River Cruises - Europe Cruise Reviews

Docking at ports along the Main, Rhine and Moselle rivers.  All of the ports were located in small German towns that featured fortified walls with towers, castles, palaces, beer and wine gardens, and small winding cobblestone streets with charming shops and inns.  We added two tours, one to Rothenberg and the other to Luxembourg and we really enjoyed them.  The dining and beverages were great, the common areas are attractive and comfortable  and the suites and crew were impeccable.

We also enjoyed Prague and Paris and the hotels in those cities that were part of the tour package.  I strongly recommend this cruise.       

Yes, I will highly recommend the cruise. Prefer larger pillows. Staff was excellent. Food was very good. Excursions were well planned. The Viking buses were new and very comfortable.

Everything about the cruise was great and first class. We would recommend the cruise to our friends. Don't stay at the Movenpick Hotel in Amsterdam.

It is very annoying that I am being asked to complete a long review.

Each evening, my wife and I posed the question to ourselves, What could Viking have done to make this day better?  Each time, the response was the same--Nothing! Now, I shy from the word "perfect", but everything the crew did for us, all of the local tour guides, the restaurant and staff, and especially our PD, Anthony, made the entire experience comfortable, informative, and pleasurable. The physical ship was designed and outfitted to make time on-board easy and efficient. Our balcony stateroom, while understandably "cozy", had every amenity easily at-hand and convenient.  We might have liked a little more personal time at some of the individual ports, but balanced against the benefit of having a single accommodation for the entire trip, and the opportunity to see so many different beautiful towns/cities, it is a small complaint. We came away knowing we would be using Viking again--soon. 

I loved the opportunity to float down the river and take in all the awesome scenery. The included excursions were great - my only recommendation would be to have an option for folks to spend a longer time to explore. For example, in Vienna we only had an hour to enjoy a coffee at one of the 2700 cafes and visit the shops. We did not feel comfortable arranging our own "ride" back to the ship. Otherwise all of the excursions were great. 

Our cruise was cancelled.  No fault of Avalon.  What was their fault, however, was the appalling circumstances that followed.  We were put on a bus trip.  Hotels were below standard and not 5 star as promised.  Locations were away from decent restaurants and certainly not within walking distance for elderly patrons.  We were given money for food, however, we had to pay for taxis to get to restaurants.  Avalon discriminated against the US/European groups in favor of the Asians.  We were put into a substandard Hilton whilst they were put into the Kempinski,  We were totally ripped off.  Our money was taken under false pretenses.  We will never ever even think about Avalon or indeed any river cruise again.

From the beginning of our trip to our return Viking took care of everything.  It was seamless.  This was our second trip with Viking and it will certainly not be our last.

From transfers, to the ship (Forseti) experience, tours, extra excursions, staff, food, even the guests - were spectacular.  They have perfected the experience.

The visits to Basel,Cologne,Strasbourg,The Black Forest and Kinderdijk were fun and interesting. A few trips like to Colmar were a trip back in time. Heidelberg as well. Between the unusual rain foor this time of year our group had a enjoyyable time. My knnee prevented me going to the castle near Koblenz. But I had beenthere previously several years back. The high level of  the Rhine was not unexpected for me as I hhad been following this on the news. Still a very good trip, fine food,exceptional service,events on boatrd. I enjoyed the history and glass blowing as well as the German evening.

All of it. Ship was really nice. Food was excellent. Cabins really spacious. Staff was outstanding. Shore excursions were fine. Guides were great. I highly recommend Viking River Cruise Lines.

Cruise ship and staff were accommodating.  The docking and ports were less than expected and generally out of the way, having to be bused around was not what we had expected at all.  Little time to explore on one's own in most stops.  due to high water, the ship had to make considerations and they did an excellent job assuring passenger and ship safety.

Traveling on the Rhine; visiting the villages seeing so many historic sites and museums. Staff were very cordial and friendly, taking care of any issues or questions. Dining facilities were beautiful and meals were delicious. Local fares most enjoyable.

the Kadlin is a new, wonderful longboat!  What was not to like?  The staff was outstanding, the rooms great and comfortable, the food varied and delicious, the tours and tour guides friendly and knowledgeable, the ship common areas well done, overall a, as above, a wonderful experience.

The crew did a marvelous job handling the flooding and rain we had to contend with. Even with high water conditions they got us to all our destinations in great shape. The tour to the Normandy beaches, especially the ceremony Lionel arranged for us was superb and unforgettable. 

This was my second Viking River Cruise and once again very enjoyable.  The staff is exceptional in at all levels. One of our party needed a lactose  and gluten free diet and the chef did a wonderful job creating gourmet meals for her,

The local tour guides and on board speakers were terrific.

The boat was very comfortable and the staff was excellent: friendly, helpful, courteous,and fun.

They made necessary changes to our trip because of Seine flooding.  They went "ALL OUT" to get us to our scheduled places with ease.  The river caused the crew to work hard with unexpected weather and logistics problems but they did a fine job of this.

Overall, the staff was very good, although some additional variation in the food offerings and canned music in the lounge would have been appreciated.

Also, owing to high water (v. bridge clearances), the upper deck was closed for about three days. I think we and others felt cooped-up, and couldn't quite understand why sections of the upper deck weren't made available when we were docked. Assume there was some valid reason.

Walking tours tended to be longer and tedious, especially for older folks.

Having said all this, we would probably consider going on another Viking cruise although we would plan a bit more about what we might do on our own when making shore visits.

Two days in Budapest prior to cruise were great, as was the local host!

The ship was great, the personnel was very attentive, and the food was terrific. The captain did everything possible to get us to certain sites by bus when we couldn't get to them by boat . Very happy to have taken this cruise. The excursion to see the Lip..horses was a bust. Waste of money. 

The personalized attention, the sceneryand the beautiful stops, and of course the excursions.  I was disappointed with the balcony. Half the time in port we were next to another ship and couldn't sit on it and had to close the drapes so the room was dark. It wasn't worth it. I would have liked it if the beds had a cover sheet.          

I would definitely recommend this cruise or any cruise with Viking.

Our river cruise with Avalon was fantastic.  The ship was clean and well maintained.  Our cabin was comfortable.  The trip included many great stops.  We were escorted by friendly, knowledgeable guides on our excursions.

I would  recommend finding alternative flight  reservations other than what Viking assigns.  We had a 26 hour return flight from Amsterdam (Amsterdam to Madrid, Madrid to Chicago, Chicago to Denver) It really ruined the trip because it was such an unpleasant ending.  We made reservations 14 months in advance and this was the flight reservation they gave us!!!

I loved the extra excursion we purchased in Budapest - "The Best of Budapest and Thermal Bath" Most memorable day!!

Enjoyed the intimate nature of the small ships in terms of passengers.  This particular boat held 127 max. but only 77 people were on board.  The culture of the villages in the small towns that we stopped in was evidenced in presentations that were held on the ship prior to or right after land excursions.