River Cruise Newbie - Lots of Questions!

[NM-Sheila]

We're taking our first cruise in Feb/March - Treasures of the Rhine on the Viking Alruna. I've been reading lots of posts here and have read practically everything on Viking's site, but I still have questions. Any answers/insights would be great!

 

1. I'm confused about how gratuities work:

 

The Viking website says there are two options, but they sound the same to me - I am clearly missing something.

 

Is it typical to tip in addition to the standard that the cruise "charges"? (I know it's in our discretion, but I'm trying to get a sense of what the crew might be expecting.)

 

Since the cruise is in Europe, I assume the crew would prefer Euros?

 

2. Do you typically have the same folks helping you the whole cruise, or is it more like a hotel where housekeeping might be done by one person one day, and a different person another day?

 

3. How small are the bathrooms/available "storage" space in the bathrooms? I'm having a hard time telling from the photos.

 

4. I've seen some comments about packing magnets, decorations, tape... all kinds of weird stuff. It seems to have to do with the walls being magnetic (??) or something to do with the doors on the cabins? Honestly, i have no idea if this is something I'm supposed to be thinking about.

 

5. What's the one piece of info or advice you'd give someone who's never done a river cruise (or any cruise!) before? I like to know what to expect, so even if it's info I can't really act on, it would be helpful.

 

Thank you!!

[CDNPolar]

13 hours ago, NM-Sheila said:

We're taking our first cruise in Feb/March - Treasures of the Rhine on the Viking Alruna. I've been reading lots of posts here and have read practically everything on Viking's site, but I still have questions. Any answers/insights would be great!

 

 

We just came off this cruise a month ago, on the same ship.  See my responses in RED BELOW:

 

We're taking our first cruise in Feb/March - Treasures of the Rhine on the Viking Alruna. I've been reading lots of posts here and have read practically everything on Viking's site, but I still have questions. Any answers/insights would be great!

 

1. I'm confused about how gratuities work:

 

The Viking website says there are two options, but they sound the same to me - I am clearly missing something.

 

Is it typical to tip in addition to the standard that the cruise "charges"? (I know it's in our discretion, but I'm trying to get a sense of what the crew might be expecting.)

 

Since the cruise is in Europe, I assume the crew would prefer Euros?

 

Viking calculate a daily gratuity per person amount that is payable in advance before you cruise or it is added to your account and payable on the ship.  There is really no difference between pre-paying or paying on ship, EXCEPT, if you pre-pay you are paying in the currency you booked the cruise in, and if you are paying on the ship you will pay in Euros in your case. 

 

Gratuities are a commonly discussed topic on CC and whether to give more is really up to you.  The Crew is not expecting more from you.  You may choose to reward one or two crew members with a gratuity on the side for exceptional service, but again, Viking Crew are NOT expecting this.

 

Typically you can tip Viking Crew additional in either USD or Euros, just never in coin form as if a crew member is not from a Euro country, coins cannot be exchanged to another currency.

 

Gratuities are encouraged for your tour guides and drivers, and we take enough USD $1's to cover this.  We typically give $2 to the driver and $4 to the guide.

 

2. Do you typically have the same folks helping you the whole cruise, or is it more like a hotel where housekeeping might be done by one person one day, and a different person another day?

 

Typically the same person every day.  We have always had the same Cabin Steward, but we were surprised on this cruise that one day we had someone new.  Viking Crew on this cruise had one full day off every two weeks and that was the day we had someone different.

 

River Cruise Crew counts are low.... 40's to 50's in crew numbers.  You will see the same crew every day in the lounge, the restaurant, and Guest Services.

 

3. How small are the bathrooms/available "storage" space in the bathrooms? I'm having a hard time telling from the photos.

 

On the Alruna there are two open shelves above the sink and two open shelves below the sink.  The area beside the sink is limited.  The bathrooms do lack storage space.  You kind of have to keep the most used stuff out and perhaps a ziplock bag on the lower shelf with the less used stuff.  That is what we do.

 

4. I've seen some comments about packing magnets, decorations, tape... all kinds of weird stuff. It seems to have to do with the walls being magnetic (??) or something to do with the doors on the cabins? Honestly, i have no idea if this is something I'm supposed to be thinking about.

 

The walls are all metal, and if you take magnets you can "pin" up your daily activities, or map, or calendar.  We don't bother with that.  I have also seen people who have found incredibly strong magnets that will allow them to hand the ship supplied robes and their coats.

