Viking River Cruise: The Great, The Bad & The Smelly (Honest Review)

[@genehenriksen]

We have been on 3 river cruises and 2 ocean cruises with Viking and loved them all. They are very good at responding to significant problems such as a broken lock on the Seine and arranged for 3 buses at 3 am on Easter morning to get the passengers to Paris to meet other reservations such as airlines. We have always found the crew to be smiling and go above and beyond to help.

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

Fantastic. Always great to hear because this is what makes all of us wanting to continue sailing the oceans and rivers. The majority of our experiences are positive which is why we have so many more booked in 2025, 2026 and beyond.

[@janesimmons8001]

We did our 1st Viking river cruise on Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel on Hlin. It was over Easter and it's their 2nd sailing of the 2024 season. We don't have any experience on other brands to compare with. We picked Viking because it was an entry level for European river cruises that gears toward more US market. The ship is a little older, but all areas are very clean. Great services through out our entire cruise, and luckily no smelly incident. Yes, the French Balcony room is very small, even a below water level room is bigger. We were not in our room that much, and we had a pretty busy schedule everyday. Coffee/tea station had a few choices of breakfast pastry in the morning, Stroop waffles and Madeleine cookies in the afternoon, and in evening chocolate/oatmeal cookies. We like the smaller dining room settings compares to ocean cruise, and we like shared tables idea. Included wine/beer with meals. Smaller menu is good for us, otherwise we will over eat. We loved their one theme night German buffet, some people wore their German outfit. Definitely its a smaller long ship, but its good for a 7 nights river cruise. Love the included daily excursions(mostly walking tour), all the guides were very knowledgeable, we tipped them all. Majority of our cruise were first timer including us. Overall we enjoyed our Rhine so much, we came home and booked another Viking Egypt Nile cruise. We went September 2024 on Viking Aton(one yr old ship), very nice ship. 7 night on ship, 4 nights on land. We stayed on the bottom level, window is much bigger and the room is very spacious. It was an ADVENTURE of a life time. 5 stars hotels, we felt very safe from start to the end. On theme night everyone wore their Egyptian outfit.

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

Fantastic feedback and detail. Agree, the ships are spotless. We never saw any issues there. And, your Egyptian adventure sounds fantastic - one on our list as well. Thanks for the helpful details on that.

[@JD-wb9kl]

Have had great service and made GREAT friends on Viking (one ocean and two rivers done). Tried Scenic for Christmas markets in 2024. Terrible ship (dingy and timeworn), but better choices of excursions on Scenic, I felt. Also, Scenic doesn’t “tip” you repeatedly (ask for tips for every excursion and at the end). Food was comparable. Spa service on Scenic was outstanding. My wife said she had the best facial of her life and the same person gave me the best therapeutic massage I’ve ever had. Going back to Viking in 2026 for their Portugal offering.

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

Thanks for the great feedback. Quite interesting on Scenic given their price point. We haven't tried them yet, were considering their sister line, Emerald (which prices out less than Scenic and usually newer ships but not as luxe) Thanks so much for sharing your comparison.

[@dorothyguild6940]

My first River cruise was the Viking cruise to Normandy. It was such a horrible experience from beginning to end I said I would never do another river cruise. However I relented and tried Avalon and have since been on 3 cruises with Avalon so far. First I was told if I wanted to fly on another airline other than the one they recommended it would cost me $50 extra to choose my preferred airline; however I was told they didn’t use that airline and was only offered another choice. When I called them on this, all of a sudden they could accommodate me. They booked my friend and I the last seat in front of the restroom which didn’t recline. When asked about our seats on the return flight we got no information. We called the airline and paid to get a good seat. We were told they docked in Paris only to learn they docked 45 minutes outside Paris. Once we found that out we asked how often their bus we went into and out of Paris and were told on the hour. Another lie the bus went in to Paris in the morning and returned to pick up guests at the end of the tour and at 5 pm We booked a Paris after dark tour and as the bus was pulled away we were told the city wouldn’t be lit up when we got there. The tour was too early and only the Eiffel Tower was lit. As the bus headed back to the ship the lights went on. Meals were just so so and tour groups were much larger than those on Avalon. The cruise director was personable only he saw you outside of a group- then he walked by as if he didn’t see you. Our waiter was very sweet but didn’t know my friend was allergic to shellfish even though she wrote it down and she almost had a salad with shrimp in it. It wasn’t labeled on the buffet. We were offered a $300 credit on another cruise which we never planned on using. We also heard complaints from other passengers. I will say the tour guides were very good

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

Thanks much for your reply and review. Glad you have found a home on the rivers with Avalon. They certainly have great cabins and we likewise found the experience quite positive in most areas. We just need to figure out when our next one will be :)

[@geograph-ology4343]

We have had cruises with Viking on their Grand European and Christmas market voyages. Service was great and the food was better than expected. Since then, we found AMA to offer more excursions and a better level of service. Viking did have better cookies and coffee in their lounge!

