For our 5th cruise with Viking (after Portugal, France, China and Med) we decided for our anniversary to explore the Central Europe on Viking LIF. Our expectations were very high, but the recent 2 weeks experience was absolutely terrific, far above all our previous cruises with Viking. The on board meals were wonderful but I will suggest the possibility to order half portion I hate food waste. All the staff in the restaurant they were above any expectations: outstanding service, especially Pol, George, Bogdan, Andri. The food was delicious and fresh, very well prepared and the lead Chef Michael was top notch. PERFECT! Kudos to Kristian, the restaurant manager for his attention, friendly attitude and the way how he manage my quite complicated dietary requests. The reception team was excellent. Sometimes we found the Hotel Director Josip a little bit arrogant, but maybe is a cultural thing. Susana, Johnny and Bart were very professional, efficient and gracious. Their smiles were contagious true sunshine between the raindrops One little glitch about our Silver package being in force mid-way through cruise. Great services remedied the problem of our enrollment post haste and all is well. Add more hook for clothing in state rooms both River and Ocean I am disappointed how some guests dressed for dinner in the dining room: shorts, flip flops, sweatshirts And finally, our cruise Director. What can I say? Sometimes I had the feeling the we have 4 or 5 of them on board because he was everywhere: in the morning on the sundeck explaining the scenery, during the tours popping out at every corner, in the afternoon with amazing infotainment type of lectures and after dinner organizing fantastic parties and game shows. Leonard was unbelievable, he made this trip so memorable, lovely person. Energetic, wealth of knowledge. He is a great addition to Viking. He is a gem and handled challenging issues (low water levels, changing in program, difficult guests) with professionalism and a sense of humor. Looking back to our experience on Viking LIF is clear that Leonard was the best thing on the cruise so much information, friendly, helpful. These people deserve a hand. Leonard made this trip awesome All the staff was exceptional. Leonard is worth his weight in gold I really enjoy the relaxed friendly atmosphere your staff are the best I have met after 10 years travelling, I only hope I stay well enough to travel with you again. Viking staff is the key to a wonderful experience Lif has Leonard and an outstanding crew from the top down. We felt well cared for, pampered and safe. Read Less

I had previously (last year) done a cruise with Scenic and was very satisfied. I originally chose this line because they were one of the few who offered a single cabin with a balcony. As it turned out I was lucky enough to upgrade to a double cabin on my first cruise, and a deluxe double cabin on this cruise, which was wonderful. The extra space makes quite a difference - as a single I probably spent more time in my cabin than some couples would. I arrived in Budapest a couple of days prior to the cruise and stayed at the Marriott Hotel, along with a number of other Scenic guests. I had plenty of time to explore the city which remains one of my favourites. There was one hiccup on embarkation day, when my luggage didn't make it from the hotel to the ship. This may have been in part because I had done my own hotel booking and didn't let Scenic do it. (I got a cheaper and I think a lot nicer room than my fellow Scenic guests.) I was on their shuttle, but I received no instructions for the transfer of my luggage, and the hotel clerk apparently didn't understand the process. My cases were finally tracked down by Scenic many hours later, for which I was very grateful. Other than that, embarkation and disembarkation processes were excellent, and all exits and entries on the ship during the cruise were most efficient due to our identity tags. Tip - take a lanyard to avoid having to clip the tag on. They ran out of lanyards on this cruise. The staff were always polite and friendly and couldn't do enough for you. My butler made sure I had my early morning coffee every day. When there was a moth infestation through my open window one evening, he was there in a flash to help me get them out of my cabin. One thing I noticed this time was that the butlers were also on the serving staff in the dining room, which had not noticed on my first cruise. Staff cutbacks? Read Less

I chose to cruise as I haven't had a holiday for over 25 years and thought that I needed one after a rather stressful divorce. After researching the various options available I chose to book an eleven day trip with Saga sailing down the Danube from Budapest for eight days with three days in transylvania. I know what you are all thinking, "SAGA"!!!!! Now I just qualify as I am 51 and thought that it would ease me into the holiday "thing" I was collect from home and driven to the airport, this I found to be an excellent service. The ship was waiting in Budapest and my luggage was taken and delivered to my cabin whilst I booked in and offered refreshments. The reception staff were nothing but wonderful and were very helpful and knowledgeable making the embarkation painless. After settling in my cabin, which was a reasonable size considering the size of the ship and let's face it, we were on a river I was pleasantly surprised to be seated in the restaurant with a very good four course meal. The waiting staff were excellent and very friendly. The following days were more of the same food and I found the staff so friendly and willing to help in any way possible. I have to say that the cruise director, a young lady by the name of Adina to be the most helpful, patient and knowledgeable person I have had the pleasure of meeting. Even joining the crew and passengers in the end of cruise open mic event. Upon reaching our destination our luggage was collected and transferred to the awaiting coaches for the next part of the holiday. My overall experience onboard was one of overwhelming enjoyment and certainly placed my anxieties about solo travel to the back of my head, in fact they left. Overall I would highly recommend this ship and if I could sail with the highly professional Adina again, I would. Read Less

