I recently embarked on my first ever cruise of any kind. My travel agent has been singing praises for Viking River Cruises for years and I finally took his advice and booked the “Danube Waltz” that took Ashleigh and I from Budapest to Passau. We spent 7 nights onboard and had an incredible time. Everything about our experience impressed me, and in this blog I want to share all of the details about planning for your trip so that you will feel prepared every step of the way leading up to the day you set sail!

Booking Your Trip

There are a few different ways that you can book your trip:

• The Viking website or calling the company at 1-855-839-9017

• Through a travel agent. We booked through our travel agent Shane at Imagine Travel (as usual) and I have provided the link to his website as well as the Viking website below.

It is important to know, that they periodically offer all kinds of promotions such as free drinks packages, percentages off, and even free airfare, so keep an eye out and sign up for emails so that you can get information on these promotions as they come up.

They also offer “Air Plus” for an additional $100 per person which allows you to work with them to book your flights. You call this number and speak with a representative and choose the flights you prefer. We went with this option as we were each flying from different states and wanted some control over our connecting airports etc. If you choose not to use this service, Viking just chooses everything for you.

What To Pack

We ended up needing three flights to get us to our starting destination, and for that reason we chose to do carry on only. We were concerned that if our luggage got lost that they would not be able to get it to us because we move around so much (this happened to two people on our ship and they NEVER got their luggage while on their trip). I will say that everyone else that we spoke to checked bags so it is completely up to you. I have attached my packing list to help you and depending on the time of year you may need to adjust it due to the temperatures, but here are a few helpful tips.

Please note that when doing carry on only, you can only bring creams, liquids, and aerosols in ONE clear Quart size zip lock bag. Choices and sacrifices had to be made here. I do not wear liquid foundation, only powder so this really helped me. Everything had to be sample or travel sized. In my zip lock bag I packed:

• Facial Cleanser

• Toothpaste

• Perfume sample

• Hair serum

• Hair detailing spray

• Eye cream

• Moisturizer

• Moisturizer with SPF

• Sunscreen

• Hand Sanitizer

• Concealer

• Mascara

• Liquid Eyeliner

• Lipstick/Chapstick

*If you choose to do carry on only, take a look at your airline’s carry on bag allowance and make sure the size of your bag/backpack falls in line with the guidelines. It would be awful for you to pack so meticulously only to have to check your bag at the gate.

• A travel umbrella-Viking offers large red umbrellas but they are quite cumbersome and hard to manage if you are out for long periods of time so we brought our own mini ones. They came in handy the one day we got some rain but they were also nice when we needed some shade in the 90 degree heat.

• We brought magnetic hooks to stick to the walls in our stateroom. There is a lot of storage but it was nice to hang my sweater up for easy access as well as my charger cords (kept them off floor and tops of surfaces to avoid clutter)

• We saw lots of people with lanyards that they used to keep their room keys in. You have to scan your key every time you exit and enter the ship and a lot of people found this super handy and kept them from having to dig around in their bags for their keys.

• I ordered a bag from Amazon that had a pocket for a water bottle. It also had hidden pockets to keep my valuables safe from pickpockets. Every single guide in every single city mentioned pickpockets so it is important to stay vigilant. You are also given a water bottle every morning when you exit the ship for your included tour (and it was in the high 80’s or low 90’s everyday so you needed it) so it was important to keep your water, but I wanted to stay hands free.

• Mosquito Repellent Wipes-again due to being carry on only, aerosol and liquid space was precious, so I ordered mosquito repellent wipes to use to avoid pesky bug bites.

• AirTags-I had one in my purse, one in my backpack, and one in my carry on. They told me every time I left the ship that something was left behind and exactly where it was. More importantly, if I had to check my bags or if your luggage gets lost it can help you (and the airline) locate it quickly.

• Adaptor-I brought one travel adapter with me that has multiple spots to plug in USB’s as well as a regular plug in. There were several American outlets and several UK outlets all over the room but no specific USB outlets so the one I brought allowed me to plug in 3 things while only taking up one outlet. I counted 4 UK and 3 US outlets in the room.

• Comfortable shoes-One word. Cobblestones. All day everyday. Be prepared and be comfortable.

