Viking Rinda Review

Wonderful cruise on the Danube between Nuremberg and Budapest

Review for Europe River Cruise on Viking Rinda
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LuLu98
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Sep 2014

Embarked on the Rinda after spending a pre extension in Nuremberg. All transfers were included making getting us from the airport to the hotel and to the Rinda without event. Viking and the crew made settling in a breeze. We did return to Nuremberg to tour via bus and saw where the Nazi trials were held as well as the grounds where the Nazi rallies were held. We continued on to Regensburg which is a preserved medieval city and visited the optional tours of Weltenburg Abbey and the Danube Narrows. We took advantage of all the optional tours because we wanted to see as much as possible. Passau was a wonderful small town situated at the confluence of the Danube, Ilz and Inn river. We took a walking tour around town and had the opportunity to visit St. Stephan's Church for a pipe organ concert. We had free time in the afternoon, so we had lunch in a local restaurant and shopped. Next on to Melk to tour the Melk Abbey and then on to Vienna. We took advantage of the Mozart and Strauss concert which was optional. Who would not appreciate hearing a performance in Vienna of Mozart and Strauss? The next morning we toured the Schonbrunn Palace. You can opt out of any tour and do your own thing keeping in mind that the ship schedule needs to be met. They do check that everyone is onboard and I know of no one being left behind. The last stop was Budapest which is a exceedingly beautiful city with a lot to do and places to shop. We were docked near the Chain Bridge which made it very convenient to so many activities. We started on the Pest side of the city with a stop at Mathias Church. We also took the optional Horse Farm tour. There are so many other visits to describe that were fun and educational. The thing to keep in mind that you can do as many or as few of these tours as you wish.

Service on the ship was impeccable. The room was kept very well by the young woman assigned to our cabin. The cabin is designed to keep you organized during the week with areas under the bed for luggage storage. We had a room with a balcony which made for a very relaxing time as we sipped our coffee or wine as we traveled. Meals were offered several ways with light meals offered off the lounge location and from a menu in the restaurant. The meals were beautifully presented, varied and delicious. Standard offerings such as salmon or chicken were available for those less adventuresome. Wine and beer during meals were local as available and suited us well. The wait staff was interesting in that they were from many countries. They took care of us very well.

Local entertainment such as musicians and dancers were available in the lounge on several evenings. One night the passengers got involved in a talent contest. No pressure to participate and by that time we had many new friends so it was fun. Remember there are only 190 passengers so you really do get to know many of them.

Cabin Review

We were on the top cabin level. Comfy bed, clean room and very clean bathroom. We had a little refrigerator so if you wanted to buy local wine or beer you could store it. Lots of storage and we tend to over pack but there was room for it all. Suitcases slid under the bed and so they were out of the way. The cabins were very quiet. The ship was full but at night all was quiet.

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