We’re counting down the days to the Viking Longships Christening 2016 in a daily series leading up to the March 1 ceremony.

If I were to take all the advertised elements of a Viking river cruise experience, put them on a table, line them up in rows and examine which were important to me and which were not, the number one reason we sail Viking River Cruises and forget about others in the game would not be there.  The nicely-designed Viking Longships would be, as would Viking’s keen interest in being sure I enjoyed every square inch of them.  Viking chefs would be lined up to prepare menu items that have quickly become favorites and still be standing by for any special requests.  Iconic landmarks we would see, amazing places we would visit and interesting people we would talk to, both on and off the longships.  There’s a lot to like about Viking and river cruising in general.  Still, the deciding factor that keeps me from sailing other river cruise lines and keeps me coming back for more of what Viking offers is actually quite simple: Comfort.

They do mention comfort in advertising as Viking Longships enable us to explore the world in comfort.  Not gaudy over the top comfort.  Not comfort defined by thread count on sheets, comfort highlighted by abundant happy times or comfortable like comfortable shoes.  The comfort of Viking is more like when good friends get together; just as comfortable sharing a night on the town as they are enjoying time together in their own living rooms.  Viking cruise travelers share a similar life story and background that serves as the catalyst for an amazing travel adventure, during a time in our lives when ‘adventure’ is more customarily filed in the memory section of our brains.  It’s a comfortable relationship.

That this christening or past and probably future renditions are possible is because of the Hagen family who also bring a comfortable relationship opportunity.  Led by Torstein Hagen, Vikings have opened so many doors for so many travelers looking to see more of the world, or revisit places again, this time with a different focus.  Viking challenges the active Viking travelers who sail with them too.  These really are not boats full of old people who don’t move much.  Tours are divided into a regular itinerary or a more comfortable, leisurely version which hits the highlights and brings more free time over more even surfaces where possible.  Personally, I wish they would have a speed tour, four hours in 30 minutes would be comfy for me.

We love two interesting elements of it all; hanging out in sidewalk cafes or bars in European countries and being on the ship.  Viking Longships are just as comfortable when just a few people are on board as they are during a nightly briefing when all passengers relax in the nicely-appointed lounge or on the Aquavit Terrace.

Then there are the comfortable accommodations, a wide variety of categories with one to fit most needs…of two people. There are no triple or quad cabins. Those are uncomfortable and the playground of families with kids not on these ships.   I like the two-room suite accommodations best, allowing me a place to get up early to write this, make noise rummaging through drawers and other stuff that would be annoying while Lisa sleeps in the other room.  Quite comfortable.

Come along with us as we count down the days until the Viking Longships Christening 2016.

Click here for previous posts in the Viking Longships Christening 2016 series.

Follow Along During The Christening Ceremony too 

• Chris Cruises– daily countdown posts in addition to the latest in cruise travel information.
• Cruise Addicts- A number of posts about river cruising and Viking River Cruises
• Twitter- Follow @OrlandoChris and #VikingLongships
• Instagram– One photo each day leading up to and during the event
• Facebook Photo Albums a variety of photos including first-look views of the 2016 Viking Longships and Christening
• Google+ posts along the way from the 2016 Viking Longships Christening
• Pinterest- Photo boards for Viking Longships 2016, Amsterdam Revisited, The 2016 Viking Longships Christening, A Day In Schoonhoven, Exploring Rotterdam
• Flickr Photo Collections- all the photos, broken down to the individual events that made up our total Viking experience, uploaded during the event as location bandwidth permits