We chose this cruise (Bucharest to Amsterdam) for its length and itinerary. Just before leaving for Bucharest, we got an email from Viking saying that there might be a problem between Passau and Regensburg so we were prepared for a minor disruption in our journey. What happened though was it took us 4 boats and countless endless bus rides to complete our trip. Obviously Viking cannot be responsible for the water depth on the rivers; however, had we known how bad the situation was, we would have reconsidered taking this trip at this time. Several crew members on two of our ships told us that Viking had been unable to complete this trip since May, some 5 months before we arrived. Instead, Viking chose to minimize the impact of the low water and by the time we found out just how bad the situation was we were 7 days into our journey. Because long bus rides were required to take most of the included tours, we skipped them and just stayed on board. On one offering for Regensburg, passengers were given the opportunity to visit the city. My husband decided to go even though the trip started at 8:30 in the morning and didn't end until early evening. So a large group of people left for Regensburg and when they arrived discovered that it was a holiday and everything was closed! While they were able to have lunch (on their own) they had no choice but to mill about for 3-4 hours waiting for the bus to take them back to the ship. Viking did not think it was important to let everyone know that it was a holiday before they got on the bus! This was the longest and most expensive trip we have ever taken and we had high hopes that it would be one of the best. Instead we got a miserable cruise that did not provide much of what was promised. While Viking cannot be held responsible for the low water, they could have honestly told us what to expect and offer alternatives to taking this trip at this time. While we were given a 25% credit towards another Viking cruise, the base to which it applied was the base price of the cabin itself. We paid Viking $22,000 for this trip (cruise, flights, taxes and fees, and insurance) and got credits worth less than $4000; not enough to entice us to go with Viking again! Read Less

Low water on the Danube reduced the 10-day cruise to a week, with the remainder of the time in hotels in Budapest and Bucharest. "Included excursions" were often long bus rides from the Danube. Transfer from Budapest to Mohac, and from Nikopol to Bucharest were long, exhausting, and the major consequence of low water. Viking "system" greets passengers from airport arrival to departure. This aspect of the journey can be very stressful, but the Viking way makes it easy. The hotels were fine (Hilton West End in Budapest and Sheraton in Bucharest), if not necessarily located in prime tourist neighborhoods. Dining was an issue for us due to diet limitations (we can't eat lactose, and don't eat pork or shellfish); the maitre de (Gabor) did an excellent job assisting us. Only issue is the inflexibility of the dinner: 7:00 PM. There is no alternative. Program Director Stefan was superb. An important educational objective for us was to gain a better understanding of life before and after the collapse of the Iron Curtain as well as understanding the wars following the breakup of Yugoslavia. From formal briefings on board to the home visit in Croatia, we learned so much, honestly presented and with the vital historical context included. Overall, disappointing river cruise except for the educational component. 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

It was my third cruise with Viking River Cruises and I was extremely excited to return on board. Cruising the Passage to Eastern Europe with Viking was something I had been looking forward to this year as it had four countries I’ve never had the chance to visit and I was eager to explore. This time the ship was Viking Aegir but is good to know that the longship boats of Viking are essentially set up the same, the dining is good, and the staterooms are exactly what you need for the journey. The crew on board was what you normally expect from Viking: attention to details, manners, professionalism and always a special care for all passengers on board. Our waiter in the restaurant, a very pleasant young man from Argentina was mixing perfectly a family like atmosphere with very high standards and the manager in charge of housekeeping, Mirijana from Serbia, found always time to answer and solve all our request. The German hotel manager was a little bit abrupt and too much in to selling vouchers for next cruises (I bet he get a big commission with that) forgetting sometimes that he supposed to be a host and not a door-to-door salesman (especially during the Frequent Travellers cocktail when he invited everybody on board, talking for a very long 50 minutes and after that walking around forcing you to book your next cruise) On a negative side: the captain was very rude and unsociable and made everybody to feel uncomfortable during his evening lecture, despite the efforts of the Program Director to create a pleasant Q&A evening. Most shore excursions were very good, with interesting and knowledgeable local guides. However, many required very lengthy bus trips to the excursion sites. I will say that after doing three different itineraries with Viking River Cruises, this one was the most educational and enlightening. And all the praise goes to the Program Director Leonard for his huge knowledge of history, traditions, culture of the spaces we visited. He was working non-stop, almost 24 hours a day bringing his positive energy, his amazing personality, great sense of humour, elegant manners and enchanting conversations in a journey that gives you an opportunity to step into the Balkan’s turbulent past and experience the energy of a new generation moving forward. On each and every of his evening briefings, lecture, commentaries on the open deck or 1:1 conversation with all on board Viking Aegir, Leonard knew how to enlighten and open your perspective — the very core of travel for us. And for every moment of our trip he had a different approach: mixing historical facts with legends in his Dracula evening, genuine and heart-breaking talking about his early year in Ceausescu’s Romania, knowledgeable and incredible organised when coordinating in-depth tours at each stop and itineraries that touch on the highlights that make a memorable trip and fun and charming when he was leading the parties and entertainment on board Viking Aegir. What an asset for Viking! Bottom line: Viking River Cruises & Leonard – OUTSTANDING! Read Less

