River Cruise Prices Explained: Europe, the U S. and Beyond

Table Of Content

• Choose a Destination
• The ultimate guide to Viking cruise ships and itineraries
• Day 5 Tournon
• Grand European Tour
• Excursions on a Viking River Cruise
• Which Viking River Cruise Ships Sail France on the Seine?
• Don't Carry Too Much Cash on Your Viking Rhine River Cruise
• All this is included in your Viking World Cruise. Up to $60,000 value per couple.

More days means more to discover, with extension packages you can add before or after your Viking cruise or cruisetour. Enjoy additional days to explore your embarkation or disembarkation city, or see a new destination altogether with a choice of exciting cities.Pre & Post Cruise Extensions vary by itinerary and are subject to change. Many of the activities on board Viking's ocean ships revolve around "cultural enrichment," to use a phrase often used by Viking executives. On any given day, you might find an expert on one of the destinations you're visiting lecturing in the theater, or a classical musician performing in the central atrium, known as The Living Room. The ships also offer some traditional entertainment, including production shows with singers and dancers. Viking's bigger ocean ships also have poolside grills that serve made-to-order gourmet hamburgers and other grill items.

Choose a Destination

Those produce about 700 million bottles of wine a year, so expect sips of Saint-Emilion, Medoc and Sauternes on a Viking Bordeaux river cruise. One of the best Viking River Cruises in Europe takes place on the Rhine River and the scenery is spectacular. Rising in the Alps and meandering 820 miles through Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands, the Rhine is lined with fairy-tale castles and wine-growing villages.

The ultimate guide to Viking cruise ships and itineraries

Six more nearly identical vessels are scheduled to debut between 2024 and 2028, and Viking has options with a shipyard to order four more of the ships for delivery in 2029 and 2030. Typical 10-day cruises start and finish in the Atlantic-facing city of Porto, where famous port wine warehouses line the waterfront. Learning the secrets of port production is a highlight on Viking Douro cruises, as are the lush green landscapes that stretch all the way to the Spanish border. From there, the line offers a scenic motorcoach tour to honey-colored Salamanca, Spain's oldest university town (try to spot the tiny frog hidden in the university's facade).

Day 5 Tournon

Just because a walking tour is included it doesn't mean you have to take it. Viking has many inclusions on their river cruises, although not everything. On your trip, you'll get at least one shore excursion per port included in the fare, as well as bottled water, all meals plus wine and beer at lunch and dinner, as well as onboard programming and entertainment. Viking also offers lots of balcony cabins and suites on its river ships, something that isn't always the case in the river cruise business, where space on vessels is at a premium. Unlike its ocean ships, Viking's river ships aren't all-balcony-cabin vessels. On all river cruises, guests are offered one complimentary shore excursion at every destination.

Grand European Tour

Viking Hervor Cruise: Expert Review (2023) - Cruise Critic

Viking Hervor Cruise: Expert Review ( .

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Afterward, we took a walking tour of Vienne with its lovely church and Roman temple. But that’s not to say younger cruisers will feel out of place. Another great feature of a Viking River cruise is the ship's electrical outlets. But having to pack additional converters or keeping your fingers crossed that your curling iron won't blow up is a nice feature. On the Viking ships you'll find American plugs (as well as European), making it easy to plug in your electronics. Viking can be defined as much by what it isn't as what it is.

Excursions on a Viking River Cruise

Food, wine and cultural treasures are among the many pleasures on Viking's Seine River cruises. The Seine runs through the heart of Paris and Viking has an exclusive central docking location just a short walk from the Eiffel Tower. As you leave the romantic City of Light, look out for a replica of the Statue of Liberty. 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.

Which Viking River Cruise Ships Sail France on the Seine?

So, now that you know how much Viking Cruises cost, you can decide which one suits your budget best. Whichever concept you go for, rest assured that it will be a trip to remember. It’s a pretty straightforward setup, making basically every cruise with Viking worth every penny. Check out this page for a detailed overview of all available Viking River Cruises.

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. Any trip to France is perfect for food and wine lovers, and one of the best Viking River Cruises in Europe for foodies and oenophiles is in Bordeaux. Itineraries include the Garonne, Girande and Dordogne Rivers, all of which wind their way through rolling hills home to more than 9,000 wineries.

All this is included in your Viking World Cruise. Up to $60,000 value per couple.

Clean lines and beautiful, modern decor are featured throughout the vessel. Viking goes out of its way to make you feel special, especially if you're celebrating an important event. You'll also find important information such as currency, language, and flight details if you booked with Viking. At the bottom of this post I share my exact trip itinerary.

Ten-night "Greek Odyssey" voyages to the Greek Islands start at $3,999 per person. That works out to roughly $800 per day for a couple sharing a room. Some of the line's more exotic sailings, such as its expedition trips to Antarctica, cost even more. Fourteen-night Antarctica trips start at $13,995 per person — about $2,000 per day for a couple.

On Viking river cruises, wines are included at lunch and dinner and are poured liberally. This is one area where the line strives to provide regional offerings. There are times when river cruise ships have to have guests disembark a ship and then board a sister ship. Sometimes the river water levels may be too low in spots (due to the lack of sufficient rain during summer) or there is another issue (like a broken lock) necessitating the change.

All of that makes the Viking's Rhine cruises a great choice for first-time European river cruisers and returning visitors alike. While it's not what we'd consider a "foodie" experience and doesn't have as much regional focus as you might expect, Viking's river ships have menus that appeal to a wide range of palates. You'll always be able to find staples such as prime rib, chicken and salmon. But the stars of the ships are the two Explorer Suites, both located on the upper deck at the back of the ship. These cabins come in at 445 square feet -- some of the largest on the rivers -- and not only have a separate bedroom and living areas, but a wraparound balcony. Having a step-out balcony on a European river ship is not a given.

A secondary pool area with an infinity pool is at the back of each of the ships. What they are is eminently functional, with storage in all the right places, lots of outlets for charging your devices and lighting right where you need it. We love the reading lights built into the fabric headboards, which are in addition to the lamps on bedside tables. You won't have trouble seeing the pages of the Viking Daily activity newsletter while lying in a Viking cabin bed. Bathrooms in Viking cabins are serene, modernist escapes with luxurious travertine-lined walls, Scandinavian-influenced wood-veneered vanities, shiny white sinks and chrome fixtures. Most Viking passengers are North Americans who are approaching retirement age or already retired.

The company’s chairman, Torstein Hagen, says that “Viking offers its guests the thinking person’s cruise”. This is an obvious major difference from the mainstream cruise lines, with which it competes and which it clearly overclasses. Voted the best ocean cruise line in both 2016 and 2017 by readers of Travel + Leisure, Viking Ocean Cruises hits home with its unique concept. Instead of offering regular, rather superficial cruises like some other cruise lines do, it focuses on authentic cultural experiences.

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. This article highlights the European river cruises aboard the Viking Longboats. The sizes of the ships are designed specifically for the rivers they ply (e.g., they need to navigate the sometimes narrow waterways and any locks along the way). Viking ships all sport calming Scandinavian decor and are designed efficiently. The general experience on all Viking River cruise ships is the same, no matter what ship you’re on. However, the information in this article is from our Grand European Tour cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest aboard the Skirnir and Modi (more on the two ships later).