Checking into a hotel with an ever-changing view, and a new location every night has got to be the coolest thing about cruising. However, gigantic ships, dodgy buffets and faraway ports all take from the experience somewhat. Well, that is all solved on a river cruise, and we are so excited to share ours with you. Join us for 8 days on the Viva Gloria, cruising the mighty Seine from Paris to the Atlantic in France. This is our Viva Gloria & Viva Cruises review.
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The Seine to Atlantic Cruise
We were originally booked to sail on the Rhone on the south of France, but when Viva Cruises suggested we swap to Seine to Atlantic itinerary, we jumped at the chance. I’ll take any excuse to visit Paris, a city that will forever enthral me. During the sailing, we visited:
- Paris – The stunning French capital with more sights than a shooting gallery. We had the chance to tick off a few more things from our Parisian bucketlist, on this occasion we hit the Musee d’Orsay, Sainte Chappelle and did a food tour too!
- Les Andelys – This pretty Norman town has a striking medieval castle and Le
Petit Andely is awash with pretty timbered houses. We didn’t book a tour here, but just strolled around. - Rouen – The main city of Normandy is crowned with a mighty cathedral on which we caught a very cool light show which run on summer nights. The next day, we hit the streets, exploring the pretty buildings, unique Joan of Arc church and got to try some local chocolate and cheese.
- Le Havre – Le Havre is a port town connecting The Seine River to The Atlantic Sea. We did spend a little time in the city but spent most of our time in two neighbouring villages. Honfleur is full of intriguing wooden buildings, including a double-naived church whilst Etrotat is all about the stunning natural coastline.
- Vernon – Beyond its cute timber mill, this is the base to head to Monet’s house in nearby Giverny. It was lovely to see his gardens and adorable tiled kitchen before grabbing a cider.
Check out our full Seine to Atlantic Viva Cruises itinerary here
Viva Cruises and The Viva Gloria
Viva Cruises is part of parent company Scylla. They launched straight into a pandemic world and stayed afloat (pun intended) serving the German domestic market until the world reopened. Now they can be found on all the major rivers of Europe,
Our boat, the Viva Gloria has been cruising since 2005 so it isn’t super new but you wouldn’t know it. Viva Cruises has renovated and maintained it beautifully. The interiors are kept spick and span, polished to perfection every single day. All the decor was classy with no horrendous carpets. The room decor was grey and navy which was very city chic, while this entrance lobby had a Mediterranean vibe.
The boat is 100m long, allowing it to travel through many important locks. There are-76 cabins and suites, spread across 3 decks. She can carry 152 passengers and they are looked after by 36 staff. That’s one member of staff for every 4 2 passengers. To be honest, it feels like there are more than that as service was never lacking.
Our Diamond Deck Room
Our stateroom was a 14m² twin, the most common room on the Viva Gloria. Every room on the Diamond and Ruby decks have a french balcony (how apt). If you are staying on the Emerald deck (the bottom deck) you are going to have two windows that are just above the water line. I thought these would be too high for me but they were just right and it was so fun to see the swell from other vessels lapping the glass, or a duck paddling past.
But back to our room…
On the left side as you enter were two wardrobes. The first had a higher hanging rail and a couple of shelves. I don’t think this would take a full length maxiso bear that in mind before you being something that crumples easily. The wardrobe next door had more shelves, one houseing the lockable sfae. Below wasanother rail, ideal for tops or shorter skirts etc.
Along the wall from here is a desk with a large mirror above. In lieu of a kettle, there is a Nespresso machine. I made good use of it and despite having the choice of regular or decaffeinated coffee pods, it was the hard stuff all the way.
Every room gets a bottle of sparkling wine in their room and this also sits up on the desk when you check in. Below the desk is a fridge that is unbelievably, included in the cost of the cruise. We had some water, soft drinks and even a couple of beers. We found anything we drank replaced whenever the next room service was (twice per day).
The Bed
Our bed was really wide and so comfortable. The covers were nice and warm but if you are a very cold sleeper, there are two more blankets in the wardrobe. I struggled with the pillow options as they were very soft. I ended up using the display cushion in a pillow case, stuffing the unwanted ones under the bed. Speaking of…there was plenty of room for our two backpacks, a hand luggage suitcase and the pillows so it would comfortably hide a normal sixed case.
Every evening there was a turn down service with a little chocolate on th pillow so make sure you leave room at dinner! I had to save mine up as I forgot nearly every single night and was always full to the brim.
The Bathroom
The bathrooms were quite small but managed to squeeze in the toilet, shower and sink. This is just one of those bathrooms that is for function, not for dancing about in a towel. I am pretty sure this standard on river cruise boats as everything is that little bit smaller. Saying that, there was a nice big cupboard under the sink for storage, but I think it would be better if it was divided into two shelves.
