The cruise itself was good. The staff was excellent. The food was better some nights than others. I'm rating it as average not because of anything the staff could have done better, but because Viking blew it with pre-cruise communication. We embarked on Viking Var and disembarked on Viking Tor. A heads up regarding the low water levels of the Danube would have been appreciated by most passengers. Bottom line, I still enjoyed myself. But many passengers have mobility issues and transferring them by bus to a new ship was uncomfortable. The staff managed irate passengers best they could. In fact, each and everyone deserves a raise in pay! We were told ours was the 10th cruise that had been diverted. So how come no one received a letter in advance? Passengers could have been more understanding of the situation had they been given a heads up in advance. Maybe they can better manage their expectations had the communication from Viking been better. Again, I personally had a good time. I met great people and took home wonderful memories of a trip with my mother. I get that Mother Nature interferes, but Viking needs to be held accountable for not communicating.

I want to give George, the Viking Var Program Director, a huge shout out. George is a rock star and had a near impossible task of bearing the brunt of angry passenger resentments. George deserves a raise and a nice long holiday!