Age group on Viking

[cocacola86]

Just wondering were in our mid 30s but we think the crowd might be too old for us, but we love the intimate service, we sailed on Carnival, is river cruising better than Ocean cruising?

 

 

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[Cary Cruiser]

Just wondering were in our mid 30s but we think the crowd might be too old for us, but we love the intimate service, we sailed on Carnival, is river cruising better than Ocean cruising?

 

 

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The crowd will definitely be older than you. I am speaking from the stand point of having only one Viking river cruise which was recent, but here was the approximate break down from that cruise.

 

First off, I am 61, my wife 55. We like to "party" and have a good time. My wife was concerned that the crowd might be too old for us.

 

Of the 90 or so couples on board I would say about 40% were about our ages, give or take a couple of years, with about another 40% being older in their late 60's early 70's. Then about 10% younger than us, in their 40's and 50's, and the other 10% late 70's or early 80's.

 

Their was one couple about your age that was on their honeymoon and they were certainly the exception.

 

Is this group too old for you? Well that is something only you can decide. We managed to find several couples that were interesting and fun to be with. Understand too, that river cruising is a lot more low key than ocean cruising. No big musical shows, no casino, no disco, so spa. I think you get the picture.

 

On our cruise there was however, a group that seemed to be in the lounge every night drinking, dancing and listening to the piano player. Maybe that's something you would enjoy - maybe not.

 

Also understand that river cruising is expensive relative to something like a Carnival cruise. Most younger folks may not be willing or able to fork over the dough for a river cruise, so it tends to attract older people who have more money as would the really upscale ocean cruise lines like Windstar, Regent or Seabourn.

 

Putting the age question aside - river cruising and ocean cruising are 2 totally different animals. Spend some time on this forum and see if it is for you.

 

Just some food for thought...

[rjscott]

Cary Cruiser has explained the differences quite well, and I would like to add a few more.

Regarding the lack of "entertainment" onboard; the ships are much smaller than ocean liners, and therefore do not have the space for the production shows, the casinos, etc. However, in some cases the ship will overnight in a city, and you will be free to go into town, find a pub or club and enjoy yourself until you wish to return to the ship. The concierge on the ship will even advise you of popular (and safe) venues. When our Viking ship overnighted in Amsterdam, several couples walked into the Red Light district to see what that was all about. The concierge provided guidelines for what was appropriate and what was not (no photos,pls).

Also, regarding the more costly nature of river cruising; the ships are much smaller and therefore can carry fewer passengers than the megaliners like Carnival. However, there are many pluses to this. Most commonly, the ship can dock right at the base of a town, and you walk off the ship and immediately begin your included excursion. Or, you can decide to go off on your own, and again, use the services of the ship's concierge to help you decide what else there might be to do in the area and what costs you may incur. Unlike the ocean cruises, where the ship's excursion desk discourages passengers from going off on their own because that means they are losing sales of excursions for their cruise line, the river cruise lines are quite happy to share information with the passengers about independent sightseeing.

Also, included in the cost of your Viking river cruise is wine, beer and soda at lunch and dinner. And, unlike the ocean cruises where they inspect your bags upon your return from shore to make sure you aren't bringing back any alcohol, Viking encourages you to bring back wine and/or beer particularly from a port where that is a specialty. My husband brought back a few Belgian beers from a store in Antwerp to keep in our cabin refrigerator and share with friends we had made on the cruise.

I could go on, but I hope you get the gist. Please feel free to ask questions as you do your research.

[Ironcity]

We will be soon be on our 5th Viking cruise in the last 7 years. We have noticed that the average age has gradually been getting younger each year. I am 50 and my wife is 44. We have never been the youngest people on board, and each year it seems there are more people our age. Seems word is getting around that this can be a great alternative to doing several countries on your own.

[cocacola86]

So do you think people our age would enjoy this and not feel overwhelmed I guess you could say with older people? We like Ocean cruising for the caribbean but river cruising is probably the better way to go for Europe.

 

 

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[cocacola86]

Do they serve Coke?

