Uniworld SS Catherine Burgundy and Provence River Cruise

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Scheduled Itinerary: Lyon, Macon, Lyon, Tournon and Tain l'Hermitage,Viviers, Arles, Avignon

Our first "sailing" aboard Uniworld Boutique River Cruises turned out to be a non-sailing. The seven-night Burgundy and Provence itinerary was hindered by high water levels on the Rhone River from heavy rains over several days. Although the rain had ended by the time we embarked SS Catherine, the high water remained. And, on a river, if the water level is too high, the ships cannot fit under the bridges and into the locks along the river. Nevertheless, we had the opportunity to experience Uniworld's services and most of what SS Catherine has to offer.

EMBARKATION

The 7-night Burgundy and Provence itinerary sails from Lyon, France, to Avignon, France, and does the reverse itinerary alternating weeks. Our sailing was southbound from Lyon to Avignon, so we embarked in Lyon. The trip started off with a less than wonderful experience on American Airlines that resulted in our luggage not arriving in Lyon when we did. The Uniworld staff did an excellent job of staying in touch with the lost baggage office in Lyon and our luggage was delivered to the ship the following afternoon. Crisis averted. A Uniworld representative met us at the Lyon airport as soon as we exited baggage claim. We were escorted to a waiting van for the 40-minute drive from the airport to the ship. When we arrived alongside SS Catherine (which was actually docked next to another river ship), we were greeted by Hotel Manager, Astrid, who escorted us on board SS Catherine. When we arrived at Reception, all we had to do was surrender our passports for verification. Check-in could not be simpler or more efficient. Since it was only 11:30am, we were told that the rooms would not be officially "ready" until 3pm, but that we could enjoy lunch in the restaurant and they would notify us when our room was ready.

After a quick and delicious lunch in the Cézanne Restaurant, we moved one deck up to the Van Gogh Lounge. We were pretty tired from the jet lag and an overnight flight from the US, so we were just about to pass out on one of the sofas when Petra, the ship's housekeeper, arrived with our stateroom keys and offered to escort us to our cabin. All in all, embarkation went very smoothly.

THE SHIP - SS CATHERINE

By the numbers, SS Catherine is 443 feet long and 37.5 feet wide, pretty typical for a new river cruise ship. Unlike ocean-going ships, river ships are constrained by the size of the many locks they must pass through and bridges under which they must sail. So, from the outside, river cruise ships look very similar. What distinguishes one from another is the interior decor and appointments, and of course, the service experience. SS Catherine is designed to cater to a maximum passenger capacity of 159 with a crew of 57. Compare that to the Viking River Cruises' Longships which, at the same size, can carry up to 190. The SS Catherine was inaugurated in 2014.

The Reception desk and main lobby are located on the Avignon Deck (Deck 3). This is where you typically will board the vessel, and depart for local excursions. You are greeted by a large, green and gold glass horse standing in front of the circular glass elevator that is drenched in a cascading waterfall. Curved staircases are on either side of the elevator. There's a lot of polished brass, green plants, mirrors and a huge Murano glass chandelier hanging overhead. First impression is of a 5-star hotel lobby, not a river cruise ship.

Main Lobby

Forward of Reception (but in appearance, behind the Reception desk) you will find the Cézanne Restaurant. The restaurant has a very elegant "French" decor that stops just short of going over the top. The greens and blues really do complement each other. We will go into more detail about Cézanne under Food and Dining later in this review.

Cézanne Restaurant

Aft of Reception you will find Category 2 and 3 staterooms. Moving up to Deck 4 (Camargue Deck) using the curved staircase, you are greeted by more mirrors overlaid in green trellis-patterned Murano glass. Uniworld must have spent a fortune on Murano glass as it is everywhere! Forward of the staircase is the Van Gogh Lounge, the ship's main meeting point, bar and entertainment venue. The French Provincial theme is carried even closer to the edge here, but again, it is so tastefully done that it avoids going "over the top" and never rises to the level of gaudy. A large bar at the back of the lounge is surrounded by leather upholstered bar stools. Around the perimeter of the lounge are small seating areas with a combination of upholstered chairs and elegant sofas that remind me of the one my mother would never let me sit on as a kid. The center of the lounge is filled with small tables, each with four chairs. There is a nice-sized dance floor about 2/3 of the way to the front of the lounge complete with a large white piano. The layout of the lounge has been very well thought out. At the front of the lounge, and completely out-of-sight is a staircase that leads down to the restaurant one deck below.

