Stepping onto a Viking river ship for the first time is a preternaturally relaxing experience. You take a deep breath as your bags are whisked away and you’re invited to enjoy a cappuccino in the lounge. The ship is small, so manageable and easy to digest. If you feel like you have mastered your jet lag, the city you are embarking in is just steps away.

If you are returning to a Viking ship, it feels like coming home. Nearly every Viking river ship in the fleet — and there are upwards of 80 —is intentionally identical. They feature muted colors and warm, Scandinavian design. The scheme is spare but comfortable, with functional furniture and few frills. The identical layout imparts a feeling of familiarity, whether you are in Germany visiting the Christmas markets or along Portugal’s lush Douro River.

Our Rhone River cruise was onboard Viking Hermod, built in 2014, and took place entirely in France. Despite nearly a decade on the rivers, the ship still felt modern and fresh. This is a credit to its timeless design and routine upkeep. One distinguishing factor of each ship is its namesake, encapsulated in a single mural at the top of the lobby stairs on Deck 3. Hermod is the son of Odin and brave messenger to the gods. (And to be honest, he very much resembled Chris Hemsworth of “Thor” fame).

Viking Hermod accommodates up to 190 passengers, and we were told that our May 2023 sailing was fully booked. France is a trending destination for Viking, with Seine itineraries (including Paris) also proving very popular with their passenger base. Many guests we spoke to had done the Rhine and Danube and had now moved on to exploring France by river.

If there is one word we would use to describe Viking, it would be “consistent.” From life onboard to the food and service, there is a certain standard you come to expect from the Viking experience. Impressive, considering its extensive footprint across river cruising.

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I Just Returned from a Rhone River Cruise on Viking Hermod

Stateroom

There are 95 staterooms in five room categories onboard Viking Hermod. Though, every stateroom is along the outside of the ship and guaranteed to have a river view. We stayed in a Veranda room, with the luxury of a full balcony on this Rhone River cruise.

Rooms are certainly small by ocean cruising standards, but comfortable enough for your river journey. Small touches make the difference here, such as replenished filtered water, bottles of Viking’s signature Freya toiletries, a mini-fridge and heated floors — oh how we love the warm bathroom floors. There are six deep drawers as well as a closet for storage, which was more than enough for two people on a weeklong sailing.

Beds configurations are either a queen or two separate twins. There is room under the bed to store your suitcase. The odd design flaw here is that when beds are apart, there is one that blocks a set of outlets as well as the three switches that turn on and off the lights. This wouldn’t be an issue with the exception that if your pillow is close enough to the headboard, you are more than likely to hit the light switch in the dead of night, waking you and confusing your cabinmate (we share from experience).

There is no room service on a Viking river ship, except for breakfast if you are staying in one of the ship’s suites.

If you are new to river cruising, be sure to consider double docking before splurging on a balcony. Double docking is a common practice in river cruising, where two ships might dock right alongside each other. This sometimes requiring passengers to pass through both ships before exiting to the street.

While this is not unusual nor unsafe (Viking only does this with other Viking vessels, we are told), it does mean that occasionally your view might be blocked by another person’s window. For the two nights we were docked in Lyon, at least one side of the ship was always blocked. We did hear a few passengers complaining that they were not aware of this practice.

The upside is that when you do set sail, or dock alongside the river, the views are lovely. And you don’t even have to leave your room to enjoy a scenic sailing day. We hope that the stunning stretch between Vienne and Tournon more than made up for any “lost” views in Lyon.

Stateroom Categories on Viking Hermod

• Standard Staterooms – There are 25 standard rooms onboard Viking Hermod. These staterooms are located on Deck 1 and measure 150 square feet. The defining features of these rooms are a half-height picture window. Standard to all cabins, and beginning at this entry-level category, are a flat-screen TV with infotainment system (with free movies on demand); American and European outlets as well as USB ports; a hair dryer and anti-fog mirror; telephone, safe and fridge; premium toiletries; robe and slippers upon request; climate control; and those delightful, heated floors.
• French Balcony – These 135-square-foot rooms feature a floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door. There are 22 French Balcony staterooms available on Hermod, offering the option for fresh air and full river views.
• Veranda – Veranda staterooms, or rooms with a step-out balcony, are the most popular on Viking ships. There are 39 Veranda rooms onboard Viking Hermod. These cabins are 205 square feet, including the balcony space.
• Veranda Suites – The seven Veranda Suites onboard measure about 275 square feet and feature a step-out balcony, a French balcony in the bedroom, and a separate seating area. There are two TVs in the Veranda Suites as well as a larger bathroom and wardrobe. Additional perks of guests in a Veranda Suite are complimentary airfare from the U.S. and Canada; welcome Champagne; included laundry and shoeshine service; the use of binoculars; a daily fruit plate; and a stocked mini-bar, replenished daily.
• Explorer Suites – The two premium suites onboard Viking Hermod jump to a spacious 445 square feet. This includes their private, wraparound balcony offering 270-degree views from the very back of the ship. In addition to all the room features and additional perks of Veranda Suites, Explorer Suite guests also have the ability to enjoy in-room breakfast as well as coffee or tea from their own coffee machine. These top-tier guests will also enjoy private transfers to and from the ship, as well as an included Silver Spirits beverage package.

