Common Areas
The Viking Europe lounge was large and comfortable and covers the entire front part of the ship. It is surrounded with windows. Tables and chairs in blue and red tones, along with a bar make the view of the outside world an enjoyable one. In the afternoon and evening, Otto entertained us with his keyboard and music. The outside deck has chaises, chairs, umbrellas, and tables. Part of the deck is covered.

Since smoking is not allowed anywhere inside the ship, the smokers on our cruise were often found on the decks outside.
The reception area and lounge are on the same deck as the gangway. Cabins are either up or down the stairs. There is no elevator, so the ship is not "wheelchair friendly".

There is a small card room off the lounge, and additional sitting areas upstairs from the reception desk.

Daily Routine
For travelers who enjoy tours and hate to make vacation decisions--this cruise line is perfect. Many people are forced to constantly make decisions at work, and having to do the same on vacation is NOT their idea of fun. The shore excursions are included in the price of the cruise, so you can choose to just sit back and let the cruise director tell you where, when, how, and what!

Many days we left the ship in the morning for a bus trip to an interesting village, museum, or garden, returning for lunch, and then venturing out again for more sightseeing in the afternoon. Days were filled with a variety of activities.

A few people chose to just relax on the ship, or visit the small towns on their own if the ship was docked. Oftentimes the ship would move while we were off touring and we would rejoin it at another village. In the Netherlands, rivers and canals are everywhere, but navigating the extensive lock system is time consuming. Therefore, the ship moved while we were off seeing the tulip fields and picturesque countryside. We cruised a couple of mornings, allowing us to "sleep in". Sailing on the rivers and canals, the ship has almost no motion whatsoever. You definitely can leave your seasick pills at home. We only cruised once at night, and were awakened when the ship had to stop to navigate one of the locks. After that, we were glad to be docked overnight in one of the charming Dutch villages.

The disadvantage of a variety-filled day of touring is that you just get a taste of everything, with no opportunity to see anything in depth. We would have liked to spend more time at Keukenhof Gardens, the Floriade, and the Rijksmuseum. Bottom line is that the Viking Europe gives you just a short time at all of the attractions. Cruisers who really want to focus on just one type of activity need to make their own arrangements to spend more time at sights than just a couple of hours you will get with the tour group.

After a relaxing dinner, we usually went to the lounge to let our dinner settle before turning in for the night. Evening entertainment was very limited, but we enjoyed it all because we were with our new friends and had established a great rapport with the crew. One night there was a crew show, which was more fun than usual because we all knew the cast. We laughed along with them while they did skits and entertained us. Other evening entertainment ranged from a group of Dutch dancers to a wooden shoemaker to bingo. Anyone looking for a real exciting evening on board would probably be disappointed with a night on the Viking Europe. On the other hand, since most nights we were docked for the night, passengers could go ashore and stay until the local bars or clubs closed, without worrying about missing the ship.

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