Bar stools

A door at the front of the lounge leads out to the Matisse Terrace which offers guests the opportunity to sit at large, white, cast iron tables and chairs and enjoy the fresh air as SS Catherine sails down (or up) the Rhone. Moving aft from the lounge, and the staircase, you will find mostly Category 1 staterooms in addition to the suites. Aft on Deck 4 is the location for the Bar du Leopard, or what is commonly referred to as "Leopard Bar". This is quite an interesting space. Decorated in black leather, leopard print upholstery and black glass-topped tables, the Leopard Bar has a very masculine appearance. It almost has the feel of a New York City cigar bar. But, there is no smoking in the Leopard Bar. Instead, this bar serves a variety of purposes. Of course, it is a "bar", where you can relax and enjoy a drink. It is also a location for 24-hour self-service coffee and tea. And, the Leopard Bar is where early risers can enjoy a selection of pastries and fruit from 5:30am to 6:30am each day. But wait, there's more! The Leopard Bar is also transformed into an elegant alternate dining venue on select nights. In addition, a Bistro Menu is available for light dining throughout the day.

Leopard Bar

Where the Leopard Bar takes a weird twist is the view of the indoor swimming pool through two large glass walls. And, although it never happened on our visits, the thought of someone walking into the bar in a swimsuit or bathrobe to take a dip while others are enjoying an intimate meal is a little troubling. For privacy, the door to the wet area triggers the electro-luminescent glass to turn opaque. Having an indoor pool on a river cruise ship is unique, but to have it visible from a bar is really "different". That said, the heated pool itself is beautiful with a green tint, a big Catherine "C" painted on the bottom and  3D aquatic-themed mosaic accent walls.

SS Catherine Indoor Pool

Aft of Leopard Bar there is an outdoor covered terrace with cast iron tables and chairs. This area is a great place to sit and enjoy a light lunch from the bistro menu, or sip your favorite cocktail while sailing the Rhone. The Leopard Bar is one of our favorite spots on SS Catherine and it quickly became my 'go to' spot for early morning coffee and blogging. My only complaint was that it seemed to be difficult for the temperature to remain constant. On some mornings it was extremely warm, while on other mornings it would be freezing cold. This was the only location on the ship where I noticed that issue. Perhaps the large automatic sliding doors to the outside terrace were playing havoc with the HVAC?

Moving up from Deck 4, you come to the Sun Deck. The expansive artificial turf-covered deck is void of any obstacles or interesting features. Notwithstanding the large shuffleboard checker game, it is basically open deck and lounge chairs, albeit very nice lounge chairs. The loungers have collapsible sun shades to protect your head from the sun. Running nearly the entire length of the Sun Deck, canvas awnings provide protection from the sun while the outer edges of the deck allow full exposure.

Sun Deck

At the front of the Sun Deck you will find a few tables and chairs, just in case you want to sit outside on a beautiful day and enjoy a glass of wine. Or, why not bring your lunch "up top" and enjoy?

If you walk (or take the elevator) all the way down to Deck 2, you will find Category 4 and 5 cabins as well as a nicely-equipped fitness center, a full-featured laundromat available for guest use, a boutique and a 24-hour coffee/tea station. The fitness center has cardio machines, free weights and other torture devices that those in pursuit of physical fitness will surely appreciate.

The laundromat has several stacked washer/dryer combination machines and a television so you can be entertained while folding your laundry. Use of the machines is complimentary, as is laundry detergent.

Laundromat

SS Catherine is also equipped with Wi-Fi Internet throughout the entire ship. Internet access is complimentary and I had no problems getting a connection from our stateroom, Leopard Bar or Van Gogh Lounge. Internet speeds were acceptable and allowed me to maintain our daily blog, Twitter updates, Facebook, etc. during the trip. However, I never had the opportunity to test the Internet as the ship was sailing. It is common for river ships to lose connections when going through locks or under bridges, as satellite antennas often have to be lowered.

It should go unmentioned that SS Catherine's interior spaces resemble a 5-star hotel more than a cruise ship. The materials used on walls, furnishings and trim are incredibly detailed and give the ship a very rich feel. This is one of the most elegantly appointed ships on which we have ever sailed. Even the public restrooms reflect an incredible about of detail that you don't often find on a ship.

ACCOMMODATIONS (CATEGORY 1)

Our Category 1 stateroom was 194 sq. ft. including an "open-air balcony". The most dominating feature of the room is the king-sized Savoir® bed with the padded green scalloped headboards. And just for the record, it happens to be the most comfortable bed on which I have ever slept. The bed is covered in excellent linens. A small bedside table with three drawers is positioned on either side of the bed. One wall of the stateroom is a series of mirrored doors, behind which you will find closet space. The center closet has three large drawers for clothes and some shelves for storage. This is where you will find the safe, QueitVox receivers and charging station, complimentary slippers and bathrobes. We found the closet space to be adequate for a 7-night sailing.

