Home > Compare River Cruise Companies > Avalon River Cruises vs Viking River Cruises

Avalon River Cruises vs Viking River Cruises

Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Avalon River Cruises and Viking River Cruises.

The Low Down

Avalon River Cruises Not as well known locally as APT or Scenic, Avalon Waterways have nevertheless been cruising the rivers of Europe and Asia since 2004. Featuring modern luxury ships, with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, our clients love Avalon, and some of their river itineraries are our biggest sellers. Avalon don't usually include Fly Offers, so you'll need to book flights separately, but consequently their cruise prices are cheaper than the other luxury Operators and they offer some great Earlybird discounts. Part of the Globus Family group of Brands, means you can secure further discounts the next time you decide to travel by coach with either Globus or Cosmos.
Viking River Cruises 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. Viking do not offer NZD pricing, so if you're a Kiwi wanting jump onboard then you'll need to pay in AUD or USD.

Stats

No. of Trips
175
No. of Departures
1,822
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$558
Fleet Size
16 Ships
Known For
Panorama Suites
Ship Styles River Cruises
Regions Explored AsiaEuropeNile
No. of Trips
64
No. of Departures
5,525
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$570
Fleet Size
74 Ships
Known For
Scandinavian Design
Ship Styles River Cruises
Regions Explored AsiaEuropeMississippiNile

In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them

Avalon River Cruises
One of our favourite sayings that describes Avalon Waterways is ‘the possibilities are as wide open as the views’. From Europe to the Galapagos and Asia, you can cruise in relaxed luxury with Avalon Waterways, with choices as unique as you. Avalon offers you a range of choices from excursions, dining options, activities that help you tailor your experience.

Just imagine gliding away down the world’s most spectacular rivers, all while enjoying a unique vantage point from your own private oasis. Our floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows in our suites blur the line between where the world ends, and your suite begins; allowing you to experience the world less seen from the comfort of your bed. This is river cruising from a unique point of view.
Viking River Cruises
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

Great short cruise     1 , NSW, Australia, Oct 2023
This was our third Avalon river cruise and we weren’t disappointed. Despite the itinerary being changed due to low water on the Danube. Avalon handled the situation well. Stayed in cabin 210 which was only a short walk to the main sections of the ship. Food and staff very good, though there appears to be less staff on board. Due to the low water we ...read more stayed 2 nights on the Avalon Impression docked in Budapest. We were then bused to Bratislava for our day tour there and continued on to Vienna to join our correct ship the Avalon Envision.

All crew were the same on each ship which helped with continuation. Avalon provided each passenger with cash to purchase lunch in Bratislava and also some free optional excursions as compensation. Tracey handled our booking very professionally, as always! Appreciated the updates on the changes. The team at Global Journeys are great and will continue to be our go to agents. They offer great value and a friendly and helpful team.
Balkan Discovery + Transylvania   1 , NSW, Australia, Oct 2023
Travelled on Avalon View, an excellent vessel. Cabin and crew were great. Our river time was cut short by one day due to low water levels in the lower Danube but Avalon responded well with alternate arrangements. Transylvania extension was excellent, thanks to our local guide, Stefan.
Excellent experience   1 , NSW, Australia, Sep 2023
Avalon Panorama was a perfect experience, each day waking up in a new country was so fascinating. The on board experience from the beautiful big window , happy hour, four course meals or optional casual, a place to sit quietly and read or watch the world go by. The room was a good size with a very functional bathroom. The people who made the trip was ...read more the staff , the tour director Simona , our room gentleman Blessing ,every person I interacted with was kind, polite and happy to be there . They made it fun, interesting and a pleasure.
Avalon cruise from Basel to Nuremberg was perfect for first-time cruisers   0 , NSW, Australia, Sep 2023
Although my husband and I have already been on previous Rhine cruise, it is still enjoyable and more appreciated the second time. We travelled with 6 other friends/family who are all first-time river cruisers and they all enjoyed and wowed by the river cruise, especially the food and services on board. The only thing which stopped me from rating this ...read more a 5-star is the lack of self-service laundry which other river cruise companies have.
Booking with our Avalon cruise with Hannah   0 , WA, Australia, Aug 2023
Thanks Hannah, everything went great. Despite Emirates delay into Amsterdam. The booked pickup waited an extra thirty minutes for us. We made the boat with 45 minutes to spare. Cabin 312 was excellent as was the whole cruise. See you sometime 2024. Thanks.
Wonderful tour through the south of France   1 , Australia, Jul 2023
The cruise exceeded our expectations. Beautiful scenery and wonderful towns to explore. Would highly recommend Avalon cruises.
Excellent service with friendly staff and the best cruise director we have ever had Tony Jenkins. And thank you Global Journeys for an easy and hassle free booking. Will certainly book with you again.
Perfect way to see Europe   1 , QLD, Australia, Dec 2023
Two weeks aboard Viking River Ships is the most relaxing way to explore a beautiful part of Europe. To wake up in the morning and look out the floor to ceiling window and see the stunning river and scenery go past is magical. Viking made everything so seamless (including a ship swap due to flooding rivers). The staff were incredible and the ship was ...read more so comfortable and beautifully decorated for Christmas. Each town and city offered something different and we had plenty of free time in each place. A truly perfect way to travel.
Viking Grand European River Cruise     0 , NSW, Australia, Nov 2023
Our first river cruise with Viking did not disappoint! We enjoyed the excellent experience and attention we received from the staff onboard. They welcomed us onboard around 10:30am even though our boarding time was 4:00pm. We were able to leave our luggage and continue to explore Budapest. Viking provided our lunch on the first day and if we needed ...read more we could have had lunch on the last day of our cruise after checking out of our cabins at 9:00am. Viking will hold your luggage as well if you have a late flight and want to continue to see the sights after leaving the cruise. This was a thoughtful gesture.

