Passage to Eastern Europe - A Great Trip!

[molymoo]

We have just returned from our Passage to Eastern Europe tour with Viking. I will dispense with the usual day by day description as these can be a bit tedious, but I will say that it was one of the best experiences we have ever had river cruising. This was our 6th trip with Viking but our first on one of the new “longships”. The Rinda was lovely; bright and shiny and full of light! Our cabin was typically “cozy” but efficient and we had plenty of storage for our things … and these two females do not travel particularly “light”. We enjoyed our veranda in the evenings when the sun was waning and the temperatures started to cool but during the daytime it was a bit intense in the hot sun.

The crew was exceptional … one of the best we have experienced! This is not to say that we have ever been disappointed on a Viking trip, but this crew was exceptionally attentive, warm, genuine, and full of good humor and fun. The stars were George; our program director and Dorothy; a rock star among the wait staff in the restaurant and lounge. They really went out of their way to insure that everyone had a great time.

Eastern Europe is a unique destination and not, perhaps, as “sophisticated” as other itineraries, but we were awed by the way the citizens of these long suffering countries have risen from difficult times and the beauty of the cities and countryside we encountered along the way.

Thoughtful planning on Viking’s part quickly calmed any concerns we had regarding an itinerary that included 6 countries (we took the Prague post-extension), six languages, six currencies, and of course we had heard about those Eastern European public bathrooms! More than one of the all day excursions included stops at hotels for refreshments (complimentary) and comfort stops. The evening briefing included information about the need for local currency … most of the places took Euros, Dollars, and of course the local currencies. The only places where we had to acquire local currency were Serbia and of course Budapest where we spent two nights in a hotel at the end of the cruise portion of the trip.

All in all a great trip! Can’t wait for the next one! :D

Edited July 25, 2014 by molymoo
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[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Keith1010]

Glad you enjoyed the trip.

 

Keith

[ural guy]

Good to hear you enjoyed yourselves. I had looked at doing this trip, and then a great deal came up for Amsterdam to Budapest, so we took that. That was our first cruise ever, and I feel like we got spoiled....the other routes just don't look as interesting or scenic.

 

How was the actual cruise part? I was told that the upper Danube was the very scenic portion. How much time did you spend in the different cities?

 

Thanks.

[molymoo]

Good to hear you enjoyed yourselves. I had looked at doing this trip, and then a great deal came up for Amsterdam to Budapest, so we took that. That was our first cruise ever, and I feel like we got spoiled....the other routes just don't look as interesting or scenic.

 

How was the actual cruise part? I was told that the upper Danube was the very scenic portion. How much time did you spend in the different cities?

 

Thanks.

 

The upper Danube IS the most scenic part ... with the exception of one day our scenery was pretty mundane. There was one day of "cruising only" when we crossed the Iron Gate (a very large lock) after which there was a period of time when the scenery quite spectacular (we had a running commentary on what we were seeing from the program director as we cruised through this section) but after that it returned to the "could be anywhere" scenery ... not that it wasn't pleasant just cruising along the river ... just not as spectacular as we have seen elsewhere.

 

Generally one half to one day was spent in each city with the exception of Budapest; which is pretty spectacular. There was a guided tour at each stop and some (like Belgrade) included some free time in the afternoon. The full day stops were in Budharest (fascinating history!) and the Veliko Tarnova / Arbanassi, and Belgrade.

 

Glad you enjoyed your trip! That route really is quite lovely. We have done several and it is hard to beat the Upper Danube for beauty scenery!

[ural guy]

The upper Danube IS the most scenic part ... with the exception of one day our scenery was pretty mundane. There was one day of "cruising only" when we crossed the Iron Gate (a very large lock) after which there was a period of time when the scenery quite spectacular (we had a running commentary on what we were seeing from the program director as we cruised through this section) but after that it returned to the "could be anywhere" scenery ... not that it wasn't pleasant just cruising along the river ... just not as spectacular as we have seen elsewhere.

 

Generally one half to one day was spent in each city with the exception of Budapest; which is pretty spectacular. There was a guided tour at each stop and some (like Belgrade) included some free time in the afternoon. The full day stops were in Budharest (fascinating history!) and the Veliko Tarnova / Arbanassi, and Belgrade.

 

Glad you enjoyed your trip! That route really is quite lovely. We have done several and it is hard to beat the Upper Danube for beauty scenery!

 

Thanks, I was hoping it wouldn't be too much like the lower Rhine...that was like an American Interstate highway with all the trucks delivering cargo. It was interesting to see all the commerce going on, but coal barges, lpg tankers, etc aren't too scenic.

 

One part I really enjoyed was along the Main river, it seemed like our boat was too big to be gliding quietly along such a small stretch of water. I got up early a few mornings and had the bow to myself (actually myself, a book, and a coffee). Great moments...

 

We also enjoyed the small towns over the large one, so this trip looks promising.

[Rosethorn40]

My parents are doing this cruise in a couple of weeks. Looks like they will have a great time. We are sailing on our first Viking cruise in December and I can't wait (Well, I can wait for winter, but still excited for this cruise).