Questions about Embarkation Day

[bclay]

We will be taking our first Viking River Cruise in September, sailing the Rhine.   I have a few questions about embarkation day.   What time does boarding typically start?   Are cabins available upon boarding?  Is lunch served on Day 1?  And do people then come and go throughout the day, being back on ship for dinner, but then free to head back into town (Amsterdam in our case) for the late evening if we want?  Thanks in advance for any responses!  

 

 

[JJK2008]

24 minutes ago, bclay said:

We will be taking our first Viking River Cruise in September, sailing the Rhine.   I have a few questions about embarkation day.   What time does boarding typically start?   Are cabins available upon boarding?  Is lunch served on Day 1?  And do people then come and go throughout the day, being back on ship for dinner, but then free to head back into town (Amsterdam in our case) for the late evening if we want?  Thanks in advance for any responses!  

 

 

Unlike an ocean cruise you can board pretty early in the morning 10:00ish. With only 180 guests there are no "lines" to worry about. You just walk on and check in. Cabin should be available as soon as you board. Yes, lunch is served day 1 and yes you can come and go freely. Viking usually has a walking tour even on day 1 that you can participate in or go on your own. River cruising is way more relaxed and less structured than an ocean cruise. Enjoy your cruise. 

[Gourmet Gal]

2 minutes ago, JJK2008 said:

Unlike an ocean cruise you can board pretty early in the morning 10:00ish. With only 180 guests there are no "lines" to worry about. You just walk on and check in. Cabin should be available as soon as you board. Yes, lunch is served day 1 and yes you can come and go freely. Viking usually has a walking tour even on day 1 that you can participate in or go on your own. River cruising is way more relaxed and less structured than an ocean cruise. Enjoy your cruise. 

That’s interesting. True that embarkation isn’t very rigid and in general the vibe is more relaxed but otherwise I find most river cruises to be extremely structured.

 

If you board early your state room might not be ready but lunch and drinks should be available.

[sharkster77]

Even if your cabin isn't ready yet you will have access to both the dining room for lunch and the lounge to hang out.  When your room is ready someone will find you.  It's that simple.

 

When we checked in for our cruise in 2019, someone just asked for our names.  Nobody even looked at our passports to verify we were who we said we were.

 

I believe we were free to come and go as long as we were back for a 4:30 safety drill.

[CDNPolar]

Our latest river cruise - Treasures of the Rhine - we were on the ship at 11am, but did not get our cabin until almost 3pm.  Lunch was a buffet in the dining room and we were given a card to keep face up on the table wherever we were as crew came around looking for you as your cabin was ready.

[Canal archive]

Similar to our experience on Scenic super way to get to know a few of your fellow travelers.

[pontac]

14 hours ago, bclay said:

 What time does boarding typically start?   

 

Whenever you arrive, Just walk on board and check in at reception desk to left of entrance

 

14 hours ago, bclay said:

 Are cabins available upon boarding?

 

 If they've been cleaned. Explorer and Veranda suites are guaranteed room access at midday, all others at 3pm, but if they're ready before they're made available.

 

If your cabin is not ready when you arrive, then the lounge and bar, Aquavit lounge and sundeck  are places you can wait. There will also be guests who are waiting to depart in those spaces. (The downside of this is felt at the end of your cruise when you need to vacate your cabin by 8am.)

 

14 hours ago, bclay said:

Is lunch served on Day 1?  

Yes. There is a limited embarkation/disembarkation lunch with drinks for guests arriving and guests leaving who are waiting their departure time.

 

14 hours ago, bclay said:

And do people then come and go throughout the day

 

Yes.

 

14 hours ago, bclay said:

free to head back into town (Amsterdam in our case) for the late evening if we want?

 

Yes, you can walk off boat anytime you want when it's moored. Just be sure to be back before it departs. The daily printed newssheet supplied to you everyday will state the departure time, and double check with reception before you go. Use your room key to swipe the machine at the entrance when you leave and when you return so they know who is onboard.

 

Maps of the place where you are moored are available for the taking at reception along with cards showing the address of the mooring - take one to show a taxi driver  - and phone number of boat in case you need it.

 

Remember to register for excursions - even included ones - on My Viking Journey before the cruise. If you change your mind and decide not to go on a included excursion just miss it. There's no compulsion.

 

Enjoy your trip.

[ddaley822]

Does any of this nice Viking-specific information change for AMAWaterways sailings? 

 

We’re hoping to drop our luggage and continue roaming Amsterdam before a true check-in in the afternoon. Does AMA serve lunch on embarkation day as well? 

 

[knoxclone]

Yes, AMA allows you to drop luggage and come back later as cabins are usually not ready until mid afternoon. They served a light lunch - soup.salad sandwiches on embarkation day.

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

4 hours ago, ddaley822 said:

Does any of this nice Viking-specific information change for AMAWaterways sailings? 

 

We’re hoping to drop our luggage and continue roaming Amsterdam before a true check-in in the afternoon. Does AMA serve lunch on embarkation day as well? 

Yes.  They will gladly take your luggage and offer you lunch.  You can stay on the ship, or get off and sightsee.  Just check when the Cruise Director's welcome meeting will take place, because you don't want to miss all the info about the cruise and especially details about shore excursion options.