Category 1 Stateroom

Across from the bed is a narrow desk with a drawer. It is more like a shelf than a desk as it is too narrow to be used as a desk. On top of the "desk" you will find complimentary bottled water, a fruit plate, a bowl with candy, an ice bucket, two metal water bottles (yours to keep) and an iPhone/iPad/iPod charging station with speakers. Rather than providing plastic bottles of water, Uniworld refills a large glass bottle with fresh water daily, or upon request. There are 4 electrical outlets along the mirrored back wall of the desk for a variety of European-style plugs as well as a US-style 110 outlet. Personally, I would prefer 4 Euro-style 2-prong 220-volt receptacles and perhaps an adapter kit in the desk drawer. However, if you travel with an adapter kit, you will have four outlets at your disposal. There are also US-Style 110 outlets "hidden" on the floor behind the nightstands.

The balcony is not your traditional "walk outside" type of setup. Instead, a narrow section of the room has been sectioned off with a sliding glass wall. There are two chairs and a table inside this "balcony" area. A floor-to-ceiling window is divided into two sections, and the top window can be electronically lowered to deliver on the "open-air" promise of the balcony. It is actually pretty ingenious and may be superior in design to a traditional balcony, which can only be used in good weather. On the SS Catherine balcony, you can sit there in the rain and enjoy the view, just close the window! An equally ingenious mosquito screen can be electronically raised and lowered to keep the flying critters out of your room.

A flat-screen television is mounted to the mirrored wall across from the bed and above the desk. Television programming includes several news channels (BBC World News, CNNi, Sky News, CNBC, Bloomberg), but no US-based news channels (such as Fox News, CNN etc), three HBO channels, Animal Planet, TLC, NatGeo, Discovery and a couple of other European channels. The system also is equipped to allow you to check your shipboard account, but I was unable to make this work. There is also a selection of On-Demand movies free of charge.

The bathroom was very spacious and well designed. The square, glass shower stall is large and comfortable. Everything worked perfectly; however, the shower would tend to hunt for the right water temperature. Thick, luscious towels are provided, and were hanging on a heated towel rack. The floor can be heated as well with the simple flip of a wall switch. The best feature of the bathroom was the tremendous amount of storage in the form of two large drawers under the sink. This is probably the best design we have seen on any ship. There is a lighted makeup mirror attached over the vanity and a hair dryer is provided. Like the rest of the stateroom, the bathroom is wrapped in sparkling clean mirrors, which also helps to make the space look larger. L'Occitane soap, body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel were provided.

Overall, the Category 1 stateroom was comfortable, albeit a bit cramped. The balcony definitely cuts into the available space, but because it is actually part of the room, it is a better design than a traditional 'outside' balcony. The balcony window and bug screen are super cool and great for getting photos from your stateroom, or enjoying the sights as you sail down the river. And that bed, oh that heavenly bed! We would rate this stateroom a 4 out of 5, and the bed is a 6 out of 5!

The SS Catherine has the following staterooms available:

• Royal Suite: 1 (410 sq ft)

• Suites: 5 (305 sq ft)

• Categories 1 – 3 Staterooms: 61 (194 sq ft)

• Categories 4 – 5 Staterooms: 13 (162 sq ft)

FOOD AND DINING

We always like to offer a disclaimer when it comes to judging food. Everyone has different tastes, likes and dislikes, so take our view of food and dining with a 'grain of salt' (no pun intended). That said, we found the food on SS Catherine to be as good as any we have had on any ship, and superior to most others. Perhaps there really is something special about having a French Executive Chef!

Breakfast is offered buffet-style each day starting at 6:30am in the Cézanne Restaurant. Fresh fruit, fresh-baked breads and pastries, scrambled eggs, bacon (2 types), sausage, beans, etc., are all available from the self-serve buffet. An omelet station for eggs made-to-order is nearby. A menu with several specialty items is also available for ordering from your waiter. A variety of juices and champagne (for Mimosas) is also present at the juice bar near the entrance to the restaurant.

Lunch is also served here buffet-style. A different hot soup was offered each day on the buffet, and all were excellent. Occasionally, salt was needed, but otherwise, seasoning was perfect. There was a carving station each day and vegetarian options were always available. The salad varieties changed every day, and again, all we tried were very good. One big plus for the buffet dining on SS Catherine was that everything that was supposed to be hot was hot. The chafing dishes used for the hot entrees were often so hot you could not pick up the serving spoon! If you prefer a lighter lunch, one is served in the Leopard Bar.

Salad Bar

Dinner is served each evening in Cézanne, typically around 7pm. Seating is open, so you can sit wherever or with whomever you wish. And, you do not have to show up right at 7pm. If you prefer to dine a bit later, they will accommodate you. Dinner is full menu service with menus that change every day. There are a few items that are always available (pasta, New York Strip, chicken breast, Caesar salad, etc.). Once again, most everything we tried was in the good to excellent range. The "always available" New York Strip steak was my choice on two evenings and both were cooked perfectly and were delicious. The steaks even had a little ring of fat around the outside which added a lot of flavor. I have not seen that in 30 years! Please chef, don't trim that off! Whether at breakfast, lunch or dinner, there was one consistent hit and that was the bread. The bread served on SS Catherine is as good as we have ever had anywhere. The little olive baguette rolls were to die for. They forced me to cheat on my low-carb diet.

