Viking Budapest-Amsterdam Sep3 - Report

[Twice_a_year]

Let me start out with two conflicting statements – 1) This was, of my 22 cruises that I have taken (21 deep water), one of the most, if not the best, vacations that I have enjoyed. 2) I will most likely never take a Viking Cruise again.

 

I will preface this report by saying that will try to present my personal experience in a frank and honest manner. Please don’t dwell on the negatives. I did not and I enjoyed by trip. But, I think that they should be mentioned. They were not discussed in anything that I read about this cruise line prior to my trip.

 

Day one: Our airline connections on KLM were great and the service on board was superior. Upon arrival in Budapest the Transfer representative greeted us and all went well until we reached the ship. As we approached we could see the Viking Europe and Viking Spirit but no one on the transport could tell us why we were dropped off at the Spirit and not the Pride. All the passengers were ignorant of any change in ships. In a panic, we approached the ship we were greeted by a representative of the vessel who appear quite disturbed that that we inquired where the Pride was located. She simply said, “You sail on this ship.”

 

I took it upon myself to assure my fellow passengers that the Spirit and the Pride were identical. This I learn previously on Cruise Critic. It wasn’t until the next day that our Cruise Director informed us that the ships had been switched – four weeks ago. I think there was ample time to advise us of this possibility but Viking chose to avoid this simple act of courtesy to its guest. As it turned out, much to my surprise, this lack of extending the extra effort I was contrary to what I expected from Viking. This lack of the anticipated exceptional service was absent throughout the voyage.

 

The vessel itself met with my expectations. It was generally clean, with the exception of the windows that were dirty inside and out. The décor resembled a 60’s style Jersey Shore Motel. The lounge was very tight on those rare occasions when the majority of the passengers were present. However, it met the needs of the ship. Again, I was surprised when other ships were along side us. I was able to tour these vessels and was very impressed by there much more luxurious atmosphere. The Viking vessel wasn’t even close an analogy would be Ford and a Mercedes. Both are autos and both will take you want to go. But, one has a bit more class.

 

The room, 319, was as small as expected but met our needs without any problem. There was sufficient room for storage in the draws and the closet. There was a shortage of hangers but we brought too much clothing that requires hangers. Our luggage was soft and easily fit under the bed. The shower and bathroom were tiny but was the source of humor among our fellow passengers. We had our twin beds were placed together to represent a queen size bed. The beds were extremely comfortable and the duvets provided individual and very comfortable warmth. The room heating/cooling unit worked well. We kept the room very cool. The maid kept the room very clean. However, I paid for the “top” room on the vessel and my window did not open. On two separate occasions I addressed the issue with the front desk. Both times I was assured the matter would be addressed. No one ever came to fix the window during the two weeks.

 

The itinerary was simply fantastic. Each and every stop offered a world of enchantment that I would find as impossible task to try to express in words. I can only state that the sites far exceeded my expectations, which were set very high. Obviously, some were more to my particular interest than others but none could be listed as a waste of time. I cannot say enough of good about the scenery along the river, the towns and villages that we visited, or people who lived there. Nor, can pictures truly show the majesty, beauty and scope of the sites that one simply must experience firsthand to appreciate.

 

All the included tours ranged from excellent to very, very good. This was especially true of the assigned tour guides. They were most informative and all the guides very courteous and spoke English in an easily understandable manner. The only exception to these consistently great guides was our Nuremberg guide. I was most pleased that our Cruise Director reported back to us later that day that Viking was most disappointed with that guide service and corrective action would take place. It was a welcomed frank, forthright recognition of a problem by Viking.

 

We only took one optional tour. This was the visit to the Schonbrunn Palace. I would highly recommend this tour. Many others took the Mozart and Strauss concert tour. Everyone we spoke to enjoyed the experience.

 

The fellow passengers represented a wealthy, well-traveled, senior, and very congenial group. There were many dinnertime and on deck discussions with these most interesting individuals. They were not the least bit pretentious. They represented one of the major favorable highlights of this experience.

