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
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. 
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
174
No. of Departures
1,999
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$552
Fleet Size
18 Ships
Known For
Panorama Suites
Ship Styles River Cruises
No. of Trips
68
No. of Departures
4,255
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$485
Fleet Size
75 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
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.
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
4.7
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 Ludy and Victor, 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.
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.
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.
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.
Absolutely loved the 8 day/ 7 night river cruise from Basel in Switzerland up to Amsterdam. The crew were amazing. The service and food was like being in a five star hotel throughout the whole time. Excursions were organized for us every day. We will definitely do another river cruise with Avalon.
We can't recommend Avalon Waterways cruise enough - it was brilliant from start to finish. The facilities were well maintained, modern and spacious (the bed was extremely comfortable). The staff went out of their way to make you feel welcomed. The excursions were very well run and informative. The food was delicious and plentiful, and the free drinks ...read more were also generous. Entertainment was great. With only 100 guests onboard we felt we were valued guests. Will definitely be returning to do another Avalon cruise.
4.6
Global Journeys and Jemma handled our booking process well. We loved our Viking France’s Finest cruises. We made some new friends and found the staff excellent. Loved the onshore excursions particularly Monet's Garden, and all the walled medieval villages, especially Viviers night walk. Accommodation was lovely and cruising enjoying the view was perfect. ...read more The crew of the Heimdal were particularly outstanding.
We had an incredible two river cruise from Amsterdam to Avignon with Viking Cruises. Everything was first class right down to the impeccable state room service. Wonderful dining and entertainment experiences, very friendly and experienced staff and tour guides. Wouldn't hesitate in doing another Viking trip.
Our first time with Viking. Our thoughts - the ship and crew and meals were excellent. Some communication from Viking was a little scratchy. We weren't sure which dock we were to meet the ship at and couldn't find this information in our My Viking Journey account nor was there a phone number or web site address to get the information. In the end we ...read more got it from a Viking rep who was in the foyer of our hotel the morning before we were to start the cruise. The programme seemed a bit busy. Doing an optional excursion generally meant missing the included excursion. Maybe all 7 night river cruises are like this? Viking optional tours, accommodation, transfers etc are very overpriced. Limited drinks are included with meals. A lot of top end cruise companies include all drinks in the fare. Overall we had a very enjoyable cruise, but we will always check out competitor offers before booking again with Viking.
Thanks to the support we received from Global Journeys and Viking we were able to finally complete our much delayed river cruise due to COVID. The communication from Global Journeys was outstanding and very supportive. Viking are the kings of the river and accomplish everything with professionalism and care.
Jemma at Global Journeys was great as always. Viking river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest was amazing. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The tours great. Really could not fault Viking. Would recommend Viking.
I booked a Viking river cruise through Global Journeys. The booking process was easy and having a dedicated travel consultant (Tracey) was a bonus. Tracey followed up on my queries in a timely manner. I would book online through Global Journeys again.
The river cruise was enjoyable - saw some amazing places. The on board stateroom was small but serviceable. ...read more Food was of a high quality. Due to low river water levels a boat change was necessary, however this was a streamlined process. If you enjoy river cruising would recommend Viking.
The river cruise was enjoyable - saw some amazing places. The on board stateroom was small but serviceable. ...read more Food was of a high quality. Due to low river water levels a boat change was necessary, however this was a streamlined process. If you enjoy river cruising would recommend Viking.
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