Cabin Review

The ship just went into service in March or April 2015, so everything was brand new. The finishes were perfect and the whole thing was laid out with an IKEA-like efficiency and sensibility, but with much more expensive materials. For instance:

The bathroom: a floor-to-ceiling glass door separates the tub and shower from the vanity and toilet area. The vanity has 6 huge drawers under the sink instead of just a cabinet. There's no need to keep anything out on the counter or the inset shelf above. On the shower side of the door, the water pressure was always constant, as was the temperature. The whole thing was either white marble or something that looked and felt just like it. There was shelf seating in the shower, with LED lights under the shelf. One wall was decorated with 1", rough-cut tiles of marble that were inlaid in different depths (it looked like an accent wall) and gave the whole room a great feeling of texture unlike anything I've ever seen, and we have had some of the biggest and best suites on Royal C over the years. The way it was set up, the water drain was in front of the door and spanned its width, so no water escaped the door; however, since the hot water drained directly beneath the floor, when you finished your shower the side with the sink had what felt like radiant floor heating, but from taking a hot shower. Simple and brilliant. Heated towel racks. The shower and tub had a huge picture window, so it was always a bath with a view (there are shades if you're shy, but you'll never see anyone looking in from shore or another ship in your life, for instance, so live it up!). There's also a full-length mirror at one end of the tub. It has a TV hidden behind the glass! Like I've said, surprises everywhere but always pleasant ones. The only complaint about the bathrooms: Viking's river ships use L'occitane bath products, but this ship used a different brand. If you've got dry skin, bring your own stuff.

Bedroom: bed big and comfy, asked for and received extra pillows and blanket, big TV on the wall at the end of the bed. Night tables with frosted glass tops, drawers, pull-out writing shelves, and a big cabinet at the bottom big enough to hold my laptop backpack. Several lighting options for reading etc.

The walk-in closet and dressing room: this had another vanity and floor-to-ceiling shelves and drawers. There were electrical outlets everywhere, such a difference from most ship cabins.

Mini-bar in the living room: In a suite, your mini-bar is free. The first time your fridge is refreshed, the barman asks what you would like to stock it with. We asked mainly for whisky, vodka, diet coke, and always a few bottles of white wine. We had no idea that instead of airline bottles of wine that we would get full-size bottles of sauvignon blanc, along with whatever snacks and mixers you preferred (the fridge is quite roomy) - all refreshed, every day, no charge.

The living room: dining table with four chairs, living area with loveseat, two more chairs, a large coffee table and a shelf under the TV that people could sit on. We had a cocktail party for 10 and it wasn't crowded at all. We also asked the barman for extra supplies for our party earlier in the day and he obliged, at no cost (this may have been because we developed good relations with both him and our cabin stewards). There were lots of lighting options: in-ceiling spots, chandelier, floor lamps, and the same LED underlighting that permeated the rest of the suite, perfect for maneuvering when all other lights were out.

The Veranda: unbelievable amount of space, it wrapped around 90 degrees of our room - that is, the whole outward facing edge of our huge suite. We couldn't believe it. Patio table with chairs, lounge chairs, wood burl cocktail tables...also a full/queen-sized sofa bed thing that I used for a nap on two different sunny afternoons (right outside the window to the shower/tub, perfect for honeymooners). It's also in the back of the ship, so standing against the railing after dark, watching the wake of the ship, which is well-lit, sounding like a waterfall, was endlessly pleasant. Our guests loved it and so did we.

Wifi super strong, we watched YouTube and whatever we wanted with no problem. Several categories of movies on-demand, from classic black & white, to musicals, to current action movies: no charge and available on every TV in the suite.

Also: Room Service is free, 24 hours a day.

In a suite, all laundry and dry cleaning are free, as much as you want.