 

Time to eat. Well breakfast was always a fine selection of choices both on the buffet or ordered from the galley. The coffee left a lot to be desired. But, by the last few days it was not an issue. In fact, it wasn’t a big deal and was expected. Lunch always offered a very fine buffet salad, sandwiches and a soup. You could also order some interesting entrees. Every day there were two new choices. Dinner always had three choices along with the standard stand-by Caesar salad and grill chicken. I tried varying local dishes and was only disappointed twice. The soups were never repeated and I found all of them to be excellent. And, of course, the deserts were great. Everything was presented in most appealing manner and the quality closely matched the presentation.

 

We did venture out to eat in a local restaurant in Rudesheim. The ship’s staff recommended the Breuer Rudesheimer Schloss Weinhotel. It was an excellent recommendation with great ambiance, food and wine. Another simply great eating spot was the Salzstadel Café at the Old Stone Bridge in Regensberg. Before the trip I read that this was the greatest place to get sausages. I am ever so pleased that I followed the recommendation. In my opinion, it is simply put, a place not to miss. In Wurzburg we had a sausage plate as part of one tour. It did not come close to the Regensberg sausage.

 

Bringing wine, beer or liquor on board for personal consumption outside of the dinning room (even though no one would stop you from bring a glass to dinner) was not discouraged. However, getting ice was a problem. The ice machine that was available to all passengers dispensed tiny ice cubes. They melted immediately. I was able to get large ice cubes from a crewmember. It should be noted that our maid never provided ice in the ice bucket.

 

Traveling on the waterways was a very smooth and relaxing during the day or late evening. For the most part, the scenery was very beautiful and interesting. The little villages with the surrounding farm land; the larger towns and well maintained houses; the churches (and churches and churches); Budapest at night; and the great stretches of vineyards offered an ever-changing panoramic view that held our interest. The part of the Rhine in Germany when we passed the many castles that spotted the landscape was one of the longest stretches of the river that offered photo opportunities. The part of the Rhine just before Amsterdam was not very inspiring. The passage through the locks was interesting and at one point another ship sharing the lock struck our vessel. There was much commotion and shouting going back and forth but little or no damage resulted. But, I must say it was most exciting at the moment.

 

Going under the low bridges resulted in the upper deck being off limits for several days. The lowering of the wheelhouse and the captain sticking his head out of the top like a tank commander was a site. This was a most interesting show. It was easy to see because of the slight bridge clearance how a minimal rise of the river would cause problems.

 

The dress standards were a lot different than I was led to believe based on my reading the Cruise Critic reports. The Welcome Aboard Dinner – only six gentlemen (this includes the two in my party) out of seventy men wore jackets. Many were very, very casually dressed. At our regular dinners it ranged from mostly very casual to very, very casual. There were three gentlemen who wore jackets on a few other days. I was casual (short sleeve shirt and trousers) and felt on the high end on the dress standard. During the day many of my fellow passengers wore shorts, jeans, and cargo pants. We blended in well with the population on shore. It should be noted that the temperature was always between 75 and 85 degrees F. The dress standard for the Farewell Dinner was raised. Approximately 50% of the men wore jackets and some wore ties. However, I would not have felt out of step had I not worn my jacket.

 

The deck was completely self-service. There was never anyone to assist you with the deck furniture, which was quite heavy. Anything left on the tables on the top deck remained there for days. Some of the furniture was in disrepair. The crew did remove the cushions from the chairs and stowed them in the plastic containers. The umbrellas were rarely opened and unlike other vessels where they had clear plastic panel walls setup to block the wind the Spirit provided no such protection against the wind. Fortunately, we enjoy exceptionally warm and sunny weather. Therefore, this never was an issue on this cruise but easily recognized as a problem with cooler temperatures.

 

 

The entertainment included a second rate keyboard player/singer every day. The one-man Bavarian entertainer was very good. One day there were deck games, pretzels, and beer. The games were amateurish but that added to the charm. The typical “horse race", Bingo games, and “Liars Club” provided diversion. The crew talent show was a good laugh. The cheese and strudel demonstrations were nice.

