MS Bolero - Viking cruise - Romantic Danube

Has anyone recently been on the MS Bolero? Curious to how the rooms are, common areas, is the ship old looking? I am booked for a Sept 2012 cruise - Romantic Danube. Also, any experience with gluten free dining with Viking?

This is my first river cruise, I have been on many Ocean cruises (mostly with Princess). So not quite sure what to expect!

we will be doing the Romantic Danube in November on the Odin... Went on Viking also last November...it is a totally different atmosphere vs. ocean cruising!! You will know the crew by first name by the weeks end! Have fun...

Hi Bunnyhouse,

I am planning the same trip in July 2012. My post does not have any replies yet, were you able to find out anything about this? MS Bolero is not a Viking owned boat, so i am a bit concerned about it too. Will keep you posted if i find anything :).

Jucaha - How was your experience with the cruise and this particular cruise line? Did you like the itinerary? This will be my first ever cruise, any feedback would be great. Thanks.

No, I have not found anythign out. I talked with Viking and they assured me this ship is 'up to their standards'.

I supposed the destination is really what this trip is about, seeing all the sights in the cities we visit, but would really like to get some feedback on this ship.

I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

I don't have any specific info on the Bolero, except it was built in 2004. The cruise lines tend to keep their ships in very good shape. We're going on Viking Sky in Nov and that ship was built in 1999 and I fully expect it to be in good shape.

We did do the Romantic Danube with Viking last year (Nuremberg to Budapest) and the itinerary is great and we had a wonderful time. It was our first river cruise.

Thanks for the feedback bunnyhouse and CasaM.

CasaM, how were the excursions on this trip? were there any water level problems? I have heard that there are some issues with long layovers and flight connections if airfare is booked through Viking, did you have any issues? I am getting the lowest level room, any thoughts on that? Sorry about bombarding you with so many questions, i really do appreciate the responses.

Hi Do a search in Google for MS Bolero River Ship the are lots of links there about the ship. Some with pictures.

http://www.vikingriver************/cruiseships/.../ms-bolero/gallery_images...

Images - View a gallery of attractive photos of the beautiful MS Bolero cruise ship. See staterooms, public areas and more. A picture is worth a thousand words.

http://www.europecruises.com › Cruise Lines › Viking River › Ships

curioustraveller12, to answer your questions, first, let me say that we absolutely had a wonderful time on our cruise. But we did have water level problems. Last Nov, the Danube was at historic low water levels.

We did not get our air thru Viking so I can't comment on that. We also had the lowest level cabin and it was absolutely fine. You really are not in the cabin much and the weather in Nov was cold, so we wouldn't have been opening our balcony door even if we had it.

We had excellent guides at all the ports. The only extra tour we did was the Mozart concert in Vienna. Although packaged and presented specifically for the ship groups, we did enjoy it.

We just returned from the viking Odin romantic Danube last night and we have absolutely NO complaints. We did the Pre-cruise in Budapest and the Hotel Corinthian was very nice with an outstanding breakfast included. We enjoyed all the included tours Viking included and we did 3 optional one...the Mozart Concert in Vienna which was great, the optional Danube Gorge and Weltenburg Abbey which was not that good...we bused to the Abbey, drank a beer and ate a pretzel in the beer garden, went into the church part of the Abbey and had a lecture on the art and architecture of the church and the did about a 20 min ride through the gorge on a local boat...jus wasn't that special. Lastly, we did the Nuremberg WWII tour and really enjoyed it.

Friends selected Viking and this ship for us to all cruise together. It was better than I expected. The chef Karl was outstanding and the rest of the staff were wonderful! Two couples in our group had balcony rooms and two had main level cabins which only have windows at the water level. The main cabins were about 2-3 ft less wide than those with a balcony. It was not uncomfortable at all. It was pretty warm especially during the day and the a/c in the cabins worked great. The dress was anything you wanted it to be...lots of chico's. For the ladies and zip off slacks and jeans for the men but seriously nobody really cared. A few got a little dressed up for the Captain,s dinner but again...nobody cared. Great trip...Viking took good care of us.

Thanks CasaM and huntersyaya. It's great to hear the positive feedback and that you both had a great time on the cruise. Huntersyaya, thanks for the details about the optional tours. This really is very helpful.

Huntersyaya, one more question - did you book air through Viking as well, if so any issues or problems?