This was our very first River Boat Cruise. We have done many Ocean cruises and this is much slower, much more relaxing and much more intimate. The crew gets to know you by name and so do a lot of the other passengers. Service is excellent and personal and the prices are much lower than on the ocean cruises. We have a free walking type of excursion each and every day to explore the new location and this was great! Entertainment is limited as there is only room for the same performers for most of the trip. There is some stops where locals are brought on board and that was nice for a change. It is quick and easy to embark and disembark - this was a nice feature. No big lineups. The cruise director was excellent and even helped us set up our own customized side trip. We ended up changing ships due to the water level being too high at part of the River, and the Viking group made it simple and as easy as possible. I found that once I let myself slow down to relax the slower pace of this cruise that I did really enjoy the trip. And it was so nice to explore Countries and Ports that I have never been to. So yes, I would definitely go again. Read Less

I Truly enjoyed myself very much. The weather for two and half weeks was so glorious. I am so thankful for that. It was definitely Great scenery and So breathtakingly view. There are tons and tons of Stunning amazing history facts and so on. I also enjoyed being with small group and mingle with others. It was Really very nice. I had One big disappointment that you won’t provide interpreting services at all. If they have that, for sure I ll tell other Deaf people to go on Viking cruises. Hearing people and I ( Deaf person) paid the same price. Yet, they had greatly accessibility to listen to port talk announcement and so on. I can’t hear at all. All the crews were great. They deserve to be recognized. Please feel free to contact me and I d be happy to explain more. I hope to cruise with you again and I will appreciate huge discount. Thank you! Read Less

We chose this trip for location itinerary price timing Great places visited Great education, daily classes with Stefan which prepared us for following excursion. Super cruise director. Stefan A little disappointment due to water level, forcing ship change. True disappointment, no medical on ship. Wow, hard to believe with the age oft he clientele We really enjoyed the local guides on every excursion. The glass blowing exhibit was great, although we have not received our purchases as of August 30, 5 weeks post disembarkment. The vocal and instrumental entertainment was not very good. We did enjoy the games we played in the evening. Our servers in the dining room tried very hard to learn some signing because we had 5 Deaf people in our group. Great job. We were extremely disappointed that Viking made no effort to supply interpreters for our Deaf companions. In the USA, due to the ADA act, interpreters are supplied when needed. Since no interpreters were supplied my wife, I and our other hearing companion were forced to interpret constantly missing many items throughout the trip. Read Less

