Viking's Passage to Eastern Europe - Just Returned

[island lady]

Silly question, but I pack extra for some cruise lines: Hangers.  Do the Viking Long ships have plentiful hangers in the closet?  I know you can ask for more if needed, but I hate asking the attendant on busy embarkation day.  And we do like to get unpacked right away.  

 

We are Veranda Suite on Vidar.  

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, loriva said:

 

@CDNPolar Which ship were you on, please?  We are booked on the Ullur next May on the reverse itinerary to yours.  Would welcome any comments on your excursions--included as well as any optional ones you chose.

 

Many thanks,

 

 

We were on Ullur.  Nice Ship.

 

Great crew - if you get Andre and Vladimir in the dining room, Claudiu and Dawid in the lounge and have the Program Director Hana, you will be laughing.

 

I attached a document that outlines what we originally signed up for in both optional and included.

 

When we got on the ship, we had more included excursion tickets than we signed up for because if it could be fit in, the ship just signed us up.  (You did not have to go...but we did). We were gone most days all day long.  We would come back from a morning excursion have an hour to have lunch and be gone again.

 

The excursions that Viking signed us up for are not on this list, but we loved everything that we did.  We would not eliminate any of them.

 

One of the highlights was visiting a family home in Croatia where we were served cake in the woman's dining room, and she told us of her life.  This was outstanding.  Make sure you do that one.

 

Viking Excursions Passage to Eastern Europe.docxViking Excursions Passage to Eastern Europe.docxViking Excursions Passage to Eastern Europe.docxViking Excursions Passage to Eastern Europe.docx

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, loriva said:

 

@CDNPolar Which ship were you on, please?  We are booked on the Ullur next May on the reverse itinerary to yours.  Would welcome any comments on your excursions--included as well as any optional ones you chose.

 

Many thanks,

 

Stay tuned to this discussion.  We do a movie for each cruise that we were on.  The movie for this cruise is still in production.

 

Here is the link to our current videos, and if you subscribe, then you will be notified when the Eastern Europe is uploaded.    I will also post it here.

 

You have to copy and paste this link to access the videos.

 

https://www.youtube.com/@lktraveljournal4554

 

[CDNPolar]

49 minutes ago, island lady said:

Silly question, but I pack extra for some cruise lines: Hangers.  Do the Viking Long ships have plentiful hangers in the closet?  I know you can ask for more if needed, but I hate asking the attendant on busy embarkation day.  And we do like to get unpacked right away.  

 

We are Veranda Suite on Vidar.  

 

There were enough for us, but depends on how many things you want to hang.  Perhaps there were 10'ish?

[loriva]

28 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

We were on Ullur.  Nice Ship.

 

Great crew - if you get Andre and Vladimir in the dining room, Claudiu and Dawid in the lounge and have the Program Director Hana, you will be laughing.

 

I attached a document that outlines what we originally signed up for in both optional and included.

 

When we got on the ship, we had more included excursion tickets than we signed up for because if it could be fit in, the ship just signed us up.  (You did not have to go...but we did). We were gone most days all day long.  We would come back from a morning excursion have an hour to have lunch and be gone again.

 

The excursions that Viking signed us up for are not on this list, but we loved everything that we did.  We would not eliminate any of them.

 

One of the highlights was visiting a family home in Croatia where we were served cake in the woman's dining room, and she told us of her life.  This was outstanding.  Make sure you do that one.

 

Viking Excursions Passage to Eastern Europe.docxViking Excursions Passage to Eastern Europe.docxViking Excursions Passage to Eastern Europe.docxViking Excursions Passage to Eastern Europe.docxUnavailable

 

Thanks, @CDNPolar.  For some reason, your document is showing as "unavailable."

 

[island lady]

3 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

There were enough for us, but depends on how many things you want to hang.  Perhaps there were 10'ish?

 

Thanks!  Indeed that is what I gathered from a couple of videos.  We are on for 3 weeks...and most definitely over packed...but oh well.  I decided to toss a dozen extra plastic hangers in my suitcase....leaving tomorrow morning.  🙂 

[sharkster77]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

Thanks!  Indeed that is what I gathered from a couple of videos.  We are on for 3 weeks...and most definitely over packed...but oh well.  I decided to toss a dozen extra plastic hangers in my suitcase....leaving tomorrow morning.  🙂 

Wouldn't it just be easier to ask the cabin attendant (or whatever they're called) for extra hangers if more are needed?

[island lady]

1 hour ago, sharkster77 said:

Wouldn't it just be easier to ask the cabin attendant (or whatever they're called) for extra hangers if more are needed?