On some evenings, a special intimate dinner is available at the Leopard Bar. Reservations are required, but there is no charge. The degustation menu is a multi-course extravagant meal with an impressive presentation. I highly recommend this dining experience to anyone sailing on SS Catherine as it was probably the best alternate dining we have experienced on any river cruise ship to date.

Dining room service during breakfast and lunch was excellent because, of course, it is buffet-style. At dinner, service seemed to slip a little. It almost seemed like they were a little understaffed. Wait times between courses could be quite long and drink refills were also difficult to obtain.

Sommelier, Laurentia, explains the evening's wines to Rickee

Uniworld includes wine with dinner and a different red and white were offered each evening. You don't often see a Sommelier onboard a river cruise. In fact, I don't think we have ever seen one. But, Sommelier, Laurentia, was always available to answer questions about the wines offered, and gave a great description of each wine offered. She was probably the best Sommelier we have had on a cruise ship. All of the wine choices were very good. We were disappointed to learn that no Rieslings or "sweet" wines are kept on board, as we enjoy a sweeter white wine with lunch.

We were surprised to learn that several other guests on our cruise who had joined SS Catherine after disembarking Uniworld's River Baroness the previous week, said the food on Baroness was even better than on SS Catherine! That is hard to imagine.

Taking Photos in Leon

ACTIVITIES AND EXCURSIONS

Giving a fair review of activities and excursions is difficult given the circumstances of our particular cruise. The ship did not sail to a few of the ports due to the river conditions and we never actually sailed on the ship. As a result, we never got the opportunity to enjoy the Sun Deck, or really, even our own balcony. Also, we are not sure if evening "walk-on" local entertainment was disrupted due to the changes in schedule. We only had one guest performer during the entire week, but we are not sure if that is normal or because of the restricted itinerary. We were informed that scheduled wine tastings were cancelled due to the alternate transportation arrangements that had to be made for excursions.

The primary activity on any river cruise is exploring the cities, towns and sights along the way. The excursions and tours we participated in were all handled professionally, with excellent local guides. The use of the QuietVox sound systems makes the tours much more enjoyable than 'back-in-the-day' when guides had to yell over each other to describe various sights. All of our guides were informative, pleasant, spoke excellent English, and were more than willing to answer questions.

Excellent local tour guides

One thing that was missing was the availability of bottled water on board the tour buses. In their defense, Uniworld does provide guests with aluminum water bottles that you can fill and take with you on tours, but you can easily drink that entire bottle in half a day, so then what? I know everyone is trying to "go green", but having small plastic water bottles available on tours is really a plus. On one tour, the guide even announced that the motor coach driver had bottled water available...for 1.50 Euro per bottle! That is not something you expect to see on a 5-star, all-inclusive cruise.

Evening entertainment was provided by Ulf, the ship's pianist with vocals by Rowena. After dinner dancing was available in the Van Gogh Lounge. One evening, guests were entertained by Paolo Nassi, a guest entertainer.

There are bicycles available for guest use when the ship is docked (obviously). There is no additional charge for using the bicycles.

THE EXPERIENCE/CLIENTELE

We were surprised by how many 30- and 40-somethings we saw on this sailing. We have noticed this trend over the past few river cruises. This segment is starting to appeal to a younger and broader demographic. Average age of the guests was probably 50s to 60s. Like most river cruises, dress tends to be casual as long as you don't wear shorts or sandals in the dining room after 6pm. On Captain's Welcome Reception/Dinner and Farewell Reception/Dinner gentlemen can get by with a sport coat, but several wore suits. You can leave your tuxedo at home.

Even a simple cheese plate is elegant

Your cruise fare with Uniworld includes all gratuities, excursions in every port*, all meals on board, wine with lunch and dinner, cocktails and soft drinks.

*Uniworld does offer several "optional" excursions at an additional cost.

STAFF AND CREW

Every member of the staff and crew we came into contact with on SS Catherine was friendly, polite and very helpful. Our stateroom attendant, Alina, did an excellent job of keeping our stateroom spotlessly clean and made up, no easy task considering how many mirrors there are in the room!

Alina, our stateroom attendant

Cruise Manager, Emmanuelle Rivron, deserves special recognition for doing an amazing job of putting together some last-minute events and group meals. She was taking a lot of heat from a few guests who were disappointed that we were not able to actually sail resulting in some missed ports-of-call. She handled the situation with grace and competence. The same is true for Hotel Manager, Astrid Veldwijk. The staff was thrown into a really tough situation due to the weather and river conditions. They did everything they could to make sure the guests had a memorable experience. In fact, they went above and beyond what I would expect.

