Viking Pride by Karen & Kate
Ship - Viking Pride
Line - Viking River Cruises
Date - 18 November 2007
During my 12 years with Cumbria Cruises, I have been fortunate enough to travel on a number of cruise ships including; Celebrity Century, QE2, Ocean Village, Black Watch, Boudicca, Oriana, Oceana, Aurora, Freedom of the Seas, Arcadia, Silvercloud, QM2, Norwegian Crown and the Norwegian Dream. My colleague Kate has been with the company for 4 years and had previously been on the Airtours Sundream, Thomson Destiny, Freedom of the Seas, Sea Princess and the ms Maasdam.
Despite these previous cruise experiences, neither of us had been on a River Cruise before so to be offered the opportunity to cruise the Rhine was extremely exciting.
So, luggage in hand it was off to Manchester airport on Sunday 18th November, to join the Viking Pride.
The Viking Pride is a member of the Viking River cruise fleet and holds 150 passengers. Our outbound flight to Dusseldorf, departed at 1.15pm and was with Flybe who provided a very comfortable service. On arrival into Dusseldorf, we were met by a Viking Cruise representative and transferred by coach to the ship to begin our Rhine river cruise adventure.
The ship was moored next to a public walkway and was just a stones throw from local eateries, bars and shops. On embarkation we were greeted by the crew and shown to our cabin, which was an ‘A’ grade, located on the upper deck. The cabin was comfortable, light and airy and I was really impressed that you could actually open the windows! (It’s often the small things that make a difference!).
Although the ‘Pride’ was much smaller than most cruise ships we had sailed on before, it was extremely enjoyable and the facilities onboard were more than adequate. The bar (most importantly!) sold a wide range of wines, beers and spirits in pleasant surroundings and there is often local entertainment in there after dinner.
The beauty of a river cruise is that you are ideally positioned to explore the places you are visiting as the ship always docks close by local bars, restaurants etc…
The dining onboard was open sitting and provided guests with an excellent choice and outstanding service. We were both extremely impressed with the quality of food throughout the trip.
The following morning we cruised along the scenic River Rhine to Cologne.
After disembarking the ship in Cologne we were taken on a sightseeing tour of the city by a local guide.
- It is worth noting that all excursions provided by Viking are included in the cost of your cruise.
After lunch at a local pub we were given some free time to explore this fantastic city and of course, this meant a spot of retail therapy! The whole cruise was a fantastic experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys comfort, freedom and good quality food in really pleasant surroundings.
River cruising really is an excellent way to visit some beautiful cities and places of interest in comfort and style.
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