Some observations: family cruise on Viking Baldur and Magni, Amsterdam to Budapest

[soxfan1495]

We just finished a memorable Grand European cruise that started on the Viking Baldur in Amsterdam on June 18. We enjoyed sunny weather throughout the trip, but the down side of this was low water between Nuremburg and Passau, which resulted in a ship swap half way through our itinerary, involving a bus ride bypassing Regensburg. The ship swap from Baldur to Magni was, however, seamless and afterwards, Viking provided a free excursion back to Regensburg from Passau for those who were interested. Ultimately, we felt fortunate actually that we had a chance to experience two ships.

 

Since it was helpful to us in planning our trip to read reviews, we thought we should provide some highlights to help others.

 

A few general observations:

 

(1) Cabin choice. we had two cabins, one of which had a balcony with two chairs and a small table, the other a french balcony. The balcony was definitely worth it to us, even though we were often rafted next to another ship so unable to use it. When underway, there is nothing better than sitting on the balcony to watch the scenery. I will always remember waking up and sitting on the balcony to hear birds in the trees on the nearby riverbank, and swans swimming below. The Rhine, Main and Danube each have a remarkably different character, which is wonderful to experience from a balcony. Cruising past cattle as they cooled themselves nearby in the river in the Netherlands, seeing castles south of Cologne, the peaceful Main River, and the forested Danube... wonderful. We never got tired of seeing the barge traffic going past.

 

(2) The dining experience was better than expected. Given its small size, it is amazing what the chefs in both ships were able to do. We had dietary restrictions to deal with, and we were impressed by the efforts made by the maitre d' in both ships, but particularly Alvin on the Magni. Dining was always a leisurely experience, and very enjoyable in that we were able to get to know our fellow cruisers. All meals were well prepared and delicious, but maybe what we miss the most now that the cruise is over is the tasty pancakes that were available each day at breakfast.

 

(3) Almost uniformly good excursions. The included excursions were informative, and set up nicely, to allow an introduction to a place, but also to allow plenty of time for independent sightseeing and shopping. The "quietvox" earphone systems worked well (at least almost always).

 

We particularly liked the following included tours: Kinderdijk Windmills Excursion, Marksburg Castle Tour from Koblenz, and the Melk Abbey Visit. In addition, the optional Rothenburg tour from Wurzburg and the WW II Nuremburg tour were absolute highlights of the trip. The guides were amazing for these two tours. One of the things we most appreciated was that the Guest Services staff on the Magni set up a bike ride from Melk to Krems and arranged for the rental of good-quality bikes, so that we could see the countryside in a different way. About 30 of us went on this very memorable excursion, which was definitely a great memory. Alexandra and Nick went the extra mile (literally) to make this happen. On the other hand, the optional Salzburg excursion was a disappointment... just not enough time in the town to justify the tedious long bus ride. In Budapest, we enjoyed the ship's excursion to the Szechenyi thermal baths (using the ship's guide made this easy, but we probably could have done the visit on our own).

 

Although it is difficult to plan independent excursions while on a river cruise, it is not impossible in the larger cities where the ship spent more time. In Amsterdam we went on a small, private canal cruise which was a highlight. In Vienna, we went to a Salzburg Strauss/Mozart concert at the Kursalon, which was different than the concert that the ship arranged, and we visited Schonnbrun on our own, using a pass purchased before the cruise, which allowed more flexibility in visiting sites in Vienna. Both the concert and Schonnbrun were fantastic. In Cologne, we visited the Chocolate Museum on our own, which we would recommend. In Budapest, we enjoyed walking all around the city to see some of the many worthwhile attractions.

 

(4) Viking's capable handling of logistics. We were impressed by how quickly a Viking representative met us at the airport and how easy it was to get to the ship. In addition, the cruise director, Rob, kept everyone informed and entertained... and even though we were not surprised to have a ship swap due to the dry conditions, we were surprised to find that we had to leave Vienna early because of an air race in Budapest that caused the stoppage of river traffic on the day we were scheduled to arrive there. We managed, due to adjustments in our second day in Vienna (a bus was arranged to bring those of us who were interested in spending the expected time in Vienna to Bratislava, to join the ship which left early), to get there in time. In addition, once we were in Budapest and after the day's air race, the captain brought us on an evening cruise past the Parliament building so that we could enjoy the beautifully lit building.

