Viking Cruises: A voyage on a "Magic School Bus" for adults

For years I gazed with longing at those PBS ad for Viking River Cruises and dreamed of one day joining the people drifting past European castles as they sipped wine in a glassed-in lounge. I consoled myself with the thought that the experience couldn’t possibly live up to the image.

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However, after four Viking cruises, my husband and I can testify that the Viking experience far surpasses the tiny glimpse in those commercials.

Our most recent Viking cruise – Paris & the Heart of Normandy – was extraordinary.

It was among the first that Viking offered after being shut down for nearly two years as COVID followed their winter break. We were two of only 38 passengers on a ship with a COVID capacity of 150 (the normal maximum is 168). The 52-person crew outnumbered us. We felt as if we were sailing on a private yacht.

This post attempts to answer a lot of questions that our friends ask us about Viking. Upcoming posts will focus on historical sites we visited, but this is about what it’s like to be a passenger.

The Viking staff is always warm and welcoming, but when we boarded the Radgrid, the crew seemed ecstatic to see us. The program directors explained that it was their first voyage in two years. They were overjoyed to be back.

“It’s like Christmas,” said Mia, one of two program directors on this cruise.

It was like Christmas for us, too. Viking had given us a multi-tier upgrade to a stateroom with a floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door, which opened onto a balcony. We have always booked the least expensive stateroom, which has a smallish window at the water line. We often saw the underside of piers, but it didn’t matter because we spent our waking hours in that glass lounge that you see in the ads.

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We still spent a lot of time in the lounge, but the balcony was lovely. When we were docked in Paris we could clearly see the Eiffel Tower, just a short walk away.

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To sail with Viking in July 2021, we had to follow strict COVID protocols. I’ve already written about the vaccination requirement, masking, daily COVID testing and efforts to keep passengers in a “bubble.” Other safety measures included clear partitions between seating areas in the lounge and replacing the casual buffet in the Aquavit terrace with full service dining.

All Viking river ships have nearly identical features, all with the sunlit, casual elegance of Scandinavian design. As we stepped onboard the Radgrid, I felt as if I was returning to a cherished family vacation spot. There was our favorite table in the Aquavit terrace, the library of books on history and travel, the walking track around the sun deck. It was if a five-star hotel that we had left more than two years ago in Germany had been transported to Paris to take us on another magical adventure.

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If you grew up reading The Magic School Bus, Viking is a real-life, luxury version for adults. A first-class hotel carries you from historical site to cultural treasure to ancient ruin, with guides who teach you about what you’re seeing. You only have to unpack and pack your suitcase once as the ship takes you hundreds of miles through some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery.

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A brand new ship built for Paris

Our cruise was the maiden voyage of the Radgrid, which was constructed in Germany in 2019 and towed to France, but never sailed before the COVID lockdown. She is custom built for the Seine, allowing her to dock in central Paris. At 410 feet, the Radgrid is short enough to make a 360-degree in the stretch of river between the Eiffel Tower and the scaled-down replica of Lady Liberty. In prior years, Viking ships docked in a Paris suburb.

While ships we took on the Rhine and Danube accommodated 190 passengers, the Seine ships carry 168. The staterooms seemed marginally shorter -- this was the first time our bureau drawers bumped the bed when we opened them. But all Viking staterooms are spacious by shipboard standards. They feel like hotel rooms, with queen (or twin) beds, a closet with floor to ceiling shelves, six clothing drawers, a mini-fridge, big-screen TV, desk and a comfy chair. The electrical outlets accommodate American, European and USB plugs. The wifi is free but unreliable – the ship’s library has desktop computers as a backup.

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In the bathroom the glassed-in shower has a detachable sprayer. The hair dryer is efficient. And, as someone who likes to pack light, I appreciate the retractable clothesline. All of this is standard in even the least expensive staterooms. The most expensive – which we’ve never even peeked into – have two rooms and a lot of extras.

Viking Pricing

All of that is at more-or-less flat rate pricing. Your fare includes all shipboard essentials -- stateroom, meals (including house wine and beer with meals), port fees, taxes, and an included excursion in every port. Tips – if you choose to give them – are paid in a lump sum that Viking distributes among the crew. (You do give individual tips to shore guides and drivers). You can buy extras, such as additional alcoholic beverages, optional excursions, or laundry service, but you’ll still have an excellent voyage without them.

Airfare is also a separate cost. If you’re not using frequent flyer miles, there are advantages to booking with Viking. The fares are often at a steep discount and occasionally free. Plus Viking provides helpful assistance at airports (see the end of this post).

Rather than cut back service on our underpopulated cruise, Viking treated us like royalty.

My husband and I were the only passengers signed up to visit a farm outside Rouen. Viking sent us there anyway, with a superb guide who also gave a private tour of the cathedral in Rouen. Even with our small numbers, guided shore excursions were offered in two versions – one paced for people who have difficulty walking.