 

Indeed would be...but from what we have experienced....it is simply easier to just toss a few extra plastic hangers into our luggage.  Embarkation day on all cruise line is nuts...and trying to bug our attendant for extra hangers, when they are so busy,....ehh..simple to "DYI....  😉 

[sharkster77]

5 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Indeed would be...but from what we have experienced....it is simply easier to just toss a few extra plastic hangers into our luggage.  Embarkation day on all cruise line is nuts...and trying to bug our attendant for extra hangers, when they are so busy,....ehh..simple to "DYI....  😉 

Fair enough, but if you haven't river cruised before, I will add that embarkation day is no where near as crazy as it is on an ocean liner, it's all rather low-key.  For example, they just ask your name, no showing passports or complicated check in.  Same with disembarkation.  No announcements, people just show up at the appointed time for their airport shuttle, cab to train station, etc.

[CDNPolar]

6 hours ago, sharkster77 said:

Fair enough, but if you haven't river cruised before, I will add that embarkation day is no where near as crazy as it is on an ocean liner, it's all rather low-key.  For example, they just ask your name, no showing passports or complicated check in.  Same with disembarkation.  No announcements, people just show up at the appointed time for their airport shuttle, cab to train station, etc.

 

True... but, on Viking Ocean we have always had our cabin steward knock on the door within 15 minutes of arriving in the cabin...  On river, we did not meet our cabin steward until day 3.  On the first day, they were no where to be seen, and did the cabin refresh while the whole ship was at dinner.

[island lady]

7 hours ago, sharkster77 said:

Fair enough, but if you haven't river cruised before, I will add that embarkation day is no where near as crazy as it is on an ocean liner, it's all rather low-key.  For example, they just ask your name, no showing passports or complicated check in.  Same with disembarkation.  No announcements, people just show up at the appointed time for their airport shuttle, cab to train station, etc.

 

Have not river cruised in many years, and they were only one week at a time.  Guess I am over thinking this for the 3 week cruise.  😉 

 

Indeed...looking forward to a much more civilized embarkation...and total cruise experience.  

[ginnyks]

I am so happy to read your recent experiences on the Ullur and the Passage to Eastern Europe!  We will be doing the cruise in November 7 startng with a hotel stay Bucharest.(JW Marriot). We plan to say a few days "on our own" and wonder if we should stay near the Parliament or in the Old town area.  We have been reaearching restaurants, cafes, hotels and of course sights to see and experience.  Any suggestions for Bucharest?  We have been to Budapest a few times and can not wait to experience the area again!  

[BluebonnetTexan]

We just booked Bucharest to Budapest for April 2025. I've been wanting to do this stretch ever since our first river cruise - the Grand European in 2017. I've been to Budapest twice before, so looking for new things to do in the area for the two days we will be there on this trip. 

 

Anyway, Thanks @CDNPolar for this review and I can't wait to see your video review and read future reviews by @Sleep7 and @deec and others!

[Sleep7]

10 minutes ago, BluebonnetTexan said:

We just booked Bucharest to Budapest for April 2025. I've been wanting to do this stretch ever since our first river cruise - the Grand European in 2017. I've been to Budapest twice before, so looking for new things to do in the area for the two days we will be there on this trip. 

 

Anyway, Thanks @CDNPolar for this review and I can't wait to see your video review and read future reviews by @Sleep7 and @deec and others!

Yay!!  How exciting BluebonnetTexan! 

I have always wanted to visit that stretch of river too and now we are leaving next month. 👏

I shall report on every detail.. 

[CDNPolar]

11 hours ago, ginnyks said:

I am so happy to read your recent experiences on the Ullur and the Passage to Eastern Europe!  We will be doing the cruise in November 7 startng with a hotel stay Bucharest.(JW Marriot). We plan to say a few days "on our own" and wonder if we should stay near the Parliament or in the Old town area.  We have been reaearching restaurants, cafes, hotels and of course sights to see and experience.  Any suggestions for Bucharest?  We have been to Budapest a few times and can not wait to experience the area again!  

 

We did not explore on our own in Bucharest, but rather only what Viking offered.  Sorry, cannot be of more help, and hopefully someone else will have more advice for an extended pre stay in Bucharest.

One tip is look at what Viking do on their Pre in Bucharest and look to that as your itinerary and create it yourselves.

[island lady]

Booked into JW Marriot Bucharest Grand Hotel on the 20th for the pre cruise Vidar European Sojourn.  Lovely hotel, and enjoyed our dinner outside during the nice weather at the "Garden".  Only snag was when we put our suitcases out in hallway at the hotel for pick up before the 7:30 am required time...they missed picking them up, but luckily I noticed they were not in the huge pile in the lobby in time.  Yikes, and they had tried to put them on the truck for the Scenic people.  Even worse!!

