Viking Gersemi

The 2020-built Longship Viking Gersemi cruises on the Rhine River, visiting destinations in Holland, Germany, France, Austria, and Switzerland. The longship departs from homeports Amsterdam and Basel.

This Viking longship is named after Gersemi, the Goddess of Beauty. According to Norse mythology, Gersemi and Hnoss are the daughters of Freya and Odr.

All Viking Longships are fitted with solar panels (mounted aft on the Sun Deck) and hybrid (diesel-electric) powerplants based on energy-efficient marine engines.

The boat (ENI number 7002128) is currently Switzerland-flagged (MMSI 269057722) and registered in Basel.

Cabins

Viking Gersemi has a total of 95 cabins (9x Suites, 39x Balcony, 22x French Balcony, and 25x Porthole with non-opening windows) across 8 cabin categories. Longship Gersemi features two aft-located Explorer Suites with wraparound balconies providing 270-degree scenic views.

The seven Veranda Suites are two-room accommodations, each featuring a step-out balcony (accessed from the living room) and a French Balcony (in the bedroom). The 39 Veranda Staterooms include step-out balconies. Viking Gersemi has a maximum passenger capacity of 190.

All guests are provided with complimentary modern hotel-style amenities and high-quality onboard services.

Cabin types/categories (number, location), from highest to lowest:

• Suites - ES Explorer (x2, Deck 3 aft), AA Veranda (x7, Deck 3 portside)
• Balcony Staterooms - A (x20, Deck 3 starboard), B (x17, Deck 2 starboard)
• French Balcony Staterooms (with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors) - C (x5, Deck 3 portside aft), D (x15, Deck 2 portside)
• Riverview Porthole/Standard Staterooms - E (x18, Deck 1 midship), F (x7, Deck 1 midship-aft).

Shipboard facilities

The Observation Bar Lounge features floor-to-ceiling glass doors opening onto the Aquavit Terrace—an indoor-outdoor, bow-facing venue designed for relaxation and alfresco dining. The Sun Deck is serviced by the Aquavit Terrace staff and offers 360-degree unobstructed river views. This top deck includes a forward sundeck with Sky Bar (outdoor seating area with tables and chairs), SkyLight (glass roof over the Atrium), Wheelhouse (Navigation Bridge), midship sundeck with shaded seating (covered by a large retractable awning and encircled by a walking track), a sunbathing area (with loungers), and an aft sundeck with a putting green (mini-golf), herb garden, and deck games area (shuffleboard, giant outdoor chessboard).

Onboard dining options include Gersemi Restaurant (main dining room) and Aquavit Terrace (Lido Buffet with sliding doors opening onto the alfresco terrace). Additional facilities include a 2-deck Atrium (lobby with 24-hour Reception Desk), Library (Internet Lounge), and Shop (gifts and souvenirs). Viking Cruises longships do not feature a fitness center, swimming pool, Jacuzzi (outdoor whirlpool), spa/beauty salon, or self-service laundry facilities. One elevator (passenger lift) connects Decks 2 and 3 only. All decks are interconnected via stairs—forward (Grand Staircase in the Atrium), midship, and aft.

Itineraries

Longship Gersemi operates Viking River Cruises’ itinerary "Oberammergau, the Alps and the Rhine." This 11-day cruisetour travels between Amsterdam and Oberammergau (Bavaria, Germany), visiting six countries and including eight guided excursions. Prices start from approximately EUR 4,500 per person.