We chose this cruise from Budapest to Bucharest because we wanted to visit European countries that we had not visited before. It was FANTASTIC--a MUST DO! We are world travelers and could not have asked for better. We started with the pre-extension which was Prague and we were glad we arrived 2 days before the start date. There was so much to see and do, and it was easy to get around on our own. So we took advantage of seeing things that would not be included in the Viking package. But once we started the package, we were extremely pleased with what we got to see and do. The Palace, lunch, and private chamber concert were so much better than anything we saw that was offered through other tour agencies. And we were very pleased with the World War II tour. The guides for both were outstanding. We were then bussed to Budapest, Hungary traveling through Slovakia. After late afternoon and morning tours, we boarded our ship, the Viking Aegir. Embarkation was smooth and easy. The ship felt like home after watching the videos that Viking had provided; our cabin was perfect. The staff, room steward, waiters, chefs, entertainers, Hotel Manager, Nautical Officer, and Captain were very accommodating and personable, seeing to our every need. But special accolades go to the Program Director, Stefan. He made the cruise special, sharing his life experiences growing up in Croatia and what life was like in the countries we visited. And we would see him each day as he made himself available on the various shore excursions, and we enjoyed his "talks" each night about what we would see the next day. We loved the shore excursions, seeing life as it is today and learning the hardships the people lived through during and after the War as we visited Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania. We saw and visited large and small towns, not just the "tourist" places. We saw ancient ruins and modern buildings, we watched Hungarian horsemen and tasted a wide-variety of paprika, we enjoyed a beautiful day on the Danube going through the Iron Gates, and completed our trip in Bucharest. The staff made it so easy each day to leave the ship for shore excursions; giving us port information, water and umbrellas if needed, etc. And each day we returned we were met with warm towels and often a welcoming drink. We learned quickly to take the port information with us when one day a couple went off on their own and "missed the boat." The information allowed them to contact the ship and the couple took a taxi to a location on the river where the boat was able to pick them up. The food was amazing with something for everyone. And, as usual, we ate more than we should have and enjoyed every bite. We celebrated our 48th Wedding Anniversary onboard. We selected "friends" we had met onboard to sit with us, and the staff helped us celebrate with a wonderful meal, and singing to us as they presented us with a fabulous dessert. There were always activities on board; but sometimes we just enjoyed quiet time in our cabin taking a nap. And the top deck--sun-deck--was a wonderful quiet place in the afternoon and evening and especially the day cruising through the Iron Gates. Disembarkation was very easy and efficient. The hotels on both ends of the cruise were top-rated and were close to things to see and do. Would we do it again! Yes, we would love to spend more time on different shore excursions -- but this was our second Viking Cruise, the first being China. Viking has so many interesting cruises, we would more than likely do a different cruise before we would take this one again. **A special hint: We joined the Viking trip after completing a previous tour of 10 days in Russia. So, we had our laundry done at the hotel in Prague. We found out that it would have been half the price if we had waited to have it doneon the ship. Read Less

We had been looking forward to the Grand European Tour from Amsterdam to Budapest on Viking. The itinerary was perfect for our interest. It was a miserable experience. We arrived early morning in Amsterdam and were not given a room until 5:00 pm. Viking should have had some activities planned upon arrival along with an introduction to Amsterdam (location of ATM, bank, transportation logistics). I got sick after 10 days because of no hygiene procedures on ship. The only hand sanitizer was by the main dining room. NO sanitizer upon entry, other dining room, into lounge or any other care for guests. Viking did not show any concern for over half of the ship being ill. They were non apologetic for my concerns on my return home and very arrogant in customer relations. I was very surprised at the total lack of customer concern and will never cruise with them again and not recommend Viking line. We were also expected to pay gratuities for a $9000+ Per person cruise. Yes I expect to pay gratuities for a lower price cruise but not for one in this price category. Also had to pay for laundry as no laundry facilities in board. Read Less

