Home > Compare River Cruise Companies > Scenic River Cruises vs Viking River Cruises
Scenic River Cruises vs Viking River Cruises
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Scenic River Cruises and Viking River Cruises.The Low Down
Scenic's 5 star luxury river cruises are well known and popular in Australia (not so much in NZ). Scenic were the first to introduce balconies on their Scenic Space-Ships, which many clients love, but this comes at a cost to interior cabin space. Like many of the other premium river cruise Operators, look out for their great Fly Free offers, and Earlybird Savings. All inclusive, with Freechoice activities that allow you to choose what you want to do in each port, Scenic also offer a range of luxury additions (like your own Butler) depending on the cabin type select. 
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
172
No. of Departures
1,250
Avg. Trip Length
14 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$597
Fleet Size
14 Ships
Known For
Luxury Cruising
Ship Styles River Cruises
No. of Trips
64
No. of Departures
4,428
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$509
Fleet Size
73 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
With Scenic, it’s more than a 5-star river cruise...it’s a seamless journey from start to finish that places you, our guest, at the heart of everything we do. It’s taking you to extraordinary regions and immersing you in meaningful and enriching experiences. It’s exquisite cuisine, indulgent wellness, and a world-class team who will anticipate your every need. You'll find the difference is in the details with Scenic: the innovative ship design, expertly trained crew, immersive journey, and an unrivalled focus on health and safety protocols.
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
4.4
This was our first river cruise with Scenic and we found it enjoyable but a bit crowded. The food and service are amazing and the tours were great. Scenic's attention to detail is outstanding. The cruise director was absolutely awesome and went out of his way to make everything run like clockwork. We have done 2 Scenic Eclipse trips prior to this and ...read more found this trip to be not as good though.
The cabins are VERY small and the public spaces are limited and crowded. Dinner is at a set time and the usual stampede occurs to get there. We thought we would make more use of the sunroof area but did not as it was either pulled down to get under low bridges or the weather was not good. As we had to be disembarked due to weather we got to experience two different boats and were surprised to find the service levels not as good on the 2nd boat. If you can, get on the Scenic Crystal not the Scenic Ruby. Overall still a great experience though.
The cabins are VERY small and the public spaces are limited and crowded. Dinner is at a set time and the usual stampede occurs to get there. We thought we would make more use of the sunroof area but did not as it was either pulled down to get under low bridges or the weather was not good. As we had to be disembarked due to weather we got to experience two different boats and were surprised to find the service levels not as good on the 2nd boat. If you can, get on the Scenic Crystal not the Scenic Ruby. Overall still a great experience though.
Tastes of Southern France river cruise was excellent, and the presence of Gabriel Gate as host made a huge difference. He not only entertained us but educated us about French culture, food and wine. We enjoyed all the daily tours and appreciated the fact that they were all short bus trips or walking distance from the boat. Staff were all lovely, ...read more efficient and friendly. Our cruise director Andreaa was super organized and efficient. She was very aware of the limitations of the older guests and described tours in detail so people were well informed of walking conditions, toilets availability, weather. Highly recommended.
We would definitely cruise with Scenic again - this cruise went beyond our expectations of luxury and service - the quality of the food and wine was amazing. We had the 11 day cruise and were pleased to have chosen this, could not imagine spending any less time to be able to discover all the sights and experiences of the Duoro River Valley. Global Journeys ...read more handled our bookings well and we were pleased with their helpful service in sorting our touring details.
If you only ever do one European river cruise, this is the one. Our ship, Scenic Opal, was in very good condition, both inside and outside. The cabin was very comfortable and clean and in excellent condition. The Scenic Crew were exceptional and could not be faulted. Nothing was a problem for them. The Tour Director was also exceptional, extremely organised ...read more and provided useful information with good humour throughout the cruise.
The food was very good but serves are on the small side. They did however make the point a few times that if you wanted more, just ask. Either way you won't leave this cruise hungry. The drinks were free flowing both in the dining room and the lounge. The cruise itinerary is very good with lots of options when it comes to tours or the opportunity to do your own thing in many parts as we did because we had been to most of the towns / cities before.