Dining

We found meals to be consistent on our Rhone River cruise. French specialties were on the dinner menu each evening, which was a welcome marriage of the itinerary to the onboard experience.

The Main Restaurant, on Deck 2, is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner service as the ship’s primary dining room.

Breakfast Options

Breakfast is a buffet and a la carte hybrid, typically available from 7 to 9 a.m. The same selections are available every day, on both the buffet and on the breakfast menu. The exception is an egg dish that changes daily (poached eggs with spinach or avocado toast with a scrambled egg, for example).

You’ll find fresh fruit and berries, a selection of homemade yogurt, an omelet station, hot dishes like scrambled eggs and bacon, oatmeal and muesli, cold cuts and cheese, and a toaster with bread and pastries nearby. On the menu, you can order a few egg dishes like eggs Benedict, as well as French toast, pancakes and berries with mascarpone cream. Coffee or tea is poured, and juice orders are taken when you first sit down.

Additionally, a continental-style breakfast is available from 6 to 10 a.m. on the Aquavit Terrace, near the lounge. Coffee and pastries are available until 11 a.m. as well.

Lunch Options

Apart from the embarkation day buffet, lunch is now entirely a la carte on Viking river ships. Lunch and dinner are both served in either the main restaurant or the Aquavit Terrace (in good weather). The Aquavit Terrace on Deck 3 forward is a standout space that blends an open deck at the front of the ship with an indoor solarium that also contains tables as well as a buffet station. The option to eat al fresco every day is welcome on such a picturesque mode of transportation.

There is an always-available section at lunch containing standards like a cheeseburger or veggie burger. Daily specials include a soup du jour, sandwich (like a chicken club), a salad or veggie bowl, a pasta dish, and an entrée or two such as beef beignets or chicken parmigiana. There is always the choice of two rotating desserts, with one involving ice cream or gelato.

Something a few passengers noted is the window from 2 to about 7 p.m. when there is no food available. Cookies are always near the coffee machine, along with a selection of nuts with cocktails in the evening. However, there isn’t really a way to order food if you’re hungry after lunch but before dinner.

Dinner Options

Dinner is a single seating and took place on our sailing every day at 7:15 p.m. like clockwork. Similar to lunch, there is an always-available menu including items like roast chicken, salmon, Caesar salad, and steak. There is a chef’s selection each evening, including a starter, main course, and dessert, which tend to be specialties from the region. In France, imagine a warm goat cheese salad, coq au vin, and opera cake. Of course, there are other choices including a soup, and entrees spanning fish to vegetarian dishes.

One night of our cruise was a French-immersive meal. Waitstaff dressed in charming aprons and berets serving a delectable palate opener of French cheeses and spreads, before we tucked into marinated duck, lamb, roast chicken, fish in ratatouille, red cabbage, and an assortment of other hot and cold salads and sides. Dessert was also a striking spread, including eclairs, tartlets, lemon meringue pie, French cookies, and wrapped nougat candies.

Dietary restrictions are accommodated across the Viking fleet and should be mentioned upon booking and again once you board. The maître ‘d is likely to check in with you on the first day.

Additionally, white and red wine selection, along with beer and soft drinks, are available as included beverage options during lunch and dinner. These wines were local French wines, and guests seemed to like them, but they did not change. Guests can purchase premium wines a la carte or through a prepaid beverage package. Select vintages are available by the bottle at a discount with the package.

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Bars and Lounges

The Viking Lounge is the single bar and lounge onboard, located toward the front of the ship on Deck 3. You’ll find all onboard activities as well as evening entertainment held here. This includes guest lectures and the daily port talks. There are screens that lower so you can see the presentation from anywhere in the lounge.

Afternoon diversions on our Rhone River sailing through France included a silk-weaving demonstration (and purchasing opportunity) in Lyon, a cooking demo with the chef on making chocolate fondant, and a French-style tea time.

Accompanied by tunes from the ship’s pianist, cocktail hour is each evening from 5 to 6 p.m. Following that, guests gather to hear a preview of the next day’s schedule from the activities manager. The time might vary for this chat, but it’s typically around 6:30 and dinner immediately follows. The chef appears to talk through his recommendations, which never fails to whet appetites.

After dinner each evening — beginning around 9:15 p.m. — is live music from the onboard musician or a round of music trivia. Though, local acts do come onboard a handful of times throughout the sailing to entertain the ship.

On our itinerary, there was a chanteuse who sang in the style of Edith Piaf. She was accompanied by a gentleman who played both accordion and guitar. In addition to song and dance, sometimes there are enrichment programs after dinner, like a local wine and cheese pairing.

