Viking River Cruises (Romantic Danube) - Why You Will Love It! (part I)

4/9/2019 3:40:19 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Over the next 3 installments, our guest blogger will be one of our in-house travel advisors, Sandra Rubio, who participated on a familiarization trip aboard the Viking Gullveig riverboat touring the Romantic Danube itinerary by Viking River Cruises.  Please note that the following insider tips apply to European river cruises. They may or may not apply to other Viking Cruises around the world (ie Viking Ocean Cruises, etc). To learn more about Sandra Rubio and her travel expertise & passions, please Click Here.

Please note, that the experiences aboard the Viking Gullveig, were not because I am a travel advisor on a familiarization cruise. I thought the staff was especially overly courteous to my wishes but then I personally saw how they interacted with the other passengers and also spoke with many of the experienced cruisers during the meals or social activities and my conclusion is that they behave that way with everyone. That’s just the Viking way.

Who is Viking River?  If you have a mailbox or a TV, I know that you must have received one of their brochures or seen their enticing commercials about "See Europe the way that Europeans Do".  Viking continues to win awards year after year by magazines like Travel & Leisure (ranked #3 as the World’s Best River Cruise Line in 2017). A river cruise is everything you dream it will be and more -- and Viking River Cruises makes sure that dream comes true!

The Booking Process
A travel advisor certified in “Viking River Cruises” can make your full travel experience that much easier by handling everything for you and making recommendations based on their experience.  I can personally attest to how much better a vacation of a lifetime can become by just planning extra nights (pre/post stays), sightseeing and other components such as air schedules and seamless transfers. Viking makes it very simple and uses a dedicated website called My Viking Journey that is utilized by the clients as well as the travel advisors to provide pertinent and optional information to make the trip as seamless as possible.  Once you are registered you can fill out the Guest Information Form which is your legal information and important information for the air department. You can also browse and sign up for the included and optional shore excursions. You’ll find the FAQs to help answer a lot of questions you may have especially if this is your first time cruising with Viking. Pre & post hotel packages can be found there as well as a beverage package to make sure you know what you’ll be getting once on board as well as an explanation about all the amenities available onboard. 

The advice I give my clients is that most of my clients book one to two years in advance, so that they can take advantage of the reduced air offer by Viking (a lot of times it is FREE), which also includes the airport transfers.  Another item that I stress to my clients is utilizing the “Viking Air Plus” service for $50 per person additional.  Yes, Viking does offer “free airfare” but it will probably have two connections and may not be on the carrier of your choice.  When you upgrade for $50 per person more, you are able to customize your flights.

Choose your stateroom wisely. It is true that the way river boats are designed, it is not completely necessary to have a veranda or French balcony but it sure does make cruising along the river bank sightseeing from your cabin more enjoyable than having to go up to the Sun Deck every time you want to view the beautiful surroundings.  And remember, they do have to close-down the Sun Deck anytime that they have to pass beneath low bridges.

Consider scheduling your river cruise in shoulder or off-peak season. Without question, summer is peak travel season in Europe. Also during the summer, schools are still in session in Europeand many of the tour destinations are packed with students on field trips. Summers can also have low water levels on the Elbe and Danuberivers, leading to adjusted itineraries on a few cruises. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict rainfall with any accuracy. Viking has created an Update on Current Sailings page to keep passengers informed of any required changes.

When you book 1-2 years in advance, you normally are able to receive some additional onboard credits and more options that are available for staterooms and itineraries.  When you are sailing onboard, there is normally a “Future Cruise” offer made available to all the passengers and this traditionally doubles the value of the vouchers you purchase and gives you ample time to use them for future travel.

To get the most out of your Viking Cruise Experience, please reference the tips detailed above:

Please remember to check back for next week’s part-2 edition about Viking River Cruises when I will discuss the hospitality, staterooms and onboard amenities during my familiarization cruise.

Romantic Danube River Cruise - Check out the itinerary & info about each port of call HERE

Budapest, Vienna, Krems, Passau, Regensburg & Nuremberg