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Currencies & exchange rates

Local currencies vary with the regions where we travel:

• China uses the renminbi (RMB), whose basic unit is the yuan
• Most of Europe uses the euro, except for Hungary which uses the forint 
• Hong Kong uses the Hong Kong dollar  
• Russia uses the ruble
• Ukraine uses the hryvnia

Current exchange rates are available in the financial sections of newspapers and at: xe.com.

Exchanging currency or travelers checks

Unfortunately, your ship will not be able to change money for you or accept travelers cheques for payment of your shipboard account. You may be able to change cash or travelers cheques at some hotels, most banks and exchange bureaus for a fee.

In China:
To change Chinese currency back to GBP, euros or other currencies, you will need to provide all receipts and currency declarations. Because this process can be quite time-consuming, we suggest exchanging currency in smaller increments, as needed.

In Russia/Ukraine:
Russian and Ukrainian currency is regulated. Change your hard currency (GBP, euros, etc.) only at official exchange points and use only rubles or hryvnia as cash. The local people may be happy to accept notes (GBP, euros, etc.) for tips, taxi rides and souvenirs, but it is technically not allowed.

Cash Machines

Cash machines are a good way to obtain currency when overseas; however, they are not always conveniently located and may be rare in smaller towns along the rivers. And, your itinerary may not always allow you sufficient time to locate one. Please ask your Program Director or tour guide for further assistance.

When available, cash machines dispense local currency for internationally accepted debit/credit cards, and have a varying service fee. If you are planning to use cash machines, you should confirm with your bank prior to departure that your debit/credit card and Personal Identification Number (PIN) will work abroad and whether any charges/fees will be applied.

Credit cards

Euro card, MasterCard, Visa and American Express cards are accepted in all countries in major shops, restaurants and hotels as well as to settle your shipboard account. Before you depart, we recommend that you alert your credit card companies/banks that you plan to use your card(s) on your trip as they will often refuse to honour credit cards if they notice irregular and/or overseas activity.

Currency on board & your shipboard account

In China:
The on board currency is the renminbi, whose basic unit is the yuan. All on board purchases are billed with a guest check and added to your personal shipboard account. At the end of your trip, you may pay in cash (renminbi, GBP, euros), or by credit/debit card (your bill will be converted at the current exchange rate). The ship cannot accept travelers cheques for payment of your shipboard account. Please review your shipboard bill upon checkout so that we can more easily assist you with any questions you may have. Note that all shipboard purchases will appear on your credit card statement as “CQ New Century Cruise.”

In Europe:
The on board currency is the euro. All on board purchases are billed with a guest check and added to your personal shipboard account. At the end of your trip, you may pay in cash (euros), or by credit/debit card (your bill will be converted at the current exchange rate). Unfortunately, travelers cheques cannot be used for payment of your shipboard account. Please review your shipboard bill upon checkout so that we can more easily assist with any questions you may have.

In Russia/Ukraine:
The on board currency is the “unit,” an artificial currency aligned with the euro (1 unit = 1 euro). All on board purchases are billed with a guest cheque and added to your personal shipboard account. At the end of your trip, you may pay in cash (rubles, U.S. dollars or euros), or by credit card (your bill will be converted at the current exchange rate). The ship cannot accept travelers cheques for payment of your shipboard account. Please review your shipboard bill upon checkout so that we can more easily assist with any questions you may have.

Purchasing items

Many locations will accept travelers cheques or credit cards. For incidentals and small vendors, you may be able to use other currencies in small denominations, but we recommend getting some local currency.

Customs

Many countries have laws against the purchase/export of certain items, including antiquities, cultural property and certain animal products. Additionally, U.K. laws prohibit the import of certain items. You can review current restrictions as well as duty free limits by clicking this link.

Beverages

Hot coffee and tea are free all day. Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages are available to purchase throughout the day and evening. If you are cruising with us from 2012 you will receive complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks with dinner and lunch on board. We also provide complimentary bottles of water that are placed in your stateroom each day; additional bottles are available for purchase.

Cuisine & dining room service

All meals aboard are prepared by local chefs under the guidance of our European management team. Meals are open seating during set meal times—no table reservations are accepted. Room service is not available.

Dietary needs

Guests requiring special diets such as vegetarian, low salt, diabetic or low cholesterol meals must alert Viking River Cruises one month prior to departure and inform the Maitre d’ when on board. The chefs will make reasonable efforts to accommodate these requests.

Electricity

Onboard electricity is 220V; for more detailed information on plugs and adapters click here.