• (Day 1) Amsterdam Netherlands – airport-to-ship transfer, boarding, and free time in the afternoon
• (Day 2) Kinderdijk Netherlands – guided tour of the historic windmills, followed by onboard tasting and evening departure
• (Day 3) Cologne-Koln (Germany) – walking tour of the Old Town and optional themed excursions
• (Day 4) Koblenz, Braubach-Marksburg, and Rudesheim – fortress or castle visits, followed by scenic Rhine cruising
• (Day 5) Speyer – Old Town tour or optional Heidelberg excursion
• (Day 6) Kehl-Strasbourg – guided Strasbourg tour or optional Alsace wine excursion
• (Day 7) Breisach – Black Forest excursion and optional Colmar visit
• (Day 8) Basel to Innsbruck – disembarkation and scenic transfer via Vaduz and Feldkirch
• (Day 9) Innsbruck – guided city tour and optional evening folklore experience
• (Day 10) Oberammergau – scenic transfer, hotel stay, and traditional Bavarian dining
• (Day 11) Oberammergau – transfer to Munich Airport for return flights
• Optional packages include a 2-night pre-cruise Amsterdam stay and a 2-night post-cruise Munich stay.

Viking Gersemi cruise deals are inclusive of Wi-Fi, all tours/excursions, ground transfers, live evening entertainment, daily lectures, food and wine tastings, 24-hour coffee/tea, and replenished bottled water. Prices are per person, based on double occupancy, and may vary depending on promotions, special offers, group bookings, or last-minute deals.

Transfers and airport meet-and-greet services are included only when airfare is booked through Viking Cruises (Viking Air package).

Viking Gersemi is one of the new-generation longships of Viking Cruises. This patented river cruise ship design allows for larger passenger accommodations without reducing public space or compromising overall onboard comfort. Longship Gersemi represents Viking Cruises’ latest design, featuring energy-efficient hybrid engine technology, solar panels, and an interior developed by "Yran & Storbraaten" (Norway). The patented longship concept ("Rottet Studios", USA) enables significantly larger staterooms with full-size (step-out) balconies. The additional cabin space is achieved by shifting the deck corridor approximately 1 m (3.3 ft) off-center.

The vessel’s powerplant consists of two main Caterpillar marine diesel engines (model CAT32-ACERT, total power output 2 MW). These are V12 engines (12 cylinders and 12 pistons driving a crankshaft). The propulsion system is based on two Caterpillar marine propulsion engines (model CAT18-ACERT) with a combined output of 1 MW.

Group christening 2022

On March 16, 2022, eight riverboats were officially named during a joint christening ceremony—four in Paris (Fjorgyn, Kari, Radgrid, Skaga) and four in Amsterdam (Hervor, Egdir, Gymir, Gersemi), linked via video.

• The four Seine River-based ships (Fjorgyn, Kari, Radgrid, Skaga) are sisterships of a modified longship design (LOA 125 m / 410 ft), specifically built for navigation on the Seine River and homeporting at Pont de Grenelle (Paris City), meeting strict dock length requirements.
• The other four ships (Hervor, Egdir, Gersemi, Gymir) follow the classic longship design (LOA 135 m / 440 ft).
• The ceremony was attended by Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen in Amsterdam, onboard Viking Kari.
• Each christening included a traditional blessing by the ship’s godmother, followed by the ceremonial breaking of a bottle of Gammel Opland Aquavit (a herb-flavored spirit distilled from grain and potatoes, based on a recipe dating back to 1872) against the hull.

The ships’ godmothers are as follows:

• Viking Gymir - Alma Deutscher (violinist, pianist, composer, conductor, daughter of Janie Deutscher)
• Viking Egdir - Helen Deutscher (violinist, pianist, vocalist, daughter of Janie Deutscher)
• Viking Radgrid - Janie Deutscher (author, educator, musician)
• Viking Hervor - Brenda Hunsberger (AAA Club Alliance’s Senior VP of Travel Services)
• Viking Gersemi - Karryn Christopher (Signature Travel Network’s Executive VP of Preferred Partnerships & Marketing)
• Viking Fjorgyn - Ghislaine Wood (Deputy Director of the Sainsbury Centre at the University of East Anglia)
• Viking Skaga - Muriel Wilson (Virtuoso Ltd’s Director of Event Strategy & Sponsorships)
• Viking Kari - Kari Garmann (Norwegian politician, Oslo City Council member 1979–87, deputy representative to Norway’s Parliament in 1985 and 1989)

Note: You can view CruiseMapper's list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "Itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All companies and their fleets are listed there.