New Viking Longboats (2012/2013): Experiences?

[In Retirement]

I would expect that at least a number of Cruise Critic readers have some experience in taking river cruises and have, over the last two years, taken one of the many new Viking longboats with suites, balconies, french balconies and elevator with offset hall to allow larger/smaller cabins.

 

Because we will be taking a new 2014 ship next June, I am especially interested in comparisons and experiences to all existing boats and new experience opportunities, but also believe that by now many people including a significant number here should have an interest in comparing any boats before 2012 with this new design, whatever river and itinerary. Am I correct? Very interested in hearing about the good, the bad, and the ugly (they certainly look like they are easy on the eyes!).

DJ:)

[janmcn]

We're on the Viking Skadi now, a longboat that was launched in March this year. We had never cruised on a river, so didn't know what to expect. Yes, the cabins are teeny...but very well designed. Once we put our clothes away, we realized there was plenty of room for our 14-day cruise. The lighting is great in the room, the shower is adequate for space. we have 3 110 plugs and 2 220 plugs around the room in good areas, so plenty of recharging abilities! The rooms have large flat-screen, with a large mirror next to it so you feel like the room is larger. All rooms have a real refrigerator that can hold wine, etc.

We are totally loving this cruise and look forward to booking another Viking cruise...the staff is excellent, food is too good, service is fast in the DR, and the tours have been very good so far. We are half-way today, so have another week on board. I have no complaints about this ship or itinerary (Budapest to Amsterdam) at all...other than perhaps having a few more sunny days? ;-)

[Bet & Peg]

janmcn ~ great review - what type room do you have?

 

Thanks much! Hope your cruise continues to be a good on and you sail into sunny days!

[In Retirement]

We're on the Viking Skadi now, a longboat that was launched in March this year. We had never cruised on a river, so didn't know what to expect. Yes, the cabins are teeny...but very well designed. Once we put our clothes away, we realized there was plenty of room for our 14-day cruise. The lighting is great in the room, the shower is adequate for space. we have 3 110 plugs and 2 220 plugs around the room in good areas, so plenty of recharging abilities! The rooms have large flat-screen, with a large mirror next to it so you feel like the room is larger. All rooms have a real refrigerator that can hold wine, etc.

We are totally loving this cruise and look forward to booking another Viking cruise...the staff is excellent, food is too good, service is fast in the DR, and the tours have been very good so far. We are half-way today, so have another week on board. I have no complaints about this ship or itinerary (Budapest to Amsterdam) at all...other than perhaps having a few more sunny days? ;-)

 

Thank you so much for your feedback. Hope your second week is as favorable as your first? Any surprises? Any plans for when you arrive in Amsterdam (Spent our last Amsterdam week in a VRBO rental a couple of years ago and especially enjoyed museums including the new Hermitage and the nearby Rembrandt house)? If you have no made arrangements to airport, train provides efficient and inexpensive transport.

DJ:)

[janmcn]

As of now, we have had relatively poor weather...but that has not dampened anyone's spirits on board. Our CD is delightful and helpful all the time. The big difference we notice between this and an ocean cruise is that there is very little down time. We need an ocean cruise after this to recover!

We have the French Balcony (sliding door for a window) and enjoy it, but the aquarium level would have been fine, too..in fact we saw swans in front of the windows this morning probably looking at their reflections.

The laundry service on board has been quick...clothes back within the day. (We're only sending out shirts, pants, and pjs...the rest I do in the bathroom...which has heated floors...sooo...the socks go on the floor of the shower where they dry nicely overnight while leaving the clothesline for the undies.)

Again tonight we ate in the Aquavit Lounge and had the chili which was excellent.

We also have a pianist on board (Sylvia) which is very talented. In addition they bring assorted entertainment from the area on for an evening. Last night it was a glass blower who was fantastic! His show is not to be missed...what a character and so talented (works with Chuhily). We bought some of his items today while in Wertheim where he works.