 

One night, right after dinner, we encountered a swarm of moth-like white flies. We were told that they were in a mating cycle. It appeared as if we were in the middle of a snowstorm. The flies died immediately but we were unable to enjoy the warm evening outdoors that night. Some passengers were unfortunate as they had left their window open and their room was filled with dead flies. The cleaning staff immediately vacuumed up the insects. We were most fortunate, since our window did not open; no flies came into our room. We were not so fortunate with the spiders. Several days before the white flies there were many rather large spiders outside on the ship. That night while I was on the top deck, my wife joined us with a wet head and in pajamas. She had two spiders drop on her while in bed.

 

The wait staff service was generally very poor. So many times we felt rushed in our meals. As soon as a person finished their soup their entrée was placed before them. This was done even if the others on the table were not close to being finished with their soup course. The wait staff even placed the desert in front of the entrée dish on one occasion. Getting served a cup of coffee at the end of the meal was a challenge. Never in any of the meals did a wait staff person inquire if coffee would be desired. Sometimes this rush to serve followed a very long delay in serving all or part of the meal.

 

It became quite apparent that certain groups who ordered wine with their meals got consistently better more responsive wait service. One time it was so very noticeable. While we at our table were waiting an extraordinarily long time between our soup and entrée the table across from us were served their entrée and were offered “seconds” before we were served. The conclusion was to skimp on your room and buy wine with the difference. This would insure better service.

 

Always, when we received our coffee we were given a tiny pitcher of milk. My wife asked the wait staff for cream and was told that it was not available. So she always took some creamers from the front coffee stand to have with her meal. The chef greeted everyone at the door of the dinning room asked my wife why she was bring the creamers to dinner. She assured my wife that cream was available. Just asked your wait staff. When she did at first they said it was not available but after they were informed that the chef told us it was, they were able to produce the cream. This might sound a trifle, minuscule issue. By itself it would be, but it was representative of the little acts of service that separate the average from the excellent. I was expecting excellent service but received mediocre performances up and down the ships staff.

 

However, after all is said and done, the ideal weather, excellent itinerary, interesting tours, and charming fellow passengers made this an adventure that I will long remember and cherish. The shortcomings by the crew and staff (all generally minor but much more numerous that addressed) left me most disappointed with Viking. I had very high expectations for this cruise line. Since I have no first hand knowledge of the standard of services offered by other river cruise lines, I would have to believe that this is the norm. Therefore, I believe anyone who expects an extraordinary level of service would be very disappointed. Center your expectations on the itinerary, tours and fellow passengers. With this focus you have a very good chance of being satisfied. I would be hesitant to once again venture out on another Viking River Cruise because I think I had the best possible cruise with fine weather being the backdrop. I don’t think that any other experience could hope to match this overall experience.

[BJS]

Twice_a_year Thank you for your frank and honest review. We are on the same itinerary Oct. 15 on the Viking Spirit or will it be the Pride?

 

After reading this board DH sums river cruise sup as follows: It sounds like the only thing that you are guaranteed is a reservation for a trip. You may be on a boat only part of the way, all of the way , or not at all. You might even be on a different boat. Itinerary might be as described, slightly different or things might not even be included. Don't count on likeing all, most, or any of the food. Service might be acceptable or lacking but not exceptional."

 

Did you ever get an explanation as to why the Viking Spirit was substitued for the Viking Pride?

 

Did Viking arrange your flights on KLM? Did you fly into Amsterdam and then fly on MALEV HUNGARIAN AIRLINES and if so was there any trouble getting seats assigned together in Amsterdam when you checked in for the flight to Budapest?

 

You say " I will most likely never take a Viking Cruise again." Was this because of the poor dining room service, no deck service, the lack of being informed of the switch in ships, or the lack of luxurious atmosphere? Even though it might be the combination of all of these things in order for us to prepare ourselves for our cruise it would help to know which was the one that you felt was the most likely reason you would not travel with Viking again.

