Early Years In Cruise Industry
Hagen was a consultant, and later partner, for in Europe, helping to bring back from near-bankruptcy in 1974. In 1976, he became CEO of , and then became CEO of from 1980 to 1984. After a failed take-over bid, he had to resign in 1984. He joined the board of Holland America Line in 1985, and later served on the board of Kloster Cruise. In the early 1990s, he acquired a 27% stake in , a Rotterdam-based shipping company, becoming the biggest shareholder. He sold his shares several years later at a loss.
What Is Included In The Price Of A Viking River Cruise
Viking river cruises operate on an all-inclusive model, so almost everything is included in the cost of your cruise. Your cruise package includes a shore excursion in every port of call, Wi-Fi internet, lectures, performances, round-the-clock free non-alcoholic drinks, all port taxes and fees, and ground taxes when purchasing a Viking air package. Youll also receive complimentary beer, wine, and soft drinks during lunch and dinner.
Who Are The Tips For
Tips are split among certain onboard staff to reward good service and are not part of the basic cruise price. According to Viking River Cruises, your daily gratuities are shared between the Program Director, waitstaff, stateroom stewards, galley staff, nautical staff, and others this charge will also be shared with the Program Director for the land portions of our Elegant Elbe, Cities of Light and Paris to the Swiss Alps itineraries.
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Destination Focused Culturally Enriching Carefully Curated
Viking believes in well-designed cruises that bring you closer to the cultures of the world. You sail into the heart of your destinationwhere discoveries are just a short walk from your ship.
Viking has fine-tuned the art of exploring the world in comfort. From the Viking Longships® on Europes rivers to the elegant sister ships on the worlds great oceans and seas, its award-winning vessels have been thoughtfully engineered by nautical architects to bring the outside in. Graceful staterooms and suites are designed for ultimate comfort and serenity, and light-filled public spaces inspire and refresh you throughout your journey.
Which River Cruise Lines Are The Most Inclusive
In the river cruise world, the lines that have more amenities bundled into the price tend to not coincidentally be more luxurious and expensive. These include Tauck, Scenic, APT and Crystal, followed by Uniworld and AmaWaterways. An exception to this is Emerald Waterways , which is owned by the same tour company as Scenic. Although it is considered a more moderately priced line, Emerald offers a fair number of inclusions , primarily because many of its travelers are Australian . The same applies to Australias Travelmarvel, which is owned by APT .
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Viking Ocean Cruises Silver Spirits Package:
The cost for the Viking Silver drinks package is $19.95 USD per night per guest. The total cost varies according to the length of the ocean cruise.
For a 7-night cruise, the cost is $139.65 USD p.p.
For a 14-night cruise, the cost is $279.30 USD p.p.
Beverage gratuities are included in the package.
See the 2020 rates for the Silver Spirits package .
Note: Both guests in the stateroom must buy the package.
Is There A Dress Code On Viking River Cruises
dressThereriver cruiseDressesRead on to check out the items that should never go in the luggage that you pack for a cruise.
- Beer or liquor. Passengers on a cruise drink beer.
- Books and magazines. A couple relaxes on the deck of a cruise ship.
- Coffeemaker.
- Different outfits for each day.
- Electric blanket.
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Why Are Viking River Cruises So Expensive
River cruises are not as expensive as they might seem. Thats because Viking River cruises are all-inclusive, while discount ocean cruises are not. In addition, there are more shore excursions on a river cruise and, unlike an ocean cruise, theyre included in the fare too.
In the end, though, they are still a bit more expensive than a traditional ocean cruise. This is partly because they have to pay their staff more and use smaller ships.
Are Drinks Included On Viking River Cruises
Viking Ocean Cruisesdrinkcruisecruisedrinksincluded
On both of Viking’s river and ocean cruises, wine and beer is complimentary during these meals. Or perhaps you’d like to try different premium wines. Then the Viking Silver Spirits package might be for you. This all-inclusive drinks package is available on both the ocean and river cruises.
Subsequently, question is, how much is the drink package on Viking River Cruises? The Viking Ocean Cruises Silver Spirits beverage package includes any drink up to $15, throughout the day and anywhere on the ship mini-bar replenishment The Chef’s Table premium wine pairing and 15% off premium beverages, Armagnacs and bottles of wine over $50.
Similarly, you may ask, are gratuities included on Viking River Cruises?
Viking River Cruises recommends varied gratuities depending on your cruise region. Additional tipping is at each passenger’s discretion. For the crew tips, you may tip in cash or charge the gratuity to your credit card. Program directors do not share in the onboard staff gratuities, and they should be tipped in cash.
What’s included on a Viking cruise?
Viking Ocean Cruises: What’s included
- WiFi. Wifi is completely free on Viking woohoo!
- Drinks with Lunch/Dinner. During meal times wine, beer and soft drinks are included.
- Spa entry. Entry to the spa is inclusive in your cruise fare.
- Daily Excursions.
