Viking River Cruises réservations

Calling Viking's customer service line to discuss cruise options was one of the most pleasant experiences I've had with a customer service call. When you call Viking, you're broken up into regular consumers and travel agents before ever making a choice, which helps cut down on wait times. Once you make that selection, you're asked if you're calling about availability, making a payment on a cruise or making changes to an existing cruise.

I barely spent any time going through the menu before getting connected with Nate, who asked what questions I had and how he could help. I said I was interested in visiting Bratislava, Slovakia and asked which cruises stop in that city. He said that the Danube Waltz was Viking's only voyage that visited Slovakia, and it's one of the most popular trips in part because of that destination.

I then asked what he could tell me about the different ship cabins available, and he offered a full description of each cabin. Rather than try to upsell me into the highest level cabin possible, he talked up the cabins at every price level. For the standard rooms, he mentioned that he'd personally sailed in a standard cabin and had enjoyed it, as he and most passengers prefer to explore the yacht rather than spend time in the room.

He then described the French balcony as misnamed, as it doesn't actually have a balcony but instead offers a sliding glass door to the deck. He then confirmed that if I wanted a high-budget option and a private area to sit out and watch the river, the veranda was the choice.

I asked Nate when might be the best time for me to visit that part of Europe. I explained that I was a remote worker, so my schedule was completely flexible. He said that May or September would be the ideal times to visit. He said that travel was cheaper in the summer, but temperatures would be high, and most tourist spots were packed, meaning it would be harder to get the most out of the trip. In May and September, the weather would be ideal, families would still be in the school year and businesses would be open.

I thanked him for the information and said I wasn't ready to make a decision yet, but would discuss what he had told me with my wife. He said he completely understood, but wanted to take down my e-mail so that he could send me more information about Viking's ships and I could reach out to him when the time was right to book a Viking cruise. I provided my e-mail and received correspondence from Nate 10 minutes after hanging up.

Overall, I thought this was an excellent experience. Nate was pleasant and professional and didn't try to push me in any direction. He answered my questions clearly and honestly, with a friendly demeanor. Based on this experience, I'd absolutely use this number to call Viking with any potential questions I had.