See the 360� Longship Tour

River cruises attract passengers 60 and older, but on our cruise there were a number guests in their mid-forties. Even a 70+ honeymoon couple from Utah, that booked the Explorer Suite and joined our dinner table each night.
You'll find most staterooms slightly smaller than ocean-going vessels, ranging from 135 square feet to 205 square feet.


Dining
The chefs created a variety of tasty offerings for us, with freshly prepared seasonal local vegetables, European specialties adapted to satisfy the tastes of guests and homemade soups are prepared daily. For breakfast, you can choose from a selection of pastries, cereals, breakfast meats, egg dishes, fresh fruit and selected cheeses. At lunch, we could select from the soup and sandwich bar, or a choice of entrees and dessert. And for dinner, we were treated to a five-course menu with regional specialties. You may also select from a red or white regional wine, or beer ( complimentary ) to perfectly complement your meal.
Meals are served in a single, open-seating at set times. Breakfast is choice of a buffet, or ordering from a menu. The buffet area in the center of the room includes a choice of cereal, oatmeal with toppings, lox, yogurt, cheeses and meats. You toast your own bread, including bagels. There's also an omelet station, or you can order from the menu; pancakes, French toast or eggs cooked to your taste. Lunch includes a soup pasta station and salad bar. Again, you also have a choice of ordering from a menu with a featured sandwich, or entree.
Dinner features a full multi-course menu with hot or cold appetizers and three entrees, featuring a fish, meat or vegetarian choice that changes daily. The sweet desserts, are incredible. Available every day choices include grilled salmon, charbroiled New York-cut steak and Caesar salad.
Always available, are two coffee and tea stations that have self-service machines, where you can have a regular coffee, as well as lattes and cappuccinos, with mini-pastries offered in the morning and cookies in the afternoon.
Gratuities
Tips to the crew are not included in your cruise fare. At the end of the cruise, you'll get two envelopes in your stateroom. One for the Program Director, and the other to be shared with the general crew. You can tip in cash or by credit card. (Euros are the onboard currency, but dollars are also accepted for gratuities.)
We found the service onboard to be beyond the ordinary. Many of the crew that we often encountered, remembered our names and greeted us accordingly every day. A great "personal touch " not found on large ocean-going cruise ships. The recommended amount on Viking's Europe cruises is 12 euros per passenger, per day, for the the crew and  2 euros per passenger per day for the Program Director. Our Program Director, Chris did a great job and deserved extra recognition.
Activities
Hands-on demonstrations, cooking classes, traditional dance performances, and local tastings. These in-depth experiences are included as an essential part of discovering more about the places through which we cruised, and each activity is planned specifically to illuminate each itinerary. The ship offered a series of onboard multimedia talks to shed light on the history and culture of the places we visited. Topics included the Dutch Masters or French impressionists, castles along the Rhine Valley, the formation of the European Union, the life and works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the wine and cuisine of southern France, and key words and phrases in the local language wherever we were traveling. These presentations provide a context for our own observations, enhancing our travel experience.
An onboard daily newsletter, Viking Daily, featuring information about daily activities, shore excursions and tour departure times is delivered to your stateroom every evening.
Entertainment
River Cruises don't offer elaborate production shows, don't have a casino. There's no big promenade shopping mall, no midnight buffet, nor any waterslides, ice skating rinks or rock climbing walls. River Cruises do transport you " back in time" to visit the people, places and events, where Europe's rich history comes alive in hundred's of historic sites, classical cities and towns.
Located on the upper atrium level is a spacious, large windowed lounge. This room is the social hub of the ship. Everyone gathers there each evening, for cocktails prior to dinner. There's a modern bar and a small dance floor. The ship's Program Director reviews next day's program prior to dinner.
Entertainment onboard is limited. The lounge features a baby grand piano, where a pianist plays both classical and modern tunes during cocktail hour. Regional performers occasionally come onboard to provide additional entertainment.
As as an example, in Cologne, musicians from Cologne's Academy of Music and Dance and WDR Symphony Orchestra presented an ensemble of German, European and international classics.
Concierge Services
Want to reserve a table at local restaurant? Arrange for a private guide? Just like a hotel concierge, the Viking Concierge holds regular desk hours and can handle these and other requests.
Awards
The company has grown to a fleet of 60 river vessels (in 2015) offering scenic cruising along the rivers of Europe, Russia, Egypt, China, and Southeast Asia. Viking has been honored multiple times in Travel + Leisure's "World's Best" Awards and Conde Nast Traveler's "Gold List" as well as recognized by the editors of Cruise Critic as "Best River Cruise Line," with the entire Viking Longships fleet being named "Best New River Ships" in the website's Editors' Picks Awards. The travel trade has ranked Viking as the "Best River Cruise Line" by Travel Weekly, Recommend and Travel Agent magazines, "Best Cruise Line for Luxury River Cruises" at the Luxury Travel Advisor Awards of Excellence and as "Best Overall Cruise Line for River Cruising," "Best New River Cruise Ship" for the sixth consecutive year.
Final Comments
River water levels dictate what happens for your cruise. If the river water level is too low or too high, your river cruise may be delayed, ships changed, or overland adjustments made. Europe experienced much less rain this summer, than in past years and as result all the river cruise companies have had to make alternate arrangements, like changing ships half way during your itinerary. The real measure of how well a cruise line performs is when something out of the ordinary happens. On our trip we did need the change ships, from the Viking IDi to the Viking Kvasir. The transition was carried out in an efficient manner with only minor interruption to our itinerary.

