Viking Eastern European Odyssey

[dixieagle]

My husband and I recently returned from the March 20 Viking River Cruises Eastern European Odyssey, Budapest to the Black Sea and back to Vienna on Viking Europe. We had never taken a river cruise before, and we simply cannot wait to take another.

 

The ship was beautiful and absolutely pristine, the service wonderful (which is more than I can say for Air France which lost my luggage.) It finally turned up a couple hours before we left Budapest, by which time I'd had to spend precious time trying to convert European underwear sizes into American! Clothes-shopping is NOT the way I had planned to spend an afternoon in lovely Budapest, but figured I had no choice. Naturally, buying clothes guaranteed return of the luggage! I can't say enough about how helpful the cruise assistants and reception desk personnel on Viking Europe were; I am sure it was their relentless phone calls to the airport which resulted in the luggage getting to me.

 

The food was very good, though a number of men on board wished for larger portions at dinner (most women were fine with it.) I personally prefer the smaller portions, as I didn't feel like such a hog for having both soup and appetizer, and dessert with every meal. The breakfast buffet was quite good, and the menu items terrific - especially the cinnamon-y french toast. The maitre d' (Gyorgy) was outstanding and eager that we were all pleased; he even sent out for "plain" black tea, as only flavored teas were initially available. I had heard how good the soups were, and that was true - wonderful soups at each lunch and dinner. I ordered the "minute steak" a few times when the entree selections did not particularly thrill me; it turned out to be a lovely small filet, always cooked perfectly.

 

This stretch of the Danube is not particularly scenic. It is definitely not "Blue"...but is rather quite muddy looking, and full of debris, at least following a harsh winter with lots of snow, as this one had been. Unfortunately, some residents of Romania and Bulgaria use the river bank as a garbage dump...so very sad. However, though there is much poverty still, and many remnants of Soviet-era dreariness as exhibited in architecture, it is clear that the people of the Balkans and Eastern Europe are resilient and their cities vibrant. Although Romania still has a long way to go to reach European Union standards, and has many sad, sad sights, there is much wonderful about the country (our best local restaurant lunch was had in Bucharest...) Bulgaria was a most pleasant surprise, the Black Sea beaches beautiful, the historic centers and pedestrian areas in most cities charming, Bratislava lovely, the hills of Bulgaria and Hungary breathtaking, and Budapest and Vienna just beautiful.

 

We had two "face checks" by border agents - Serbian and Hungarian. We were fortunate that these occurred in the early evening, and not, as happened to unluckier passengers on a cruise last year, at 2 am!

 

My husband and I were about the youngest (52) of the 60 passengers aboard. Though the ship accommodates 150, I cannot imagine it "fully loaded", as that would make for a very cozy experience. Even at 60 people, the lounge felt a little crowded. About 25% of passengers were from Britain, the rest Americans, many of them from California.

 

The cabin ("Deluxe", as were most) was well equipped, and the beds (twins put together) comfy. The shower/bathroom was excellent, with a spacious medicine cabinet. The cabin had excellent storage, and a good-sized window. We were on the middle deck, and I don't think I'd want to be one deck down (main) as I think I'd feel like I was on a submarine! Our cabin stewardess took great care of us, virtually always finishing the room while we were at breakfast. (I keep waiting for her to show up at home...ain't going to happen!!!)

 

Our motorcoaches were always comfy, the local guides outstanding. We would have liked a little more free time in certain places (the gorgeous Szentendre, Bratislava, Ezstergom) but understand about appointments at locks, etc. We nearly missed seeing the "face" at the Iron Gates twice, as we passed through there at midnight on the way to the Black Sea, but the captain really picked up steam and we made it through at twilight on the way back.

 

For those of us who grew up during the Cold War, getting to actually see former "Iron Curtain" countries was a mind-boggling experience. This trip was eye-opening, educational, challenging, delightful, surprising. While it might not be the first itinerary that springs to mind for first-timers, it is a "must do." We will certainly look towards Viking again; a great first experience - we are spoiled!

 

Marie

[cmthomas]

Thanks for a great report! Clarence

[unberwoob]

Sounds like a great trip. We have done 3 river cruises, doing one this summer, and plan to do the Budapest to Black Sea cruise on Uniworld next year. We loved Budapest and can not wait to get back.

Concerning your lost luggage. We always carry a complete change of clothing in our carry on bags. We also use synthetics, especially underwear, which can be washed out and dry overnight. We are lucky that we have never had lost luggage, but if we did we could manage well for quite a while.

Dennis U

[dixieagle]

We virtually always carry extra clothing in a carryon, but my "carryon" this time was so heavy that I decided to check it, thinking, stupidly, that there was more than plenty of time for it to make the flight. Silly me! Charles DeGaulle in Paris, where we changed planes for Budapest, was a huge mess and we had to be brought to the terminal via bus from East Timbuktu, thereby missing the connection by 5 minutes. Grrr! At least I had our medications, my cosmetics, toothbrush, etc., in my shoulder bag.

