Looking for 2022 Viking River wine lists and bar prices

[NorskyGal]

Can someone who is currently on a Viking River Cruise (April 2022) please post pictures of the current wine lists and bar prices.  I'd like to research the wines in advance of our May 2022 Grand European Tour on the Danube and Rhine.  This will help me decide whether or not to buy the Silver Spirits drinks package.

Thanks!

[Canal archive]

Surprised it’s not on the website!

[2017newcruiser]

If you go to your Myvikingjourney site, and go to Onboard Experiences.

Click on the Silver Spirts 'Learn More' tab-

On the left there is a Sample Menu you can click on, that brings you to a menu w/ costs for the bar.

At least for the European River cruises!

[NorskyGal]

Thanks 2017newcruiser.  That's great for the bar prices!  I don't know how I missed that given that I've looked on that site enough times.

 

Now...if someone can copy a current wine list, that would be wonderful!

[The Shrike]

We always get the Silver Spirits package.  If you're even a moderate drinker it pays for itself.  The complimentary wines with lunch and dinner are good.  But the chef's picks are usually much better, but will cost you.  Two glasses of that with lunch and dinner each day alone will cover most of the costs of the SS package.
 

Our first VRC was Romantic Danube.  The bartenders knew the drinkers' likes pretty much by day two.  Nothing like wandering into the bar after dinner and having the bartender say "Mr. James, we just brought up a couple of bottles of 15-year old Scotch, would you like to try them?"  And no matter what they were pouring it was covered by the SS.
 

[pontac]

On 4/4/2022 at 4:44 AM, NorskyGal said:

This will help me decide whether or not to buy the Silver Spirits drinks package.

 

I am about to go on a Rhine Getaway so I'll try to get a photo for you.

 

HOWEVER, you do not have to buy it in advance, you can look at the drinks list when you board, see the prices and what is included - and what is not - and buy or not buy then.

 

Remember, everyone in the cabin must buy the package, and remember you can take drinks on board with you and they'll happily pour your own wine at meals no corkage.

 

If you drink a lot of spirits and cocktails it's probably worth it. We drink only wine with meals and the most interesting wines on the list have been excluded, so it's not been worth it to us. The house wine has been good, plus we've brought in local wines we've bought along the way.

 

This cruise, our 10th with Viking, the Silver Spirits package was included in the offer so I'll be trying the wine list -- but the sample menu on the website doesn't excite me.

[notamermaid]

1 minute ago, pontac said:

This cruise, our 10th with Viking, the Silver Spirits package was included in the offer so I'll be trying the wine list -- but the sample menu on the website doesn't excite me.

I have read that the wine menu on Viking does not well reflect the areas the ships are sailing through and the choice is not of the highest quality. Perhaps a trip to a French or German supermarket is in order ?

 

Regardless, have a great cruise on the Viking Tialfi on "my" river. Will you be doing the same excursions as during your previous Rhine Getaway?

 

notamermaid

 

[pontac]

2 hours ago, notamermaid said:

have a great cruise on the Viking Tialfi on "my" river. Will you be doing the same excursions as during your previous Rhine Getaway?

 

 

 

Yes, from Basel to Amsterdam. It'd have been nice to do it in opposite direction but we got such a deal on this that, even tho' we weren't planning it we just booked it when the offer came.

 

Advantage is there's no pressing need to take shore trips again. If we don't feel like getting up early we can miss trip knowing we've already 'been there, done that'  🙂

 

Regarding Viking wine. Their house Austrian wine is of good quality and they often feature local wines, but we haven't had their Silver Spirits* package before and have bought local wine on shore. I am a wine buff..

 

*there's a clue in the name, it's not a Silver Wine package 

[notamermaid]

2 minutes ago, pontac said:

*there's a clue in the name, it's not a Silver Wine package 

Ahhh, yes. Realize now. Nice to know there are a few local wines and you like an Austrian one.

 

Well, you know your way around the ports, so what bliss - getting up late and knowing that you will not miss anything and can wander off on your own to explore.

 

notamermaid

 

[Viking2020]

18 hours ago, pontac said:

 

Yes, from Basel to Amsterdam. It'd have been nice to do it in opposite direction but we got such a deal on this that, even tho' we weren't planning it we just booked it when the offer came.

 

Advantage is there's no pressing need to take shore trips again. If we don't feel like getting up early we can miss trip knowing we've already 'been there, done that'  🙂

 

Regarding Viking wine. Their house Austrian wine is of good quality and they often feature local wines, but we haven't had their Silver Spirits* package before and have bought local wine on shore. I am a wine buff..

 

*there's a clue in the name, it's not a Silver Wine package 

Where do you usually go to buy the regional wines? What kind of shops sell wine in germany, Austria and Budapest? 

[pontac]

On 4/23/2022 at 2:52 PM, Viking2020 said:

Where do you usually go to buy the regional wines? What kind of shops sell wine in germany, Austria and Budapest? 

On any included walking tour you will see supermarkets and shops selling wines. Unless it's Sunday in Switzerland or Monday Morning in Germany!

 

Because the we had the Silver Spirits package and the wine list was very much better than I expected the only wine we bought on this trip was at an optional visit to a small family winery in Moselle (from Cologne, as a souvenir.

[notamermaid]

On 4/30/2022 at 6:55 PM, pontac said:

Monday Morning in Germany!

