steverhodes

For our 50thAnniversary last year, we took a Viking cruise there. It was absolutely fabulous. You can see all the pictures I took here:

https://RhodesVacations.com

1 hour ago, Roz said:

Way too expensive for my budget....

We fly business when going overseas but coach when we don’t. This means these 8 days cruises are slightly CHEAPER for us than the 8 days ones in Europe. 

Here is an example of typical attire in December on a Viking longship. 

+4 pounds every trip. Enough food is not the problem. 

Since this topic has come up often, I decided to walk around the dining room several times on our back-to-back Viking River Cruises this month (Elbe and Eastern Europe). I saw people dressed like we are in the picture. No one was dressed sloppily in my opinion. We average about .5 sport coats per night and I never saw fancy dresses. I always wear khakis and a button up shirt. I was pretty average in my dressing vs. the other guests. 

After 13 cruises on Viking, one of the things I like best about Viking is that I don’t have to buy dress up clothes to go on a vacation. I donated my last suit to Goodwill in 1998. I don’t even own a tie. 

My experience on Viking has been no sloppy dressers and very few were overdressed. 

 My wife and I have been in explore suites on FIVE different Viking longships. We found the room absolutely fantastic!! The little bit of noise or slight vibrations we heard from engines were trivial. We would book another explore suite in a heartbeat. They are absolutely wonderful rooms.

 We also love the great sunset pictures you can get from their back veranda. 

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Found a Dutch report - one of many, this one is at least partly public: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/nid30831-gewonden-bij-aanvaring-cruiseschip-en-tanker-bij-terneuzen.html Several people were injured. From the photo it looks like considerable damage at the stern. No more sailig for the Idun I should think - at least for insurance and safety purposes.

 

For a moment I was hoping some internet freaks (none here on CC) were doing a bad April Fool's joke. Sadly it is true.

Edit: found a video: https://www.gva.be/cnt/dmf20190401_04294326/cruiseschip-en-tanker-bestemd-voor-antwerpen-botsen-op-westerschelde

 

I hope everyone recovers very quickly.

 

notamermaid

The official word from Viking on the status of Viking Idun is:

“We can confirm that just after midnight (CEST) on 1 April, VIKING IDUN and a cargo vessel collided while sailing from Antwerp to Ghent. No guests were injured. The ship sustained some damage near the bow and is currently docked in Terneuzen with all guests. While damage of the ship is being assessed, guests will continue with a modified version of the itinerary. We hope to have the ship in operation in time for its next departure on 4 April, if that should not be so future guests will be accommodated on another Viking Longship. Viking’s Custom er Relations team will communicate directly with the guests or their travel agents.”

According to another website (www.fleetmon.com),

“Viking issued this statement 

We can confirm that just after midnight (CEST) on 1 April, VIKING IDUN and a cargo vessel collided while sailing from Antwerp to Ghent. No guests were injured. The ship sustained some damage near the bow and is currently docked in Terneuzen with all guests. While damage of the ship is being assessed, guests will continue with a modified version of the itinerary. We hope to have the ship in operation in time for its next departure on 4 April, if that should not be so future guests will be accommodated on another Viking Longship. Viking’s Customer Relations team will communicate directly with the guests or their travel agents.”

On 3/28/2019 at 10:52 AM, Cruiseoholic000 said:

I am thinking of booking a Viking Danube cruise for June/July 2020.    On a previous Viking trip we did the pre extension and loved it.  If we leave out of of Budapest it seems odd to choose the 2 days in Budapest for $499 as you are staying 2 days in Budapest already.  Any reviews on viking options below

 

Prague 3 nights $799

Budapest 2 nights  $499

 

Leaving from Passau

Pre Munich & Salzburg   $1299

 

 

Prague extension is great. We did it on both of our cruises last year. You can see all of my pictures here. 

https://RhodesVacations.com

2 hours ago, PoohQ said:

Hi,

 

I know that it is impossible to predict whether the Danube will be running too high or too low for river cruise ships to navigate on it.  But does anyone know if mid- to the end of July is typically a time where the ships are stuck due to low or high water?  I am considering a river cruise on the Danube on July 21st of this year, but I would hate to pay all that money, just to end up spending part or all of my cruise being bused from one city to the next.  So I'm wondering if I should try to choose some other time of year.  I have been unable to find a site that shows typical water trends.

 

Have any of you been on a river cruise on the Danube at that time of year?  And was it a successful one (i.e. the ship was able to navigate the whole way on the river)?

 

Thank you for your help!

Last year July 7-14 and December 5-12 we were on the Danube with Viking and had NO changes or problems due to water. Two perfect flawless cruises. 

On 12/18/2018 at 3:26 PM, Mpc524 said:

We are also booked on the Far Eastern Horizons leaving 11/1/19....Paul and Marianne from Fort Worth

My wife Sally and I are booked on the November 1-15, 2019 cruise. It will be our 15th Viking cruise. 

You can see our pictures of our previous Viking cruises here:

https://RhodesVacations.com

So excited!

Steve and Sally

Parker, Texas

 We have done both. I would definitely pick Prague. Here’s a picture from last month in Prague. 

On 1/10/2019 at 7:51 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

My experience with Viking (Ocean) was that their prices for anything above coach were more than the airline's website.  That makes me think their coach prices are generally these sub-par fares that don't allow upgrades.  I book my own airfare, to know that I can get Comfort+ or Premium Economy.