[wander]

Dixieagle,

 

Thanks for the informative review. We are scheduled to go on the same trip with Viking this summer. I have a few questions if you have time.

 

1. Did they have any on board lecturers talking on aspects of the countries you visited? If yes, were they interesting and/or good speakers?

 

2. Anything you wish you had brought with you for the trip that you did not?

 

3. Any other ideas or hints related to this specific cruise itinerary with Viking?

 

Thank you

[dixieagle]

Wander,

 

I will be quite honest with you; my husband and I, along with a number of other passengers, including a long-time travel writer with whom we spent much time, felt that the weakest aspects of the cruise were the port briefings. The cruise director gave a little information the night before we arrived at each new port, and I do mean "a little". There were no lectures, as such, though the three days of "scenic cruising" certainly allowed plenty of time for that. We felt that his introduction to Belgrade was particularly misleading; he called it a "sad city"; though certainly true to a degree, there was near universal agreement that it was a vibrant, resilient city, with a very pleasant pedestrian area and plenty of amenities. In our evaluation of the cruise, we strongly suggested that the briefings could be improved upon.

 

You won't need nearly as much as you think you will need to take. I could have gotten by with half the clothes I brought. This is a very low key cruise, and everyone dressed casually virtually all the time. People might change for dinner - but it pretty much meant changing out of jeans into other slacks. People dressed nicely for the Captain's dinner (most men in jacket and tie for the one and only time on the trip) but even that was by no means fancy. Just dress in layers, and be sure to have really comfortable walking shoes; no part of the trip is very difficult, but there are lots of cobblestones, and some stairs in a few ports. I cannot stress the shoes enough; we bought black Reeboks and it's the smartest money we spent on trip prep.

 

We were well prepared with Pepto Bismol, etc., in case the food/water did not agree; we needn't have worried, as we were fine. We drank bottled water mainly, but there is an ice water dispenser on the middle deck which was well used. There is also a doctor on board, with an impressive variety of medications, equipment, etc., to cover just about any eventuality. The food in the three local restaurants (Bucharest, Arbanasi and Constanta) was very good (bottled water served, and simply fantastic Romanian wine in Bucharest.) You may want to purchase some bottled water for your room; they will have a large bottled of fairly expensive "fizzy water" in your room, but you can do better locally. Bring sunscreen; we wished we had, even in March in fairly cool weather.

 

ATMs were everywhere, so you needn't bring tons of cash. Often, we withdrew just enough in local currency for tips for the bus driver and local guide (always excellent.) Euros will actually get you through nicely without lots of currency angst, as most touristy areas accept them.

 

There is a body/wash shampoo dispenser, but if you prefer actual shampoo, bring your own. The showers are terrific - plenty of hot water, and no floor flooding, as the shower floor is about 1 1/2" beneath the rest of the bathroom floor. Beds are also very good. You may want earplugs, as there is quite a cacaphony of sounds throughout the night. The first few nights, we kept hearing splashing sounds as if someone was heaving bodies overboard; never did figure that out! We were in Cabin 206, beneath the reception/lounge area, and would hear occasional footsteps, though not too loudly.

 

All in all, we loved it, and can't wait to do another river cruise. We liked Viking very much, but would certainly try other lines, depending on our available time, itinerary, price, etc. Bon voyage. You will love it.

 

Marie

[wander]

Thank you for the extra information. We are really looking forward to our first Riverboat trip. For me, sturdy, comfortable walking shoes are an absolute must on almost any trip, but cobblestones or rocky trails make them even more necessary. Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions.

[donna8022]

Hello,

We are taking the Eastern European Viking trip in Sept. and was wondering if you could tell us what optional tours Viking offers on this trip. Also, was there an option to go to Transylvania? My husband would love to tell the Grandkids that he was in Dracula's castle. This will be our 3rd Viking trip and we really enjoy the river cruises---happy to hear that this trip was also good. Thank you for any information you can provide. Donna

[dixieagle]

Donna,

 

There were very few optional tours offered, as everything is pretty much included. There was supposed to be an optional tour from Budapest to see Hungarian cowboys, but not enough people signed up (I had no interest whatsoever in that. It would have been "Hungarian cowboys in the snow" at that time.) In Vienna, the last port, there was a trip to Schonbrunn Palace offered, with too few takers to go, and an evening of Mozart music, which was apparently well attended (we had to "jump ship" that afternoon to catch our flight home.) There was no trip to Transylvania, though we did see plenty of Romania (poorest country on this trip, though with some lovely towns and excellent food and wines.) I am fairly sure that some other river cruise lines (GCT or Uniworld?) offer the Dracula's castle option.

 

This is a fascinating, worthwhile trip, and we liked Viking very much. September should be a lovely time.

 

Marie