Viking Ocean, for the experienced Viking River cruiser?

[VistaRio]

Thanks to all who took the time for thoughtful response.  It's very helpful.

 

One interesting item, we have sailed Rivers both before and after Covid - and I noticed absolutely no distinction between the two*.  Perhaps it is because we just got off the boat, and things have returned to "normal" for this season.

 

(*maybe aquavit menu availability was different, if it was I did not notice, it seems they often experiment with meal service levels there.  On one Rhine trip, they operated as Manfredis in the River Aquavit.  I think it was an experiment and was brief.)

 

 

 

 

[Vineyard View]

4 hours ago, deec said:

Our last River was FRANCE's FINEST pre-covid.  The first segment was shared with friends and the second we were by ourselves. We ate almost ALL of our meals on the Terrace...inside it was too chilly to open the doors...it was quieter.  On our first River Cruise there was a modified menu upstairs but not so anymore.

 

That is a big game changer. At least for us. Thank you. 

This is a great rivers update thread  - and comparing with Oceans. We agree with the positive Oceans comments - space, openness, etc…..but rivers takes you to such different places. The new Lyon, Provence, and Rhineland looks pretty interesting. Trying to figure out how that transfer works. 

[Rusty Scupper]

Overall,  loved the river cruises, not so much the ocean, but would do it again.

Ocean rundown:

• Dining service very professional, but friendlier  and warmer on river and other cruise lines.
• Entertainment better than river, and found it more enjoyable (just an opinion) than on cruise lines with bigger productions.
• Space  better than river and blows away most cruise lines -- so much public area and a full promenade. 
• Food's been excellent on river, but Ocean is sumptuous, beats other lines. 
• Lectures better, but held at dinner time on our cruise.
• The free spa area is a thermal wonderland.
• Included daily tour works better on river;  you can get stuck with a midday departure  that kills doing anything else in port.
• Too many tender ports -- even in large cities --on our cruise 
• Incredible amount of reading material, but sea days are an endangered species on Viking.
• Free wifi much better than on river.
• Front desk efficiency on questions and requests didn't wow me--but could just be that cruise.

So, the luxury of the ship could get me on Viking Ocean again after weighing other options. I'Il book my next river cruse  without much thinking. 

 

 

[CILCIANRQTS]

5 hours ago, VistaRio said:

Thanks to all who took the time for thoughtful response.  It's very helpful.

 

One interesting item, we have sailed Rivers both before and after Covid - and I noticed absolutely no distinction between the two*.  Perhaps it is because we just got off the boat, and things have returned to "normal" for this season.

 

(*maybe aquavit menu availability was different, if it was I did not notice, it seems they often experiment with meal service levels there.  On one Rhine trip, they operated as Manfredis in the River Aquavit.  I think it was an experiment and was brief.)

 

 

 

 

We have had good luck asking for just about anything on Aquavit terrace on river cruises. The kitchen is right below and we usually make special requests at breakfast or lunch, when they’re not too busy.

[CCWineLover]

52 minutes ago, Rusty Scupper said:

not so much the ocean, but would do it again.

 

• Too many tender ports -- even in large cities --on our cruise 
•  

Thanks for your thoughts.  We were just the opposite:  not so much river but would do it again.

 

Just curious - what itinerary were you on with so many tender ports?  We've done 11 Viking Oceans and hardly ever have had tender ports.  I can see how that would become tiresome if so.

 

Thanks for hitting on our favorite part of ocean - the spaciousness and little areas to get away from people and everything!   FYI - Sea days depend on the itinerary - you could have a 10/90 split, a 50/50 split or a 90/10 split (Sea/Port days %).  People tend to choose the split they like.

[portisheadblue]

We have done both Ocean and River before and after Covid and we enjoy them both and accept there are differences …. on Ocean we make maximum use of the the speciality restaurants and on River we camp out on the Aquavit Terrace as much as possible.

 

The SSP on River is a much better offering than on Ocean …. but they are both great value.