  On 4 of our Viking trips, we tried to upgrade to business using our miles. One of these was on United and 3 were on American. Never did the airlines tells us our tickets were not upgradable. On all 4 of trips we were able to upgrade to business at least one of the ways. And on one we were able to upgrade both ways to business. The reason we did not get both ways upgraded was business got sold out.

This year we did the Romantic Danube July 7-14 and the Danube Waltz December 5-12. ZERO problems and no ship  swaps on either. Two fantastic cruises. 

We have now taken 10 Viking River cruises since 2014 and never had a water problem. 

2 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Does anybody know? Is Viking still offering future cruise vouchers? Or will I be able to book a future cruise on board my next river cruise and get the same benefits I would be getting if I booked a future cruise on board an ocean sailing? TIA

We bought a bunch of them 2 weeks ago. Don’t know what 2019 will bring. Maybe program will keep going or maybe not. 

This fantastic Viking Danube Waltz trip from Passau to Budapest continues. Be sure and go on the included tour to Český Krumlov in The Czech Republic. Stunning. 

Currently on the Viking Vilhjalm sailing from Passau to Budapest. Great crew. Just left Passau. 

Here was the Passau Christmas market — took picture yesterday. 

51 minutes ago, bubbulz said:

 

I'm certainly no expert, but we've been in Budapest since the middle of last week and are now in Vienna on the SS Maria Theresa. Temps are pretty consistently at freezing or below, so even if there is precipitation it is not likely to be in the form of any amount of measurable rain. Between Passau and Vienna should be fine, but my 'guess' is that you'll be looking at land transit to Budapest.

We actually hope we will be bussed from Vienna to Budapest since that adds an addition day in Vienna. 

6 hours ago, G.M.T. said:

The river levels are low again, nothing moving between Passau and Regensburg.

 

Snowed overnight, nice background for our village Christmas Market this afternoon.

 

The outlook is very bright, not sunny but for the Danube levels. Sunday evening through to Wednesday morning, heavy rain fall is forecasted, then light to moderate rainfall until next Sunday. If this does happen I would say from late Tuesday the river should be passable and with the follow up rain the river levels should be maintained at a level for ships to pass the Danube shallow.

 

I hope this "Christmas Present" is delivered this time.

 

I'll have my first glühwein this afternoon, I'll toast all river cruisers that they have at least a handsbreadth of water under the keel.

We are going Passau to Budapest starting this coming Wed, Dec. 5. Right now the part from Vienna to Budapest is not passable. And guess if it will be on December 10?

Since we are from Texas, we only get to see snow every few years.

We leave Dec. 5 on the Viking Vilhjalm going from Passau to Budapest. Last December on the Rhine we got snow. Sure hope we get some this year on our cruise. Right now Vienna has major snow headed it’s way based on the forecast I just read.

We already had 2 Viking River cruises in Europe booked for 2019. Earlier this month we added another. 

13 minutes ago, Jcat2010 said:

Hi cruise critic Chris

 

Could you please provide info from your colleague, scheduled on Viking Egil from Nuremberg, I believe DEC 8?  Was this romantic Danube cruise, or other itinerary?  I was just told by viking they had not, and were not, cancelling anything.

 

 

 

Not only is it NOT cancelled, the Viking Egil even has a few rooms open for its Dec 8 sailing. 

2 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Geography Passau in Indonesia, now that is exotic. One of my favourite comparisons is Nassau on the Lahn river in Germany and Nassau on the Bahamas. They could hardly differ more from another. But comparing the two Passaus tops the Nassaus. Yep, cruisecritic is good for geography.

 

Thank you for the photos of Passau in 2013. Saw the flooding images at the time on television, of course. We on the Rhine can relate well. Although I am not directly threatened in house and home when the Rhine bursts its banks, the knowledge of the next flood happening with almost annual certainty is always there in the back of my mind.

 

But for now, there is far too little water. I hope most of that rain forecast will make it into the Danube in the right places. We need to get your petrol prices down quickly.

 

notamermaid

 

We board our ship (Viking Vilhjalm) on Dec 5 in Passau which then goes to Budapest. There is a rain/snow mix forecast in Passau for the 7 days before. Maybe just maybe we might make the Vienna to Budapest segment after all.

3 hours ago, MGGG54 said:

We were on the Danube Waltz from 11/6 to 11/14 with Viking we made it to Vienna.  Was bused from Vienna to Bratislova for the day amd back to ship.  The next day we were bused from Vienna to Budapest.  Lost the whole morning to travel.  Got to Budapest at 12:30 pm, dinner at 1:00 pm and then 3.5 hour bus tour starting at 2:00 PM. So no time to really walk around Budapest.

 

We skipped the bus tour to walk aroung Budapest.  Early Christmas market was open so did some shopping there.  The "Hotel" ship that Viking uses in Budapest is one of their older ships.  Also menu is not usual menu, it had "very" limited choices.  If I had known I would have stayed in Budapest at Christmas market that had a huge variety of fresh food to eat.

 

While Viking cannot control the water, they can control, the food and amenities.  How can a "Hotel" ship docked in a major city serve a limited menu when a ship moving from city to city on the Danube can have a more diverse men?.

Which ship where you coming from and which ship did you use as a hotel in Budapest?