Hmm, have not experienced a problem with that yet. I would say that should generally not be a problem but it may well depend on where you are. On Sundays shops are definitely closed in Germany, but a few designated tourist places are allowed to be open and wineries can sometimes help you out with buying wine on a Sunday. The cruise director would be the person to ask in such a case. In Germany, any EDEKA, REWE or similar supermarket chain will normally have a section of regional stuff including regional wine next to French, New Zealand, etc. Just look for the word "regional", it denotes a radius of usually 50km to 100km. I am on the Rhine but can get some wines from the Moselle for example. Or from Alsace. But you will be better off buying those right in Alsace for quality usually...

 

notamermaid

 

[Viking2020]

On the Vidar started Wednesday and have arrived in Passau. We are enjoying our cruise. We bought some very good sweet wines in Budapest at Faust Cellars in the Hilton but also the grocery store had them available. So far enjoyed the included Austrian wines. This boat has had Covid issues on the previous cruise and there is some again. They don’t announce anything but we’ve noticed at least 2 couples removed . The entertainment is not what we have experienced on prior cruises. The staff is great the food is very good and we are enjoying our trip. We have another booked on the Mississippi next spring but will NOT be booking anymore until after Covid restrictions. We dislike the daily spot tests and the masks. 

[Viking2020]

[pontac]

15 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Hmm, have not experienced a problem with that yet. I would say that should generally not be a problem but it may well depend on where you are

 

Apologies, I got the day wrong! It was Sunday in Breisach

[pontac]

On 4/4/2022 at 4:44 AM, NorskyGal said:

Can someone who is currently on a Viking River Cruise (April 2022) please post pictures of the current wine lists

 At last - this is the wine list from Viking Rhine Getaway 23-20 April. The five wines with an asterisk beside the bottle prices are not included in the Silver Spirits package

[Canal archive]

At those rates I’m glad I cruise with scenic far more choice and no extra cost.

[Canal archive]

A small selection of the wines on offer on Scenic Azure.

Its interesting that some suggest that all inclusive is expensive. 
If your a wine aficionado not necessarily.

Edited May 2, 2022 by Canal archive

[pontac]

The wines included in the package were German - a Chardonnay (known as Weissburgunder in German) and a red blend - based I think on Dornfelder.

 

There was also a wine and cheese tasting

Two parties with a choice of drinks

Schnapps at the German night

Hot chocolate and rum while cruising Rhine Castles

For those who'd been before with Viking, the Explorer party with drink choices

Aquavit - I forget when

[pontac]

1 hour ago, Canal archive said:

A small selection of the wines on offer on Scenic Azure.

 

Without knowing the identity of those wines it's not possible to judge the offering - but I should be  on Scenic (for the first time) in August.

 

So far, I am very un-impressed with them: instead of flying us non-stop to Bordeaux as Viking did with BA, they are flying us Air France to Paris with a long layover there. We will have to retrieve bags and go through customs then check  in (at another terminal?) for another flight

[notamermaid]

3 hours ago, pontac said:

 

Apologies, I got the day wrong! It was Sunday in Breisach

No problem. That explains it.

 

Thank you for posting the wine list. Great to finally read and see what the offers are. In the past, it has come across as though Viking may be a bit "sub-standard" when choosing regional wines but I am pleasantly surprised by the fact that Nahe and Ahr wines are on the list (both are left-bank tributaries of the Rhine). I must say, it would annoy me a bit though that few are available by the glass. And the prices for the bottles seem a little high. But then, I cannot know the quality of the wines.

 

Silvaner! Nice. But only one Moselle Riesling and one Rheingau Riesling? Could perhaps do better there.

 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed whichever one you chose to try.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

We flew direct to Bordeaux from Bristol KLM.  You could Eurostar to Paris then TVR to Bordeaux. 
Although Air France nearly really messed us up we were booked with them direct from Bristol and back. Without informing anyone including Scenic they decided to stop their direct flight returning to Bristol and re- routed us to Birmingham, well it did begin with a B. Luckily both Scenic and myself realised before it was to late to do anything about it. Scenic sorted it out with immediately and we flew KLM.

 

We would do the Bordeaux cruise again,  just a small tip when Scenic Diamond is ready to cruise through the Napoleon Bridge go up to the front deck to watch the ship being navigated through the navigation skills are superb. On our cruise a young Scenic captain returned from holiday to do the navigation they have to have particular qualifications.

[Sun Lover]

Are you allowed to bring other alcohol on board, such as vodka and rum, or only wine?

[2017newcruiser]

13 minutes ago, Sun Lover said:

Are you allowed to bring other alcohol on board, such as vodka and rum, or only wine?

We had no problem bringing on board 2 bottles.  There didn't appear to be any rules against it, nor did they ask what was in our shopping bag, so we didn't give to much thought.

[pontac]

On 5/2/2022 at 2:37 PM, Canal archive said:

 You could Eurostar to Paris then TVR to Bordeaux. 

 

That's what we booked originally. But I wasn't keen on having the Paris transfer so changed to a flight not assuming for a moment that it wouldn't be non-stop.

 

We've done Bordeaux before with Viking and booked Scenic expecting to go to different wineries. I'd like to compare the two lines, but the lack of a non-stop flight and a long layover in Paris means they will have to be magic+ to encourage us to book with them again.

 

@Sun Lover I can only speak for Viking where you can bring any drink you like on board. There's a fridge in the cabin, ice machines in corridors, and you can ask for glasses at the bar if you don't want to use the in-room water glasses.

 

@notamermaid I think it's not possible to make a wine list that will please everybody. Re wine prices, many passengers are on the Silver Spirits package and wines on list are included, so if you want only one glass of any wine you can. The package was included in our booking.

Edited May 3, 2022 by pontac
to correct a spelling error