Viking Hervor

The 2020-built Longship Viking Hervor cruises on the Rhine River through Holland, Germany, France, Austria, and Switzerland, departing from homeports Amsterdam and Basel.

This Viking longship is named after the Valkyrie Hervor. According to Norse mythology, the fair-haired woman was spinning flax by a lake when Volund (a blacksmith) came and took her as his wife. After seven years of marriage, she was called by the gods and never returned. The Valkyries (“choosers of the slain”), handmaidens of the god Odin, were female figures granted by the goddess Freya the power to decide which warriors would die in battle and which would live.

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 vessel (ENI number 7002127) is currently Switzerland-flagged (MMSI 269087721) and registered in Basel.

Cabins

Viking Hervor has a total of 95 cabins (including 9 Suites, 39 Balcony staterooms, 22 French Balcony staterooms, and 25 Standard staterooms with non-opening windows) across 8 cabin categories. The ship accommodates up to 190 passengers.

The longship features two aft-located Explorer Suites with wraparound balconies providing 270-degree scenic views. Each of the seven Veranda Suites has two separate rooms and includes a step-out balcony (accessible from the living room) and a French balcony (in the bedroom). The 39 Veranda Staterooms also feature step-out balconies.

All passengers are provided with modern hotel-style amenities and high-quality travel and leisure 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 / Standard Staterooms - E (x18, Deck 1 midship), F (x7, Deck 1 midship aft)

Shipboard facilities

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

Onboard dining options include the Hervor Restaurant (main dining room) and the Aquavit Terrace (Lido buffet with sliding glass doors opening onto the alfresco terrace). Other facilities include a 2-deck Atrium (lobby with a 24-hour Reception Desk), Library (Internet lounge), and Shop (gifts and souvenirs). Viking longships do not feature a fitness/gym room, swimming pool, jacuzzi (outdoor whirlpool), spa/beauty salon, or self-service laundry facilities (laundromats). One elevator (passenger lift) connects only Decks 2 and 3, while all decks are interconnected via staircases located forward (Grand Staircase in the Atrium), midship, and aft.

River Cruise Itineraries

The longship Hervor operates Viking River Cruises’ itinerary “Oberammergau, the Alps and the Rhine.” This 11-day Rhine cruisetour runs between Amsterdam and Oberammergau (Bavaria, Germany), visiting 6 countries and including 8 guided shore excursions.

• (Day 1) Amsterdam Netherlands – airport-to-ship transfer, embarkation and check-in, afternoon free time
• (Day 2) Kinderdijk Netherlands – morning arrival, guided tour of the historic windmills, onboard lunch, afternoon tasting (Dutch cheeses and jenever) and themed presentation, evening departure
• (Day 3) Cologne (Koln, Germany) – walking tour of Old Town, optional excursions, evening departure
• (Day 4) Koblenz, Braubach-Marksburg, and Rudesheim – guided tours and scenic Rhine cruising
• (Day 5) Speyer – Old Town tour or optional Heidelberg excursion
• (Day 6) Kehl-Strasbourg – guided Strasbourg tour or optional Alsace excursions
• (Day 7) Breisach – Black Forest excursion and optional Colmar visit
• (Day 8) Basel and Innsbruck – disembarkation, transfer to Innsbruck via Vaduz and Feldkirch, hotel check-in
• (Day 9) Innsbruck – walking tour and free time
• (Day 10) Oberammergau – transfer and overnight stay
• (Day 11) Oberammergau – transfer to Munich Airport
• Optional packages include pre-cruise Amsterdam hotel stays and post-cruise Munich hotel stays

Viking Hervor cruise deals typically include Wi-Fi, all tours and excursions, ground transfers, live entertainment, daily lectures, food and wine tastings, 24-hour coffee and tea, and replenished daily bottled water.

Viking river cruise prices are per person and based on double occupancy. These rates are indicative and may vary depending on promotions, special offers, group bookings, or last-minute deals.

Transfers to and from the ship and airport meet-and-greet services are included in the fare only when airfare is purchased through Viking Cruises (via the Viking Air package).

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

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

Group christening 2022

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

• The four Seine River-based vessels (Fjorgyn, Kari, Radgrid, Skaga) are shorter sisterships. Built to a modified longship design (LOA length 125 m / 410 ft), they were specifically engineered for Seine River navigation and homeporting at Pont de Grenelle (Paris City), meeting the dock’s maximum length requirements.
• The remaining four vessels (Hervor, Egdir, Gersemi, Gymir) follow the classic longship design (LOA length 135 m / 440 ft).
• The ceremony was attended by Torstein Hagen (Viking’s Chairman) in Amsterdam, onboard Viking Kari.
• Held dockside, each naming ceremony included a speech and blessing by the godmother, followed by the traditional breaking of a bottle of Gammel Opland Aquavit (a herb-flavored spirit distilled from grain and potatoes, produced by Oplandske Spritfabrik using a recipe dating back to 1872) against the hull.

The ships’ godmothers are as follows:

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

Note: You can see 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.