Has anyone been on Viking's Romantic Danube?

[susan1234]

We have been thinking of river cruising but have no idea what it's like. The Viking Europe itin (Budapest - Nuremberg) seems interesting enough for us to try it. I would be most appreciative if you could share your experience here. Thanks in advance.

 

su

[Venturagirl]

We will return from Viking's Grand European Tour on July 9 and will be reporting back to this board on that trip, if you want to wait that long for feedback. The Grand European Tour is 14 nights and visits all of the towns on the Romantic Danube itinerary between Budapest and Nuremberg except for Kelheim, and of course visits other towns through Germany and into the Netherlands. It will be our first river cruise as well. Before booking Viking, I researched all the companies that operate river cruises in Europe for Americans and I read every single post on this board. As many have said before me, my decision was based mainly on itinerary as it appears that all of the tour companies offer a good travel experience. Viking's Grand European Tour visited the towns I wanted to see and offered included tours in Amsterdam, Vienna and Budapest to the sites I most wanted to see. With only a month to go, I am getting very excited.:)

[Suite 16]

Our first river cruise was on Viking Spirit, Vienna to Amsterdam, and we would do it again in a minute. The scenery was beautifiul, every town or city was most interesting. Our Tour Director was informative, and he and his staff took good care of us. We were divided into three or four groups, so we were able to see and hear everything. The local guides were among the best we have had on many cruises. We especially liked the lay-out of this boat - one lounge large enough for all the passengers, and one dining room, where you were free to make, or join, new friends. No complaint about the food or service. All excursions were included, with the exception of one or two in Vienna, as I recall. Since the boat often docked in the center of a town or city, many of our tours were walking tours, and some included wine-tasting or beer sampling. When we did take a bus to travel further from the rivers, it was comfortable, and not too long. Visiting historic places, or just plain beautiful sites, made this a memorable experience. Lots of locks, not on the scale of the Panama Canal, but fun to do.

 

I mentioned liking the lay-out of the boat - another cruise in Russia had two dining rooms, and a much too-small lounge. We were assigned to the smaller dining room, and spent most meals with the same people. Viking Spirit allowed us to meet many people we still hear from. Don't expect cruise ship entertainment - we had music each evening in the lounge, glass blowing demonstration, very informative talks about the places we were about to visit.

 

I hope you will hear from others with their opinions. For us, it was a great experience, and we hope to do it, or something quite similar, in the future.

[Mysti2]

We took the 14 day cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam July 2003 on the Viking Pride. That summer there was low water on the Danube and other rivers and we were lucky to enjoy the whole trip on the river as the cruise after ours wasn't so lucky. We did have to skip one section, but Viking substituted a bus trip to Salzburg with lunch in a restaurant and tour. They were very accommodating and reflect a well run organization.

The daily tours were led by very knowledgeable and helpful local tour guides who were very proud of their home town. Each town and/or city was unique and a lot of history was covered on the tours. After the tours we still had 30-60 minutes to do shopping, eat the local special sausages, and drink beer or wine. As the person above stated in a lot of the towns we were parked right near the action and could walk off the boat. A couple evenings we were in port until 11-12 midnight, giving us enough time to take in the town’s entertainment, eat in the local restaurant or just stroll along.

River cruising is not like the big cruise ships, everything is small. There isn't a big show to go to in the evenings but there is the quiet of the river, sitting on the top deck and enjoying the river. Each day a group of us would purchase treats or special drinks and that evening we would consume the treats on the upper deck and enjoy the small intimate setting.

There were 3 buses and 3 cruise leaders who accompanied us on each days excursion. They had cell phone contact with the boat and kept things on an even keel. All in all we enjoyed this way of seeing Europe so much that July 2005, we took the Rhine River Cruise on Viking Sun from Antwerp to Basel. Of the two cruises we liked the Danube a little better as the guides were local residents instead of qualified tour leaders for the country. They had knowledge but there wasn't as much pride reflected in their narrations.

