Honey73 54 Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Hi All!! Back from my trip down the Danube on the Rinda with Viking River Cruises and what a fantastic time I had!!!! I must admit, I was a little wary at first as I thought everyone would be in bed by 8pm...but I was so wrong!! Had a marvellous time! Budapest is a fantastic city along with Vienna and Melk and you get free city tours within your price, along with all your meals and free drinks at meal times! The waiters made sure my wine glass was always topped up! You can choose a continental breakfast and light lunch in the Aquavit Terrace or you can opt for Full English breakfast buffet style in the main restaurant along with menu choices i.e. eggs benedict, full menu choice and buffet at lunch and full table service for evening meal, always a different choice on the menu and usually local cuisine however there is also Steak, Salmon and Chicken breast on the menu every evening. You can help yourself to free and unlimited Tea, Coffee and hot chocolate throughout the day along with baskets of lovely fresh cookies, cakes, biscuits etc. The entertainment is low key but really really good fun with a pianist who loves you to sing a long with him, local entertainment, fun quiz's and the staff are absolutely fantastic! I can't wait to go again! Just need to choose where!!! KeithnRita, sista, DavidH and 5 others 8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Honey73 54 Posted December 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 . dancefloordemon, KeithnRita, DavidH and 1 other 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KeithnRita 688 Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 It sounds fabulous! The photos are great! A river cruise is on our bucket list, however our bucket has a hole in it. We will be on a partial river cruise in about 2 weeks as it takes about 8 hours for the Serenade of the Seas to navigate the Mississippi River before entering the Gulf of Mexico. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maddie3 55 Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Pictures are fab! very jealous! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Honey73 54 Posted December 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 I had a really great time, it was my birthday whilst we were away so we went to Mozart & Strauss Concert in Vienna....how could you not???? .....I'm so glad I did, it was amazing. The excursions are really well organised, we did so much in the week but on the flip side of that it was really relaxing too. I was so surprised with how smooth the sailing was, I thought it would be a little rocky but you cannot even tell you are moving. I can't wait to see their new ships launch for ocean cruising!! andreant 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Land Ahoy 797 Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Hi I'm pleased you enjoyed your cruise, another convert to river cruising. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
elvis 31 Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Would love to go on river cruise, unfortunately the good ones all seem to involve flying so that is a no no. Land Ahoy 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Land Ahoy 797 Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Would love to go on river cruise, unfortunately the good ones all seem to involve flying so that is a no no. Hi Some Rhine river cruise lines do allow you to take the train from London to the embarkation port so it is possible to take a river cruise without flying. However, beware you will be responsible for transferring your own luggage when you change train stations in Paris Furby 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DavidH 596 Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Glad you had a great time, Honey73. Thanks for the review and pictures. Honey73 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Solent Richard Posted December 12, 2014 Report Share Posted December 12, 2014 Hi All!! Back from my trip down the Danube on the Rinda with Viking River Cruises and what a fantastic time I had!!!! I must admit, I was a little wary at first as I thought everyone would be in bed by 8pm...but I was so wrong!! Had a marvellous time! Budapest is a fantastic city along with Vienna and Melk and you get free city tours within your price, along with all your meals and free drinks at meal times! The waiters made sure my wine glass was always topped up! You can choose a continental breakfast and light lunch in the Aquavit Terrace or you can opt for Full English breakfast buffet style in the main restaurant along with menu choices i.e. eggs benedict, full menu choice and buffet at lunch and full table service for evening meal, always a different choice on the menu and usually local cuisine however there is also Steak, Salmon and Chicken breast on the menu every evening. You can help yourself to free and unlimited Tea, Coffee and hot chocolate throughout the day along with baskets of lovely fresh cookies, cakes, biscuits etc. The entertainment is low key but really really good fun with a pianist who loves you to sing a long with him, local entertainment, fun quiz's and the staff are absolutely fantastic! I can't wait to go again! Just need to choose where!!! Excellent news. I'm a great fan of Viking River Cruises and it's always good to hear another members excellent review. We did the Danube on Viking Embla and also had an outstanding time. http://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2013/05/28/solent-richard-catches-a-viking-maiden/ Your comment of Melk brought back some fond memories... All too often seasoned cruisers whinge regarding the pricing of river cruises but with companies like Viking you certainly get value for money. Honey73 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Monica 31 Posted December 12, 2014 Report Share Posted December 12, 2014 Ah looks lovely! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nikos 65 Posted December 12, 2014 Report Share Posted December 12, 2014 I went on a Viking river cruise too in Germany -Passau to Nuremburg. It was a great experience and lovely to see the Bavarian scenery and medieval towns with their cobbled streets. I enjoyed going through the locks and watching the staff at work. The atmosphere was very relaxed and informal - everyone was like part of a family. I would definitely recommend. Honey73 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
linzi1907 13 Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 The pictures look fab. Was it through Viking that you went? Ive heard AMA Waterways are supposed to be fantastic for River Cruising also. Land Ahoy 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Land Ahoy 797 Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 The pictures look fab. Was it through Viking that you went? Ive heard AMA Waterways are supposed to be fantastic for River Cruising also. Hi I haven't sailed with AMA Waterways so I can't comment on the quality of the cruise experience but I can vouch for Uniworld they offer an excellent product. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Honey73 54 Posted December 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Yes I've heard of AMA too but again I can't comment first hand, but I can definately recommend Viking....brilliant from start to finish Thank you Bolsover Cruise Club who recommended it in the first place Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loz6 136 Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Great pics and info, ive never done a river cruise and would find it hard to know where to start looking, great to hear some companies to try! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ijfraser 7 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Also did Danube 2014 fantastic every thing so well done so much so we are doing the DOURO in June for our golden anniversary. We enjoyed the small ship and everybody was so friendly no stand offishiness we have found when ocean cruising [not every body but it does happen] Nothing was too much trouble even when the chef was asked for a curry he went and bought all the spices and made a very good chicken curry to a recipe provided by an Indian lady passenger. He being Austrian had never made a curry before. Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Honey73 54 Posted November 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Just re-reading my post from a year ago!!!! Booked another river cruise, trying APT this time, Bordeaux in July 2016, I've booked their all inclusive option which picks me up from home to airport and back, all inclusive drinks and excursions and extra special excursions to choose too..............roll on July!!! DavidH 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Seven Seas 147 Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 The APT cruises look fantastic so i'm sure you'll have a great time on your Bordeaux cruise in July. Honey73 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DavidH 596 Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Just re-reading my post from a year ago!!!! Booked another river cruise, trying APT this time, Bordeaux in July 2016, I've booked their all inclusive option which picks me up from home to airport and back, all inclusive drinks and excursions and extra special excursions to choose too..............roll on July!!! Hi Honey73, Sounds like a great trip. Particularly like the all inclusive package, with airport transfers. I was going to post that I would waive to you if I spotted an APT boat from our caravan site on the the banks of La Garonne but then I realised that the timing is not quite right. We are planning a 3 night stop at Camping de Bordeaux Lac in late June as part of our 2016 caravan tour from Santander to Calais, whilst your trip is in July. By then, we will have moved on via the area round Bergerac, the Dordogne, up to Limoges and then spending time in the Loire Valley, where we will meet up with some members of the family. I think I enjoy the plannning as much as the trip itself. Here's to good weather for us both!! DavidH Honey73 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2torts 345 Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Would love to go on river cruise, unfortunately the good ones all seem to involve flying so that is a no no. Elvis, some companies travel to the port by coach e.g. Shearings. We did one 10 years ago & we had a night in a hotel on the way & another night in a different hotel on the way back from Germany. It was very relaxing & a great holiday. Honey73 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Honey73 54 Posted November 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Ahhh David I'm going to wave in that direction anyway just in case you extend your stay! haha. What an itinerary for you...must have taken a while to plan....I bet your holidays are amazing!! I will be raising a glass in celebration of our joint holidays!! DavidH 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.