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

Cookies are an important measuring stick - I do agree! Glad you got a chance to try AMA. It's really tough to decide sometimes. The next one we'd like to try is Emerald. Do agree on the additional excursions - it's nice to have more choices and activity levels you prefer.

[@stevenschwartz-vf2lg]

I’ve been on a few Viking river cruise in addition to Viking ocean cruises. I’ve never experienced anything but graciousness and a warm desire to be helpful. But, of course, in everything, there can be exceptions. Perhaps there was a problem with the administrative staff or the officers involved with the staff and it affected the crew. Or something happened on a previous cruise. My late wife and I had the suite. We appreciated the spaciousness. Plus the beverage package is included with it plus free laundry.

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

Thanks for your comment. Agreed, as we acknowledged in the video, we feel a couple of our issues were more than likely exceptions and one-offs. I wouldn't think we'd see that next time. Just had to score it as we experienced it for an honest review. We still had a great time despite a few flaws.

[@noleman3369]

Thank you for a very unbiased and informative review. We’ve done eight cruises with Viking, seven of which are river. We have tended to stay in what they call the Swan rooms because of the value as we’re not in the room that much. The last two cruises we also noticed the sewer smell. Also perceived decline in service and quality of food. We might consider another Viking cruise, but we are now looking at other alternatives.

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

Thanks for your feedback. Glad you've had so many great trips. I think it can be a good idea to try another line at times. You either discover a new favorite, or return to your old favorite and appreciate it more (even with some flaws) -- but, we've found there are a lot of great competitors out there.

[@gacmasterful]

We did a Viking river cruise on the Douro river. Our experience was pretty similar to yours (except the smell issue). The tours were excellent, but the rest was so so. Dining was a long, drawn out affair that began around 7 pm and often did not end until 9:30 pm. Food choices were limited. Entertainment was non existent except for one evening when some Spanish dancers were brought on board. Our days were very regimented, leaving no time to explore the towns on our own because they had to cruise during the day. Overall, I would give it 3.5 stars.

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

Appreciate your feedback. We want to get to the Douro. On the list. Definitely some pros and cons. If people know these going in it actually makes for a better trip. Thanks for your feedback.

[@stevenschwartz-vf2lg]

I’ve been on a few Viking river cruise in addition to Viking ocean cruises. I’ve never experienced anything but graciousness and a warm desire to be helpful. But, of course, in everything, there can be exceptions. Perhaps there was a problem with the administrative staff or the officers involved with the staff and it affected the crew. Or something happened on a previous cruise.

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

Great to hear! I think by and large that should and will be the experience for most people.

[@trish247makeup]

We did the Rhine Amsterdam to Basel in Oct. We loved the staff and made friends with them. Food was ok. Loved the size of ship because it was intimate. Enjoyed chatting with fellow cruisers. We opted out of some excursions and did our own thing , which was nice. We would do it again! Viking Hervor!

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

Amazing. Glad you had such a nice experience. Agree, the fellow passengers bring a lot to the table (so to speak) and great to hear you had a positive staff experience. Hopefully you get back out there on another one soon.

[@trish247makeup]

@DigitalRoamadsDR thank you! I hope you guys get back out there too and have a wonderful time next trip aboard!

[@jeffreywagner5234]

Thank you! We are booked on a Xmas Market river cruise in 2027! 🚢

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

You will love it. Kinda hard to beat that time of year. Dress warm :)

[@crrizello5157]

Thanks for your honest review. We have done 2 Viking River cruises. We stay in the swan room to save money and the room is larger than French balcony. I don’t mind a small buffet as I have the same breakfast every day (yogurt, granola, fruit) so bypass most of the food. How did you get onboard credit? Great that they refunded it. We have had awesome stuff and some not as friendly also. I do want to try other lines also. We are happy though with fewer excursions as we like to venture out by ourselves. You are right about lack of tables for 2, only 2 and they are in Aquavit terrace.