As travel agent, we wanted to try out the Emerald service, and we are convinced, that the service is fabulous and excellent. We sailed from Nuremberg to Amsterdam, in July 2019. After arriving from the airport we got on board in minutes. The staff is extremely polite, and nice at the reception, in the restaurant, in the bar etc.. The pool has a relaxing atmosphere. The city tours have been well organized with professional guides, comfortable couches. We had great opportunity to visit the most important places, monuments, castles and churches. During our free time we have been good advised to explore the cities in an independent way. Every evening we had various entertaining programs with a lot of fun and laughing moments. The whole crew made our trip enjoyable, comfortable and memorable. We enjoyed our breakfast buffet every morning and 4 courses dinner each evening as well as our lunch combining buffet and menu. Additionally we had joyful teatime and late night snack. All food was fresh and well prepared. Read Less

This was our 5th cruise with Viking (2 river and 2 ocean cruises) and made us realised once again why we like cruising so much with them. Was the ideal way to celebrate our 50th anniversary and Grand European Tour on Viking LIF was the perfect option. Based on our previous experience with Viking we saw how they started to cut corners especially with the quality of the food. But Chef Michael was a magician and every breakfast, lunch and dinner were kind of gastronomic events. And the service in the restaurant was simply sublime: Christian our server was very attentive, taking care of my wife medical requests, suggesting all the time the best from the menu and smiling every moment when serving our meals. What I would love to see on our next cruise is that Viking ban shorts and t-shirt during the dinner. It is a cruise ship not a fast food restaurant! I always thought that the lounge is a little bit small, especially when all the events (presentation, demonstration or shows) were very good and attracted a lot of people. On Lif one of the TV screen didn’t work and the sound was terrible sometimes which made quite hard to follow all the interesting information presented during the evening. The musicians were not our cup of tea, repeating every night the same songs and in a very amateurish style but all the other artists invited by the cruise director on board were excellent. A special mention to the bartender Ivan; we loved his knowledge and cynical sense of humour. Capitan Ana was the best we ever had. A gentle giant always talking with the passengers and keen to answer to all type of questions. His nautical presentation was a real treat, a fantastic double act with the cruise director. We never saw a captain so close to the passengers on board ever! The reception was another strong point of Viking Lif. Suzanna and Peter were knowledgeable, polite and efficient despite the fact that sometimes the place was very busy. We were impressed with the fact that if they didn’t have an answer the were asking the cruise director and come back to us in no time! A staff manning the reception night time was a little bit out of his league, forgetting couple of times our wakeup calls (we missed the wall on the Main) and spending to much time listening to his music than solving passengers issues. What a asset the Hotel Director Ionuts was for our trip! Very polite with excellent manners and extremely professional, Ionuts had always a genuine smile, being almost everywhere and leading the entire staff in a very efficient manner. He knows how to balance his skills with his age (he was 20 something). And my wife loved his hair! Viking excursions are always amazing but, this time was more than that. The guides were very informative without going over the top with historical information, mixing always personal stories with facts. Our top favourites: Rothenburg, War tour in Nuremberg, Jewish excursion in Wertheim and the cooking class in Regensburg. I save the best for last! If Lif is the crown of Viking, our cruise director Leo was the Hope Diamond. What a personality, what a passion and what a pleasure to have him. Leo was working non stop for 2 weeks at least 20 hours a day: coordinating and supervising the excursion in the morning, helping the reception during the busy lunch, answering questions in the afternoon, giving excellent briefings before dinner and organising parties or giving presentations in the evening. Somebody was joking about the possibility of having at least 3 clones of Leo on-board because he was everywhere when needed, always smiling and ready to help 24 hours a day for 2 weeks. His presentation during the sailing days were amazing: history, culture, legends everything mixed with an excellent narrative style, a war voice and a fantastic sense of humour. Leo had an answer for almost any questions, knowing all the cities as his own pocket and, at least for us, his recommendations were 100% perfect. He was a real one man show with a fantastic personality, a genuine care for the others (passengers and staff) and an encyclopaedic amount of knowledge. What can I say, and I heard other passengers saying the same, without Leo the trip will be very good but not excellent. It will be a privilege to have him as a cruise director on our next Viking cruise! Viking rules the river’s waves, Lif rules Viking and Leo ruled the excellence in our cruise in Europe. What an amazing experience. Thank you all! Read Less

