MS Junker Jorg

MS Junker Jorg cruise ship was previously named "Viking Fontane" and "MS Theodor Fontane". The boat cruises on Elbe River, with departures from Germany (Stralsund, Dresden, Hamburg). Currently, the shipowner Scylla AG charters Junker Jorg to the German travel company VIVA Cruises.

In 2019, the vessel (ENI number 5113670) changed its flag state/registry from Germany (MMSI 211513910) to Switzerland (MMSI 269057816) and is currently registered in Basel.

Ship history

For Viking Cruises, the ship operated on Elbe River (Germany and the Czech Republic) departing from Prague and Berlin. The riverboat was named after the German writer Theodor Fontane (1819-1898, novelist and poet).

MS Theodor Fontane was operated by KD (Koln-Düsseldorfer) from 1991 to 2000. In the year 2000, Premicon AG (funds and investment management company, owner of KD) became the main shareholder of Viking River Cruises. Then MS Theodor Fontane, together with the sistership Viking Schumann (now De Amsterdam) were transferred to Viking. In 2010-2011, the boat was completely modernized, and some passenger staterooms were refitted to deluxe French Balcony cabins. Following this drydock refit and refurbishment, the boat's name was changed to "Viking Fontane". On some Elbe cruise tours, Viking deals offered roundtrip USA airfare discount deals (on select cabins or itineraries/dates).

Junker Jorg is a 112-passenger riverboat designed to cruise Europe's smaller rivers. The intimate vessel has an unusually shallow draft (1 m), meaning that the hull's bottom is very flat. The boat has pump jets to minimize the impact of low water levels.

The ship has fore-located Restaurant (main dining room on Lower Deck) and Bar Lounge (on Main Deck), lobby area (on Main Deck, with Reception Desk and Boutique Shop), Sun Deck (with shaded seating area, 4-seat tables, deckchairs, sun loungers, al-fresco dining - brunch, afternoon tea), stairlift (passenger elevator), laundry service, Sauna Room (Deck 1), free Wi-Fi Internet (shipwide).

The ship doesn't have a gym room, jacuzzi, spa, or swimming pool. Onboard languages are English, German and Dutch.

Cabins

During Fontane ship's USD 2 million drydock refit in 2010-2011, Viking River Cruises added eight 200 ft2 deluxe cabins (now suites) with French balconies - like on the sistership Fontane. The other 48 cabins are smaller, but all outside (with river views). All cabins are fitted with en-suite bathrooms (washbasin, WC, shower, bath products, hairdryer), phone, flat TV, electronic safe box (in the closet), individually controlled air-conditioning.

Currently, Junker Jorg boat has 30 Main Deck cabins (sized 11 m2, with opening windows), 18 Upper Deck cabins (sized 11 m2, with opening windows) and 8 suites (Upper Deck, sized 15 m2, each with double bed and French Balcony).

River Cruise Itineraries

Currently, Junker Jorg ship itineraries are the following cruise routes:

• 8-day roundtrip from Stralsund to Greifswald, Lauterbach, Peenemunde (Usedom Island), Poland (Szczecin, Swinoujscie) and Wolgast
• 8-day one-way from Hamburg to Dresden (and the reverse) visiting Wittenberg, Tangermunde, Magdeburg, Dessau, Wittenberg, Torgau and Meissen.

Viking Fontane cruise itineraries on Elbe River included the following ports and tours along the route:

• "ELEGANT ELBE" are 10-day cruises from Berlin to Prague, and the reverse from Prague to Berlin, with 1-night Berlin hotel (day 1), bus transfer to Potsdam and Magdeburg (day 2, embarkation).
• Day 3 - tour to Dessau, arrival in Wittenberg
• Day 4 - tour in Wittenberg, arrival in Torgau
• Day 5 - arrival in Meissen (before noon) and in Dresden (evening)
• Day 6 - tour in Dresden (overnight dock stay)
• Day 7 - Saxon Switzerland, docks in Bad Schandau.
• Day 8 - arrival in Litomerice (Czech Republic), farewell formal dinner on the boat.
• Day 9 - disembarkation in Melnik, bus transfer to Prague (included city tour and 1-night Prague hotel package), with an optional offer for 2 more hotel nights in Prague.

Deals on departures from the Czech Republic are inclusive of 1-night luxury Prague hotel package. On Day 2 is the organized city tour (Old Town guided walk), Hradcany, Prague Castle, city lunch. Follows bus transfer to the Viking Fontane boat in Melnik (embarkation, welcome aboard cocktail and dinner on the ship).

After Magdeburg disembarkation (Day 9) follows bus travel to Potsdam (Sanssouci Palace tour, New Chambers, free time) and transfer to Berlin, with 1-night Berlin hotel package included in the fares. There is an optional package for 2 more nights in Berlin.

Note: You can see CruiseMapper's list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All companies and their fleets are listed there.