This past August 2023, a group of us (4 couples), took another Viking river cruise on the Danube, from Bucharest (Romania) to Budapest (Hungary).

This was our second outing with Viking. Given our experience with Viking the first time, the only thing to be decided was the date, as we knew we wanted to cruise the Danube to see Iron Gate and the magnificent views going up the Danube through Romania, Serbia, and Croatia.

Whilst a river cruise may not be for everyone, it offers an excellent opportunity to travel and sightsee across a country or countries (curated excursions) without ever changing hotels – no unpacking and packing, and offers excellent meals and service in a relatively small group setting. It beats driving from place to place.

The one disadvantage would be that the itinerary is structured, where one cannot just get up and say I want to spend an extra day here or there, or make stops along the way at one’s discretion. If you want to travel with kids then Viking is not the one for you.

We visited 5 countries – Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, and Hungary, over the course of 11 days. Some of the towns across these 5 countries where we stopped, takes you back in time. One forgets one is in Europe, albeit Eastern Europe. Found the locals to be hospitable and friendly.

Cruising on the Danube is a magical experience – making stops at some of the cities and towns with abundance of history and culture: Bucharest, Bratislava, Budapest, and small towns in between, and beautiful vistas.

Worth repeating … Viking’s customer service is to be experienced – It is top notch. Their staff are very friendly, courteous, and attentive to detail.

The Maitre D and the Chef are not only the masters of their tradecraft, they are approachable, with a sense of humor, and passionate about catering to customer’s needs.

Again, the bar staff were courteous, engaging, and attentive. Our cruise director was wonderful, with a great sense of humor.

Note that the all-inclusive Silver Spirits package offering has changed slightly from what they offered in 2019. Now only wines below $50 are part of the package, whereas those priced greater than $50 are offered with a 30% discount.

Kudos to Viking for another amazing experience!

One Life Many Travels means One Life Many Trips; One Life Many Journeys means One Life Many Memories; One Life Many Journeys means One Life Many Experiences; One Life Many Journeys means One Life Many Moments

Viking … https://www.vikingrivercruises.com

Uniworld … https://www.uniworld.com/us

Gate1 … https://www.gate1travel.com/river-cruises/europe-river-cruises

AmaWaterways … https://www.amawaterways.com