When it involves cruises, ocean liners often get all the eye. But cruises aren’t restricted to only the Caribbean, and even to the summer season months. Viking River Cruises affords every kind of scenic river boat cruises by Europe—year-round, by rivers (and now oceans)—for vacationers who need to benefit from the journey and just a few locations alongside the way in which.
I’ve been fortunate sufficient to have taken fairly just a few Viking European river cruises—from the Rhine in Switzerland to the Rhône in France to the Danube in Budapest (one of many favorites was the Christmas Market river cruise alongside the Rhine!). And I’m a fan.
If you are attempting to resolve whether or not to riverboat cruise or not, I’ve put collectively an inventory of explanation why you must select to take a European Viking River Cruise.
You can ebook your cruise on the Viking River Cruise web site.
1. There are Fewer Passengers
No matter how good your cruise ship is, you’re in all probability not going to get pleasure from it practically as a lot if it’s cramped and crowded with lengthy waits on the buffet or no accessible lounge chairs. The Viking River Cruises boat was smaller with fewer individuals; round 200, it felt way more comfy and made attending to know my fellow passengers over dinner all of the extra pleasant.
2. Some Excursions are Included
On most of the bigger ocean liners, they entice you by promoting actually low cruise fares, however then nickel and dime you with excursions. That can add up shortly! On Viking River Cruises there are included excursions, nearly one at each single European port.
Most are designed to present you a pleasant overview of town you might be in. Of course, there might be different paid choices on the ports too. A few my favourite excursions had been an e-bike journey by the vineyards of Austria and a tour of Germany’s Black Forest.
3. You’ll Have Open Seating at Dinner
You may not count on this to be a plus, however for me, it undoubtedly was. Open seating meant that I obtained to satisfy and get to know extra individuals. Each evening you possibly can choose a distinct group to sit down with or you possibly can dine with the identical individuals each night. It’s completely as much as you. Either manner, it was enjoyable to check notes concerning the excursions with my new associates on the finish of the day.
4. Your Room Comes With Free Movies
Alright, so possibly binge watching films doesn’t prime your record of thrilling European cruise actions. Still, it was nice to come back again to my room on the finish of a protracted day and settle in for the evening with a free flick.
5. It’s Conde Nast’s Readers Favorite River Cruise Line
Yup—Condé Nast readers ranked Viking River Cruises because the #1 river cruise line on the market. Enough mentioned, proper?
6. It’s a Smooth Ride
Motion illness may simply wreck a cruise trip, so I used to be relieved to seek out that every one 4 river cruises I’ve been on had been easy from begin to end. No Dramamine wanted!
7. It’s Casual
Yay to no gala nights! Dinners on the cruise are informal, so that you received’t have to fret about packing a proper outfit or getting all dressed up on the finish of a protracted day. Just grow to be one thing comfy (enterprise informal often), sit, and seize a drink.
8. The Views are Incredible
When our cruises set off, I used to be actually wanting ahead to issues like visiting the Christmas markets and seeing some new cities. What I didn’t count on was for the views in-between the ports to be so scenic. There might be loads of downtime on the ship, so you possibly can commonly loved watching the surroundings move by from the highest deck as you make your method to the following cease.
9. You’ll Only Have to Pack (and Unpack) Once
How else are you able to see 8 cities in 8 days and solely should unpack your bag as soon as? Having what amounted to a transportable resort room took a ton of stress out of this course of. Plus, there was loads of drawers and closet area for 2.
10. You Can Experience Sailing Through a Lock
Sailing by the locks on the Rhine, Rhone and Danube was an unexpectedly cool a part of the journey, and one thing you possibly can’t expertise on an ocean cruise. Locks are mainly water administration methods that assist boats navigate a river by elevating and decreasing the water degree. They’re a feat of engineering and crusing by them by no means actually obtained outdated.
11. You Can Explore Multiple Countries in One Trip
During our Christmas Markets alongside the Rhine, we handed by 4 nations: Switzerland, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. And the Romantic Danube was 3 nations: Hungary, Austria and Germany. I don’t know of another method to see that many nations in so few days whereas nonetheless having time to benefit from the expertise.
