Sailing multiple times with Viking River Cruises for a Christmas Markets river cruise, one critical part of the overall experience that became apparent really quickly: don’t wait around to book. The first time we tried, they were sold out six months in advance. Looking ahead to the next year brought a whole lot more availability and a great price on airfare as well. While the Viking River Cruises fleet of Viking Longships continues to grow, the pace has slowed some as has all travel in Europe. That makes right now a wonderful time to book for the best value we have seen. Need more reasons? We have ten of them:
More Than Christmas Markets- Initially, we thought these were unique itineraries only done during the holiday season. Actually, these are the same itineraries run at other times of the year. What changes is the temperature and what we find at the city center, already a place visited on river cruises at other times. In the Summer we find fresh fruit and vegetables. Those are still there during Christmas markets but not the star of the show. That would be holiday-themed food, drink and handicrafts available for sale.- It’s No Further Than Alaska– So shut up about the “Oh it’s so far from home” thing. When we flew to Alaska from Orlando it took over 10 hours flying time to get there. It takes us less time than that to get to Europe and the places where Christmas markets begin and end.
- You’ll Get Your Christmas Spirit Back- I had seriously lost my holiday spirit until we did our first Christmas markets sailing. It’s addictively back in full force now and I like it. More please.
- $100 Airfare Quite Possible- book far enough ahead and $100 per person airfare, round-trip to Europe is a serious reason to go. It costs more to fly from Chicago to New York.
- Isolate Your Christmas Spirit- I may have my Christmas spirit back but I don’t have to go crazy and drag it out all year. Skip the decorating, holiday dinner parties requiring praise for Aunt Bertha’s (mundane) green bean casserole or holiday debt hangover when the credit card statement comes in January. The inclusive nature of a river cruise makes budgeting easy.
- It’s One Heck Of A Themed Cruise– We report frequent these days about cruises with themes ranging from fans of Kid Rock to Classic Movies, Food & Wine and more. A Christmas-themed sailing is the king daddy of all themed cruises.
- Better Than Believing In Santa- To the religious traveler, the whole point of a Christmas markets river cruise is to celebrate an occasion pretty close to the heart of our good friend, the Creator of the Universe. Without that little moment in time, no one would have a reason to celebrate the season.
- Gluhwein– The soul-warming mulled wine beverage served at Christmas markets takes but one sip to work it’s magic. We’ll just leave it at that.
- Sausages- These are not like any sausages we might buy at our local supermarket. It’s one of those things we just can’t do at home. Believe me, we have tried. Like regional beer encountered along the way, sausages also have a unique character of their own. All cities along the route claim to have the best and they are all correct.
- A Holiday Tradition For The Less Than Creative– I had a brother who could make a party out of a handful of rice and a shoelace. He just had a great knack for making something fantabulous out of nothing. You know; one of those thoughtful people who came up with more creative holiday ideas in a heartbeat than you could with a gun held to your head. Book a holiday markets cruise: problem solved.
Sold? Contact your travel agent for more information. Booking online is not an option with Viking River Cruises who supports the notion of using a travel professional when planning a river cruise vacation.
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