My First River Cruise | Paris and The Heart of Normandy FULL REVIEW
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- Опубликовано: 18 апр 2024
- Full disclosure: I was part of a PR trip with Viking and that means they paid for my cruise and my roundtrip airfare to and from Paris. Having said that all opinions are my own and I had no limitations or mandatory posting requirement and received no monetary compensation for making this video.
I recently went on a Viking River Cruise and in this video I'll be sharing what I loved, what I didn't love, and exactly WHO I think should go on a river cruise! Huge thanks to Viking for hosting me for this lovely 7 night Paris and the Heart of Normandy river cruise. I hope this video will help you decide if you should go on a river cruise and give you some tips and tricks to help you feel more prepared.
To get all the details and book your own Viking River Cruise, head here: www.viking.com/
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Two things I forgot to mention: they give you 2 huge glass bottles of water in your room each day (and more on request) and there is also a mini fridge in the room. A couple of you asked in the comments so thought I'd pin that here!
Yes! Viking thinks of everything. Can’t go wrong cruising with them. Jen, you should inquire about booking a cruise and inviting your subscribers. We would have a great time 🤗
Regarding the off-hours food issue: You need to grab a few cookies and pastries when they are present and bring them back to your room. It works and is free! That's how we solved the problem.
We took the Viking Grand European cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam and “magical” is the word I used as well. We booked our own “pre and post” stays for a few days in both Budapest and Amsterdam and highly recommend that. Arriving a day or two early at the departure location meant we didn’t have to worry about flight changes and had some time to get over jet lag. At the time, we were 60 yrs old. We met couples we are still friends with. Highly recommend a Viking cruise!
Oh I love hearing that!
Ahh ~! That sounds so- good !! 👍👍😍💜🥁🐉🎤🎶💞
Deb here. We did the exact same trip and agree it was magical.
Totally spot on with your review. As a travel advisor who specializes in Europe, I think river cruising is a wonderful way to travel. I too feel it’s magical walking off the ship into town. So happy you were able to enjoy with your son.
Memories that will last a lifetime!
We’ve done numerous Viking river cruises…Bordeaux, Rhine, Rhône, Douro, Danube all the way to the Black Sea. First class, great service, comfortable accommodations, very good food.
Avalon and tauck are the two river cruises I have done. Love love love river cruises. I’ve been ocean cruising my whole life but river cruises are just so special. We loved tauck so much we did a land tour with them to Hawaii and it was fabulous. I’m in my 30’s and the older age demographic didn’t bother me because I get along better with old people than my own age lol
I'm glad you mentioned Tauck! I'm now looking at their Japan tour packages.
Love Love Love Tauck Tours done their River cruises and land tours. Going again this summer
Tauck is awesome ! We love them but they are pricey.
@@leilaniwilliams1474 As another commenter noted, Tauck is pricey, but it is first class all the way. They do an excellent job of curating a trip/tour.
dearest jen, i’ve been recently disappointed by the attitudes and behaviour of another travel creator i had previously enjoyed, so i cannot tell you how much it means to me to watch videos from someone with as much honesty and integrity as you. so happy you had such a wonderful time away with will xx
Glad you enjoyed the video!
Went on a Viking river cruise in 2017 and had the best time. I do not drink much alcohol so people should know that you get free soda at lunch and dinner.
Please, please try AMAwaterways for your next cruise. Incredible service. Snacks several times a day in the lounge. 95% of excursions included. No need for beverage package. Amazing people. Will do our fifth cruise in May.
We have booked 2 & 3 cruises for this year, Emerald & Avalon, but would love to try Amawaterways as well as Viking. Glad to hear a recommendation!
@@pamelawooden6012 And try our favorite, Uniworld.
I have done 2 AMA European river cruises. Couldn't agree more.
Jen, I’m so delighted you were hosted! I know you will always tell the truth, hosted or not! What a great memory for you and your son!
It truly was such an amazing experience and THANK YOU!
Just Wow. We've wanted to go on a Viking River Cruise for years, but life interferes. Now I really want to go.🤩
Oh I hope you can make it happen, Katy!
You should give Amawaterway a try. Their excursions are not divided by large or small groups, but they offer multiple excursions at every port of call based on level of difficulty. So most every port offered a hiking/biking excursion, and a moderately paced excursion as well as an easy pace one. Each one has a score of level of difficulty to help in making a best decision. I like that they accommodate all levels of ability regardless of group size.
