
RIVER - Tour Director (freelance & seasonal)
- Recruiter:
- Viking
- Category:
- Other Cruise Jobs
- Position:
- Shore Excursion Staff
- Published:
- July 22, 2025
Tour Director
River – Europe
Viking was founded in 1997 and provides destination-focused voyages on oceans, rivers and lakes around the world. Designed for experienced travelers with interests in science, history, culture and cuisine, Chairman Torstein Hagen often says Viking offers experiences for The Thinking Person®.
Viking has more than 250 awards to its name, including being rated #1 for Rivers, #1 for Oceans and #1 for Expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler and voted at the top of its categories by Travel + Leisure. No other cruise line has ever received these same honors by both publications at the same time.
ROLE OVERVIEW
WHAT YOU WILL DO ON BOARD
- Organizing arrivals and transfers to hotel and vessel
- Ensuring smooth transfer operations including luggage and timing
- Assisting guests with lost luggage and coordinating with airport representatives
- Managing guest information documents and vendor vouchers
- Providing local, cultural, and historical commentary during tours and free time
- Handling guest complaints and private excursions
- Coordinating and monitoring all excursions, including audio equipment, local suppliers, and guides.
WHY JOIN VIKING?
Elevate Your Career
Regardless of where you are on your career journey, Viking can help you in reaching new destinations with:
- Paid training program in skills and approach to premium hospitality services
- On-the-job coaching to help you advance rapidly
- A lifelong network of hospitality professionals from many different countries
- Internal transfer opportunities to River, Ocean and Expedition ships
On board our ship
- Uniforms, laundry and unlimited Wi-Fi are free of charge for all crew members
- Lodging and meals are provided to you by Viking onboard
- Crew cabins with only 2 berths (you will have one roommate).
- Travel to/from the ship provided by Viking
- Dedicated crew areas and activities
- Sundeck area for crew use
Employee benefits
- Paid vacation
- Referral program
- Loyalty bonuses
- No immediate tax deduction – potential for tax-free salary, depending on nationality
ABOUT YOU
- Graduated education within hotel / tourism industry
- Min. 2 years professional experience in a management position / tour guidance
- International experience / experience on a ship is an advantage
- Excellent English skills, other foreign languages are an advantage (German, Dutch and French)
- Service oriented and guest focused
- Excellent management, organizational and communication skills
- Positive personality, friendly and neat appearance
- Stress resistance, flexible, problem-solving skills
APPLICATION AND JOB RELEVANT INFORMATION
Our roles will be subject to our appearance standards (including in relation to visible tattoos) and employees are expected to project a professional image at all times. Visible tattoos are not permitted. Tattoos concealed with make-up, skin-colored sleeves or any covering other than the company uniform will still be considered visible for the purposes of our appearance standards. Exemptions to this may be considered on a case-by-case basis where appropriate. Tattoo removal may not result in successful employment and therefore is not encouraged and is the candidate’s personal decision. Furthermore, any offer of employment is subject to you passing all mandatory medical examinations as required by the company. For further information, please contact our recruiting team.
DISCLAIMER
As part of any recruitment process, Viking collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use that data and to meeting our data protection obligations. If you would like to find out more about how your information will be used, please view the privacy notice on our careers page.
Language Requirements
Good knowledge of the English language is required.

Viking
THE VIKING STORY
More than 20 years ago, Viking® set the standard for what river cruising should be, and today we are the leader that all others follow. In 2015, we took the same small ship, destination-focused experience to the seas and reinvented ocean cruising. Over the years Viking has won numerous ocean and river cruise line awards from Condé Nast Traveler, Cruise Critic, Travel + Leisure, Travel Weekly and more.
Viking is a strong and dynamic company—with a growing fleet of more than 80 river ships and seven ocean vessels cruising over 100 itineraries around the world.
JOIN THE VIKING FAMILY
If you have always dreamed of combining your love of travel with the ability to grow your career, consider a position at Viking. We are the world’s leading small ship cruise line, and there is tremendous potential to advance your career with us. As part of our crew, when your ship is docked at the many destinations we visit, you can explore ashore and refresh during your free time.
Additionally, with Viking’s award-winning service and thoughtfully curated onboard experiences, our guests are typically very satisfied. This, combined with Viking’s gratuity guidelines, means that you can expect to be well rewarded as an employee on board a Viking ship.
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