The amenities are made by Rituals so they smell great and are fantastic quality. Strangely, the Emerald deck room we checked out had a body lotion and something else that I forget, but our room didn’t. Maybe it is compensation for the smaller windows? Being the backpackers we are, we brought everything with us anyway so it didn’t matter but I am still curious.
The shower was surprisingly powerful for a boat but the space was limited so fine for washing your hair but the contortions of a leg shave were a bit of a struggle. I didn’t have any problems with the temperature but Mr Fluskey seemed to. Maybe he got unlucky with a popular shower time.
Viva Gloria’s Facilities
The Boutique
We are not into shopping so didn’t make use of the gift shop on board. They did have some very cute scarves and cardigans though, a requirement in the chilly French autumn days we caught. Everyday they rotated the stock that was on show at the front and there did seem to be some nice jewellery options but I didn’t investigate further.
The Sun Deck
Up on the top deck was a large collection of seats and sun loungers, ready and waiting for a little sightseeing or sunbathing. Guests could lounge up here and catch a tan, or bring up some drinks to enjoy at the tables. The L-shaped sofas at the front were particularly nice for sightseeing. on sunny days. Alternatively, the seats with the wind protection were better for a chillier sailing like ours. As we sailed, Viva Cruises played interesting facts and tidbits from the speakers up here.
I was hoping to spend a little more time up on sun deck but we were a little unlucky with the September weather. No Indian summers here. There was one nice, sunny afternoon as we sailed from Rouen and of course, we hopped straight in the hot tub. It was so lush to enjoy a glass of bubbles, in the bubbles, with the green river banks sliding past.
One cool and crazy thing about river cruise boats is that they are all designed to fit under the bridges spanning the water. However, to do this they sometimes have to collapse everything. If there are people on the deck, they either have to move them away completely, or ask everyone to sit down until the bridge is cleared.
The Spa
Down on the Emerald deck is the spa. This was an excellent alternative to hanging out on the sun deck as it was nice and warm on a rainy and rather dreary day.
You can book the spa for an hour and you’ll have it all to yourself, or between your group if that’s what you would prefer. Inside there is a sauna, a steam room, a shower and a Jacuzzi bath. Bear in mind that there is only really room for three in the sauna and the steam room at a time so if you are a larger group, you’ll have to swap. We hired the spa for a lazy morning that we would be sailing rather than docked. It was a very nice way to spend a lazy morning. The steam room was so steamy that we couldn’t see each other about a meter away, but the sauna wasn’t that hot. It was an infrared sauna so if you’re looking for the full Finnish experience, you may be disappointed. Neither of us like to be fully roasted, so it was very comfortable for us. I ended our time with a very happy 10 minutes in the bubbly bath.
There are towels in the spa so you do not need to bring any from your room. Oh, and if you need bathroom robes but you aren’t staying in a suite, you can request these from housekeeping and they will be with you within 10 minutes.
Dining Aboard Viva Gloria
Panorama Lounge
The bar in the Panorama Lounge is at the front of the room with a nice wraparound view. Here you can order a few wines, beers or pick from a cocktail list that we worked our way through far too quickly. They also had a cocktail of the day, along with a matching mocktail, which wasn’t on the menu. It was a fun touch. Not on the cocktail list per se, the Mexican Coffee was one of my favourites. I was not alone, mid afternoon there were plenty of these on the go around the lounge.
At lunchtime, a light lunch is served in the Panorama Lounge. There is a soup (the same on that is served on the main lunch). Then, you can usually choose from a salad bar, a pasta dish and something carby (a sandwich, a toasted croissant or a baguette). Finally, there will be one dessert. This is great if you aren’t that hungry, are in a rush or just don’t fancy the formality of a served multicourse lunch.
More food? Oh go on then!
All the special food offerings were up here too. During our sailing we had an ice cream party, a gorgeous afternoon tea and a delicous “taste of Normandy”. This comprised a huge selection of meats and cheeses served along with a splendid Normandy cidre. I expressed my love of cider to the staff and they very kindly made sure a couple of bottles were left so that i could enjoy it for the last couple of days. This is definitely the advantage of a smaller river cruise. We knew the lovely staff by the end of day one and they took such good care of us.
The Riverside Restaurant
Down on the Emerald deck is the Riverside Restaurant. Viva Cruises has open seating which means you can choose the table you fancy and you can arrive at any time during the opening hours. It is worth noting that people tended to pick a table and stick with it but we liked to switch it up, hunting out the nicest view on the day. For lunch and dinner Riverside Restaurant is open for about two hours. It was really nice to dine with friends we had made during the week and to chop and change our plans.
Breakfast
The only time you will find a proper buffet on Viva Cruises is at breakfast. There is a large continental slection of meats, cheeses, salad, fruit and lashings of smoked salmon. Then, as you would hope,, the pastries are top notch and varied.
