How Much Are Viking River Cruises? 2024 Pricing

Table Of Content

• The Viking Onboard Experience
• Viking River River Cruises
• Night Cities Of LightDetails
• thoughts on “The Complete Guide to a Viking River Cruise”

They know these routes better than anyone and can help you find the tour that suits your budget and has everything you’re looking for. Normally, when you purchase an item, pricing is pretty straightforward. For example, you may see a river cruise for $2,999 per person. You may need to budget for gratuities, another $100 per person.

The Viking Onboard Experience

Another 22 cabins have the more traditional French balconies, where you can open the doors for fresh air, but can't actually go outside. The balcony cabins are 205 square feet, while the French balcony cabins are significantly smaller at 135 square feet. River cruising is all about the destinations visited, and excursion are, by far, the most popular Viking River activity. In all ports, passengers have at least one free sightseeing option, with several extra-fee choices as well.

Viking River River Cruises

American Cruise Lines' prices cover many excursions, all pre-cruise hotel accommodations, airport transfers, all meals and soft drinks, beer and wine at lunch and dinner, and complimentary evening cocktail receptions. Viking's U.S. river cruise prices on both the Mississippi and St. Lawrence include beer, wine and soda at lunch and dinner onboard, at least one shore excursion in each port, complimentary Wi-Fi and all port charges. Pre- and post-cruise hotel packages are available at an additional charge through Viking, as are air arrangements. When most people think of cruising, they think of ocean cruises on massive ships that traverse enormous spans of water.

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Night Cities Of LightDetails

The ship won't wait for you, though it theoretically would be easier to catch your cruise at the next port when it's traveling more slowly and covering less ground. As with traditional cruising, there are multiple ways to nab a great river cruising deal. Here are the best, plus a few other factors to keep in mind when booking.

How Much Are the Special Viking River Cruises?

In fact, the line doesn't even allow children under the age of 18 on its ships. It's one of the only major cruise brands in the world with such a rule. There was a broken lock near Regensburg, about halfway between the two big cities. Viking had a sister ship sailing the same journey in the opposite direction — from Budapest to Amsterdam — so we switched ships. We got off our ship, the Skirnir, in Nuremberg (one of our scheduled ports) before the damaged lock.

Imagine spending the evening aboard a stylish Scandinavian longship watching the sun set behind the ruins of an ancient German castle, or witnessing Paris light up from the comfort of your veranda on the Seine. Viking doesn't have a loyalty program in the traditional sense — one where passengers earn points every time they travel with the brand and progress through multiple tiers that bring an ever-expanding array of perks. Evenings have an official dress code, but it's not too formal. The line asks passengers to keep things "elegant casual" when heading to any of the ship's dining venues, performances or special events.

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Instead of offering regular, rather superficial cruises like some other cruise lines do, it focuses on authentic cultural experiences. This includes everything from personalized service to thoughtfully organized shore excursions and locally sourced food. Tauck offers Nile river cruises, as do other lines like Viking, Avalon, Uniworld, Scenic and AmaWaterways. Peak Nile river cruise season is between October and early January, with shoulder season spanning from mid-January through early April. Booking as far in advance as possible is necessary just to get a stateroom as these cruises are popular.

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In fact, Viking Cruises dominates both categories, overshadowing many of its competitors because of its sheer quality. We don’t want to raise to trumpet of praise to much here, but it’s hard to ignore how well Viking does what it does. Now, we also know that you might be interested in going on a Viking Cruise, but you might be wondering how much a Viking Cruise costs. While you're at dinner and your stateroom host is taking care of the evening turndown in your stateroom, he or she will leave a copy of the next day's Viking Daily and tickets for your excursions on your bed. The Viking Daily contains the next day's schedule, weather report, information on the destination, and interesting facts.

My Trip

In keeping with Viking's focus on cultural immersion, lecturers often have expertise related to the places you'll be visiting on your sailing. The line also draws a wide range of interesting and accomplished people from all walks of life to serve as guest lecturers, including well-known academics, diplomats and even astronauts. Soothing, minimalist colors — think creams, grays and lighter blues — are the order of the day. In general, you'll find a lot of couples on Viking ships and some solo travelers. You'll also find the occasional multigenerational group — a retired couple traveling with their working-age adult children, for instance.

The recommended tipping (for each guest) on excursions is 2 Euros for local guides and 1 Euro for bus drivers. Needless to say, it’s handy to have small change for tipping. It’s important to note that when the ship docks somewhere in the morning and you go on an excursion, you sometimes will be brought back to the ship in a different location — like another city further down the river. This taught me to take pictures when I first see a scenic sight just in case I wouldn’t have the opportunity again. To conserve resources, you could easily fill a reusable water bottle from home with water in the rooms.