 

We are anxiously awaiting the start of what you describe as a wonderful trip. We're very happy to hear that the itinerary was excellent and the tours were interesting. Sevice and accomodations are important to us but the itinerary and tours are the main reason we are going. After reading your review we will lower our expectations and be prepared for shortcomings by the crew and staff. Thanks to your review hopefully they will not have the same impact on us.

 

This will also be our 22nd cruise following 21 deep ocean cruises.

 

 

 

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[Hlitner]

Twice-a-Year, I also want to thank you for your excellent review. Like both you and BJS, we are very experienced ocean cruisers (more than 45 cruises) and have booked Viking for a May cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest (opposite of your itinerary). We have previously completed one short river cruise in China (Victoria line) which was on a river boat that had private balconies for all cabins and was a lot of fun. Your review has definitely changed our expectations for Viking, but hopefully our cruise will have some improvements over yours.

 

Hank

[Twice_a_year]

:) When I said that I would most likely not take another Viking tour was the result of experiencing a simply marvelous trip. I don’t think I could ever expect an equal or better experience from a Viking tour than the one just completed. Another Viking trip would most likely result in diminishing returns.

Please don’t dwell on my negative comments. True, they disappointed me because I had raised the standard of expectation of service based on Cruise Critic comments. You’ve sailed on Princess many times. I’m sure that is something wrong on almost every trip. You weigh the good versus the bad. Generally, you return because the good things overshadow the bad. Well, I’m sure you will find the itinerary and tours simply great. If your standards for service more closely resemble the actual, you will not be disappointed. There were just too many VERY GOOD things that were happening with the itinerary and tours. The service wasn't that bad it just wasn’t that good.

The switch of ships (Pride to Spirit) was expected as possibility. My dissatisfaction came in how the addressed our concerns about being at the right ship. Yes, they did explain why we switched ships the next day.

Viking did arrange our KLM flights. Have your travel agent call Viking in California and they will give you your reservation number. You can check the seat numbers on line for the Airbus. If you need to change your assigned seats you can call KLM direct. They were very accommodating. The Malev seat numbers cannot be checked before Amsterdam. But, this is a short flight.

[letsgo39]

Since Avalon is know for its service it will be interesting to see the reviews on the Russian river cruises once Avalons new Russian ship is in service next summer.

Is it just Viking or are the crews from that part of the world just not offering the same level of service that is found in central Europe?

It will be interesting to see once the reviews start coming in next year.

I'm sure all of us realize that International travel is always an adventure.That is just part of the excitment and fun. If not we would just stay in our own country.

[BJS]

:) When I said that I would most likely not take another Viking tour was the result of experiencing a simply marvelous trip. I don’t think I could ever expect an equal or better experience from a Viking tour than the one just completed. Another Viking trip would most likely result in diminishing returns.

..The switch of ships (Pride to Spirit) was expected as possibility. My dissatisfaction came in how the addressed our concerns about being at the right ship. Yes, they did explain why we switched ships the next day.

 

Why did they switch ships??????:confused:

 

I am so glad you corrected my interpretation of why you would not book another Viking tour.:)

 

After several years reading many reviews by fellow C.C. members we never dwell on the negatives but instead use those comments to our advantage.

 

We have had our seat assignments on KLM since the 90 day period when we got the flight assignments from Viking. It was the MALEV HUNGARIAN AIRLINES seats that I was wondering about. I known that within Europe they do not assign them until you check in for that flight and was wondering if you had any trouble getting two together.

 

Our final documents just arrived!:D

 

 

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[TerryG]

I believe that the only person on most European River Cruises that works for the cruise line is the cruise director. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the rest of the staff works for one of a number of hotel management companies based in Europe. The captain may work for the ship owner who leases part or all of the ship the cruise line. I know this is often the case, but I can’t say that there is no cruise company that owns their own ships.

Most companies that cater to American travelers may not have a lot control of the staff. So there may be three companies involved with each cruise. The ship owner that controls the ship and its safe movement; the hotel management company that directs the staff and poor cruise director who tries to control the Americans.

I know that my Uniworld Seine Cruise operated this way. It was a wonderful trip, the best we have ever had, but the staff was not that well trained and the cruise manager was not the best that one would want. None-the-less, we had a great time.

