Viking River Cruises is the leading river cruise company in the world. Read on to find out why you should book a river cruise on the Danube with Viking.
When I was given the opportunity to travel with Viking for work, I jumped at the chance. I had only heard positive feedback and I was eager to get to experience it myself!
Sailing from Budapest, I spent a week on the Viking Delling. The Delling (which means bringer of the dawn) currently sails the Lyon & Provence itinerary (from Avignon to Lyon) and the France’s Finest itinerary (Paris to Avignon).
At the time of my trip, the Delling was sailing the Danube. I sailed the Romantic Danube itinerary that was during the Christmas Market season due to it being late November. The weather was cold, windy and raining but it was the trip of a lifetime!
We began in Budapest, Hungary and traveled to Vienna, Krems, Passau, Regensburg, Kelheim, and ended in Nuremberg.
To start my trip, I flew into the Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) followed by a 40 minute taxi ride to the city center.
As with any cruise, I would highly recommend arriving in the origin city a day or more before the cruise is scheduled to depart. Not only does the early arrival alleviate some stress that travel delays might bring (I would hate to miss my cruise because of a flight delay!) but it also gives you more time to explore the city.
Arriving in Budapest early allowed me to check out some beautiful sites and markets before I even arrived at the cruise ship.
I stayed at the Budapest Marriott Hotel which was just a quick taxi ride to the cruise port. Although the hotel is within walking distance of the ship, you would have to cross a busy highway with all of your luggage. Save yourself the hassle and pay a few euros for a taxi.
I booked my airfare on my own, but if you book your airfare through Viking, transfers are included.
My room had a beautiful view of the Danube, Chain Bridge and Buda Castle.
On the first day of the cruise, I checked into my stateroom and then made my way back out to explore more of the city. The check-in process was seamless and quick. The bellmen bring your luggage directly to your stateroom.
The ship was docked right at the famous Chain Bridge, making it easy to explore both the Buda and Pest sides of the Danube.
Right from the beginning, I was impressed by the staff and service. The ship was beautiful and could not have been more clean. All of the common areas and my stateroom were always spotless.
An important note is that river cruise ships often tether themselves together at docking locations. This means that your views could be blocked while docked. It also means that your window may be just inches from another guests window on a different ship. Make sure to keep your curtains closed at night.
As you can see in the picture below, while docked in Budapest, our longship was tethered to another Viking ship.
Although Viking makes the entire booking process seamless, booking through a travel agency might offer you some added benefits.
Once the deposit has been placed, you can follow along with your booking online on the Viking website. About three weeks prior to your sailing, you will receive an information packet that includes flight information (if you booked your flights through Viking), luggage tags, a small book with more information about the destination ports and a small carrying case to keep all of your information together. I found all of this to be extremely helpful and was a great way to stay organized.
When you initially look at pricing for these vacations, the price can seem quite high. After you factor in all of the excursions and the quality of the staterooms, service and food, the price is very worthwhile.
Viking runs special offers often including two for one pricing or free or low cost airfare. Viking also has a return guest program and a referral credit program.
The beautiful Delling holds 95 staterooms that are a mix between Standard, French Balcony, Veranda, Veranda Suites, and Explorer Suites.
Standard staterooms do not have a door to the exterior of the ship but feature a window instead. French Balcony Staterooms have a railing directly outside the door while a Veranda Stateroom allows you to step out.
As you can see from my pictures, I stayed in a French Balcony Stateroom. It was great to be able to get fresh air and check out the locks as we passed through but the weather during my sailing didn’t allow me to enjoy this as much as I would have liked.
As you move up into higher categories of staterooms, more amenities are offered.
For example, Veranda Suites also feature early check-in (12pm), complimentary Viking Air Plus planning service, laundry & shoe shine service, welcome champagne, mini bar with wine, beer & soft drinks (replenished daily), a daily fruit plate and binoculars for use during the sailing.
If you book yourself into an Explorer Suite you will also receive a complimentary Silver Spirits Beverage Package, breakfast room service, private airport transfers in Europe and an in-room coffee machine.
All rooms have 40″ flat-screen televisions, a Queen size bed (that can be split into two twin beds), luxury linens and pillows, telephone, safe, refrigerator, bottled water (replenished daily), and twice daily housekeeping.
The bathroom features a glass enclosed shower, heated floors, hair dryer, and premium toiletries. The heated floors were amazing after a long, cold day of site seeing.
There is a roomy wardrobe with hangers as well as space under the bed for storage. As you can expect, the rooms are small but so little time is actually spent in them that it was never a concern.
On the journey from Budapest to Nuremberg, the ship crosses Europe’s Continental divide. Because Budapest is much higher in elevation than Nuremberg, the ship must pass through multiple locks in order to lower itself.
It’s amazing that such a large ship can fit so perfectly in such a small space as you are traveling through the locks. Below is a picture that I took from my stateroom as we passed through a lock. As you can see, the ship is just inches from the stone walls of the lock.
The lobby area is small but offers the front desk, the staircases to other decks, multiple sitting areas and a gift shop.
The Sun Deck is the perfect place to get some fresh air and check out the organic herb garden, solar panels, putting green and walking track. There is a shaded sitting area to enjoy the 360 degree views.
The Delling uses diesel electric hybrid engines that produce less vibrations for a smoother ride. They are also more ecologically friendly than the alternative.
It’s hard to believe that the ship holds as many as it does. It never felt crowded and always felt cozy, inviting and homey. Between the guests and the staff, the ship holds nearly 250 people.
The Aquavit Terrace sits at the bow of the ship and is a beautiful setting for enjoying a latte and reading a book. This space is available to enjoy meals and was heated during my cruise to help with the cold temperatures.