We chose this cruise as my wife and I always wanted to see Austria. This has nothing against the Ve, but Vienna is a large city. One day in the city is not enough time. We enjoyed Wassau Valley as words can’t describe his beautiful it is. Food was good. The only negative is that we felt our room was cramped. On the plus side, there are lot of extra amenities in the room such as a Flat screen TV, a small refrigerator, and a comfortable bed. The room service was excellent. I have a hearings disability. They have an excellent sound system for both tours and on ships. They were very accommodating to ensure my hearing aid and cochlear device works well with their sound system. I observed that the Ve personnel were very accommodating to limited mobility passengers. On a tour to Czech Republic, a passenger got tired while touring and the Ve proceeded to get him a cab and returned him to the ship 2 hours away. I was very impressed with Ve attending to all passengers. The shore excursions were good. Our favorite was the tour of Gotthiem Abbey. All service personnel were very good. If we have another opportunity, we will tour again with Viking. Read Less

We had a great time with Avalon in China in 2017. We wanted to see the Danube and thought Avalon would be good again. They did not disappoint. The service was magnificent, the food very good, the tours were great. We enjoyed every minute of it. We had plenty of time to explore Budapest and were able to store our luggage on board on embarkation day. The staff was so accommodating. One evening, we didn't not realize that Vienna closed so completely and early. We made our way back to the ship knowing we had missed dinner. We did not even ask, the crew said "you have missed dinner, can we get you something?" We will be taking other Avalon cruises because they have not disappointed at all. We needed to make alternative arrangements at the end of the cruise and the staff was very accommodating and helped us get to the train station in Regensburg to catch the train to Munich. Read Less

Awful waste of money and a ruined trip of a life time, appears Viking ships can't cruise where APT can. Was warned day before embarkation of technical issues due to low water levels. Taken from Budapest airport to Slovakia direct in non descript mooringand boarded the EMBLA, must say the staff were great and freindly with excellent service, then a coach 90mins each way back again to Budapesr for a day tour the next day. After 2 nights we eventually cruised to Vienna via Brataslava at early hours. Moored at Vienna over night. Then onto Melk, so far so good. At Passau we moored up in city mooring for tour, then coached again to another town and a dreadful industrial mooring, again for 2 nights. This is where we coached to Regensburg, 90 mins each way for a day tour then back to our silo and unique views! Then the ship was staying we had to disembark and transfer to Nuremburg 3 hours plus on a coach then as the new ship the Lif, which wasn't ready and still wasn't ready for passengers, we dumped our hand luggage as cases went separately. The Nuremburg tour straight after this tiring trip was too much so I led on the top deck mostly roped off as railings not up and dozed on a sun bed, again out of town mooring, not like the adverts!. The ship then cruised via various German picturesque city's and towns and after Koblenz we moored in Cologne and stayed there. After a day tour of the city got back, stayed an extra night, AGAIN! As they stated we couldn't sail any further due to water levels a ^ hour transfer to Amsterdam, with a comfort stop at a drive through MacDonalds and a 2 hour tour of Kinderdyke on way. Saw the EIR another Viking ship go under a bridge on way which didn't help, put up at an airport hotel out side city at Schipol before flight home next morning. Would never trust or cruise with over priced and non caring outfit again, Wish I had taken full refund, but a pultry compensation is insulting!! They have never expailed how APT cruised the same route the same dates and no Coach Transfers, despicable! Read Less

We only had 7 nights of our 15 day cruise due to low water levels which was disappointing, however Avalon did everything possible to still make this a fantastic trip. Our cruise director was exceptional in every way. We did lose some free time as we had to bus between towns. Hotel accommodation was always very good. We also met some wonderful people in our early 60’s age group. Cleanliness and service whilst on board was fantastic as was on-board entertainment. Cabins are beautifully quiet, well appointed and spacious. Some of the walking tours whilst very interesting were a little long-winded and didn’t leave enough time for a good look around. However these are not compulsory. We feel Avalon handled a very difficult situation in the best possible way. We were given lunch money where appropriate on the bus section of the trip. As I mentioned while disappointed you can’t argue with nature and sometimes in life you just have to roll with it. Read Less

