River Cruises - Europe Cruise Reviews

We loved the staff on the Sonata. They are excellent.

Great stops and guides but poor customer service. Not worth the money spent. Will probably use a different river line in the future.

We had believed the Viking TV commercials and expected a much more intimate upscale cruise. We are experienced cruises and have had much better food, entertainment and relationships with the crew on much larger ships. The high point of this cruise is the one day cruise past all the castles.

If you want to do nothing onboard, then go on this cruse.

The cruise was very nice and the service incredible. We won't be taking another Viking cruise because of how they handle expenses and credits on board. Your credits are converted to US dollars but the expenses aren't converted and only relabeled as euros so you wind up with paying more for what would have been an even exchange. That's Viking's policy. Example - $300 on board credit is reduced to 264 euros. $300 cost for excursion becomes 300 euros instead of being converted to actual euros, it's just relabeled. You wind up paying $36 US additional due to the way they handle the onboard invoice. In the future we will go with another cruise line.

I highly recommend to take the alps extension Zermat is a highlight on the trip

Very good trip in many respects, but some disappoints. Not our best on Viking.

Having been multi-time ocean cruises, including Viking, this was a very different experience. Much less to do onboard.

We LOVE how Viking takes care of each person! There is a person to help everywhere. We’ve never had such service and the ports were fantastic.

Very worthwhile and a different experience than trips from Amsterdam to Budapest. Bucharest is remarkable 30 years after its "revolution." Do not be surprised by the economic condition of Bulgaria but beautiful country-side.

The ship wasn't in working condition but they allowed us to board. The air conditioning wasn't working properly. When we returned from the first day tour they told us several things which were not the whole truth. We then set out with faulty air conditioning and a ship unable to make speed. On the third day we reached the stop that was supposed to be the second day and were disembarked and put on busses. We had two long and uncomfortable days travel and since some people were sick the illnesses spread and we became sick. The ship never should have left the first port w/o being repaired and we should have been informed of exactly what was going on. Viking management leaves a lot to be desired imo. The crew did what they could under the circumstances.

Airline cancellations gave rocky start to trip but the remainder of the cruise was fine. The cruise seemed to be more expensive for the travel experiences and quality of food compared to other cruises we have taken.

A great trip. River cruising is different from ocean cruising. The facilities are fewer (no shows, no movies, no 17 bars, no gyms, etc. The service and surroundings are much more intimate--200 guests vs 4000 guests. We have been on >15 ocean cruises, and this was our first river cruise. We enjoy both. Viking did a great job to make us feel welcomed and comfortable. We did a lot, saw a lot, ate a LOT, and had a wonderful time.

Viking has an extra measure of success with their proven customer service, staffing and expertise on how to do Europe for active adults. The tours are led by residents who speak excellent English and know the history and highlights of each port. Be prepared to walk and see as much as you want, but be sure and take time to enjoy the ship and crew as they pamper you. The Rinda was an exceptional ship but we didn't get to cruise much during the day, since each day was filled with excursions and activites. Their ratings of the activity levels demanded were spot on, but there is an ability to modify your trip if you have problems with mobility. Note that many ports had the ship moored next to another ship, so window views would not be the greatest for all days, but usually they were an treat for us. Do spend the extra to have a french balcony, the windows on the lower levels didn't offer much lighting. We paln on doing another cruise soon, but will skip the high tourist season in mid summer because of the heat, crowds and general rushed feeling for many of the attractions. If you do a pre-cruise extension, plan on getting online tickets for popular spots, that fact saved us much headaches in the lines for the Saint Chapelle, Louvre, and dining. Many couples do the 2 weeks cruises, where they go to another part of France, and if you have time, it seems like a good idea.

Cruise was enjoyable. Viking switched our ship at the last minute from the brand new Sygyn to the Viking Ve which was 4 years old. The service were amazing.

Maybe Vikings can have better included excursions since there were many historical sites and sceneries, but they were all “optional” excursions. This was an expensive cruise, better designed and included excursions would make us feel more deserve and rewarding.

A wonderful vacation with all necessary services included. Will definitely do another river cruise in the future.

We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise. We would have liked some local talent onboard and some better menu selections, but overall it was great. I would like to see better descriptions of the degree of difficulty of some of the optional tours I would not have paid for the market tour for my husband had I know the amount of walking involved.

This was our first river cruise although we have been on several ocean cruises before. We really enjoyed sailing on the Danube River as it was very peaceful and the scenery was beautiful. We loved all the staff as they were very personable and extremely friendly. They really made us feel special. Yes, we would do this again!

Viking provides a top notch product. A Viking vacation, either River or on the Ocean is predicable. Great food, service, tour guides, excursions, cleanliness...all excellent!