Even with all this, there is an a la carte menu that you can choose from as well. the omelettes in particular were a highlight. They are made french-style (rather than the chopped-up version you find in the USA). The portion is just right for one person when added to a bit or two from the buffet.
Oh, and if you are feeling really frivolous, there is a bottle of sparkling wine sitting ready for a bubbly brekkie.
Lunch
In the Riverside restaurant, lunch is a semi a la carte affair. You can grab some starters bits and bobs with a salad bar in the centre of the room. Then you are given the option of a soup, the choice of a few main courses and finally two or so dessert options.
Fair warning, if you indulge in everything, you may struggle to eat another four courses at dinner even though these are a little lighter than those served later.
It is worth noting that the cooking of everything for both lunch and dinner was excellent. The only thing we would change is the viscosity of the soups on offer. We both thought they were a little thin, but that is my personal preference.
Dinner
Dinner was usually four courses. A starter, soup, main dish (entree) and dessert. Both the selection of ingredients, and the cookery were restaurant quality. We had blushing pink duck, a fancy champagne sauce, and all manner of perfectly prepared potatoes. I suppose that in France, we wouldn’t accept any less.
This is going to sound crazy, but it was the source of several dinner time conversations. The chef on Viva Gloria, despite cooking for 100 people, somehow managed to get perfectly crispy fish skin every time. Every fish we had, was delightful. We both adore seafood. I think you can trust us on this one.
Gala Dinner
During our sailing they had one gala night. I didn’t know it was happening but happily, we had a collared shirt for Karl and a pair of little heels for me so we could slightly upgrade our dinner look. The tables too had a glow up. The napkins had little bow ties (too cute) and the menu was served as a scroll.
On this evening, dinner was six courses including an amouse bouche and pralines. The fillet mignon was perfect, as was the chocolate fondant cake. I was very impressed that they managed a flowing centre with so many people to serve at once. Oh how my heart sank when I realised the two chocolates meant one each and I had just demolished mine thinking there was another to come.
Vino Vino
At the back of the Diamond deck is Vino Vino. This was used as a bistro during our sailing and we booked to eat there on the second to last night. In Vino Vino (as the name would suggest) there was a wider selection of wines on offer. It was nice to have more to pick from after having the same drink menu for the week. (More on the drinks next). The starter for everyone was a salad which was crispy but very simple. Then I opted for a Chateaubriand and Mr Fluskey chose the burger.
Now, I was particularly excited about my steak. It is not often you see Chateaubriand on a menu for just one person so this was going to be a real treat. We also never “go for steak” at home as Mr Fluskey isn’t a fan of beef. I kept waiting for the waiter to ask me how I liked it but instead, I was presented with a plate. ofmeat that was well done. Personally, I like my steak barely past rare and was not keen on chewing my way through this beautiful steak that I felt was ruined. I have genuinely never sent a plate of food back in my life but considering the rarity of my special steak dinner, I did on this occasion. Well, the staff did some epic service recovery. Within five minutes a perfectly blushing Chateaubriand was in front of me with freshly cooked chips too. I felt so embarrassed that I had complained but they dealt with it with grace, kindness and excellent cooking skills. Amazing work!
The Drinks
Viva Cruises has, what they called, their “all-inclusive concept“. This allows guests to choose from house wines, beers, spirits, champagne and cocktails, along with soft drinks and hot drinks. These are all included in the price of the cruise and you only pay extra if you want to pick from the wider wine list anywhere other than Vino Vino. This is one of those inclusions that really allows you to relax and enjoy the cruise. I hate stressing about drink prices on holiday. It is so much nicer to just think about what you really want and pick that.
Entertainment
There was only one main entertainer on the boat, a pianist who also sang. She had a very laid-back lounge style of piano , which I found a little soporific. I did enjoy the blend of the great American songbook, popular songs from the 70s and 80s, and musical theatre. ‘s greatest hits, however.
Our last night we were treated to a cabaret show performed by a group called Lipstick Productions. They were so talented and it was so nice to see the crowd slowly perk up. Mr Fluskey was roped into one of the skits and he wasn’t alone. Crowd participation was encouraged and they were so kind to the willing, or unwilling, volunteers.I thorouhgly enjoyed the hour long show which eneded in a full French can-can, the perfect Parisian performance.
Final Thoughts for Our Viva Cruises Review
Honestly, I wasn’t sure that river cruising would be our thing. It is weirdly both quite slow, and an opportunity to see loads in a short time. I think the compatibility of any traveller with this kind of trip is the itinerary. Exploring somewhere new, stopping vibrant cities, chasing art trails, taking a foodie adventure or travelling on different rivers, there is the perfect itinerary for everyone.
I do know that I would be thrilled to sell with Viva Cruises again and would love to see the new ships, exploring more of Europe’s waterways in style.
Rosie xx
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