Get excited! We officially have a plan for vacation 2023! We finally listened to our travel agent and decided to try a Viking River Cruise. We got an amazing deal (they are offering free airfare and only $25 deposit right now) and have started getting into the details of the trip. The website is really user friendly but can only be accessed once you have your booking number.

When we booked, we knew that the trip was “all inclusive”. For someone on a budget this is super helpful. This includes all food, house wine and beer, transport to and from the airport and excursions, sleeping accommodations, etc. The only things it does not include are travel insurance (you can book through Viking, but we decided to get ours through our travel agent), and the tipping package. Viking offers one that you can pay for up front, or they can charge you once you are onboard the ship (it is about $20 per person per day). Additionally, you can pay $100 for Air Plus which allows you to work with Viking to book your own air (I am a control freak so this was a MUST for me).

Once you have your booking number, you can go to My Viking Journey - Viking Cruises and start getting all your ducks in a row. Each passenger will need to fill out a “Guest Information Form” under Guest Documents. Once that is done, and you are within a specific timeframe you can book your Shore Excursions, look into Extensions, set up payments, view or edit your air, and more!

We decided to pay the $100 per person for Air Plus. Ashleigh researched flights in advance (we prefer Delta) and I had the day off so I decided to call to see if they could go ahead and book the flights for us. We are 208 days away from our trip but the gentleman on the phone was extremely helpful and able to book everything for us in 20 minutes. The number we used for Air Plus was 1-877-523-0580. Ashleigh and I live in different states, so we wanted to make sure that our flights met and that our big flight oversees allowed us to be together. Our itineraries showed up on the website within about two hours and they emailed us copies as well. Super easy and efficient. Very impressed with the service so far!

Even though we are so far out from the trip, the Shore Excursions are available on the site. You need to go in and reserve all the excursions that you are interested in doing (even the free ones). If you choose to do one that has an additional fee, you have to pay for it at the time of reservation. You can read descriptions when looking through the site, but your travel agent will also email you a list when you book your trip. The Facebook groups that I joined have been incredibly helpful here as many have been on these trips and taken these tours and can give great insight on what to do in each city and which ones are the best. You can even see photos and videos!

So now our flights are booked, our excursions are planned, and now I will start obsessing over what to do in our free time and how to pack for 8 days in two carry-ons. I will keep you posted, and I will share my packing lists and Itinerary for each city as it gets closer to trip time!