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 Astrild, 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.

Berthold Werner / Creative Commons BY SA 3.0Berlin Cathedral is located on Museum Island in the Mitte borough of Berlin, Germany.

Dining

Viking Astrild has one restaurant with a casual yet elegant atmosphere. When Astrild 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.)

For breakfast, there is a buffet with a lot of variety, allowing you can 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 a choice of entrées and dessert. And for dinner, expect a five-course menu with regional specialties.

You can also dine al fresco on the Aquavit Terrace. 

Entertainment & activities

River cruising is very mellow. There are not 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, you can hang out in the lounge and have an after-dinner drink or you can walk back into town if the ship is not leaving port until later in the evening.

Staterooms

This is curated from Viking River Cruises:

• All staterooms are outside with river view 
• Veranda Suites are 250 square feet, have separate sleeping & sitting quarters, a full veranda & French balcony 
• All upper-deck staterooms have a full veranda or French balcony
• Standard staterooms have two standard-size twin beds
• Private bathroom with shower & premium bath products; bathrobe & slippers upon request
• Flat-panel TV with CNBC, CNN, ESPN, FOX, National Geographic & more
• Telephone, safe & individual climate control

Your take

How about you? Have you sailed on Viking Astrild? We would love to hear about your experience — please share!

Help improve this article. See anything wrong? What did we overlook? Be a co-creator!

Interested in a cruise on this ship?

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

SEE ALL VIKING ASTRILD SAILINGS