We are veteran ocean cruisers on a river cruise for the first time. I did a lot of research before booking nearly a year ago and paid attention to all the reviews written on the Grand European/Danube cruises since booking. I approached the embarkation date with several concerns. Food, quality of crew, size of staterooms and lounge and river conditions seem to have caused negative reviews. I will try to deal with those issues as I go along. We booked the airfare through Viking and did take advantage of the extra 100 dollars they charge to be able to talk with the travel agent. It was worth it. The air travel was exactly what we requested, non-stop from Kennedy to Amsterdam, on the airline we requested and one stop from Budapest back to Kennedy. Viking was there to pick us up upon arrival in Amsterdam and the transfer to Budapest airport at the end was efficient.

We arrived in Amsterdam so early that our cabin was not ready, so we left our luggage to do some exploring and the luggage was in the room by the time we returned to the ship. We had heard complaints before we booked on the lack of view from the upper decks due to nesting in the ports so saved the money and booked the 1st deck with the porthole. We were very satisfied with the location, size and cleanliness of the room. The Room Steward catered to our every request. Only complaint about the room was the quality of the television service. We found that the lounge size was adequate most of the time, even at the nightly briefing, although we did have to stand a couple of times when we arrived late.

Food service was great. We stayed to one section of the dining room and had the same waiters each meal. They got to know us and could not do enough to satisfy our requests. The waiters were very friendly and professional. Most of them had been recruited from other cruise ships. The food quality for breakfast and lunch was excellent. It was a combination of buffet and sit down. You could get your omelet prepared at the buffet and order your pancakes from the waiter. Dinner was sit down. The quality on most nights was superb. We were disappointed on a couple of occasions with either the quality or quantity. Don't order the lamb chops. The seafood was generally fresh and tasty. But the positives greatly outweighed the negative, with unlimited wine and beer with meals. The program director and his staff did a great job. Read more