Viking Egil Cruise Reviews - Reviews

It was our 1st river cruise. The overall experience was amazing, I would not hesitate to do another one with them. The quality of side trips, the experience of guides, the daily meals were delicious, the organization of tours were superb! All in all a wonderful trip !!!

We embarked Viking expecting a 4 or 5-star experience, this was certainly not what was delivered on board. Cold, unimaginative food, refelcting many of the staff who were serving. Drink stocks running out and not replenished as it was the end of season - poor excuse given the price we paid. Most of the crew seemed to be going through the motions without any care, which I put down to this being the last voyage of a long season, so they were probably worn out & ready for their break & to see their families. Entertainment was woeful, with one man playing a keyboard & half-singing an assortment of songs from the 50's, 60's and early 70's. 'Next day' overviews were held in the one lounge area before dinner so that the bar staff could push drinks. We had a couple of quiz nights with the usual embarassing tat-prizes - all very Butlin's in it's bad days.

My partner and I booked the Viking Cruise for Romantic Danube on the Egil for ,August 4,2018. Two days before we left we were informed that the river was low but no explanation as to what that meant. What it did mean was that instead of a river cruise we got a very overpriced bus tour. We were told that the level of the river is arbitrary but when I checked on the web it looks like this company has been getting complaints since July. The bus trips were not enjoyable and we were not able to enjoy evenings in any of the cities we visited because we had to be back on the bus. The views of the dock were horrid. To top it off, someone on our cruise was injured and she was taken to the hospital. They made her pay for the taxi as well as the hospital. She tripped on the gang planks between ships trying to exit. At the end of our journey we offered a 25% discount on our next cruise. I feel that this is an insulting offer. We did not get what we payed for and Viking made no effort to improve the voyage. At the very least, they could have booked hotel rooms for the guests instead of having us spend our time crammed into a bus. I was very dissatisfied with their revised offer. They offered 30% off the next cruise I am not going to take. The woman I talked with said this was an act of nature and had never happened before. Perhaps, she was not born yet in 2015. Aside from that her demeanor was not conciliatory, in fact she was rude. Also, it looks like I bought trip insurance which was never explained to me but she said because of that, they could do no better. I am sure that if I did not have insurance she would have admonished me for that. I think this company should cancel cruises when they are not able to perform. If it is to late to cancel, they need to treat their guests more like customers and less like cattle.

It is so easy to take the excellent Viking staff for granted when it all runs so smooth, but they really went above and beyond when it was decided that the Danube water level was too low to continue from Passau. Although it was disappointing to have to leave the ship and go by bus to Nuremberg, the Viking staff worked tirelessly to make our trip a success. Cruise Director Oliver and his staff need special mention for their outstanding work in getting all the hotel rooms sorted, all the tours completed and I’m sure most of the passengers still had a great time, we certainly did. We were met at the airport by Viking staff and from that moment we were treated superbly, we really feel special where Viking staff are concerned. This is our third Viking trip, 2 river, and one Ocean. The Viking Egil is fairly new and was beautiful throughout. Veranda cabin is plenty large enough for two, lots of storage and that fabulous bathroom. We had chosen the Silver Bubbles package and from my second drink, the bar staff knew my cabin number and my preference and that was how it would be for the week. All the meals were well presented and very tasty, the Philippine chef even gave my wife and I some of their national dishes at times, which were superb. We chose the included tours for most days and we were not disappointed with any of them. The guides were interesting and passionate about showing us the best of their cities. A special mention to the young lady, I am ashamed that I cannot remember her name, who toured us around Schonbrunn Palace. She was brilliant, so knowledgeable and enthusiastic, funny, and delightful to be around. Even considering that the cruise portion ended three days early, this was still one of the best trips we have been on, my 14th cruise. We have already booked our next Viking cruise in China next year.

I would have liked more information about the cruise upfront, before I sailed, so I could make educated decisions.

Outstanding, met or exceeded our expectations. Highly recommend to others to take a Viking River Cruise. We bought Vouchers to be used for a future cruise. The staff was great and met our every need.

This was our first trip to Europe and we wanted to do something special and Viking was the perfect way to accomplish this. The experienced staff, excursions that where 1st class all the way along with the food, shopping and local culture was an experience we could not had done on our own.

The amazing staff of Viking Egil from the captain to our room attendant made this trip outstanding. The Program Director Oliver is fun, organized and very helpful. The waitstaff are so attentive, helpful and friendly. Milan and Angie deserve a huge thank you.

The beauty of the Danube is inspiring. 

At the top of the list of complements Wong be the Eigl crew and staff.  From the always cheerful Captain, to the seriously committed Tour Director and the Wait and Housekeeping staff,  everyone bent over backwards to make our "visit" both comfortable and thoroughly informative.

Accommodations on the Eigl were excellent.  For example, and oddly, the bathroom in our cabin, though a bit smaller than the one at the Corinthia Hotel in Prague, actually was considerably easier to navigate, with more shelving for toiletries, and a more logically designed shower.  

The "wall of glass" leading out to the private porch just added to the pleasure.

You've got to ride this boat!!

Our favorite part of the cruise was the congeniality of the guests as well as the wait staff.  

Since this was our first river cruise in Europe, we were surprised at the amount of time spent in each port.  Unlike conventional cruising and Chinese river cruising, the ship was not in port for any length of time. I would have preferred more time in the ports.

Also we were very unhappy that we paid $99 per person to "see" the Lipizzaner  Stallions.  We saw the stallions in their stables and the performance hall but alas no performance.  The jockeys did not even work on Monday, the day we attended this optional excursion.  Information very misleading. 

Program Director, Anthony was great as well as our waiter, Florian.

This is a wonderful trip on the Danube River. We visited three lovely capital cities along the way. The ship is one year old and in top shape - like new. The entire ships staff were very courteous, professional, friendly and they exceeded our expectations, This includes the Captain and his crew, Hospitality and housekeeping, chief and wait staff, tour directors, guides, drivers and ground personnel. We felt we were well cared for and often pampered.  

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.

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. 

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.