Is There Laundry Service On Viking River Cruises
NOTE: This mail service was written prior to the global COVID-nineteen pandemic. Some procedures and protocols on cruise ships have changed to address public health concerns (since this article was published). Bank check with your Viking agent (or travel agent) to larn the latest on the prowl you choose. In spite of some scheduling tweaks, the information in this commodity will surely help set up you lot for your Viking excursion. Enjoy!
E'er consider a Viking European river cruise? River cruises are popular choices for people who like the idea of traveling to new places in the comfort of a floating hotel. That is, yous slumber and eat on the transport and are transported to your destinations forth a river. Information technology's certainly a relaxing way to travel. Plus, Viking offers several excursions each day that the ship is in port.
Here'southward an overview of a Viking river cruise. The full general feel is the same, no matter what ship you're on, although this information is from our Grand European Bout from Amsterdam to Budapest on the Skirnir and Modi (more on the two ships later!).
To learn more well-nigh the places visited on the Viking Grand European Tour, read this.
Planning Your Viking River Cruise
Once you've booked a Viking river cruise, yous'll have admission to their online portal, MyVikingJourney.com. At that place you lot'll find a countdown to deviation, background on each port of phone call, the entire list of excursions bachelor (some are costless; others cost extra) that y'all can book online, a calendar showing your itinerary for each day, and other helpful information virtually the cruise.
You will receive your last travel documents along with Viking luggage tags nigh iii weeks prior to the trip. Included is a packet of data specific to your ship (including phone numbers on the ship plus embarkation location information) and itinerary.
Disclaimer: My husband, Popular, and I paid for our Viking river cruise ourselves. We did not receive any bounty or discounts from Viking or any other organization. I merely desire to share our experience on a river prowl with my readers.
Some travelers prefer to volume through Viking itself. We opted to book through our travel amanuensis with whom we could meet face-to-face, enquire questions, and learn from her noesis of cruising and dissimilar cruise companies. Since we booked through her, Viking sent her the concluding travel documents, and she checked them over earlier passing them on to us.
Embarkation
Staterooms are typically ready at 3:00 pm. (If you accept a suite, yous may exist able to get in earlier.) In any case, if you arrive earlier 3:00 pm, yous tin can spend fourth dimension in the Lounge or go out your luggage on the send and begin to explore the city on your own. There is a calorie-free buffet available in the Lounge effectually midday, so you lot'll be able to recharge a flake before the cruise begins later that day — a overnice treat if yous just got off a long flight from North America or Australia.
Viking River Prowl Staterooms
The staterooms and bathrooms are efficiently designed to maximize usable space. Here are some highlights of the rooms:
- A safe with an electronic keypad is provided in each room. You lot gear up the code, so it'south a sure-fire to remember. It easily holds passports and other travel documents along with jewelry and money. One tip we learned is to put a shoe (just one!) in the prophylactic the day before you check out. Having to look for the shoe on the last day volition remind you to open the safe so you don't forget your passport and other items.
- There are 110V and 220V electrical outlets in staterooms, so you lot tin plug in whichever fits your needs. We took a universal travel adaptor with iv USB plugs and 4 outlets and used just ane outlet for all of our electronics (smartphones, camera, tablet, and iWatch). That saved precious counter space.
- No demand to bring a hair dryer. There's a full-size hair dryer with a German Schuko ii-pin plug that matches the ii-prong outlet in the bathroom.
- At that place are sturdy wooden hangers in your closet upon arrival; if you lot demand more, only ask, and they will exist delivered promptly.
These Freyja toiletries are provided on Viking river cruise ships. The shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and body lotion are in 2.7 oz bottles so they concluding quite a few days. They are replenished as needed. - A complete supply of Freyja toiletries including shampoo, conditioner, torso launder, and body lotion along with a shower cap and vanity set awaits you lot in the bathroom. These supplies are replenished as needed.
- The bathroom has a laundry line in the shower that is handy for hanging hand-washed garments.
- Laundry can be sent out to exist washed. It is usually returned inside 24 hours, although it is ofttimes returned earlier than that. Yous can choose to take your garments washed and ironed or ironed only. For an idea of costs for cleaning and ironing, pants are vi Euros, a blouse is five Euros, a polo shirt is 3.l Euros. Guests in an Explorer Suite or Veranda Suite receive complimentary laundry services.
