Radar1

At the end of the most wonderful,cruise we've ever taken. Kudos to Viking Tor for taking us from Budapest to Nuremberg in one joyous Christmas cruise.

We must have been on a very similar schedule, as our ship Embla (which replaced our original Mimir) was tied up next to or behind the Viking Tor at just about every stop. It seemed every time we docked and opened our balcony window we were looking into the Tor's staterooms.

For some reason, it seemed we would leave the port before the Tor left, but the Tor would pass us on the way to the next port and passengers from the Tor would be on shore before we arrived. That was my main complaint about this cruise, that our travel times were slower than expected, giving us less time to explore each city.

I was very relieved to find that our ship would make the entire trip. Budapest, Melk, and Nuremberg were our favorite cities.

For Melk, I would recommend asking for your Abbey tickets and then walking through town to the Abbey rather than waiting for the bus (especially if you can't get in the first group), it's a pretty little town and not a bad walk at all.

Perhaps ships that head downstream from Nuremberg to Budapest can make better time since they don't fight the current and may allow more time in cities?

We extended our stay 10 days which caused Viking to rescind our original transfer to the airport, but fortunately our concierge decided to let us ride the bus to the airport with our traveling companions, where it was easy to grab a train to the Nuremberg train station, where our train connection to Stuttgart was. We were originally told that we would disembark in Erlangen, but actually disembarked in Nuremberg.

Overall, a great trip and we loved the Christmas markets. Take advantage of any extra time they offer in Nuremberg, my sisters declined the morning trip and regretted not having that extra time there.

John from GA

Thanks for the replies. Nice to know we can get off early and make an earlier connection. Taxi is going to cost almost as much as our combined train fare to Stuttgart on the ICE! :o

Thanks Nancy,

Checked that, but it only gives info for Nuremberg docks, and it appears our cruise will disembark at the Erlanger dock. Unfortunately, the Erlanger tourist info doesn't include info for arriving by ship.

Sounds like some of the cruises are not even making it as far as Erlanger due to low water levels, so who knows, we might be getting off in Passau!

Hi. The Viking Romantic Danube itinerary west bound ends in Erlangen, near Nuremberg. Does anyone have an idea of how much a taxi from the port to the Erlangen train station might cost? Also, does anyone have experience with getting a taxi early on a Sunday morning in Erlangen. We need to be at the station around 6:30 a.m. Thanks!

Just curious how that taxi ride and cost worked out for you, and what time they released you from the ship since we'll be doing the same thing in Dec.

John