My husband has never been to Europe, while I lived in the Netherlands for 3 years 3 decades ago and traveled extensively. A river cruise sounds like a great choice for our first European vacation together in a couple of years. Thank you for this review!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
I think that'll be a wonderful, memorable travel !! 👍👍😍💜🥁🐉🎤🎶💞
I have been in several Viking River cruises and absolutely loved every single one. They do service right. The excursions are well planned and the guides were all well-informed.
Having been on 2 Viking River cruises before (with a third one scheduled for July), I thought you did a good job at covering the bases. The fact that it only has one restaurant is no big deal for us as there are so many choices of food. The space also gives a very intimate experience making it easy to make new friends, if you’re feeling social. 😊. We are hoping to do this cruise next year!
We’ve had great river cruise experiences with Amadeus/Lueftner too
I loved this Viking cruise! The only time there isn’t food laid out is between maybe 10pm and 6am, and even during those hours they would have brought to your cabin a snack if you had asked. I used to take a cookie or pastry from the snack area every evening right after dinner, and I was never hungry during the cruise!!
We have done four Viking river cruises and never found ourselves hungry! Full breakfast, lunch, dinner every day, supplemented with chocolate cookies and wonderful mini croissants and pastries resulted in about a 5 lb weight increase each cruise!
We just finished our 12 th Viking cruise. Love everything about them. Going on the Egypt cruise in September. Glad you enjoyed it. God bless.
Loved your review and that you traveled with your son. I will travel with mine too, and think is a great gift to give that kind of memory to see beautiful places together. I look forward to your other videos as I subscribed. Thank you.
Welcome and thank you!! Lifetime memories for sure!
Love, love river cruising. Never getting on a big boat again. Thanks for the tips.
First time to your channel. I have never been on any type of cruise, but this video has me interested. I had a chuckle at the thought your cabin was small. If you had been in some of the dormitories and military ship accommodations that I have experienced, you would have thought your cabin as spacious. It is all relative, right? LOL
I like your presentation and the balance of information. If I ever take one of these trips, it will be because of you and the effort you put into your communication. I wish you a long and happy life!
I am soooo glad that you loved it!
We just finished a river cruise on the Danube. It was fantastic in every respect. I must say, that I was never hungry or looking for a snack like you mention. You have a full buffet breakfast, as much lunch as you want, and then finish with a 3 course evening meal. We took an apple and a banana from the breakfast buffet each morning, if we wanted a snack.
Good for you Frank!
Oh,yeah -! Danube !! Danube river or Rhine river are the ones I want to go on river cruises !!! I am so jealous if you ~!! Lol. 😍👍👍💜🥁🐉🎤🎶⛴️💞
@@spark_6710 the cruise was an absolute highlight of our holidays. Beg, borrow or steal, but do one.
@frankdenison5819 😍😍👍👍I get excited by reading this !!Thank you so much for your reply !! 💜
Great review. Thanks for being so thorough. I’ve been on the fence but now I think we’ll plan a river cruise.
That was a very helpful video. Glad you had a great time 😃
Looks like so much fun
It really just was. Low stress, high fun!
Yes, I have to go. 🙏for your answer!
Thank you so much for your insight! I'm going to share this with my significant other and I think this may be our next big trip!
Great video. Thank you.
This was a very interesting review/vlog for me as I am considering a Viking river cruise in the near future. Thank you!
How lovely and blissful. Thank you for sharing.
Blissful! Yes this! Thanks so much for watching.❤
Great video! We are booked on a Scenic river cruise from Amsterdam. You gave a lot of great info thank you
What a great review! Thank you!
Absolutely my pleasure thank you for watching!
What a lovely review! Your commentary made it seem even more magical! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience.
Thank you for doing such an excellent job describing river cruising. We've done 14 and we want to point out that there are a number of river cruise lines. We especially like Avalon and Ama Waterways. Avalon has more excursion choices, many of which are geared to more active travelers. Ama Waterways is more luxurious. As you said, your true balcony stateroom was small but very nice. Again, be aware that the other almost 50% of staterooms are French Balcony which are much smaller. Happy cruising to everyone!
Wow, sounds like a wonderful trip and something I would love. Thanks for the review!
My pleasure! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for this awesome review- we've been debating and I think you answered all our questions and more - time to start planning!
Oh I love hearing that!
Very interesting. Thank you for your honest assessment. This is really helpful information.
Sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing your trip! I’m in for a river cruise!
You would LOVE IT, Mary!
Jen,
So glad you enjoyed your river cruise! Weve been on several and love them, as well as ocean cruising. Our favorite was Vietnam and Cambodia, a combo of land and river. What an experience!! The 14 day Grand from Budapest to Amsterdam was also fantastic!
