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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
35
No. of Departures
0
Avg. Trip Length
14 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
Fleet Size
10 Ships
Known For
Aussie Specialist
Ship Styles
River Cruises
No. of Trips
74
No. of Departures
7,701
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$398
Fleet Size
94 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
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. 3
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.
We thoroughly enjoyed our first river cruise. We were looked after from the moment we got to the dock in Porto. The itinerary was balanced between tours and free time to soak up river life and enjoy the calm. The dams and locks along the river were also very interesting. The food on board was 5 star and the choice was amazing. It was hard to resist read more sometimes but necessary so that you could pace yourself. We met some lovely people who we will keep in touch with. Overall a wonderful 9 days. Thank you.
4.6
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.
The Ship (Egdir) is a wonderful newish river cruise ship with great staterooms and ammenities. This was our first river cruise and most likely we won’t do another. The entire atmosphere of this particular river cruise was very laid back and may attract whose who are comfortable eating their dinner and going to bed around 8-8:30pm. There is a small piano read more up in the lounge where sitting down and have drinks while listening to the pianist. All drinks need to be paid for as the drink package of very ordinary local beer, wine and soft drinks are only available during lunch and dinner. Even if you wanted to have a soft drink outside of these hours you had to pay.
If you missed breakfast or lunch there’s absolutely nothing to eat and there’s no room service. Absolutely no entertainment at night. The first few locks was the entertainment while on the ship. Then after a few more locks that also became boring. We arrived back on the ship at 1:30pm after an included walking tour and the dining room was closed and nothing to eat on board until 7pm. That’s not a holiday or glamorous as seen on Getaway or other similar advertisements on TV. We filled the river cruise review while I board and gave our suggestions in how to improve the entire concept of river cruising. Let’s see if any notice of our suggestions actually become implemented.
If you missed breakfast or lunch there’s absolutely nothing to eat and there’s no room service. Absolutely no entertainment at night. The first few locks was the entertainment while on the ship. Then after a few more locks that also became boring. We arrived back on the ship at 1:30pm after an included walking tour and the dining room was closed and nothing to eat on board until 7pm. That’s not a holiday or glamorous as seen on Getaway or other similar advertisements on TV. We filled the river cruise review while I board and gave our suggestions in how to improve the entire concept of river cruising. Let’s see if any notice of our suggestions actually become implemented.
From our initial booking with Viking Cruises through Global Journeys this holiday was a breeze. Nothing to worry about with any organisation done for us. The Mekong River and Delta are incredible, so wide, carrying so much water traffic and life on board the Viking Saigon was luxurious. Food, accommodation and care were exceptional. Apart from the read more climate which was so different to anything we had experienced before this holiday was A1.
We loved every minute of this cruise. We have now completed five cruises with Viking with more to come. This was the first with our long time school friends who were also impressed with the Rhine cruise. Georgie from Global Journeys has been fantastic help for many years. We can’t thank her enough and can throughly recommend the Rhine cruise.
Our trip was better than we could have hoped. Viking lived up to its expected reputation with food, drinks, service and entertainment. What was unexpected was the special dining experience off the boat at a chateau, which was delightful. The itinerary looked repetitious on paper, but also worked wonderfully. I would recommend this trip highly.
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