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APT River Cruises vs Viking River Cruises
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of APT River Cruises and Viking River Cruises.The Low Down
Initially providing coach touring around Australia and NZ to the local market, APT have grown exponentially over the last decade to now offer trips around the world, and are well known for their European river cruises. Over the last few years APT have introduced small ship expeditions that cruise the waters through Asia, Europe, Canada and off the coast of Kimberley. Catering primarily for the retired market, their trips aren't cheap, but in APT's case - you get what you pay for. Look out for their great Fly Free offers, and Earlybird Savings. The team here at Global Journeys have travelled multiple times by coach, cruise & river with APT, and we definitely recommend them as a quality, consistent, reliable Operator, and our past client reviews back that up.
Cruising down the rivers of Europe you are sure to pass a Viking Longship on your travels. Viking boasts the most extensive fleet of river cruises vessels in Europe, and while their core market is the US, there are many clients from Australia that choose to cruise with them each year. In 2017 Viking launched their range of mid-sized ocean cruises - with just 930 guests this gives their ships greater maneuverability, allowing them to dock where the mega-liners cannot. Stats
No. of Trips
40
No. of Departures
454
Avg. Trip Length
15 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$742
Fleet Size
8 Ships
Known For
Aussie Specialist
Ship Styles
River Cruises
No. of Trips
74
No. of Departures
6,203
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$582
Fleet Size
99 Ships
Known For
Scandinavian Design
Ship Styles
River Cruises
In Their Own Words
We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
Life-enriching, relaxing and unique – an APT river cruise is the ultimate holiday experience. Discover unforgettable destinations as you travel in total comfort and style. From Europe to Africa and the mighty Mekong River, APT has a diverse range of river cruises, and you’ll wake up most mornings in a new location, ready to explore fresh and exciting sights. Timeless luxury, exclusive experiences, life enriching moments and true personalisation. APT offers all-inclusive holidays so everything is taken care of. We invite you to join us; you won’t be disappointed.
A Viking river cruise is the discerning traveller’s dream. Whether you choose to visit Egypt, Asia, Europe or the Mississippi, our itineraries are designed to immerse you in the history and culture of each destination. With us, you could be exploring a local food market with our head chef one day and experiencing an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of a world-famous museum the next.
Our state-of-the-art ships take you right into the heart of each destination, and you won’t find any kids or ‘nickel and diming’ on board. In fact, our fares include everything you need - from meals, beverages and Wi-Fi to a culturally enriching shore excursion at every port of call. This unique combination of features has become affectionately known as ‘the Viking difference’.
Viking has 70 award-winning river ships sailing all over the world, and we can’t wait to welcome you on board to discover the Viking difference for yourself.
Recent Reviews
4.8
Thanks APT for supporting us navigate the difficulties caused by the outbreak of war in the middle east.We were able to change our flights and undertake our planned trip from Budapest to Amsterdam. Special thanks to Global Journeys staff for their guidance and patient reassurance. The cruise was all we had hoped for and the ship, staff, meals and organisation read more were excellent. We met a diverse range of fellow travelers whose company we enjoyed. We would have no hesitation in recommending APT to others.
All I can say is WOW and what a wonderful experience my husband and I had on our 15 day APT River cruise that departed from Amsterdam on Friday 29th August 2025 and finished in Budapest. We traveled on the APT Solara and the service from both the bar and restaurant staff was first class and the food was always exceptional. All APT staff on board The read more Solara are to be commended for their exceptional service. We would like to also make a special mention of our fantastic Cruise Director Navena Robertova who went above and beyond to make sure all passengers had a great time both on board the boat and during our excursions which were fantastic. We met many wonderful people on this cruise which was so much fun. This APT European cruise was flawless and we recommend it to anyone who may be considering a river cruise.
We had a brilliant cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam on the new APT ship Ostara. The Global Journeys team of Grace, Hannah, Tracey & Georgie did an amazing job of booking the river cruise with APT and ironing out a few problems with accommodation. Once on our way, everything worked seamlessly, and we thoroughly enjoyed the cruise; great ship, crew, read more food, wine & a great selection of tours. Minor hiccup was the ship swop because of low water in the rivers, but even this was handled very well, and we ended up getting on the sister ship Solara! No problem at all. A big shout out for the cruise director Anya, who was absolutely brilliant. All in all, a fantastic trip, professionally organised by Global Journeys. Thanks again, Greg & Kerry.
Unreal Prague To Paris 0
Magnificent Europe - Prague to Paris
Des & Jeanette , NSW, Australia, Aug 2025
What a fabulous trip and experience! Everyday the scenery was breathtaking and the guides were a wealth of knowledge enlightening us in each city & towns as we explored them. The extra tours and options were fantastic as were the many little extras provided. Both Ships were amazing even with a changeover due to low water. Our journey planning was easy read more thanks to Tracey from Global Journeys being very efficient with attention to detail. We look forward to our next adventure.
Beautiful new boat APT Solara. The food the staff and the unlimited drinks all excellent. Multiple Restaurants but dining at 3 is by invitation only. The Captains Table is excellent but the Bistro offers the widest choice and the most flexible seatings si it was preferred by many by the end if the trip. Excellent BBQ on the top deck for a couple of read more lunches. Some shade upstairs but not alot especially if the boat is sailing. Owners suite fabulous - so many inclusions and amazing views of the river. Thanks Tracey for pulling it all together and getting us a great price.
A lovely cruise with luxury anyone would enjoy. 4
Magnificent Europe
Jan and Glenn, NSW, Australia, Jun 2025
We were welcomed onboard to this beautiful river ship by a lovely gentleman who escorted us to our suite straight away. He explained how everything worked, and wished us a great cruise experience. We found every staff member couldn't do enough for us every single time, whether a simple question or any aspect of a meal, or drink, or our room. We found read more our beds and pillows, the room setup, the bathroom all excellent. The meals were exceptional every single time. The different dining experiences were excellent. We felt like VIPs at every turn.