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

When we booked it was through a cruise/river cruise agent who added some extra onboard credit as a gift. Glad you have had a chance to go on a couple - and are considering the next. We have some many great choices, lines, rivers - that becomes the hardest part. Which one?!

[@johndefalque5061]

I spent a few days in Cuxhaven on the Elbe estuary watching the sea hundes (seals), eating rollmops. The tide can come in as much as 15 miles. Much cleaner than the gross, busy beach at Lubeck-Travemunde. More remote and protected nature.

[@tedg4171]

Thinking about it. I also would opt for the French balcony but I see they have them on main deck and upper deck same size but which do you think would be better. Also which location do you think would be optimal, mid ship, front or back. Thanks for answering if you have time.

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

We ended up on the main deck - which seemed fine to us. I'm not sure it would have made a difference if we were one deck higher since moving through the ship is so easy. I suppose there could be a situation where you had a better view if a bit further up but we never noticed. I'd go for price - whichever is the lowest if it makes a difference. As for midship vs. front/back I don't think there's near the importance of that issue compared to ocean cruises where it can make a big difference. I'd probably let price and availability drive that decision.

[@stevenschwartz-vf2lg]

With Viking, for a single traveler, there isn’t the discount that you get with Amawaterways. If I travel as a single, I take Amawaterways for that reason. If I have a friend, Viking is fine since there isn’t any price difference between single and double.

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

Grea to know. And Ama is certainly a nice choice.

[@barbaramoor391]

I just signed up for this cruise because Grand Circle did not have dates available. The service on GC was wonderful. The crew are treated well and are a very happy family. There is a real love for each other that shows and lots of laughter and camaraderie. Wonderful experience. 9 am tours which I prefer.. This Viking is showing 8:30 am tours which is too early for me and will make breakfast impossible. This does not sound promising.

[@cyenglert]

We were on the Rhine in The Fall and it was the first time on Viking. We were very disappointed. Our cabin smelled like sewage for the first 3-4 days of the cruise. The service was poor. We had three disappointing situations that necessitated calling customer service. Not sure we’ll do Viking again.

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

That's interesting - was certainly hoping that our experience was a clear exception. And, from other feedback here, that does seem to be the case many times. Just unfortunate when these things happen and it isn't addressed. Which is usually all we ask, just address it. We're really patient otherwise and pretty easy passengers with few needs.

[@kdub1666]

Good review. I haven't heard too many good things about Viking river cruises other than they are the OG and tend to get the closest dock position at port. Their website says they collect discretionary gratuities (prepaid or daily). Viking River Cruise must have a heavy advertising budget as I see daily ads. I see they had an initial public stock offering in 2024 so they will be heavily motivated to meet/beat quarterly revenue/profits any way possible.

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

The good news is we still had an amazing trip and the Christmas Markets lived up to expectations. We probably got a bit unlucky on a few things. But it’s better for people to know what to expect. Good and not as good. Makes for a much better trip. Thanks so much for your feedback.

[@johndefalque5061]

Wow-cold service! They are pricier than an ocean cruise I hear. Limited menu. I found the youth hostels to be a bad value in Germany-barracks. The guesthouses were far better, own private room and free breakfast. Cheap, cheery and private. Smell-that can't be good!

[@johndefalque5061]

Sewage smell-yuck! What about smoking? On a small ship, one smoker could piss off everyone on board! I wish the damn habit would just die FFS! I would rather vaping ne permitted everywhere than smoking anywhere, better yet chew!

[@barbaramoor391]

I just signed up for this cruise because Grand Circle did not have dates available. The service on GC was wonderful. The crew are treated well and are a very happy family. There is a real love for each other that shows and lots of laughter and camaraderie. Wonderful experience. 9 am tours which I prefer.. This Viking is showing 8:30 am tours which is too early for me and will make breakfast impossible. This does not sound promising.

[@DigitalRoamadsDR]

I'm not sure which Viking cruise/itinerary you booked on. I can say with the Christmas Markets we didn't have many required early mornings - but we've been on others where there are more frequent, earlier tours. I think you'll more than likely be fine on the crew experience - we just had some bad luck. It happens sometimes ship to ship. For example, we are on Oceania Vista (ocean cruise) no and the crew has been amazing. We did another Oceania a year ago and it was quite different. Sometimes just luck of the draw but more times than not I'd expect it to be very good.