Emmanuelle, SS Catherine Cruise Manager

In another departure from the norm, SS Catherine has two butlers for suite guests. We have not seen butlers on any river cruise up until now. When not providing service to the suite guests, the butlers could be seen helping out with bar duties and dinner service in the Leopard Bar.

Rickee holding up a wall in Leon

SUMMARY

Uniworld is unquestionably at the top-end of the river cruise segment. This is a 5-star brand with excellent, all-inclusive value. SS Catherine is a beautiful new ship with incredible attention to detail evident on all fronts. The service levels are as high as we have experienced on any river cruise, and higher than most.

LIKES AND DISLIKES

There is a lot to like about SS Catherine and we have to descend into nit-picking to find anything we didn't like.

What We Like:

• Food was excellent

• Very friendly staff and crew

• All-inclusive soft drinks, cocktails and gratuities

• Best bed you will find...anywhere

• Great "open-air" balcony concept

• Leopard Bar

• Good excursions

• Excellent lunches provided on tours in Viviers and Avignon*

• Emmanuelle, our Cruise Manager worked miracles

• Attention to detail

What We Did Not Like (minor) :

• No disposable bottled water available on tours

• Wait times between courses at dinner could be long

• No Riesling or "sweet" wines available

* Not sure if these are typical, or part of special, last-minute tour arrangements

VIDEO

Viking Longship Hlin Review

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Itinerary: Budapest, Vienna, Melk, Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg

In case you have not noticed, Viking River Cruises has been seriously stepping up its game over the past couple of years. There are now 40 of the new Viking Longships in the fleet, and rumor has it that Viking ownership won’t be happy until there are 100. We have been sailing on Viking River Cruises since 2003, yet until now, we have not had the opportunity to experience one of the new Viking Longships. Well, the wait is over. We just spent a week aboard the new Viking Longship Hlin sailing from Budapest to Nuremberg.

Viking Longship Hlin

BEFORE THE CRUISE

Four Seasons Budapest Gresham Palace

Whenever we embark or disembark a cruise in Budapest, we like to spend an extra day or two to explore this amazing city. Unfortunately, our schedule only allowed us one day in Budapest before embarking Viking Hlin. We flew from DFW on American Airlines to London, then from London to Budapest on British Airways. Weeks before we departed the USA, we arranged for Limo Hungary to have a driver meet us and transfer us to our hotel. The driver was waiting for us when we exited baggage claim and within 40 minutes, we were checking in at The Four Seasons Budapest Gresham Palace hotel. Our stay at the Four Seasons was what we have come to expect from Four Seasons: ultimate luxury. Make sure you read our review.

EMBARKATION

Viking Hlin was ‘parked’ right in front of our hotel (Four Seasons Gresham Palace) at the famous Chain Bridge. We were able to actually walk the short distance from the hotel to the ship, our rolling duffel bags in tow behind us. As soon as we approached the dock, two Viking River Cruises’ attendants grabbed our luggage and promised to have them delivered to our stateroom. We boarded on Deck 2 at 3pm, right at the Reception Desk. The check-in process could not have been more efficient. All that was requested was our passports, which we quickly surrendered. We were issued our stateroom keys and a steward escorted us to our Veranda Stateroom (309). As promised, our luggage was already waiting for us when we arrived.

Reception Desk Deck 2

THE SHIP

Viking Hlin is one of 40 Viking Longships. All of the Viking Longships have the same basic configuration; however, there may be subtle differences in design elements and decor between the various ships. So, just because you have sailed on one Longship does not mean you have sailed on all of them. The Longships are the largest riverboats sailing the rivers of Europe and can accommodate up to 194 guests. On our sailing, there were 151 guests. I cannot speak to what the ship feels like when at capacity, but on our cruise, the ship never felt crowded and long lines were not a problem.

Guests enjoy plush leather seating in the Viking Lounge

Viking River Cruises (VRC) has obviously done their homework on the design and construction of these Longships. The public spaces are open and spacious and have a much more upscale feel that what we have experienced on past VRC ships. Viking Hlin’s Viking Lounge on Deck 3 is a masterpiece of design with light wood tones and tan leather surfaces giving the ship a very “Scandinavian” feel. This theme carries throughout the ship, even into the staterooms. The attention to detail throughout the vessel is astonishing for a river cruise boat. The expansive windows in the Lounge make viewing picturesque river scenery much more pleasurable. One of the Viking Longship trademark features is the Aquavit Terrace, a unique indoor/outdoor dining/social venue that carries all the way out to the bow of the vessel with al fresco seating. Even though it was a bit too cold during our November sailing to allow for outside dining, Viking Hlin staff placed blankets on the chairs outside for the few brave souls who wanted to sit outdoors and enjoy the scenery.

