Name: Viking Tor
Brand: Viking River Cruises
Availability: InStock

At a glance

Viking Tor is an intimate-size cruise ship operated by Viking River Cruises, in service since 2014. It carries 190 guests and 50 crew (3.8 guests per crew member) at 5,000 gross tons. It ties with 66 other ships as the 2nd largest of 92 Viking River Cruises ships by guest capacity. On Cruiseable's Bliss scale it scores highest for active, cultural, dining and staterooms (8/10) and lowest for family friendly, party and spa & fitness (2/10). It is rated 4.5 out of 5 by Cruiseable, 4 out of 5 by Berlitz and 4 out of 5 by Cruise Critic. It has 6 cruises on sale, with lead fares from $2,499 to $3,299.

Builder's plate

Specs

Cruiseable: 4.5 / 5
Berlitz: 4 / 5
Cruise Critic: 4 / 5

Guests: 190
Crew: 50
Gross tons: 5,000
Decks: 4
Length: 443 ft
Beam: 37 ft
Maiden voyage: 2014
Launched: 2013
Space ratio: 3.8; Gross tons per guest
Guests per crew: 3.8
Speed (mph): 17

Bliss scores

What Viking Tor is best at

Ten dimensions scored by our editors on a 10-point scale. The Cruiseable app ranks every cruise against the mix you care about.

Active 8.0
Adventure and nature 3.0
Cultural 8.0
Dining 8.0
Entertainment 6.0
Family friendly 2.0
Party 2.0
Romantic 5.0
Spa and fitness 2.0
Staterooms 8.0

Our review

Viking Tor: Visit the charms of the Danube River

The 190-passenger Viking Tor takes passengers on scenic tour of the Blue Danube, with visits to Vienna and Budapest among the highlights.

Some of the innovative spaces on Viking Tor include the indoor-outdoor Aquavit Terrace at the bow of the ship, an expansive Sun Deck and interiors that represent spacious public spaces, lots of natural light and light-blonde wood accents. Viking Tor is a "green" ship because of energy-efficient hybrid engines, solar panels and an organic herb garden.

Longships transport guests in comfortable, understated elegance, with hotel-style beds and amenities like 26-inch flat-panel TVs and in-room refrigerators. Viking River Cruises, the big kahuna of river cruising, has received numerous awards for its itineraries and innovative ship designs and onboard programming.

Who will like sailing on Viking Tor

Viking River Cruises attracts an older demographic that is continuously getting younger. If you have an interest in exploring art, culture or history, then sailing on Viking Tor will make an ideal vacation, especially with the onboard educational activities available.

Where Viking Tor sails

Viking Tor sails two main itineraries;

Romantic Danube is a 7-night journey of grand cities and quaint villages along the Blue Danube. It starts in Budapest with stops in Vienna, Krems, Passau and ends in Regensburg, Germany — and the reverse itinerary.
Danube Waltz is a similar 7-night voyage from Budapest to Passau, Germany, with Vienna as one of the stops.

Read the full review

River cruising: It's about destination immersion

River cruising is about the destination probably more so than the ship. The ports of call shadow the onboard amenities; however, Viking helps guests learn about the local culture, history and highlights of the places that they visit. Don't be surprised to see local dishes on the menu or local entertainers sharing their music, dancing and stories.

Viking Tor includes daily tours with the cruise fare, which makes the hassle of figuring out logistics less challenging. Most tours are done around lunch and then you are free to do what you choose until the ship leaves port. You'll be given a nightly briefing in the evening before dinner to get updates on the next day’s call to discuss the upcoming day’s activities, tours and logistics. Plan to attend the session to discover highlights of the upcoming town's history, art, food, music and architecture.

Viking Tor in Cologne, Germany. Courtesy of Viking Cruises

Dining

Viking Tor has one restaurant called, fittingly, The Restaurant. The atmosphere is casual yet elegant. Dinner is at a set time, and you are welcome to sit with whomever you wish. When Tor is not scheduled to leave port until later in the evening, treat yourself to a night on the town and sample cuisine at a nearby restaurant (at your own expense, but a nice way to experience the local culture).

The cruise line’s website says this about dining options on board: “For breakfast, choose from a selection of pastries, cereals, breakfast meats, egg dishes, fresh fruit and selected cheeses. At lunch, select from the soup and sandwich bar, or from a choice of entrées and dessert. And for dinner, expect a five-course menu with regional specialties. Wherever you sail, you will find enhancements reflecting the itinerary — it is all part of experiencing the local culture."

Don’t miss: Al fresco dining aboard Viking Tor. One of the unique features on Viking Tor is the Aquavit Terrace, which is an outdoor space for you to watch the river while enjoying a coffee, cocktail, pint or al fresco dining. The Aquavit Terrace is equipped with grills for outdoor cooking.

Sightseeing near the State Opera House in Vienna, Austria. J. Steininger / Courtesy of Austrian National Tourist Office

Entertainment & activities

River cruising is very mellow. You won't find any large production shows or comedy clubs. What you will enjoy is some light piano music played by the house musician and local entertainers who are brought onto the ship to sing, dance or tell stories from the local perspective. After dinner, cruise passengers can hang out in the lounge and have an after-dinner drink, or they can walk back into town if the ship is not leaving port until later in the evening.

To complement your onshore excursions, take part in immersive learning and enhancement activities both on board and ashore. Classes in cooking specialties such as apple strudel and Alsatian flammkuchen; traditional performances of folk music and dance or waltzes by Strauss; and tastings of local cheeses, coffees, liqueurs and other delicacies are some examples of in-depth experiences that are included as an essential part of discovering more about the places through which you cruise.

