Balcony

Outside

Suite

Viking River Cruises

River Cruises

Amsterdam

Basel

Budapest

Europe - All

Europe - River Cruise

Europe River

Europe - British Isles & Western

Netherlands

Rhine River

Germany

Switzerland

France

Danube River

Germany River

Austria

Slovakia

Belgium

Excellent

Very Good

Average

Terrible

Poor

Viking Emerald

Viking Mani

Viking Forseti

Viking Rinda

Viking Kvasir

Viking Var

Viking Alruna

Viking Hlin

Viking Kara

Viking Eir

Viking Atla

Viking Idi

Viking Kadlin

Viking Ingvi

Viking Jarl

Viking Tor

Viking Tialfi

Viking Aegir

Viking Alsvin

Viking Rolf

Viking Embla

Viking Buri

Viking Delling

Viking Lofn

Viking Hermod

Viking Gullveig

Viking Bragi

Viking Idun

Viking Gefjon

Viking Vidar

Viking Baldur

Viking Magni

Viking Legend

Viking Lif

Viking Skadi

Viking Heimdal

Viking Skirnir

Viking Njord

Viking Modi

Viking Astrild

Viking Egil

Viking Vilhjalm

Viking Odin

Viking Ve

Viking Vili

Viking Mimir

Viking Beyla

Viking Ingvar

Viking Hild

Viking Truvor

Viking Hemming

Viking Akun

Viking Torgil

Viking Helgi

Viking Osfrid

Viking Herja

Viking Einar

Viking Sigyn

Viking Gersemi

Viking Ra

Viking Sigrun

Viking Fjorgyn

Viking Hervor

Viking Radgrid

Viking Mekong

Viking Tir

Viking Ullur

Viking Kari

Viking Vali

Viking Skaga

Viking Mississippi

Viking Gymir

Viking Rurik

Viking Helgrim

Viking Osiris

Viking Egdir

Viking Saigon

Viking Mandalay

Viking MS Antares

Viking Freya

Lives up to the hype!

European Sojourn: 22 days from Bucharest to Amsterdam.   July - August 2023

My wife and I have enjoyed almost a dozen ocean cruises including two very favorable cruises on Viking.  This was our first river cruise, and we had heard so many favorable things about it.   We have traveled extensively throughout Europe and hoped this would add favorably to our great experiences. 

Unfortunately, a majority (perhaps over three-fourths) of the passengers and crew was infected with respiratory and/or gastroenteritis infections.   The program director stated that our ship had reached "Condition Red".  Nevertheless, there was no enforcement or even encouragement of the use of sanitizing stations prior to meals.  There are no medical personnel on the ship.   There was constant coughing, and masks were rarely worn.  The Program Director was on duty while visibly ill. 

Due to a significant staff shortage, as a result of these medical issues, service was subpar, especially in the dining room.  Entire courses were missed simply because the dining staff couldn't keep up.    Although the food was never terrible, only one meal would be considered outstanding. 

The excursions rarely offered anything other than the usual "castles and churches" and required long bus rides to unremarkable sites.  However, I was very impressed with the guides who were consistently knowledgeable and personable.  I also appreciated the fact that the excursions started exactly on time. 

We didn't expect entertainment, fortunately.  There was one musician and the occasional folkloric dances. 

Internet was very spotty even in our third-floor cabin very near the middle of the staterooms.  We were forced to use our own cellular service.  In 2023, adequate Wi-Fi is a base-line requirement.    I knew the French Balcony stateroom would be small, but moving about in it was very awkward. 

Our Program Director was perhaps the biggest disappointment.   His condescending, snarky manner was ill-suited for his role.  Incredibly, he acknowledged the many issues with the voyage but still strongly encouraged passengers to give marks "Far above expectations" since "nobody was at fault".    Anything other than "Below expectations" would have been dishonest, and I resent the pressure to rate otherwise. 

Viking Ocean is a totally different experience, but this was our last Viking River cruise.

Community Team

What a disappointment!

This was our first Viking cruise...and in fact our first cruise of any type.  We're experienced travelers but generally go our own way.  We chose this cruise to see a part of the world we hadn't visited, and to celebrate our 39th anniversary.  Pluses:  our room was comfortable (we knew it would be small, no problem); the Viking crew seemed to be appropriately committed to our comfort and satisfaction; and the tour guides were well-informed and gracious.  Two big minuses:  (1) meals -- they took too long (1.5 hours for most dinners because of how slow the food was delivered) and started later than we wanted; we generally tried but didn't like the local food options; and every meal we had to repeatedly ask for them to refill our water glasses, while they consistently refilled wine glasses without being asked (we don't drink alcohol).  (2) excursions were interesting, but many of them involved long bus rides (more than 30 minutes) in buses that didn't have good enough air conditioning to keep us cool in 100-degree-plus temperatures. We knew it was going to be hot, but didn't expect those long, hot bus rides.  Some other minuses:  we had to wait more than an hour at the airport in Bucharest for our bus to arrive to take us to the hotel (they blamed traffic); one night at 10:00PM our TV locked up "on" and couldn't be turned off / dimmed (I managed to unplug the HDMI cable so we could get to sleep without the bright light from the screen).  Will we use Viking again?  Perhaps.  Would we take this particular cruise again?  Definitely not.