- There's a mini-fridge in your room. Whatever you lot beverage will be replenished when the staff cleans your room.
- There is a large glass bottle of h2o in your room (along with spectacles) that volition be replenished as needed. (You will also be offered bottled water as you leave for each excursion.)
Two listening devices and earpieces are pending your inflow. These listening devices are used on excursions. - There are two listening devices on lanyards along with an earpiece (for your left ear) for each device. Go along these devices in the chargers when not in apply, so they are fully charged for excursions.
In addition to regular Boob tube shows, movies and weather updates, stateroom TVs accept a map showing the location of the ship. Taking a moving picture of the map before excursions in the morning time helps in remembering the location of the pictures you take later that day. With the map and some luck, you won't find yourself request (weeks after your trip): "Where was that castle located?"
- All rooms have a color Telly with live Goggle box channels, gratis movies, and Viking programming. We used the TV for weather updates and a map that always shows the ship's location; this was very handy as we navigated the rivers in between ports of phone call.
- Housekeeping volition visit your room in the morning to clean it. When y'all return to your room, y'all will find the dinner menus for that evening. More information on carte choices is below under Meals.
- Housekeeping will revisit your room while you're at dinner. When you return to your room later that evening, you'll notice the Viking Daily on your bed. This publication outlines the schedule for the side by side day, with all included and optional excursions as well equally suggestions on where to visit and eat during your free time the next twenty-four hours.
- There'southward room under the bed to store suitcases after unpacking.
Viking River Cruise Common Areas
In addition to your stateroom, at that place are public areas on the longships:
- The Lounge and bar area. There's aplenty comfortable seating hither — upholstered chairs and sofas — with large windows to enjoy the views. During lunch, prior to and afterwards dinner, in that location's usually live music in the Lounge. On each of the ii ships nosotros were on, there was a duo in the evening that included a vocalist and a pianist. The bar is on one cease of the lounge; in that location's wait service in the Lounge during lunch and in the tardily afternoon and evening.
- The sun deck. This is a relaxing area with chairs, tables, and lounge chairs. In addition, there's a walking trail, shuffleboard, and a putting green. There'south plenty of covered space to protect confronting the harsh summer sun. If nosotros were sailing during the day, the programme director narrated scenic highlights along the river as nosotros continued our journey. There are times that the sunday deck is closed to guests. This happens when bridges are besides low to safely pass under with guests on the lord's day deck. The coiffure really collapses the awnings, chairs and tables and the ship'south bridge recedes into the ship — all to reduce the ship'south elevation.
- The Aquavit Terrace on the longships, simply in front of the Lounge to the bow of the ship, is a place to relax on warm days and enjoy a lunch buffet while taking in the views. As well, dinner is served on the Aquavit Terrace; service begins fifteen minutes after dinner service starts in the restaurant.
- The dining room has a diverseness of tables that tin can seat 6, 8, or 10 people.There are large windows on the port and starboard sides then views are available while dining.
- The library , located off a principal corridor, has books you may borrow while aboard every bit well as abridged newspapers that are prepared for Viking guests daily. On our ships, there were separate newspaper versions for Australia, Canada, and the UsA. Information technology is a quick way to take hold of up on national and international news also as to get financial market and sports updates.
- The cyberspace cafe , located off a main corridor, has a couple of internet desktop computers that are e'er bachelor for guest utilize.
- The java station offers a multifariousness of java and tea plus baked goods to accompany your beverage. The coffee station is ever bachelor, although the broiled goods tend to be gobbled up in the late afternoon. The good thing is … there'south e'er tomorrow's treats to look forwards to!
- There is an elevator onboard so it'due south easy to travel from flooring to floor if you don't want to use the stairs.
The ships were very make clean. We noticed that the coiffure was cleaning the common areas early in the morning, every bit soon every bit we left for excursions, and in our rooms while guests were enjoying dinner.
Viking Staff
The Viking onboard staff — from the helm, hotel manager, program director to the housekeeping and wait staff — were all positive, upbeat folks: smiling, accommodating, and helpful. Also, the onboard staff and the local guides speak English well. Nosotros encountered some local guides with thick accents, but that didn't interfere with u.s.a. agreement them.