• Hat-I did not take one because it is not my style but so many people had hats of all styles to protect themselves from the sun.

• Scarf/Shirts with sleeves/bottoms that cover your knees-one thing about visiting Europe that you know you will see in abundance are churches. Some had signs that require women to have their shoulders and knees covered. As you are thinking about wardrobe, this is important to consider. I opted for long dresses and toted a scarf to cover my shoulders but you can do long shorts, skirts, etc.

• Powdered dry shampoo-since we did carry on only, we had to be super choosy with liquids, aerosols, and creams. Bumble and Bumble makes a great powder dry shampoo (there are lots of brands) that saved space in my quart bag. I also did not pack body wash/soap, shampoo, conditioner, or lotion as the ship provided it.

• Sunscreen-I used an entire 1.7 ounce bottle and I also carried powder sunscreen with me to reapply on my face, my shoulders, and in my hairline everyday. It was extremely hard to find to buy and when we did find it it was 34 euro for a dry oil spray SPF 50 (we got it at a pharmacy in Budapest).

There are some things that Viking does not allow on the ship:

Pre-Arrival

Just a few things to be aware of as you wait for your travel day to arrive:

• Once you have your trip booked, you can start utilizing myVikingjourney.com to keep up with your trip, check out your ship, make payments, read FAQs, book your shore excursions, etc.

• You will need to fill out your Guest Information Form. You will get reminder emails from your travel agent/Viking and can fill this out on myVikingjourney.com once you have your trip booked.

• The sooner you can book your shore excursions the better. You can do this on the Viking website and each trip has tons to choose from. You can wait until you are on the ship, but they may be sold out. Ashleigh and I booked the included ones as well, but once we got on the ship we were told that everyone is automatically enrolled in the included tours. On the ship you can book through your TV, through the app, or at the front desk.

• You will start to receive TONS of literature in the mail and in your email from Viking promoting other voyages that you can book.

• Your flight will change. A lot depending on how far in advance you book your trip. We probably got 20 emails from either our travel agent or Delta alerting us of a “flight itinerary change”. Most of the time it was the flight number changing or the time adjusting by a minute or two. There was never a major change. Just keep an eye on it and reach out to Viking or your travel agent if there is a major change.

• There is a tip package that is mandatory. You can either pay this in advance or while onboard. When we went it was $140 per person and we paid online in advance. If you pay with a bank account rather than a credit card, Viking charges you something like 3.5% less.

• About a month in advance, you will get a nice leather luggage tag and some paper bag tags in the mail from Viking. The paper tags have your name and suite number so that when you get to the ship, the bellmen know exactly where to take your luggage. This package will also include a red sticker that you are supposed to wear at the airport to make yourself easy for the Viking team to identify during pickup.

• About two weeks before time to leave, you will get your final E-Document email with your paperwork. We got ours from our travel agent since we booked through him.

• Travel Insurance-you can either book this through Viking or you can book this through your travel agent (they usually have alternate options for you). Whatever you decide, it is always smart to get travel insurance through someone just in case!

• Research-you will have some downtime after your included shore excursions. Take a little time to determine if there are things you want to see and do during that downtime. I also joined some facebook groups to get some valuable first hand insight on tours, ships, etc from some Viking experts. I joined: VIKING CRUISES TRAVELERS, Travelers Who Love Viking Cruises, and Viking Rhine River Cruises 2022 and beyond.

• About a week before time to leave, Viking will send you an email with Viking en route travel support phone numbers. Here is a screenshot of mine but keep in mind they may change based on where you are traveling and when.

Arrival

Once you land, clear customs, and collect your luggage, you will need to head towards ground transportation and you will be greeted by Viking representatives. You can’t miss them in their red Viking shirts with their red Viking clipboards. They will get you checked off a list and sorted by group to the correct shuttle bus. Once everyone is accounted for, they will lead you to the buses and store your luggage for you, and you will be on your way to the ship!!

The shuttles were super nice with great air conditioning, a place to charge our phones, a bathroom, a tray table, a foot rest, and storage up above our seats like on the plane! We did tip the driver a euro or two for getting us to the ship safely and for handling our luggage.

Now that you have everything packed, prepped, and ready to go, all you have to do is wait!! Let the countdown begin!!