an old company with a new venture - Viva Cruises by Scylla

[notamermaid]

Or how would you put it?

 

Scylla is a long-established company behind many ships on the rivers, those are chartered out - whole seasons, part seasons or years - to river cruise companies and operators, you will no doubt recognize these names: Treasures, Grace, Joy sailing for Tauck and the George Eliot and Oscar Wilde, among others, sailing for Riviera Travel UK. They have also teamed up with German companies, like NickoCruises in the shape of the NickoVision. https://scylla.ch/en/ships

 

Last year Scylla moved onto the market with their own river cruise company Viva Cruises, based in Düsseldorf: https://www.viva-*****/

 

Here is the article that deals with the move onto the North-American market: https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/news-headlines/viva-cruises-launches-to-north-american-trade-under-joni-rein/

 

Well, they all want a slice of that big, fat American river cruise market cake...

 

I have had a look at the offers on the German market and must admit they look appealing, especially knowing cruises are on ships (some) designed for the Anglo-speaking world. In my humble opinion: Not bad, not bad at all.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited October 16, 2019 by notamermaid
clarification

[Host Jazzbeau]

Yes, fat Americans are a big market!  [I know that's not what you meant, but I couldn't resist – any more than I can resist a Krispy Kreme or 3 when the light is on!!!]

[Host Jazzbeau]

But seriously, if they can truly deliver "incredible value with per diems starting at approximately $100 per person/per day, an all-inclusive on-board experience and, most importantly, a consistent high-touch on-board service delivery" this will be a very welcome addition to the river cruise scene.

[acwmom]

Very interesting! Will definitely add them to our list.

 

Robin

[Roz]

Looks interesting.  Thank you for the information.  I would never have known about this line.

[jo-b]

Just been on Thomas Hardy a Riviera Travel cruise owned & operated by Scylla and could not fault them. 

 

We will have to look at  their own offering too now! 

[FuelScience]

They also offer some intriguing itineraries that are generally not available to North American (English-speaking) cruisers.

[notamermaid]

44 minutes ago, FuelScience said:

They also offer some intriguing itineraries that are generally not available to North American (English-speaking) cruisers.

Yes, I have had a good browse on their German website, "window shopping" and the US website as well. A lovely short German Christmas market cruise looks really good. The Düsseldorf to Trier Summer itinerary that they offer in German and Dutch is also nice. Of the English language ones I have posted one in the Elbe thread.

 

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday is that their ships are of various size - for the Elbe a special size is essential of course - but also on the Rhine the sizes vary. And for the Seine they use the Jane Austen who will be redeployed for 2020 from the Rhine ((cry, disappointed)). The Jane Austen is 110m so can dock in Paris city.

 

Smart thinking, but then I expect no less from Scylla. Smile.

 

notamermaid

 

[jo-b]

I couldn't tell definitively but  from the US site it seemed that  excursions were an optional extra. Is this any clearer on the German site?

[notamermaid]

30 minutes ago, jo-b said:

I couldn't tell definitively but  from the US site it seemed that  excursions were an optional extra. Is this any clearer on the German site?

Good question. On the German website it lists what they include in "all-inclusive" and the excursions are not mentioned among these. They are listed under a separate header called Ausflüge. Paying for excursions separately is a standard among German lines, so I reckon this is the case here also. When I have looked at prices in the past they seemed reasonable. I was pleased with the excursions I had booked on my cruise.

 

Some people may not like this approach but the advantage of it is of course that you can tailor the on-shore time according to your needs and interests.

 

notamermaid

 

[acwmom]

2 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Good question. On the German website it lists what they include in "all-inclusive" and the excursions are not mentioned among these. They are listed under a separate header called Ausflüge. Paying for excursions separately is a standard among German lines, so I reckon this is the case here also. When I have looked at prices in the past they seemed reasonable. I was pleased with the excursions I had booked on my cruise.

 

Some people may not like this approach but the advantage of it is of course that you can tailor the on-shore time according to your needs and interests.