[Mrs Miggins]

On our first Viking Ocean in 2016 - Athens to Nice - there were lots of experienced Viking River passengers from the US.  They were full of complaints because they had no idea that they could not stroll off the ship in many ports.  They hated the tenders, they disliked the look of the ports, they thought they could just get on bikes and ride into Florence from Livorno.  

One of the issues with River cruising, especially with Viking, is that you really don't need to do any research about the destinations.  Viking will hold your hand in a very personal way.  You can just walk into Cologne centre or wherever, if not  the Viking bus is just a few yards away. 

A little research,  especially when you are spending such a lot to money, is key and then there are no nasty surprises.  

 

 

[lackcreativity]

8 hours ago, Mrs Miggins said:

A little research,  especially when you are spending such a lot to money, is key and then there are no nasty surprises.  

Excellent advice for sure, and it works both ways. Experienced ocean cruise travelers are wise to research a river cruise before making the switch. I research extensively because I enjoy it, but knowing what you are getting into is great for managing expectations. As much as we love to travel, most of the time there is something that is not perfect about the experience. I try not to let the things that go awry detract too much from my enjoyment!

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

We are opposite of this OP. We cruise Viking Oceans, and are now going to do our first river on the Rhine. We've resisted rivers because we have been concerned that we would not like the differences. I'd love to hear them compared in reverse, why people like rivers more than oceans. 

[lackcreativity]

Sunflower & the Scientist,

 

Have you chosen a Viking river cruise? Though different, a Viking river cruise is still very Viking like. While you may prefer one over the other (we prefer ocean), you will likely still enjoy a Viking river cruise. We prefer ocean because of the more variety of spaces and choices of food and activities on board. River is more intimate, with the opportunity to get to know people more easily since you see them everywhere.

 

The onshore experience is also different, with smaller cities/towns to visit and sometimes the opportunity to just walk off the longship into your destination. I know that can happen on Viking Ocean, but it is not common. River cruises often sail by day, with lots to see along the shore as you travel. That is especially true along the Rhine, so you have made a good choice.

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

We are opposite of this OP. We cruise Viking Oceans, and are now going to do our first river on the Rhine. We've resisted rivers because we have been concerned that we would not like the differences. I'd love to hear them compared in reverse, why people like rivers more than oceans. 

We were in the same boat, so to speak, as you.

(Everyone has their opinions, but we agree with @lackcreativity . doesn't mean right or wrong).

We did many Ocean Cruises and finally decided to "try" a River Cruise (by doing the Norway Fjords Ocean first, changing in Amsterdam and doing the Amsterdam-Basel Rhine River).  That way we had an "instant" comparison.

Both are Viking, make no mistake, but there are numerous differences - many simply due to the fact that River cruises operate on smaller ships, have a small kitchen, don't have room for washer/dryers, generally tie up close to a town, and more.

For us, we missed the quiet open spaciousness of the Ocean ships, and control over our day.

River for us was very regimented (not complaining, we knew it going in and understood why) - everyone eats at the same time, mostly in large groups.

We were more tired after 1 week of River than 2 weeks of Ocean (and not from walking) - simply because there was no place to get away - we were with and around people all day and evening and the constant social interaction was, for us, wearing us out.  (again, not complaining).  Some absolutely thrive and relish that constant people interface.   Unlike Ocean, you really can't rest in your smaller cabin on River, and if the weather isn't good you really can't escape to the top level.

Just some thoughts.  That said, we'd do either at any time in the future if the prices is right!

Edited April 15, 2023 by CCWineLover

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

10 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

We were in the same boat, so to speak, as you.

(Everyone has their opinions, but we agree with @lackcreativity . doesn't mean right or wrong).

We did many Ocean Cruises and finally decided to "try" a River Cruise (by doing the Norway Fjords Ocean first, changing in Amsterdam and doing the Amsterdam-Basel Rhine River).  That way we had an "instant" comparison.

Both are Viking, make no mistake, but there are numerous differences - many simply due to the fact that River cruises operate on smaller ships, have a small kitchen, don't have room for washer/dryers, generally tie up close to a town, and more.