Absolutely no negatives about this cruise at all...Viking does a great job.

 

 

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[jan can]

We are a week behind you, on the Var. Accurate descriptions other than our bathroom floor heating isn't too consistent. For anyone coming after us, the weather should be good. This rain is abnormal according to,the guides. Everything is very efficient.

 

One thing I would mention is that Viking has done well with elevator for those that need it. Unfortunately these old cities aren't as well designed. A fellow using a scooter was unable to find an accessible washroom in Vienna.

 

Dinners are leisurely. Great service. Many interesting folks to share meals with.

 

Teeny describes the room size. It's very efficient. With this inclement weather, a balconey would be wasted. For warmer weather, it would be lovely. We are enjoying the French balconey. If you spend most of your time in other parts of the boat, the lower level would be fine too. Absolutely no complaints heard from those that have them.

[Orlandocruiser]

[quote name=In Retirement;39943790

Because we will be taking a new 2014 ship next June' date='

DJ:)[/quote]

 

Which ship will you be taking? We will be on the Idi in June - Amsterdam to Budapest.

[MalibooNewYork]

@janmcn,

really enjoying your posts.

[In Retirement]

Which ship will you be taking? We will be on the Idi in June - Amsterdam to Budapest.

 

We will be on the Rhine (Basel/Amsterdam) June 13/June 20 on the Gullveig that goes into service late March 2014! Am really hoping to hear from passengers who can either compare this group of new ships to either Viking's older ones, or to those from other river cruise companies. We reach Amsterdam 20 June, then do Belgium for six nights (now thinking 3 nights Brugge, 3 nights Brussels) and then return to Amsterdam 26 June for a RT Norwegian Fjords 12-night cruise on the Celebrity Constellation before returning to Houston on 9 July. As this will be our first river cruise, and reading all about the floods last June, decided to start with a one-week experience (had to still be in June because of my wife's work schedule and the Norway cruise also being in June.) Hope you have the opportunity to experience some of Amsterdam, a couple of years ago we did the Constellation's Baltic cruise RT Amsterdam to which we attached a week in Paris before and a week in Amsterdam after. Rented a ground floor flat on the Prinsengracht canal, walking distance from the museumplein and really enjoyed the city.

DJ:)

[franski]

We will be on the Rhine (Basel/Amsterdam) June 13/June 20 on the Gullveig that goes into service late March 2014! Am really hoping to hear from passengers who can either compare this group of new ships to either Viking's older ones, or to those from other river cruise companies.

 

We were on the Aegir earlier this year --> our first cruise with Viking, but our 6th river cruise over all.

 

We travel Aquarium class, and the Viking Longships have the best staircase down to the lower level. It is wide, and straight - with a good rise/run on the steps and a solid hand rail. We didn't feel as if we were heading down towards steerage....:D

 

We had a sliding door into the bathroom - and this saved on space in the cabin. Rooms are tiny, but make good use of the space.

 

The Aquavit Terrace is lovely. We did not eat there , but enjoyed sitting there and enjoying the coutryside as we sailed along. There were awnings so you could sit out even if it was raining.

 

The Longships have a Concierge as well as a CD --> we used the Concierge's services on a couple of occasions. This also frees up the CD --> so we felt we were well attended to.

 

The dining room was noisy - but not surprising when you get around 180 people in there.

 

Not sure if this is the type of info you were looking for....

 

Fran

Edited September 19, 2013 by franski

[In Retirement]

We were on the Aegir earlier this year --> our first cruise with Viking, but our 6th river cruise over all.We travel Aquarium class, and the Viking Longships have the best staircase down to the lower level. It is wide, and straight - with a good rise/run on the steps and a solid hand rail. We didn't feel as if we were heading down towards steerage....:D

 

We had a sliding door into the bathroom - and this saved on space in the cabin. Rooms are tiny, but make good use of the space.The Aquavit Terrace is lovely. We did not eat there , but enjoyed sitting there and enjoying the coutryside as we sailed along. There were awnings so you could sit out even if it was raining.The Longships have a Concierge as well as a CD --> we used the Concierge's services on a couple of occasions. This also frees up the CD --> so we felt we were well attended to.

