Anyone done a Viking River Cruise?

Are you over 60?

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Wife is wanting me to book one. Think Basel Switzerland to Amsterdam. Anyone have experience ?

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Done 2. Romantic Danube (week prior to trip in Czechia) and Eastern Passage (Week prior to the trip in Romania). Actually doing the Rhine this coming April 2020, but reverse (Amsterdam to Basel, with side trips later to Colmar and Freiburg).

Have nothing but positives things to say about it. It can be an older demographic, but not always. All in all, I'd say the average age of the 2 we've done was probably upper 50's / low 60's. But there were mid 30's type couples on the trip as well. Age doesn't bother me, it's the spirit in the person and whether they want to live or be a slug. Older people can be just as fun as younger people, maybe more so on a cruise like this!

Food is spectacular, as is the service. They do everything for you. Thing I like about them is the prices are great, they keep throwing incentives at you for the next trip and once you're there, you can build on the trip however you want.

Romantic Danube Photos

Eastern Passage Photos

Cost wise, the spectrum is kind of like Viking > Ama > Tauck > Emerald. But were you to do a Viking cruise, you'd think it was very opulent. And it is.

2nd, if you actually consider it, I'd put a vote in for going later in November / early December so you can see the Christmas markets. It's magical and your wife would absolutely go crazy seeing them all.

You are right to mention that. It's not a Carnival Cruise. There will be older people on the ship. The capacity is maybe 150 or less. Small ship. If age is a perceived issue (we haven't even talked about the possibility of lots of Asians, but that's an entirely different dynamic), I'd say do your homework.

I don't disagree with that assessment. But some people aren't that adventurous to get out with locals. What we've done on the last two trips is spend a week on either side doing self directed options. Completely on our own. We found that Viking is a very cost-effective way to get you over there and see a lot of different things then you can do some things on your own while you're there. This is coming from a guy that spent three months on his own backpacking in Europe all alone. Point is Viking is a very logical choice for a lot of people.

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If I were traveling with my 80 year old mother, I’d sign up in a minute. But traveling with my spouse? Not for another 2.5 decades.

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this is fair and pretty accurate from the research I’ve done for my parents (mid 70’s). They are going on one this fall. It holds zero attraction for me but they are certain to enjoy it and they’ve traveled a bunch over their lives

My parents did this route over the summer (then transferred to the big Viking boat for their fjords cruise). They said the best parts were Switzerland and Amsterdam where they spent the most time.

I like being in a spot long enough that I can get a feel for how things tick. Stopping in several random towns for a few hours feels like you seen a lot but been nowhere.

It seems like a great product if it’s what you are looking for. You get to cover a lot of ground in comfort and all the logistics are taken care of. We joke on this board about travel agents. The Viking customers are the exact same demographic.

The main appeal to the older crowd is the boat acts as your transportation and you don’t have to pack and unpack. You also get to see parts of the country you are otherwise unable to see, the rivers were the interstates for 1000s of years so to a large extent you are seeing the true history from the best advantage point.

Furthermore the idea that you are constantly on the go and not seeing places long is shallow minded, most of the stops are not places you’d spend considerable time if you were self guiding either.

I just think they get shite on a lot because it’s mostly the older crowd naturally, but it can certainly be a worthwhile trip for anyone.

My wife and I went on the Paris to Normandy cruise at the beginning of September. Her parents invited us to go with them and her younger brother. The parents are mid 50s, I'm 33, my wife is 29, and my BIL is 24. The boat was mostly members of the Flying Dental Association, which my FIL belongs to. Average age of our cruise was probably 60.

That being said, we all loved it. We did an extra night before and 3 nights in Paris after to maximize our sightseeing. The food was awesome, the house wine and beer was good, and the staff was amazing. Most of them were 20-40 eastern Europeans. They were very friendly and we would often have a drink with them after their shifts. We got to know the bartenders very well.

The excursions were well planned. We had a lot of veterans on our boat, so they were able to take part in a wreath laying at the Normandy American Cemetery. It was very awesome to be there for that.

We wanted to plan another family cruise before we even got off the boat. We are thinking of a Portugal/Spain or the Budapest cruise.

Some people think Carnival Cruises are great. Some think they're full of trailer trash. Cruises are what you put into them. If you go into it with a negative attitude you're guaranteed to have a bad time.

Trips are in the eye of the beholder. If you don't want to hang with people that might be older than you (and yes there will be 50 and 60 year olds on Viking, some older, but I found most loving life and having a great time and were truly enjoyable to be around!), then you'll probably not like it.

As one of maybe a couple in this thread that have actually been on a Viking Cruise (two), I'll say it's a wonderful experience. Great service. Drinks (we do buy the Silver Spirits package BTW). Food. You'll visit places you'd never see. Cost effective for what you get and they'll throw more incentives your way for future trips.

And again, this is coming from someone that back packed by myself in Europe for 3 months and loathes guided tours. I get the desire to do things on your own, but River Cruises like with Viking can be a great experience and have their place as well.

But if you don't want the risk of hanging with older people, don't do it! Me personally, I'll never set foot on a large cruise ship, but others love them! It's all personal preference and what you want. You might not like Viking, or you might! But you'll never know unless you actually try one.

Have cruised Med,Carib,and Alaska numerous times. The river cruise totally underwhelmed me. We did same itinerary you’re considering the boat was average the scenery was average to tours were average . Just not enough bang for my buck my feeling. Others feel differently but that’s mine.