The Aquavit Terrace offers a lot of al fresco seating (note the blankets)

Two coffee/tea stations are aft of the Lounge (one port and one starboard) and are available 24 hours a day for self-serve coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Pastries are placed here each morning, and cookies in the afternoon. Nice.There is also a dispenser for ice water, both still and bubbly.

Automated coffee/tea/hot chocolate station

On Deck 2 you find Reception, a small gift shop, which is really a wall of Viking logo-branded products. The Restaurant is located on Deck 2 forward and is a major re-design from previous Viking vessels. There is no real need for a large selection of sundries (toothpaste, deodorant, etc.) on a river cruise as these are readily available in every town along the river.

The Gift Shop across from Reception Desk

A portion of the Sun Deck on Deck 4 is completely exposed to the elements and will no doubt see lots of use in warm weather. On our November cruise, it was too cold to spend much time “up top”, but we did take a walk around. There is no pool or hot tub and the large, mostly unused chess set has been replaced with a mini-golf putting green and shuffleboard. An herb garden can also be found here, the contents of which will find their way into meal preparation. There are lots of seats, both under cover and open to the elements.

Golf putting on the Sun Deck and herb garden (left)

There is an elevator that can take guests from Deck 1 to Deck 3, but not to the Sun Deck. Ice machines are located on each deck and ice is self-serve. A small library on Deck 3 offers global newspapers and a quiet space for reading. Two computers nearby constitute a small 'Internet-cafe' for catching up on email. Wi-Fi Internet is complimentary and can be accessed from virtually anywhere on the ship, even from the staterooms. Internet connections are spotty and prone to outages, especially as the ship navigates through the many locks on the river. Internet speeds are slow compared to land-based Internet, or even Internet on ocean-going vessels. However, the Internet service is much improved over previous Viking ships on which we have sailed and is as good, or better, than we have had on any river ship.

A small library and reading space on Deck 3

ACCOMMODATIONS

Our Veranda Stateroom (309) was 205 sq. ft and was comfortable for a one-week cruise. The decor of the stateroom follows the Scandinavian-inspired design of the rest of the ship with light wood tones. It looks very modern without looking “IKEA-like”. And, everything (for the most part) functions very well.

The modern, clean decor of Viking Hlin Veranda stateroom

The bed is comfortable, but ours had an annoyingly loud squeak in the frame when you got into or out of bed. It was impossible to get up in the middle of the night without waking up your travel companion. A large desk offers plenty of drawer storage space with soft-close dampened drawers. The sliding doors on the closets and bathroom are also intelligently dampened to prevent annoying slams. Once you slid the door to a certain point, the mechanism took over to finish gently closing the door. Again, a very well thought-out design. Cabin doors are also designed to make slamming doors difficult. Good job. The stateroom is one of the quietest we have ever sailed in. We never heard our neighbors on either side. The only noise was the occasional thumping coming from someone jogging on the Sun Deck above us. As with many newer ships, there is a slot by the stateroom door that turns on the cabin's lights whenever a key card is inserted. When you remove your key card, the lights in the cabin go off (except for the bathroom night light). We are notorious for forgetting to remove one of our key cards when leaving the stateroom, so we found out that a common business card will work, too!

The bathroom is a tight fit, but everything you need is there and Viking River Cruises still provides top-notch L’Occitane amenities. The thick, absorbent towels are very nice. And, the toilet seat lid has a self-lowering feature that prevents that "oops" moment when the lid slips out of your hand and loudly bangs shut when you start to close it to reach the flush button. Another very nice feature is the night light in the bathroom which provides ample lighting to prevent bumping into things when you need to get up in the middle of the night. There is a small mini-bar/refrigerator that you can use to keep cokes or bottled water in, but it is not stocked by the ship. Bottled water is provided and replenished each day, but not in individual plastic bottles. A glass, reusable bottle is refilled and sealed each day before being placed on your desk.

Top-quality L'Occitane amenities

The television is one of the largest and nicest we have seen on any ship. The flat screen, HD TV is wall mounted across from the bed and is almost too big for the room. But, I am not complaining, it is great! Programming, too, is good. There is a choice of international news channels (CNN, BBC, CNBC Europe), sports and entertainment. A selection of complimentary movies is also available on demand, at no extra cost. The TV also serves as an information hub for weather, maps, music and Viking videos. There are Bow Cam and Lounge Cam channels so that you can follow the action from your stateroom.

The excellent wall-mounted television and expansive desk with lots of drawer space

The veranda is a bit cramped, but hey, this is a river ship! Any balcony is better than none, and this one is comfortable enough for two people to sit and enjoy coffee in the morning while the European countryside passes by. Of course, the weather on our cruise was a bit cold to spend time enjoying the balcony much, but it was great to be able to step out to take a photo when something interesting appeared. We look forward to sailing on a Longship in warmer weather so we can really enjoy the balcony to its fullest.