From May 25 – Jun 8, 2018, my wife and I went on a Viking River Cruise: The Grand European Tour on the ship Viking Aegir. It started out in The Netherlands, and traversed through Germany, Austria, and Hungary. I have deliberately waited about two weeks before summarizing the trip for anyone who might be thinking of taking a similar cruise. Rather than write in prose, I decided to put forth the cons and pros of the trip. If you do not care to read this listing of cons and pros, let me simply summarize by noting that the Viking River Cruise advertisements and brochures naturally only paint the brightest of pictures; and, in all likelihood, deliberately hide much of the reality. Cons - I believe the ship was responsible for getting people sick, especially when fresh air was denied to guests during the “lock” downs of the upper deck. We were sick for one-half of the trip, with sore throats, non-stop coughing, and nasal congestion. - There was no recognition or acknowledgment from the ship’s staff, especially the program director who spoke to all the passengers each day, of the rampant viral infection circulating among the guests. Approximately one-half of the boat was sick with this infection. A simple acknowledgment would have gone a long way, as well as a reminder for people to sanitize their hands often. - There was never any mention before the trip that the ship would be going through 69 different locks (canals) on the rivers. Due to low bridge clearance at these locks, the upper outdoor deck was closed for 5 straight days. This limited the amount of fresh air for the guests and very likely contributed to the viral infection that plagued half of the ship’s guests and crew! We were “sardined” in the lounge area instead of enjoying the fresh air of the outdoors. We did notice that other Viking ships had their upper decks available. These were exactly the same ships. - The Viking commercials show you a beautiful ship docked next to a magnificent castle or church…beautiful sights and scenery. As a result, we booked a “veranda suite” room with an outdoor balcony/veranda. What they failed to mention is that your boat is but only 1 of 4 other Viking boats visiting the same ports at the same time!! We would wake up, open the curtain to our veranda and be, literally, a few inches away from another Viking ship. What a rip-off! These other ships offered the same excursions at the same time as our ship, making it that much more crowded everywhere we went. Again, it is not what was in their advertising. - There was not enough free time for many of the shore excursions to explore a city on your own. This was especially true in Salzburg. We had about 1.25 hours between the end of the guided tour and lunch….and then only 20 minutes after lunch. It would have been much better if the free time was all clumped together. - The lunch banquet in Salzburg was extremely rushed and very crowded! There was no salad or appetizer course and no coffee after lunch was served. The waiters were practically running to get the food on and off the tables. - Before we arrived in Vienna, Austria, we were informed the night before by the ship’s program director of the many wonderful Austrian coffee houses that we could visit; however, there was no time available to enjoy a coffee house, due to the precious little time available to explore Vienna on your own. - When the upper deck was opened, there were no umbrellas put up for shade. We had to use the rain umbrellas provided by the ship. Yet, other Viking ships that we saw had their crew put up umbrellas on the upper deck. - In the Aquavit Terrace, one of the canopies (the middle one) that would provide shade could not open and was never fixed for the entirety of our 14-day trip. - The advertisements and brochures claim that you could enjoy dinner on the Aquavit Terrace; however, what they do not tell you is that, there are only 6 tables set for dinner and that you need to secure those tables by 5:30p for a 7:15p dinner serving. In short, it was first-come, first-serve only. We never got the chance to eat dinner on this terrace. - Not a big deal, but the wi-fi on the ship was much to be desired. Not a Pro or a Con, but just a fact. - The average age of the people on our Viking River Cruise (Grand European Tour) was about 75+: We are in our late 50’s. - When we went out to the local pharmacy to buy drugs for our sickness, we met the ship’s hotel manager, who was buying drugs for the sick crew-members. Pros - The cities, sites, and scenery are beautiful and magnificent. We visited many cities that we would not have ever thought to visit on a vacation. It was truly breathtaking. - The staff provided very good service and were always willing to help. - The “veranda suite” room that we had was terrific. It had a separate living room/lounge and a balcony/veranda. The latter offered stunning views, when not docked a few inches from another Viking ship, which, unfortunately, was too often. - Early in the trip, our shower overflowed into the bedroom. The staff was excellent in drying out the rug and made extra certain that all was okay. They even left us a bottle of champagne and chocolates for our troubles. Again, excellent customer service. - The musical program during the banquet lunch in Salzburg was very entertaining. - The tour guides for both the included and “extra” excursions were very good. They knew so much of the history of the cities, sites, etc. We learned a lot. - The breakfast and lunch on board the ship was excellent. The dinner was good, although we expected better. The chef cooked local cuisine, depending on the city we had recently visited. We enjoyed tasting foods from different countries. - The cleaning staff did a wonderful job cleaning our room and doing the laundry. They were very thorough and did an excellent job. - The transfers to/from the airport and ship were extremely smooth. The drivers were waiting for you as you located your luggage. Plus, we had a private car to ourselves upon arriving from the U.S. to take us to the ship. - We met some of the nicest people on board the ship. Everyone was extremely friendly. Read Less