beachlivin

Halibut on the Sky was thick filet cooked perfectly with great seasoning.  One of the best I have had.  Crab cake was so so not bad but .... Calamari was fine.  My biggest problem was both were severed Luke warm.  Crape's were fine but nothing special. The tower appetizer looked good we we did not order so no comment on taste. Service was outstanding always there but not overwhelming.  Will do it again on next cruise. 

1 hour ago, Pudgesmom said:

We’ve just boarded Viking Idun for one night in Budapest. They will be bussing us to our originally booked ship in Vienna tomorrow. We were unable to obtain ANY info from ship or headquarters prior to leaving the US  about timing for busses leaving the city.  We are very frustrated as we have private tours booked in several of our intended stops. The tour director was just short of rude when we arrived and asked for information about leaving tomorrow.

Has anyone here ever had their Vienna- Passau section canceled due to low water on the Danube?

 

 

We were in Vienna two days ago and made it to Passau today with a stop in Melk yesterday. However as we were leaving Vienna they gathered us together to tell us the we would not be able to get to Passau only to Krems. While they were briefing us with the bad news they informed the ship they we would be able to sail to Melk and on to Passau as scheduled. Our docking postion and arrival times also changed along the way as the local authorities decide who goes where and when. 

 A few minutes ago our cruise director thought we were one of the last ships to be able to get up stream to Melk and beyond so you may only get to Krems 

 So given all the change and issues with the water your cruise director may not know if, when or how you may get to any given port. If he tells you anything it would probably change and be wrong. I'm not trying to defend your CD and understand your frustration. But the CD's are dealing with record low water levels and a logistical nightmare. 

 Sorry about the long answer but we have been on the Danube since the 5th of October and the only constant is schedule change.  Not sure if this helps you but it's real info from a passenger on the Danube. 

 

 

5 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Thank you for the update, beachlivin.

Good to hear you folks are mostly happy considering the circumstances. The weather is splendid at least. Enjoy the autumn foliage. I hope your sunsets are as spectacular as ours here on the Rhine. I guess they do not mention a ship swap on the Rhine as that is a few days into the future, meaning far enough to allow yourself to hope for rain before making the passengers nervous. Alas, they might not be lucky as no rain is forecast before Friday and if that is going to make any difference on the Rhine is doubtful.

notamermaid

 

Thanks to the info on the board we are aware of the Rhine water issues. Will see what Viking does. When we got on board in Bucharest the cruise director said to cross our fingers about the Rhine as there was not a Viking ship to swap to.

Greetings from the Viking Embla.  I posted status in the floataway lounge while the board was down but I think it floated away. So here is a quick update since my last post.

Budapest was closed We were only able to get as far as Mohacs before we had to be bussed 3hrs in. We spent one night and then there were bussed 3hrs to Vienna where we boarded the Embla. We are now docked  in Passau and will move up river later today to an industrail port. The plan for tomorrow  bussed to Regensburg then back to Embla. The next day we will be bussed to Nuremburg for our tours then a ship swap then on to Amsterdam. No mention of issues on the Rhine. 

The one thing that has been constant is the plan changes constantly.

Most of the passengers are taking it in stride. The Cruise Director has been fantastic given all the issues. The weather has been perfect. Plenty of beer and wine to drink. Seeing part of the world we never been to. So life is good.  Will deal with Viking about all ship swaps and hotels when I get back.

 GMT and Notamermaid A geographically challenged passenger asked how was Germany on our trip from Bucharest to Budapest. Thought I would check with u folks to make Germany's boarders had not moved since we left the state's😂😂.

 

Update from the Viking Aegir. We talked to the program director today he told us there was %150 percent chance we would have to change ships. He said Budapest is closed right now so we will dock at Mohacs for our tour that day then stay in a hotel for three nights. Then a bus ride to Vienna . Not happy but not much Viking can do about the low level. Will see how it all works out. On a positive note the food and service on the ship is great and the tours through the former Soviet Block counties has been fascinating and informative. It still stinks that we have to do hotel and bus tour for part of it. The program director has been straight up with us and we know things can change at a anytime. Most of the passengers are only going to Budapest only 40 are headed all the way to Amsterdam. Most have no clue about the Danube water levels. They are blissfully ignorant about the up and coming attractions and my DW is making me keep my big mouth shut. When I started to talk to one of our fellow travelers about water levels ship change...they started to freakout so we will let them enjoy the trip for now. Will continue to update as we head toward Amsterdam.

 

Sent from my LG-H932 using Forums mobile app

We boarded the Viking Aegir last night in Trunu Romania. Our bus ride was an extra hour due to traffic in Bucharest and an accident along the way. They are unable to doc in Giurgiu due to low water level. It's not because of the level in the channel. The picture of the area where they doc was dry as in you would need wheels on the boat to get there. Right now we are good to go as far as Budapest. Budapest to Amsterdam unknown. Will keep posting as we go.

 

Sent from my LG-H932 using Forums mobile app

We are on Uniworld S.S Beatrice. We arrived In Budapest Tuesday afternoon (October 2). There were several other ships docked there as well. No water level issues. We left Budapest about an hour ago headed to Croatia. We were told that we will make it to Croatia and Serbia, but we may encounter water level issues in the stretch from Serbia to Bulgaria and from Bulgaria to Romania.

Good to hear the water level is still ok in Budapest. We leave on the Viking Aegir tomorrow they were unable to get giurgiu the river port for Bucharest. We are departing from Zimnicea about 2 1/2 hour bus ride. Will keep you posted on any issues as we head for Budapest.

 

Sent from my LG-H932 using Forums mobile app

According to MarineTraffic there are no boats in Budapest. They are stopping an hour or so outside of the city. Which ship will you be on?

Another tracking app Cruisemapper dot com shows 10+ river cruise boats in Budapest. No clue which site may be more accurate. We have used both to monitor river cruise boat movements. Hope this helps.

 

Sent from my LG-H932 using Forums mobile app

Good news for us locals, we are geeting 4 days of sunny and warm weather. Bad news no rain in sight and the Danube levels are fall and looks like te critical points will be unpasable in 1 to 2 days.

 

 

Going out now to top up my Vitamin D.

Thanks to all who have posted before. We are leaving tomorrow on Viking from Bucharest to Amsterdam. Our ship and departure port has changed. We are leaving up river from giugriu due to low water levels. We are on the Aegir instead of the Lif. We knew about the ship change by monitoring Cruisemapper. The Viking rep at the hotel had no clue. We may know more after we board tomorrow. I will continue to post about any planned or unplanned ship changes we encounter along the way. At this point we are assuming we will have the Passau/Regensburg change ship. Hopefully it will be the only one if not.... Life is an adventure enjoy the ride.

 

Sent from my LG-H932 using Forums mobile app

T

Second class troll

 

Sent from my SM-J320V using Forums mobile app