The Romantic Danube was my 1st river cruise with Viking. The Danube is a beautiful river and I am redoing the cruise this Nov on the Viking Odin, my 4th cruise with Viking. The included excursions and guides were excellent and the headsets were great if you are a slow walker and back in the pack of some of the walking tours or just stopping to take pictures. Viking is very casual, so you can sit back and relax and enjoy the cruise.

No need to worry about water levels. In 2010-11, Europe experienced a drought so the water levels in some of the rivers were low. I always travel in November and never experienced any problems. According to friends, this past winter in Europe was horrible with all the snow.

I always book the air through Viking. They meet you at the airport so there is no need to find your own way. Never had a problem with the air. If you get a connecting flight, the layover is very tight and you need to go through airport security in the 1st leg in Europe. I leave from JFK in NY and they never leave on time, so the layover is even tighter.

You will definitely enjoy the Romantic Danube.

We booked our own air and had no problems at all. We were doing a week in Paris prior to the cruise and then we flew from Paris to Budapest to start the Pre-cruise. We flew Air France premier voyageur class. We thought it was worth the extra money. We were first class from Paris to Budapest, Nuremberg back to Paris, and premiere voyageur on the legs between Atlanta and Paris. We were able to sleep on both overseas legs....goin our flight left Atlanta at 11:30 pm and coming back it left Paris at 4:45. We had a 4 hour layover in Paris coming back but took advantage of the Air France lounge and also shipped in the fabulous boutiques(Hermes, Channel, etc) at the airport.

Some of our friends had a 6am return flight because they used Viking air and had to get up at 3:30 am to head home...we got up at 7am and took a cab arranged by Viking at 8:15!

Thnks huntersyaya and pflorio :)

@curioustraveller12: I too am going in July on the Bolero from Nuremburg to Budapest!

I am hoping to find out ASAP if it's worth getting balcony on the Bolero. Is it tiny as they say? No room for a chair?

@bunnyhouse: Were you able to get anymore specific info on the Bolero?

Thanks everyone :)

Looking at the diagram of the cabins, the Bolero has french balconies - sliding glass doors with a rail, no outside seating.

We just returned from the viking Odin romantic Danube last night and we have absolutely NO complaints. We did the Pre-cruise in Budapest and the Hotel Corinthian was very nice with an outstanding breakfast included. We enjoyed all the included tours Viking included and we did 3 optional one...the Mozart Concert in Vienna which was great, the optional Danube Gorge and Weltenburg Abbey which was not that good...we bused to the Abbey, drank a beer and ate a pretzel in the beer garden, went into the church part of the Abbey and had a lecture on the art and architecture of the church and the did about a 20 min ride through the gorge on a local boat...jus wasn't that special. Lastly, we did the Nuremberg WWII tour and really enjoyed it.

Friends selected Viking and this ship for us to all cruise together. It was better than I expected. The chef Karl was outstanding and the rest of the staff were wonderful! Two couples in our group had balcony rooms and two had main level cabins which only have windows at the water level. The main cabins were about 2-3 ft less wide than those with a balcony. It was not uncomfortable at all. It was pretty warm especially during the day and the a/c in the cabins worked great. The dress was anything you wanted it to be...lots of chico's. For the ladies and zip off slacks and jeans for the men but seriously nobody really cared. A few got a little dressed up for the Captain,s dinner but again...nobody cared. Great trip...Viking took good care of us.

Thanks for the post. Its the first post-tour review I have read re: the Romantic Danube andvery insightful. I'm afraid I have many questions. We also arranged our own air and pre/post cruise extensions because we have had our share of disappointments having others do it for us and over the years of travel have certain preferences.

What was included during the pre-cruise extension in Budapest? Where you just on your own with a tour consultant? I have heard the onboard tour is basically a bus tour of the city, with stops in Hero's Square and Fisherman's Bastion for photo-ops. Is this accurate? I would prefer not to go to the same included sights beforehand when we are in Budapest pre-cruise.

How are the dining tables set up? are they all larger groups or sets for 2 and 4 also available? If the outdoor dining is not available due to weather, is the main dining area crowded?

What happens on board during the optional gorge tour for those who stay behind? Are there any lectures/ activities you miss or is the tour the only game in town? If you had a "do over" would you stay onboard?