For us, we missed the quiet open spaciousness of the Ocean ships, and control over our day.

River for us was very regimented (not complaining, we knew it going in and understood why) - everyone eats at the same time, mostly in large groups.

We were more tired after 1 week of River than 2 weeks of Ocean (and not from walking) - simply because there was no place to get away - we were with and around people all day and evening and the constant social interaction was, for us, wearing us out.  (again, not complaining).  Some absolutely thrive and relish that constant people interface.   Unlike Ocean, you really can't rest in your smaller cabin on River, and if the weather isn't good you really can't escape to the top level.

Just some thoughts.  That said, we'd do either at any time in the future if the prices is right!

You are spot on with our exact concerns and why it's taken us this long to book a river cruise. We love having our own schedule and quiet places. We enjoy socializing as well, but after a while, especially if there are a few loud talkers in the crowd, we are ready for a reprieve. We are going on the Amsterdam-Basel cruise also. Since room size is important to us because we actually enjoy spending down time in our room, and because my husband is really tall and small rooms feel really cramped for him, we booked a suite in hopes that would help. I think eating at a specific time will be a little frustrating. My husband likes to eat breakfast very early in the morning, so we will have to make an adjustment with that. 

All in all we decided it's worth a try because it's exactly where we want to go. 

[dd57]

Sometimes the top deck is closed for other reasons - like going under bridges.  When we did the Grand European, Budapest to Amsterdam, there where several days when the top deck was closed all day.  Most of the locks along that stretch had bridges

[loriva]

3 minutes ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

 I think eating at a specific time will be a little frustrating. My husband likes to eat breakfast very early in the morning, so we will have to make an adjustment with that. 

 

On our Viking Elbe cruise in December 2022, there was a set time the dining room was open--maybe 0700-0830 hours for breakfast, for example, but you showed up at whatever time within that you chose.  And there were some smaller tables available.  There is also a coffee nook where they put out pastries by 0600 hours--I know as that is the time I would fetch coffee for DH and myself.  We also appreciate our alone time and could find some space to decompress.  (NB that the ships Viking uses on the Elbe are smaller--baby longships--so that might have contributed to our experience,)

[lackcreativity]

1 hour ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

 Since room size is important to us because we actually enjoy spending down time in our room, and because my husband is really tall and small rooms feel really cramped for him, we booked a suite in hopes that would help.

Booking a suite should certainly help with your desire for private space. We book the budget cabins, and on the river cruise that is quite small. After sailing on ocean ever since that first river cruise, I do expect to have adjust my expectaions on our upcoming river cruise. On ocean, even the veranda cabins feel comfortable to us, especially with all the extra space around the ship.

[TERRIER1]

What everybody has said is true. We took our first river cruise because we had a voucher from a failed Viking Star voyage. The voucher covered the cost of the 7 day Amsterdam to Basel trip. What we didn't like about Viking river was the limited times you were served meals and the space. We felt like we were eating in a high school cafeteria. It was oftern crowded and hard to find seats. 

[CCWineLover]

23 minutes ago, TERRIER1 said:

What everybody has said is true. We took our first river cruise because we had a voucher from a failed Viking Star voyage. The voucher covered the cost of the 7 day Amsterdam to Basel trip. What we didn't like about Viking river was the limited times you were served meals and the space. We felt like we were eating in a high school cafeteria. It was oftern crowded and hard to find seats. 

Funny!  You put it well - "High School Cafeteria".  For us it wasn't so much the crowded tables where everyone all seemed to have hooked up already in a game of fast musical chairs, but the timing.  If for some reason you didn't wish to eat at 7:00 PM for dinner (late meal in town on your own?), you were foodless.  No room service (understandable given the small ship), no nothing except cookies (albeit great!).  We learned to buy some food items onshore to keep in the room.  Same with lunch.  As someone said, breakfast was a bit more flexible.  You could go down early and have some simple breakfast items on the Terrace without having to join the masses inside.