 

The dining room was noisy - but not surprising when you get around 180 people in there.Not sure if this is the type of info you were looking for....

Fran

 

Thanks. These are the sort of observations of great value. Considering the volume with new ships and the popularity of Amsterdam/Basel; Basel/Amsterdam across companies, had hoped for a slew of comments, observations on how the new ships are better or worse than the previous generation (seems from reading Vantage catalogs that they do not have any new ships?). Really wanted our first river cruise to have a good chance of being really positive (and if it isn't, at least it would be relatively short and paired with a subsequent positive (hopefully) land experience to Belgium and a longer ocean cruise to Norway as a balance!

 

Hoping to hear from others -- can't estimate really how many people have done river cruises and are active on Cruise Critic. I'll assume the vast majority have extensive ocean cruise/Cruise Critic experience.

DJ:)

[huntersyaya]

We did a Danube cruise with Viking last year on a new longboat and then we did the Rhine with Viking this year on a slightly older boat. Both were excellent. We had friends in all levels of cabins so we got to see and compare. The windows in the lower level on the longboats are not as big as the windows in the lower level on the older ships. The french balcony rooms on the longboats were actually a little smaller that the lower level rooms. We would have been happy anywhere on the ship. We were hardly ever in our rooms. We did enjoy the Aquavit lounge for lunches outside. Hope you enjoy your trip as much as we have enjoyed ours the last two years. We mets lots of great people and really had a wonderful time. No complaints.

[id4elizabeth]

We took the 14-day Basel to Amsterdam cruise a few years ago on the Viking Sun, and although the ship was fine, it was looking in need of a facelift. We have not been on one of the longships (scheduled for one in April 2014). But I can compare it to ocean cruises on Princess. The cabins on an "old model" river ship are a smaller than those on a mini-suite on Princess by quite a bit. We're scheduled for one of the Veranda suites on the longboat, and would imagine that would be comparable to a Princess mini-suite, but the regular longboat cabins I would compare in size to an interior Princess cabin.

 

The big difference of course is the rest of the ship - no five restaurants to chose from, no casinos, no big spas, no big "shows", etc. This is true though whether it's an "old style" river ship or a longboat.

 

We prefer river cruising, as it's port intensive, you meet a lot of really fascinating people on the ship as it's more intimate, no long boring sea days. Just a different experience. With the way (I think) you have your trip planned you will have a bit of everything.

[In Retirement]

We took the 14-day Basel to Amsterdam cruise a few years ago on the Viking Sun, and although the ship was fine, it was looking in need of a facelift. We have not been on one of the longships (scheduled for one in April 2014). But I can compare it to ocean cruises on Princess. The cabins on an "old model" river ship are a smaller than those on a mini-suite on Princess by quite a bit. We're scheduled for one of the Veranda suites on the longboat, and would imagine that would be comparable to a Princess mini-suite, but the regular longboat cabins I would compare in size to an interior Princess cabin. The big difference of course is the rest of the ship - no five restaurants to chose from, no casinos, no big spas, no big "shows", etc. This is true though whether it's an "old style" river ship or a longboat. We prefer river cruising, as it's port intensive, you meet a lot of really fascinating people on the ship as it's more intimate, no long boring sea days. Just a different experience. With the way (I think) you have your trip planned you will have a bit of everything.