Onboard, there are few activities to engage in but the occasional onboard presentation (usually a lecture, or local dance or music troupe) draws a crowd. Evening music (typically a piano player) may or may not be popular depending on the crowd onboard. You will need to pay extra for tips, laundry and additional shore excursion offerings. On vessels with hair or spa services, or any retail offerings, you'll need to pay extra for these as well. Last but not least is the Nile River, whose popularity via river cruise formerly peaked at the turn of the century.

Guests are served complimentary soft drinks, beer, or wine during lunch and dinner. There is an extra charge for the Silver Spirits package for guests who want to enjoy premium wines and beer, cocktails, and champagnes. You’ll find Viking River cruises throughout Europe, Egypt, and Southeast Asia.

Deluxe staterooms and rooms with French balconies or a veranda are around $530 per night. There are a number of factors that can determine the final cost of your ticket such as the length of your cruise, the time of year, and where you’re going. By far the largest influence is your stateroom and accompanying amenities. If you travel with Viking Air, ground airport transfers are included as well. While a river cruise may seem expensive at first glance, they can be an economical, comfortable, and fun way to see entire regions without spending a ton of money on trains, rental cars, hotel rooms, and meals. Prices vary according to the cruise duration and destinations, but typically, they fall within the $1,699-$4,999 range.

Excursions on Viking River Cruises Are They Different?

Table Of Content

• Viking River Cruise Ships: Everything You Need to Know About a Viking Longship
• Viking Antarctica Cruises: A Complete Guide for Adventurers
• Viking River Cruise Destinations

Viking can be defined as much by what it isn't as what it is. It's not a line that offers megaships topped with every sort of amusement known to humans. All of the line's vessels have standard North American-style, 110-volt outlets in rooms as well as European-style, 220-volt outlets and USB ports in cabins. There's also live music at night in the Explorers' Lounge, a two-deck-high observation lounge and bar area at the very top of the ship.

Viking River Cruise Ships: Everything You Need to Know About a Viking Longship

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It's also home to the ship's Explorers' Desk — the equivalent of a guest relations area on other ships. Viking's bigger ocean ships also have poolside grills that serve made-to-order gourmet hamburgers and other grill items. Passengers can grab a snack — with a Norwegian twist — at the forward-facing lounges atop the ships, which are home to a small food counter called Mamsen's. The number of restaurants and other dining options that you'll find on Viking ships will vary greatly depending on whether you are sailing on an ocean or a river ship. However, unlike nearly every other cruise brand, what you won't find are families with young kids.

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Viking is one of the only cruise brands in the world that offers a balcony with every cabin on every ocean ship it operates — even the least expensive, smallest cabins. That's something that even the most upscale of Viking's ocean cruise rivals including Oceania Cruises, Azamara, Seabourn, Silversea Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises can't say. We opted to book through our travel agent with whom we could meet face-to-face, ask questions, and learn from her knowledge of cruising and different cruise companies.

Viking River Cruise Destinations

After that, we went to an assigned group on the upper deck (groups are determined by what floor the staterooms are on), and we had to give our stateroom number to the staff at the assigned location (for roll call). Once everyone was accounted for, we were able to leave, return our life vests to our stateroom, and resume what we were doing. More and more river cruises have been drastically reducing or even waiving hefty single supplements for a while now. These discounts aren't necessarily year-round, so it's best to call specific cruise lines or their agents directly for specific dates and routes. Speaking of excursions, Viking offers free excursions at every port of call and additional optional excursions for an added cost.

How Much Are Viking River Cruises in Egypt?

As noted above, Viking doesn't allow passengers under the age of 18 on its ships — a key differentiator for the brand as compared to other cruise lines. Viking's ocean ships have a major presence in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, which the line considers its home turf. (The company was founded by a Norwegian family.) It's also a big player in the Mediterranean. You'll find Viking's ocean ships in other key cruise destinations as well, such as Alaska, the Caribbean and Panama Canal, Canada and New England, South America, Asia and Australia. As noted above, almost all of Viking's river ships are of the same basic design and are known as the Longships — a reference to the historic vessels used by Vikings in the Middle Ages. Viking currently operates 11 ocean ships, nine of which are nearly identical.

Just behind the main pool area on each of the ocean ships is a lovely, glass-topped lounge with comfortable seating called the Wintergarden that is home to afternoon tea. A den of serenity, it's one of our favorite places on these vessels. There's no extra charge for dining in the smaller restaurants, but reservations are required. Each passenger is only allowed to make one to three reservations per cruise at the eateries, depending on which category of cabin they have booked. All of Viking's oceangoing ships, which are much bigger than its river ships, have at least four and usually more outlets serving food of some sort. If you're looking for a big open room on an ocean cruise (and are willing to pay for it), Viking offers you plenty of options.