Again - we don't follow routines and I'm sure that those who do (eating at the same time very day) find the River Cruise dining perfect.  Each to his own.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

20 hours ago, TERRIER1 said:

What everybody has said is true. We took our first river cruise because we had a voucher from a failed Viking Star voyage. The voucher covered the cost of the 7 day Amsterdam to Basel trip. What we didn't like about Viking river was the limited times you were served meals and the space. We felt like we were eating in a high school cafeteria. It was oftern crowded and hard to find seats. 

We are doing Amsterdam to Basel as well and I have the feeling we will have to work at keeping a good attitude at meal times. We enjoy having conversations with people over dinner, but we don't enjoy eating in a zoo as we've had to do on other cruise lines we no longer cruise on. Since my husband can't have wheat, so basically eats eggs for breakfast, so the earlier morning foods offered wouldn't work for him. I'm thinking we may be grabbing eggs and putting them in our fridge for the next morning so he can eat as early as he would like. But cold eggs may prove to be a bad decision.....

[KBs mum]

1 hour ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

We are doing Amsterdam to Basel as well and I have the feeling we will have to work at keeping a good attitude at meal times. We enjoy having conversations with people over dinner, but we don't enjoy eating in a zoo as we've had to do on other cruise lines we no longer cruise on. Since my husband can't have wheat, so basically eats eggs for breakfast, so the earlier morning foods offered wouldn't work for him. I'm thinking we may be grabbing eggs and putting them in our fridge for the next morning so he can eat as early as he would like. But cold eggs may prove to be a bad decision.....

You'll be fine, breakfast is a combination of buffet and made on request eggs. The trick is to look at when the ship tours are leaving, subtract haf an hour then show up outside those times. The restaurant  will be quiet. Allergies are catered for

[KBs mum]

On 4/15/2023 at 8:31 AM, Mrs Miggins said:

On our first Viking Ocean in 2016 - Athens to Nice - there were lots of experienced Viking River passengers from the US.  They were full of complaints because they had no idea that they could not stroll off the ship in many ports.  They hated the tenders, they disliked the look of the ports, they thought they could just get on bikes and ride into Florence from Livorno.  

One of the issues with River cruising, especially with Viking, is that you really don't need to do any research about the destinations.  Viking will hold your hand in a very personal way.  You can just walk into Cologne centre or wherever, if not  the Viking bus is just a few yards away. 

A little research,  especially when you are spending such a lot to money, is key and then there are no nasty surprises.  

 

 

Seems to me, from your description, that the river cruise contingent were more independent, and expected the Viking descriptions of port docking locations to be accurate. 

 

Example, We encountered people who didn't know that London (Tilbury) was not in London. Why would anyone check it? If the honest description ''Tilbury, container port an hour from central London'' was used nobody would be deceived 

[Mrs Miggins]

43 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

Seems to me, from your description, that the river cruise contingent were more independent, and expected the Viking descriptions of port docking locations to be accurate. 

 

Example, We encountered people who didn't know that London (Tilbury) was not in London. Why would anyone check it? If the honest description ''Tilbury, container port an hour from central London'' was used nobody would be deceived 

 

 

The itineraries do show London (Greenwich) or London (Tilbury) and I guess that many people would understand a ship of Viking size is not likely to be docked at Tower Bridge in exactly the same way as they are not docked in Rome or Florence.  Some cruise lines even designate Portsmouth or Southampton as London.  However that illustrates my point that research is key especially on Ocean Cruises.

 

On river cruises (I actually prefer Scenic over Viking) it is more difficult to be independent since the vagaries of low or high water often change the planned itinerary.

 

Viking advertise themselves as “The Thinking Person’s Cruise” although that often seems to be an aspiration rather than a reality

[dd57]

3 hours ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

We are doing Amsterdam to Basel as well and I have the feeling we will have to work at keeping a good attitude at meal times. We enjoy having conversations with people over dinner, but we don't enjoy eating in a zoo as we've had to do on other cruise lines we no longer cruise on. Since my husband can't have wheat, so basically eats eggs for breakfast, so the earlier morning foods offered wouldn't work for him. I'm thinking we may be grabbing eggs and putting them in our fridge for the next morning so he can eat as early as he would like. But cold eggs may prove to be a bad decision.....

