Viking Gefjon Review
Excellent experience under somewhat difficult natural circumstances
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise because we had done the same cruise from the other direction, viz. Budapest to Amsterdam in October 2012, and enjoyed it so much we encouraged friends to go and we accompanied them. Unfortunately because of the the hot weather and lack of rainfall the Rhine and Danube were impassable in several spots. This required meeting the ship just past Cologne instead of at Amsterdam. The Viking staff were truly excellent in explaining the reasons for the problem, keeping passengers informed and arranging very pleasant alternate accommodation in Amsterdam. None of the scheduled visits/tours were missed but they did require bus rides to the various destinations. In mid-cruise we had to transfer to an identical ship again because of low water. Part of the pleasure of cruising for us is not having to unpack and repack suitcases every few days. This pleasure we had to forego, but it wasn't a serious problem. We were very pleased to receive an apology and a credit equal to 50% of the cost of the cruise toward a future cruise with Viking.
Apart from the problems caused by Mother Nature to which cruises of all kinds are subject, this cruise met our expectations, which were high. We have already booked a future ocean cruise with Viking as a result. Our experiences with the staff and life on board were uniformly excellent. We particularly enjoy the fact that there are almost no extra costs unlike almost all other cruise lines.
Cabin Review
French Balcony
There is one thing to be careful about. We booked a French balcony room and when we entered it we were surprised to find that it was smaller than the French balcony room we had booked on the previous cruise. I was not alert enough to see that the rooms on one side of the ship are a few feet bigger than on the other. This made walking around another person seated at the dresser/desk/vanity unit almost impossible without disruption and almost dictated crawling across the bed to reach the bathroom or exit. People with mobility problems would find great difficulty and annoyance in these smaller rooms.
Port Reviews
Wurzburg
Bishop's palace and gardens very beautiful.
Miltenberg
Interesting guided stroll through the old town.
Passau
Excellent guide who took us through parts of the old town and around the cathedral, followed by an organ recital in the cathedral
Nuremberg
Walking tour from the Castle down through the "old town" through the main square and on to the restaurant booked for lunch. Allowed free time to explore on our own
Vienna
A brief intro to the heart of the city ending at the cathedral leaving time to explore individually.
Budapest
Quick. Tour ended with a visit inside the cathedral leaving time to explore further.