VIKING HERVOR RHINE RIVER CRUISE – REVIEW
[Music] We are on the Viking hairore sailing from Basil, Switzerland all the way up to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. We did this fun Ryan River itinerary in July 2025. The Viking river cruise ship Hairvore debuted in 2020 with a capacity of 190 passengers and 53 crew members. This ship is 443 feet in length. And in case you were wondering, Hervore was a mythical warrior maiden. The ship has one large dining room, and I’ll talk more about that in just a moment. There is a tiny book library and a large bar area. Hey, every cruise ship has its priorities. There’s a small elevator connecting floors. Up on the top deck or sund deck is a lounge area with a very small putting green and shuffleboard court. There were four things I really liked about our cruise. One thing I was kind of so so about and one thing I didn’t care for very much, which I’ll discuss at the end of the video, so please stay tuned. We really like our suite on the Viking HairVore. Here’s why. We booked Veranda suite AA 312 on the top state room deck. While our suite may appear small to you, there was plenty of room for everything. And best of all, a private bedroom with a door. Very nice. The bath was small but very efficient. Good seating area out in the front. And of paramount importance, we really like 312 because my wife liked it. [Music] The second thing I really like, the Ryan River itself. I just love the locks along the Ryan River. Very exciting. I was very impressed about how our ship was able to navigate under the many low bridges along the time and of course the tight squeezes through the locks. This crew should unlock your inner child explorer. The third thing I liked was the flawless execution of the Ry River itinerary. We were on time for everything. The Ryan River is a breadand butter route for Viking. I’m told there are 14 Viking long ships currently on the Rine. Okay, I love this part of the trip. Beautiful castles along the Ry River. He had some terrific port calls from Basil and Breezock all the way up to Kinderdike and Amsterdam. During our port days, some of my favorite visits were to the Strawburg Cathedral. Those are just We climbed 332 steps up to the top for some amazing views. And also in Strawburg had a chance to see Palace Rohan with the beautiful museums inside. And this guy, a tour guide, I think his name was Napoleon or something, gave me a great tour while we were here. And I love the H Highleberg Castle in Germany. Beautiful. Another favorite was the Marxburg Castle in Kablins, Germany. And for all you art nuts like me, the Kunst Museum in Bosel, a world famous museum with a great collection. The fourth thing I really liked was the coffee. Yeah, I said it. The coffee. cruise director told me they put in two brand new machines on this ship and as you well know the army runs on its coffee. I am a big Viking fan. The Viking food on the ocean cruises and the expedition cruises is sensational. That said, I was so so about the food on the hairhore. Yeah, I know food is subjective, highly subjective, but here are my thoughts. I was very impressed with the number of options on each menu. Thanks, Viking. I just love the choices. And by the way, they didn’t repeat any menus. I think the breakfast buffet was excellent. In addition to the buffet, you can order from the menu and get any number of specialty items such as eggs benedict. I ordered eggs benedict several times and the dish was perfection. I’m a big salads guy and the salads on this ship were terrific. Also, the fish and the crab cakes were absolutely spectacular, particularly the crab cakes. And I would give Viking high marks for sinful desserts. On the other hand, all of the Italian dishes I found to be bland and kind of tasteless, like this eggplant parmesan. And the worst part of any menu, the meat dishes. I found them to be overcooked, tasteless, and not very good quality. One thing I just didn’t like at all. And unfortunately, it’s part of every river cruising experience. Here’s what I mean. I hated the 700 p.m. dinner rush and the communal big table seating in the main dining room. There were lines to get in the dining room from 6:30 onward for a 7:00 seating. rushing to window tables. Lots of noise at the tables, waiters bustling around, just not relaxing for me. As an alternative, my wife often picked up one of the few small tables on the Aquavit terrace at night for dinner. It was much quieter and one waiter for 16 people. Again, I suspect my concerns about mass feeding at 700 p.m. are true for all riverships and certainly not unique to Viking. Overall, this was a fun cruise on the Ryan River. I believe Viking is currently the industry’s best cruise line. Please see my other eusive Viking videos on my YouTube channel. Hey Viking, leave the light on for us. We will see you in December on the Mediterranean. If you like my video, please smash that like button and comment down below, particularly if you’ve been on a river cruise. And don’t forget to subscribe.
Please join us on a fun 7 day cruise along the Rhine river on the Viking Hervor. The ship has 190 guests and a crew of 53.
8 Comments
Glad you had a good time!
My wife and I have been on four river cruises and three ocean cruises with Viking with four more booked in the future (three river and one ocean). Your review was pretty much spot on and the photography was excellent! While it's true that the food and venues on the ocean ships are definitely a "cut above" what one would experience on a river ship, the experiences really can't be compared…they both are great, but different. Frankly, a lot depends on where one wants to go as to an itinerary. Additionally, the size of the ship – river versus ocean certainly are factors as to the culinary abilities of the kitchens and seating arrangements for the restaurant(s). We have found that the service, venue choices, stateroom size, restaurant options and food are certainly better on the ocean vessels. That said, due to the smaller ship size and fewer passengers, one has more opportunities to meet and mingle with fellow passengers…getting to know people on a more personal level on a river voyage than on a larger ocean vessel. The pace is more relaxed on a river ship and it is much easier to just walk off the ship and explore the cities where the ship is docked. On an ocean cruise, things can be a bit more hectic, but Viking does an excellent job on all of their cruise and land tour options. Probably one of the best travel companies in the industry based on our experiences with them. Exceptional service overall, though with any company one may experience a few "hiccups" now and again. Viking has always been great about trying to make things right if there is a problem brought to their attention. By the way, as you indicated in the video, the Aquavit Terrace is a great dining option if one doesn't want to feel crowded in the main dining room, though finding a table can be a bit of a challenge at times.
We loved our Viking cruise….would do it again. We had perfect weather early May.
Just got off the Egil on the Danube. Have cruised over 20 times, mostly Disney and Viking Ocean. This was the best food ever and an amazing crew. Tried Silver Spirits package. We had the choice of any wine or hard liquor in the bar all within the package.
All of the meat on the ship was exceptional. Could be their supplier was off their game. Chefs also make a big difference.
Have not cruised Viking. LOVED Avalon. Fewer cruisers on every other River Cruise line. We never had a line or 'rush' at any point on our cruise. Same deal, 7pm dinner. Another plus were tables from 2 to 8 or more if you wanted to go long.
As a multi time Viking explorer I thought you gave a good and fair review. I agree some of the Viking main courses could be improved and in warmer weather they should open the whole Aquavit Terrace for diners.
Love Uniworld. Everything included and I think smaller passenger count vs. Viking. Less cookie cutter accommodations fro what I have seen. Nothing against Viking.
Nice video