Staterooms

There are 95 outside staterooms on Viking Tor (two Explorer Suites, seven Veranda Suites, 39 Veranda Staterooms, 22 French Balcony Staterooms and 25 Standard Staterooms). The top category on a Viking Longship is an Explorer Suite. These spacious cabins measure 445 square feet and offer 270-degree views from a wraparound veranda.

Overall cabins are average size for a river boat, but there is plenty of closet space and extra storage available under the bed. The bathroom has a pocket door, which is a nice feature because that design saves space.

Fun facts

Viking Longships are 443 feet long and 38 feet wide because those are the maximum dimensions possible for river ships navigating the locks on some of Europe's waterways. If they were even two inches longer or wider, they wouldn't fit in some locks.
Viking names its ships after Norse mythology. Viking Tor is named after the god of thunder.

Your take

Have you cruised on Viking Tor? What was it like? We'd love to hear about your own experience.

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Interested in a cruise on this ship?

Interested in a cruise on Viking Tor? Contact a Cruiseable travel consultant at 1-877-322-3773, or by email, to get additional information and to find the best rates and value for your vacation dollar.

SEE ALL VIKING TOR SAILINGS

On board highlights

Reception area Viking Tor
Stateroom Viking Tor
Atrium Viking Tor

Dining

Where to eat on Viking Tor

Photos

Inside and out

Destinations 12

Karlskirche (Church of St. Charles Borromeo) in Vienna.
The Chain Bridge over the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary.
The river cruise ship Viking Tor in Cologne, Germany.
Szabadsag Square in Budapest, Hungary.
View across the Stralsund town hall gables to Alter Market Square, Germany.
The river cruise ship Viking Tor in Cologne, Germany.
The river cruise ship Viking Tor on the Danube near Regensburg, Germany.
Viking Var and Viking Tor cozying up in Rüdesheim, Germany.
The Passau Christmas Market, or Passau Christkindlmarkt, is set in the old historic town center of Passau.
The scenic town of Passau, Germany. It's called the City of Three Rivers: the Danube, the Inn and the Ilz all pass through it.
Beautiful Passau, Germany, features St. Stephen's Cathedral with its distinctive caps on the bell towers.
Scenic Passau, Germany, is one of many picturesque towns you can visit on a Viking river cruise.

Dining 7

Dine inside or on deck in the tastefully appointed Aquavit Terrace while taking in passing landscapes during your cruise of Europe's waterways aboard your Viking Longship.
Enjoy al fresco dining while taking in the passing show in the Aquavit Terrace aboard your Viking River cruise.
Dine with friends and drink in the breathtaking views of Europe's waterways as you cruise aboard a Viking Longship.
Look for attentive service from the wait staff during your journey through Europe aboard a Viking Cruises river ship.
Indulge in good company and scenic views during meals in the Aquavit Terrace restaurant aboard your Viking River cruise.
Have lunch on the deck of your Viking Longship while taking in the impressive architecture of the Parliament building in Budapest and other storied cities along the Danube.
Enjoy casual dining in Aquavit Terrace while taking in the majestic scenery of Europe as you sail aboard your Viking Longship.

On board 6

Meet new people and relax with a cocktail in the lounge of your Viking Longship during your European vacation.
The contemporary foyer of Viking's fleet of European Longships.
You can practice your putting skills amid the lush herbs on the top deck of your Viking Longship.
Unwind after a day of sightseeing and meet interesting new people in the Sky Bar of your Viking River Cruises ship.
Mingle with like-minded guests in the casual atmosphere of the main lounge of your Viking Longship as you explore Europe's rivers.
Guests will gather in the spacious atrium before heading off on a daylong shore excursion during a typical Viking Cruises itinerary.

Staterooms 8

Kick back with a glass of wine and Hollywood movie in the comfort of your own suite aboard your Viking Longship during your voyage along Europe's waterways.
Spend quality time with your partner in the private lounge of your stateroom during your Viking River cruise through Europe's waterways.
Capture and share precious moments during your European travels aboard a Viking Longship.
Relax in the comfort of an Explorer Suite aboard your Viking Longship river cruise and wake up each day with a new European port of call to explore.
Relax in the comfort of an Explorer Suite aboard your Viking Longship river cruise and wake up each day with a new European venue awaiting.
Inside the Explorer Suite of your Viking Longship as you sail in comfort down Europe's storied waterways.
Relax in a Deluxe Cabin aboard your Viking Longship river cruise and wake up each day with a new European destination awaiting.
Open up your stateroom to a private balcony with uninterrupted views of your travels aboard your Viking River cruise of Europe.

More photos 4

Viking Tor in Rostock, Germany.
Any seat in the Aquavit Terrace offers a front-row seat to spectacular views along Europe's waterways on your Viking River Cruise.
Each new port call means another tour included in the price of a Viking River Cruise. Passengers gather in the longship’s reception area for the tour, or they may hang out in the Internet/Library area upstairs to take advantage of the good port-side Internet connection (WiFi is free).
Explore the classic architecture of Cologne, Germany, as you sail the Rhine under the famous Hohenzollern Bridge aboard the Viking Atla, Viking Jarl or Viking Tor.

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Overheard

“A superbly designed, very comfortable contemporary ship for great cruising, the Viking Tor has very comfortable beds and generously sized bathrooms. The small-portion mains at dinner are good, although not outstanding.”

Berlitz: River Cruising in Europe

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