Which to choose? Viking River or Viking Ocean Cruise?

Cruising with Viking has been an adventure for us since 2014 with our first Viking River Cruise, "Cities of Lights." Once we experienced the unique opportunity for us to literally walk off the boat and into a town, and enjoy far fewer travelers, we knew this was the kind of cruising meant for us.

We'd enjoyed our first cruises on Princess, but the ships soon became too large and there wasn't the intimacy of a boutique-type ship that we realized we preferred after having cruised with Viking.

The Viking River Cruise Longships accommodates 100 to 198 passengers, depending on the itinerary and river from what we've experienced. Their Ocean vessels have room for 930 passengers. Depending on your preferences for travel each has its own charms. And I have to admit that it's often hard to choose which itinerary to book next!

We've had the opportunity to take four Viking River Cruises and two Viking Ocean, with another river cruise and three ocean trips planned over the next couple of years. I love planning ahead and Viking makes it easy to see down the road what their options are for travel.

I often get asked which I prefer. River or Ocean? That's a hard choice because each has its special draws.

River cruises often have better accessibility to the small towns. For those who like to meander on their own, walking straight off the boat and into the town is a big draw. Longer times in port are often available. Dining on board has its set times, too. Dinner seating is normally at 7 pm after the ship's daily briefing. We all gather upstairs in the bar area and listen to the cruise director give us the latest sailing news and what to expect the next day. It's a very congenial atmosphere.

Another plus, I think, for river cruising is getting to meet more people on a personable level. Since the ships are smaller in size, meeting new people is much easier and intimate. The crew and staff often know us by our first names which makes for a more friendly environment. Also, local talent is brought on board to entertain us and inform us about their culture and way of life.

Several things that river and ocean have in common are the level of professional and attentive care of their passengers. They go out of their way to make sure you have a comfortable trip and you always see smiles and feel welcome.

I've found that Viking has the best dining options and their meals are always consistently good. One evening aboard the the Viking Sky, I was looking for mashed potatoes to go with my Beef Wellington because they only had baked potatoes. I casually mentioned that I would have liked mashed potatoes. The chef quickly offered to make me mashed potatoes and they were delicious! Regardless of river or ocean cruise, be sure to try their Eggs Benedict! It's one of the highlights of my trips on Viking.

 

 

Whichever you choose, river or ocean, the itinerary will more than likely be the deciding factor. Try them both and see which you prefer. Or do like we do, enjoy them both and see the world knowing you are in good hands.

Happy travels to all! Thanks for stopping by and here's to more trips ahead!

~ Cindy