 

You'll certainly have, with a suite, a separate sitting area and both kinds of balconies. With the new longboats with an offset hall and different types of cabins to port and to starboard it was both a financial and logistical challenge to select a cabin. Of course, when I started out in August pulling together the basic bones of next summer's outing I got my first surprise that on all sort of June and July sailings all sorts of categories were sold out, or only a couple of cabins (yes, including the two that cost 2X or 3X the cost of the next category! -- my thought is such prices should come with a private dinning room and private tours!) so we jumped around alot to find elements that worked together. I expect the cabin for just a verandah cabin will be smaller than a Princess balcony cabin and I understand the possible limitations of a verandah on a river cruise. It seems that Viking often moves the boat at night in the dark and, in deed, we'll be the most social for this week (then we have a week alone, then a week with a very large balcony and maybe just talking with others sometimes on a few port excursions!).

DJ:)

[ourWorldnow]

Is "Aqarium class" the "standard" stateroom (class E and F) on the lower level?

[nana541]

Is "Aqarium class" the "standard" stateroom (class E and F) on the lower level?

 

 

Yes, the bottom floor with the higher up windows.

 

 

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[banditoo]

Is "Aqarium class" the "standard" stateroom (class E and F) on the lower level?

Yes, nicknamed Aquarium class as the part of the room below the windows is below the water line. Surprisingly, on the long ships, these rooms are larger than the French balcony rooms.

[ourWorldnow]

Any complaints you've heard from people who chose and are occupying those "Aquarium" rooms?

[banditoo]

Any complaints you've heard from people who chose and are occupying those "Aquarium" rooms?

I haven't read anything negative about the standard rooms and in fact read enough favorable things that we booked Aquarium for our Rhine Getaway next year. There is quite a bit of info on other threads about the various rooms. You could use the search function and search 'aquarium' or 'standard room' . This is one thread with some info http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2052411

[franski]

Any complaints you've heard from people who chose and are occupying those "Aquarium" rooms?

 

We always book Aquarium class --> saving money for the next trip.

 

As mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, we found the staircases on the Viking Longships the best we have experienced on any line (we have travelled Uniworld, AMA and Scenic in the past).

 

There are some who will only travel with a balcony (French or "real') but it isn't worth the extra money for us. We booked French balcony once - on our 2nd river cruise - and made the conscious decision at that time to always go for the lowest category.

 

Fran

[FuelScience]

We've cruised on the Viking Sun, and last year on the MS Vienna (leased) before taking our first longboat cruise this spring. We had a French balcony cabin, and 135 sq. ft. is very small. I think that I would have preferred aquarium class (150 square feet). If you look at the room diagrams on the Viking web site, you'll notice that both of those cabins only have a small desk chair, so if you want to sit in your cabin, it's pretty much sitting on the bed. Of course, you won't spend much time in the cabin. You'll be in the lounge or up top most of the time you're cruising.

 

FuelScience

[ABQcruiser]

Aquarium class--so much more appealing than bilge!

I can speak about the Standard rooms on Main deck on the new Forseti (just back from Bordeaux) and on the older Prestige (Prague to Paris in 2013).

The older ship's standard cabins were larger, with space for two chairs in front of the window. And at 5'1", I could see out the window to commune with the ducks by standing on my tip toes.

In the new Forseti, fresh, bright, and lovely, the window was 2-3 inches higher, so I had to pull out the stool from under the desk to really look out the window. And the window was not flush with the wall but set in over a bulkhead space--where the two chairs sat in the older Prestige.

So the window height and the space for chairs were important differences for me. Otherwise, storage, bathroom, etc. of the standard cabins were not different in any meaningful way.

As for the rest of the ship, the older ship had a dedicated library room at the stern, a quiet space. The newer ship has a library wall in the center of the ship, near two computers, above the main desk. The dining room, Aquavit Terrace, and other public spaces are comparable.

Alice

[ABQcruiser]

Yes, nicknamed Aquarium class as the part of the room below the windows is below the water line. Surprisingly, on the long ships, these rooms are larger than the French balcony rooms.

 

I've been in the Standard room of the "Main Deck" of the older Prestige and New Forseti. The window is not below the water line, as you can see on any ship photo. We do get splashes on the window when moving fast or passing another boat's wake. Also the window is generously sized to let in plenty of light.

Alice