Some very interesting excursions, but very slow meals and too much time on hot buses

Jost Van Dyke

We had a very good friend recommend Viking River cruises, specifically this one.

We had a good time, but was so disappointed with having to be bussed to change ships and to several towns. Because of this we missed a lot of the scenery that is so integral to a river cruise and why we chose this one. We also did not have the scheduled glass blowing demonstration on board and missed free time in some of the cities we toured. 

We understand that the river was high and that was out of  Viking's control, but we feel that our first river cruise with Viking was not what we had hoped (especially this cruise was postponed 3 times for us, twice because of COVID and the other was because of the river being low and we were told we would have to be bussed to some of the destinations and we didn't want that).

We also were unable to spend much time on the top of the boat. It was not because of the rain, but because the top needed to be lowered to go under bridges and it took too long to put up and down. The few times that it was set-up for viewing, even with the rain, we spent time up on the top taking in the view. 

The dining service was better on the Lofn. The servers on the Lif were courteous, but it seemed they were understaffed. We frequently had to ask for water refills and drinks.

We found out on Easter Sunday that Vienna was practically shut down Sunday and Monday. We would have scheduled a Viking e-bike tour for Monday. By the time we discovered that, it was too late to join. 

The walking tour groups were too large. Even though the quiet boxes worked well, we could not see what the guide was talking about if we were near the back. Just one slow person can hold everyone back.

Changing ships and bussing

We've been interested in a European River Cruise for some time, and Viking did not disappoint!  The ship was immaculate, the service top notch, and the food was outstanding.  We loved the free excursions in each port.  Our cruise director, Oliver, was on top of everything, especially during the strike in France.  Viking went above and beyond to assure the strike did not interfere with our adventure. 

The nightly dinners were the best I've experienced while cruising.  Each night had options that were from the region in which we were sailing, and the quality was outstanding.  Don't bother worrying about the house wine options.  They were excellent and we loved supporting local wineries from the regions.

We had a balcony stateroom, and although they are quite small, they're beautifully decorated, and you won't spend much time in your room as the best views while sailing are in the lounge and sundeck.  The bath products were high end and very much appreciated.  

The concierge was very accommodating in assisting with scheduling a massage at our hotel at the end of our journey.  We could get very spoiled by the attention and we highly recommend the Rhine River Cruise on Viking!

Viking exceeded all our expectations for our first time cruise. The Viking cruise overall value and quality are top notch. Sites, tours, communication, ship, staff, ship captain, staff leaders, gourmet food, state room, entertainment, cleanliness, service, comfort, etc were all outstanding. Cruising on a river, only adults and the very small number of people are perfect. Evening entertainment was good/adequate, but the classical music night was outstanding. Oliver (in charge of excursions, etc) was so funny and did a great job, but we would have liked more time in the Black Forest to hike or do a volksmarch, and more free time in some of the other town stops. It may help to stay a little longer at some of the bigger towns or provide a small packed lunch versus rushing back for lunch on the ship. There is an included tour at each stop, plus optional tours which all sounded great. However, we tried to maximize free time to explore the local towns on our own, which we love to do. Some of our favorite things were eating at bakeries and Café’s, sampling local beer in the old taverns, long walks in the historical towns/architecture and visiting some very beautiful churches. Make sure you attend the interesting talks and visit the ship “wheel house” where the captain and 1st officer spent time explaining the ship’s controls and navigation, and letting us get pictures (very interesting for a nerd engineer!). We recommend taking the Viking option to flex your airline dates and staying extra days on your own in Basel and Amsterdam. Extra days on the front end also help make sure you get to your cruise on time (aka if delays) and give you a couple of jet lag recovery days before the cruise. We scheduled our own hotel for the extra days, but our friends purchased the extra front end tour in Lucerne and loved it. We stayed 5 extra nights in the old part of Amsterdam and had a wonderful time exploring on our own.

Thanks Viking for a wonderful trip!!

Amazing first time cruise on the Rhine River

My husband and I chose the Rhine Getaway because we wanted to travel the Rhine. Viking did not disappoint. We had an amazing time. We loved the smaller group on the long boat and met wonderful people. The free daily excursions were amazing and the guides were knowledgeable. If you didn’t want to purchase any extra excursions you would see a lot and have a wonderful time. We did purchase a couple extra excursions along the way and they were well worth the extra money. Our cabin was cleaned daily. Everyday the chef explains what he has prepared for dinner. We really enjoyed the large tables and sitting with new people during meals to make friends. The service and food on Viking is like no other and we are now spoiled and cannot wait to travel with Viking again. I highly recommend Viking and tell all my family and friends planning vacations to check them out.