We've traveled all around the world on over 40 ocean cruises, but this was our first river cruise and we were pleasantly surprised. The crew and staff really worked hard and were a step or two above most ocean-going ship crews. The food was excellent, on par with luxury cruise ships. The sightseeing tours were well managed, and the local guides were well versed on local history and culture.
We had an excellent experience and are looking forward to another cruise with Viking in the near future.
P.S. We flew to Amsterdam on the day of the Paris terrorist attacks. Needless to say, it was part of the conversation, almost daily on the ship. On our tours at the ports-of-call we felt very safe and on our cruise we only experienced traffic delays at the boarder check points between Germany and France.
Viking River Cruise Reviews tell you all about what sailing with Viking is like, from the personal service to the privileged access to some of the world's most stunning destinations. Read consumer reviews as well as those of professional travel writers Viking River Cruise Reviews give you information about the industries leading fleet and Viking's luxurious staterooms, cuisine and onboard enrichment programs. Who could explain best why cruising with Viking offers you the best value and the best travel experience anywhere? Viking's own cruise travelers.

So, take a moment to read the reviews and find out how much they enjoyed their journey as tell you about their Viking experiences.
Best River Cruise Ship - Viking Longship Hlin - Viking River Cruises hit this one out of the park, so to speak. The new Viking Longships are the biggest sailing the European waterways, but they are also some of the nicest. A lot of thought has obviously gone into the design and construction of these floating hotels. Rich leather furnishings with a Scandinavian decor give the ship a classy and elegant feeling, like a 5-star hotel. Read our review.
Best Lounge - Viking Longship Hlin - There is no better view than sitting in the Viking Lounge on a Viking Longship. Expansive views of the river are made possible by walls of floor-to-ceiling glass without the typical dividing structures to impede the view. Simply brilliant.
Best Decor - Viking Longship Hlin - We really liked the light colors and Norwegian/Scandinavian decor theme on Hlin better than any river cruise ship we have been on to date. Very comfortable and very elegant..
Best Sun Deck - Viking Longship Hlin - Even though it was too cold to enjoy on our late November cruise, the Sun Deck on Hlin was the perfect design for enjoying the river scenery. There are plenty of deck chairs, many protected from the elements with canvas tarps. And, they have swapped the useless large chess set for a mini-golf putting area and herb garden!
Best New Concept - Viking Longship Hlin - Aquavit Terrace - This alternate dining venue is positioned all the way forward on Deck 3 and offers both indoor and outdoor (al fresco) seating. A Continental breakfast is served here each morning as well as a light luncheon each day at Noon. There is an evening "bar menu" for those who would rather skip a trip to The Restaurant. Diners can also enjoy seating for two in Viking Lounge.