Tipping
Tipping is the universal way to give thanks someone for providing excellent service — and you volition find excellent service on Viking. You can choose to pre-pay gratuities which we did. Prepaid gratuities come up to 18 Euros per guest per day. If you choose not to prepay the gratuity, Viking volition add together a discretionary service charge of 15 Euros per invitee per day to your shipboard account. The tips cover all onboard staff. We also took forth some thank yous cards and put in some actress cash to give to those whom we felt went above and beyond during our cruise.
On excursions, the recommended tipping is ii Euros per person per circuit for local guides, and 1 Euro per person per circuit for bus drivers.
Viking Onboard Account
Viking keeps track of your expenses during the cruise including bar items, laundry, telephone calls, and purchases from the Viking shop (logo wear and souvenirs). When the prowl ends, you settle your business relationship in cash (U.S. dollars or Euros) or past credit card.
Condom
Naturally, safety is a primary business organisation of travelers and the coiffure. At that place was a mandatory safety drill on our first total 24-hour interval of the river prowl. Life vests are under the beds, only prior to the drill, they were placed on our beds while nosotros were at lunch. Just earlier the drill, nosotros were all asked to render to our staterooms and don our life vests. Later on that, nosotros went to an assigned group on the upper deck (groups are determined by what floor the staterooms are on), and nosotros had to give our stateroom number to the staff at the assigned location (for curlicue call). Once everyone was accounted for, we were able to leave, return our life vests to our stateroom, and resume what we were doing.
Each fourth dimension yous go out the ship, y'all become your name card (with the name of your ship, your name, and your stateroom number) from the front desk. When yous return to the ship, you hand over your proper noun card. This is i mode the coiffure can account for all guests. Before leaving a dock, there are announcements asking for guests in certain rooms to let the staff know they are on the send. (It's not uncommon for someone to forget to return the name carte du jour when returning to the ship.)
Meals on a Viking River Cruise
Iii meals are included each day at the following times:
- Breakfast: vii:00-nine:00 am
- Lunch: 12:00-2:00 pm
- Dinner: vii:00 pm
Soda, beer and firm wine are bachelor at luncheon and dinner at no accuse.
Travelers who buy the Silver Spirits beverage package (toll varies depending on the length of your cruise) can get whatever alcoholic beverage they want during lunch, dinner, and whenever else the bar is staffed (afternoons and evenings) at no boosted accuse. The Silver Spirits package is gratuitous for guests in an Explorer Suite.
If you have dietary restrictions, let Viking know when you volume. You should besides alert the Maitre d' one time on board.
The river cruises have open up seating, then that ways yous aren't assigned any tabular array mates. Each fourth dimension you lot enter the dining room, you detect a table that you want to sit down at. We enjoyed sitting with dissimilar people; information technology gave us a adventure to acquire almost their travel experiences and lives a bit. You never know what you'll larn or who yous'll come across!
Lunch
Although lunch is available in the dining room, we favored the Aquavit Terrace (at the front of the ship) for luncheon. It's relaxed, has an arable food cafe with soup, a diversity of salads, meats, warm sandwiches (paninis, Cuban sandwiches), fruit and dessert. There's always ice tea — often with different flavors everyday. Servers come to accept your drink orders (sodas, beer, wine) and freshen up your glass when it is empty. But inside is the Lounge where nosotros ate one rainy lunchtime. The Aquavit Terrace is one advantage Viking has over its competition. This is a great venue for enjoying the passing landscape on travel days and relaxed dining everyday.
Dinner
Prior to dinner, the chef personally introduces the options including his/her recommendations. On our prowl, this was done in the Lounge just after the evening port talk by the program director. Dinner begins at 7:00 pm in the dining room. If you choose to eat on the Aquavit Terrace, dinner begins at 7:xv pm with all of the aforementioned options as in the dining room.
On one side of the card are the "classics" or options that are always available. On our cruise, the "classics" included Caesar salad as a starter; steak, salmon, and chicken as entrees, and Creme Brûlée, a selection of cheeses, a fruit plate, and ice cream for dessert.