Rhine Getaway

We wanted to do this cruise, and the time lined up correctly with some other tour plans.

The Viking experience - ship, food, and program - was simply outstanding.  The program director, Gabor, was fantastic, and as a native of Hungary, was able to give many personal insights and great stories about life behind the Iron Curtain.  The evening "port briefing" before dinner each day was informative and entertaining. The executive chef and his crew were tremendous, as were the wait staff and bar crew.  Housekeeping was impeccable. 

 Our captain on the second leg of the trip (Budapest to Bucharest) was extremely friendly and gave extensive "tours" - really 45 minute teaching sessions) about the wheelhouse, the operation of the ship, the locks, and any other questions that anyone had.  The tour guides were mostly fantastic - educated, very informative, personable, and sort of sarcastically funny about their countries' weak spots.  We learned, in several countries, about "Commie Condos" - the local term for the Soviet-era concrete walk-up apartments that the locals live in (but hate).  We saw lots of the area - city, suburban, and some beautiful rural countryside.  Some of the tours were a bit strenuous (lots of climbing, like in Duracula's Castle).  We walked just shy of 2 miles per day if there was one excursion, maybe 3.5 if there were two.  The day in Vienna that we had three excursions was exhausting (my problem, not Viking's - I'm 69 years old).

If there was a mixed bag, it was the other guests.  On the good side, we met a LOT of terrific people - from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the USA.  Interesting, friendly, fun to talk with, and hope to stay in contact with in the future.  There were, however, a few demanding, entitled, rude and inconsiderate guests who made the excursion experience less that outstanding.  Folks who were sick but didn't stay home or take precautions (one in particular sounded like he as going to cough up a lung, constantly for 23 days - no mask, nothing).  Folks who don't listen to instructions (because they won't shut up when they are being given), who stand in front of sights while others are waiting for a long time to see.  Folks who don't use the bathroom before they leave for the tour, because they have to stop for a "bathroom break" 45 minutes in to the tour.  And the "mobility impaired" people who refuse to stick with the "slow walker" group, who drag down every other group to a snail's pace.  (It's a personal beef - I have my own limitations, but "slow walking" is extremely uncomfortable for me. I'm happy to "step out" though).  Viking needs to take an active role in managing the mobility impaired people on board.  Note for future travelers - an ordinary wheelchair does NOT do well on cobblestone and brick roads and sidewalks, which is all there is on this tour.

An excellent view of life in Europe's major river basins.

My mom and I did this cruise with a different company and had a blast. Viking’s program was awful and felt cheap. Way to much busing, no small town stops. The worsted we playing catch-up to the ship each day. Our ship lost an engine instead of moving to a new one we lost a day while they fixed it and put us up in a hotel. We did get individual room but that was probably because of almost everyone was sick with a cold or Covid. The guides were OK but nothing special. The tour choices were Ok. The food was very good and the service a 3 out of 5 depending on who you had. Docking sites were way out of towns with limited or no bus transport. We actually got bored, the entertainment was the same, just named different, only one group of entertainers was any good. The glass blower most have been stoned. I would not choose a Viking River Cruise again.

Big Mistake

As first time cruisers, we didn't know what to expect. The cabin with a balcony was first class and much roomier than we anticipated. The table and chairs out on the balcony gave us the "living room" we needed and the rest of the room and bathroom were very comfortable. I loved being able to unpack and stow my suitcase under the bed! From the bottled water in our room everyday, to the 24/7 coffee and cookies, to the gourmet meals with local choices, we were impressed with the attention to detail by the staff (especially Rommel!) and the pampering we received every time we walked about the ship. The treatment did not seem "fake" and we developed some wonderful relationships with the staff during the cruise. The excursions were top notch and we saw and did things that would not have been possible if we weren't on a Viking Cruise. The amount of time on the excursions and the "free time" we were extended were well balanced and we did not feel rushed nor bored. The evenings in the lounge were very relaxing and enjoyable and allowed us to connect with many other cruisers from around the world! The lounge activities were varied and had something for everyone: a history lesson from a local professor, a talented singer/pianist, and fun games. We enjoyed our first cruise so much, we already purchased vouchers for our next cruise. Well done, Viking!!

Beyond Our Expectations

Horrible Experience.  Viking was completely disorganized and acted like they had never done this before.  The food was horrible. The internet service rarely worked.  Your on-board account didn't work and they never got it working.  They cancelled your shore excursion without telling you until the day of the excursion, at which point it was too late to schedule something else. Then, they wanted to refund the shore excursion costs in Euro's rather than the US dollars I paid, and because the exchange rate had become even, I didn't get my full amount of my money back without a huge argument. When they were transferring my bag to the riverboat, they broke the wheel on the bag and never had the decency to tell me about it.  I had to contact corporate about the damage to my $425 bag and what they were going to do about it. Eventually, they agreed to compensate me. I can say with certainty that I will never do another Viking River Cruise, because I believe that they are "living' off their reputation.

10 Night Passage to Eastern Europe

Filters

1-10 of 156