On advise from our travel agent and excellent reviews we decided to travel through Europe on a river purpose built vessel and experience this fantastic trip ourselves , booked a year in advance to secure a cabin on deck 3 ,before the actual cruise we booked through Scenic into the Marriott ( outstanding hotel) and the view on the Danube river to give us enough time to explore the city for a couple of days The day of embarkation , smooth and hassle free, disembarkation in Amsterdam likewise with transfers well organised by our outstanding cruise director Patrik . The Ship is what it is , modern and clean with excellent and very professional and friendly staff who do their best to make this a great experience. We didn't use the room service as we preferred to use the dining facilities in the main mess room, that was our choice , my guess is the cabin (333) is fairly compact but well appointed but not great for in cabin dining :-) The set up of these ships , only one dining room to accomodate all passengers for meals and if the bell rings for ' Chow time' people seem to rush down to secure their seats and if you decide to enter a bit later you feel sort of stranded , Scenic try to sort this out by using their Porto Bello area in the main lounge as well , this helps to a certain extend and this should be done every time , and am sure the hotel staff is aware of this . Dining is okay , I am not a complainer by all means, on a scale of 1-10, cannot give it more than 7.5- 8 , their is choice however , but would love the dining degustation experience that was offered to us at the ' Captains Table ' on every occasion and for all guests, as is the Porto Bello fine dining experience . Entertainment , love our pianist Marco Di Napoli Shore activities , out of this world ! Well organised , loved it 100 % Do I want to make another cruise with Scenic ? Probably as a foody and wine lover perhaps France , make no mistake the German and Austrian wines are excellent too. Read Less

This was one river cruise that I could go on by myself since I had nobody to travel with this time. The vessel was the oldest but very clean and well maintained. The bathroom was a little small but worked out OK for my needs. Other than sleep and shower I was not in my cabin much. The cleaning staff did a very nice job and were very pleasant to talk with. the dining was excellent and the staff was outstanding. They were very friendly and fun and help in any was possible. Entertainment on board was great and the cruise director was very good and helpful. She had a great personality and really seemed to enjoy her job. Her talks on the places we were going were fun and also informative. I would like to give a special thanks to the (2) young woman who were working the lounge and the piano player also. They were extremely nice people, very good service from all and just a pleasure to be around. They really made my evenings while we were sailing most enjoyable. I look forward to me next Viking Cruise. Read Less

Cruise chosen for the itinerary, the ship, the cost, and the exploration opportunities offered. Everything about the ship itself was outstanding - all members of the crew were polite, helpful, and respectful. The amenities were enjoyable and the food was always good. The choices regarding meals were fantastic, and the settings were all pleasant. Everything went smoothly. It was the trip of a lifetime. It was enjoyable to spend time in the embarkation city of Budapest before the cruise and the city of Amsterdam after the cruise. We would also enjoy exploring other cities on our own as part of another cruise. That allowed us to experience these two cities in two different ways. The ship crew was helpful to suggest how to experience Amsterdam after disembarkation. It was nice to have an English speaking cruise. We would definitely choose another river cruise to explore other parts of the world. Read Less

We just come back from a cruise in eastern Europe on Viking LIF. We’ve been cruising many times before mainly on Cunard, Regent, Silver Sea and Viking (3 times on the ocean) but this was our very first river cruise. It was an awesome experience from all point of view: the size and the ambiance of the ship, the excellent service, great tours and fantastic time on board. Our room attendant, Anna was very friendly and while we didn't ask for much, I believe she would be more than willing to accommodate our needs. The food on board was good but we believe that Viking needs to provide more quality ingredients to be sure that the food experience on board rich the standards of the rest of the services provided on Viking LIF. The staff was always pleasant, and we fell in love with our waitress Alina. Ivan in the bar had a great sense of humour and we love his wine and cocktails recommendations. But the cherry on the cake was the cruise director Leonard. In all our previous cruises we were luck to have nice good cruise directors. But this time Leonard beat all the records: his passion, expertise, knowledge and amazing sparkling personality brought this river cruise to a hard to beat level. His lecture were a pleasure to attend with a perfect mixture of information, knowledge and entertainment getting standing ovations every night (especially his talks about the life in communist Romania and the myths of vampires) Leonard was working almost 24 hours a day: we saw him at 5.00am getting ready the excursion, running up and down during the day with the guides and entertaining passengers in the lounge until midnight or maybe late. What a great asset for Viking! For sure we will be back on another river cruise but must be Viking, must be the ship LIF and of course must be Leonard as a cruise director. Thank you all for an amazing trip between Budapest and Bucharest! Read Less

