review: Viking River Cruise Passage to Eastern Europe
11 days from Budapest to Bucharest for a first time river cruiser
On the sundeck of Viking River Cruise’s longship Aegir, having just departed Budapest on the Danube River.
While being exposed to countless Viking River Cruise commercials during episodes of Downton Abbey on PBS certainly left me intrigued by the idea of taking a river cruise with them, it wasn’t something I put any serious effort in to doing. If I’m going to spend a hefty chunk of money on a big vacation to Europe, I’m far more likely to want to plant myself in some city-center hotels and venture around on my own itinerary than take a river (much less ocean) cruise. Nonetheless, when some friends mentioned they were planning a Viking River Cruise and asked if I’d like to join along, I eagerly said yes. Travel is travel, and I wasn’t going to knock river cruising ‘til trying it. Further, I didn’t really have any doubt a Viking River Cruise was something I could easily find myself enjoying, that it could be a fair amount of fun, and that it’d be a worthwhile experience. Turns out I was right on all those counts!
Booking the cruise in the first place was simple enough – we just had to pick where we wanted to go, when we wanted to go there, and hope prices lined up with all that. Viking always has a sale or special offer available so there’s really no excuse to find yourself taking a cruise without having benefited from some kind of discount or special offer to get you there. Whether it’s 2-for-1 airfare (if you want your airfare booked through them), onboard stateroom credit, discounted stateroom upgrades and the like, things really come down to deciding which special offer you want to choose more so than whether you’ll have any in the first place. Even now, I’ll get postcards and brochures from Viking telling me to “Act now! Offer expires at the end of this month!” only to have an all new postcard show up in the mail the next month advertising a similar offer that ends when this new month does! If you really can’t find any special offers, look in to booking through a travel agent (Yes! Those still exist!). Travel agents often have a host of special offers and discounts they can provide to guests who book through them.
My friend (with whom I’d be sharing a stateroom) and I decided to go with the onboard stateroom credit. That credit came in handy when it was time for my friend to get Viking’s “Silver Spirits” package – a flat fee you pay to enjoy unlimited beer, wine, and liquor while on board. The Silver Spirits package costs about $20/day, so is more than worth it for anyone thinking they’ll have more than a few drinks each day. However, if one occupant of a stateroom gets it, the other must as well (I guess Viking suspects couples might try to get away with paying for one, then sneaking drinks between them all cruise long – and here I thought being suspected of sneaking drinks to others is something we left behind in college!). That policy doesn’t take folks like myself in to account – I don’t drink at all. So rather than our being able to buy only one $200 drinks package for the one occupant of the stateroom who’d actually do any drinking, we had to pay $400 for two while still only having one occupant of the stateroom drinking. In order to minimize the damage and make sure we got our money’s worth, my friend set out to drink well above a minimum of $400 worth of alcohol throughout the cruise (and succeeded, may he rest in peace*), while I took comfort in our $200 onboard stateroom credit letting me break even on the deal.
Our Viking longship, as seen from the Sofitel Budapest Chain Bridge, with Castle Hill in the background.
More important than picking your special offer was deciding on the aforementioned Where and When. We chose a late autumn Passage to Eastern Europe cruise between Budapest and Bucharest because a) the sailing happening so late in the year, well outside of peak river cruise season, meant prices were good and b) none of our group had covered as much ground in Eastern Europe as we had in Western, so this itinerary would be off all our respective beaten paths. Further, sailing from Budapest, Hungary to Bucharest, Romania seemed perfect for so late in the year – we were far less likely to have to deal with unpleasant, cold, or wet weather in places so far south than if we’d chosen a Rhine cruise that ended in Amsterdam, for instance. We won out on this weather bet as well – while some early mornings and late nights were brisk, weather was never unpleasant.
Speaking of weather and the elements… if you picture yourself on a Viking River Cruise, you likely imagine yourself leaning against the railing of your own private veranda, looking out over the passing scenery of castles, cathedrals, quaint villages and countryside, a steamy cup of tea or chilled glass of champagne to your lips. Allow me to disavow you of this expectation, as I myself was disavowed – truth be told, you’re unlikely to spend much time at all in your stateroom. If you are in your stateroom for a meaningful stretch of time, it likely means you’re fast asleep. While we did indeed pay the higher fare to put ourselves in to a veranda stateroom, we were up top on the sundeck or up front in the lounge or Aquavit Terrace whenever we wanted to take in the scenery. What’s more, while river cruise itineraries will usually include a full sailing day whenever it’s time to pass through the most scenic stretch of river, most all the sailing is otherwise done overnight. You pull in to the day’s destination early morning or while it’s still evening, are off the ship and on an excursion much of the day, then having dinner or socializing in the evening and afternoon as the ship sets off again.
