Guided Tour Through Viking River Cruise's Longship Viking Odin

Welcome to the Viking Odin.  This elegant two-story atrium welcomes you on board. All content property of EuroTravelogue™. Unauthorized use is prohibited.   

Before we embark on fascinating journeys through the Netherlands, let me first introduce you to the Viking Odin longship, my home away from home on the waterways of Europe! As you know from my first post, we celebrated the Christening of four new longships on March 21st, so by now you’re probably wondering about these "longships" and what makes them so special. Steeped in Viking lore, longships were the sailing vessels of the intrepid Viking explorers and it is this tradition that inspired Viking River Cruises to design and build a new class of longships but in 21st –century style. Let us now embark on a tour of these magnificent ships that are redefining the way we think about European travel!

Exterior view of the Viking Odin atrium lobby.  All content property of EuroTravelogue™. Unauthorized use is prohibited.      

As you can probably imagine, these brand new state-of-the-art longships are indeed quite long and their innovative design launched a “next generation” class of ships that features not only enhanced engineering but also elegantly appointed interiors and even "green" technology. Among the cutting-edge innovations are: energy-efficient hybrid engines for smooth sailing along the rivers of Europe; solar panels on the Sun Deck to harness the energy of our sun; the Sun Deck itself with its sweeping 360-degree panoramic views of the surrounding vistas; the indoor/outdoor Aquavit (Waters of Life) Lounge and even an herb garden. Inside, you’ll delight in the grandeur of the public spaces as well as luxuriously-appointed staterooms “with a view”! To sum it all up, elegance and efficiency combined with Viking traditions and intimate settings lie at the heart of these magnificent longships!

Sunset on Viking River Cruises' Viking Odin Longship in port at Volendam, Netherlands. All content property of EuroTravelogue™. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Once onboard, I set out to explore the ship and take a few shots and short videos of all the public spaces and a couple of the staterooms. Upon entry, you are bathed in the natural light pouring in from the skylights overhead and filling the two-story atrium lobby. On the lower level of the atrium or "Middle Deck," you’ll find reception and the main dining room while on the "Upper Deck," you'll find the library with Internet access and the innovative Aquavit Lounge. Just before you enter the Aquavit Lounge, there are coffee stations on each side of the ship that offer a full-range of coffee from black to espresso. Plus in the mornings, you'll find tasty breakfast morsels, and in the afternoons, cookies and pastries—needless to say, one of my favorite places on the ship!

Here's a quick video tour through the Aquavit Lounge, our gathering place for onboard presentations and where we spent the pre-dinner hours getting to know our new friends and colleagues.

And the main Dining Room where we indulged in scrumptious gourmet meals paired with the finest wines from the local regions. After dinner, it was on to dessert with specialty liqueurs and cognacs. Sounds glorious huh?

Outside on the top deck or Sun Deck, you are surrounded by 360-degree panoramic views of the countryside whether you're viewing pastoral settings or historic villages preserved in time. Up here, you’ll find plenty of deck chairs and tables, a giant chess board, two holes of miniature golf and the herb garden I mentioned above. I spent a lot of time up here shooting the sweeping views of sights while soaking up the sublime scenery as it passed me by. Here’s a short video of our departure from Amsterdam en-route to Volendam and Edam.

Viking Odin Deck Plan.  Image: Courtesy of Viking River Cruises.  Unauthorized use is prohibited. 

Moving back inside the Viking Odin, you’ll find 95 staterooms accommodating a maximum of 190 passengers. The most luxurious of all the staterooms onboard are the two Explorer Suites that measure in at 445 sq. ft. and feature private wrap-around verandas with 270-degree views from the cabin. Next in line are seven Veranda Suites featuring 270 sq. ft. with both a full-size veranda and French balcony. There are 39 Veranda Staterooms, like the one I was lucky enough to call home, and 22 French-Balcony Staterooms—both measuring in at 210 sq. ft. (French Balcony rooms have sliding-glass doors without the veranda). At the water level, are 25 Deluxe Rooms with half-height windows. Regardless of which type of accommodation you select, all feature 26-inch flat-panel TVs, a mini-fridge, two singles or one double bed, heated bathroom floors, and ample storage space with a safe. Plus, as I mentioned in my first article, all rooms feature both 220V and 110V voltage. To see all categories with floor plans and pictures, visit VikingRiverCruises.com. For now, take a tour with me through the luxurious Explorer Suite:

So that’s a wrap on our tour of the Viking Odin. I hope you enjoyed your visit through the next generation of the Viking River Cruises longships!

Did you know:

To ensure that river-going vessels fit through European locks, they can't be any wider than 11.4 meters, and oftentimes while in port, they dock side by side to accommodate as many ships as possible. At any time, you could have passengers from other ships passing through yours to disembark—so be aware. Funny enough, all of this became blatantly obvious to me when I first checked in. After walking up the gangway, I actually passed right through the Viking Odin and into the Viking Prestige next door. Didn’t find that out until they looked up my name and kindly advised me that I am on the wrong ship. Talk about embarrassed. We all laughed!

Here's a short video moving through the first of many locks we encountered en-route.

Bon Voyage for now.

Additional Reading:

• Celebrating the Launch of the new Viking River Cruise Longships!
• Visit EuroTravelogue on Youtube for more videos from this historical week for Viking River Cruises!
• Visit Viking River Cruises for more information on all of the exciting cruises and destinations that Viking has to offer!
• Viking River Cruises on Youtube.