 

 

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[rjscott]

It all depends on your mindset. Will it bother you not to be in the company of your peers? Or will you enjoy an opportunity to meet others who want to share their love of travel and hear about yours? Prior to our first river cruise, we had been on 17 ocean cruises, and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much more open and friendly the passengers were on our river cruise than I'd experienced on most of our ocean cruises. Right off the bat, we met another couple with whom we meshed and began having meals together and arranged to be in the same tour group together. Tables in Viking's dining room were for 6 or 8 and meals were open seating, and we met some really nice, fun people. Sometimes, if we were walking around on our own in a town after a tour, we'd spot a couple from our ship and they'd invite us to join them. We have some very interesting photos from those adventures.;)

Hope this helps.

And yes, Viking does serve Coke and Diet Coke , in bottles. Complimentary at lunch and dinner, for purchase in the lounge at other times. I am a Diet Coke drinker, so I bought a few at a market before sailing to keep in our cabin's fridge. It's my morning "coffee".

[Ironcity]

One of the many great things about river cruising is the ability to bring food, wine, beer etc back onto the ship. As a Coke fanatic myself I am always happy on board when I can have a bottle with my breakfast.

 

We have met many interesting people (both younger and older) while on these cruises. They are much smaller ships and everyone does eat dinner at the same time, so you see your fellow cruisers more often and recognize everyone after a few days. Even when you dock in a fairly large city you will run into your shipmates while in town. If you realize that you will not have the same entertainment options on board (no casino, no shows, no nightclubs etc) you would probably have a great time.

[notamermaid]

Hello cocacola86,

 

you ask about the age groups in general but said Viking in the header. Perhaps you might check or ask about the other cruise lines and their possible differences to Viking. The breakdown of the age group on the Transocean Belvedere was about 10% over seventy, 70% over fifty, 20% under fifty. The youngest couple looked about thirty only!

 

Please note that this is a German company and we had about 70% Germans and 30% Europeans on board.

 

I think the fact that the Belvedere has no lift contributed to reducing the average age of passengers. You may want to choose a cruise in summer with optional excursions like cycle rides to have some more active people on board.

 

Perhaps a TA could advice on the not so common cruise lines. Viking seems to have the biggest advertising share in America, but they are by far not the only ones sailing European rivers. :)

 

notamermaid

 

Frost on the ground this morning, really chilly, snow likely today!

[maddawg69]

We will be soon be on our 5th Viking cruise in the last 7 years. We have noticed that the average age has gradually been getting younger each year. I am 50 and my wife is 44. We have never been the youngest people on board, and each year it seems there are more people our age. Seems word is getting around that this can be a great alternative to doing several countries on your own.

 

That's great to hear. My wife and I are in our mid 40's and are doing our first Viking River Cruise this December. We can't wait.

[cocacola86]

Are all the shore excursions included? Which river cruise would you say is best for price, service, food?

 

 

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[Cary Cruiser]

Are all the shore excursions included?

 

This is complicated and can vary widely. But, on most lines, most excursions are included, but with some being optional. On some lines (mostly catering to Europeans) all excursions are optional, yet on other lines ALL excursions are included. Does that answer your question?

 

Which river cruise would you say is best for price, service, food?

 

Ahh...Grasshopper, you open up a big Pandora's box with this question. There will be many, many opinions here regarding this, and there are many fierce loyalties and strong allegiances on this forum. Value is in the mind of the beholder, and budget is in the wallet of the traveler. If there was only one answer to this question, then there would be only one river cruise company plying the rivers...but alas there are many, with many different styles and levels of quality to suite many different tastes and budgets.

 

I'll let somebody else chime in at this point.

Edited November 28, 2013 by Cary Cruiser

[peterdkiwi]

We did Avalon Basel to Amsterdam in July, first river cruise.

Ages similar to those described about, there were 4 under 30 who joined in on most thinks and appeared to have a very good time.

One of the factors that we took notice of when researching this trip was the time of arrive and departure times in each port, almost impossible to find out in advance. It was only another CC thread that advise that this cruise was better done Basel to Amsterdam rather than other way around. Could be personal choice, but it certainly worked for us as it gave us lots of time to do our own thing ashore, talking to the under 30's they said it was good so the could go ashore at nights after dinner to check out local bars and clubs.

Avalon also have one free tour every day and also paid extra tours if you want or plenty time to explore on your own

[nlsoftly]

Different cruise, but DH and I were in the group who spent evenings in the lounge talking and dancing and requesting various songs from the very talented piano player (bravo, Dimo, keep up the most excellent work!).

