Luxury travel advisors Robyn and Murray Sinfield were recently on board Viking Rolf for a seven-day Christmas market cruise. Read their impressions in this exclusive review for Karryon Luxury.
From twinkling lights to aromatic treats, a Christmas market cruise is a magical experience and offers great value for money.
Our itinerary
We were on the seven-day Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam cruise. We begin with the purchase of the two-night Lucerne extension, conveniently collected at Zurich airport for the one-hour limo transfer to Lucerne and our stay at the Montage Hotel.
The hotel is well located with lake views, connected to the main street by funicular and the local bus.
Included was breakfast daily and a complimentary walking tour of Lucerne, and then our bus transfer to the vessel in Basel.
Our ship
Viking Rolf is one of the longships (all Viking River vessels in Europe are the same), and there are many of them on the Rhine with us.
Our departure is full, although it never really feels crowded unless coming home from a shore excursion. Rolf has 190 guests, 53 crew and is one of the older vessels built in 2016, but it’s well maintained.
Our veranda cabin 221 is well appointed with plenty of power points, wall TV, ample drawers and hanging space, a convenient safe, and a bathroom that has a heated floor.
Gowns and slippers are on request, and two deck chairs on the balcony allow you to climatise and check the weather before heading out. Wi-fi is good with up to two devices per cabin.
Our Silver Spirits drinks package affords us a run of bar anytime of day or night, but for those without it is a good choice of beers, wine and soft drinks at lunch and dinner and a welcome and farewell reception.
The lounge is always busy and the place to listen to the briefing, read your Kindle quietly or watch the world go by, but like all river ships, the entertainment is limited with a resident pianist and some local performers who come aboard like string quartets, etc.
There is a very small gift shop on the reception deck with clothing – currency onboard is euro.
There are no kids, so the age was varied on our departure from early 40s through to spritely seniors. It’s a very casual dress code, rugged up off the vessel.
There is a spa, and whilst they don’t have space to store onboard bikes, the team can help guests rent them for the time in port.
Wining and dining
Since our last river experience with Viking, the food has considerably changed for the better – previously it was breakfast and lunch buffet and dinner a la carte, now all three meals are mainly a la carte, so much better with good choice for each meal time.
They handled special meals very well with excellent gluten-free choices. Like any river vessel, meal times are structured with all going to lunch or dinner at a similar time and it’s open seating, although the team onboard will soon accommodate the needs of guests.
For example, our party size was 10, so we soon had ‘our table’ onboard for all meals, affording us a chance to get to know the team serving very well.
The 24-hour coffee/tea station is popular with small snacks which can be taken to any part of the ship, the sun deck, the lounge and your own stateroom.
Excursions
It’s winter, so expect the sun to come up around 8am and to set around 4.30pm and the temperatures on average around four degrees Celsius.
The journey on the Middle Rhine shares the border of France’s Alsace region and Germany’s Baden-Württemberg, and there are many UNESCO Heritage-listed sites along the river banks.
Reception proved popular, especially for those wandering off alone and the Viking Daily, either in paper form or on the app, listed all the essential info, including back on board times.
Every port has the complimentary offerings, and the optionals are considered and can be, depending on the port, quite exclusive. The complimentary tours are small groups with local guides who are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about where they live.
We are here for the Christmas Markets, and they all vary in size and what they offer, but without doubt, Strasbourg, France, is the capital of Christmas.
The Cathedral Square is taken over by the sparkling huts transformed into a winter wonderland since 1570. We must be honest to say security is tight; it’s common practice for police and sniffer dogs to be all around the marketplaces.
Basel markets are Switzerland’s most picturesque; their wooden chalets are on Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz, whilst Koblenz has six unique market squares, but by far the largest is Cologne.
Each is so very different, but all have the same elements of handmade, twinkling decorations, carols sung, the smell of roasting chestnuts and warming glasses of glühwein (German mulled wine).
When it comes time to disembark, it’s very civilised. You can stay on the vessel until 3pm, bags out no later than 8.30am and out of the cabin at 9am.
Tips
When you are off the vessel, take a coat, hat, gloves and shoes that are non-slip for the medieval pavements.
Take a small day bag, if one at all, with valuables inside coats.
Facts
- 190 guests
- Crew: 53
- Length: 443 feet
- Year built: 2016
For more information, visit Viking.