The ship also features a library and computer area, complimentary WiFi and laundry service (additional cost). As you can imagine, the WiFi didn’t work very well when passing through the countryside.
Just before the entrance to the Lounge, you will find a self-serve coffee & tea station. The machine could make coffee, lattes, cappuccino, espresso and hot chocolate. This was a great way to warm up after spending the day outside. In the mornings there were pastries and the afternoon had an assortment of cookies.
The Lounge on the second floor is where most of the activities take place. It is a great spot to have a cocktail before dinner and to end your night listening to classics on the piano. This is where all live entertainment and cooking demonstrations take place.
Beer, wine and soft drinks are included with lunch and dinner. About one hour prior to these meals, the bar in the lounge begins serving these complimentary beverages. Cocktails can be purchased at an additional cost and charged to your room. They are very reasonably priced.
Viking now offers a beverage package that can be purchased prior to your trip. The Silver Spirits Beverage Package is priced according to the length of the cruise. Both guests in the stateroom must purchase the package.
Click here to view more information on Viking’s Silver Spirits Beverage Package.
Most of the sailing takes place at night so when you wake in the morning you are already at the next port. There were two occasions that we were sailing for part of the day. One day they had an apple strudel cooking demonstration planned for anyone interested. On the next occasion, I took advantage of the down time, took a short nap, and then played board games in the main area with my coworkers. After a busy few days, it was great to have a coffee and some cookies while relaxing.
Breakfast is served buffet style in the main dining room. There are many options to choose from including fruit, yogurt, pastries, an omelet station, breads with jams, oatmeal, meats and cheeses and much more. A menu is also available to order pancakes or eggs Benedict.
As someone who doesn’t eat eggs, I still had plenty of options to choose from each day and the breakfast was always delicious.
If you are looking for a lighter lunch, Aquavit Terrace offers a lunch of soups, salads, small sandwiches, fruit and dessert. But if you are interested in a more substantial lunch, the Main Dining Room also serves lunch. This service lunch will still soup, salad and sandwiches options but will also include more hot options while being served by the fantastic wait staff.
The main dining room is warm and inviting with floor to ceiling windows offering fantastic views as you enjoy your meal. The wait staff worked hard to remember your preferences and often times would bring you want you were wanting before you even had to ask for it.
Each evening, I liked to enjoy a small cheese plate after my meal but was too full after finishing dessert. Without even asking, a small cheese plate would be delivered to my stateroom each evening to enjoy while winding down from the day.
Each day the menu changes to reflect specialties from the region that you are in or traveling through. On top of the many options each night, there was also the option to have steak, salmon or Caesar salad.
Below are some of the dishes that I enjoyed on my sailing.
One evening there was a buffet dinner served from the galley of the ship. It was a great chance to see where the staff work to create all of the delicious meals. The food was amazing and was a nice added touch to be reminded just how small and intimate the ship really is.
A great benefit of river cruising is the docking at small ports. Most often, these ports are located in or very close to city center. This means you can easily get back to the ship for meals and then venture out again as you please.
Although I love trying out authentic restaurants in each city that I visit, I ate nearly all of my meals on the ship on this trip. I took it as a chance to freshen up for the day, save a little money and then go back out in the evening. I did make sure to pick up snacks each day.
Casual, comfortable clothing are recommended – especially for the excursions each day. Due to the many walking tours and the cobblestone streets throughout Europe, comfortable walking shoes are a must.
Attire during dinner was mostly country club casual. The Viking website recommends a dress, skirt or slacks with a sweater or blouse for women and trousers and a collared shirt for men. Tie and jackets are optional.
Unlike ocean liners, there aren’t formal nights on these ships and you wont often find guests dressed up like they would on other ships. I did attend a private cocktail party during my sailing which guests were more dressed up for.
On your final invoice at the end of your sailing, you will be charged an $18 per person, per day gratuity that can be paid with cash or credit card. This gratuity can be adjusted at the end of the sailing to either increase or decrease. Keep in mind – it is split many ways (Program Director, Wait Staff, Galley Staff, Stateroom Stewards, Nautical Staff and more).
Local guides and drivers are not included in the gratuity charge so it is always beneficial to keep euros on hand to tip.
Part of the Viking Experience is the included excursions. Each day at least one excursion is included.
Each included excursion splits into smaller groups – a group at a normal pace and also a group wanting a slower pace for those that like to take their time or have restricted walking abilities.
I feel that the included excursions are really quality and are more than enough to really experience each city. That being said, a few of the excursions that were at an additional cost really peaked my interest and I added them into my itinerary.
Shore excursions can generally be booked a year in advance. Don’t forget, you will need to book even the included shore excursions. Some of the guests on my cruise didn’t realize this and the space was filled causing them to not be able to do some of the activities that they had planned on doing.
Headsets are in your stateroom and you bring them with you each day and make sure to charge them when you return to your cabin at the end of the day.
The staff really does their best to make sure that you have the best day possible. If it’s raining or rain is in the forecast, staff will be on hand to give you an umbrella as you depart for the day. Staff gather in the lobby to wish you a good day, make sure that you have a bottle of water, remind you to bring your headset, and answer any questions that you might have.
Stay turned for blog posts on each of the cities that I visited but for now, this was the itinerary that I chose for this trip:
Budapest, Hungary – Panoramic Budapest Tour (included)
Vienna, Austria – Schonbrunn Palace (extra); Mozart & Strauss Concert (extra)
Krems, Austria – Gottweig Abbey (included)
Passau, Germany – Passau Walking Tour and Organ Concert (included)
Regensburg, Germany – Walking Tour (included)
Nuremberg, Germany – Nuremberg & WWII (extra)
I spent an additional day in both Budapest and Nuremberg.
I cant wait until the next chance I get to travel with Viking again. It is a product that I truly believe in and would recommend to anyone.
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