The Stateroom
There are many benefits associated with this Viking River
cruise, but perhaps the best is the opportunity to unpack once for a seven-day
tour. Our stateroom more than meets our needs
with plenty of sleeping, lounging and bathing spaces. It is nicely appointed and well laid out with
closets, drawers and plenty of storage spaces.
We elected to upgraded our accommodations to a stateroom on the top deck
with a sliding glass door and balcony. This
has turned out to be a good decision, especially on the days we are cruising up
river and have views and vistas. There
is a flat-screen 42” television with many English-language channels for
entertainment as well as CNN International, BBC and Sky News. Finally, the stateroom contains several
electrical outlets set up for standard USA appliances operating at 110 VAC. All things considered, our accommodations
match any American-styled upscale hotel such as Hilton or Marriott. It is top-notch and we have no complaints.
Dining Opportunities
The food
choices are heavily slanted to the “American” palate leaving very little
opportunity to experience local dishes. So far, I’ve had four dinners and chosen
some sort of beef each time. My friends
had the pork filet one night and loved it and there is always an opportunity to
get a chicken breast, BBQ sauce and fries.
Fish and vegetarian options are available as well.
The Typical Viking Cruiser
There 95 rooms aboard this ship making it possible to
accommodate 190 people in double and twin bedded rooms. The hotel manager here onboard tells me the
ship is filled almost to capacity.
According to a show of hands at our embarkation meeting, I reckon 98% of
the people on board are Americans with a few Canadians and Aussies to fill out
the mix. As for ages, there are a few
30-somethings but most are well into their sixties and seventies. All in all, a
very homogenous group of cruisers. Finally,
I imagine 30% of the passengers on this cruises have been on at least one other
Viking river cruise.I've provided the facts, now here's what I think so far
This combination of a homogeneous group travelers, great
service from the staff, the Americanized travel style, the safety of the English
language and the predictable menu choices make this an easy and unthreatening travel
experience. Unfortunately, it also sequesters
the traveler in a culturally sterile bubble giving very few opportunities to
experience the life of a local.
Today, I am writing this while sitting in the ship’s lounge
with 80 other cruisers, peering out the windows at the passing scenery while
the tour director provides a commentary about the villages and
countryside. Later, we will have another
ship-board lunch followed by a group tour on Melk Abbey. How I yearn to get out
and take a walk in the village and vineyards, pop into a local shop, strike up
a greeting in German, sip the local Wachau wine and sample some locally sourced
sausage, mustard and bread.
That’s my thoughts for today. I welcome your thoughts, comments and suggestions as well.
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Wrapping up this episode
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Do you want to learn more about traveling to Europe? There is a wealth of information and special discount pricing on my tours at http://davidmcguffin.com/.
David McGuffin is Founder and CEO of David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe, Inc., based in Middleburg, Florida. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube. David spends his time in Europe organizing and leading small group and independent tours to European destinations. In business since 2001, David has provided exceptional travel opportunities to several thousand satisfied customers. You can find out more about David and his European tours at his website, http://davidmcguffin.com.
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