On the other side of the menu are "regional specialties" or options that are focused on our destinations. Examples were creamy murphy soup, Wiener Schnitzel, and Sacher cake when in Vienna; while in Budapest, the card featured Hungarian Farmer Salad, Fogas Karpathy (perch and shrimp in white wine sauce), and Zserbo (a layered walnut and chocolate block).
Without a doubt, we give Viking chefs top marks for the presentation and flavor of the food they serve. We always enjoyed the diversity of nutrient from the local areas we were visiting. Later on all, we travel to experience new places, new nutrient, and new people, so we similar to eat the local nutrient whenever possible. We were never disappointed with our meal selections. Whichever side of the menu y'all society from, the meals for the entire table are served at the same time.
Guests & Socializing
Cruising is a social experience as you lot get to talking with fellow passengers on excursions, at the social hr before dinner in the Lounge, and at meals. An piece of cake mode to begin a conversation is to ask where people are from, near their past travel experiences, and what excursions interest them the most. We've found at that place are a lot of commonalities as well as interesting folks to meet.
River cruises are designed for the mature traveler, and guests must be 18 years old to travel on a Viking river cruise. Many of the guests are retired, but in that location were quite a few yet working or recently retired.
Attire
Attire on a river cruise is casual. During the day on excursions, travelers dress very comfortably every bit they leave the ship to explore a destination. Nonetheless, guests exercise dress upwardly a chip with a smart casual wait for dinner. Leave your dressy clothes at dwelling house; there are no formal nights on a Viking river cruise.
Excursions on a Viking River Cruise
Y'all can sign up for excursions from your account on MyVikingJourney.com prior to your trip. Sometimes optional excursions sell out, although at that place are ordinarily some available in one case you're on the ship. Please notation that Viking requires at least 48 hours cancellation notice if you are on the ship and decide not to keep an optional circuit.
At that place are iii action levels for excursions:
- Easy means the walking volition be on more often than not smooth (not cobbled) surfaces, there are few steps, and the tours will be ane.5 hours or less.
- Moderate means the walking could be a little more strenuous or have more stairs or inclines. Total time on these outings could be 1.v to iii hours.
- Enervating means all-encompassing walking, hiking or biking. Walking could be on unpaved or uneven surfaces and may involve many steps or steep inclines. Total fourth dimension on these outings could exist longer than three hours.
Prior to Excursions
Well-nigh 15 minutes prior to each excursion, there is an announcement to remind guests that it is almost fourth dimension to leave and to call back the listening devices. These devices are attached to lanyards with earpieces.
Before leaving the ship, you lot need to get to the reception desk and become your proper name card and your excursion carte . You ever choice up your proper noun card when you leave the ship and return it when y'all board the ship. This is the Viking's way of bookkeeping for all guests. If, for instance, Reception does not accept all the cards back when the ship is ready to leave the dock, there will be an announcement asking for guests in a certain room number to phone call or walk to the reception desk to let them know they are there.
The excursion card is a plastic card with a number and a alphabetic character. The number indicates which ship you're on. (This is handy because you might encounter tour groups from other Viking ships that are docked in the same city at the aforementioned fourth dimension.) The letter indicates which excursion group you're on. Since there are often different excursions leaving at the same time, this is an efficient way to observe which bout guide to meet as yous disembark the transport. The buses and tour guides for your group are each clearly marked: the charabanc has a placard with the same number and letter to let you know y'all need to board that passenger vehicle; the tour guide has a red and white sign on a paddle to bespeak that grouping, as well.
Every bit you leave the ship, you are handed a bottle of water. To conserve resources, you could easily fill up a plastic water bottle from home with h2o in the rooms. There are besides bright ruby-red total-size Viking umbrellas to take along on excursions if it's raining. Next time, I'll take a minor collapsable umbrella to stuff in my backpack; that way, I won't be carrying the large Viking umbrella effectually after the pelting has stopped while we're sightseeing.
A Few Important Circuit Notes
Information technology'due south of import to annotation that when the send docks somewhere in the morning and yous go on an excursion, y'all sometimes will be brought back to the ship in a different location — another city further downwardly the river. This taught me to have pictures when I kickoff see a scenic sight only in case I wasn't going to take the opportunity again.
There is precise timing to docking and excursions. For example, we arrived in Cologne at 9:30 am and our walking tour began at x:00 am. Viking is very efficient with their timing. Besides, when the transport is prepare to exit, it leaves — as long as all the guests are accounted for.