[Venturagirl]

Twice_a_year, I was so interested to read about your Viking cruise, and I'm glad you seemed to enjoy the itinerary and river cruising as much as DH and I did. I was surprised to hear how different the service was on the Spirit from what we had on the Pride. For example, when our housekeeper learned I needed ice, she cheerfully filled it for me the first two days. When I asked how I could get it filled more than once a day and discovered there was an ice machine at the end of the hall, I told her I would rather do it instead as I wanted to be on top of insuring that my insulin was kept cold.

 

Our wait staff in the dining room was excellent -- I never saw any difference in service between those buying wine and those not -- all our meals and courses were served without delay and by very attentive staff. We found that the women servers offered to fill up our coffee cups more frequently than the male staff so we tended to sit at their tables more often, especially in the morning. It all depends on the standards and supervision of the dining room manager, I guess. The one on the Pride was always running around ensuring every one of the staff was on their toes.

 

We did have the same experience with service on the Sun Deck -- there wasn't any on a regular basis. Occasionally I heard the bartender say he would bring a drink up there, and when I went down to the bar to order something once he offered to carry it up to me. Since I was at the bar already, I thanked him and said I'd just wait for him to fix it and take it up myself. However, he did run up there several times a day to pick up glasses and clean the tables. I didn't think anything of it, I guess. After the first day when I saw there were only two bartenders, I didn't expect it to be like the deck service on a big ship where waiters are constantly circling and asking if you want anything from the bar. They did a good enough job of circling in the lounge at cocktail time.

 

Anyway, I'm so glad you had a good trip! One of these days I'll get my pictures posted and maybe we can compare shots. :)

[BJS]

It will be interesting to compare our Budapest to Amsterdam on Viking Spirit with both yours and Venturagirl's cruises.

 

We already are finding a difference just when receiving our final docs. There is no "They make an impressive package! Inside a silver box with a magnetic clasp .." They just arrived loose in a bag. :(

 

I had to call Viking because no where on the itinerary did it say anything about the included free day long tour to Munich. Some other details for our itinerary are also different from the "standard" cruise. The customer sevice rep knew nothing about any trip to Munich but did attempt to get the answer. She called me back this morning to confirm that we had been sent the wrong itinerary information, we are to go to Munich, it is one of their Oktoberfest cruises, and she would have the correct itinerary sent.

[Venturagirl]

It will be interesting to compare our Budapest to Amsterdam on Viking Spirit with both yours and Venturagirl's cruises.

 

We already are finding a difference just when receiving our final docs. There is no "They make an impressive package! Inside a silver box with a magnetic clasp .." They just arrived loose in a bag. :(

 

 

Hmmm. Maybe so much advance knowledge for comparison isn't a good thing. If you hadn't known about the box, you wouldn't have thought twice about your docs coming loose in a bag. :)

 

I think your DH has the best take on expectations. Things are gonna change from time to time and are out of our control anyway. Travel is an adventure. We who love it know not to sweat the small stuff and to just enjoy the ride.

 

I am wishing you a wonderful trip, BJS.

[BJS]

Hmmm. Maybe so much advance knowledge for comparison isn't a good thing. If you hadn't known about the box, you wouldn't have thought twice about your docs coming loose in a bag. :)

 

I think your DH has the best take on expectations. Things are gonna change from time to time and are out of our control anyway. Travel is an adventure. We who love it know not to sweat the small stuff and to just enjoy the ride.

 

I am wishing you a wonderful trip, BJS.

Thank you I know it will be wonderful.:)

 

How right you are about travel being an adventure and that is probably why we do enjoy travel so much!:D

 

We take all that we read here to enhance knowledge about our trip and never do we base expectations on others experiences. No two trips, even if on the same ship with the same crew and itinerary, are ever the same. We have been on b-2-b cruises and because they were so different it was hard to believe we hadn't gotten off and boarded another ship on another cruise line. Posting differences helps others realize that just because they read one post they should not expect their trip to be identical.

 

 

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