River Cruises - Europe Cruise Reviews

I was very impressed with my entire experience.  If there was an area for improvement it might be in the hotel we stayed in.  The contact person at the hotel (Pauline) had too much to do.  Maybe another person would have helped.

The crew were outstanding - friendly, accommodating, courteous and fun to be around.  The food was fabulous and it was great to see the Captain and Cruise Director all around the ship - always speaking with passengers and making sure we were all having a fabulous vacation.  I really enjoyed being welcomed "home" after each day's excursion by the Captain and staff, the hot towels waiting and an inviting beverage.

Low river level on Danube interrupted our cruise and transformed the "romantic" excursion into a bus tour for Regensburg, Passau and Melk (missed Krems altogether, this was a substitute). Had to repack and change ships outside Melk for our Wachau Valley "scenic pass" - which was about 20 minutes at 5:45pm, just before dark.  Arrived in Budapest nearly a full day late, thus shaving half of the cruise's time off this key attraction. Our Veranda was rendered virtually useless on four of the seven docking days because another ship was lashed to ours side-by-side, right up against our "balcony". Viking offered nothing to offset these unfortunate circumstances. Would not recommend.

The cruise was very well organized, covered the area well in the time allowed and definitely exceeded my expectations. And the food..... Wish I could eat like that all the time!

My favorite part of the trip was the tour, lunch and wine tasting  at Chateau Siuarac.   This trip was really all about the wine.  I would definitely recommend this cruise to my friends looking for a relaxing, safe vacation with very attentive service.  I would recommend a three day visit to the Loire Valley either before or post cruise, to see the great Chateaux of France. 

Viking staff, both ship and air were professional, courteous and friendly. We received helpful assistance from the concierge and the transfer representatives at the airport for both our arrival and departure.

I have taken over 30 cruises over the past 20 years.  I have stayed in balconied cabins, suites, and the traditional interior cabins.  I have been overall always very satisfied until this sailing.

I took my first Viking River Cruise last week. Here is a brief pro's and con's:

Pro's: 1) Easy embarkation/debarkation; 2) Friendliness of most Staff; 3) Virtually smoke free environment; 4) Walking Tours Fantastic; 5) PrePost trips were Superior

Con's: 1) Almost everyone became sick during the trip (probably some cleanliness issues, my party did not get sick until returning home); 2) Food was average at best; 3) Strict Dining Times (always had cookies); 4) Lack of Any Exercise Equipment; 5) Bathroom Drainage and Overall Ventilation Issues (limited fresh air); 6) Extremely Noisy due to 67+ locks

We had a Great River, Gary the Cruise Director kept things very interesting, the weather was and little cool with one day  a total rain out. Next time I would go in September as the weather and the water levels would be a little better.

We enjoyed seeing the sights of Europe with all the excursions included. It would have been nicer if the dock for Paris would have been closer to the center of the city.

We cannot stop talking about our cruise down the Danube on the beautiful AmaStella.  Everything was absolutely perfect.

We were met on the dock by the captain and officers who gathered up our bags and moved them to our room while we enjoyed a relaxing drink on the sun deck.  

Our balcony room was spotlessly clean and well appointed.  Beautiful linens, efficient bathroom and plenty of storage room so that we felt like we could put away our belongings and move in.

We met our steward, Ardi, who was there for us whenever we needed him.  He also cleaned our room when we left for tours so that we could return and relax.  At night he again tidied and left us chocolates on our pillows.

The food was wonderful.  Breakfast and lunch were mainly beautiful buffets to which you could add custom cooked dishes.  Dinner dishes were chosen from a menu and changed daily.  Beer and wine were plentiful and well chosen.  The food was the best we have had on any cruise we have ever taken.

Then there were the tours. Our Cruise Manager, Nikola, had set up both walking tours and bus tours that really made us feel we had seen and enjoyed the cities we visited.  The tour leaders were knowledgeable and funny, telling anecdotes about the character and history of each city.  When we traveled by bus, the buses were new, clean and safe.  We even had to wear seat belts.  Nikola hovered over us to ensure we were happy, entertained and educated.

Finally there was the personnel.  To a person - officers, reception staff, maintenance and cleaning staff, waiters, cooks ( and i know they played several rolls) - all were friendly, helpful and really seemed to enjoy their work. 

We give the tour and the ship 5 stars.

Can't say enough about the Delling crew, ship, and service.  With a gluten allergy Chief Daniel made a personal effort to provide me with option to enjoy his culinary talents.  Well appointed rooms, public areas and lounges.  Viking offers many excursions that are included and a wonderful additional options.  A lot of time is spent on tour coaches traveling to the tour locations, but that is an option that is at the travelers discretion.  Optional tour was guided by Nico..........Can't say enough about his knowledge, and personality.

Cruising on the middle Rhine was exceptional, staff of Viking set a happy tone.  Nicole was exceptional as our guide. The food was amazing, we never went more than 2 hours fwithout eating!  Being welcomed back from shore visits with a drink of local flavor was a great touch. the ship was so clean.  The staff were so friendly, especially Norvin and Jon Jon.

Avalon is awesome. The Imagery11 was new and beautiful. The staff was awesome. The itinerary was very enjoyable  and flexible for all needs and tastes.

The whole was 1st rate.  The crew was great, the entertainment was 1st class. A river cruise is great you have something to see on either side of the boat. We would recommend it any friend that wants a river cruise

We loved the great hotels where we stayed, while on land:  Prague Hilton, Budapest Hilton and the Bucharest Inter-Continental.  The ship was beautiful and the staff was high class- providing exquisite service.  The tours were by local guides and brought you the history and culture of the people- which we found to be wonderful.

The tours, visiting with local citizens that not only shared each country's history and culture, but shared their personal and family perspectives on culture and recent history...making it come alive for me!

The ONLY thing that we would change about this wonderful trip would have been to spend one or two more nights in Prague... The rest of the trip was AWESoME!

Viking tried to make the best of a bad/tragic situation. Result was more a bus tour than a cruise and not at all what we expected. I trust that Viking will do right by the passengers in terms of compensation, but that remains to be determined.

This cruise never was a cruise; low water prevented the ships from cruising and Viking never got in touch with us as they had an incorrect email address but they did not take the extra effort to call us and ask us if we wanted to cancel. We only found out when we arrived at the hotel in Prague. The "cruise" required us to change ships halfway through the trip and all travel was by bus - instead of leisurely cruising on the Elbe; Staff worked hard to compensate but there really is no way to compensate. Horrible experience even though some of the tours were really good but several were very poor.

The crew was fantastic,friendly,fun  the tours terrific, the food was amazing .

the music for dancing was great, the ship was out of this world !

It was a wonderful trip and we highly recommend Viiking.

They couldn't do more for us.