Viking is a great value for your dollar and the locations visited are wonderful! Never worried about safety during tours. Some of our tours were repeats and learned new information and perspective than on the first tour. Was nice to return to towns that had visited before and go back to shops that we had been to before. The Christmas Markets were amazing and enjoyed each of them. We find Germany rich in history and enjoy each stop. We have made 2 trips to Budapest and really enjoy the city. Our tour guide was amazing and so knowledgeable. She was raised there. When she was an adolescent moved to the US. Now her and family are back. She could really put the history in perspective. Cabins were always clean and staff very pleasant. Easy to find the Viking staff @ the airport and smooth process to get to the boat and back to the airport at the end of the cruise. The food was outstanding and the dining room staff awesome. By end of trip we all knew each others names and were treated like family. Read Less

I must first blame the whole thing on Rick Steves' travel series on PBS that got me interested in taking the Danube tour at Christmas time. I really had to see the Christmas Markets along the Danube. I saw that there was a deal for two with Viking, looked into it and immediately signed up. the tour was everything I expected. The ship was lovely, the tours were fabulous, and the staff was very attentive. The accommodations were small but neat and clean. The shore excursions were informative and enlightening. I love history as does my daughter who accompanied me, and what we got was lots of history. Prague was wonderful as was Budapest. The cities along the Danube were beautiful and fun to walk around. The tour guides were very good and well informed. We also enjoyed some extra tours, like the food tour in Prague, and the wine tour. All in all, it was a trip of a lifetime! Read Less

We had never cruised before, so chose a river cruise and the Danube in particular as we were keen to visit all the destinations on offer. From the moment we boarded the Viking Njord, everything was lovely. All of the staff were polite, efficient and really charming. We had a cabin on the lower deck, so only "portholes" to view out of, but it was perfectly adequate. The rooms, whilst compact have plenty of wardrobe space for clothes and there is plenty of space for luggage to be stored out of your way. A small but very functional shower room with an amazingly powerful shower (not sure what I expected there). Normally very independent travellers, we were overwhelmed by the total organisation to get all of the guests off the Ship at ports of call and into coaches for our various chosen excursions. As most were included in the overall cost of the holiday, I think we definitely received value for money. I can say that we definitely send a huge thank you to everyone onboard the Njord for helping to make our first cruise experience a thoroughly enjoyable - and to be repeated - experience. Wish you all a very merry christmas and happy new year. Read Less

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We took the Budapest to Nurnberg direction in late-November/early-December stopping at Vienna, Krems, Passau and Regensburg and had cabin 228. First off, the onboard housekeeping and food service staff and meals were excellent. There were food choices of local dishes as well as American fare (steak, burgers, chicken). When we booked this cruise our ship was to be the Tor then the Bestla then the Njord was a last minute substitution when Bestla was delayed upstream. Earlier that fall, longship Freya was taken out of service after it collided with a bridge causing the death of two wheelhouse crew so ships were juggled to fill cruise itineraries and we unfortunately ended up with Njord. We have cruised in cabins with French balconies on Avalon, Uniworld and Viking lines but the French balcony cabins on the Njord were the smallest of all. There was 12-inches clearance on each side of the bed. There was no room for a chair. The peek-a-boo bathroom had two glass walls (apparently to make the cabin appear bigger) and a dial that turned the translucent panes to clear glass. Maybe for a honeymoon suite but not here! Who wants to see their roomie shower or pee? Njord is the oldest of the longships and its floor-to-ceiling windows in cabins, lounge and dining room were not double glazed so cold drafts came with the view. Very appropriate that Njord was the Norse god of wind. The central hallway was narrow with a low ceiling. There were pale yellow bleach stains on some of the grey sofa cushions in the lounge. So Njord needed to be dry-docked and refurbished. Advent 2016 began on November 27 and marked the beginning of Christmas markets along the Danube, an annual event which appeared to surprise Viking Njord staff. Passengers expected to spend time at these seasonal markets but Viking was still on its summer tour program. Extended time with bus connections back to the ship were hurriedly worked into the schedule. At the Regensburg market, Viking booked 70 returning passengers on a 50-seat bus and had to hold back another tour bus to accommodate the overflow. These two buses arrived in the dark at Essinger Hof then Kelheim to wait for the ship to arrive thru the lock. In the pitch black with no lighting in the parking lots or on the gravel path sloping down to the riverbank, one woman fell, hit her head and went to hospital. The puny flashlight held by Program Director Boris was useless. Multiple public safety violations during this clumsy transfer. Overall, an interesting itinerary but if you want to experience the advent Christmas markets, check that Viking has allotted sufficient time and, try to get a different ship. Njord is not great (nor is their see-thru bathroom). Read Less