Love love love Viking Cruise ❤ I have been on both the ocean and river cruises - and I love them both ❤
Thank you for the wonderful review. We’re considering a river cruise on the Seine.
We always go through a travel agent as I refuse to make connections in the US, especially on the way home; absolute nightmare. Viking doesn’t always have good flights, unless you leave from an airport on the Eastern Seaboard. I’m in Denver which makes flight connections a bit more complicated. We had one of the two suites in the aft, which was wonderful, and quite expensive. We did the Danube Waltz, from Passau, Germany to Budapest. Viking is really one of the best! Ocean cruise next, Athens to Rome, and I can’t wait.
My husband and I have been on two Viking River cruises and loved them. We most loved the Grand European, Amsterdam to Budapest with extra days in Prague. So wonderful. You’ll love it. Thank you for your video today. Saw the unpacked video and found it helpful. When we cruised from Switzerland to France we stayed in Paris for a week and took a shopping tour. So cool to see a different part of the city and the shopping was awesome.
I love river cruises and thought you did an excellent job describing your trip. Thanks as always!
Oh thank you so much!
Another great video. Thanks so much for your honest reviews done with tact and grace. So glad you got to spend time with your son. He's a lucky boy to have such an awesome Mom. Really enjoyed it. ❤
You're so kind - I'm very lucky to have him as my kid!
So very excited for this video. My husband and I have been considering a river cruise for years. I appreciate all of your advice, observations, and input.
I'm so glad you found it helpful! Thanks for the kind words, Robin!
Thank you for sharing your river cruise experience - we’ve been wanting to do one for years and it looked lovely! ❤
Lovely is the perfect word! So relaxing which I don’t think I’ve ever done on a European vacation before
It’s on my bucket list now!
Lisa you will love it!
Thank you so much for the helpful feedback on the river cruise, beautiful Jen! I've been contemplating on taking a river cruise and now I'm convinced to try a Viking one.😍
you won't regret it. This is my second experience with them and consistently good service and product!
Jen. We recommend the Danube Waltze Itin in Viking. Just got back (added Budapest on the front end and Prague on the back end). Had a super time. Viking Aegir.
Oh I love to hear it!!! Adding it to the list!
Great review! Hubby and I are doing the Rhine Getaway in August and as a new traveler to Europe I can’t be more excited to see it from this type of accommodation. Loved that you enjoyed it so much and that you and your son got such a special vacation together. Kudos to Viking for hosting such an astute traveler like you. Love all your videos and I always look forward to watching them.
What a kind comment! Thank you! And I hope you have a beautiful vacation.
We took this cruise in 2021 the first Welcome Back after COVID. First passengers on a new ship, the Forgyn. So nice to revisit this itinerary! Great review & lots of great information!
I was so interested in the Viking River cruises and this clog answered so many questions I had. It’s now on my bucket list! Great review.
Oh I’m so glad you found it helpful!
This was my very first cruise of three river cruises with Viking and my very favorite!
Nice video! My husband and I are in our late 30s and have LOVED Viking. We've done 2 river cruises and are about to take our second ocean cruise with them; We've had nothing but wonderful experiences ❤️
This was so informative.
Oh I'm so glad! That was my hope!
New to your vlog. Love it and your personality!
Going on Viking Emlba Passau-Budapest with a pre cruise to Prague. My first river cruise, so I really loved your review. Also watched your "unpacking " video. You gave great tips and a few laughs too.
Also subscribed.
Going on this exact River Cruise June 1 ! So excited!
Looks amazing
Thank you for this informative and thoughtful review. A river cruise sounds like a great option for taking my father on his first trip to Europe.
Traci YES there were a few older folks who were making their first big Europe trip and it was perfect - no worries about the language barrier or not being able to find food they liked or concern about transportation, etc., so great for them and great for their grown kids traveling with them. Fabulous choice in my opinion.
This was great! You answered questions that I didn't even know I had! We are big cruisers and recently, while in Amsterdam, we walked by a river cruise ship. It caused both of us to think that maybe this would be in our near future! Thanks in advance!
Thanks for this wonderful review! I will be going on a Danube one next year and you actually answered a lot of the questions I had! Indeed it seems a lot more relaxed than ocean cruise!
Monique I honestly cannot express how chill it was. For me, trips to Europe have always meant STRESS (fun and culture but stress) and this completely eliminated all of that!
Belli Jenn and thank you for the nice views of the Region. My ancestors on my father’s side of the family came from Rouen and I still have to visit! Been once in France 5 days.
Marie you must go! I have to tell you, I liked it maybe better than Paris! So many smaller and amazing museums, great food, and the people were SO friendly and lovely!
