Viking River Cruise Reviews

Firstly, I would like to commend Hannah on her outstanding support before, during and after my booking. She was very responsive, very informative and addressed every question I had, even making suggestions for some of my queries. I would be looking for her to handle any of my future tours again.

Having sailed on an Avalon river cruise before, it ...read more was difficult not to compare that experience with this European Christmas markets river cruise with Viking. Overall, I would prefer Avalon over Viking with the caveat that I sailed Avalon just before Covid and I don't know what their standard is like today. I will know soon as I'm already booked for another Avalon river cruise next Aug.

We found the Viking crew not as proactive in engaging with passengers, especially when there is an expectation that we be well informed of pertinent details to do with docking and departure times for each day of sailing. While most of what we needed to know was available somewhere, it took effort on our part to hunt down information. A number of passengers also mentioned the same observation.

Our cabin was also smaller than the Avalon equivalent making movement quite restrictive. Certainly the in-room TV channels were inferior in terms of variety with mainly news channels dominating. As far as meals go, again they were lacking in standard and variety with very few standout dishes compared to what we remember getting from Avalon. Another area of disappointment for us was the absence of two-seater dining tables for occasions when we wanted a quiet dinner by ourselves, in contrast with what Avalon offered, though not sure if this ship's dining room was configured differently to other Viking ships.

When it came to shore excursions, the crew was mostly disorganised and caused confusion among the travellers as to which group or bus they should be on. This happened a lot during our journey. That aside, the holiday was great outside the ship and I managed to tick this cruise off my bucket list. If you've never experienced an European Christmas markets tour, this itinerary could be the one.

Eastern Europe Viking River Cruise on Viking Ullur in October. First time on a Viking River cruise and we were disappointed. Good ship layout and cabin, however food was average. The Viking Ullur is a 'silent ship' which means there are no commentaries while you are sailing and no announcements of anything at all. The 7-day cruise was at times a ...read more little boring as there was not much to see. Years earlier we sailed on a Scenic River Cruise which we enjoyed much more. Personally, we would not sail on a Viking River Cruise again. We have used Global Journeys services for several trips and Hannah has been excellent. We would highly recommend Global Journeys.

Having previously sailed with Viking Cruises we were looking forward to this very much. The service on Viking ships is wonderful, the staff excellent and the food just much too good to resist but that’s okay you are on holiday after all! This was a lovely relaxing cruise down the Danube and the onboard entertainment was very nice especially the two ...read more young dancers who taught us how to waltz!

Compared to our previous Rhine and Rhone cruises we did find the optional tours seemed to take precedence over the included tours which in the main where mostly walking tours near the ship and the post extension in Budapest while being a lovely two days, included a tour that was basically a half hour walk round the hotel. We were also disappointed with the airport transfer as the Viking host did not turn up at the airport and even after being paged didn’t show so we checked in ourselves not a big deal except we were both unwell with a virus and this didn’t help.

All in all this cruise was very enjoyable and we met some lovely people and couldn’t fault the staff on the Viking Tor but would still put the Rhine and Rhone cruises first.

We loved the land and river cruise portions of the trip. 5 star accommodation and excellent ship. Crew and Tour Directors were all fantastic. And the food was great too.

Had an amazing time on our river cruise. We were apprehensive as southern Germany had floods and a lot of ships were stranded or even cancelled. Viking were very good explaining to us the options and even though we had to change ships at Nuremburg it was relatively stress free. The crew on both ships were fantastic. You certainly won't go hungry as ...read more the food is amazing. We visited some amazing towns and cities and wish we had more free time to explore. I suggest skipping some tours and explore on your own, eat as a local and drink the local beer or sample the wine. We met a lot of wonderful people from other countries and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Didn't select the drinks package as we didn't think we would meet the price they charge and we made the right decision as you get beer and wine with lunch and dinner. Only let down is the lack of laundry facilities on a cruise this long. We spent over 300 euro getting laundry done and ironed over the 15 days. Apart from that we wouldn't hesitate doing another Viking river cruise.

The organisation from our travel adviser and Viking was clear and timely; the boat was as good as the pictures, the catering was a highlight; the city excursions were interesting and well organised; all the staff were top class in their work, especially our stateroom attendant, the tours organiser and the chef, cooks and waiters, (and no doubt the ...read more crew and engineers, etc). We were delighted with the holiday, especially as the weather was good for May.