Normally a cruise has one program director who organizes all activities, makes sure that everyone gets off and on the ship on time, and tries to make sure we are all enjoying ourselves. This cruise had two program directors, Mia and Ken, who looked after us like family.

That personal attention is a Viking hallmark even when the ship is full. I will do a separate post on food, but it's important know that the kitchen conscientiously caters to people with food allergies.

A quiet cruise for relaxation and learning

Everything on board is structured to encourage conversations and new friendships, though you can stay to yourself if you prefer. Dress is casual. You do not need to pack a dress, heels, suit or tie.

Viking ships have no casino. The party scene is on par with a family game night. Every cruise has a gifted pianist who plays softly in the lounge.

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Shore-based entertainers sometimes come on board. On our cruise a singing duo entertained us with World War II era hits in English and French. I regret that I neglected to record their names, but a short video clip is below.

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All passengers must be at least 18. Those under 50 are a small minority, often millennials accompanying their parents or grandparents.

Viking cruises are designed for adults with an interest in history and culture. The shore excursions are oriented to helping you understand the place you are visiting, whether that means dining in a family home, hiking a medieval ruin, touring a monastery or attending a Viking exclusive performance of selections from an opera.

If you don’t know much about the places you will visit, Viking excursions may inspire you to learn more. Some guides have advanced degrees in their topic. Due to time constraints, however, most tours can only give only highlights of complex subjects.

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My husband and I read a lot of World War II history. We knew that the day-long Normandy tour would barely scratch the surface, but we believe it has prepared us to plan our own week-long trip to explore the D-Day sites in depth. On the other hand, on this cruise I quickly realized how ignorant I am about Napoleon. Thanks to some excellent guides, and another passenger who has studied him extensively, I’m now reading a Napoleon biography.

Shore excursions

On Viking, every port has an “included” excursion that’s covered by your fare. Typically, it’s a bus tour of the architectural and historical highlights of a city, with an occasional stop to examine something more closely. Some included tours are more specialized: Monet’s Gardens were included, as was the daylong D-Day tour (with one version for American beaches and another for Commonwealth beaches.)

Most ports also have opportunities for “optional excursions,” meaning that you pay extra. Usually you book them online weeks before departure – the most popular ones go fast. The price varies widely. The lower end averages about $40 per person, but a few can exceed $200. There’s zero pressure to take these extra tours. We took more than usual on this cruise, including a guided tour of the Louvre with dinner; a culinary tour of a Paris neighborhood; a night tour of illuminated Paris and a tour of an apple farm and Calvados distillery.

Just as Viking seeks to educate passengers about the places we pass through, there’s an effort to teach us about the ship. Every issue of the Viking Daily – a morning newsletter with the day’s schedule and a little history of the places we will see – defines a nautical term. For instance, the expression “toe the line” comes from the practice of calling a ship’s crew to attention with their toes touching the same seam in the deck planking.

Every cruise includes a “nautical talk.” It might be about the ship or about lock system that the ship passes through. On this cruise Captain Francois. Bertin, who had grown up sailing the Seine on barges with his parents, spoke about the Radgrid.

Ordinarily he would have offered a wheelhouse tour, but cramped quarters were a casualty of COVID. He showed slides of control features, including one that lowers the entire wheelhouse to the level of the top deck so it can pass under low bridges.

“Why do they call it a wheelhouse when there is no wheel?” asked a staff member, who meant it as a joke.

Captain Bertin flipped back to a slide showing the round digital control buttons for the propellers.

“Now this is the wheel,” he said.

Four propellers allow the ship to turn 360 degrees, hover in place or move sideways. The engine is electric (with diesel backup). One slide showed the “battery pack,” a room filled with dozens of massive batteries that automatically recharge when power falls to 20 percent. Power to the cabins is supplied by solar power.

“More economical and less pollution,” the captain said.

Heading home with help from a Viking host

It was hard to think about our cruise coming to an end. But Viking takes the anxiety out of navigating foreign airports. If you book your flight through Viking, a Viking host accompanies you through check-in and helps you with any complications.

About six or eight of us were on a 5:45 a.m. van for the hour-long ride to Charles de Gaulle Airport. Two Viking hosts met us with luggage carts at the ready. Due to interior construction at the airport, we were grateful for our host, who navigated us through complicated detours. She left Rea and me in the United line and stayed with another passenger whose flight had been canceled. If you have a problem like that, the Viking host looks after you until it is resolved.

We breezed through check-in and security. Due to COVID, there were few passengers and many gates and amenities were either shut down or had only recently opened. Hopefully the vaccines will soon contain the new variants and the world will continue to open up.

I’ll be posting more about the places we visited in France. We have more trips coming up to historical sites in the United States and look forward to sharing them with you.