I'm gluten intolerant too, and was very well taken care of on Viking River.  Yes, you can't eat the pastries at the coffee station, but there are lots of options once the dining room opens - GF bread at the buffet or you can order GF french toast, pancakes, eggs benedict, etc.  I always travel with a few KIND breakfast bars for those super early mornings.

 

On our first Viking River, we boarded at 1:30, just missing lunch.  I went to the terrace at the front where the chef said "oh, I saved you a GF sandwich in case you were hungry".  I was blown away.  Not to mention the GF chocolate cake they made as a surprise for my birthday.

 

And while the restaurant is crowded, I wouldn't call it a zoo.  Lunch and dinner are served, not buffets.

[VistaRio]

On 4/15/2023 at 12:31 AM, Mrs Miggins said:

On our first Viking Ocean in 2016 - Athens to Nice - there were lots of experienced Viking River passengers from the US.  They were full of complaints because they had no idea that they could not stroll off the ship in many ports.  They hated the tenders, they disliked the look of the ports, they thought they could just get on bikes and ride into Florence from Livorno.  

One of the issues with River cruising, especially with Viking, is that you really don't need to do any research about the destinations.  Viking will hold your hand in a very personal way.  You can just walk into Cologne centre or wherever, if not  the Viking bus is just a few yards away. 

A little research,  especially when you are spending such a lot to money, is key and then there are no nasty surprises.  

 

 

 

I just thought I would chime in as the OP on this one.  My River experiences and perceptions are 180 degrees opposed to the outcomes you have implied are predestined.  I guess one could say, "one of the benefits of River cruising, especially with Viking, is that you really don't need to do any research about the destinations."  Fun, huh?

 

One of the primary reasons I like River cruising (and viking specifically) is that one can build the framework of an incredibly active and compacted learning experience in to a very short number of days.  By doing minimal research, I get to learn and experience things in real time as Viking curates a few hours for me; THEN I can spend the rest of the time in port on my own, diving deeper in to interesting things I may want to pursue, or have heard about, even if I have not "researched them" beforehand.  In this manner, I have experienced things like  EL DE Hause in Cologne, the Hospital in the Rock in Budapest, or that town's collection of Ruin Pubs, or even the most quaint local bier joint and it's Football fanatics in the town of Breisach.

 

Sometimes, you don't want to research 8 points on the curve .... but you sure enjoy experiencing them.  

 

The information that ports may not be as accessible on an Ocean voyage is valuable however.  It's good to understand the docking schedule and situation for every visited port, River or Ocean. 

 

Side note, the Ocean sailing I lean toward seems to be port intensive, almost a upsized river cruise. 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by VistaRio

[Mrs Miggins]

I think you may be misunderstanding me.  My point was that it is not necessary to do extensive research on River cruises because Viking provide information onboard and you can do an excursion and then carry on by yourself - depending on river conditions you may be somewhere other than expected but Viking can adjust accordingly.  Most onboard listen to the Port talks and because of the smaller numbers it is easy to get information onboard.

Ocean cruising is different.  On our first Ocean cruise those onboard, mainly previous river cruisers, expected exactly the same experience.  Some had no idea that tenders are sometimes required or that docking areas are sometimes miles away from the expected highlight destination (Rome, Florence etc etc).

Therefore they were unhappy.  
A little research regarding the itinerary would have been beneficial to them 

Doubtless the lovely onboard experience and the wonderful destinations we enjoyed have now turned them all into regular ocean cruisers.  But many on that cruise we’re expressing their surprise and disappointment loudly and constantly.

On our last ocean cruise the port information was extremely sketchy. I asked for local town maps and was told that they didn’t want to print them as it wasted paper.