We had a couple of things that did not go to plan. Our ship the Viking TIR had some damage because a log hit a part of the propeller and it was causing vibrations so we had an unscheduled stop in Linz so they could repair the damage. The rivers were in flood which made it difficult for the nautical crew and when we reached Passau we were advised the water level was too high for us to continue. Viking had a sister ship coming from the other side of the river and we had to pack up our things and they transferred them to the Viking VALLI whilst they put us on a bus for the planned excursion and then onto the Vali docked in Nuremberg. Because all their ships are the same we were allocated the room and we continue on without further disruption.

The included tours were informative and because we have traveled to Europe many times before we didn’t do any of the optional tours offered. I will say that I found the price of the optional tours expensive as we had been to most of the places offered and at a much cheaper cost. The food was restaurant quality and you could have as much as you wanted. The one thing I didn’t like was that lunch and dinner were at set times. The laundry was expensive however we were able to do everything except our jeans in the bathroom which had a heated floor and most things dried overnight. Most of the other passengers were in their seventies with a sprinkling of a few younger and older. Overall the experience was great and we were able to see the Christmas markets in Budapest, Vienna, Nuremberg, Kolbenz, Cologne and Amsterdam. Global Journeys and Georgie always give exceptional service and advice and we look forward to making our future travel plans with them.
Viking's France's Finest Adventure   0 , QLD, Australia, Nov 2023
We booked Viking's France's Finest river cruise with Georgie after previously sailing on their Amsterdam to Budapeat river cruise. It was fantastic. Top class cabins, tours, food, drinks and staff. We cannot praise Viking and their staff highly enough. Very pleasant and helpful. There was a problem with high water and strong current on the first half ...read more of the cruise but the staff organised for buses to take us on our tours and return us to the ship after it sailed without passengers to our next port. Everything went without a hitch.
Like many others, we have another cruise waiting for us in a few months time. Global Journeys Georgie does a great job with our bookings.
8 DAY CHATEAUX, RIVERS & WINE     0 , VIC, Australia, Nov 2023
Our Viking river cruise far exceeded our expectations. The crew provided exceptional service, the food was sensational the tour guides were professional, fun & informative, and the comfortable cabins were spacious and cleaned regularly. We will only book with Viking for future cruises and definitely recommend them to our friends. We also wanted to ...read more thank Georgie from Global Journeys for her great communication and help with our Viking holiday including organising our flights to ensure we have a seamless experience.😊
Grand European Tour     0 , SA, Australia, Oct 2023
Tracey and Global Journeys made the whole trip fit together! Viking was an excellent company to travel with and although getting late into Autumn, we didn't have all the crowds to contend with and the autumn colours were magnificent. From the moment you stepped on board, the staff were there to help you with any queries, magnificent meals, touring and ...read more just generally taking care of you. The peace of floating down the rivers and looking out were soothing. We had a main deck cabin but spent our time in the lounge or on the Aquavit Terrace. There were times on the sundeck, but fresh. The included tours were great and well organised, and then there was still a little time to explore yourself. Well worth it.
Relaxing river cruise     1 , Queensland , Australia, Oct 2023
We set off from Australia at the end of August on an almost 10 week European adventure. On our last 2 weeks we did Viking’s France’s Finest 15 day river cruise, which is in fact 2 cruises marketed as one trip. We did the Avignon to Lyon cruise first, followed by a round trip from Paris for the second. Viking transfers you via train from Lyon to Paris ...read more to do the second cruise. Both cruises were a wonderful, relaxing way to end our sometimes exhausting 10 week journey! We were blessed with pretty good weather and the itineraries on both ships were interesting .

Everything onboard was amazing, from the friendly staff, the wonderful food & wine to the included tours, complete with excellent local guides. We couldn’t fault it. It was the perfect way to end a long trip abroad. France in Autumn was beautiful with the trees changing colour and the scenery we saw from our ship was spectacular. We chose the lower deck cabins as we were travelling with a group, so not in cabins much. Perfectly fine for our needs. Many thanks to Georgie for organising this part of our holiday. Nothing was too much trouble and she happily answered all our queries!😄

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