The Veranda Stateroom on a Viking River Cruise longship.
If you want a stateroom that opens up to the passing scenery and would like that fresh air, consider the French Balcony staterooms. The sliding glass doors open your stateroom up to the outside world completely, at a better price than the category above with its veranda you don’t really need.
The sundeck on a Viking River Cruise longship, with Budapest’s Chain Bridge in the background.
Handling our own travel arrangements to get ourselves to Hungary and home from Romania, we made it a point to give ourselves some extra days in Budapest and Bucharest before and after our cruise. I’m not one to ever pass up spending as much time as possible in Budapest as it’s one of my favorite cities; I’d never been to Bucharest before this cruise, so wanted at least a few days to explore it and nearby areas while there. Viking’s Passage to Eastern Europe itinerary does include time spent in-country before embarking and after disembarkation – in our case a couple nights at the Sofitel Budapest Chain Bridge before boarding, and one night at the Sheraton Bucharest after the cruise. So we spent a few days in Budapest at a hotel we’d booked on our own before moving over to the Sofitel to sleep on Viking’s dime (… the dime we’d given them to book the trip), and then booked a few of our own nights in Bucharest to tack on to the stay our Viking fare covered at the Sheraton. It’s worth pointing out that extending the trip on our own like that, and not through any of Viking’s upsells, meant we had to take care of getting ourselves to and from the hotels and airports.
Keep in mind our cruise was billed as being an 11-day itinerary. At first glance you might think that’d mean 11 days on the boat when, in fact, 3 of those days were spent on land. While the 2 nights at the Sofitel in Budapest and 1 night at the Sheraton in Bucharest (Note: Viking uses different hotels so there’s no guarantee your itinerary in those cities would include the same as ours) were included with the cruise fare, you’re otherwise left to your own devices before boarding and after disembarking – you’re paying for your own meals and drinks.
The first couple land-based days of our itinerary did include an excursion to the Royal Palace of Gödöllő.
The full perks and privileges of the river cruise don’t come in to effect until on the actual boat – once on board, you’re eating the wonderful meals Viking’s chef and kitchen crew prepare for you, your drinks (beer, wine, and sodas) at meals are covered, and your “hotel room” is traveling with you to every new port of call.
That “hotel room” that traveled with us had certain features and amenities that make for pleasant accommodations - the bed was comfy, and daily housekeeping service kept the room in wonderful shape (while also carrying out turndown service in the evening while we were at dinner); the bathroom floor was heated, which was a treat each early morning we were up and about and getting ready for the day; there was plenty of storage in the stateroom - cabinets, drawers, a closet, and space under the bed; the water bottle was replenished daily; a mini-fridge was a great place to store juices, sodas, or snacks we’d acquired on land; decor was the “understated, tasteful Scandinavian” design you see referenced often when people speak of Viking or any airline, hotel chain, furniture maker or car manufacturer from Scandinavia.
Faults with the stateroom? Our wi-fi in the room was poor to nonexistent. Apparently, our room sat within a wi-fi signal blackhole, and I was never able to pick up a decent wi-fi signal on either my phone or laptop. If and when I really needed to connect to the outside world over wi-fi, I’d head to the lounge. Having said that, even wi-fi in the lounge was far from perfect - signal and speed are two different things, and the lounge offered the former but not the latter. Ultimately, I decided to just stick with the international data I was getting through my cell phone plan; being on a river cruise meant we were never so far from civilization that cell service was an issue.
The signal our stateroom did pick up wonderfully were the soundwaves of people walking (or perhaps stomping? Maybe bouncing along on pogo sticks? Thrusting weighty medicine balls on to the floor beneath them? Playing leapfrog with one another?) on the sundeck above us. Thankfully there weren’t too many Olympic trainee speed-walkers stomping around the walking track on the sundeck each morning, but any that were up there could be easily heard as they fee-fi-fo-fummed their way across the roof above us. If you’re a light sleeper you may want to book a middle deck room that isn’t directly below the walking track.
