We wanted to see the Christmas Markets and this seemed an efficient way to do this. It was our first ever river cruise, and we were lucky to be able to sail the entire way given this year's chronic low water issues. Most of the staff were outstanding; very warm and helpful except perhaps for the tour director Lee, who seemed a bit prickly and distant at times. The weather was VERY cold, and this may not have given us a true picture of what river cruising is like, as the outdoor areas of the ship were unusable, and several of the excursions were bitterly cold, including the one I had most looked forward to, to Cesky Krumlov. I have been an independent traveler for most of my life. I don't like tours, and some of the excursions were a bit too programmed for my taste (though the guides were all excellent). Not sure if I will try another river cruise at this point. Read Less

After 35 cruises, this was the most disappointing ever, mostly a bus trip and Viking cruises are not cheap! We have been on a Viking Ocean cruise and loved it and decided to give their river cruises a try. Viking emailed us just before the cruise about the Danube river problems and we would now spend the1st night on a boat docked in Budapest, then pack up and take a bus 150 miles, thus losing half of the river cruise. They did offer a discount for the situation, but not for this cruise. We have to book a future cruise to get any compensation. We had a French balcony cabin, floor to ceiling sliding glass, how great that should have been for a view. Only for the first 4 days we did not move and had another Viking boat tied up next to us so we looked right at another ship's cabin. I could open the glass door and touch the other ship's cabin rail.....what a view! Even if the boat did not move we at least should have been able to enjoy looking at the river. Finally one day the boat moved for around 3 hours so we had a day time cruise to enjoy the shoreline. The next few nights we only moved during the pitch black night, no view. So out of our "7 day cruise" we had only 3 hours of day light cruising to see the river. Bummer. Sure not like the TV ads you see. The last few days we were at a dock with a view of the bank, still unable to enjoy a river view from our cabin. The dining was OK, but we expected more. Only a choice of the same 4 entrees that did not change, or 2 entrees of the day. Real hassel was there was not a single table for two in the dining room. Only tables for 6 or 8. Sometime after a busy day you just feel like eating dinner and calling it a day, or maybe you and your wife would like a nice dinner alone. Can't happen here. It is nice to eat with strangers sometimes, but not every meal all week long. An hour plus of chitt chat is hard every meal. The Viking Ocean cruise we took did have tables for 2 in the dining room. The boat it's self was wonderful. Cabin great. Captin on down, all the staff could not have been better. The cruise director, Sonya, was the hardest working person maybe in the world. She had such up in the air matters to deal with on this cruise, (all the buses all the time) but did a wonderful job. The shore tour guides were all very good and interesting. We do plan to take future Viking Ocean cruises, but not Viking River cruises. Read Less

Danube Waltz - the cities we were going to with the rich history in each was the leading factor. Seeing the comfort of being on the ship and cruising down the river was total enticing. Unfortunately, we arrived when the river was historically low and did not get to spend the afternoon in Budapest. We got a panoramic bus ride then bused all the way to Vienna by passing Bratislava. We were bused back for a panoramic bus ride tour of the city and no free time again. Had to get back on ship. Next day awoke in Krems and had to move with the water going down more. We moved to Melk and were bused back to the Gotweig Abby. Lots of busing for the first 4 days! The Viking staff and program director bent over backwards trying to please everyone. Lesson learned - Viking should cancel when mother nature is in control. Read Less

The cruise exceeded expectations despite the problems associated with the river's low levels. The locations visited and the excursions all were excellent. The guides were knowledgable and usually from the area so included stories about the location and their life in the villages. The crew and particularly the cruise director worked hard to make this a fantastic trip and succeeded. Their friendly and helpful attitudes made the trip even that more fun. The room was always quickly serviced and the people working in the dining area made each meal an enjoyable experience. One excellent facet of the river cruise was the small number of both crew members and fellow travelers allowed one to get to know everyone more easily. The live music provided was very good and the extra entertainment was excellent. The three young women providing both classical and popular music were particularly enjoyable. Overall, an excellent and memorable experience. Read Less

Wanted to maximize our tour while traveling to Europe. The Grand European made sense. Pre trip two days in Budapest. Enjoyed the extra time exploring both sides of the city. The low water meant bus trip from Budapest to Vienna. This did not go over well. Had to move to a different hotel. Pack the bags extra time. Then 3 hour bus trip before getting on the Viking VE. The crew did everything possible to make us fell welcome. The crew on the VE was exceptional. Then we got under way but 5 days later we had to again be bused because of low water. Change ships was not good. Had to pack all the bags and bus to next ship. Also had to be bused to shore excursions which added a lot of bus time. The new crew did very well but my opinion they did not match the Viking VE crew. Rest of the trip went well. Read Less

