Embarkation Day

May 15, 2024

Goodbye Pulitzer

After three delightful days exploring Amsterdam, the day had arrived for us to start the cruise portion of our trip. That morning we put the last few incidentals in our luggage and attached the provided river cruise identification tags. Then we placed the bags outside our room for a 9 a.m. pick up and headed down to breakfast.

Following breakfast, we went back to the room to pick up our backpacks and make one final check for anything we might have forgotten. In the lobby Bill checked us out and finalized the bill while Betty did the same. Now, we just had to wait for our 12 p.m. transport to the ship.

We didn’t have to wait long until the Viking representative called our names and directed us to a waiting taxi. We watched as our luggage was placed in the back of the taxi and then crawled in. And we were off.

It was a short 10 minute ride from the hotel to the port that we thought took us quite a ways away from the city center. If you look at the map, you see that we were wrong.

Hello Egdir

As we exited the taxi, we had our first look at our home for the next two weeks – Viking’s Egdir.

Egdir is identified in Norse mythology as the watchman of Jötunheimar, home of the Jötnar (or giants) and one of the nine realms in Norse cosmology. He is also believed to have been the herdsman who cared for the offspring of the mythological wolf Fenrir. But he is most well-known for his role in Ragnarok—signaling the Jötnar for the final, epic battle with the strum of his harp.

Viking

European river ships are quite different than ocean going ships. They are long (Egdir is 443 feet), narrow (Egdir is 39.5 feet wide), and usually have 3 decks (main, middle, and upper) plus a sundeck. Ships cruising the Rhine and Danube rivers are constrained in size due to the length and width of the numerous locks that they must pass through and the bridge heights. Bear in mind that the bridges spanning the rivers were built some time ago and, by modern-day standards, are quite low. In order to pass below some of these bridges, it is necessary to lower all structures (including the bridge) on the sun deck. During that time, the sun deck is closed to passengers. Additionally, river ships have draft restrictions. If the water level of the river is too low, the ship cannot sail.

The Egdir was built in 2022. It has a crew of 53 and accommodates 190 guests in 95 outside staterooms. Stateroom sizes vary based on category (and price of course).

• Explorer Suite – 445 sq ft including veranda
• Veranda Suite – 275 sq ft including veranda
• Veranda Stateroom – 205 sq ft including veranda
• French Balcony Stateroom – 135 sq ft with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door
• Standard Stateroom – 150 sq ft. with half-height picture window

Onboard Egdir

When we stepped aboard, we were greeted by some of the friendly staff and directed to go up to the Aquavit Terrace and Lounge where a light buffet lunch was being served.

Soon after lunch we were informed that our staterooms were ready. We left the Aquavit Terrace, went down the stairs to the Middle Deck, past the reception area to our Veranda Staterooms (217 for Bill and I, 221 for Betty and Linda).

While Bill waited for our luggage to be delivered, I decided to explore the ship. The first thing that struck me was the decor. Everything looked modern, bright, very clean and sleek. The furniture and wood colors were muted while carpet and accent pieces provided pops of complementary color. You could definitely feel the Scandanavian design aesthetic of Viking’s country of origin.

By the time I returned to the stateroom after touring the ship, our luggage had been delivered. It was time for us to unpack and settle into our new “home”. Our stateroom had 6 drawers – 2 small, 2 medium, 2 larger. We used the 2 small drawers for personal “stuff” like vitamins, eyeglass cleaners, laundry packets, etc. We filled the remaining drawers with undies and clothes that didn’t require hanging. The left side of the closet had 2 or 3 shelves, and the safe while the right side had a clothes rod and hangers. Our shoes went on the floor of the left side while the collapsible clothes hamper that we had brought along went on the floor of the right side.

The bathroom had a counter around the sink and two small shelves near the wall (one shelf contained the provided toiletries). We put a hanging shoe holder that we had brought on the door of the shower to hold our personal toiletries.

As far as power outlets, there was both a European and a US outlet on each side of the bed and additional outlets at each end of the desk.

We found the overall layout of the stateroom to be comfortable and well-thought-out.

Welcome Briefing and Safety Drill

After unpacking and relaxing for a while, we returned to the Lounge for the 6 p.m. Welcome Briefing. The Hotel Manager (Eugen) and Program Director(Carl) gave a brief introduction to the ship and to the cruise. We were then instructed to return to our staterooms, locate our life vests, and await announcements about the upcoming mandatory Safety Drill.

In our stateroom, Bill and I found our life vests underneath the head of the bed. The PA announcement instructed us to put on our life vests, look for our assigned muster station location on the back of the stateroom door, and wait until the signal to proceed to that location. We all looked so cute sitting at our muster station.

Following the Safety Drill, we returned our life vests to the stateroom and headed to the Restaurant (Main Dining Room) for dinner.

Time for Dinner

Meals on a river cruise are a bit different than on a large ocean-going vessel. Instead of multiple restaurants and dining options, there were two alternatives on our river cruise – the Restaurant or the Aquavit.

• Breakfast
  • Aquavit from 6 – 10 a.m.
  • Restaurant from 7 – 9:30 a.m.
• Lunch at 12:30 in either location
• Dinner
  • Aquavit opens 15 minutes after the Restaurant
  • Restaurant usually opens at 7 p.m. but the time can vary based on the day’s itinerary

All seating is open seating around long tables for 10 or round tables for 6. We found that we preferred the round tables where it was easier to converse with fellow diners. Tonight we enjoyed a 3 course meal from a menu that offered items like salmon, chicken and steak on one side while the other side had a regional offering and other chef selections. House wine, beer, and soft drinks were included. Unfortunately I never took a photo of a dinner menu or one of our meals.

Following dinner we had the option of going to the Lounge for evening entertainment but Bill and I elected to go back to our stateroom and crash. We slept through the “Cast Off” from Amsterdam. Farewell Amsterdam.