Viking Tor

Daniel, program director, was excellent - went beyond his way to accommodate the guests. Knowledgeable, approachable and professional. Wait staff was excellent (especially Balasz on the Viking Thor). Unfortunately, the Danube water level created adjustments in our itinerary which was disappointing but Viking did an excellent job in following the itinerary as close as possible with only one unplanned bus trip.

The crew and staff were all wonderful. They were engaging but not overbearing. The food was great. The excursions were more a taste of the ports rather than an immersion. So I feel I need to go back to some of the ports.

this was my fourth viking cruise and it did not disappoint. The crew is what makes these ships.  The crew is amazing. They are professional and always eager to serve. The accommodations are tight but well planned. The public areas of the ship are always spotless and very comfortable. I highly recommend Viking. 

I was lucky enough to find a deal where Viking reduced their single supplement to something reasonable. Sadly, the opportunities are few and far between. That said, the cruise provided a very good value. I enjoyed all stops including a full day included tour to Cesky Krumlov (CR). Tours tend to be slow paced though walking subgroups are usually available  Optional tours are better priced that ocean cruises but can often be replaced by DIY. The Viking ships are very nice and the food good though too meaty. Service was excellent. A highlight was a sail in to Budapest at 10pm which provided a spectacular light show.

We had done almost this exact itinerary during the summer and, having enjoyed our Christmas Market tour on the Rhine last year, we decided to try the Danube again.  Despite worries about possible terrorists, possible low rivers meaning buses, and a potential Lufthansa strike, we decided that we would do the tour anyway.  And we are glad we did.  The staff were very friendly and polite, the food was great and there was a nice atmosphere of friendliness on the boat.  The only disappointment was that we didn't have much time in Budapest as the boat sailed first thing in the morning when others went on their tour.  As we had done the tour last time, we had hoped to be able to visit the Christmas Markets that morning, however, we enjoyed our near-empty boat and the trip down the Danube to the bus pick-up spot.  All-in-all, I would recommend this tour to anyone - the Christmas markets in Nuremberg were very pretty and the whole trip got us into the holiday mode.