Non everyone needs to go on excursions. Some guests preferred to stay in the Lounge and simply relax, read a book, or enjoy the view beyond the large plate glass window or accept in the views from the sunday deck.
Big Metropolis Lesson
One thing we learned is that although some excursions will guide yous through a large city, if it is inland a fleck, you may exist spending a pregnant amount of time traveling from the send to the urban center — and comparatively modest amounts of time actually in the urban center itself. We learned this the difficult way one 24-hour interval, and nosotros realized that we really prefer exploring the footling towns that we dock at more. Our preferred day at a town where we were docked included a morning walking tour (an included excursion) to get the lay of the land. In the afternoon, we followed upwardly on some of the suggestions the local guide from the morning had equally far equally how to spend the remainder of the day. That worked well equally we enjoyed some prissy non-touristy lunches and other walks and tours on our own.
Transferring Ships
There are times when Viking (and other cruise companies) has to have guests disembark a ship and so board a sister send. Sometimes the river level may exist too low (this happened in 2018 with a lot of European river cruises due to the lack of sufficient pelting that summer) and Viking has to transfer guests to another transport farther along the river. For united states of america, information technology happened considering there was a damaged lock on the Principal River (between the Rhine and Danube rivers. We went through over 60 locks on our Grand European cruise — most at night while nosotros were comatose.)
Here'south our story. Nosotros were sailing from Amsterdam to Budapest. In that location was a broken lock near Regensburg, almost halfway betwixt the ii big cities. Viking had a sister transport sailing the same journey in the opposite management — from Budapest to Amsterdam — and so nosotros switched ships. We got off our ship, the Skirnir, in Nuremberg (ane of our scheduled ports) before the damaged lock. The guests on the other ship, the Modi, got off the ship at Regensburg, on the other side of the damaged lock. Essentially, each ship and then turned effectually and went dorsum to the city from which information technology originated. Suffice it to say that Viking has this all figured out and has contingency plans firmly in place.
What information technology meant for guests was a pocket-size inconvenience. We had to have our luggage packed and placed outside our stateroom door by 7:00 am on the mean solar day of the switch. Viking collected the luggage (with different colored tags for the 3 different floors of the ship) and trucked information technology to where the Modi, our new ship, was docked. All guests left the transport for excursions (the times of the excursions were modified that day so they would all be timed for the same number of hours). After the excursions, we all met at a eatery in Nuremberg for luncheon, had a little free time, and and so we were bussed to the new send in the late afternoon. As nosotros arrived at the ship, nosotros were warmly greeted and we went to our rooms (which were intentionally left unlocked). Our luggage was waiting for united states, and our new room keys were on the dresser.
Since they are sister ships, they are exactly the same, then the only matter that changed was the coiffure. The i exception was the program director who made the move with usa. Otherwise, nosotros had a make new crew. We had grown to similar the crew on the Skirnir, merely we quickly came to like the new ones as well.
Parallel Parked Ships
Sometimes there'due south a lot of river cruise send traffic in popular cities. This was true in Passau, a urban center of over 50,000, and especially true in heavyweights like Vienna and Budapest. When this happens, the cruise ship parks parallel to another cruise ship. This ways that your ship could be the first, second, or third ship docked. Furthermore, this means that you lot may take to walk through another transport to become to shore or people are walking through your transport to get to and from theirs. The ships are designed for this — to have travelers walk through the mutual spaces. And our feel was that nosotros were usually parked next to other Viking ships, and then nosotros were walking through familiar spaces.
Having to dock the ship next to some other prowl transport also means that the view from your stateroom could be blocked and your motel could be a bit dark. This happened several times on our xv-day prowl from Amsterdam to Budapest. It's not a deal breaker for us, but it's something every river cruise guest should exist forewarned about.
Exercising on a River Cruise
In that location is no fettle centre or spa on Viking river cruise ships; the space that could be a fettle center is instead put to apply in the common areas and staterooms. (European river cruise ships are express in size due to the rivers they cruise on, so they have the aforementioned overall dimensions. Some companies may accept space from common areas to put into spas and fitness centers; others, similar Viking, use all that available infinite for staterooms and common areas.)
