Just got home from a fun trip, 23 days on three rivers from Amsterdam to Bucharest:

https://www.vikingrivercruises...bucharest/index.html

This was our second Viking river cruise, first one was last year:

https://www.vikingrivercruises...i-beijing/index.html

In both cases, Viking did a super job. Boats are nice, food is great, tours are very informative. Nearly every day we got off the boat and boarded buses to see everything from windmills to castles to the Nuremberg trials courtroom. On both tours max pax was about 180, everyone fits in the chow hall and it's not like an invasion when we visit small towns.

We did a three day before-cruise add on in Amsterdam, which I recommend for several reasons. First, it allows you to get over jet lag before starting on the cruise, it also allows fudge time in case your flights and/or baggage are delayed (none of that happened to us). There's plenty to see in Amsterdam on your own, it's easy to get around on the trolley cars, and nearly everyone speaks English.

One minor issue: Rivers were low and we had to change boats twice, something Viking had prepared us for. It was an efficient process and we kept the same rooms on each boat. To make up for the inconvenience, they're giving us 50% off on future cruises!

At 67 I was among the younger passengers, some were much older and walked real s l o w. We did all the included (free) tours and one optional (you pay extra for) in Salzburg. I wore shorts and t-shirts during the warm days, my "dressing up" for evening chow was shorts and a polo shirt, though no one would care if you wore a t-shirt.

We booked direct thru Viking, I do not know if your travel agent can get you a better deal. They also do ocean cruises on bigger boats, someone else can advise on those.

I have always heard great things about river cruises in Europe. Hope to try one eventually. At 48 years of age, I just think I need to wait a few decades before taking the plunge.

thats god info - I have been thinking about taking one of those - I need to take some time off work and that sounds like a great trip

is all you need to go there a passport?

My parents did the same trip two summers ago. They just finished another with Viking last week but a different route. Expensive but first class.

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Originally posted by nhtagmember:
thats god info - I have been thinking about taking one of those - I need to take some time off work and that sounds like a great trip

is all you need to go there a passport?

For the Europe trip, yes. With 6+ months left. For China we needed to get a visa, but Viking assisted with that.

I looked into that exact cruise about a year ago. They are still saying, "Request a quote", requiring emails and such.

Just curious what it ran money wise, and does their quote include airfare to and from?

Not Viking but my wife and I are floating down the Mississippi on a paddle wheeler with 180 folks soon. EDIT: my wife pointed out (again) I am wrong... it is only 150 passengers.

Speaking of Viking.... I like the looks of their 'small long skinny boat when they advertise on PBS but I'm not so sure about that monster cruise ship they show that is fixing to slam into a 20 story building....

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Blume9mm,

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I looked into that exact cruise about a year ago. They are still saying, "Request a quote", requiring emails and such.

Just curious what it ran money wise, and does their quote include airfare to and from?

We booked it nearly a year ahead, with the add on in Amsterdam it cost each of us $8,316 with airfare included, no guarantee that price is still good. Check your mail.

I hear they'll give you a considerable discount if you help portage the boat around the rapids!

Viking is on the premium side for cruises but, I've never heard anybody come back and said it wasn't worth it. Windstar is the other cruise line that I've heard nothing but positive things. You pay a bit more but it keeps the riff-raff away and a good chance of no annoying kids running around.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
We booked it nearly a year ahead, with the add on in Amsterdam it cost each of us $8,316 with airfare included, no guarantee that price is still good. Check your mail.

$362/day/person that's pretty good all things considered. Was three meals a day included or, did they have a couple of open days/nights?

My mother's best friend and her husband just returned from a French river tour by Viking. She, too, had a tremendous time during the trip.

I did a Budapest to Amsterdam river cruise in 2010 on Avalon Waterways (now a part of Globus). It was a very nice affair, too (16 days). Did another 9-day Avalon Waterways cruise on the Seine River in 2015--spent a day on the Normandy beaches (on 5 June), which was awesome!

flashguy

My wife and I did the Amsterdam to Budapest tour on Viking in the fall of 2008 (after I'd retired). Except for the fact that it rained almost the whole time, we had a good time. We met some nice people but (as was noted earlier) those cruising this line tend to be older and I was probably the youngest guest (in my mid-50's). It was still a great tour and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in taking a cruise that involves a less crowded atmosphere than the big ocean liners.

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Originally posted by corsair:
...$362/day/person that's pretty good all things considered. Was three meals a day included or, did they have a couple of open days/nights?

Three meals/day were included, though we only got breakfast in the Okura on the add on days. When Viking puts us up in hotels, they're dang close to five star. Here's where I did the add on:

https://www.okura.nl/en/

And our final night in Bucharest:

http://radisson-blu-bucharest.bucharest-hotel.com/en/

Forgot to add you get beer and/or wine (all you want) FREE with lunch and dinner on the boat. There was also a lounge where you can buy drinks all day long. I drank mostly Diet Coke, could have used Geritol.

Many tours include lunch at a local restaurant, and we always could get beer or wine there too.

Forgot to mention a surprise highlight, going INSIDE a former German Army flak tower in Vienna! Our guided tour was half a day, we then had 1.5 days of free time and we spend all of it with another couple roaming the city. Our guide pointed out a flak tower in the distance (I had seen them in Berlin and/or Hamburg) so I did some searching and discovered there were six towers in Vienna, and one was now the city aquarium.

Aquarium page with general info:

https://www.haus-des-meeres.at...nside-Flak-Tower.htm

Very good info on all six Vienna towers:

https://war-documentary.info/v...lak-towers-flakturm/

We did the Basel to Amsterdam Viking cruise two years ago.

Highly recommend adding days at the beginning or end. We flew into Zurich three days early and were able to get over the jet lag and then tour Zurich, took a day trip to Lucerne and by the time Sunday rolled around we were ready for the cruise.

Viking is top notch all the way. You know the clientele you will be with - I was in my 40s and probably the youngest guy on the boat. We met up with a couple from North Carolina about our ages and we are still in touch with them.

For anyone considering booking one, hit Sigmund or anyone else that has done one up. I think both people get a $300 or so credit. Oh, and book early. Like a year prior.

Oh, and a tip for Amsterdam - you can go to the official tourist office in the morning (we went after breakfast on the boat) and get guaranteed entry time tickets for the Anne Frank museum. They have a limited number, but they sell them every morning. You completely bypass the line and go in through a special entrance.

quote:

Originally posted by furlough:

...Oh, and a tip for Amsterdam - you can go to the official tourist office in the morning (we went after breakfast on the boat) and get guaranteed entry time tickets for the Anne Frank museum. They have a limited number, but they sell them every morning. You completely bypass the line and go in through a special entrance.

We did the Amsterdam add on before the cruise. As recommended by Viking, we booked tickets several months in advance with a specific entry time. This was early Aug, in non-tourist months it may not be as crowded. Site we used:

https://www.annefrank.org/en/

The Anne Frank Museum - and pretty much anywhere in the city - is easy to reach using the trolley cars. We did not try the subway.

Post some pictures!!

Thank you Ron. Appreciate the information.

I did the Rhine Cruise in 2016. Absolutely top-notch in every way!