Lilycat2010

My DH and I just returned from our Romantic Danube cruise on the Viking Skirnir - Budapest to Nuremberg. We booked our own air and extensions in Budapest and post-cruise to Prague.

Overall impressions of Viking were good. We had a French balcony cabin which we really enjoyed. Honestly, our biggest complaint was the pillows. They were terrible. If that's the worst of my vacation, man do I feel lucky. The service and food overall were very good. We've done quite a bit of ocean cruising on HAL and Celebrity and felt that the food on Viking was a notch above. The tours were very good. We only took one additional tour and enjoyed that also. I can say - no real entertainment. We knew that going in, but would have enjoyed an evening or two of options.

We were impacted by the low water levels. We were only able to sail as far as Passau. We bussed to Regensburg and highly enjoyed it. We chose not to bus to Nuremberg due to the length of travel. I felt like we missed out and we were disappointed, however it did not ruin the trip for us.

We had pre-paid through a third party (Prague Airport Transfers) for a transport from Nuremberg to Prague. The Viking concierge was so helpful and contacted the company to have the transport changed to meet us in Passau and it wound up being less expensive. We were really pleased with the service.

There were a lot of angry passengers, however. I can't blame the cruise line for river conditions. I did feel very sorry for those with early flights home from Nuremberg. Viking only put up folks with pre-10:00 am flights in hotels in Nuremberg. Others had to get up as early as 3:00 am to be transported to the airport. I felt for them.

The number one complaint I heard from others was about the balcony cabins. Many felt frustrated that we were docked next to other ships and that they couldn't use them. I was surprised so many people were unaware. I had done that research here and my TA also warned me. I feel that Viking should give people a warning about that.

Overall, we had a fantastic trip. We met some really nice people and have good memories. We are a bit younger than the average river cruiser, so we may wait awhile until we take another, and would be open to trying another line. We actually really enjoyed our DIY time in Budapest and Prague and may only do the group touring sporadically.

Woo hoo! Good to hear. Thank you!

Okay, so I'm the sister and we need a little more scoop.

We are a party of 9, hoping to get a table at the hibachi at Izumi. I understand that the tables are set up for 8. My sister was having a little brain freeze. :)

Two are children, do you think we could be accommodated? I know our family would enjoy it.

Thanks!

Thanks for taking the time and giving some good feedback.

Some of these cities I've visited before and some I haven't. All are new to my DH. Good to know this part of the Danube is well covered by Viking. Reading the itinerary, it does sound like they have the hot spots covered from a touring standpoint.

We leave from Budapest. We are doing a DIY few days in Prague at the end. That, I've been researching! :)

Thanks again! We are really looking forward to our trip.

Hello!

I'm a fairly frequent ocean cruiser and an 'on my own' European traveler. Taking my first river cruise with my DH leaving August 31 with Viking on their Romantic Danube cruise. So excited!

I'm mid-40s, DH is early 50s. We love a combination of touring and relaxation and hope to get that on this vacation.

A few probably stupid questions...

1. How much 'on your own' planning is necessary for each town/stop? I know Viking offers a daily excursion/tour. And they offer some up charge excursions. It sounds like these are a couple of hours at most? Does the ship staff offer suggestions of things to do on your own? Do you read up with guide books ahead of time? I'm normally a serious planner, but I just haven't had the time prior to this trip and I'm hoping it doesn't bite me.

2. Viking's website isn't super helpful. Will they send me pre-trip documents? Do I need to go seeking these?

3. I'm reading how the Danube river levels are an issue. At what point would Viking let us know about any changes to our itinerary? I sure hope our very first river cruise doesn't turn into something else.

Thanks for any feedback!

We were just in Grand Turk last week. We didn't make it down to Jack's but stopped in at Island Jerk. We had a great experience. We drank several $3 beers and had some delicious conch fritters, jerk chicken and jerk pork.

We just sat at a table under and umbrella and enjoyed the view. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful.

I would recommend it.

We stopped in at Island Jerk on Grand Turk. We reached it prior to Jack's. My dad was getting tuckered out walking through the soft sand, so we decided to stop. We loved it. We had $3 beers, jerk chicken, jerk pork and conch fritters. It was very inexpensive, and delicious!

We just sat at a table under an umbrella and enjoyed the view while we ate and drank. The food was awesome.

Our waiter was so nice and helpful. He even sat down and chatted with us for a while.

The place was pretty quiet. I don't think anyone else was eating there besides us. I could recommend it for sure. There were a few folks using the beach chairs and umbrellas. Not sure if there was a charge for that.

