We loved it, one of our best trips ever

After a lot of ocean cruises, we were ready for something different and more interesting. Viking lived up to all the good reviews we had read. From reservations and pre-cruise support to air and hotel arrangements, embarkation, cruising and shore excursions everyone was highly organized and very friendly. Our Main Deck cabin was small but pleasant, with small windows at water level, about 5 feet above the floor. Most of the cruising was at night, and in port we often moored alongside other ships, so the value of higher level cabins seems limited, except maybe avoiding noise of passages through locks- which happened 67 times on this route. We liked the food, the shore excursions were mosty very interesting, and we got a lot of walking, sometimes 2 to 5 miles a day depending on time in port. The cruise director and staff were very good, and we liked the fresh Scandanavian decor. Hotels, transfers, and air tickets were all perfectly handled.

On this cruise 90 percent of passengers were retired Americans in 60s and 70s, mostly well traveled and intelligent. There were no children and no facilites for them. The ships are well organized but there is no gym or fitness space and rhe “sun deck” cannot be used at all except on the Danube due to low bridges. Free wifi was a plus but as they note often very slow.

Anyone with disabilities should not do this, unlike ocean cruising the ship has narrow corridors and tight rooms and requires use of stairs and steeply sloping gangplanks, and German cobblestone- paved towns require a lot of walking and stairs; buses have steep steps and narrow aises and are not acceptable. Even large cities have little or no accommodations for the disabled. The headsets provided for shore excursions were very helpful.

In short, this is very enjoyable for older adults who can get around, but I think most chidren or teens would be bored.

We were sorry to leave after te cruise and we are certainly looking forward to another Viking cruise.