Friend had to use their Viking river cruise vouchers as could not sail during COVID. Our friend wanted to see the tulips of The Netherlands and asked if we wanted to go on the cruise. As this would be our third cruise with Viking on European rivers, we jumped at the chance since would allow us to have traveled the European rivers from Amsterdam to Budapest. We have river cruised with Viking exclusively, and we do not even look at the other cruise providers.

(We are so pleased with Viking that we have just put down the deposit for their world cruise in 2024. We leave Fort Lauderdale, FL on December 19 and sail south and west until arriving in London, UK 138 days later after visiting 28 countries.)

Upon arrival at the Amsterdam airport, we were met by Viking representatives who got us to our transfer quickly. As it turned out, other arriving passengers were delayed, so there were just two people on the 40 passenger Viking bus to get us to the Mani. Upon arrival at the Mani, we were greeted by the Program Director and escorted to our stateroom for early check-in by Sebastion. He informed us of the Mani amenities as we walked through the longship. After a snack in the lounge, we participated in a short walk with a local guide in the historic area of Amsterdam near the Mani's dock. With the usual superb dinner the first night, we started our 8-day cruise down the Rhine. Read more