Viking Longship deckplan
A floating hotel room that moves with you from one destination to the next is what attracts plenty of people to river cruises and cruising in general. They can be a great way to travel for folks with mobility issues or people who don’t want to deal with having to unpack, repack, and move luggage on and off of trains and buses or in and out of taxis on their way between different cities and hotels. My Gen X self was younger than most every other person on the trip (outside of our traveling group of friends, and one or two other guests) by a couple decades on average, I suspect. Most every baby boomer I met on the trip was an experienced traveler, and many were quite experienced with Viking in particular. Many had been all over the world a couple times over and had traveled all manner of ways, eventually settling on river cruises or other such all-inclusive vacations as they got older and cruising as a means of travel kept things easy and attainable. That prior experience with Viking many had is also what led them to being on the same cruise as us – they’d done the trademark Rhine cruise between Basel and Amsterdam, had done the Christmas markets cruises through Germany, done Paris and Brussels and Vienna and Salzburg, and now wanted to try a European cruise that was a little different.
Viking has plenty to offer for folks looking for both the classic European cruise along the Rhine or Danube, and cruises much further afield – they sail in Egypt, Ukraine, Russia, Southeast Asia, Portugal, and have even started up cruises down the Mississippi.
While excursions are a big upsell on traditional ocean cruising and can tack a whole lot of cost on to a trip, with river cruises they’re usually included. That’s a major selling point of river cruises, in fact, though the option did exist in almost all our ports of call to pay extra for a different shore excursion. For instance, while I went on the included excursion to Osijek and Vukovar on our Croatia day, some friends opted to pay a little extra for a wine-tasting excursion.
The welcoming committee in Bulgaria.
I didn’t bother with any of the optional upcharge excursions available all trip long, instead sticking with the ones that were included with the cruise fare; each excursion I went on was plenty interesting and worthwhile to me. Venturing about in a group of a few dozen, on coaches, isn’t something I would usually jump at the chance to do. Despite that, I actually had fun with the group tours on this trip - sharing tables with other guests at mealtimes and getting to meet and socialize with other travelers meant people who were total strangers when the trip began were friends and traveling companions by the time it was over. I found myself looking forward to hanging out with familiar faces during shore excursions. Further, each guest was supplied with a receiver and headphones to listen to the tour guides - if you really don’t like being in the middle of the group or want some space once in a while, you can easily hang around at the edges of the group or even put a bit of distance between yourself and everyone else and still hear everything worth hearing and not miss out.
Skip to the Shore Excursion Gallery
The excursions ashore were certainly the highlight of the trip, and it can’t be denied the cruise was an easy, efficient, and incredibly comfortable way to see something worthwhile in Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania in barely more than a week. There’s no denying the nature of cruising left me wanting more, though - it was strange finding myself arriving in then leaving from a destination all within the same day. I wanted to see more of each place visited, and left each port of call wondering if I’d made the most of the limited time there. While it’s easy to see river cruising as missing out on substantial, quality time in a particular destination in favor of quick visits to multiple destinations, it’d also be completely fair to appreciate river cruises as giving you the opportunity to go places you might never have gone to in the first place.
I prefer to look at things from that latter perspective. It was the cruise’s itinerary that took me to Vidin and Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria when it’s entirely possible neither would ever have ended up on my radar otherwise. It was the Passage to Eastern Europe itinerary that floated me down from Budapest (a city I’d been to several times before, and would have been fully content to spend the entirety of a vacation in again) to Bucharest, where I then spent several days that left me captivated and enthralled by every bit of Romania I might not otherwise have experienced. It was the cruise itinerary that showed me eastern Croatia, whereas I’d have likely focused my attention on the Croatian coast had I planned a trip there myself. It was the Passage to Eastern Europe itinerary that landed me in Belgrade, regretting I only had part of a day to spend there but also relishing my being there in the first place and wondering why I’d never taken myself to the city before.