After 6 cruises with Princess, Oceana and Viking on the ocean, me and my partner we decided this November to try a river cruise and, as we enjoyed our last cruise on Viking Star we decided for Viking again. The experience was a little bit different, but we loved every moment between Budapest and Amsterdam. Viking Lif is a lovely ship, not very big (we were 190 passengers on board), giving you the feeling that you are in an intimate environment with a subtle added touch of luxury. The stateroom was not very big, but comfortable with decent amenities. Our room stewardess Anna was above any expectations, friendly and helpful and always happy to have a nice chat with us. She managed to keep our room sparkling every without being intrusive and her smile was the best way to start our days. My only real gripe is the food which was a little bit disappointing with not a lot of variety and sometimes tasteless or nearly tasteless dishes, something like semi prepared food from a tin. But the service was impeccable, both in the restaurant and the bar with Harold and Saska making every meal special. We purchased on board the “all-inclusive drinking package” which was great with plenty of choice. The only think that was not included was the smile of the staff in the bar; maybe they were tired, but we didn’t see them smiling once. The Reception team were trying their best to be helpful but, most of the time they didn’t have time or information to answer to our questions, especially the young guy working during the night, who always “made up” answers which were far from what we needed. Ionut and Anita were great and at least were trying to help us as much as possible. Maybe, as a suggestion for Viking, the presence of a Concierge or Passenger Service Agent will be a great idea! We met the Captain once during an evening presentation in the lounge. Despite his impressive, scary look he was a very interesting character and his “double act” show with the cruise director was great. The Hotel Manager Jerry was very efficient despite the fact that he was sometimes quite abrupt with both passengers and his own crew. But he was always around the ship to check that everything was perfect…and it was! But, with no doubts, the biggest asset of the ship was our Cruise Director Leonard. We're blown away with his energy, creativity, impressive knowledge, superb manners, an incredible sense of humour. He is a true professional and has the charisma of a Jay Leno, or a Johnny Carson. Managing every aspect of our excursions and events on board he was always around when somebody had a question or need any kind of support. His lecture and presentations were simply amazing and we watch him both in the lounge or on television learning so much about Mozart and Main Canal, Dutch cheese and Sound of Music. Everybody on board loved him and that’s include the crew; I saw Leonard in Wurtzburg buying roses for all the room stewardesses and sweets for the staff in the restaurant. I think he is FLAT OUT the BEST in the business! His fun-loving and happy personality comes across within his work and it is clear why he is so popular and well regarded by everybody. If anyone has the pleasure of being on a cruise with him, be prepared for the best and informative cruise ever! Read Less

Probably one of the best trips I have had in my life! I have to admit since this was my first Viking adventure I didn’t know what to expect and was a little hesitant to stay 8 days on a boat, but WOW what a great time I had! The food was fantastic the staff was beyond excellent and the overall experience was just amazing. I enjoyed all of it but the one thing I would have to say that I was most impressed with was the professionalism of the staff, friendly, funny and always helpful and there for anything you needed. I really enjoyed the guided tours and the knowledge of all the tour guides. I learned a lot about the areas we visited and it inspired me to read more about those places once I was home. Overall, I would recommend a Viking tour for everyone at least once in your life, I am hoping to experience one many more times. I absolutely loved my vacation and my Viking experience very much!! Read Less

The itinerary was ideal. Starting in Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Durnstein, Melk, Passau, Regensberg, Nuremberg, then 3 days in Prague to finish with. Budapest & Vienna are stunning with the other locations not far behind. The ship was very good and the staff excellent. The cabins were well appointed. Ours was at the back so suffered a bit from engine/propeller noise. We had the "drinks package" which made things a lot easier but all guests were entitled to wine, beer or soft drinks with lunch & dinner. The excursions generally were good with quite a lot of walking so not good for disabled/elderly passengers. The only real disappointment was the food. Breakfast was standard buffet fare. Lunch was also buffet-style and pretty limited in choice. Salads were available every day but quite often wth no cold meats or cheese. Dinner was generally ok but never really exciting and portions were never generous. We appreciate that we were on a small ship so they could never compare with larger sea cruise ships. However, having been on other river cruises, we did find the catering a tad disappointing. Evening entertainment was virtually non-existent but that was fine - we never expected (or wanted) it. However the "crew's show" was awful, little more than silly party games! In the evening the lounge/bar area was pretty noisy so a "quiet" area would have been good. Would we go with Emerald again? Probably yes but there are many other river cruise lines to try first. Read Less

Travel agent recommended as one of the top cruise lines and the departure date fitted perfectly with our plans. Our cruise exceeded our expectations and we had the most amazing time. We departed from Budapest and loved it. We stayed there 2 nights before departure plus our embarkation time was 5pm so we had that additional time as well, so glad we did there is so much to see. Embarkation was not that great as our given time was 5pm ,so we didn't get shown to our cabin before welcome drinks. Everyone else was all dressed up, so felt quite uncomfortable. I heard that they aren't strict with times so get there earlier if you have been given a late time slot. We had mostly Australians on our cruise with some Canadians and Americans, what a great fun crowd, because it not a huge cruise ship you get to know most people. We are 60 year olds and some people were younger and some a bit older. All in all everyone was there to have a great time and did. The food and drinks were amazing and the choice was superb.the service of all staff was fantastic including the tour director she went on the tours in the background and it wasn't unusual to see her working at her desk when we were all going to bed. Her dedication to her job ensured everything went as planned.The best thing about the staff was they were happy and seemed to be enjoying themselves. I don't think anyone could complain, although the drinks weren't as strong in the second week which wasn't really a problem. Maybe we had drunk more than our quota. Twice they ran out of Baileys obviously very popular. Tours and Excursions were top notch. The buses were first class and all tours ran like clock work. They have a great choice and there wasn't one tour that we regretted doing. When the excursion included entertainment, food and drinks Scenic paid top dollar to the operators and everything was faultless. The only thing that let this trip down was the pianist come singer who couldn't sing, some nights were worse than others.I was hoping he would only be there for a week which was bearable but it was for the whole 2 weeks. We all had a laugh about how bad he was and I would think that wouldn't be employed again after the on board Scenic reviews.The on board local entertainers some were better than others and some very cheesy. I had a hair cut by the on board hairdresser and loved it, she was so excited to actually do a proper haircut from medium length to short.I thought cost was very reasonable. Disembarkation in Amsterdam was very good. They allow you to stay and eat if you have a later flight or hotel check in time.You just have to vacated your cabin to allow cleaning. We stayed 2 nights in Amsterdam to get to see the sights and so glad we did. I haven't stopped raving to all my friends about this cruise. Scenic are on the expensive side but you definitely get what you paid for which is the most important thing. Great value and we loved that everything is prepaid and inclusive. We will definitely book another cruise in the future with Scenic. Read Less

We chose Viking because it had the itinerary we wanted and at an excellent price. Best of all, EVERYTHING was included in the price of the trip...including internet (unlike some cruise lines, which charge $75 per minute...) and beer, wine & soda at lunch and dinner. Viking was a class act from the moment we stepped aboard until the moment the cruise ended. Viking went FAR BEYOND our expectations in every way. There was an included excursion at every port...sometimes two, and every time we left the ship, Viking gave us a cold bottle of water so we wouldn't get dehydrated. (Other cruise lines have the audacity to charge several dollars for a bottle of water.) When we returned from our excursions, they frequently had treats for us... The staff was fantastic, service was amazing, the rooms were spotless, the food was fabulous, the wifi was free (unlike other cruise lines that charge $ ..75 a minute.) The excursions, which were also included in the price, were exciting, interesting, educational and fun. The tour guides are well-spoken, engaging, entertaining, and knowledgeable, Viking was a superb value and an amazing cruise! Read Less

This cruise was the 5th with Viking and I am happy to say that nothing changes. Despite the fact that our ship was not a new one (2012) everything was impeccable - Very comfortable, very clean and was nicely appointed. We had a spacious balcony where we could sit and enjoy the passing scenery, well worth the extra money. The trips into port were always fun and informative with local tour guides. The only thing we lacked were bicycles but next time we will rent them in port. We were very impressed with the boarding process, after couple of failures with other cruise lines. Just when we stepped out of our cab was the first moment when we meet our charming Cruise Director Leonard. That smile, his energy and his impressive manners were always with us for the next 14 days. Depending on when you board, head to your cabin if it's ready (your suitcase won't be far behind, thanks to the crew's efficiency) or make yourself comfortable in the lounge, where you can suss out fellow passengers and have a light lunch. No fuss, no hassle, no stress. Only Leonard smile dropping some useful information regarding our first afternoon and evening in Budapest. Simple fantastic! To say I recommend this trip and Viking Cruises would be an understatement of a year and if you have different people at different stages of life, what I was most impressed with was that their is something for everyone. The housekeeping crew on board are exceptional, every detail in our stateroom was attended to, and the speed and efficiency that these crew work at is an immense achievement all co ordinated by the super competent Victoria The meals on board were quite good, nothing exceptional but the service balance the lack of “wow” for every lunch and dinner. The staff were incredible and Bogdan, the restaurant manager was simply amazing as I have quite complicated dietary restrictions and it was handled in such a quiet and efficient way. We had a lot of choices to eat a meal , on the Aquavit Terrace, in front or in the main restaurant , and plenty to eat . Excellent meal prepared according to our day destination or you can order what is on the menu......Beer and Wine was also excellent.... The crew were so professional and never once had their hand out for a tip, they did their job, because they love their job !!! There's no separation of cruise "class" distinction. We were all treated as elite members with everyone receiving great service by the entire staff on board lead by one of the best Hotel Directors I ever meet: Jerry. He was always ready to sort any types of problems on board, sometimes over the top, but always charming and helpful. Love him! One day arriving back after a long day of sightseeing, we were greeted with a luscious chocolate at the door! We appreciated the flexibility of attending the evening activities or just relaxing in our room. Service is wonderful. The staff obviously takes great.pride in learning about their guests. The very quickly learn or preference, red wine/ white wine, coffee/ tea. They have an.amazing ability to know your name after the first day. Last but not least our Cruise Director. Leonard was exactly the opposite of some of our previous experiences with Silver Sea and Regent( see our review about the arrogance and lack of customer care of some of the Cruise Directors) Nothing was too much from Leonard, being everywhere at any time with the same smile and professionalism. He is one the greatest pro's I have ever seen! He knew the itinerary like his own pocket having a story or a unusual fact for every places we visited. His daily lecture were like a Discovery channel shows: informative, interesting and funny. And taking in the account the number of passengers and excursion every day he was SO organised managing everything with no failure. And every evening, no matter how busy the day was, Leonard was in the lounge for a chat, for a dance or an exciting presentation. One night he organised a ABBA and ‘80s Party where HE was an excellent DJ! What a treat…people dancing everywhere and some of the crew joining too. Leonard was simply amazing, a great asset for Viking! Above all, the crew was amazing! Whether the room stewards, the wait staff, the bartenders or the officers, everyone was cordial and friendly beyond belief. They also transitioned seamlessly between tasks on the ship which was evidenced by their ability to move our luggage when departing like a well-oiled machine. Everyone from the Captain to the kitchen help worked shoulder to shoulder. To say I recommend this trip and Viking Cruises would be an understatement of a year and if you have different people at different stages of life, what I was most impressed with was that their is something for everyone. Already booked another 2 cruises with Viking! Can we have Leonard as a cruise director, please????!!! Read Less

We got a great value for cruising on Viking. Every aspect of our cruise was outstanding and well organized, including switching ships because of low water on the Danube. Program Manager, Stefan, was more than outstanding, including assisting my wife with her infected finger and getting medical attention for her. The little perks, water given at every port and excursions, welcome back drinks upon our return, maps of the cities and towns visited, free time after excursions created quite an experience. My wife and I have ocean cruised 16 times on various Cruise Lines, many not our choice but selected by the group we're traveling with. This was our first river cruise and one longer than a week. With the small ship we were able to meet those with whom we traveled as well as those not part of our group. I have posted about 2000 photo images of our cruise on my photography website, www.1stimage.com. Select the green zenfolio button to reach 13 galleries of our cruise. All staff was outstanding, food more than outstanding. We could not have had a better experience. We will cruise with Viking again. Read Less

There were many things that made this cruise a great choice. There was very little daylight time spent on the water and when there was, the staff made it an event. Overall, having worked in customer service, project planning and operations, I recognized that this cruise was well planned in every detail. My sister and I very much enjoyed the larger cities. The unexpected delight was in the smaller towns. The entire dining staff accommodated my dietary restrictions. Special thanks to Alex, Elvin, and our chef on this. Our house keeper Janet was always friendly and incredibly effective. She realized I had allergies and provided me with extra tissues without my asking. The program director, Dan, was engaging and effective. We went on included, optional and our own tours. He gave us plenty of options for taking our own side trips. He also offered a new optional tour called Vienna Up Close which was excellent. All the guides were great and the Up Close guide was the cream of the crop. Thanks again to all the Viking Vilhjalm staff for a wonderful trip. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the speakers - John Simpson, Martin Bell and Nick Thorpe. Most nights we were treated to informative and entertaining talks. The standard of accommodation was excellent. Dining could be described as 4 star - consistently good and well balanced throughout the week. We were very impressed by the meticulous planning of the activities and prompt timekeeping. Regarding the local guides, they were all first rate, knowledgeable and approachable with a good command of English. Most of the on shore visits were of interest but some were weak. However, it must be difficult to find venues at the very end of the season. There was a small swimming pool with current to swim against and bicycles on board to use at each port. We would be happy to recommend Emerald to others and would also consider cruising with them again. We would probably choose a different stretch of river. Read Less

