Viking Aegir Review

4.0 / 5.0
174 reviews

Kudos to VRC and the Aegir crew

Review for Europe River Cruise on Viking Aegir
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boomerone
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Mar 2013

With several exceptions of a minor nature this "Grand European" sailing from Amsterdam to Budapest was stellar in all regards. Our timing for this sailing was marred by the fact that Europe was experiencing it's coldest Spring in many years and that detracted from the overall experience. Can't hold VRC responsible for this! From our standpoint VRC was in the hotseat as far as us sailing with them again but WOW, their performance on this trip was mighty good. So good in fact that we will book a "Waterways of the Czars" itinerary with them in the future. The only gripes we had were too much idle free time in 3 German cities that were basically shut down due to Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday, the absence of space in the Viking lounge for presentations and local talent shows, and the inability for passengers to pay off their outstanding room charges until between midnight and 9am on the day of disembarkation. VRC should warn their customers who sail in Europe during the Easter holiday that most city visits on these days will result in shut down towns and shopping. The inadequate space in the lounge is well documented by other posters.

The food at each meal from lunch in Amsterdam to breakfast in Budapest was equal to the fabulous meals we have enjoyed on Silversea and Celebrity expeditions to Antarctica, the Arctic, and the Galapagos. We don't know how the staff on Aegir does it but they consistently presented superior dining experiences. The house red and white wines wines were just fine but certainly not top cabin. The menus were varied and portion size was completely acceptable. The soups and entree's were very good and the sorbets better than what we have enjoyed on previous ocean cruises. The availability of beverages and cookies during the day was appreciated. The hotel manager, Oliver, and the maitre'd Valentin (and their staffs) did a commendable job every day. Breakfast in the Aquavit Terrace was a nice departure from the hustle and bustle of the breakfast buffet in the dining room.

Our "aquarium class" lower deck cabin was adequate and the bathroom, although quite tiny, was fine. Closet space was ample but the drawers were not very high and had smaller than desired capacity. We did OK with the space. The bed creaked a lot but we slept well. A few times we were jolted at night as the ship bumped the walls in the locks. We quickly fell asleep after waking to the bumps. We got used to the vacuum pumps from adjoining cabins and would say this problem documented by other posters is overblown.

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