 

Having beautiful weather, enjoyed our walk in Ruse and most especially today in Vidin Bulgaria.  The tour after the hotel was definitely too long.  Way too much bus time, would have preferred getting to the ship earlier than the 5:30 pm time.  Our tour in Ruse was cancelled, but it was the best thing possible, as we really enjoyed the relaxing cruise on the almost empty ship up here to Vidin yesterday, before we picked up the other tour people they bussed up here.  

[ural guy]

22 hours ago, ginnyks said:

I am so happy to read your recent experiences on the Ullur and the Passage to Eastern Europe!  We will be doing the cruise in November 7 startng with a hotel stay Bucharest.(JW Marriot). We plan to say a few days "on our own" and wonder if we should stay near the Parliament or in the Old town area.  We have been reaearching restaurants, cafes, hotels and of course sights to see and experience.  Any suggestions for Bucharest?  We have been to Budapest a few times and can not wait to experience the area again!  

Any thoughts on venturing out to Transylvania region?  After our 2016 Lower Danube cruise, we took the train up to Brasov for 5 days.  A private driver took us around to the fortified churches one day, which was great.  On the way back to airport, the same driver stopped in Sinai so we could check out Peles Castle.  One of the few castle/palaces that I would really like to live in, the woodwork was phenomenal.  The people who took the cruise extension by bus to Brasov got stuck in a several hour traffic jamb (and paid a bit more for one night less).

 

In Bucharest, we visited the outdoor museum on our own and enjoyed that, along with the long walk back to the JW Marriott.  We just like Budapest a lot more.  Would love to return to Transylvania to explore more.  Enjoy your cruise, a very interesting route.

[ginnyks]

Thank you for your suggestion regarding Brasov.  We booked a day excursion (on our own) to visit Brasov and visit the castles.  I will try to look at the phenomenal woodwork and think of my late father who taught me to appreciate craftmanship.  We are always in awe at the European churches and how many had been restored after WWII.. 

[Shell_collector]

On 9/8/2023 at 5:04 PM, deec said:

We leave for out pre-extension in Transylvania soon!

We're doing that trip and pre-extension in Transylvania in Oct 2024.  Wondering how demanding the optional tours are that are listed as demanding in Transyvania.

[CDNPolar]

We did not do Transylvania, however...

 

I cannot find the specific more detailed descriptions of the pre excursions you are doing, but with the Viking final paperwork - if you have paid in full - then you get the full excursion list and that will sometimes give you a bit more detail.

 

With Viking however, "Demanding" is their highest level of excursion and we have seen that as being easily managed by two people that are relatively in shape, to quite demanding of our physical abilities.  Demanding can be climbing literally 100's of steps, to hiking up steep hills, to uneven surfaces and cobblestones, to just longer times of walking and standing.

 

If you don't have the Viking excursion list yet from your specific booking - this will list all excursions in detail - then email tellus@vikingcruises.com and ask for it, then ask their advice on what constitutes "demanding" for these particular excursions.

 

Viking's demanding is described as:  * Demanding - Physically challenging activities, including extensive walks, hiking, riding, water sports, and high altitude activities. Activities by foot may contain difficult, unpaved surfaces and/or multiple stairs and steep inclines. Total time walking or standing may exceed 3 hours.

[Shell_collector]

Thanks

[franski]

On 3/19/2024 at 5:12 PM, Shell_collector said:

We're doing that trip and pre-extension in Transylvania in Oct 2024.  Wondering how demanding the optional tours are that are listed as demanding in Transyvania.

We did Transylvania with Scenic about 18 months ago.  We found some of the optionals more strenuous than expected.  In fact, when I asked about one, I was assured it was a "gentle incline" - but there was nothing "gentle" about it!! Worth the climb, but I have learned that I need to expect the worst - and be happy if it isn't as rough as I feared it might be. 

Fran

[Nippy Sweetie]

I was interested in the Passage to Eastern Europe cruise but didn't go ahead as it seemed to be entering a pretty nasty war zone. We have a lot of Ukrainians refugees here so it's a very point.

Otherwise I've been to Budapest a few times. I'm surprised that nobody so far seems to have visited the famous Gellert baths. That is a fabulous experience. So beautiful and so unusual. Highly recommended.

[Shell_collector]

Thanks Franski.  I'm thinking that if I'm finding it a bit too demanding I might sit and wait or return to bus early

[CDNPolar]

19 hours ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

I was interested in the Passage to Eastern Europe cruise but didn't go ahead as it seemed to be entering a pretty nasty war zone. We have a lot of Ukrainians refugees here so it's a very point.

Otherwise I've been to Budapest a few times. I'm surprised that nobody so far seems to have visited the famous Gellert baths. That is a fabulous experience. So beautiful and so unusual. Highly recommended.

 

Odd, we are very aware of where we are travelling and proximity to and risk of any danger and we felt absolutely no concern on this cruise.