I did not take this cruise to london and went west from budapest to amsterdam. it all started in budapest. i arrived one day early, just in case the luggage didn't appear on my british air flight from miami arriving on september 25. It gave me time to meet a friend who took me on a walking tour and we had the greatest sweet and coffee on this little side street. I stayed at the marriott hotel and had a view of a lifetime...facing the bridge and every famous building in budapest! the next day the meeting locale was at the intercontinental hotel, also on the river that separates buda from pest. i believe that the only negative of the entire trip, looking back at this point.. Was on the first day with avalon and took place at the get-together meeting at the intercontinental. the luggage was checked in and when i asked the agent in charge a question about the embarkation she said: "i can't answer your question...i am just here to check you in." she provided no happy "hello and welcome to avalon". This was quite disappointing as was the room where we met. there weren't enough tables and seats and no one met us from avalon. oh well...everything can't be great....maybe they will change this in the future. What made up for this poor beginning was the ship, the cabin, the dining experience, the entertainment, all of the superb service and we had a wonderful cruise director, sylvia, who lived just outside of amsterdam in the netherlands. The designer of the staterooms needs to be congratulated as well...all of the beds faced the sliding glass doors...you could see the sights by opening the curtains and then by opening the door. they provided all of us with a clear view of the countryside from your comfortable bed.. even the soaps and shampoo were superb...occitane... In the restaurant i always sat with the same waiter: pugi...what a super representative for avalon. Not that the other servers weren't great...but, pugi was the best. Have i praised this cruise too much? this is just the beginning. and i should mention that the shore excursions were great because they were geared for everyone. if a traveller had trouble walking, they could take the green gentle walk and even use walking sticks, or maybe the fast walkers would take the red guide for some great exercise as well as seeing the sites. i also was impressed with each guide on the excursions as headphones were supplied to everyone daily. Bottom line: i was never so impressed with a riverboat tour which travelled west from budapest to amsterdam. the avalon vista was spotless. what an experience. But i do have a second suggestion (in addition to the meet and greet at the beginning of the trip)...the gymnasium needs one more piece of machinery now that everyone is so into health and body. the best elliptical machine on the market is manufactured by lifefitness and it would complete the gym since they have all lifefitness machines already. viking does not even offer any exercise equipment or even a small room for exercise. i was told on the phone, when i inquired about an exercise facility: "our clients are older and don't want a fitness center!" i took total offense and hung up the phone. kudos to avalon again. they have the beginnings of a proper facility...now all that is needed is to enhance the exercise equipment experience by adding the elliptical which more and more people are now using. But,i should add that late at night while reading in the reading and lounge area...i had my cup of coffee and two cookies( the greatest fresh cookies). what's two cookies when i used the treadmill for one hour and did all of the walking on the tours. And finally, disembarkation was so perfectly planned, it was just like one of the large ocean liners. Bottom line #2: do i recommend avalon vista?...a definite yes. It's a great value for the money. The excitement you will experience will be happiness and decision you make as you plan your next avalon adventure somewhere else in the world. I am sold on avalon. and i thought that some of the other lines were okay. This is beyond okay...try it...you'll like it! Read Less

The ship was lovely. At one port we had to walk through two other ships that were not Viking ships, we noticed that our ship was much nicer than either of the others. The cabin was spacious enough, and was better laid out than any other cruise ship we have been on. The dining was excellent, the portions were just right; we were not "overfed" which was a plus. The entertainment was delightful with much of it being local performers. The entire staff and crew were friendly, helpful, and courteous. The included shore excursions were excellent. We spent two days in Budapest before we embarked, so we should have skipped the Budapest tour. The embarkation and debarkation process were made easy and seamless. We have already scheduled another Viking Cruise for September 2017. Everything was very good - friendliness and helpfulness of the staff, quality of the excursions, cleanliness of the ship, and quality of the food. It could not have been better. We especially enjoyed being given water in our room and as we exited for an excursion. Perfect vacation. Read Less

We wanted to cruise the Danube and see this part of Europe from the water. The cruise exceeded our expectations. It was extremely well organized, from soup to fish as the Brits would say. Our British host was funny and charming. The food was outstanding. All the cruise attendants were friendly, helpful and went the distance to be sure we had a great time. The extra tours were also well worth it. We had a back stage guided tour of the Vienna museum by the most knowledgeable docent who had been guiding for 20 years. One of a kind tour. The two abbey tours were also most interesting and we were delighted that some of our tour dollars were going towards their restoration. My husband really enjoyed all the locks we went through, and there were a lot. So not just pretty scenery; good infrastructure/engineering fun as well. We can't wait to do it again, in another location.We are looking at the Rhine cruise, to see more castles! Read Less