We are seasoned ocean cruisers and thought we should try river cruise having heard so much raving from friends and online reviews. Coming from the ocean cruise angle, river cruise is a bit small, bland, and boring.

Due to the low water level, we were put in a hotel (Marriott) the first night at Budapest. Since we are gold elite member of Marriott, we were conveniently upgraded and had access to the concierge lounge which has a spectacular view of Budapest. Believe it or not, this was the highlight of our cruise! We were put back in the cruise after the first night and had to change ship eventually. The cruise staff did their very best to accomodate. Service was decent overall. However, if you are looking for food quality and entertainment, they are literally non existent compared to ocean cruises.

Viking's saying that "spending less time getting there and more time being there" didn't hold true either. We didn't find the excursions any better than those of ocean cruises. I expected some in-depth immersion in each city's culture through the daily excursions. But I find the excursions lack of lustre. Or maybe I was hyped up too much by all the ravings and had too high an expectation. Read more