Fitness equipment

Some ships have fitness equipment, but most do not. Guests enjoy getting their exercise during daily shore excursions, and promenade decks provide opportunities for “power walks” while enjoying the scenery.

Laundry

Laundry services are available for a fee; we regret that clothes cannot be dry cleaned. Typical lists of laundry charges are available here—please note that prices are subject to change.

Europe laundry list
China laundry list
Russia laundry list
Ukraine laundry list

Packing tips

A page of tips and suggestions is available here.

Physical fitness

Our tours and cruises are not physically demanding; however, because of the nature of many of the sites you will be visiting, this tour may not be appropriate for guests with certain medical conditions and physical restrictions. Walking tours are often on uneven ground or cobblestones and may include stairs and steep inclines.

Some ships have elevators and some do not; some ships have split-level decks and/or significant thresholds that could make movement difficult. Guests who have any medical, physical or other special needs should check the fleet information here to gain an understanding of the layout of any particular ship, or contact us directly with any questions you may have.

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted indoors on any ship.

Viking Daily & on board activities

The on board daily newsletter, Viking Daily, features information about daily activities, shore excursions and tour departure times.

Emergency contact information

If there is an emergency and you must be contacted while traveling, your family/friends should attempt to reach you directly by contacting the ship or hotel. The ship’s phone and fax systems operate on mobile reception and may not get good reception throughout the trip. If unsuccessful, your family/friends can call Viking River Cruises head office on 020 8780 7900 (option 1) during our normal business hours. (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Saturday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Sunday 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m). Outside of these hours your call will be diverted to an emergency contact service.

Ship phone numbers

A list of ship phone numbers can be found here.

Internet

All Viking ships have internet access. Our ships in Europe, Russia and Ukraine have free wi-fi, so you can bring your laptop and get online at any time. Alternatively, each ship has a few computers for guest use and laptops are provided free of charge, where available. Guests who bring laptops to Russia may wish to bring a LAN/Ethernet cable for use in their stateroom; this may work a bit better than the wireless connection in rural areas along the river.

In China, there is an internet café with desktop stations for guest use free of charge. There is no on board wireless network in China, Vietnam or Cambodia, so you will not be able to get internet service on your personal computer while on the ship, although you may be able to do so during hotel stays.

Please note that shipboard service may be unreliable during certain parts of the journey. The internet connection functions via cellular service or satellite, and there may be times when reception is not possible and/or when the connection is quite slow. For this reason, we recommend only checking and sending email. We do not recommend surfing the Web or downloading large files.

Weather

International weather chart in degrees Fahrenheit
International weather chart in degrees Celsius

For live weather reports and forecasts, you can visit the BBC Weather website.

What to bring

We suggest bringing comfortable, casual clothing. Ties and jackets are not required; there are no formal nights although some guests choose dressier clothing for the Captain’s Dinner. Consider dressing respectfully when visiting places of worship and other religious sites where you may be denied entry if wearing clothing considered to be inappropriate or too revealing. Your Tour Escort can assist you with any questions. Also, please consider baggage weight restrictions on the intra-China, Vietnam and Cambodia flights when packing. All airline websites give specific information regarding checked in baggage and hand luggage - please check the relevent website for further information.  

Here is a short list of items you might want to bring with you:

• Comfortable walking shoes
• Dressier shoes
• Collapsible umbrella/lightweight rain gear
• Lightweight jacket/warm sweater/sweatshirt
• Sunglasses, sun hat or visor
• Toiletries (including medical remedies)
• Warm coat, gloves and water-resistant footwear (as needed for cooler months)

Pack in your carry-on baggage

We suggest you bring copies of your key travel documents (passport information page, airline tickets, credit card numbers and insurance information) and carry them separately in case you lose your originals. You might also want to consider packing the following items:

• All needed medications, including prescriptions, in their original, labeled containers
• Eyeglasses, contacts, contact lens solution
• Important papers and travel documents
• Camera gear, film, extra memory cards (digital cameras), extra batteries
• Valuables

Optional items

Here is a list of optional items to consider bringing with you:

• Electric converter/adapter
• Travel alarm clock, travel flashlight, binoculars, anti-bacterial wipes and/or hand sanitizer
• Small calculator for foreign exchange calculations
• Travel journal/notepad and/or reading material
• Small, basic sewing kit/extra buttons; pack scissors in checked bags
• Address list or pre-addressed labels for sending postcards

Note: Most hotels and ships have hair dryers available for guest use. Also, laundry service (no dry cleaning) is available on board for a fee.

What not to bring

Make sure you are aware of current regulations about items you should not pack into a suitcase or carry on with you. Here is a link to Directgov's air travel hand baggage rules.