Two points. Our embarkation place in Amsterdam was not clearly enough described. Our taxi took us to the Viking Office; we had a km walk with cases to the actual docking points. More advice about finding the right spot would help.

Secondly, the staff would not provide any assistance in obtaining some extra pain relief medicines that became necessary - quoting company policies. We received kind help from some American fellow passengers who were much better prepared, (until we reached a port on a week day where we could find an apothotek.) More explicit advice to bring your own range of medicine supplies to address all eventualities would be helpful. Some European countries are quite restricted in what can be sold over the counter.

My wife and I did a 15 day Grand European River Tour with Viking. They were fantastic and would highly recommend this river cruise. All the staff were wonderful and the food was fantastic. We travelled from Amsterdam to Budapest and went thru 68 lochs.
The scenery was spectacular. Our highlights were Vienna and Budapest. Will be traveling with Viking ...read more again.

We recently took a river cruise through the capitals of Eastern Europe organized by Global Journeys. The entire experience was truly wonderful. From start to finish, the trip was impeccably organized, with every detail carefully planned out. The itinerary was well thought out, allowing us to explore the beauty and history of each destination comfortably. ...read more The excursions, and overall service exceeded our expectations. Highly recommend.

Viking certainly excelled with this cruise. We wanted to go to Egypt to see the pyramids up close so we booked The Pharaohs and Pyramids cruise with Global Journeys. Great choice for a river cruise. The Great Pyramids of Giza were surprisingly close to Cairo and truly a sight to behold. One's mind boggles trying to understand how they were built thousands ...read more of years ago.

Interesting to view the Nile and the surrounding countryside from the air on the way to Luxor to board our cruise. Over the next week we were enthralled with daily excursions to numerous archaeological sites where the ruins were amazing. The architecture from that era was exceptional and incredibly well preserved. The Valley of the Kings was a real eye opener. The burial chambers had to be seen to be believed. We were able to enter the tomb of Ramses II which must have been about 100 metres down the steps and chambers until we entered the final chamber. Tutankhamun's tomb where his mummified body was on display in comparison was relatively close to the surface. Another modern feat architecturally was the massive Aswan Dam that was built to successfully alleviate flooding downstream as well as electricity generation. Don't miss this trip!

Two weeks aboard Viking River Ships is the most relaxing way to explore a beautiful part of Europe. To wake up in the morning and look out the floor to ceiling window and see the stunning river and scenery go past is magical. Viking made everything so seamless (including a ship swap due to flooding rivers). The staff were incredible and the ship was ...read more so comfortable and beautifully decorated for Christmas. Each town and city offered something different and we had plenty of free time in each place. A truly perfect way to travel.

Our first river cruise with Viking did not disappoint! We enjoyed the excellent experience and attention we received from the staff onboard. They welcomed us onboard around 10:30am even though our boarding time was 4:00pm. We were able to leave our luggage and continue to explore Budapest. Viking provided our lunch on the first day and if we needed ...read more we could have had lunch on the last day of our cruise after checking out of our cabins at 9:00am. Viking will hold your luggage as well if you have a late flight and want to continue to see the sights after leaving the cruise. This was a thoughtful gesture.

We had a couple of things that did not go to plan. Our ship the Viking TIR had some damage because a log hit a part of the propeller and it was causing vibrations so we had an unscheduled stop in Linz so they could repair the damage. The rivers were in flood which made it difficult for the nautical crew and when we reached Passau we were advised the water level was too high for us to continue. Viking had a sister ship coming from the other side of the river and we had to pack up our things and they transferred them to the Viking VALLI whilst they put us on a bus for the planned excursion and then onto the Vali docked in Nuremberg. Because all their ships are the same we were allocated the room and we continue on without further disruption.

The included tours were informative and because we have traveled to Europe many times before we didn’t do any of the optional tours offered. I will say that I found the price of the optional tours expensive as we had been to most of the places offered and at a much cheaper cost. The food was restaurant quality and you could have as much as you wanted. The one thing I didn’t like was that lunch and dinner were at set times. The laundry was expensive however we were able to do everything except our jeans in the bathroom which had a heated floor and most things dried overnight. Most of the other passengers were in their seventies with a sprinkling of a few younger and older. Overall the experience was great and we were able to see the Christmas markets in Budapest, Vienna, Nuremberg, Kolbenz, Cologne and Amsterdam. Global Journeys and Georgie always give exceptional service and advice and we look forward to making our future travel plans with them.