Great video and review. ❤️😘
Thanks as always, Major!
I’m glad you had a great experience. We had a 2 week sailing booked and had to cancel due to a death. It was not a good experience with Viking for that so I’m not sure when/if I will try again.
We did several European river cruises with AMA WATERWAYS, an upgrade from Viking, Way more luxurious than Viking. And yes, High Tea and Happy Hour in the afternoon.
we were in Paris at the same time! How fun! Thanks for documenting your trip. I've been hesitant to do a river cruise, but I'm thinking I might try one having watched this video.
I think a perfect trip would be a few days in Paris and then board the cruise for a week of the more scenic side of things. It was so relaxing and lovely!
We just made reservations to take this trip based on your two videos! Can’t wait!!
It’s truly a wonderful itinerary - I’m so happy for you!!
Viking Rhine Getaway June 2024! Can’t wait! So glad you had this opportunity and thank you for your honest/candid review!
Of course and in June you will definitely have better weather then we did!
I love Viking! We went on this cruise the week of Thanksgiving last year and had a wonderful time. Our first cruise with Viking was the Romantic Danube in 2019. Beautiful cruise!
Thanks for this terrific review, Jen! My husband & I are traveling to Prague (pre-cruise), cruise through Germany then end in Paris next month. This will be our first Viking cruise so appreciate your timely review.
~Melissa
I know you will have a wonderful time!!
This was helpful bcs we currently use Tauck which we love but have wondered about Viking.
Oh I'm so glad I could help! Thank you for your kind comment!
Thank you.
A Viking river cruise is going to be my first trip when kiddos are in college! It looks so relaxing and perfect.
Ashlee you will love it! It’s just lovely and cozy and yet look we are in France!
We took this same trip last September……agree completely with your comments!
This was our first Viking cruise and I loved it and agree about the river cruising. I loved going to the farm and tasting the calvados. Le Peq is a nice docking location.
Hi Jen, We used Orlando Transportation by Mike for our last trip to Disney World. Everyone was amazing. We had Stella going and Justin coming back. So easy and comfortable. Thank you for mentioning them.
Oh I love hearing that! Using them in a few weeks!
Hi from Switzerland! We have done 3 river cruises (we are in our mid 60s) with a swiss ship company: one from Porto, Spain on the Duoro river, one from Passau,Germany to Budapest on the Danube and a 4 day one for the Christmas markets on the Rhine. LOVE river cruising for all the reasons you gave. Cruising the Duoro is incredible with the scenery and we always spent 1/2 day cruising and 1/2 sightseeing. This trip included going through 10 or so locks, all during daylight, so that was a fun experience. The Danube also had locks but we passed in the night while sleeping. The rolling hills of vineyards, olive groves and cork trees during sooo many days in Spain was magnificent!
I'm so glad you did this review! I was on the fence about these river cruises and am totally up for one now. We leave for Normandy, France this Sunday and are doing a tour of the region via bus/ walking.....I now am excited to taste the Calvados! Thanks for the great review of Viking River cruises.
Just be careful - it's VERY strong and after a couple of sips I was feeling it! Have an amazing time!
You will love it, we just got back. Hope the weather holds up. Omaha Beach incredible.
So happy to see your review. We are going on a Viking river cruise for the first time next month in France. Really looking forward to it! Your input was so helpful. We definitely plan to spend time on our own exploring and just having lunch or dinner off the boat. We do not want to be booked with excursions all day. We will also have snacks handy in our cabin 😊
It’s really a smart way to do it!
Hi Jen!! I'm so happy you had a wonderful trip on Viking River Cruises! I was a travel agent for many years and every client I booked on a Viking River Cruise itinerary returned to report that it was "MAGICAL"! So it came as no surprise to me that you described it the exact same way. River cruising is definitely on my bucket list. I haven't yet tried one.
People told me but I don't think I really got it? Now I do! Can't wait to do it again!
I really enjoyed your video! We have cruised on Emerald Waterways and did their 15 day Grand Eurorpean cruise....Budapest to Amsterdam. We had normally just taken bus tours but river cruising has become my favorite way to see Europe. We have and will still do that mode of travel but we have two river cruises booked for this year. One with Emerald and one with Avalon. Maybe we will try Viking after that. Loved hearing of your trip. We will be doing the Avalon Paris to Normandy in early fall. We have already been to Normandy so we are opting to see Monet's home and VanGogh's last place of residency instead. I'm so happy that you are informing people about how relaxing this mode of travel is. I just love it! Thank you for sharing!