 

(5) Comfort. Viking does a really good job at making cabins and other facilities comfortable. Although a bit on the small size, the cabins are attractive and well designed. On our cruise, the cabin attendants (Nelson on Baldur, and Nick on Magni) were both outstanding and kept the cabins spotless and comfortable.

 

(6) Suitability for mature teens and young adults. We were aware before the cruise that river cruise demographics are tilted to a more mature clientele. Our kids were the youngest on board, although there were a few others who were in their twenties or early thirties. Since we were visiting ports each day, however, there was no need for the kind of activities, like shows or pools, that are popular among younger family members and found on ocean cruises. Our family enjoyed the experience but it did seem at times that some crew members and other passengers were surprised to see a 16 and 20 year old on board. We were taken aback on the second day of the cruise when someone asked our kids if they were "having any fun on the cruise," since there was no one their age on the ship. :confused: I guess this just suggests that you have to be ready for a few similar comments if you bring teens or 20-ish family members on a river cruise. If you are, you will enjoy the cruise.

 

In sum, we had a great time, and would recommend the itinerary and Viking to others. We are also happy to answer any questions about our experience.

[CarrieAP]

Thanks so much for sharing!! Love the details and your impressions. A river cruise in on our bucket list so you've inspired us to keep it in sight!

[easyboy]

Thank you for your comprehensive review. Very informational!

 

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Forums mobile app

[bnuckols]

Thank you for the review!

[The Other Tom]

Great review. Thanks for posting.

[Bake apple]

Excellent review, thank you for posting. We have booked the exact cruise for late May 2018 and I've noted your tips including the concert and the chocolate museum! Did your dietary issues include vegetarian? I'm mostly vegetarian but didn't note it for Viking on our last cruise so my choices were sometimes great but sometimes not so much, there's only so much pasta a person can eat. My fault for sure and a lesson learned, still the wine usually made up for it. LOL.

[soxfan1495]

Excellent review, thank you for posting. We have booked the exact cruise for late May 2018 and I've noted your tips including the concert and the chocolate museum! Did your dietary issues include vegetarian? I'm mostly vegetarian but didn't note it for Viking on our last cruise so my choices were sometimes great but sometimes not so much, there's only so much pasta a person can eat. �� My fault for sure and a lesson learned, still the wine usually made up for it. LOL.

 

Our dietary issues related primarily to allergies, but one of our group is mostly vegetarian. There were vegetarian items on the menu, but sometimes they presented allergy issues. As needed, the maitre d' substituted different vegetarian entrees for what was on the menu. The substitutions were almost always very satisfactory and as good as anything on the menu. The maitre d' and servers on each ship were helpful (especially the maitre d' on the Magni). We spoke with the maitre d' at breakfast each day and went over the menu for the upcoming lunch and dinner, and he worked with the chef to make sure we would be OK. Prior to the cruise, we had notified Viking of our dietary restrictions, but that did not really work. Instead, communicating with the maitre d' once on board was the key. We noticed that there were vegetarians on board who, after speaking with the maitre d', were able to also get the substituted items. By the way, the included wine was always good.:)

[philw1776]

(6) Suitability for mature teens and young adults. We were aware before the cruise that river cruise demographics are tilted to a more mature clientele. Our kids were the youngest on board, although there were a few others who were in their twenties or early thirties. Since we were visiting ports each day, however, there was no need for the kind of activities, like shows or pools, that are popular among younger family members and found on ocean cruises. Our family enjoyed the experience but it did seem at times that some crew members and other passengers were surprised to see a 16 and 20 year old on board. We were taken aback on the second day of the cruise when someone asked our kids if they were "having any fun on the cruise," since there was no one their age on the ship. :confused: I guess this just suggests that you have to be ready for a few similar comments if you bring teens or 20-ish family members on a river cruise. If you are, you will enjoy the cruise.

 

In sum, we had a great time, and would recommend the itinerary and Viking to others. We are also happy to answer any questions about our experience.

 

Great observations. Match my experience, cabin styles, etc.

 

As to 16 & 20 yr olds there were two girls exactly those ages on our recent Viking Homelands cruise and they really enjoyed it. Encourages me to take my granddaughters on a river cruise in a couple years when they're about that age. They both can speak French and be our guides.

[wheezedr]

Hi Greg,

Nice review, say hi to the kids.

 

Craig