We booked Viking's France's Finest river cruise with Georgie after previously sailing on their Amsterdam to Budapeat river cruise. It was fantastic. Top class cabins, tours, food, drinks and staff. We cannot praise Viking and their staff highly enough. Very pleasant and helpful. There was a problem with high water and strong current on the first half ...read more of the cruise but the staff organised for buses to take us on our tours and return us to the ship after it sailed without passengers to our next port. Everything went without a hitch.
Like many others, we have another cruise waiting for us in a few months time. Global Journeys Georgie does a great job with our bookings.

Our Viking river cruise far exceeded our expectations. The crew provided exceptional service, the food was sensational the tour guides were professional, fun & informative, and the comfortable cabins were spacious and cleaned regularly. We will only book with Viking for future cruises and definitely recommend them to our friends. We also wanted to ...read more thank Georgie from Global Journeys for her great communication and help with our Viking holiday including organising our flights to ensure we have a seamless experience.😊

Tracey and Global Journeys made the whole trip fit together! Viking was an excellent company to travel with and although getting late into Autumn, we didn't have all the crowds to contend with and the autumn colours were magnificent. From the moment you stepped on board, the staff were there to help you with any queries, magnificent meals, touring and ...read more just generally taking care of you. The peace of floating down the rivers and looking out were soothing. We had a main deck cabin but spent our time in the lounge or on the Aquavit Terrace. There were times on the sundeck, but fresh. The included tours were great and well organised, and then there was still a little time to explore yourself. Well worth it.

We set off from Australia at the end of August on an almost 10 week European adventure. On our last 2 weeks we did Viking’s France’s Finest 15 day river cruise, which is in fact 2 cruises marketed as one trip. We did the Avignon to Lyon cruise first, followed by a round trip from Paris for the second. Viking transfers you via train from Lyon to Paris ...read more to do the second cruise. Both cruises were a wonderful, relaxing way to end our sometimes exhausting 10 week journey! We were blessed with pretty good weather and the itineraries on both ships were interesting .

Everything onboard was amazing, from the friendly staff, the wonderful food & wine to the included tours, complete with excellent local guides. We couldn’t fault it. It was the perfect way to end a long trip abroad. France in Autumn was beautiful with the trees changing colour and the scenery we saw from our ship was spectacular. We chose the lower deck cabins as we were travelling with a group, so not in cabins much. Perfectly fine for our needs. Many thanks to Georgie for organising this part of our holiday. Nothing was too much trouble and she happily answered all our queries!😄

The itinerary for this cruise was excellent. Ports of call and guides were excellent. This ship was too crowded and and the lounge could not accommodate passengers for port talks. Folding chairs needed to be found to accommodate the overflow. All passengers were Americans except for my husband and myself. Feel there needed to be more of a mix. Hotels ...read more used at each end of the tour were not that great. Hotel in Paris was supposed to be 5 star, but our fridge did not work, power outlet over desk was broken and there were cracks in the hand basin.

Global Journeys and Jemma handled our booking process well. We loved our Viking France’s Finest cruises. We made some new friends and found the staff excellent. Loved the onshore excursions particularly Monet's Garden, and all the walled medieval villages, especially Viviers night walk. Accommodation was lovely and cruising enjoying the view was perfect. ...read more The crew of the Heimdal were particularly outstanding.

We had an incredible two river cruise from Amsterdam to Avignon with Viking Cruises. Everything was first class right down to the impeccable state room service. Wonderful dining and entertainment experiences, very friendly and experienced staff and tour guides. Wouldn't hesitate in doing another Viking trip.

Our first time with Viking. Our thoughts - the ship and crew and meals were excellent. Some communication from Viking was a little scratchy. We weren't sure which dock we were to meet the ship at and couldn't find this information in our My Viking Journey account nor was there a phone number or web site address to get the information. In the end we ...read more got it from a Viking rep who was in the foyer of our hotel the morning before we were to start the cruise. The programme seemed a bit busy. Doing an optional excursion generally meant missing the included excursion. Maybe all 7 night river cruises are like this? Viking optional tours, accommodation, transfers etc are very overpriced. Limited drinks are included with meals. A lot of top end cruise companies include all drinks in the fare. Overall we had a very enjoyable cruise, but we will always check out competitor offers before booking again with Viking.

Thanks to the support we received from Global Journeys and Viking we were able to finally complete our much delayed river cruise due to COVID. The communication from Global Journeys was outstanding and very supportive. Viking are the kings of the river and accomplish everything with professionalism and care.