Just about everywhere you look in the Veranda Stateroom, you can see innovations that we wish all river cruise lines would employ, including the addition of many electrical outlets, both 110 (US-style) and 220 (European-style 2-pin). There are outlets at two locations on the desk and above each night stand. The 220 euro-style 2-pin outlets work fine with most modern electronics like camera chargers, cell phones, iPad/iPhone/iPod, computer chargers, etc. All you need are simple adapters that you can buy from any electronics store.

Lots of electrical outlets

FOOD AND DINING

We have noticed a consistent improvement in Viking dining over the years. Each cruise seems to be better than the last. The Restaurant on Deck 2 is the de facto dining venue serving breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Breakfast is primarily a buffet affair with a wide variety of breakfast items readily available for the taking. The buffet serving-station design is much improved over previous Viking ships, and is the best layout we have seen so far on any river cruise vessel. A chef is on hand at the buffet to prepare egg dishes to order if the scrambled eggs on the buffet do not suit your fancy. And, you can order poached eggs, Eggs Benedict, French toast or pancakes from your waiter.

The buffet serving station is the best we have seen on any river cruise ship

For lunch, the Restaurant serves a hybrid buffet/table service meal. You select appetizers and salads from the buffet while main course orders are placed with your waiter and are delivered to your table. On most days, a pasta station is manned by a chef creating fresh pasta dishes.

The Restaurant set for casual lunch service

There is no buffet in The Restaurant at dinner. Evening meals are strictly menu based with full table service. Menus change every day and selections usually include one fish and one meat choice along with a vegetarian option. There are a few items “Always Available” including a Caesar salad, salmon filet, grilled chicken breast and grilled New York steak. The New York steak was my “go to” option on at least three evenings. It is just my personal taste. I am a beef guy. I found each steak to be cooked perfectly as ordered, and flavorful. The steaks are served with a trio of dipping sauces, creamy mashed potatoes and broccoli.

The service in the dining room was hit and miss. With the open-seating concept, which we love, we had the opportunity to dine in a few different sections with different waiters. The waiters now use an iPod-style device to take orders, which we presume are then transmitted to the galley. The system was not able to prevent the wrong dishes from being placed in front of the wrong guest on more than one or two evenings. It is as if they had no idea who ordered what dish. That part could use some work. Also, ladies' orders were not always taken first and dishes were not always served to the ladies before the gentlemen. That said, the wait staff were all very pleasant and willing to serve, so it is probably just a training issue. Also, we never got the feeling that the ship was understaffed. There always seemed to be someone available and visible when we needed something. Water glasses were regularly filled and the complimentary wine service was very efficient.

Viking Longships, Hlin included, also offer a casual alternate dining venue in the Aquavit Terrace. Here guests can enjoy a continental breakfast each morning, a casual buffet “light” lunch, or a “bar menu” in the evening during dinner time. There are a few tables inside Aquavit and even more outside at the bow of the ship for al fresco dining. Some tables are set in the Viking Lounge for Aquavit dining as well. We enjoyed the light lunch in Aquavit on several days, preferring the relative calm of the Viking Lounge to the more crowded Restaurant. Also, we were able to get a table for two in Viking Lounge! We did not try the “bar menu” for dinner and I had a bit of a challenge finding out exactly what is served in the evenings. One of the bartenders told me it is basically hamburgers and fries, but I cannot confirm that. I never saw a “bar menu” posted.

Fresh fruit is always available in Aquavit

In addition to the daily meals, there are a few standout special themed meals. The Captain’s Farewell dinner was a five-course menu degustation that was impressive in scope and execution. The dining highlight on our cruise, however, was the Austrian feast. During this special dining event, all staff were wearing traditional Austrian garb and serving guests in both Aquavit and The Restaurant.

Guests could even venture into the galley to fill their plates, combining a dining event with a galley tour of sorts. Local musicians were circulating throughout the ship keeping guests entertained as we all enjoyed endless glasses of Austrian beer. It was one of the best- executed special dining events we have experienced on a cruise ship.

ENTERTAINMENT

Each evening, Viking Hlin invites guests to the Lounge for Cocktail Hour (5:30 - 6:30). Dimitir could always be found entertaining on the piano as guests mixed and mingled, enjoying their favorite beverages. Bar service was very good with plenty of waiters circulating through the Lounge. A small tray with an assortment of nuts to munch on was placed on each table during Cocktail Hour.

Dimitir continued to entertain guests in the Lounge after dinner. However, on select evenings, local entertainers came aboard to provide guests with a combination of song, dance and music. All of the local entertainers were very good.