 

notamermaid

 

It is the same on the American site, and, I agree, the prices are very reasonable. I would much rather pay for the shore excursions I wanted, and have my drinks included onboard

 

Robin

[notamermaid]

Viva Cruises gets its first ship dedicated to the line, exclusively sailing from 2020 and for that the said ship "Swiss Tiara" will be refurbished and renamed the "Viva Tiara", article in German: https://binnenschifffahrt-online.de/2019/10/featured/11292/viva-cruises-bringt-erstes-eigenes-schiff-auf-rhein-und-donau/

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Here is another article on the Swiss Tiara: https://www.cruisetradenews.com/viva-cruises-first-owned-river-ship/ 

She is currently in a shipyard in Boven-Hardinxveld in the Netherlands and due to sail under her new name for the first time on 15 March.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

FuelScience has previously mentioned the itineraries usually not available to the North-American market. I came across such a cruise in a blog. A splendidly detailed review of a trip taken with Viva Cruises on the Junker Jörg in Autumn (September) 2019 really sold me to the idea of a trip in the North-Eastern most part of Germany. It was a return river cruise Stralsund to Stettin in Poland. Being a fan of the (North Eastern) "Brick Gothic", Wismar and having enjoyed Stettin (Szczecin in Polish) this sounds great.

 

My problem: that review in German I cannot link as the website is affiliated to an online travel agent.  So here is my idea: look on google for Herbstzauber auf den Ostseeinseln Junker Jörg. That should find it.

 

On the Viva Cruises website it is: https://www.viva-*****/us/cruisedetail/?id=14&startDate=2020-07-04&dur=7&endDate=2020-07-11&adults=2&children=

 

For an explanation of Brick Gothic architecture look here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_Gothic

 

It is intriguing to think that the area is in Germany but as regards landscape and architecture so different from where I live.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Time flies. It is exactly two years since I last posted on this thread. Much has happened since in the world.

 

Viva Cruises have since, despite hiccups and setbacks, been able to establish themselves on the German market. If it had not been for the ongoing situation, the company would have done better in overseas markets. The introduction to US customers had taken place (see above).

 

They started into 2021 with four ships: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2770416-viva-cruises-starting-with-4-ships-in-2021/#comment-60724113

 

We all know about the rocky and belated start to the season. For Viva Cruises it was worse, with a fire in the engine room of the Viva Inspire in June. The MS Grace took over the itineraries while the Inspire was being repaired.

 

For 2022, Viva Cruises wants to make themselves known further, also in the UK. Travel Weekly took an itinerary to the test in 2021: https://travelweekly.co.uk/destinations/europe-new-river-operator-viva-cruises

 

But Viva Cruises also took the unusual decision to offer off-season cruises during January and February: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tourism/viva-cruises-adds-winter-river-sailings

 

This is the info from seatrade cruise news: https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/ship-operations/river-cruising-already-underway-central-europe-owing-viva

 

The US pages of the Viva Cruises website: https://www.viva-*****/en-us/

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[CPT Trips]

Looks interesting. It appears that touring/excursions will be extra cost, so keep that in mind when comparing trips. https://www.viva-*****/en-us/excursions

[CPT Trips]

On 10/16/2019 at 5:33 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

Yes, fat Americans are a big market!  [I know that's not what you meant, but I couldn't resist – any more than I can resist a Krispy Kreme or 3 when the light is on!!!]

Krispy Kreme? Give me.

