First ... a shout out to our wonderful “included” tour guides. We especially enjoyed Sylvia Seifert whose extended tour in Regensburg (including Jewish history and the Stumbling Stones Project) was spectacular. Another terrific guide -whom we were with today in Cologne- was Ralph (sorry no last name). His knowledge of history was extensive. In a very brief period we learned so very much. Finally ...
This is only the second cruise ever for my wife and me - our first was a brief ocean cruise from Florida to Bahamas on another major line, and we were not overly impressed. For years, though, we always wanted to try a river cruise, and after years on Viking's mailing list, we decided to take the plunge. We are so glad we did - we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We took the Grand European Tour, ...
We chose this trip because of the itinerary, our German heritage and the size of the ship. We liked the smaller amount of passengers allowing us to get to know people over the course of the cruise. We loved the included tours as well as the optional choices. Our cabin was spacious and very comfortable. Dining options were wonderful and the crew was superb. The menu was varied depending on the ...
We lucked out - fantastic weather (only rained on once for about 10 mins), we had no water level issues, and although we had to swap ships half way through, due to a broken lock, Viking handled the entire swap seamlessly.
We have had great experiences on on several ocean cruises (not Viking) before this Grand European river cruise with Viking - OMG this is a whole different world. I can't ...
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 ...
Four ladies who enjoy traveling together took this first-time river cruise. It was even more than we’d hoped for. I was amazed at the friendliness of the staff - from the cruise director to the room attendants to the dining room personnel. Very personalized treatment. On the second day, one of our group had a birthday; the birthday dessert was brought directly to our table, they sang to her, ...
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, ...
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 ...
Thank you, outriggerclub, for taking the time to share your recent Viking experience with the cruising community. We recognize that you are one of the many affected by the itinerary changes...
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 ...
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 ...