This refurbished ship had its maiden voyage in March. This is relatively a small flat bottom boat. Our suite with open view balcony is on the second level of the ship. The foods on board was not up to standard. Cold dishes were served in the dining room. However, the officer of the dining room did his best to accommodate the diners.
Entertainment was minimal. Due to the water level of Douro River, our ship after passing several locks could not advance to the border of Spain. Lucky we had a young and energetic program officer who planned our land trips with success. The sleeting, cold and rainy weather did not help either. We sat in the bus for hours on winding roads to reach a destination. But the buses were comfortable and spacious. We enjoyed an overnight stay in a hotel in Salamanca and got to see more of the universities of Salamanca, and the great cathedrals. The land cruises and the foods served on land were very impressive.
This trip is totally over priced and the business class airfares with a so called discount is totally unreal.
The first day, the door could not open and several officers had to come by to solve the issue.
NIght light turned on at 5 am in the morning. Diesel fume, engine noise, water sounds caused some irritation. The double parking habit of our ship resulted in many cabins without sunlight for 3 days and could not use the balcony at all. As of result of this, Viking has compensated us with a coupon for future use. This is our first river cruise experience, we are not going to try another river cruise again.