River cruising: It's about destination immersion

River cruising is about the destination probably more so than the ship. While enjoying the creature comforts of Viking Atla, make sure to take advantage of opportunities to connect with local culture, history and highlights of the places that you visit. Don't be surprised to see local dishes on the menu or local entertainers sharing music, dancing and stories.

Viking includes daily tours as part of your cruise fare, which makes the hassle of figuring out logistics less challenging. Most tours are done around lunch, and then you are free to do what you choose until the ship leaves the dock.

You will be given a nightly briefing in the evening before dinner to get updates on the next day’s call to discuss the upcoming day’s activities, tours and logistics. Plan to attend the session to discover highlights of the upcoming town's history, art, food, music and architecture.

Courtesy of Viking CruisesViking Atla sails by a European village.

Dining

Viking Atla has one restaurant, fittingly dubbed The Restaurant. The atmosphere is casual yet elegant. Dinner is at a set time, and you are welcome to sit with whomever you wish. When Atla is not scheduled to leave port until later in the evening, treat yourself to a night on the town and sample cuisine at a nearby restaurant (at your own expense, but a nice way to experience the local culture).

The cruise line’s website says this about dining options on board: “For breakfast, choose from a selection of pastries, cereals, breakfast meats, egg dishes, fresh fruit and selected cheeses. At lunch, select from the soup and sandwich bar, or from a choice of entrées and dessert. And for dinner, expect a five-course menu with regional specialties. Wherever you sail, you will find enhancements reflecting the itinerary — it is all part of experiencing the local culture."

Don’t miss: Al fresco dining aboard Viking Atla. One of the unique features on Viking Atla is the Aquavit Terrace, which is an outdoor space for you to watch the river while enjoying a coffee, cocktail, pint or al fresco dining. The Aquavit Terrace is equipped with grills for outdoor cooking.

Staterooms

There are 95 outside staterooms on Viking Aegir (two Explorer Suites, seven Veranda Suites, 39 Veranda Staterooms, 22 French Balcony Staterooms and 25 Standard Staterooms). The top category on a Viking Longship is an Explorer Suite. These spacious cabins measure 445 square feet and offer 270-degree views from a wraparound veranda.

Overall cabins are average size for a river boat but there is plenty of closet space and extra storage available under the bed. The bathroom has a pocket door, which is a nice feature because that design saves space.

Entertainment & activities

River cruising is very mellow. You won't find any large production shows or comedy clubs. What you will enjoy is some light piano music played by the house musician and local entertainers who are brought onto the ship to sing, dance or tell stories from the local perspective. After dinner, cruise passengers can hang out in the lounge and have an after-dinner drink, or they can walk back into town if the ship is not leaving port until later in the evening.

To complement your onshore excursions, take part in immersive learning and enhancement activities both on board and ashore. Classes in cooking specialties such as apple strudel and Alsatian flammkuchen; traditional performances of folk music and dance or waltzes by Strauss; and tastings of local cheeses, coffees, liqueurs and other delicacies are some examples of in-depth experiences that are included as an essential part of discovering more about the places through which you cruise.

Fun facts

• Viking Longships are 443 feet long and 38 feet wide because those are the maximum dimensions possible for river ships navigating the locks on some of Europe's waterways. If they were even two inches longer or wider, they wouldn't fit in some locks. 
• Viking names its ships after Norse gods. As Wikipedia tells us: "Atla was a water goddess and daughter of Ran and Aegir."
  

Your take

Have you cruised on Viking Atla? What was it like? We'd love to hear about your own experience.

Interested in a cruise on this ship?

For pricing, itinerary information and to reserve your spot on Viking Atla, contact a Cruiseable travel consultant by email or by calling 1-877-322-3773.

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