I hope that your fellow cruisers are able bodied and pleasant. On the Viking Sun, we had about 20 infirmed persons, who held the groups back so much that our time expired before the end of the normal tour. The brochure stresses the uneven cobblestone streets and 1 hour of walking, but it was evident that some of the people had not read the brochure. So Viking heard so many complaints, non from me, about this problem that they ended up adding another tour leader for the extra slow walkers. They had a shorter version of our tour.

Enjoy your cruise and if you have any question I'll try to answer them for you.

[tommui987]

We have been thinking of river cruising but have no idea what it's like. The Viking Europe itin (Budapest - Nuremberg) seems interesting enough for us to try it. I would be most appreciative if you could share your experience here. Thanks in advance.

 

We were on the Spirit last year - Budapest to Nuremberg and enjoyed the experience. We latched onto Viking from our experience with Viking in China (definitely A+)! This past trip would be perhaps a B but definitely worthwhile.

 

However, we did tack on the precruise in Budapest and the postcruise in Prague. The hotel (Hilton) in Budapest was on the Buda side which was nice but the Pest side was where most of the things that we wanted to do were located. Prague is a MUST. The Spirit Pride was nice and trip enjoyable.

[BJS]

We were on the Spirit last year - Budapest to Nuremberg and enjoyed the experience. We latched onto Viking from our experience with Viking in China (definitely A+)! This past trip would be perhaps a B but definitely worthwhile.

What made this trip a B and what made the other an A+?

[tommui987]

The China tour was really organized from start to finish.

 

Our precruise in Budapest began with a pickup by an independent service (supplied by Viking, but not a Viking Representative). He spoke some but very limited English. The Hilton was nice but when it came time to board the bus to the ship, the bus driver never announced that it was the bus to the ship nor whether people should board the bus or not etc. It was a real Chinese fire-drill (being of Chinese descent, this is not a politically incorrect statement!).

 

There was some disorganization shipboard when we matched at one port to the loading area for the bus - perhaps 400 yards - and the weather was a bit hot. No bus showed up! So we marched into town and eventually walked back to the ship

 

Another time the same problem occurred - had to match up to town center to meet the bus - about 1/2 mile = and sat around waiting for the bus to show up. Viking did buy us drinks though.

 

In short, some disorganization - whether it was Viking or its subcontractors' fault, I can't say.

 

Viking in China was organized to a "T". No waiting around. Service was terrific. Hence the A+ as compared to the B/

 

But both trips were worth it!

[susan1234]

Thanks to all for your informative and helpful advice. There will be more questions later, but right now only two:

 

1. Booking: with a travel agency or Viking directly? Is there any difference in pricing?

 

2. Room: considering sometimes those of the higher category/more expensive are not necessary better, so any preferences/recommendation as to the location, floor, etc.?

 

tommui987, thanks for your insight on the China tour. I am very interested in that one too for next year. Will have some questions for you too, if you do not mind. ;)

[Jancruz]

Thanks to all for your informative and helpful advice. There will be more questions later, but right now only two:

 

1. Booking: with a travel agency or Viking directly? Is there any difference in pricing?

 

2. Room: considering sometimes those of the higher category/more expensive are not necessary better, so any preferences/recommendation as to the location, floor, etc.?

 

tommui987, thanks for your insight on the China tour. I am very interested in that one too for next year. Will have some questions for you too, if you do not mind. ;)

 

 

 

I suggest you book with a TA..the price is the same or may be a little better..BUT if you have a problem the TA that books a lot of Viking will certainly have a better chance of solving the problem than you who has only booked one cruise!!

Jan

*****

[thisishard]

Susan1234- I will be on it with 3 other couples.

[CincyAL]

Yes, we went on this trip two summer ago. First class all the way. Excellent dining each day. Most passengers mid-60's, our trip in July was mixture of Americans and British backgrounds ( England, Canada and Ausies). Tours are very comprehensive and not exhausting. Staff cannot provide better service.