EXCURSIONS

One of the biggest benefits of river cruising is the included excursions. At every port we visited, Viking offered excellent motorcoach and/or walking tours. The local guides were all exceptional, spoke good English and were informative. The use of the provided Quiet Vox receivers makes walking tours in Europe a pleasure as you can venture off from the group a bit and still her the guide's commentary.

Local guides are excellent

It is important to note that on our cruise, we enjoyed the use of brand-new Viking motorcoaches. These coaches are spotlessly clean, comfortable and very well designed. They even have a GPS screen to show where the coach is at any given time during the tour. Unfortunately, we only noticed the GPS displayed during the Budapest tour.

Viking motorcoaches

Viking provides complimentary bottled water on a table as you exit the ship for excursions, a very nice touch. A basket filled with bright red umbrellas is on hand for guests to grab one if the weather looks sketchy. If any guests require a wheelchair, that will be placed outside as well. Once again, Viking's attention to detail is impressive.

Complimentary bottled water, umbrellas and wheelchair (if necessary) are available before local tours

In addition to the included excursions, a variety of optional excursions were offered on this cruise. We opted for two of the optional tours. The Mozart and Strauss Classical Concert in Vienna (64€ pp) is simply a must. You do not want to visit Vienna without attending a classical music concert. The musicians, opera singers and ballet performers were amazing.

Classical Concert in Vienna

In Regensburg, we took the optional BMW factory tour (29€ pp). This in-depth look at how BMW builds their luxury vehicles will be enjoyed by any auto enthusiast, especially Beemer owners or aspiring owners.

STAFF AND CREW

We were a bit concerned with how well trained and efficient the staff would be on this cruise given that Viking has launched so many new ships in a such a short period of time. Our fears have been put to rest. I don’t know how Viking can launch 10 brand new ships at one time, then launch 14 more at one time the following year, but they did it. And it would seem that service levels have not suffered in the process. We found the entire staff and crew to be pleasant, helpful, smiling and happy.

Program Director, Valentin

Program Director, Valentin, was always on hand to keep the activities moving along like clockwork. Chef Thomas and Hotel Director, Robert, were also very visible and approachable throughout the entire cruise.

OTHER COSTS

As previously mentioned, Viking River Cruises includes soft drinks, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, a great value. However, if you choose to enjoy cocktails, beer, wine or soda at other times, there is a charge. A Johnny Walker Black Label scotch will cost you 7.50€ (about $9.25 US). A 3.5oz Viking sparkling wine (champagne) will cost you only 3.50€ and we consider that to be the best drink bargain on Viking. In addition to your bar tab, there are also gratuities which are completely at your discretion. However, guidelines suggest $12 per day/per guest for the crew and $3 per day/per guest for the Program Director. The only other cost would be any optional tours (e.g. classical concert in Vienna) that you choose to enjoy or any laundry you send out.

THE VIKING CRUISE EXPERIENCE

The general atmosphere for river cruising is casual and relaxed. Dress codes are much less strict on the river than on the ocean. As this sailing was in the winter, with colder temperatures, everyone was wearing long slacks during the day. Many gentlemen will wear a sport coat to dinner in the evenings and some ladies will wear dresses. However, slacks are fine and jackets are not required. People do tend to dress a bit more for the Captain’s functions. I wore a sport coat with an open collar shirt and did not feel under dressed.

This was a much younger crowd that we have experienced on previous Viking River Cruises. Ages were all over the place with a few 30-somethings all the way up to 70-somethings, and everything in between. It would seem that Viking is expanding the appeal of river cruising to a broader demographic. There were even a few small children aboard. This diversity in demographics could be a function of the fact that this was a Christmas Markets cruise. The ship's public areas were decorated and there were even a few decorated Christmas trees to contribute to the festive atmosphere.

SUMMARY

Viking River Cruises is taking no prisoners in the river cruise war. They just may have the best hardware in the business with these new Longships and their software (onboard service, food, excursions) just keeps improving with age. It is no wonder they are the largest and fastest- growing river cruise company in the world. Usually, when companies grow like this, they are doing something right. In our opinion, Viking is doing a lot of things right.

So, is there anything we don't like about Viking Hlin? Well, the tromping noise coming from above when someone is jogging on the sun deck is annoying, but this only happened a few times, and mostly in the middle of the day. Also, that would only affect certain staterooms on Deck 3. We would like to see a defined evening menu for Aquavit. The service in the dining room could also stand some tweaking. All of these are details that can be easily addressed and I doubt many guests would even take notice. There was nothing we found that would prevent anyone from having an excellent vacation aboard this ship. From a hardware perspective, Viking River Cruises has everyone beat, at least every one we have sailed with. Quite simply put, the Viking Longship Hlin is the best-designed river ship on which we have ever sailed.

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GALLERY