You’re undoubtedly aware that Viking has dozens of new itineraries across their river, ocean, and expedition fleets.  Today, I’ll start with a once in a decade travel opportunity.

The Passion Play at OBERAMMERGAU takes place just once every 10 years in the small Bavarian town just outside of Munich. The play is about the last days of Christ and was originally performed in 1634 as a vow to God for the town being spared from the plague.

Since the 17^th Century, the residents of Oberammergau have performed the Passion Play every 10 years with just a handful of cancellations or off-cycle performances during that time.  It is still performed by the local people, and the 2022 production involved over 2000 Oberammergau residents.  Unlike other plays you may have seen, this one has a 3-hour intermission between the opening and closing acts, and during that time they feed you dinner.

For those with strong Christian beliefs, the Passion Play is a necessary pilgrimage.  However, many in the audience are those of other faiths (or no faith at all).  They are drawn to Oberammergau to participate in an event that has been continuing for 400 years.  

Your next chance is in 2030 (May to September), but it will sell out long before that.  Viking has THREE river cruise itineraries that include Oberammergau and tickets to the Passion Play:

Oberammergau on the RHINE from Amsterdam to Munich for 13-days

• Board your ship in Amsterdam, and visit Kinderdijk, Cologne, Koblenz, Rhine Gorge, Rudesheim, Speyer, Strasbourg, Breisach and Basel.  Next transfer to Innsbruck, and then to Oberammergau for 2-nights where you’ll see the Passion Play.  Finish in Munich for 2 nights.  
• Optional land extensions to Amsterdam, Belgium, Munich or Prague.
• Departures May to September 2030 from $8299.

Oberammergau on the DANUBE with Salzburg: Munich to Budapest for 12-days

• Arrive in Munich, and start with 2-nights at Oberammergau where you’ll see the Passion Play, and then head to Salzburg for 3-nights.  Next board your river boat in Passau, and visit Linz, Wachau Valley, Krems, Vienna, Bratislava and finish in Budapest (overnight).
• Optional land extensions to Munich, Prague, Budapest or Croatia/Slovenia.
• Departures May to September 2030 from $8799.

Oberammergau from Budapest to Munich for 12-days

• Start your trip in Budapest (overnight), and then sail to Vienna for 2-nights.  Visit Krems, and do a scenic cruising day in the Wachau Valley, before carrying on to Passau.  Finish the cruise portion with an overnight stay in Regensburg, and then spend 2-nights at Oberammergau before carrying on to Munich for a 2-night stay.
• Optional land extensions to Budapest, Prague & Nuremberg
• Departures May to September 2030 from $7999.

Learn More about VIKING OBERAMMERGAU HERE https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/destinations/oberammergau/ 

What Else is NEW on VIKING RIVER:

INDIA: Delhi round-trip for 15-days departures September through April

• Start in Delhi and visit Agra (for the Taj Mahal), Jaipur, Guwahati, sail the Brahmaputra River, see the wildlife in Kaziranga National Park, Biswanath Ghat, Majuli, Nimati Ghat, and finish in Delhi. 
• Fares from $9499 on the 80-guest river boat starting in 2027. 

What’s NEW on VIKING OCEAN:

JAPAN: Tokyo round-trip for 15-days: departures May through September starting in 2028

• Start in Tokyo and visit Sapporo, Aomori, Niigata, Sail the Sea of Japan, Busan, Hakata, Hiroshima, Osaka, Shimizu, and finish back in Tokyo. 
• Fares from $9999

NORTH AFRICA: Mediterranean, Malta & North Africa round trip Rome for 16-days.  

• Departures March, April, May, October & November starting in 2028
• Start in Rome and visit Valletta (Malta), Tunis, sail the Mediterranean, Algiers, Casablanca, Seville, Granada, Barcelona, Marseille, Corsica, and finish in Rome. 
• Fares from $9999

EASTERN EUROPE: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania & Poland.  Stockholm to Copenhagen for 8-days

• Departures May through August starting in 2028.
• Start in Stockholm, Sweden, and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – all former Soviet block countries that have made remarkable progress.  Also stop in Gdansk, Poland before finishing in Copenhagen. 
• Fares from $8799

ANTARCTIC CIRCLE:  Round-trip from Buenos Aires November through March for 15-days

• Go further south into the Antarctic Circle with 8-days of scheduled landings on the continent.
• Viking ships all have Nordic Balconies, and the comfort you’d expect from Viking.  The expedition equipment includes zodiacs, submarines, special operations boats, and kayaks.
• Fares from $19,499

Here’s the Full List of VIKING’S New Ocean Itineraries: 

https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/specialty/new/index.html

VIKING’S New Land Extensions

Most of our clients do pre or post cruise extensions.  Here are some NEW choices with VIKING: 

CROATIA & SLOVENIA: 4-night cruise extension on Danube River Cruises

• Slovenia is the best-kept secret in Europe, so spend 2 nights exploring the incredible nature beauty of Lake Bled, and the charming city of Ljubljana.  Next see Croatia’s capital city of Zagreb before moving on to Budapest to board your river boat.
• Pricing from $1799 per person including accommodation, transfers, 4 tours, and several meals. 

