Viking Helvetia

Food was sometimes. Cold too few crew

Trip went smoothly\, was well planned\, and crew and tour guides did an excellent job.

The ship is somewhat dated\, but well managed and maintained. No elevator; only steps to upper levels.

It was a wonderful cruise. Being that there were only 192 people on board\, it was easy to mingle and meet people. As with other cruises\, the food was outstanding. Overeating was easy. The wine and beer was also excellent. The staff was superb making you feel very comfortable in your room\, lounge\, and dinning. The main reason od course was touring. The variety of tours was excellent\, as well as the tour guides. We will do another tour in the future.

Trips were shifted to buses in October and November yet Viking River Cruise continued to sell and collect prepayments for (1) shore excursions (2) their "Unlimited Drinks" package at $400 each, and 7 nights on board. We were lied to. They had buses arranged on the third day when we arrived in port, unloaded with baggage and never saw a ship again. Bus trips for days and days. 4 hours at a stretch. Highways - no castles. And, the worse part of this ordeal is that Viking River Cruise management won't return calls nor respond to our request for a pro-rated refund for the unused and undelivered so-called cruise. We were ripped off. Even prepaid packages get a coupon for a discount on their next Viking River cruise. They stole our fees and expect us to return for another adventure (by bus). No way. I do not recommend this unethical company. Brochures are slick and grossly misrepresent what you get.