 

[notamermaid]

Viva Cruises have teamed up with a company in Frankfurt to provide e-bikes and e-motorbikes for their river cruise passengers that like it active and mobile. But unusually this also gives Viva Cruises the opportunity to cater to those guests who may have mobility issues as the provider called "vroom" also offers e-scooters. The press release is only in German so far: https://www.viva-*****/presse

This is the company "vroom": https://vroomrental.com/en/startseite/

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The Viva One will be christened in Düsseldorf on 31 March. Godmother is Judith Rakers, a household name in German news television. This article says that the ship will be docked right at the old town, which gives locals a great chance to see the ceremony from quite close. Would be a bit of a distance to travel on the day, but I am tempted to go. https://www.tip-online.at/news/49160/viva-cruises-tauft-viva-one/

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Viva Cruises want to increase their presence (and their market share) in the UK by publishing their first English-language catalogue: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tour-operators/viva-cruises-looks-to-boost-uk-presence-with-release-of-first-english-brochure

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Sounds good we’re going to have to re-start the ferries across to Holland to by pass France if we want to see the rest of Europe at the moment.

[notamermaid]

Well, Harwich to Hoek van Holland still exists.  But Dover to Ostend may be an idea. Talking of no fly cruises: I wonder what Viva Cruises will offer there, a Eurotunnel package should be in really. So easy to get to Cologne or Düsseldorf by train, errr, em, slight cough, normally.

 

notamermaid

 

[steamboats]

They just had an international media group onboard the new VIVA One.

 

steamboats

[notamermaid]

On 7/25/2022 at 4:09 PM, steamboats said:

They just had an international media group onboard the new VIVA One.

 

steamboats

Viva Cruises is certainly busy trying to attract new international customers then. In the article linked above it says they will also be at the World Travel Market in London in November.

 

Here is some more info on the 2023 itineraries: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/cruise/viva-cruises-releases-2023-itineraries-for-new-vessel

A company spokesperson said earlier this year that the themed cruises between January and March had proven to be very popular. No wonder then that 2023 they will be offered again.

 

notamermaid

 

[UDChE89]

So, I booked the Danube Cataracts cruise on the MS Thomas Hardy departing Passau on 8/23.  Let me give you an idea of how this has all gone.  I started looking at Viva because I saw a YouTube video of someone who is taking a river cruise on Viva for under $1000 and I liked the look of the ship.

 

The company’s website was pretty easy to use especially since it automatically changed to English as soon as I got to the homepage.  I did not feel like the site was lacking any information.  Cruises and ships were described well.  The only error I saw was a notation of the wrong day of the week for the cruise start.

 

As I’m traveling alone, it seemed very easy for me to toggle between a one person or two person fare.  I was able to see all cabins and discovered that there was no single supplement for the Suite on this cruise.  Considering the price as a solo, it was much cheaper than a similar cabin on other lines.  Therefore, I booked the cabin.  The one hitch is that it wasn’t an instant booking.  Viva would send me my invoice within 24 hours from when I booked it last night.

 

The arrival of the invoice is when the interesting things happened.  First, the sent me the invoice in German.  I emailed them back and asked for an invoice in English and they sent one an hour later.  When I looked at the invoice, the price was lower than on the website for by quite a bit.  It was about two thirds of the price quoted on the website.  What I did not see was how to pay.  I then tealized, being a German company, they expected a wire transfer.  I remembered that this was common in Germany but not all that frequent in the US.  Unfortunately, my main bank doesn’t do international transfers so I’d have to get money from that bank the bring it to my secondary bank to wire.  I wanted to make sure this was required so I called their US number at 8 AM and left a message because they don’t open until 9.  At 9:30, I called again and spoke to their US representative.  When I asked about whether I could use a credit card, he said that I could but it would take a bit to get it set up since they’re just establishing themselves in the US.  I breathed a sigh of relief because the nearest branch of my main bank is a half hour away.  The rep told me he’d call me later today.  I also wanted to make sure there would be no additional charges and he stated there wouldn’t unless I booked excursions as they’re a la carte now but should be included next year.

 

When I didn’t hear back, I called at 16:30 to make sure I didn’t need to do anything today.  The rep said that they were working on it.  Though payment was due today, they won’t cancel the booking.  He should call me tomorrow morning to process the charge.

 

All in all, I’m pleased with the price and the response from the main office.  I think there’s only one rep in the US and he’s doing the best he can.  I will report if there are any other issues.