Honestly, I had no idea how relaxing it would be! All of my previous trips to Europe have been lovely but somewhat stressful and this just felt completely different. Loved it and hope to do it again in the not so distant future!Thanks for watching!
LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Oh thank you so much, Susan!
What a great way to explore France. Really appealing arriving at small villages and being able to take in the local life ! What a trip !
I found places I will DEFINITELY return to (like Rouen) that I had never even heard of! Amazing trip.
@@JoyfulLivingwithJenLefforge ❤️
Thank you so much for this video. We have our first river cruise booked on Ama Waterways next year and I can't wait. Your video has me even more excited. I appreciate the comparison to "regular" cruising as we have done many of those. I just loved the verandah and how close to the water line you are on these ships. Thank you. One other question for you...with all your travelling, how do you feel about wearing your wedding rings and nice jewelry? I keep reading articles about buying a cheap wedding set and leaving your good jewelry home. Curious about your thoughts on this subject.
I have travelled all over the world and have always worn my rings. Sometimes if I'm on a busy train or an area that's a little sketchy I'll turn them around so only the gold part shows and not the diamonds but I always wear them.
My friend and I took the Paris to Normandy trip in 2019 and it was wonderful. It was our first Viking cruise and we felt as you did it was magical!!!!! So much fun to see the places we saw. The food and service is first class. ❤
YES and I didn't even really get into the customer service but it was impeccable! Can't wait to sail with them again.
Thank you for this excellent review Jen…great to see you enjoying quality time with your handsome boy…
You have answered all of my questions! Oh except…what time of year do you recommend traveling on a river cruise? (I know yours was early spring)
This is such a great question. We were originally booked for the Christmas Markets cruise (which would have been amazing) BUT I don't like the cold. So I'm not sure that would be great for us? I think spring is great for crowds but can be a mixed bag weather wise (it was actually quite chilly) but I kind of enjoyed that? Paris always feels kind of magical to me in the spring. As this was my first one, I'm not entirely sure? That's not very helpful . . . thanks for your kind words!
We have river cruised the past few years in Europe. It truly is magical! It was so relaxed and planned out. That is how we like our tours. We are getting ready to do 2 big ship cruises this summer. There is so much more pre-planning that go into those cruises. I look forward to the end of the summer to decide what type of cruise I like better. But then again, they are 2 different species!😊
Excellent video. We are considering this cruise, and our video helped fill in gaps not addressed in Viking or travel agent videos.
Thank you! I just sent this to my husband to view. I believe that this would be a great option for us.
We met so many couples who were on their fifth or sixth river cruise with Viking! And I totally get why!
I love Viking River cruises and can't wait to go on my next one! I have never felt so well cared for and the food was fabulous!
They really do an excellent job. This was my second time sailing with them (my other sailing was Viking Sea) and definitely won't be my last!
So it gives you more of a real experience of the different areas as opposed to a tourist trap at port and I love that.
DAWN THIS EXACTLY. What I didn't love about my DCL mediterranean cruise is we were all (all 2800 of us) arriving at the same port at the same time. The much smaller ships (168 people small) means very little impact and you can just kind of hang out. I LOVED that.
My husband and I have been to 3 river cruises through Uniworld. All inclusive and service is impeccable. The laundry service is free if you’re a returning customer and you get other perks. We’re active so we are glad that there are many hiking and biking activities offered. Food choices are excellent, also.
Jen, this looks fabulous! Now I have to put a river cruise on my list! Seems like it would be a good/safe way to travel as a single woman, too.
I didn't mention that but I thought it many times, Marisa. TOTALLY great for a single traveller!
Great review and covers things others don’t consider. Having somewhere else to sit whilst another person gets ready is a great shout. The snack thing is also really useful to know. So many people, particularly my husband get peckish at night. More so in Europe I find so surprising no snacks on board
Thanks so much Suzy!
I’m so glad Viking hosted you! We have a Viking sea cruise booked for next year and I feel like it’s not a company that most people consider when thinking of booking a cruise in our age range (40s). I feel like they’re such a great company.
They were wonderful to work with on the PR side, too. I knew I liked them when I sailed the first time and this confirmed it! Great company.
I was on that same trip in 2022! Fabulous! Enjoyed and agree with you seeing the small villages and being on the Seine. My only problem with Viking is I am a solo traveler and have to pay for two. Will not travel Viking again until they give single rates
In 2021,we took our first river cruise with Viking. The trip from Budapest to Amsterdam was wonderful! We are interested in the cruise that you did.
I am trying to decide what itinerary I want to do next!
Okay, great video! I so want to do this!
It’s such a fun and surprisingly relaxing adventure!