There was about 144 passengers on board and the nationality mix was about 80 Australians and the rest were mainly Canadians and British with a handful of Americans and New Zealanders. This was our fourth Scenic Cruise and the nationality mix has been different on each cruise.
Our cruise started in early June and the weather was quite good, ranging from around 22 C with some showers at the beginning to 28 C and sunny at the end. The river water levels were OK and we had no problems but there was speculation that later cruises may encounter lower levels which could impact their cruise. Our advise for cabin choice is to get as far forward as you can so you can to avoid engine noise and vibration. It's also a long walk to the back of the ship if you just want to pop back to your cabin for something. Our Cabin 208 was very quiet. We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and highly recommend it.
The food was very good but serves are on the small side. They did however make the point a few times that if you wanted more, just ask. Either way you won't leave this cruise hungry. The drinks were free flowing both in the dining room and the lounge. The cruise itinerary is very good with lots of options when it comes to tours or the opportunity to do your own thing in many parts as we did because we had been to most of the towns / cities before.
There was about 144 passengers on board and the nationality mix was about 80 Australians and the rest were mainly Canadians and British with a handful of Americans and New Zealanders. This was our fourth Scenic Cruise and the nationality mix has been different on each cruise.
Our cruise started in early June and the weather was quite good, ranging from around 22 C with some showers at the beginning to 28 C and sunny at the end. The river water levels were OK and we had no problems but there was speculation that later cruises may encounter lower levels which could impact their cruise. Our advise for cabin choice is to get as far forward as you can so you can to avoid engine noise and vibration. It's also a long walk to the back of the ship if you just want to pop back to your cabin for something. Our Cabin 208 was very quiet. We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and highly recommend it.
Booking through Georgie at Global Journeys made our holiday seamless. Georgie was available to answer any of our questions in a timely and professional manner. Scenic were a great company to travel with. Accommodation on board the ship was really good. Staff and food were amazing. Other passengers were lovely. There were a number of excursions to choose ...read more from to suit most needs. The only negative we have is that there was information overload. Would highly recommend a river cruise. 15 days was perfect length for us. Well done Georgie and Scenic.
We recently returned from the Scenic Christmas Markets River cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. The cruise was excellent with visits to many Christmas markets along the route. The markets usually opened around 11.00am until later that evening. Due to the short daylight hours the markets were twinkling with Christmas lights and many stalls to buy your ...read more Christmas decorations. The excursions were also educational and entertaining. Scenic also provided entertainment locally sourced, these were themed on what we had seen or visited that day.
If you are willing to endure the cold temperatures, the highest temperature was a maximum of 7 degrees while the coldest day was maximum 1 degree, this is a cruise that is well worth while especially if you would like to experience how Christmas is celebrated in Europe.
We would like also to send many thanks to Hannah at Global Journeys for her detail to attention, help and support as this trip was booked pre-COVID and Hannah was able to keep us up to date and repeatedly rebooked for us when the cruise between 2019 to 2021 were cancelled. Thanks Hannah and your fellow colleagues. We will definitely book with Global again as we used them for our overseas trips before onset of COVID too.
If you are willing to endure the cold temperatures, the highest temperature was a maximum of 7 degrees while the coldest day was maximum 1 degree, this is a cruise that is well worth while especially if you would like to experience how Christmas is celebrated in Europe.
We would like also to send many thanks to Hannah at Global Journeys for her detail to attention, help and support as this trip was booked pre-COVID and Hannah was able to keep us up to date and repeatedly rebooked for us when the cruise between 2019 to 2021 were cancelled. Thanks Hannah and your fellow colleagues. We will definitely book with Global again as we used them for our overseas trips before onset of COVID too.
4.6
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.
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!😄
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!😄
The itinerary for this cruise was excellent. Ports of call and guides were excellent. This ship was too crowded and and the lounge could not accommodate passengers for port talks. Folding chairs needed to be found to accommodate the overflow. All passengers were Americans except for my husband and myself. Feel there needed to be more of a mix. Hotels ...read more used at each end of the tour were not that great. Hotel in Paris was supposed to be 5 star, but our fridge did not work, power outlet over desk was broken and there were cracks in the hand basin.
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.
Popular Trips