12. Meals Come with Complimentary Wine
I’ve instructed you (about 100 occasions earlier than) that pink wine is one among my true loves. So, it’s an additional perk when it’s on the home throughout meal occasions. The freebie could be for the home pink or white, but it surely has at all times been good and there are many choices to improve.
13. The Rooms are Comfortable
Viking River Cruises set my room as much as be a snug retreat from the get-go, with welcome champagne ready for me once I boarded and a plate of recent fruit delivered day by day. Between the fruit, the day by day candy treats left within the room, and the view from the veranda, it was an ideal spot to begin and finish the day in.
14. Anytime Cappuccinos. It’s true!
As if the complimentary wine, beer, fruit, and sweets weren’t sufficient, every cruise was full with an automated cappuccino machine that you would be able to entry at your leisure. I beloved having the ability to stroll over to the lounge and seize a cappuccino (free of charge!) anytime.
15. The Food is Really Good
Each mealtime, you possibly can select between having a full meal within the eating room or snacking on one thing lighter within the lounge. Most mornings, I opted for the latter and had a easy croissant and cup of espresso for breakfast. I did take full benefit of the cruise’s lunch and (particularly) dinner choices, although.
The cooks on Viking River Cruises have at all times put collectively a artistic menu to accommodate every kind of diners, choosy eaters and vegetarians included! It was particularly enjoyable after they had themed dinners associated to the nation we had been in.
16. The Ports Aren’t Tourist Traps
The cruise itself was pretty, however when you’re in it for the locations in addition to the journey, this level is a big plus. Unlike lots of different cruises, you received’t be stopping at ports filled with overpriced tchotchkes and Americanized eating places. We made stops to see European historic downtowns, cathedrals and church buildings, castles and palaces, and even just a few UNESCO World Heritage Sites. And in lots of circumstances they had been all inside strolling distance from the ships port.
17. The Small Size of the Ship
The smaller dimension of riverboats let you get nearer to the shores of a metropolis, so you possibly can actually expertise all that every vacation spot has to supply with out being dropped off in a vacationer port. This implies that when you resolve to not take an tour, you possibly can simply get off the boat and stroll proper into city by yourself.
In addition, cruising on a small riverboat usually means avoiding the crowds which are typically discovered on bigger vessels. This can result in a extra intimate and pleasant expertise, each on and off the boat. Plus, it’s a lot tougher to get misplaced onboard!
18. Meeting Other Cruisers
Because riverboats are sometimes smaller than ocean-going cruise ships, you’re extra more likely to run into the identical individuals a number of occasions all through your voyage. This creates a way of group and makes it simple to strike up conversations with fellow passengers. Whether you’re sharing a meal within the eating room, taking in a present within the lounge, or simply having fun with a while on deck, you’re certain to make new associates on a river cruise.
19. Animal Towels on Your Bed
Have you ever been on a cruise and located a cute animal made out of a towel in your mattress? It’s a practice that goes again to the early days of cruising. Apparently, it began with a cruise ship engineer who used to make little animals out of towels for his daughter. When she obtained older, she began engaged on cruise ships and would make towel animals for the passengers.
The custom shortly caught on, and now it’s a staple of the cruise expertise. So subsequent time you see an elephant or swan in your mattress, bear in mind its origins and recognize the little bit of enjoyable it brings to your trip.
20. The Service is Outstanding
On all my Viking River Cruises, the service was excellent. From the second we boarded the ship to the time we disembarked, we had been made to really feel like VIPs. The employees was attentive and at all times accessible to reply any questions we had. They went above and past to make our journey extra pleasant.
. . .
Even this record doesn’t sum up every part I beloved about all my sailings with Viking River Cruises, whether or not it was on Europe’s Rhine, Rhone or Danube. We noticed and skilled a lot greater than I anticipated—each onboard and on the shore—from a beer tasting in Cologne to seeing the Carrières de Lumières Art Show within the South of France to visiting the UNESCO Kinderdijk Windmills in Netherlands.
If you’re trying to ebook a simple getaway, taking a European Viking River Cruise is a good choice and you may ebook right here.
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This publish was supplied in a partnership with Viking River Cruises. All opinions my very own. This publish might comprise affiliate hyperlinks. If you make a purchase order by my hyperlinks, I earn a fee that helps to maintain this weblog operating—at no further price to you. You can learn my full disclosure right here.