 

Viking Guests don't decorate the doors.  In 10 Viking cruises, I have never seen this.  This is more of a mass market cruise line thing.  Don't worry about this on a Viking ship except and unless you want to somehow decorate your cabin to your taste.

 

5. What's the one piece of info or advice you'd give someone who's never done a river cruise (or any cruise!) before? I like to know what to expect, so even if it's info I can't really act on, it would be helpful.

 

We love river cruising.  160'ish people on board.  Very intimate.  You get to know many many people on a river cruise. There is only one dining venue (save for the Aquivit Terrace) and one lounge.  There is only one open sitting for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  You don't reserve tables, and tables on the Alruna are 6 or more.  There are not tables for two.  Breakfast is open for 2'ish hours and has a small buffet and omelette station or you can order off the menu.  Lunch is open for 2'ish hours and people come and go at different times in the open window because of different times that excursions leave and come back.  Dinner is essentially eveyone sitting down at the same time.  You go to the lounge for the Port Talk and whoever else is talking which is right before dinner and then everyone "runs" to get their table.  You will find some groups sit together every night, and some folks will switch it up each night and sit with others.  Sometimes it is who you talked with on excursion that day or who you sat with in the lounge before dinner.

 

Read the Viking Daily every night and know what tomorrow offers and the timing of everything.

 

Take a picture of the Viking Daily front page to know the location of the ship and the ship contact information in case you have to get back to the ship on your own.

 

If you are exploring on your own know the back on board time as the ship will not wait for you.

 

This was an enjoyable cruise for us and we would love to hear your review after.

 

Thank you!!

[JJK2008]

18 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

We just came off this cruise a month ago, on the same ship.  See my responses in RED BELOW:

 

We're taking our first cruise in Feb/March - Treasures of the Rhine on the Viking Alruna. I've been reading lots of posts here and have read practically everything on Viking's site, but I still have questions. Any answers/insights would be great!

 

1. I'm confused about how gratuities work:

 

The Viking website says there are two options, but they sound the same to me - I am clearly missing something.

 

Is it typical to tip in addition to the standard that the cruise "charges"? (I know it's in our discretion, but I'm trying to get a sense of what the crew might be expecting.)

 

Since the cruise is in Europe, I assume the crew would prefer Euros?

 

Viking calculate a daily gratuity per person amount that is payable in advance before you cruise or it is added to your account and payable on the ship.  There is really no difference between pre-paying or paying on ship, EXCEPT, if you pre-pay you are paying in the currency you booked the cruise in, and if you are paying on the ship you will pay in Euros in your case. 

 

Gratuities are a commonly discussed topic on CC and whether to give more is really up to you.  The Crew is not expecting more from you.  You may choose to reward one or two crew members with a gratuity on the side for exceptional service, but again, Viking Crew are NOT expecting this.

 

Typically you can tip Viking Crew additional in either USD or Euros, just never in coin form as if a crew member is not from a Euro country, coins cannot be exchanged to another currency.

 

Gratuities are encouraged for your tour guides and drivers, and we take enough USD $1's to cover this.  We typically give $2 to the driver and $4 to the guide.

 

2. Do you typically have the same folks helping you the whole cruise, or is it more like a hotel where housekeeping might be done by one person one day, and a different person another day?

 

Typically the same person every day.  We have always had the same Cabin Steward, but we were surprised on this cruise that one day we had someone new.  Viking Crew on this cruise had one full day off every two weeks and that was the day we had someone different.

 

River Cruise Crew counts are low.... 40's to 50's in crew numbers.  You will see the same crew every day in the lounge, the restaurant, and Guest Services.

 

3. How small are the bathrooms/available "storage" space in the bathrooms? I'm having a hard time telling from the photos.

 

On the Alruna there are two open shelves above the sink and two open shelves below the sink.  The area beside the sink is limited.  The bathrooms do lack storage space.  You kind of have to keep the most used stuff out and perhaps a ziplock bag on the lower shelf with the less used stuff.  That is what we do.

 

4. I've seen some comments about packing magnets, decorations, tape... all kinds of weird stuff. It seems to have to do with the walls being magnetic (??) or something to do with the doors on the cabins? Honestly, i have no idea if this is something I'm supposed to be thinking about.

 

The walls are all metal, and if you take magnets you can "pin" up your daily activities, or map, or calendar.  We don't bother with that.  I have also seen people who have found incredibly strong magnets that will allow them to hand the ship supplied robes and their coats.

