Viking Torgil Cabins

Editor Rating
4.0
Very Good
Cabins
Carolyn Spencer Brown
Contributor

On Viking Torgil, there are 11 Veranda Suites, 24 Veranda Staterooms, 2 French Balcony Staterooms and 16 Standard Staterooms. Every cabin comes with a view; there isn't a single interior cabin to be found onboard.

Inside, the rooms are impeccably designed and customized for convenience (with a couple exceptions, noted later). Like most cabins on riverboats, they're smaller than their big-ship brethren, ranging from 135 square feet in the tiniest staterooms to 205 square feet for those in the verandah (balcony) category. Light wooden cabinetry, fluffy white duvets, faux suede headboards, and blue and red accents create a light, airy and comfortable sleeping environment. Each queen-sized bed can be reconfigured into two twins.

Cabins on Middle and Upper Decks have real balconies, a wonderful and highly touted addition that allows you to take in the views gliding past in virtual privacy. Though these verandahs are not as wide as those you'll find on oceangoing ships, the ones on the baby Longships are about the same size as you'd find on the larger river vessels. There's still room on each for two straight-backed mesh outdoor chairs and a tiny wooden table. Longship balconies add square footage to typically compact river cabins (205 square feet each), a notable bonus when many river ship staterooms offer, at best, sliding-glass "French balconies."

Other options on the Middle and Upper decks are cabins with the aforementioned French balconies -- floor-to-ceiling sliding-glass doors you can open for breezes. These pseudo-balconies do the trick of making the cabins feel larger than they actually are.

The most value-priced cabins (150 square feet each) on the waterline of Main Deck have views via high, rectangular portholes, and they're slightly bigger than the French balcony cabins. For those seeking more space, Veranda Suites (275 square feet apiece) on the Upper and Middle decks have small living rooms with sofas, desks and balconies, as well as separate bedrooms with vanities and French balconies.

Throughout all cabins, bathrooms feature rounded sinks and snug, glass shower cubes (larger in the suites). Passengers do complain about the showers in non-suite cabins, as they're narrow and tapered at the end, with not much in the way of elbow room. Despite a waterproof seal at the bottom of the glass door, the size of the facility makes it difficult to avoid puddles on the bathroom floor.

Storage space in most cabins includes a full-length, sliding-door closet with room for hanging clothes on one side and shelves and a cabinet (with a safe) on the other. Drawers beneath the large vanity are small and narrow, but there's enough room for two people packing casual attire, and there's extra room under the bed for suitcases. The Veranda Suites have walk-in closets.

Great care seems to have gone into cabin lighting, which includes dimmers, bedside controls and mirrored vanities -- all much appreciated by passengers. There are two American (110 volt) and two European (220 volt) outlets in addition to one European outlet devoted to charging the QuietVox headsets.

Every cabin is equipped with a safe and a mini-fridge (with notches in the fridge shelving that make it possible to chill a bottle of wine upright), as well as a handheld hair dryer. Bath products are L'Occitane. Bathrobes are available on request.

Large 40-inch Sony HD flat-screen TVs serve up several channels on an interactive menu, including CNN, BBC, CNBC, Fox, ESPN, National Geographic Channel, MGM and Sky. There's also a good variety of complimentary movies on demand, including new releases, classics, and travel and historical documentaries by Rick Steves, A&E and the History Channel. In another area of the menu, the TVs list ship information, including names of every member of the crew, and show feeds from bow and lounge cameras. There are also preprogrammed music channels, but, for a more personalized selection, plug your iPod into the available port that's connected to the integrated Bose surround-sound system.

Complimentary Wi-Fi is available throughout the ship, including in cabins. It was fastest in the lounge (both inside and out).

Fresh fruit and bottled water are also complimentary and provided in all cabins daily. There are ice buckets in each cabin, but you must fill them yourself from an ice machine located in the hallway on each deck.

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