Hope this place makes it, we would go back.

Just an update that we had a great tour. The ATVs were so much fun. We had a lovely lunch on the beach. Terry was very organized. Our guide, Ben, was wonderful. I'd really recommend this one. We'd never been on ATVs before, but it worked out great.

Thanks for your response. That was going to be my next step if no one had a personal experience to share.

I appreciate it!

Hello!

My DH and parents and I are planning to do this tour later this month. Very excited.

One strange question my dad (who is in his 70s) has is about what type of shoes to wear? Terry's website states that your feet will get wet. My dad seems very concerned about soaking his tennis shoes or good walking shoes. He doesn't like to over pack and usually only has a couple of pairs of shoes with him on a cruise.

Any recommendations on if its okay to wear flip flops? Or do you need water shoes?

We're doing the trip that includes a walk to the waterfalls, so I don't want my folks to not wear sturdy shoes?

I know strange question, but hey, my crew seems very anxious about this!

What worked for you? Recommendations?

Thanks!

I know they have 3-card poker, also!

Thank you for the responses! Very helpful info.

Hi,

I'm looking at my first river cruise for later in 2015. Checking out two Viking intineraries that look appealing - Rhine Getaway and Romantic Danube.

We are planning to use frequent flier miles to get to and from Europe from the USA.

Here are my random questions:

1. If we do the Danube cruise, where to most folks fly into? Munich? I think that's about 1 1/2 hours from Nuremberg by train.

2. Does Viking offer transportation from the airport to the ship? Is that generally included?

3. If you choose to fly in a day ahead (which I often like to do in Europe to get a little acclimated before I start touring.) is then transportation on your own?

4. If we do either cruise, can you add the exensions on either end? For example, I noticed online that they only seem to offer the Prague extension to the Danube cruise on the front end? Or is that a mistake, because you can certainly start your cruise in Budapest OR Nuremberg.

Thanks, and sorry if these seem like stupid questions. If anyone has any strong preferences for which would be a great first timer intinerary, please weigh in!

Thanks!

Thanks for the responses. Yes, it is a non-stop flight. We're scheduled for August. There are no intermediary airports

I'm the one pressing for flying in the day before and changing our arrangements. My husband is pressing for taking the risk.

I think I will price out the cost of good trip insurance versus readjusting our flight time, adding a hotel stay, and the change in cruise dates.

He's all about the bottom line.

If I can't get him to change his mind, I'll just have a very stressful day ahead of me.

We are flying direct from Atlanta. We're using miles, so can fairly easily change or cancel.

There is no earlier flight, and there is no overnight option.

Yes, this is an Alaska cruise. Hoping to get any guidance from anyone who may have done we are planning, either successfully or not.

Our only other option would be to cancel the cruise and try to go another time.

For a variety of work-related reasons, we cannot fly in the day before a Seattle cruise on Celebrity.

We booked a flight that should arrive in Seattle at 10:40 AM. Our cruise is scheduled to sail at 5:00 PM (with an all aboard around 3:00 or so).

Are we nuts? Anyone accomplished this and can calm my nerves?

Thanks!

Thanks so much for the opinions. I read your original review from last year when deciding to book this cruise! Our first with Celebrity.

Any feedback on which shows not to miss? We sometimes get 'stuck' in the casino and forego the shows. I always like to figure out which ones are the best, so my hubby and I can peel ourselves away from the tables.

We're getting very excited about our sailing.

Thanks! That's very good to hear.

Hello!

Looking forward to my cruise out of Port Everglades coming up in 3 weeks. Our last cruising experience happened right in the middle of last year's government sequestration event. We were significantly delayed boarded and for debarkation.

Wondering what recent experiences have been like? Trying to mentally prepare if we are to face long delays again!

Thanks!

Thank you!

Hello!

This will be our first time cruising with Celebrity. We're a couple in our 40s traveling with my parents. We've done two NCL cruises and two with HAL. A couple of newbie questions:

1. Is there conditioner in the room? Or just shampoo?

2. I have read that the MDR is not open for the embarkation lunch. Where is the Aqua Spa cafe? Is it on deck 5 with the other dining restaurants? I couldn't find it in the deck plans (obviously missing it). We hate big crowds in the buffet and may want to check it out, or Bistro on 5. I believe there's no surcharge for Aqua Spa cafe? Is that correct?

3. Are there sun chairs available on another deck or space besides right by the pools? I'm a big fan of finding a chair late afternoon, and I don't really mind being on some alternative sun deck. Is there such an option on the Equinox?

Thanks in advance!