train tickets from a human rather than the automated ticket machine (for example, if you will be buying a Half Fare Card, which would probably save you money), you need to take a number at the SBB station.

The ticket from Basel to Luzern is 34 CHF, from Luzern to Geneva is 81 CHF. That is 115 CHF, so unless you are planning on another 125 CHF worth of train, boat, or mountain lift tickets, a Half Fare Card will cost you money, not save.