BASEL — Curating perfect vacations that exceed expectations while providing seamless travel is the key to attracting clients and winning their loyalty.

Simple as it sounds, that was the gist of a recent speech by Torstein Hagen: deliver what people want – and make it easy.

Speaking at Viking’s headquarters for river cruises in Basel, Switzerland to the small clutch of media attending the gala christenings of nine new river ships, Hagen – the Chairman and CEO of the world’s biggest fleet of ships, including 103 river, ocean and expedition vessels navigating around all seven continents – forecast a very strong future for cruise travel.

A day trip to the height of Mt. Stanserhorn was included in the post-trip to Lucerne with Viking (all destination photos courtesy Toby Saltzman)

Knowing the demographics of its typical guests – curious, learning-oriented types who are keen to follow their passions in hassle-free style – Viking has ventured into the business of customized land tours by offering a wide variety of multi-day packages that extend the cruise vacation by simply eliminating tedious planning logistics.

As Hagen put it, once clients commit to a cruise, why not enable them to maximize regional experiences with a seamless pre- or post-cruise extension that includes transfers, transportation, good hotels and expertly guided tours, all arranged by booking through just one company, namely Viking?

Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO, Viking (photo courtesy Viking)

A SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE

While adding land tours is not new in the cruise industry, having personally experienced how Viking seamlessly facilitates customized pre- and post-cruise experiences in both France and Switzerland, I can attest that travel advisors can rest assured their clients will appreciate the ease of arrangements.

For example, after disembarking the new, 190-guest Viking Honir, berthed in Basel prior to its voyage on the popular Rhine River route to Amsterdam, my well-orchestrated post-cruise extension – ‘Alpine Backdrops of Lake Lucerne’ – delivered three days of delightful experiences that would have been tedious to organize independently.

Being based in Lucerne in the grand Mandarin Oriental Palace, overlooking the magnificent lake fringed by mountains, yet steps from the city’s medieval heart enhanced the voyage immeasurably.

Shortly after arrival, guided walking tours showcased the city’s ancient bridge, its historic architecture and restaurant locations where we would later dine on Swiss cuisine. The next day, a thrilling day trip included a ferry ride on Lake Lucerne to the lakeside village of Stans, where we hopped on an 1893 funicular railway to board the world’s only CabriO aerial cableway for the ascent to the 1,898-metre-high (6,227 feet) crest of Mt. Stanserhorn for lunch and breathtaking views.

The following morning, while some guests cycled around Lake Lucerne, I joined a scenic drive to the hilltop plateau of Einsiedeln for a Swiss farm-to-table experience, starting with a visit to a family-owned dairy farm that supplies milk to Milchmanufaktur Einsiedeln. The local cheese producer, renowned throughout Switzerland for its unique yogurt, also has a charming eatery. After enjoying a traditional fondue lunch with Swiss wines, we donned protective garb and caps for hands-on lessons in the art of cheese making. Later that evening, after free time to shop for chocolates and other Swiss treats, we gathered for a final dinner.

On the last morning of the tour, guests were driven to the airport where waiting Viking escorts led them to their respective check-in points. Mine was for the flight to Lyon, where I would board Viking Heimdal for the eight-day Rhone River itinerary ‘Lyon & Provence‘ that would take me to Avignon, through the region of France renowned for gastronomy and wine, as well as its ancient historic UNESCO sites.

FROM VIKING HONIR, TO VIKING HEIMDAL

Viking Heimdal felt instantly comfortable, as the ship’s architectural layout, design and contemporary Scandinavian decor is almost identical to Honir, as well as Skaga which I previously enjoyed on the Seine River itinerary from Paris to Normandy and back.

Thanks to Viking’s excellent guided tours – with at least one included every day, including the mouthwatering culinary tour of Lyon – plus the exclusive premium jaunts to distant sites, including to Beaujolais wine country and the ancient enclave of Perouges that I happily booked at a fee, this Rhone River itinerary provided stunning, once-in-a-lifetime experiences that would have been super-costly and difficult for me to arrange independently as a solo traveller.

Start to finish, my entire cruise experience – which culminated with a driver from Avignon to Marseilles for a flight connecting through Paris Charles de Gaulle airport – was a testament to the benefit of the pre- and/or post-cruise option that delivers Viking’s seamless service to the end: as I exited the plane in Paris, a waiting Viking escort led me through the almost overwhelming crowds and directly to the right international terminal.

Tucked into my seat for the flight home, I thought how Hagen realized his vision to create immersive experiences that feed the passions of “thinking” guests. The cruise magnate’s words encapsulated my two-week journey: deliver what people want and make it easy.

Lead image caption: A Viking Longship on the Rhine River (photo courtesy Viking)