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Viking European River Cruises - 6 Key Must-Knows Before You Go
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Jan 28, 2025
Viking River Cruises is probably the best known European river cruising company, and has a wide range of river cruise options in Europe. Before you decide to go on a European river cruise with Viking River Cruises, I share with you 6 important watch outs and things I think you need to know. All things I would like to have known in detail before I did a river cruise with them. I explore things like what they offer, the on board facilities and experience, what the Viking river cruise fare covers, which they are best suited for ( and who your likely passengers will be) and the dress code. Note: I did travel as a guest of Viking River Cruises before making this video. They covered my fare in a 7-night Danube cruise on the Viking Vilhjalm. The fare for the standard cabin would have been £2,645 (US $3,000) including flights and transfers from London Heathrow to and from the ship. Check out cruising merchandise like T-shirts at my store at https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/store Support the channel by booking your next cruise and for the best deals on CRUISEDIRECT.COM: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/CruiseDirectYT Follow Tips For Travellers on: - Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/garybembridge - Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tipsfortravellers - Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/garybembridge #VikingRiverCruises #VikingCruises #EuropeanRiverCruise
View Video Transcript
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you're about to discover the six things
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that you really need to know and watch
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out for if you're thinking of cruising
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in Europe with Viking River Cruises hi
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I'm Gary Babbage and this is another of
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my tips for travelers I'm just back from
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a European River cruise along the Danube
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with Viking on the Viking of William and
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I thought it would be a great
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opportunity to share with you the things
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that I wish I'd known and the things
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that I learned to help you better
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understand a Viking River cruise in
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Europe and the things to really watch
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out for and make sure that you're aware
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of before you go it was actually
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established back in 1997 and so it's not
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the oldest of the producing company but
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it is a very large company it has over
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70 ships at the time of recording either
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on the rivers or about to enter the
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rivers and they're constantly expanding
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it operates in the premium end of river
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cruising sister on the ultra-luxury end
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it's in the premium and secondly in
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Europe Viking operate what are known as
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the Viking longships now these long
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ships operate on most of the rivers in
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Europe there are a couple of rivers
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where the long ships are too big to
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operate on so they have a scaled-down
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version let me tell you a little bit
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about what you can expect on a Viking
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longship it has a hundred and ninety
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passengers and around about forty five
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crews are very high crew to passenger
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ratio when you serve on board the long
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should the first thing you'll notice is
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the de corps
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it's very Scandinavian and look and feel
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and that of course links back to the
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original heritage and the founders who
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come from Scandinavia there are four
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different accommodation types on board
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there are two suites which are the rear
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of the long ships they then have a
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veranda suite which has an actual
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balcony which you can go out and it has
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a table and two chairs
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they also have veranda cabins which have
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floor-to-ceiling windows but these are
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Juliet balconies no actual balcony you
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can step out on and then on the lower
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level they have standard cabins which
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have a small window at the top of the
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cabin and that's because these cabins
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are partly below the water level on the
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top deck you have the Sun Deck which is
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a big open space where you can sit out
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and enjoy the weather and the scenery on
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the next level down you have the real
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heart and hub of the
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which is the lounge this is where you
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have the bar it's also where you will
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have your daily briefings as where
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people meet during the day they go for
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drinks before and after dinner
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it's where if there's any entertainment
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it'll also be posted here in the front
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of the lounge is what's known as aquavit
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and so you also have the early riser
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breakfast out here and you will have you
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know a lighter breakfast a lighter lunch
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and in the evening you can actually dine
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here and it's the same menu as in the
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main restaurant to the rear of the
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lounge you have the 24-hour tea and
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coffee making facilities which are great
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there's also on this level a small
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library and a couple of computers if you
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have brought your own laptop on the
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river below that you have the reception
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area and a small Viking shop which sells
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branded merchandise and other products
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related to the cruise then you have the
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dining room this is a great open space
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everyone can sit here it's open see the
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dining your breakfast lunch and dinner
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breakfast is buffet although they do
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have eggs cooking station you can order
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things like pancakes and eggs benedict
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lunch is a buffet they'll often be a
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pasta station and again you can order
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from a menu the evening is a full
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multi-course dinner menu where you'll
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have a regional menu based on where
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you're cruising through ala carte and
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then some standards which are on every
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single day what's as important as what's
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the ship does have is what it doesn't
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have so there's no medical center on
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board and that's true of all river
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cruising boats because you're close
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enough to the banks and ports to not
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have medical centers also biking unlike
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some other River cruise companies it
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doesn't have a fitness center it doesn't
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have a spa doesn't have a hairdresser
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doesn't have an exercise room it doesn't
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carry bicycles the focus of the longship
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is very much on sort of the hotel
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experience the dining experience and
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very much around the destinations and
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the excursions the third thing to know
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about Viking is they offer you an
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enormous choice of rivers and also even
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itineraries on those rivers because
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there's such a big fleet in operation
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they have huge permutations you like to
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find pretty much any of the rivers in
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Europe that you want to sail on Viking
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or there so for example they sail on the
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Danube the Rhine the Rhone the Elbe the
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Messiah
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dois ro the vulgar the waters of
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Bordeaux they sell on rivers in Holland
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and Belgium but even on those of us
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there's lots of different itineraries so
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as you look at the rivers that you want
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to go on there's going to be different
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itineraries the next key thing to
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understand and watch out for is what is
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and isn't included in a Viking fair now
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river cruising generally in Europe is
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pretty all-inclusive however there are
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nuances and differences based on the
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different brands so what exactly when
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you look at the biking fair are you