CHINA: 6-night cruise extension on cruises to/from Tokyo

• This fully escorted pre/post trip gives you a great taste of China.  Visit Beijing, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Xian (for the Terra Cotta Warriors), the Qinling Mountains (to see the pandas), and Shanghai.  
• Includes flights to/from Tokyo and Shanghai, accommodation, all transportation, most meals, 13 guided tours, and your escorted guide.
• Prices from $4999
• Viking also offers 5-nights pre/post to Mongolia. 

Many of you are dedicated VIKING fans, so this is really intended to keep you up to date on some of their new itineraries, and to help you with “where next?”.  Viking is launching a new ocean ship every year until further notice, as well as two new expedition ships, and their ever-expanding their river fleet.  So look for MORE new itineraries and travel opportunities. 

The PODCAST:  Dream-Travel-Share UNPACKED

In this destination-focused episode of UNPACKED, Kim interviews Bob about some of Viking’s newer and more unusual river, ocean and expedition cruise itineraries—including India, Japan, North Africa, Alaska, Oberammergau, the Great Lakes, Antarctica and some very long voyages connecting parts of the world you might never have thought to combine.

https://youtu.be/JJVo4esTSx0

In Case You Missed It:

VIKING CRUISES:  Here’s more information about what you can expect from Viking in the next few years: 

https://pamperedcruiser.com/why-is-viking-so-popular-and-who-should-book-it/

5-YEARS POST PANDEMIC:  Remember the “before times”?  Covid changed travel forever… in some ways for the better:

https://pamperedcruiser.com/how-the-pandemic-changed-travel-forever/

GLOBAL ENTRY & Frequent Traveler programs.  How are they different, and which one is right for you?

https://pamperedcruiser.com/trusted-traveller-programs-which-one/

Featured YOUTUBE Video:

Why book VIKING with Pampered Cruiser: 

https://youtu.be/DZHzPU4NhTw

Remember to SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel while you’re there.  It really helps us, and we can produce more content for you!

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/pfbid02hxCwpx6NYmnQGhWurtkutZBYdV4DtJDnQFypDDW55xutpJDX6fbUzNHTQAz4TVGTl

Today’s Other Travel Opportunities

Here are some other travel ideas:

COLLETTE Premium Guided Land Journeys

SPOTLIGHT TOURS mean you only UNPACK ONCE, and can explore a city or region in depth while having the logistics taken care of for you:

NEW YORK for 5-days

• Visit Greenwich Village, Wall Street, Chinatown, Central Park, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the 9/11 Memorial.
• Includes 4-nights at the Sheraton Times Square, 5 meals, and 2 Broadway shows.
• Year-round departures from $2449.

Here are some of COLLETTE’s other SPOTLIGHT tours:

• Washington, DC: 6-days from $2699
• South Dakota, Mt. Rushmore & the Badlands: 7-days from $3199
• LONDON: 7-days from $2999
• TUSCANY: 9-days from $2599
• PARIS: 7-days from $2999
• FRENCH RIVIERA: 9-days from $2999
• NORTHERN ITALY: 9-days from $2999

AMERICAN CRUISE LINES:  River Cruises in the United States

If you’d rather not fly overseas, here’s some options closer to home:

MISSISSIPPI RIVER: Memphis to New Orleans for 9-days

• Start in Memphis and visit Cleveland, Vicksburg, Natchez, Baton Rouge, Oak Alley and finish in New Orleans. 
• Departures October through June from $3795 per person 

COLUMBIA & SNAKE RIVERS:  Portland OR to Spokane WA departing in November for 8-nights

• Start in Portland and visit Astoria, Kalama, The Dalles, Pendleton¸ Lewiston, and finish in Clarkston. 
• Fares from $5055

ACL includes pre-cruise hotel night, gratuities, open bar, and shore experiences.

SEA CLOUD Salt-Water River Cruise Experiences

You may have been to these places before.  This time see them up-close, and get to where larger ships can’t take you.

Eastern CARIBBEAN: round-trip Philipsburg departing December 5, 2027 for 7-nights

• Visit Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Iles des Saintes, Nevis & Antigua.
• Sail the scenic Eastern Caribbean islands, and get into small coves and harbors on board the 136 guest Sea Cloud Spirit.
• Fares from $6995

CROATIA’s DALMATIAN COAST:  Venice to Dubrovnik departing August 30, 2027 for 7-nights

• Start in Venice and visit Rovinj, Sibenik, Korcula, Hvar, Vis, and finish in Dubrovnik. 
• Fares from $7495

REMEMBER:  On ANY SEACLOUD sailing, we can offer an additional $50 per person, per day on board credit to spend on Spa Treatments, an elevated Shore Experience, OR a great bottle of wine!

Do You Have an Upcoming Viking Cruise?

Viking’s BON VOYAGE incentive allows you to book your next Viking cruise in the 35 days BEFORE you board, and get some extra goodies for doing so:

• $100 per person on board credit
• 6-month final payment date
• $100 per person OFF one-week cruises, and bigger discounts for longer itineraries.

We made a short video about the Bon Voyage Program if you’d like more details:  

https://youtu.be/gBM8IvjIb3U?si=Vy9UDiSqZQYHWR32

Contact us to book your NEXT VIKING CRUISE

If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley