Welcome aboard the Viking Mimir! We recently embarked on Viking River Cruises’ Grand European Tour, which took us from Budapest, Hungary, to Amsterdam, traversing the picturesque Danube, Main, and Rhine Rivers. This blog post will take you through our dining experiences on this incredible journey, sharing where you can dine on board, what to expect for each meal, and our overall thoughts on the food and service.
Dining Locations on the Viking Mimir
The Viking Mimir, built in 2015, accommodates 190 passengers at double occupancy with 95 cabins and 53 crew members. Dining options include the main dining room, aptly named The Restaurant, located on the middle deck, and the Aquavit Terrace on the upper deck. The Aquavit Terrace offers both undercover seating and more open seating on the forward terrace, perfect for enjoying the scenic views during your meals.
In The Restaurant, there are no reserved seats. You’re free to find a table to join or sit at an empty one and invite others passing by to join you. Most tables are round and seat six, with larger rectangular tables accommodating eight to ten guests. If you prefer smaller tables, the Aquavit Terrace offers tables for four.
Meal Times and Menus
Meal times vary slightly each day, so it's always a good idea to check the Viking Daily or ask the waitstaff about the day's plans. For example, one day there was a small barbecue on the Aquavit Terrace that wasn’t advertised, and we missed it! After that, we made sure to double-check with the staff.
Breakfast and lunch are available during posted hours but operate on a drop-in basis. Early risers can enjoy coffee, juice, tea, pastries, and light breakfast items on the Aquavit Terrace from 6:00 a.m. Cooked-to-order and buffet breakfast options are available in The Restaurant later in the morning. Guests can arrive at any time during the open hour for a seated breakfast.
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Lunch typically starts at a set time, but going later is perfectly fine as long as you have enough time to finish before the dining room closes. Dinner, like most meals in Europe, is a leisurely affair, and guests are expected to arrive at the opening time.
The menus for breakfast and lunch are a mix of buffet items and cooked-to-order dishes. Dinner is fully ordered from the menu, with about four choices for the appetizer, main course, and dessert. During the daily briefing, your program director will discuss the next day’s plans, and the chef will offer personal recommendations for each course.
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Curious about the daily menus? We’ve posted them, along with photos of the dishes we enjoyed, on our YouTube channel. Be sure to check it out for a visual taste of our experience!
Special Dining Experiences
One of the highlights of our trip was the Taste of Germany themed dinner. The crew dressed in traditional German outfits, and we enjoyed live traditional music, small samples of German appetizers, and a delicious meal featuring German specialties like sausages, pretzels, spaetzle, mustards, cabbage, schnitzel, and more. This dinner was a delightful mix of buffet and menu items and was by far the best meal we had on the cruise.
Drinks and Beverage Packages
All meals include complimentary drinks such as soda, coffee, tea, iced tea, wine, and beer. Outside of meal times, additional drinks are available for purchase—sodas for about $3, wine for $5 and up, beer for $5 and up, and mixed drinks for $9 and up. Coffee and tea are always free, and there’s a coffee machine on the upper deck that makes fresh-ground coffee.
If you’re a wine enthusiast or enjoy frequent drinks outside of meals, consider the Silver Spirits package. For about $25 per passenger per day, this package includes unlimited drinks at any time, upgraded wines, and other alcoholic beverages at no additional charge. Although only about 10% of passengers opt for the Silver Spirits package, it might be worth it if you drink often or are a wine aficionado.
If you're staying in a Veranda Suite or Explorer Suite, your cabin’s wine and beer supply is replenished daily. Additionally, Viking allows you to bring your own alcohol on board, which many passengers did, especially when sampling local wines, beers, and spirits.
Our Thoughts on the Dining Experience
We’re not foodies, but we appreciate good, healthy food, and tend to lean towards vegetarian options. The Viking Mimir offered a variety of vegetarian dishes at every meal, along with other healthy choices. Our friends with dietary restrictions like lactose or gluten intolerance were also well taken care of by the attentive staff, who ensured their needs were met daily.
While the food wasn’t the best we’ve ever had, it was far from the worst. Some items, like soups and breads, were excellent, while others, like steaks, were just okay. Some passengers mentioned there weren’t enough choices on the menu, but considering the size of the ship and the number of passengers, we were impressed by the variety offered. The wines were a particular highlight, especially the private label wines from Mörwald, a Wachau Valley winery.
Overall, we enjoyed the dining experience on the Viking Mimir. The food was good, the service was excellent, and we never felt like we would go hungry.
We hope you found this dining guide helpful! If you’ve been on a Viking river cruise, share your experiences in the comments below or ask us any questions you might have. Don’t forget that all profits from our blog and YouTube channel go to charity, so your likes, comments, and subscriptions are always appreciated.
As always, make meaningful and healthy travel happen, and we’ll see you next time!
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