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going to get this is very important
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because a lot of people particularly
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coming from ocean cruising take a look
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at the river cruising fares and think
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they're on the high side and that's
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because there's a lots of stuff included
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so what is included the obvious things
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are included to your accommodations
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included your Dining's included and some
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of your drinks are also included at
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lunch and dinner wine beer and soft
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drinks are included and you'll normally
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find there'll be a choice of wines
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obviously often a white and a red wife
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is included also excursions are included
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so you'll find at every place you stop
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there's normally at least one included
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excursion within your fare now sometimes
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there will also be a choice of
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excursions so you might have a choice of
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two or three excursions that are
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included the excursions do tend to focus
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on the historical the cultural and the
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arts side of a destination you will find
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in some of the places there are optional
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excursions which you do have to pay for
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so for example in Vienna there was the
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opportunity to go to a classical concert
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in the evening entertainment is also
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included within the fair night
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entertainment it's not on the scale of
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an ocean cruise ship every evening
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they'll normally be one activity now
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that could be some local singers or
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dancers or musicians it could be a quiz
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a music quiz or a general knowledge quiz
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there's also a pianist who will play
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often around lunchtime before dinner and
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after dinner as well so what is not
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included first of all gratuities are not
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included within the fair and at the time
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of recording the gratuities recommended
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were two euros per person per day for
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the program director and 12 euros per
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person per day for the rest of the crew
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drinks outside of lunch and dinner
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you also have to pay for and you know
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the pay for those ad hoc or they do
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actually sell what's known as a silver
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spirits drinks package which will then
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cover you for the entire time bear in
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mind of course your 24-hour teas and
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coffees are always available that is
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included within the fair then if you
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want to do things like send stuff to the
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laundry or of course you buy things in
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the shop that is not included within
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your fare the next important thing to
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understand is the passenger mix and what
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sort of passengers you likely to find on
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board Viking River Cruises and also
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their ocean cruisers are an adults-only
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experience so you have to be over 18
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before you can go on a Viking River
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cruise now recruiting generally still is
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the slightly older traveler experience
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to you more likely to find people in
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their 50s 60s 70s and even above on
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river cruises particularly in Europe of
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course you are or any crews gonna get a
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variety you're gonna find it's mostly
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people from the US at the UK or often
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find a lot of Australians it's an
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English language experience so the whole
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program is done in English what I also
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found on river cruising and I did find
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this very true on Viking is your final
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lot of groups of people travel together
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some groups of friends all
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multi-generational people traveling
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together so although there's lots of
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couples they are often on board with
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friends and family
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what about solo travelers so if your
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solo traveler and you want to travel on
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biking the best thing to do is to sign
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up for their email newsletters or work
8:02
very closely with Viking and your travel
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agent because what they do is certain
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cruisers during the year will have
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either no single supplement or anywhere
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up to fifty percent surcharge if you're
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travelling in a cabin by yourself they
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do 10 B cruises there ours are the
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beginning the end of the season so less
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peak times if you plan to go on a biking
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River cruise or any river cruise do you
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think about your degree of mobility and
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how active you are the long ships do
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have some cabins for people with
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mobility issues however my personal
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opinion river cruises are really best
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enjoyed by people who are a little bit
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more mobile because it can be quite a
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challenge getting on and off the long
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ships just because the nature of where
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you're docking and the ramps and in the
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places recording on they're very old
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traditional places so you can find lots
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of cobblestones lots of stairs and not
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necessarily lots
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of mobility friendly ways of getting
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around one thing I would say about
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Viking is they do go out of their way to
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make sure if you do have a mobility
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issues that they help you and work
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really hard to make sure you have a
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great cruise there is an elevator on the
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long trips but it does only go really
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between the two floors so it goes
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between the floor of the lounge and the
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floor that has dining room on another
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key watch out and think to understand is
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the dress cut the dress code on a Viking
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River cruise is pretty casual and
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relaxed in fact the only real rule that
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you need to bear in mind when thinking
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about packing ought to bring is you not
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supposed to wear denim jeans or shorts
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in the dining room in the evening but
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the rest of dress code is pretty relaxed
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now some people do make more of an
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effort and should be on the captain's
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welcome part in the captain's farewell
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party people dress up a bit smarter so
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it's much more important to think about
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things like good walking shoes layers if
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it gets cold or if it gets hot you have
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layers that you can layer up or down
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things to protect you against rain if
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there are showers is much more important
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to think about that when it comes to
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thinking about a Viking River cruise
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daniel Gladrags and your smart clothes
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to wear Viking River Cruises is probably
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the best known river cruising company in
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the world and certainly within Europe
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there were very large fleet operator
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lots of different rivers and they really
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do focus very much on the hotel and the
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dining and the food experience and
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immersing you in the places that you go
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to if you're interested in Viking or
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you're interested in river cruising in
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Europe watch many more of my tips of
10:23
travelers videos I have lots of videos
10:24
with lots of tips about river cruising
10:26
in Europe
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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