 

Viking Guests don't decorate the doors.  In 10 Viking cruises, I have never seen this.  This is more of a mass market cruise line thing.  Don't worry about this on a Viking ship except and unless you want to somehow decorate your cabin to your taste.

 

5. What's the one piece of info or advice you'd give someone who's never done a river cruise (or any cruise!) before? I like to know what to expect, so even if it's info I can't really act on, it would be helpful.

 

We love river cruising.  160'ish people on board.  Very intimate.  You get to know many many people on a river cruise. There is only one dining venue (save for the Aquivit Terrace) and one lounge.  There is only one open sitting for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  You don't reserve tables, and tables on the Alruna are 6 or more.  There are not tables for two.  Breakfast is open for 2'ish hours and has a small buffet and omelette station or you can order off the menu.  Lunch is open for 2'ish hours and people come and go at different times in the open window because of different times that excursions leave and come back.  Dinner is essentially eveyone sitting down at the same time.  You go to the lounge for the Port Talk and whoever else is talking which is right before dinner and then everyone "runs" to get their table.  You will find some groups sit together every night, and some folks will switch it up each night and sit with others.  Sometimes it is who you talked with on excursion that day or who you sat with in the lounge before dinner.

 

Read the Viking Daily every night and know what tomorrow offers and the timing of everything.

 

Take a picture of the Viking Daily front page to know the location of the ship and the ship contact information in case you have to get back to the ship on your own.

 

If you are exploring on your own know the back on board time as the ship will not wait for you.

 

This was an enjoyable cruise for us and we would love to hear your review after.

 

Thank you!!

We've done Viking River cruising as well. Excellent job of description.

[NM-Sheila]

@CDNPolar - Thank you for the thoughtful and detailed response, it really helps (esp re tipping).

 

I thought of one more question, if you're up for answering it: We signed up mostly for the included excursions (plus a couple of the "extra" ones). They are often a two-hour or half-day tour. How does that work? Are we picked up and dropped off at/near the ship? So if the excursion is over at say noon, we'd be back at the ship at that time? If we wanted to just go explore on our own at that point, then I assume we'd just take a taxi or something into town and back? (Your comment about the ship not waiting for us made me think of this.)

 

Thank you again!!

[Daisi]

Not a Viking sailor, but this one I can answer. If your ship is docked in port, you will usually just walk off the ship and begin your tour. If there is a need for transport, there will be busses lined up and your CD will direct you to the right bus for your tour. 

 

During the tours, you will be given extra time to wander around on your own at the end. Your tour guide will let you know if there is a spot to meet to get back to the ship, or if you are docked in port, you can go back on your own. If you are in port for an extended time (ALWAYS check with the CD), you can go back and explore. However, a lot of times you cruise during lunch, so you will tour a different port in the afternoon. That is when the ship won't wait. Always make sure you have the contact # for the CD and ship reception on your phone, just in case something happens and you can't make it back. They will assist you in getting to the next port. Unlike ocean cruising, it's usually just down the road so a quick taxi drive.

 

Some people will skip the provided tour and just wander on their own, so they need to know when and how to return to the ship.

 

Another thing, because of the shorter times in port, and because times are very fluid, pre-arranging tours with 3rd parties can be difficult. Locks can break, water levels can rise or drop, and itineraries can be hastily re-arranged.  Just be prepared to enjoy yourself, don't worry about what "can" happen, that's what the Viking crew are there for.

[pontac]

18 hours ago, NM-Sheila said:

1. I'm confused about how gratuities work:

 

If you haven't paid in advance there il be an envelope placed in your room at the last evening for you to deposit cash, or you can pay with credit card at reception. We've never paid more than the recommended amount. (Nowadays gratuities are included on cruises booked in UK)

 

Viking recommend a daily amount to tip drivers & excursion guides. Most people seem to think that is by excursion then over tip. The difference between the US and Europe is that drivers and tour guide are well paid with free health care & etc. 

4 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

2. Do you typically have the same folks helping you the whole cruise, or is it more like a hotel where housekeeping might be done by one person one day, and a different person another day?

 

Yes. But there can be a crew change. If you're thinking tipping, see my answer to 1.

 

4 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

3. How small are the bathrooms/available "storage" space in the bathrooms? I'm having a hard time telling from the photos.