Heard about Viking.....checked out alternatives.....determined that Viking had best to offer for us....of course, it had nothing to do with the fact that we are Norwegian Americans! Our flight got us to Amsterdam quite early.....airport representatives did not have us on any list....nonetheless, the representative that was there had us transported by vehicle to our boat - too early to access room, as departing cruisers had not left yet (for the most part). We had access to the lounge and the dining room for breakfast - got to engage with departing cruisers, and got pointers on highlights of the trip.... We were NOT disappointed, even though we had to switch boats at the 7th or 8th day. The switch was seamless, and almost not noticeable (except for having to pack and unpack midcruise). The staff of the Viking Gefjon was simply superb - most notably Lubo the tour director. His leadership and seeming omnipresence throughout the cruise was noteworthy and greatly facilitated the transition midcruise. Read Less

Changed ships and spent 4 days in hotels..was a 15 day cruise I paid for. First ship, the was food ok., but there was someone elses blood all over my comforter and they dumped the sewage into the river..smelled and looked gross!! And it is illegal. Food on Ve was not good. Service on one side of ship was terrible. Not a luxury cruise at all! Paid Viking over $20,000. SO NOT WORTH IT!! The most expensive, but most boring cruise of the 15 cruises I've taken! Have had much better at half the price!! Staff lies to us about and company waits til last minute to mention water levels are low. 2 game nights, other than that, entertainment consisted of a guy playing piano and a girl singing. VERY BORING! NOT ENOUGH ACTIVITIES ON BOARD! Excursions were ok, but all were walking tours of 3-8 hrs. Very exhausting. And so much for unpacking only one time! By the end of this nightmare, I will have unpacked a total of 4 times. Read Less

A traveling companion found that Viking was offering a 2 for one deal plus air fare so signed up for it. We sailed from Amsterdam to Budapest with many fun interesting along the way. We were to sail on the Viking Ve but due to river conditions, shallow water, we started on the Viking Gefjon and had to change to the Ve about half way. The crew on both ships made the swap very easy and painless and both crews were very accommodating. This was our first river cruise and first with Viking we found everything on board to be top notch and shore excursions were fun and interesting. Our cruise director, Sam was absolutely fantastic not sure when he slept as he was always seemed to be out and about while we were underway and was always available while coordinating shore excursions. Would we sail with Viking again? Oh Yea! Read Less

We really liked the attention to details. Viking seem to anticipate potential glitches and addresses them before you realized them. Even when the ship was delayed in a lock, the shore excursion that was meeting up with the ship down river found that we were delayed and the Program director, not to panic, took the shore group to a pub to wait our arrival -- when the world gives you lemons . . . It was wonderful to experience new places, foods, cultures both on board and on shore excursions. We added a few optional excursions that were of special interest to us however, the included ones were more than exceptional. I would recommend bringing clothes with expandable waistbands as the food is top notch, it was plentiful. If anyone goes hungry, it is their own choice! The food service staff paid attention to every detail -- even noticed that my soft boiled eggs weren't soft and immediately reordered them. Read Less

GETTING ON AND OFF THE VESSEL VERY SMOOTH AND EFFICIENT, SHIP WAS VERY CLEAN IN ALL AREAS The crew was the best i have ever experienced on any of my 20+ cruises we have taken. The food the first week was not up to my standards. Breakfast was great lunch when we had it was passable dinner the first week was not up to my standards the steaks had no flavor and cold. The soups were weak and loose tasting and the fish did not tasted like they were frozen before cooking. The wines served were excellent. The included tours were very good and informative the only complaint was waiting for the bus after the personal time on shore there was no seating at the meeting place for the buses and after a long day of walking standing for an additional half hour is very trying on the legs and back. The cruise director was probably the best in the business in my opinion he was always nearby to answer any question you had. THE ENTERTAINMENT WAS WHAT I EXPECTED ON A VENUE OF THIS SIZE We enjoyed our time at the lounge and danced until closing every night. FINALLY MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT WAS THE FLIGHT WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES We had no choice of seats and were seated apart from each other until i complained to the desk. Then we got seats going to amsterdam that did not recline and were in the middle on the plane with very little leg room. Sitting next to me was a 300+pound woman that snored all the way there and had an odor that was wrenching. The trip home was horrible as well tight seating screens your could not see for movie watching and seats that also were in the back and reclined a little.. Read Less