Plus, on off-peak cruises, you might be able to switch to another empty room for less than the original rate if the noise does end up too much to bear. You also have the option of purchasing Viking River Cruises’ all-inclusive Silver Spirits drink package for $20 per passenger per day. Considering cocktails start at around $8.00, the Silver Spirits package might be a worthy addition to your ticket if you plan on drinking more than just beer or wine at dinner. On-board amenities vary by cruise ship but can include a library, pool, hot tub, observation deck, walking track, and even a putting green. You can experience some of the world’s most spectacular scenery from an entirely new perspective by taking a river cruise.

Viking keeps track of your expenses during the cruise, including bar items, laundry, phone calls, and purchases from the Viking shop (logo wear and souvenirs). When the cruise ends, you settle your account in cash (U.S. dollars or Euros) or by credit card. About 15 minutes before each excursion, there is an announcement to remind guests that it is almost time to leave and to remember the listening devices. River cruises are designed for the mature traveler as Viking guests must be 18 years old.

There are also bright red full-size Viking umbrellas to take along on excursions if it’s raining. I learned that I probably should have packed a small collapsable umbrella to stuff in my backpack; that way, I won’t be carrying the big Viking umbrella around after the rain has stopped while we’re still sightseeing. The Silver Spirits package is complimentary for guests in an Explorer Suite. You'll have to pay for gratuities, as well as transfers if you did not book your flight through Viking. Bring or exchange small amounts of local currency to tip local guides and bus drivers. For a more casual option, the Aquavit Terrace on the upper deck has light buffet breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

There are also daily announcements with information on docking and reminders about impending excursion departures. Without a doubt, we give Viking chefs top marks for the presentation and flavor of the food they serve. We always enjoyed the variety of food from the local areas we were visiting. After all, we travel to experience new places, new food, and new people, so we like to eat local specialties whenever possible. Whichever side of the menu you order from, the meals for the entire table are served at the same time. Onboard you’ll have port talks to prepare you for each new day along with musical entertainment in the lounge.

These day trips are usually more immersive and hands-on; think dance classes or wine tastings. If you want to spend a few extra days in Europe either at the beginning or after your cruise, you can purchase trip extension packages directly through Viking River Cruises. Trip extensions include ground transfer to the hotel, meals, and a dedicated host to streamline your check-in process. Occasionally, trip extensions will also include an excursion, or you can purchase an excursion if one is not offered. Prices vary depending on which city you’re visiting and how long you want to extend your trip. While river cruises don’t come with all the bells and whistles of ocean liners, your Viking river cruise ticket covers pretty much all the other expenses of your trip apart from spending money.

If you want to see multiple cities and sites in Europe, a river cruise can be a cheaper alternative to train or air travel. River cruises can even be cheaper than driving through Europe. Originally a cruise line that focused solely on river cruises, Viking Cruises has now also conquered the ocean cruising market.

The 410-foot-long versions of the vessels, for instance, were specifically built to be able to sail into the heart of Paris on the Seine River. At 47,800 tons, these ocean ships are less than a fourth the size of the giant megaships being built by the likes of Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises, in keeping with Viking's focus on intimate, upscale voyages. Stay current with special offers, news and destination-focused content. For example, once the crew knows that everyone is accounted for after excursions, the ship is sailing within minutes of the anticipated departure (as noted in the Viking Daily). Some guests preferred to stay in the Lounge and simply relax, read a book, or enjoy the view beyond the big plate glass window or take in the views from the sun deck.

The sundeck also has an herb garden, a shuffleboard area and two putting greens (although these are very rarely used). Best-known of the river lines, Viking River provides solid cruises with a great variety of itinerary and cabin choices. Even if you usually come out unscathed from tight connections, now is really the time to exercise caution.

Beer or wine is included with lunch and dinner, and you can get free coffee and tea 24 hours a day. European river cruise prices start around $250 per person, per night for budget river cruises. However, prices can soar up to $1,500 per person, per night, for an all-inclusive luxury experience or depending on your itinerary and the time of year you're cruising. Seven-night Rhine River or Danube River cruise prices are the most affordable, while France tends to have the most expensive river cruise prices in Europe. River cruise prices tend to be higher than mainstream ocean cruises, though the cost can vary widely around the world. There are also distinct differences in what your river cruise price will get you depending on where you're traveling.

Look to the spring (especially March and April) and fall (October through December). As outlined above, weather proves least difficult during the summers in many destinations, so demand is often higher in those months. But even if you're interested in perennial favorites that are popular year-round, you'll see many more airfare deals during the shoulder seasons.