 

Group composition was fluid on the edges (new people came and went) but the core of about 10 people ranged from mid-twenties to celebrating his 88th birthday. Every decade between was well represented. There was a lot of laughter and talk focused on what happened today, what is going to happen tomorrow, and what happened on other vacations, with a strong sub-theme of what interesting was happening in each persons' life. One gent is planning an ascent to Everest base camp soon. Another was just nominated for the Pulitzer. No angst. No deep soul-searching.

 

It depends, I suspect, more on who is on the cruise with you. And how comfortable you are talking to and interacting with strangers.

 

As far as the question of which is best: ocean or river cruising. The number of answers is dependent on how many people are in the room. The two have similarities. The two are very different. Each individual has to answer that one for themselves.

 

Me? I love 'em both and plan to enjoy both as frequently as I can.

[Sparky333]

peterdkiwi - if you see this -

Why do you think this: "this cruise was better done Basel to Amsterdam rather than other way around."

 

I'm considering this itinerary but had been envisioning going Amsterdam to Basel.

 

Can you give me any hints to what makes the other direction better? Thanks.

[peterdkiwi]

Sparky 333

I was told the arrival and departure times in the various ports were better on the B to A cruise direction, cant compare as haven't done the other way and cruise companies will not give you the times

Also land tours vary slightly depending on direction and timing

[rjscott]

On Viking, typically there is an included walking tour in the a.m. of the village or town you've docked in. This was one of my favorite things about river cruising; the ability to walk off the ship and be in the heart of these charming European cities. After the included walking tour, we had the option to return to the ship or continue exploring on our own, our "leisure" time. Some days optional tours were offered during this leisure time. The optional tours were at an additional cost. If the ship has docked where a bus ride is necessary to commence the included tour, a guide rides along to give some background on the location(s) being visited, which was very informative and helpful. At those sites, we often had a lot of free time to explore, after being advised where and when to meet back up with our group for the returning bus.

We very much enjoyed the food on Viking. Breakfast was a substantial buffet with a chef preparing made to order omelettes, or you could order from a small set menu at the table if you preferred. Lunch was also a buffet of salads, soups and a chef preparing fresh pasta dishes. From a menu, you could order a sandwich, maybe a panini one day or a hamburger the next; a hot dish such as a schnitzel, and another choice. Dinner was a choice of appetizer, soup, salad, entrée and dessert. The entrée was a choice of meat (beef, pork, veal), chicken, seafood and a vegetarian selection. Some people did complain about the size of the portions, but the servers were more than ready to bring either an additional portion or a different choice. In addition to the dining room, Viking has the Aquavit Terrace, where they serve lighter meals. Depending on when you are sailing, this is a lovely option when the weather is pleasant. We ate lunch there our first day aboard, while the ship was docked. It was a bit cool out, but the sun was shining, and since the ship was not moving, it was quite pleasant. The food was very good, with a choice of sandwiches on freshly made bread, a soup, some salads to choose from and a pudding dessert.

As far as service, our experience with Viking's service was outstanding. Our cabin stewardess was nearly invisible, as she came and went during our breakfast and dinner hour. Our cabin was always sparkling and there were always more than enough plush towels, so to me, that speaks volumes. In the dining room, we did try to seat in one particular waiter's section, as we found him to be not only efficient, but quite charming and funny. Our Program Director was just the best. I'm sure she was besieged with questions daily, but I never saw that woman without a smile. She was so personable.

Edited December 2, 2013 by rjscott

[Sparky333]

Thanks Peter - I'll keep that in mind for a possible Rhine cruise.

 

To the OP's question on age -- my husband and I are in our 40s and were one of 3 couples that age on a recent Budapest - Bucharest cruise with Viking. Maybe a few were in their 50s and then on up. We did get joking comments from other passengers about "hanging out with all us old people" which is hard to respond to! I tried to make a light-hearted response like "oh we're all 25 inside our heads" which is possibly true :)

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and will book another river cruise -- the avg age was not a factor for us. But it depends on you and your expectations/desires. For me, traveling with a predominantly younger group, say in their 20s, would be, um, challenging I imagine. ;)