A good first (and last?) exploration of river cruising

Item: Viking Alsvin
Rating: 4.7
Author: tommytune42

Viking Alsvin Cruise Review to River Cruises - Europe

tommytune42

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 21

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5

Verified Review

11 Night The Swiss Alps To Paris (Zurich To Paris)

Sail date: March 29, 2023

Ship: Viking Alsvin

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 304

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

So this was our first Viking river cruise, and we loved it. It's probably also our last Viking river cruise, at least for awhile. How can it be both? First of all, we were treated like royalty. The service was great. The food was amazing. Our cabin was very nice. And the scenery was superb. So what was not to like? Well, for one, we were, at 57, some of the youngest on the ship. This is not, in and of itself, and problem, except that we are also quite a bit more active than most of our fellow cruisers. We are looking for activities and experiences, not just walking around yet another German village on a casual stroll, seeing their architecture, etc. We want to DO things--let's walk up to that castle; let's ride a bike to the next town; let's climb the bell tower of the church; let's see twice as much in the same amount of time. We can sit around and drink coffee or go shopping at home--that's not our thing. So much of the "excursion" experience seemed to be geared toward the very gentle and pedestrian rather than the active and immersive.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Embarkation was good, although we were frustrated that there was no one at the airport to meet us. We contacted Viking and they told us to take a taxi and turn in a receipt for reimbursement, which we did, and they did. So it

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

The food is very, very good. We enjoyed all the meals, and my celiac/gluten-free wife was able to eat well with great consideration from the crew. However, there were times she had to be extra careful (like the morning we found bread in the bottom of the bacon to soak up the grease). Great variety and wonderful service!

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

From the hotel director, through the maitre'd, to the program director, to the guest services people, to the cabin stewards and food/drink persons, everyone was amazing. They learned/knew names quickly and also quickly learned our preferences. The service was, truly, outstanding.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The ship itself was clean and nicely arranged. It's very easy to get around, there were no weird smells or noises or really any distractions that took away from the experidnce of the ship itself.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

This cabin was HUGE compared to the other cabins, and we appreciated having the extra space for working out (there is no gym on the ship) and just hanging out in the evenings. The bed was very comfortable, and the bathroom was very nicely equipped and spacious.