The images are the selling points. A nine day cruise Amsterdam return taking in the Keukenhof gardens, looking (or tilting) at windmills, going to Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges and other spectacular day destinations.
All the river cruise lines offer some version of this itinerary, and of course, all are there in time for the spring flowers. Viking, the biggest player in the field, offers almost daily departures.
This is a testimony to their success, but also creates literal traffic jams. In Amsterdam, April 2nd, 2015, we docked not at Centraal, as advertised, but in an industrial zone a fifteen to twenty minute bus ride away. At some stops we had to jockey amidst three or four other ships, often rafting up.
But these are minor quibbles. A week plus, with no repacking, a comfortable stateroom, good meals and tightly scripted excursions, all contribute to a relaxing, enjoyable sojourn. Viking attracts a fiercely loyal clientele; many on our cruise had sailed three, even five times before.
I am often asked which cruise line is the 'best', and of course that all depends on what you mean by that. Tauck has the fewest guests aboard, includes some pretty special excursions (eg private recitals), and costs more than the others. By those measures, they probably rank at the top.
Viking offers consistency and a very predictable, reliable product. The decor is neutral- in a Scandinavian kind of way. I very much liked the ships (and all 45 Longships are near identical). Some may love the highly detailed overstuffed look of Uniworld, and others hate it, but almost everyone finds Viking ships to be easy on the eyes.
Avalon angles their beds for a better river view, and almost all the companies parse the numbers to claim the largest average sized staterooms. Viking has a few powerful distinctions. The first is their patented blocky bow, which creates space for their signature Aquavit Terrace. Protected by glass half walls and with radiant heaters, the outside area is comfortable for lounging and eating even when the air is cool. They offer an early breakfast here, plus abbreviated menu lunch and dinner. Viking also offsets their hallways on decks 2 and 3, so that the cabins on one side are significantly larger at 205 square feet, and allow for proper balconies. The flip is that the other side cabins are very snug- at only 135 square feet. While the space is very well designed, bed side tables are lost and room to navigate is tight.
Good advice is to always spring for a larger cabin if available, and Viking does have the largest suites (445 sq. feet) if you can afford them.
Category ES (Explorer Suite- 445 sq ft)
However, Viking puts more people aboard than AMA or Uniworld or Avalon, and so some public spaces are lost. There is no aft lounge/restaurant, common on others. No pool or even a spa. No bicycles or exercise room. No hairdresser.
But to their credit, Viking did the research, and determined that those amenities are often underutilized, and that a better price point and in some respects, better service, made up for those attributes.
Take, for example, their concierge. A true concierge, not someone simply booking in-house excursions. Ours helped us with local transportation options, recommendations for 'on-our-own' day trips, even onshore restaurants. While not too conversant with all the galleries, when there was one nearby- eg Kroller Muller near Arnhem, they arranged a trip, and when there was good response, put on two buses.
That's another thing. Being a larger organization, they have their own dedicated bus fleet. (Avalon, through parent company Globus, has the same). That means if there is a problem, another bus can be found. In fact, with Viking, another SHIP can be found as well. Due to high or low water levels, sometimes ships can't traverse entire canal systems, so having a ship at the other side of a lock can be a big help.
I was impressed by the crew, who were largely but not exclusively Eastern European. They worked hard which is always the case in this industry, but they seemed to always carry smiles. The wait staff were attentive and accommodating.
Food was uniformly good. I had one bad plate (too salty) in close to 30 meals. Lots of choice, with quite a few adventurous dishes. Portions were small ( a good thing), but you could order as much as you wanted.
There is no cheese and fruit trolley of the type seen on luxury lines, but the choices were delectable, not just brie and edam...
Viking includes wine at lunch and dinner, but it was always the same Austrian red blend or white Gruner Veltliner. Considering how much some people drank (quite a lot), I can see why they didn't pour fancier labels, but I found the wine very ordinary. However, they allowed one to bring in their own bottles without corkage, which worked well. There are so many good wines to be had at 15 Euros a bottle it is worth foregoing the house wines. Of course there were premium wines one can purchase as well; nice to try out just a glass of something special.
There was 24 hour coffee and tea self-serve, bottled water, the occasional gift like a small box of top Swiss chocolates. A small self-serve library had good topical titles.
Every port stop included an included excursion- from windmills at Kinderdijk to a half or full day transfer to Bruge from Ghent. Pretty much everyone went to the Keukenhof Gardens (It seemed half of Europe and America was also there). Most trips were designed for a return to ship at lunch, followed by optional tours in the pm. We found that it was easy to take the train from Antwerp to Brussels and spend the entire day at galleries, rather than going on their half-day option. Again, the extended time in ports and genuine flexibility on the part of staff made it comfortable to deviate from their fixed schedules.
Viking has a good air program, with pricing sometimes below what one can get on-line, and with the advantage of guaranteed included transfers. Their pre and post extensions are a natural when flying to Europe, though F.I.T. arrangements might be more affordable.
I have now been aboard ships from Viking, AMA, Avalon, A-Rosa, Uniworld, Scenic and Croise Europe. The products are by no means interchangeable, but they all are good. If you are planning a river cruise, do ask lots of questions of CruisePlus' extremely knowledgable staff. I am personally pleased to help if you call me directly at (800) 550-3622. While there is lots of choice, often availability is the limiting factor. These cruises almost all sell out, and well in advance. Viking works very hard to fill their ships, not only with their television ads., but as a returnee guest you get frequent time-limited offers that are hard to turn down. It does pay to be loyal.
Calm water cruising, close to attractions, highly inclusive tariffs (your bar bill and optional excursions are extra, and tipping is expected), all make for a good value for money proposition. People love river cruising, and for good reason. Viking fills the bill because they run an incredibly well oiled machine, and know exactly what is needed for guest satisfaction. I give high marks overall.
