River Cruises - All Cruise Reviews

Seeing the windmills in the Netherlands and enjoying Budapest for the first time. 

The river cruise was nice, but not all guides were of a top caliber that you would expect 8n paying over  $30K.

The transfers worked well until we got to the airport to travel home.  We did not park close to 5he terminal and no one was around to assist with all our luggage.   Once inside there was very little assistance by 5he Viking rep to get us checked in for our flight s.  We all ended up going separate ways to take care of our needs. 

The overall Amenities on board were very good. The ship was designed very well

and the seating arrangements in the Lounge and Dining area allowed choice

for different moods. The Food was very Good with plenty of variety. We found September to be an excellent time of year, neither too hot or cool. The general History of the area was fascinating and made the trip somewhat educational. The

scenery was very nice , not breathtaking but very Nice.. The staff was very attentive and pro actively asked if there was anything you wanted or that they could do for you.

I enjoyed the small number of passengers and the personalized service from this crew. Ship has no significant bells and whistles but does not need any since the ports are the main emphasis of this cruise. Rooms were good and the food was good.

We had the unfortunate experience of being tied up to a concrete pier next to a recycling station for over two days -- we spent the time listening to concrete or something being crushed and seeing dust.  As my husband and I are 88 and 83 three years old respectively, once we got on the boat we decided that we wanted to do only one excursion and that was the one scheduled on Friday to see the Hungarian Horsemen.  Obviously that never happened and that was a big disappointment as we had owned horses at one time.  While we were docked by the recycling station, our family got taxis and went into Roth and visited a museum and went to lunch.  We were on the boat with our three children and spouses so there were eight of  us.  We arranged this trip to Roth on our own.

I realize that Viking had no control over the lock problem, however, I think the ensuing two days could have been handled much better and I think your people need additional training on how to deal with passengers in a difficult situation,  We received much misinformation and condescending attitudes on the part of the people in charge of keeping us informed.  They did a very poor job and the result was that many passengers were very angry.

However, I would like to compliment the crew as they were congenial and well trained and the food was excellent.

You have given a credit on future voyages to the passengers on this unfortunate trip but, because of our ages, that will not benefit us.

I will not recommend Viking.  If anyone asks, I will suggest that they check other cruise lines to see how they have handled difficult situations such as we experienced.  Four of us had to leave the boat on Friday morning because of our flight schedules and four stayed on the boat until Saturday. 

I certainly do recommend this cruise line and trip to anyone desiring a laid back cruise with special people giving you special attention.

If I had to repeat this experience, I definitely would have taken the optional side trips ( extra cost ) because the shopping would have been better in museums, etc., and those side excursions were specially selected by the company.

The no-cost excursions were interestin and our guides were excellent, however.

We really liked the smaller number of passengers and the more personal attention as compared to our ocean cruises.  Great itinerary - loved the small German towns.

Food was good, but not the variety of entrees we had on ocean cruises, but after seeing the kitchen, I understand this.

Would have liked more evening lectures about the countries we visited - the ones we had were good, but with all the history there I think this was a missed opportunity.

Also really appreciated not being "kicked off the ship" at the end.  The crew was most accommodating - we even came back for lunch after checking out, and were allowed to leave our bags on until later in the day.

Included shore trips were good, as were the guides (with 2 exceptions)

Evening light cruise in Budapest was a FAVORITE!  As was the  castle cruise 

on the mid-Rhine.

Yes I would definitely recommend this cruise.

The best part was the crew knew us by name almost right away and always greeted us and welcomed us back on board every day.  The stops on the cruise were very good.  Food was better than average.  Staterooms are small.  Most of the daily excursions were excellent.  The ship was comfortable

Outstanding destinations, excellent crew and staff; great guides; good onboard food and bar, wine list could be improved, but adequate.  Ship was comfortable, suite was really nice.  Housekeeping was excellent.

We enjoyed our first river cruise experience very much.  AmaCerto was an excellent ship and had a great crew.  Everything was first class from the food and services to the excursions.  It was a very pleasant trip. We would highly recommend Ama Waterways and the AmaCerto.

great cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Favorite parts:

- Food was excellent, portion, timing, quality and flavor.

- Ship and state room were kept spotless and I am a clean freak.

- Service on the ship exceeded expectations.

