A young person's perspective - Viking River Review
Demographics: Going into it, we knew that the demographics would be way off what we are used to. Most people were in their 50's and 60's with a few past that. There were a few children, and maybe a total of 6 teenagers, all with their families. My brother and I were definitely the only ones in their mid-to-late 20's (besides the staff) and More if we were there for a "party" atmosphere and vacation, we would have been disappointed. This time however, we knew it would be port intensive and we would be sticking with the family for the most part. This allowed us to enjoy the food and sights (and drinks) more so than on ocean cruises. For the most part, all of the passengers were very friendly. We met a few people that we would talk to everyday and quickly became friends with. There were a few however that I could tell really did not like the idea of young people being around. One passenger walked up to my 12 year old niece and yelled at her for running around on the deck after 10 p.m. and ruining his sleep (turns out, it was different younger girl) and it really struck a nerve with us, he never apologized after he realized his mistake and we made a habit of staying away from him. Other than that, everyone was really nice, and in the evenings once the crowd had some drinks in them, it could get "lively" in the lounge, until about 11 p.m. After this time, the ship is pretty much dead and there is no real late-night entertainment.
Ship and Cabin: The boat was very nice. We knew it wouldn't be a mega-liner and would be used mostly for sleeping and eating, which it was more than adequate for. I stayed in the inside cabin, it was small but comfortable. I would say it was about 75% the size of a standard inside ocean cruise cabin. The bathroom however was MUCH nicer. Heated floors, a real shower, and plenty of toilet space really made it much nicer than the typical inside stateroom. It did have a small window, though it did not get much use as we were rarely in the cabin. My sister and brother-in-law had the french balcony, which was pretty much the same as the standard cabin, just with a bigger window you could open. The parents got an actual balcony cabin, and it was very swanky. The top deck of the boat had two mini-golf holes and a shuffleboard station, that was about it other than some chairs. Once again, it was port-intensive cruise so this was not really an issue.
Staff and Dining: This is where the cruise really shined. All the staff members were fantastic, especially our waiters, bartenders and customer service reps. I would like to give a shout-out to Drago, Alex, Milen, Alexie (I know I spelled that wrong, sorry!) Peter, and Alexandra who all provided fantastic service while we were there. The cruise director was also fantastic (I am so sorry I forgot her name!) They worked ridiculously hard to keep everyone happy and I witnessed first hand just how some of them were thanked for their hard-work (not so nice). I understand some of the people are used to being waited on hand and foot, but a little recognition seems the least they could do. The food was absolutely fantastic, and I made sure to go out of my comfort-zone on some nights. I did not order from the "always available" section once, though a few of my family members did, and they reported it was still very good. I took a ton of photos which I will try to upload at some point, but everything was very good. I would die a happy man if I could have some of that fried-brie one last time. A few of us managed to get sick (not Noro!) while we were there, and Alexandra made sure we had some chicken soup waiting for us in our cabins when we needed it. I truly believe that without this crew and staff, it really would not have been the same.
Entertainment: Dave the piano man was the only real entertainment on the boat, and he did not disappoint. Going from modern songs like Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars to the classics was no problem for him, and he really kept the boat alive until around midnight. I would see him on the top deck when he was not on the clock and he was always super friendly and would make sure we were having a great time. Other than that, there was not much entertainment to be had on the boat outside of drinking in the lounge (great service by Dragos and Peter!) and relaxing on the sun deck. There were a few enrichment programs while we were there, though we did not attend any of them, so I cannot speak to how they are. As mentioned before, the ports were the real draw of the boat, so this was once again not a problem.
Ports and shore excursions: So this is what most people come on these trips for, and for the most part they were pretty great, with some caveats. It should be noted that most of the included excursions are walking tours and may require a bus ride. For Paris, our family skipped the walking tour and did our own thing. As such, I can't speak to how the official excursion went, but Paris was a fantastic day trip for us just walking around and seeing the sights. The next day was Giverny and a tour of Monet's house. The property itself was amazing, the gardens are a true sight to behold. The tour however was a little rough, though this is no fault of Viking. It was absolutely packed, with tour groups everywhere making it impossible to stay together and taking your time to see everything. We were whisked around and so thoroughly stuffed together that if you have problems with tight spaces, you may get a little antsy. It was cold that day, which was probably a blessing, since I could only imagine being stuffed with so many people on a hot and humid morning. Rouen was next, and Notre Dame did not disappoint. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and led us on a walking tour of the city of Rouen that was absolutely fantastic. The sights of the city truly made this a great excursion. I missed the light show that was apparently amazing (I've seen my family member's videos!) unfortunately because I had started to feel pretty sick.The next day was Normandy, and I have to preface this by saying this was the peak of my sickness on the trip. I was running on two hours of sleep and had a fever, but I still made the trip. The beaches and museums were very cool and the cemetery was absolutely beautiful. Viking had a special ceremony and gave out flowers for us to put on a grave of our choice, which was very nice. The cemetery really put things into perspective and I truly felt humbled being there. As such, I feel bad complaining at all about this excursion, but the one problem was the time in the bus. As I mentioned, I was feeling terrible so this definitely exacerbated the issue, but in total, we were probably sitting in the bus more than outside of it. It's 2 and a half hours (at least) each way, plus multiple shorter trips (one about 45 minutes, a few others in the 20-minute range) between stops. This meant we were couped-up in the bus for about 6 hours, which was absolutely exhausting. I absolutely think it was worth-it to see Normandy, and I understand that this may not be avoidable, but I still think it is worth mentioning. After Normandy was Les Andelys, which was my favorite stop. The trek to Chateau Gaillard took about 30 minutes, which meant we got to walk through the picturesque town and see the sites. Our tour guide, Fred (a woman), was great and joined us for a drink at the the local cafe after the tour. The castle was amazing, and the views were top-notch. The last tour we went on was Chateau de Malmaison. It was a very pretty property with some cool things to see, however this may have been the least eventful tour. Worth the longish bus ride, but compared to the rest of the excursions, not my favorite. All in all, I was very happy with the tours, and I would only try to lessen the amount of time on the buses, which I understand may not really be possible. All the tour guides were great (though the one from Normandy totally thought I just did not want to be there and glared at me the entire time, I think she thought I was hung-over or something....nope, just really sick thank you very much!) Most tours required a listening device where you follow a lolly-pop holding guide, but you are also free to explore on your own if you choose.
In conclusion, as a family vacation, this was great. I know my niece and nephew had a great time as well, and really enjoyed seeing France. The food, both on the ship and off, was amazing. The staff and crew were great and the boat was very nice. Cruising the river was very relaxing and I enjoyed the little entertainment they had on board. The ports were great and the people of France were very nice. This has made us want to go on another trip with Viking, and we are looking at one in Germany, particularly sailing the Rhein. If you are looking for a family trip for all ages (and you don't mind the cost!) where you know your kids, I would say 12 and up, can appreciate the ports and lack of real on-board entertainment, then this would be a great pick. Less
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