 

Your cruise is only 9 nights. I cannot think you'll have more stuff you need in a bathroom than there's space for. There's a shelf above the sink plus room for toothbrushes and toothpaste and a half length and a full length shelf below. You can see these in the 360 degree display

5 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

4. I've seen some comments about packing magnets, decorations, tape... all kinds of weird stuff. It seems to have to do with the walls being magnetic (??) or something to do with the doors on the cabins? Honestly, i have no idea if this is something I'm supposed to be thinking about.

 Seems to be something people do on ocean cruises. What would you need them for? There are two hooks on the door you can hang outside coats on. You get a daily info sheet delivered to your room the evening before with the times of departures and excursions. That's all you need, and the work surface will keep that. I'm not sure the walls are magnetic as they're padded. I wouldn't waste any time thinking about this.

 

5 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

5. What's the one piece of info or advice you'd give someone who's never done a river cruise (or any cruise!) before? I like to know what to expect, so even if it's info I can't really act on, it would be helpful.

 

One piece of advice? Relax and enjoy being pampered, being transported from place to place, having sightseeing organised for you.

 

Don't worry, it's enjoyable and relaxing. That's why so many of us are return cruisers. Get out of arrival hall, meet the Viking reps in their red jackets and once you get on the coach you can leave it all to Viking till you take your bag out the coach at the airport at the other end. No cooking, no dishwashing no worries.

[dd57]

One more suggestion - there is a lot of walking on Viking river cruise excursions, more so than ocean excursions in my experience.  Sturdy, broken in walking shoes are recommended for the many cobblestone streets.

[Kristelle]

14 hours ago, pontac said:

You get a daily info sheet delivered to your room the evening before with the times of departures and excursions.

 

 

can't speak for Viking - but on Scenic we did not get a paper version of this, it was uploaded each day on the TV screen.

 

(sometimes we took a photo if we wanted it with us to refer to anything).

[Host Jazzbeau]

51 minutes ago, Kristelle said:

can't speak for Viking - but on Scenic we did not get a paper version of this, it was uploaded each day on the TV screen.

 

(sometimes we took a photo if we wanted it with us to refer to anything).

I think Scenic is trying to get away from paper, but their Cruise Directors are resisting.  We had paper programs every day on both our Seine cruise in 2022 and our Douro cruise in 2023.

[Kristelle]

Perhaps it depends on your cruise director, I dont know.

 

But on our Scenic Amsterdam to Budapest cruise, it was electronically communicated via TVs in  our  cabin.

[pontac]

3 hours ago, Kristelle said:

can't speak for Viking - but on Scenic we did not get a paper version of this, it was uploaded each day on the TV screen.

 

 

That was true of our cruise with Scenic (one of the things we didn't like about Scenic*) but OP said they were going on a Viking Cruise and Viking deliver a 4 page Viking Daily newsletter to the cabin every night during dinner. Front page has locations and timings of places to be visited the following day. Other pages have info about the cities and countries being visited.

 

*(for our next trip with Scenic I am going to request of the 'butler' on the first day for a paper copy of the schedule to be in our cabin each day)

[CDNPolar]

19 hours ago, NM-Sheila said:

@CDNPolar - Thank you for the thoughtful and detailed response, it really helps (esp re tipping).

 

I thought of one more question, if you're up for answering it: We signed up mostly for the included excursions (plus a couple of the "extra" ones). They are often a two-hour or half-day tour. How does that work? Are we picked up and dropped off at/near the ship? So if the excursion is over at say noon, we'd be back at the ship at that time? If we wanted to just go explore on our own at that point, then I assume we'd just take a taxi or something into town and back? (Your comment about the ship not waiting for us made me think of this.)

 

Thank you again!!

 

We only did two optional excursions with this itinerary.  All the rest were included.  You can always break away from an included tour, especially if it is a walking tour, or very close to the ship.  Just always let your tour guide know that you are not going back with them, so they are not waiting or looking for you.

 

It is harder for me to really comment on this because we went during extremely high water levels when some of the traditional Viking docks were flooded, and we docked at alternate locations.  Some were a bus ride away.  This is where the Uber app can be your best friend.  I always price the city centre to the ship in advance on Uber just so that I know what the cost will be in advance.  

 

If you don't have the Uber App, I highly recommend it because your ride is tracked, billed directly to your credit card, or through PayPal as I have it, and you don't have to worry about cash or paying by card to the driver. You also don't have to worry about language or addresses.  You can also request drivers in Europe that speak English.