To burn off some of the calories ingested by the delicious food onboard, I walked in the morning around the sun deck track. 12.5 laps = 1 mile. Viking asks that guests not walk on the dominicus deck from ten:00 pm to 7:00 am as a courtesy to those whose cabins are just below the dominicus deck. Getting my center rate upward while enjoying beautiful scenery laissez passer by while the transport made its style down a river was a win-win. You'll soon discover that walking while the ship is moving tends to confuse Fitbits and like devices considering you're moving while the transport is moving; hence, your minute per mile calculation is not entirely accurate! But you can nonetheless continue track of your number of steps/distance accurately.
Popular prefers to jog each morning, and he was able to when we were docked in the early on morning time before excursions began. Other times, we were still sailing, so he could non. A good idea if you're a runner is to check with the reception desk to map out when there volition be time in the morning to leave the ship for a jog or run before excursions begin.
Viking Communication
We found the onboard communication to be excellent. This includes the Viking Daily that provides information for each new day and the evening updates by the programme director in the Lounge prior to dinner. There are too announcements throughout the day with information on docking and reminders about impending excursion departures.
The coiffure communicates with each other quite well. For example, once the coiffure knows that everyone is accounted for (past fashion of the name cards that are turned into the reception area after an circuit), the transport is sailing within minutes of the predictable departure (as noted in the Viking Daily ).
Little Touches by Viking
Viking has perfected hospitality on many levels. Their staff is well trained and genuinely seems to want to make you happy. At that place are lots of smiles and offers of help. They too are known for providing little touches that many guests appreciate. Here are some examples:
- After morning housekeeping, you'll notice some fresh fruit and baked treats waiting for you in your room.
- Viking is happy to celebrate your birthdays and anniversaries while onboard. There were many people who were serenaded during dinner and special treats made dainty surprises. Nosotros celebrated a big anniversary on our cruise and were delighted with champagne and a special dessert awaiting united states in our room later on dinner one night.
- I borrowed some books from the send'southward library and left them on a tabular array in our room. When I returned, I noticed two Viking bookmarks resting on summit of the books. Likewise, a few days later,I had simply started reading a different book and placed it on my night table side by side on top of my Kindle. When I returned to the room, I noticed another bookmark was placed on summit of information technology.
- Every in one case in a while, you may be treated to a footling "actress" similar a refreshing drink served on the sun deck while sailing one day.
Disembarkation
Viking has guest departures timed to lucifer their future travel plans. Viking assigns different colored luggage tags to guests depending on what their next travel destination is (a mail-excursion through Viking, a trip contained of Viking, or a flying home). The tags have the time the luggage must be outside the staterooms likewise as the time that guests are expected to depart the ship. (Viking asks that luggage not be placed outside the staterooms when going to bed the previous nighttime due to safety concerns — should at that place be an emergency, having bags in the narrow corridors would pose a safety adventure.)
On our cruise, some guests had to put their baggage exterior their staterooms every bit early equally ii:45 am and leave the send at three:30 am to get to the drome. Regardless of their next destinations, all guests had to place their luggage exterior their rooms no later than 9:00 am. After that point, guests still on board could employ the mutual areas (Lounge or lord's day deck) until their transfer to the airport or other destination. That mode, Viking could clean the staterooms and ready the transport for the passengers boarding later that day for the next cruise.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Nosotros thoroughly enjoyed our Viking river cruise. We met interesting people; visited fascinating places; sampled new foods, wines and beer; and appreciated the convenience and gracious hospitality offered by Viking. We can't say enough near how well run and maintained the ships are. Although nosotros have some other trips planned (that nosotros organize ourselves, as nosotros frequently do), we are contemplating which Viking cruise — river or sea — we volition be booking next.
To brand sure you remember all the great experiences on your cruise, accept lots of pictures and create a photograph book of your journey when you render habitation. You'll be glad yous did!
COMMENTS?
If you have taken a Viking river prowl and would similar to share your experiences, please do then in the annotate surface area below.
Source: https://travelwithlolly.com/the-complete-guide-to-a-viking-river-cruise/
Posted by: alexanderaunce1959.blogspot.com
0 Response to "Is There Laundry Service On Viking River Cruises"
Post a Comment