River Cruises - Europe Cruise Reviews

The crruise was very good. The walking tours were more strenuos tthan anticipated - but interesting. 3 days in Paris is too much.

River Cruises are different than ocean cruises. The ship is really where you sleep and eat. It's not an activity center. You go for the Ports of Call. As long as you know this, you will enjoy it. And Viking is the best. Yes, there are others less expensive (and there are some more expensive.) But Viking is the choice for quality and service.

Great cruise on the Rhine - you can't go wrong with Viking. Be sure and do "Top of Cologne" and the "Wine Tasting" - great excursions. Skip the dressy clothes, pack light and enjoy. Use the extra room for gifts you buy or maybe a bit of local cheese to bring home.

Too many photos to upload and not enough room to add an appropriate review. What is so very special about Viking Rhine river cruise was their assistance navigating through all the ports and the embarkation and debarkation and return home handlings. Once again a very very stress free vacation in a foreign country and would do it again. Thank you Viking for taking care of us.

We loved the crew and the management. The boat was smooth and we did a lot of cruising at night so our days were free. It was quite beautiful especially as you get into the smaller towns. We liked all of it and we definitely go back

If you haven't been on a river cruise, I would highly recommend it. I like how the excursions are included in the price of the cruise and that you get to experience the history and culture at each stop. I also enjoyed the smaller-scale experience, the excellent service and getting to know the crew.

Cruise was very expensive and not a good value. Ship facilities and activities were very limited and most included tours were churches visiting. Food was no amazing but service was good apart from the rude front desk and hotel manager.

Pre- and post-cruise options would have been nice but were very expensive compared to doing it on our own. Three days in Paris and Barcelona are not enough for first-time visitors.

The ship was very dangerous I fell down a spiral staircase and broke my arm my ribs and bruised my leg as well as sprained my opposite ankle

We Really Enjoyed Our Cruise! Viking is very Relaxing & Well organized. Small ships mean fewer People, Good Food & excellent Attention to their guests!

At the end of each day I told my husband "today was my favorite day it can't get better than this" and it did get better and better until the final day when I had to leave this incredible experience and my new AMA family!

Portugal was not our first choice for the cruise - the Rhone cruise to the south of France was the first choice. However, because the Portugal cruise was the only one available in our desired time schedule we took it and boy, were we surpirized. It was a great cruise. Portugal was magnificent and our guides were exceptional as they were Portugese who are very proud of their country and did their utmost to show us the best that their country had to offer. They did a fantastic job. So, we got a great replacement for the Rhone which we will do at a later date. Porto, Lisbon and the Duoro Valley were definitely worth the visit. I am not a wine enthusiast but Port wines were great.

All in all, this was a wonderful week of beautiful scenery and history. Our country is so new compared to that of Europe - we just don't have the history that they do and that is reflected in the architecture, etc. One thing not mentioned above to comment on is the Middle Rhine Scenic cruising portion of the cruise. This was between Rudesheim and Cologne. There were castles everywhere as we cruised down the Rhine. It was interesting how the French and Germans were constantly warring (over periods of hundreds of years) and how whenever one or the other conquered an area, the locals had to become either German or French depending on who won the war. We were told in some cases, this happened for a couple of generations and then they would become whatever they were before. Also, after the Reformation, the protestants took over some of the cathedrals and the Catholics were out. Being an American, this seems so foreign. In summation, I would recommend this cruise. It was awash in history of the three countries we visited. Viking took great care of us - I was worried about the food, but, I could always find something to eat. We had a suite on this cruise, and that made it that much better. Having a balcony was great as we could just relax and enjoy the scenery down the Rhine. I don't think I would like to be in one of the rooms with just a little window (those were at the bottom of the boat). Can't say enough about Viking and our cruise down the Rhine.

Everything on this cruise was outstanding. From the time we were met at the

airport to when we started home and a Viking rep actually went into the airport and helped us get our boarding passes, the Viking people thought of everything to make our trip perfect.

We saw beautiful scenery, interesting cities and countries with very interesting histories, and lovely people. Our trip included outstanding food (with interesting wines for lunch & dinner as well as mimosas at breakfast),  well thought out variety of excursions (included}, a room with high end fixtures & bedding that was tidied up several times a day, and friendly, helpful, hard-working staff that met our every need and whim.

I am thoroughly impressed with Viking and don't know how I would ever be persuaded to try another river cruise line. Hubby and I have booked our third one for next spring and are very excited to visit France on board a viking ship!