 

Sometimes, if we are within walking distance to the city centre - which often you are - we come back to the ship and have lunch and then go back into the city.  Again, just be mindful of the back on board time.

 

This was our first time on Viking River with a tap on and tap off the ship system, so Viking are aware if you have not made it back to the ship.  

[pontac]

20 hours ago, NM-Sheila said:

. They are often a two-hour or half-day tour. How does that work? Are we picked up and dropped off at/near the ship?

 

The included half day excursions are between mealtimes, so morning excursions allow you to have breakfast and they are back in time for lunch, afternoon excursions allow you to have lunch on board and are back before dinner. See my trip report photos of Viking Daily front page for examples of info you get about timings - 

 

20 hours ago, NM-Sheila said:

How does that work? Are we picked up and dropped off at/near the ship? So if the excursion is over at say noon, we'd be back at the ship at that time?

 

Yes. If bussing is needed then they'll be coaches at the closest point to the boat. If it's a walking tour the guide will be at the end of the boat's gangway.

20 hours ago, NM-Sheila said:

If we wanted to just go explore on our own at that point, then I assume we'd just take a taxi or something into town and back?

 

Most towns are by the end of the gangway. If not then take the Viking bus and tell the guide you're doing your own thing when you get to the town and check what time and where the coach back leaves. Or take a  card from boat's reception with the address of the mooring to show to a taxi if you want to make your own way back.

 

Viking Daily will state time boat leaves mooring but if doing your own thing double check with reception before leaving boat.

Edited February 7 by pontac

[ural guy]

NM-Sheila-  Lots of good info above.  Two things I didn't see mentioned, clothes and booze.  I see you're from New Mexico, on your cruise you can experience some damp cold you're not use to.  There are threads out there about wearing layers and the importance of good socks/footwear.  Pack for the worst and hope for the best.

 

Booze-  you can bring back wine or a favorite beer back on board, there is a small fridge in the room.  I typically buy a bottle of Bailey's to go with coffee, it's about 50% less than in states.  There are two machines adjacent the lounge where you can get a coffee or cappuccino. The dining room has drip coffee during serving hours.

 

We were on this cruise over Christmas, you'll have a great time.

 

*Magnets:  buy a fridge magnet at every stop, put them in order north to south (or south to north) as you acquire them.  Roughly 40-50 E by the end of trip.  Big return over time.

[NM-Sheila]

Just wanted to say how grateful I am for everyone's thoughtful responses! Thank you all for taking the time to help out a first-timer. @pontac - The photos of the Viking Daily did a lot to help me feel like I have an idea of what to expect, which is really helpful.

[Rebel54]

I'm an Avalon fan myself so I can't really give advice on Viking. I was going to suggest, if you haven't, search for Viking ship tours on YouTube. 🙂 

[franski]

Lots of good info...  The only thing I do not entirely agree with is the advice about tipping of local guides.  And - this is separate from the on-board gratuities. 

 

We always tip in local currency.  I feel it is unfair to expect a guide to have to go to a bank to change currencies. Not everyone wants (or can use) US dollars.

 

For most of the stops in Europe, you would use the Euro. If you need small "change", the front desk can usually assist with that.  Just my 2 cents worth here...

 

Fran 

[gnome12]

15 minutes ago, franski said:

Lots of good info...  The only thing I do not entirely agree with is the advice about tipping of local guides.  And - this is separate from the on-board gratuities. 

 

We always tip in local currency.  I feel it is unfair to expect a guide to have to go to a bank to change currencies. Not everyone wants (or can use) US dollars.

 

For most of the stops in Europe, you would use the Euro. If you need small "change", the front desk can usually assist with that.  Just my 2 cents worth here...

 

Fran 

I think tipping in Euros even in non-Euro countries in Europe is probably acceptable, because most people (or people they know) probably go regularly to Euro countries. (I agree that tipping in US$ would be a hassle.)

[CDNPolar]

On 2/5/2024 at 4:37 PM, NM-Sheila said:

We're taking our first cruise in Feb/March - Treasures of the Rhine on the Viking Alruna. I've been reading lots of posts here and have read practically everything on Viking's site, but I still have questions. Any answers/insights would be great!

 

 

Thank you!!

 

We were on the Alruna in December / January.  

 

Here is our video.

 

You will note the high water levels in some of the shots.