Not so favorite parts:

- For three days, while dock at St Petersburg, my view was that of another ship. Not really what I expected for what I paid.

- On ship entertainment was lacking.

Things I hated it:

- Wi-fi was so slow it was unusable.

- The tours seemed to be aimed at a much more senior and religious crowd. Bathroom breaks are excessive and a waste of time for others like me. Variety is needed -  more active and outdoor tour options should definitely be offered.

We enjoyed this cruise although it was organized very differently from our previous Viking River Cruise. The itinerary was good and enabled us to optimize our time in Russia. Unfortunately, one of our ports of call, Kizhi Island, was canceled due to issues with the fog. We didn't like the layout of this ship as much as we did the longboats as there were many steps that were rather precarious. The food on this trip was not nearly as good as the Grand European although the desserts were divine. We thought the costs of the shore excursions was very expensive, but they were excellent tours with great guides. Our biggest surprise was how beautiful and colorful Moscow is. The Russians were very friendly and welcoming. We felt very safe the entire time.

Missed 3 flight connections because Viking did not allow enough time between flights. Stuck at one Lock for 3 full days. Spent over 25 hours on busses and missed 4 tours as a result. Had to repack to change ships. Under-staffed. Service was average at best. Rooms not made up before 12:30 PM on multiple days. Poor time management, would often be 2 hours longer than told on bus trips. No exercise options, not so much as a treadmill, and even the short walking track was closed over 50% of the time. Have cruised 45 times but this was our first river cruise. Never again on Viking!

The Viking personnel were fabulous and did their utmost to retrieve the luggage the Air France never delivered the entire trip.

The itinerary was fascinating, especially the extension to Oxford and getting to experience Blenheim Castle, as well as Highclere and other spots where Downton Abby was filmed.  Having the current Countess talk to us on our private tour was special.  The Old Parsonage Hotel was delightful.

Wonder no more. A river cruise is the perfect venue to experience a new area or country. A more intimate  look at local communities, towns or cities. Daily excursions accompanied by local guides knowledgeable about the area's history made each experience memorable. One thing I learned, it's not a leisure cruise, so be prepared to get plenty of exercise. Nevertheless, I enjoyed every trip ashore. When we had down time, I favored sitting on the upper deck. Some of the nicest people I met were a part of the staff. It was easy to tell that everyone's goal was to be sure each guest enjoyed themselves. An unexpected bonus we were fortunate to have assigned to our cabin was an exceptional man we called "V" in order to not repeatedly mispronounce his actual name. He was truly a blessing. I would not hesitate to book another river cruise on a Uniworld ship. 

We really enjoyed the cruise.  The tour guides were wonderful, very educational. The ship was not quite as nice as the last Viking ship we were on but the food and staff were wonderful. Also, Melissa from was very helpful and responsive. 

The excursions and knowledge of guides. Very well organized trips. The program director was difficult to understand. He needed to relax and be more comfortable with his talks 

The cruise was the best vacation we have had.  The food was prepared by a top-notch chef who prepared gourmet meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner - absolutely the best ship food I have ever eaten.  the complimentary wine was very good, too.  The ship was relatively new, but the accommodations were great - firm bed, balcony, very smooth ride.  It was so smooth that may times we had to look out the balcony door to see if we were moving.  The cities we stopped in were just magnificent and the tour guides truly made the visits to the towns, castles, etc. very memorable.  Overall, a great experience.  Will do it again in a heart beat! 

definitely seeing the windmills in Kinderdijk was my favorite excursion... I was a little disappointed in the wine tasting experience at our stop in Strasbourg, although the town was beautiful!!!

Overall, we loved the cruise. The Avalon ship and its practices could use some improvement, however. Lectures could only be heard from top deck or the lounge, but not in your cabin. On days where morning and afternoon tours were scheduled, we barely had time to get back, eat and rush out again. Dinner options weren't great, tho food presentation was good. The dining room was stifling hot on several dates when temps got into the 90's. There was only one pillow option--too soft for me. Cabin was quite cozy--only one chair. Our bed faced aft, so not good viewing from the bed. Needed more tour options in Cologne, as it was Sunday, the included tour was less than 90 minutes and we were there all day. Aside from seeing the cathedral, we were bored. Most of the tours were quite good.  I would choose a different cruise company next time--we liked Uniworld overall much better, but they didnt offer the same itinerary....