We really wanted to partake of Christmas markets, decor, entertainment and cuisine! This was to be our Christmas present to ourselves in 2016, and that it was! We were met on arrival in Frankfurt and again in Nuremburg to be transported to the ship without incident! My son and I were most taken with the tours, which included walking and bus! The tour guides were excellent, so well informed in so many aspects, i.e. History, geography, language, day to day life! They were humorous and easily understood! Walks weren't too long and buses were very comfortable! Have to say that we did tire of the outdoor markets, seemed so much of the same, but the indoor market in Budapest was wonderful, including the tasting of local products and making of crepes! Elsewhere, the churches, monastery and local architecture were fabulous to take in! Every city from Nuremberg to Budapest (and all of them in between) offered something unique and left us feeling as though we wanted to return there one day! It really wasn't too cold or too wet, considering it was winter, very similar to our home climate in Vancouver, B.C., Canada! The staff were great, always available to answer questions and help out, although with useful evening information sessions and daily notifications it wasn't even necessary! Even though we couldn't afford another room, (with a balcony or large windows) we had absolutely no complaints and would probably opt for the same again! The onboard meals were satisfying, fresh and delicious, often local dishes of the area were available as well as many other menu items and thus we had no desire to dine out! There was entertainment on board and always lots of friendly people....we made new friends! A coffee and pastry while warming up or a warm drink, gingerbread or even a shot of liquor along the walking tour was a timely treat! We sincerely encourage folks to experience this River Cruise and hope that it won't be a once in a lifetime occurrence for us! Departure as was as simple as arriving ! The only time we ever felt apprehensive was thinking we wouldn't get a flight (or at least one in time) to meet up with our ship to begin our cruise, as Lufthansa went on strike the very day we were leaving....but even that worked out well in the end, with a short extra stop in Canada! We weren't good at picture taking, but were able to buy pictures, taken during our tours, right on the ship prior to disembarking! Highly recommended! Read Less

Second European river cruise on Viking. First cruise was with a group of 8 on the Rhine in May, 2015 and river was too high to actually cruise. Got bussed to several locations on the itinerary and then moved from the boat to a hotel for the remainder of the trip. Received a voucher from Viking because of those issues and the group booked the Romantic Danube cruise starting in Prague and ending in Budapest. I opted for the Explorer Suite for the Danube cruise because business class airfare was included in the price of the suite. Our first boat was the Bestla and the suite was nice and well furnished. Seemed like it was going to be a very nice trip, until the engines started and we began to cruise. Noise level is high and slight vibration of the cabin when boat is underway. There was a barge accident on the river on day 3 and we ended up having to transfer to a different boat on day 5 (after more bus trips) for the remaining 3 days of the cruise. We transferred to the Njord, which is apparently a year or 2 older than the Bestla. Room was not nearly as nicely furnished as the cabin on the Beslta, but the bed and pillows were awful. The worst part however is that when the boat got underway, the noise level was so high you could not hardly talk in the cabin and the vibration of the engines was felt on the bed and everywhere in the cabin. The walls, table, and ceiling rattled the whole time the boat was underway. The last night the boat was docked in Budapest, but no sleep on nights 1 and 2 on the Njord. Can't say that I slept all that well on the Bestla, but there was a night and day difference between the levels of discomfort in the respective cabins. Spoke to the hotel manager on the Njord who admitted that Explorer Suites are loud and do have a lot of vibration when the boat is underway. He suggested the Vernada Suites on the 3rd deck -- which are much smaller, but do have a separate sitting area -- if you want a bigger room option. The are mid to front on the 3rd deck and the noise is apparently a lot less. Not sure I'm going back on a river cruise after the 2 experiences that I had this year and last. Read Less

Loved the small number of passengers. Loved everything about the trip, but the excursions could have been better. Organization and communication about the excursions had a lot of room for improvement. The tour director did not tell us a lot about the tours and the free time was extremely limited except for the last night in Germany. The ship was often moved from the time the tour started until we were ready to get back on the ship, making it difficult to maneuver transportation. The day trip to Austria to see where they filmed The Sound of Music conveyed nothing about it involving 2+ hours each way on a bus! The food was delicious, the booze package was reasonable, the bartender and staff were adorable and the wait staff could not have been friendlier. We really didn't understand what and when the food was available a the Bistro/end of the ship. Read Less

This was our first cruise. My two sisters and I went on the Romantic Danube. We loved the boat, the service, the food, the tours, the structure... we loved the cruise! The only thing that was unfortunate was we had to switch ships due to low water. We chose a cruise so we would not have to pack during our 8 days but alas............... we had to switch boats. We did spend more time on buses as a result going from one port to another but again this is minor in the big scheme of things. We have already booked another river cruise for 2017!.If you have any hesitation, put it aside. Viking makes it so easy from beginning to end. We bought the upgraded booze package and I am glad we did, was well worth the $$. Don't miss the Mozart private evening event if it offered! Weather was exactly as we expected for October. Read Less

We heard nothing but good concerning Viking, so we decided to book our first cruise with them. We were not disappointed. Prior to the cruise we received our personalized "Cruise Documents" which I thought was a very nice touch. It was a 55 page document that contained a brief synopsis of upcoming cruise, our cabin number, emergency phone numbers, dock location at the port of embarkation, etc.. The crew was absolutely outstanding, the boat was spotless, the food was out of this world and the whole experience couldn't have been better. The wait staff was very pleasant, didn't rush you during the meal and were very attentive. The first night, the boat left the dock to take a short cruise up and down the river in Budapest, so we could view the beautiful lights on the bridges and buildings. Shore excursions departed on time, were coordinated precisely and were very entertaining. All of the tour guides were very knowledgeable and entertaining. The entertainment was very good. Not only did local talent come on board for shows, but the crew put on some very entertaining shows and skits. We are already planning a second trip with Viking. Read Less