The Viking Lounge drink menu has a good selection of classic cocktails as well as a respectable selection of scotch and whisky. (We counted 27 different types). It’s a full bar, so the bartender is likely to be able to make you any of your favorite drinks. Or, pour a glass of wine or beer, from draught or bottle. Without the Silver Spirits beverage package, cocktails are about $10 apiece.

We were pleasantly surprised to find a small menu of nonalcoholic cocktails as well as the availability of zero-proof gin, which could seamlessly replace the spirit in many of the available mixed drinks.

Excursions

One excursion is included each day on Viking river voyages. This is typically a walking orientation tour, though the format varies. In Vienne, guests could choose from three levels of walking — slow, moderate or active — with the active walk morphing into a hike to the top of a hill to visit a chapel.

A panoramic tour was offered one morning in Lyon, which combines a bus ride to the top of a scenic overlook with various walking portions through the basilica or Old Town. Another day, passengers were whisked to a winery in the famous Beaujolais region for a tour and tasting.

An unusual feature of our Rhone River cruise was the included option for a nighttime tour of medieval town Viviers. This guided tour takes guests through the ancient alleyways for a unique view of this magical place by night. This is not recommended for those with mobility issues as the ground is uneven and it is dark.

One note: pay careful attention to group number and bus number. There are multiple Viking ships in any given port at a time, so it might be easy to begin following the wrong guide’s red lollipop, or accidentally board the wrong tour bus.

In each port, there is also a selection of optional tours, which incur an additional fee. Some of these are all-day excursions, like a visit to the wild Camargue region from Arles. Others take off in the afternoon after lunch, allowing guests to participate in the morning tour as well.

We were surprised that despite his notable presence in the region, there were no tours that focused on the life or art of Vincent Van Gogh.

There is a paper ticketing system onboard, which informs you of your group assignment for included tours, but this felt a bit unnecessary. It’s our opinion that passengers should simply divide into the same group by cabin number for the duration of the cruise to keep things straightforward. We noticed that we typically had the same group number throughout the sailing anyway.

The beneficial thing about any river cruise — especially on Viking — is how close you will dock to the center of each destination. This allows guests to simply walk off and explore independently if they so choose. Viking’s long history in many regions often allows them preferred docking rights. This means that your ship will be in the best position possible to head right into town for a stroll.

Amenities

The sun decks on Viking river ships are among the largest in the industry. If you would like to walk the track, you can do so freely from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (any earlier and you’ll be waking the guests in Deck 3 staterooms). About 12.75 laps equals one mile — but you can’t beat the views.

Also on the sun deck are a number of loungers in the sun or shade. There’s a small putting green, shuffleboard, and the onboard kitchen’s herb garden as well. The sun deck remains open, with the exception of low bridges when it closes for the safety of passengers.

For anyone interested in how the ship is piloted, guest services can typically arrange a visit to the wheelhouse. Unlike the bridge of a ship, the top-deck wheelhouse is hydraulic and lowers automatically in the event of a low bridge.

The smoking section is located at the aft end of the sun deck, designated by bins for ash. In the event that the sun deck is closed, smokers can take to the covered outdoor areas to either side of Deck 3.

There is a small library, containing guidebooks and novels to borrow, as well as two computer terminals located on Deck 3 above the lobby.

Self-serve espresso and coffee machines — including hot water for tea — are available 24/7 on either side of the Deck 2 lounge. You’ll also find cookies there throughout the day and night.

On Deck 2, you’ll find the guest services desk in the lobby. It’s staffed with someone who is always available to answer questions or perform concierge services such as assisting with onshore restaurant reservations.

Just across from the desk is a small gift shop, with Viking logo items and a small selection of jewelry. There’s also an assortment of children’s books and plushies modeled after Finse, the dog of Viking EVP Karine Hagen.  

In an increasingly paperless and plastic-free world, we were surprised that our Viking cruise still used printed programs each and every day in addition to plastic water bottles. With the availability of the daily schedule on the stateroom television and free Viking Voyager app, it seems manageable to only provide paper programs upon request.

With a cold water station already built in to the coffee station (and water in each stateroom), we felt the plastic water bottles were somewhat inexcusable in an age of sustainability. Reusable bottles are relatively standard across the river and expedition cruise industry.

There is neither spa nor fitness facility onboard any of the ships in the Viking river fleet.

There is a lift that spans decks 2 and 3 for anyone with mobility issues. However, there is no elevator service to Deck 1. So, anyone requiring the lift should avoid booking a standard cabin on that deck (categories E or F).

Inclusions

Included in the cruise fare on Viking river cruises are:

• All meals
• Beer and wine at lunch and dinner
• One daily excursion
• Wi-Fi service
• Specialty coffee and bottled water

Service

The service you’ll find on a Viking river (or any Viking ship across its verticals of ocean or expedition) is a distinguishing factor. The passengers we spoke to noted that they have returned time and again because the crew made their trip so special.

Waitstaff remember names and always greet with a smile; bartenders are personable and accommodating. Our room steward was super sweet and hard-working. There is a level of professionalism across the crew that shines as a testament to their training and service-oriented attitudes.

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Comments

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