We enjoyed the company of many fellow passengers through the 2 weeks. The entertainment, the excursions, the organisation by the cruise director was all excellent. Even the local guides were extremely good. We were fortunate to have great weather throughout the cruise, and at times just enjoyed the facilities of our ship to escape the heat, and watch the countryside drift by from our room or from any of the view points onboard. A truly wonderful trip of a lifetime.
This trip was made very easy to organise with the help of our Global Journeys Travel Advisor Rachael. Thank you Rachael, we had an amazing time.
We enjoyed the company of many fellow passengers through the 2 weeks. The entertainment, the excursions, the organisation by the cruise director was all excellent. Even the local guides were extremely good. We were fortunate to have great weather throughout the cruise, and at times just enjoyed the facilities of our ship to escape the heat, and watch the countryside drift by from our room or from any of the view points onboard. A truly wonderful trip of a lifetime.
This trip was made very easy to organise with the help of our Global Journeys Travel Advisor Rachael. Thank you Rachael, we had an amazing time.
4.6
After doing several ocean cruises, we did our first river cruise and it will not be the last. We really enjoyed the 15 days on the Danube and Rhine, sailing from Budapest to Amsterdam. Got to know most of the 180 odd passengers on the cruise and they were very friendly, outgoing and supportive. Cruising along the scenic Wachau Valley and the Mid-Rhine read more wine growing area and castles along the rivers were spectacular. The cruise staff took good care of us and obliged to all our requests.
Thank you for assisting us in booking our very first Viking river cruise. We had an amazing time and everything went smoothly.
We thoroughly enjoyed our 1st River Cruise (Viking) booked for us by Ethan. He was extremely prompt, patient and helpful in responding to our (many) questions and brought to our attention, the unexpected vaccine advice for one of the countries we were to visit. Our initial contact with Ethan was calm and encouraging; we were very late in deciding read more to try to go on this trip and he helped make the 'last minute' booking arrangements as stress free as possible. We appreciated his support and would readily contact him in the future.
A lot of activity was crammed into this 7 day trip. Each day revealed amazing scenery, and shore excursions covered many ways to experience the current town or village. I particurly appreciated the " leisurely" version of some walking tours which catered for older people. We loved the train trip at Toulon and the excursion to the winery at Lyon. Perfect read more weather added to the enjoyement. The ship is spacious, cabin very comfortable with plenty of storage room. The lift was a bonus.
We saw a lot of Christmas markets on the cruise and they were a highlight when not crowded, which they mostly were unfortunately. If we were the only ship at the port then it wouldn't be so bad but often there were upwards of a dozen ships concurrently, making the Christmas markets quite a slog to get through.
The ship itself was good but facilities read more and entertainment were limited (no pool or gym and entertainment was mostly a pianist and on the last night a local easy listening band) and the rooms are smaller than on larger ships. The ship staff were all very good so kudos to Viking for having excellent crew. The food was mostly great also but meal times are less flexible than on larger ocean cruises so you have to eat at the times they dictate (mainly 7pm and later which did not really suit the mostly older passengers); if you wanted food at any other time it was only pastry items like muffins and cookies (but hot drinks from a machine were available 24/7). The ports were mostly right by the main part of town which was very handy, and with the exception of Dordrecht every port stop had a Christmas market (or three) so that was great. Overall it was a good trip but we wouldn't do another river cruise.
The ship itself was good but facilities read more and entertainment were limited (no pool or gym and entertainment was mostly a pianist and on the last night a local easy listening band) and the rooms are smaller than on larger ships. The ship staff were all very good so kudos to Viking for having excellent crew. The food was mostly great also but meal times are less flexible than on larger ocean cruises so you have to eat at the times they dictate (mainly 7pm and later which did not really suit the mostly older passengers); if you wanted food at any other time it was only pastry items like muffins and cookies (but hot drinks from a machine were available 24/7). The ports were mostly right by the main part of town which was very handy, and with the exception of Dordrecht every port stop had a Christmas market (or three) so that was great. Overall it was a good trip but we wouldn't do another river cruise.
Unforgettable positive experience 0
Capitals of Eastern Europe
Joe and Susan, NSW, Australia, Sep 2025
We have had the most wonderful and worry free experience due to booking with Global Journeys and enjoying the Capitals of Eastern Europe Viking river cruise, plus pre and post cruise extensions. Georgie at Global Journeys, assisted us in every possible way to ensure we were organised, informed, provided with options for extensions and transfers. Her read more advice and organisation made for a seamless cruise experience, giving us the confidence to travel knowing we were very well looked after.
We also felt very comfortable at all times with the care and assistance that Viking offers. Our stateroom on Viking Rinda and the always remarkably outstanding service from the Viking staff made our 21 days on tbe Danube, and in Prague and Transylvania absolutely fantastic. We would thoroughly recommend this cruise itinerary to all who have already explored Western Europe and are ready to see fresh gems of interest. We particularly loved Transylvania and Bucharest in Romania.
We also felt very comfortable at all times with the care and assistance that Viking offers. Our stateroom on Viking Rinda and the always remarkably outstanding service from the Viking staff made our 21 days on tbe Danube, and in Prague and Transylvania absolutely fantastic. We would thoroughly recommend this cruise itinerary to all who have already explored Western Europe and are ready to see fresh gems of interest. We particularly loved Transylvania and Bucharest in Romania.
Popular Trips
21 Days Paris to Prague
Operator: APT
From
16,786pp
Save
2,329pp