Our trip ended in Bucharest, Romania, where you’ll find the Palace of Parliament
By the end of it all, my Passage to Eastern Europe trip with Viking River Cruises was something I did indeed find myself enjoying, was undoubtedly a fair amount of fun, and certainly was a worthwhile experience. Would I do another? I don’t actually know. With only so much time and money to put towards trips and vacations I’d likely allocate resources to a means and style of travel I prefer over river cruising. If some fantastic deal or opportunity on a Viking River Cruise presented itself down the line, or I found myself with more money than I knew what to do with? Heck yes, I’d do it again. While not my preferred way to travel, it was a very pleasant way to travel nonetheless and one I can definitely see has its benefits. What’s more, it was a great way to easily and efficiently get a taste of several different places that could come in handy down the line. The cruise left me with a strong desire to return to the countries visited, and with a solid foundation of knowledge to build a trip focused to those places upon in the future. I also still keep in touch with some of the people I met on the cruise, and that’s certainly a priceless souvenir to bring back from one’s travels.
*I’m kidding, of course. He’s doing just fine.
the final tips…
Booking:
Keep an eye out for special offers and sales, and see what travel agents might have to offer.
If your schedule allows for it, look at early spring or late fall sailings for good prices if you don’t mind gambling on the weather.
Rooms:
The French Balcony staterooms are the sweet spot when it comes to price and comfort.
Food and Drink:
I suspect I gained at least a few pounds on the trip - we were fed plenty and fed well. You’re essentially eating a gourmet restaurant meal each night for dinner, and the breakfasts and lunches are also more than satisfying. You will not be starving.
Take advantage of mealtimes (dinner especially) as a chance to get to know some of your fellow passengers and make new friends!
On Board:
Don’t shutter yourself in your stateroom when on board. The lounge, Aquavit Terrace, and sundeck are the places to be.
The Shore Excursions…
Osijek and Vukovar, Croatia - Travelers likely know all about Croatia’s coast and what places like Split and Dubrovnik have to offer. Eastern Croatia shouldn’t be overlooked, though, and our included shore excursion in Croatia took us to the eastern towns of Osijek and Vukovar and included a home visit with a Croatian family that was particularly enjoyable and enlightening.
Belgrade, Serbia - Belgrade Fortress and the Church of Saint Sava (above) were highlights of the day spent in Belgrade. On our cruise, an optional upcharge excursion included the vaults of Saint Sava and extra time spent in the interior for those interested. Our time in Belgrade also allowed for some roaming around the city center, lunch at an outdoor cafe, and sightseeing on our own - definitely a city I’ll have to get back to!
The Iron Gates - Viking River Cruises make it a point to include a full sail day in many of their itineraries. This usually takes place on a particularly scenic stretch of river, with the waterway itself and things seen on and along it being the day’s attraction. Our Passage to Eastern Europe’s sail day took place between Serbia and Romania, as we passed through the Iron Gates gorge, amidst stunning scenery as cliffs descend into the water around you, and as you pass through the massive locks and by the hydroelectric dam on this section of the river. Present-day itineraries of Passage to Eastern Europe might even offer a shore excursion during this stretch.
Vidin and Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria - Bulgaria was the surprise star of the trip. As a castle fan, I was absolutely blown away by Belogradchik Fortress; the traditional crafts quarter in Veliko Tarnovo - with it’s wood shops, silversmiths, coppersmiths, painters, and more - was enthralling. I’d likely never have gone out of my way to take a trip to Bulgaria were it not for this cruise, and now can’t wait to focus a trip around Bulgaria thanks to this cruise.
Bucharest, Romania - While it always strikes me as absurd for a tourist to bemoan tourism and the popularity of certain destinations among other tourists, there is something to be said for feeling like you’re in on a secret and enjoying a place others might be overlooking or haven’t yet discovered. I felt like that in Bucharest - if Prague got too popular and Budapest is the new Prague, then Bucharest is the next Budapest. It’s not yet overrun with tourists, but it has every right to be with how much there is to see and do (and how wonderfully affordable it is relative to places like Prague and Budapest). While our Viking River Cruise included a night in Bucharest after disembarking, we did all of our exploring the city and its surroundings on our own.
Transylvania, Romania - Staying a few extra days in Romania gave us a chance to explore Transylvania - as remarkable and captivating a region as you imagine it to be. With stunning mountains, postcard-perfect villages, countless imposing castles, and the ever-present aura of myth and legend, Transylvania immediately shot towards to the top of my list of places I need to focus a future trip around after getting a taste of it on this one.
Trip: Passage to Eastern Europe on Viking River Cruises from Budapest, Hungary to Bucharest, Romania
Dates: October 27, 2017 to November 13, 2017 (with cruise itinerary running October 31 to November 10, and actual dates on ship being November 2 to November 9).
Countries Visited: Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania