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How Much Are Gratuities On Viking River Cruises
| LINE | TIPPING GUIDELINES |
|---|---|
| Viking River Cruises | Europe Onboard Staff: 12 per person, per day. 2 per person, per day, Program Director. Egypt, Russia, Southeast Asia: $15 per person, per day, crew. $10 per person, per day, Viking tour escort. |
Viking River Cruises recommends varied gratuities depending on your cruise region. Additional tipping is at each passenger’s discretion. For the crew tips, you may tip in cash or charge the gratuity to your credit card. Program directors do not share in the onboard staff gratuities, and they should be tipped in cash.
Also, how much are gratuities on Viking Ocean Cruises? You should also research tipping policies for your vessel while tips are voluntary for both ocean and river cruises, Viking ocean cruises have a discretionary hotel and dining charge of $15.00 per day .
Considering this, what is the tipping policy on Viking River Cruises?
Tips are not included in your cruise price, but are a voluntary way of showing satisfaction for good service. You may tip onboard staff in cash if you like, or you may charge your tips to your credit card at the end of the cruise .
Are Viking cruises worth it?
Wide range of itineraries: With the largest number of destinations of any river cruise line, Viking offers a cruise for nearly every part of the world. Value: Viking’s notorious 2-for-1 deals offer a great value for river cruisers. Best for: Viking River Cruises is best for older travelers.
What To Expect On A Viking Ocean Cruise
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Lots and lots of details about our recent experience sailing on a Viking Ocean Cruise!
Alright guys, cozy up. Today Im finally sharing all about our recent sail through the Baltic Sea with Viking Ocean Cruises!
As I mentioned in my post about spending three days beforehand in Stockholm, this trip was both Barclays and my first time visiting each of the countries on this cruise Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia and Poland. So we were excited and curious to experience this part of Europe. And also, super curious to experience our first Viking ocean cruise.
As some of you might remember, we actually had the chance to sail through France on a Viking river cruise a few years ago, which we both really enjoyed. But we were curious how the Viking vibe would translate to a much larger ocean cruise ship, and how the experience overall would differ. Turns out, it was pretty different. But also, incredibly fun. We had a blast, and were hopelessly spoiled on board, and didnt want our week to end. So to answer the question a hundred or so of you asked yes, we would totally recommend it!
So heres the scoop on everything about our Viking ocean cruise, including details on:
- The Ship
- Ocean Cruise vs. River Cruise
Our cruise ship: The Viking Star
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Viking River Cruise Secrets For First Time Cruisers
Confession time: Although I love to travel and explore new destinations, I was never particularly interested in traveling by cruise. Concerns about seasickness, tiny cabins with no space to breath, and hidden port and drink fees kept my feet firmly planted on land. I had zero interest in being on a huge ship with hundreds of people, dressing up for dinner every night, with short port excursions crowded with people.
Still, with so many interesting cruises and cruise destinations, I warmed up to the idea over the years. A river cruise was one of the cruises I was most interested in, so when I was invited on a Viking River Cruise this winter, I was excited.
Still, some of those old apprehensions resurfaced, and I didnt know what to expect. Oh my goodness, was I pleasantly surprised! My cruise turned out to be nothing at all like I expected and it was one of the best travel experiences Ive ever had. I honestly cannot wait to take another Viking trip!
Stash Cookies For Later
I mentioned this tip on another Viking post, but it bears repeating here. The self-serve coffee bar is open 24/7, but the chocolate macadamia and oatmeal raisin cookies are only available for a few hours in the afternoon. If you are like me, meaning you enjoy cookies for a late-night snack, be sure to grab a stash when they are available so you can enjoy them later on.
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Viking Ocean Cruises Gratuities
Viking Sky
Viking Ocean Cruises has been making waves for bundling a whole bunch of freebies into their cruise price like complimentary wine and beer at lunch and dinner, self-serve laundry, one shore excursion in each port and WiFi.
But some things still arent included. Such as tips.
Viking Ocean Cruises tipping policy is to automatically add a daily hotel and dining charge to your bill. You can adjust this by heading to the Explorers Desk at any time.
How Do You Pay The Gratuities
You have two choices when paying your gratuities. First, you can prepay your gratuities to Viking River Cruises or your cruise agent before sailing. Second, if you choose not to prepay your tips, they will be automatically added to your onboard ship account.
You do not need to bring cash for tips, as tips are automatically charged to the card tied to your onboard account.
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So Its A Reasonable Price But Is It Worth It
Lets look at it two ways.
a)What beverages do you get if you dont buy it?
b)And if you do buy the package, will the cost of $ USD20 pp day make it worth while?
Every passenger receives complimentary house wines, beers and soft drinks with their lunches and dinners onboard. Plus specialty coffees like cappuccinos and assorted hot teas are available 24 hours a day too.
If youre booked in a Penthouse Veranda Stateroom your in-room mini-bar is stocked with alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, water & snacks and these are replenished once a day.
Finally, Viking have a relaxed policy of allowing guests to bring alcohol with them, or you can purchase alcohol onshore in destination and bring that onboard during your cruise. This alcohol can be consumed in your stateroom or in public spaces, including the restaurants.
As an added bonus Viking do not charge a corkage fee!
So youve got plenty of opportunity to enjoy a drink or three every day on the house, but what if you want a bit more?
Tipping On Vikings Mekong River Cruises
Unlike the other regions we have already covered, gratuities on Vikings Mekong River cruises are paid once you are onboard. There is no prepaid gratuity option.
You should tip $10 per person per day to the hotel staff and another $10 to the program/cruise director. Tips for the program director are only made in cash, so remember to bring $10 in cash for each day for the onboard staff gratuities.
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How To Pay Tip/gratuities
The Viking Ocean Cruise ensures that the services on offer are of extremely high quality. The tip you provide simply works as an incentive for the staff members who cater to your needs. Keeping that in mind how much does Viking Ocean Cruise charge for gratuity? Not a large amount by any means. Like we have discussed they just add to your hotel and dining charges by only $15 each day per person.
Apart from this they also have a system where they add 15% to the services of the bar, beverage and other normal deck services. In case you are in two minds on should you do prepaid gratuities on cruise the answer would be a no. It simply is not required of you to make the prepaid payments.
If you are faced with any problems regarding the same you can walk up to the Explorers desk and narrate your issue. In case there has been a local excursion or tour guide who served you well you can pay in cash after the trip. Same is the case with the local drivers and you can pay them in cash as well.
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So like you can understand tipping is somewhat mandatory. You can stay away from making the personal tips to individuals, but as a part of the cruise policy, some amount is mandatory taken away from you. For the great quality of fine services that you are offered with, it seems only fair that you have to pay a little token of appreciation for the same.
Viking Announces 2024 Mississippi River Cruises Now On Sale
Viking Cruises announced its new Mississippi River cruises for 2024 are now on sale.
The cruise lines Viking Mississippi is scheduled to debut in August 2022 and sail voyages on the Lower and Upper Mississippi River, between New Orleans and St. Paul.
Vikings river cruises in the U.S. scheduled for 2023 have already started to sell out, prompting the company to open 2024 sailing dates sooner than initially expected. The cruise line is preparing to bring more than 5,800 guests to the region in 2022 and over 17,600 during the first full sailing season in 2023.
Scheduled ports of call on the Mississippi River cruises include Baton Rouge, Darrow, New Orleans and St. Francisville, Louisiana Natchez and Vicksburg, Mississippi Memphis, Tennessee Hannibal and St. Louis, Missouri Burlington, Dubuque and Davenport, Iowa Red Wing and St. Paul, Minnesota and La Crosse, Wisconsin.
We are pleased with the continued response and support we have received from loyal guests and valued partners ahead of our new Mississippi River sailings, Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen said. As we begin to restart ocean operations this spring, we also look forward to a new chapter in 2022 when we begin sailing our first U.S. river voyages.
Viking provided a look at its 2022-2024 Viking Mississippi voyages:
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Viking River Cruises start off at around $1,800 and are great for people who want a large selection of destinations to choose from.Viking River Cruises Cost and Destinations.
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Is The Beverage Package Worth It On Viking
Vikings Silver Spirits beverage package is only worth it if you will be drinking outside of the mealtime or prefer cocktails instead of beer and wine. The drink package costs $20 per day for each passenger and lets you enjoy all their alcoholic beverages whenever you feel like a drink, except for champagne.
Otherwise, skip the beverage package and enjoy your free beer, wine, soft drinks, and caffeinated beverages during meal times. Viking allows you to bring outside alcohol on board so you can bring some to start the cruise and buy more during shore excursions. They also dont charge a corkage fee!
Get Your Timing Right
Courtesy of Viking Cruises
When booking your cruise, youll have an easier time finding staterooms during certain months of the year. For the best possible time, youll want to be flexible.
Guests sailing the rivers in December can experience the traditional European Christmas markets and see the cities in a new way while enjoying local holiday treats and hot mulled wine, our source notes.
If youre taking a river cruise, do a bit of research on the cities youll be visiting. Find out whats happening, then plan your itinerary appropriately. An easy approach is to sign up for the Viking Weekly, an online newsletter with recommendations, itinerary spotlights, videos, and more. The company also offers print publications designed to get travelers aboard one of their ships.
With ocean cruise, timing is less of an issue, but youll still want to plan as far in advance as is possible. Viking cruises can be booked several years in advance, and for some travelers, that extra planning time can ensure a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
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Consider Stateroom Options Carefully
Courtesy of Viking Cruises
If youve got money to burn, you wont be disappointed by the premium suites on a Viking cruise. That doesnt necessarily make them a great value.
For example, each river cruise has two 445-sq.-foot Explorer suites with private wraparound verandas, floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors, individual climate controls, and a roomy wardrobe. Veranda suites are smaller , but feature large private bathrooms, climate controls, 40-inch flat-panel TVs, and various other amenities. Ocean cruises have similar options, though exact room sizes and features will vary.
However, if youre looking to save money, think about whether youll actually spend much time in your suite. If youre an active person , a less expensive stateroom could save you a tremendous amount of money.
Standard staterooms are much less expensive, and while theyre not exactly roomy, that doesnt matter if youre just using them as a sort of home base. You wont have much of a view, but youll still get the 24/7 room service, and if youre feeling claustrophobic, you can always head to a different part of the ship.