Sorry for all the questions, and thanks in advance for any answers!

Thanks all for the replies. I am sad to say that I am already having some issues with Viking. I am getting conflicting information from their customer service and their air department. I was told that I could pay extra for viking air plus if I am not happy with the assigned flights. I was satisfied with the flights but then I was told that even if I am satisfied with the assigned air, I still have to add the $50 per person so I don't get reassigned at the last minute!!! I am getting a bad taste about this even before the cruise. This will be my first and last cruise with Viking. Not happy with the conflicting information I am getting from them.

Thanks all for the replies. I am sad to say that I am already having some issues with Viking. I am getting conflicting information from their customer service and their air department. I was told that I could pay extra for viking air plus if I am not happy with the assigned flights. I was satisfied with the flights but then I was told that even if I am satisfied with the assigned air, I still have to add the $50 per person so I don't get reassigned at the last minute!!! I am getting a bad taste about this even before the cruise. This will be my first and last cruise with Viking. Not happy with the conflicting information I am getting from them.

I have travelled 3x with Viking and never a problem. I suggest that you contact Viking at TellUs@vikingrivercruises.com because I never heard of $50 extra to not get reassigned. Good Luck

Thanks all for the replies. I am sad to say that I am already having some issues with Viking. I am getting conflicting information from their customer service and their air department. I was told that I could pay extra for viking air plus if I am not happy with the assigned flights. I was satisfied with the flights but then I was told that even if I am satisfied with the assigned air, I still have to add the $50 per person so I don't get reassigned at the last minute!!! I am getting a bad taste about this even before the cruise. This will be my first and last cruise with Viking. Not happy with the conflicting information I am getting from them.

Hi curioustraveller12,

We’re sorry to hear of your frustration with arranging flights. We’d like to try and help clarify this situation so that you can get back to the business of looking forward to your trip! As pflorio994 suggested, please do contact us at TellUs@vikingrivercruises.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

Viking River Cruises

The Pre-cruise extension in Budapest was just as you described. There was a Viking Rep at the hotel to answer questions and give us suggestions but we pretty much did everything on our own. The hotel Corinthian was nice but the rooms were a little warm. You put your door key card in a slot to get the lights and a/c to work so after being warm the first day, we left one of our key cards in the slot all the time and the room stayed cool. Viking offered a couple of optional tours during the Pre-cruise fo a fee....we used the hop-on, hop-off bus tour and saw most of the city. It was very walk able once we got our bearings. Having spent two days exploring Budapest, we actually opted out of doing the Viking city tour of Budapest and instead stayed on the ship and cruised the Danube picking up the rest of the passengers a couple of hours down river after their tour. We loved that morning on the ship as we had it almost to ourselves. We stayed on the sun deck and took in all the beautiful scenery along the river.

The dining room had opened seating for breakfast every day. It lasted about an hour and a half. They had a buffet and you could also order things like eggs Benedict off the menu. Ther was also a continental breakfast in the Aquavit Lounge every day. Same thing for lunch. Set hour for lunch in the dining room and at the same time a more casual lunch at the Aquavit. We did both. They had fun themed lunches at the aquavit and since the weather was so nice, it was fun to sit outside and eat.

At night, dinner was usually at 7pm. There was room for everyone at the same time to eat and it was the only option...we were all in the dining room. They did a wonderful job serving all of us. the food was excellent and we loved the servers and Karl the chef. There were some tables for 8, some for 6, and a few for 4. I don't remember there being any for two. After a few days, everyone started to know each other. Keep in mine that you will be divided up into groups of about 20-30 people to do your morning tours ...you can chose your group and you will find yourself starting to know various people on the ship just by taking a tour together. By the end of the week, the conversation and wine flowed freely at meals. The ship is small...only one lounge and that is where most of the Pre and post dinner activities are...you'll end up knowing most everybody on the ship!

Finally as to what happened while we did the abbey and the gorge...the rest of the people cruised down the Danube and we were brought back to the ship after our optional tour. If I had a do over...I would have preferred staying on the ship. The excursion was not HORRIBLE, it just wasn't that exciting. I really can't complain about anything else on the trip. They took REALLY good care of us! Colin, the cruise director, was great. They even have a group of young ladies who work on the ship that went on our tours with us. Once we were turned loose to explore on our own, those girls were kine of stationed throughout the small towns to help us if we got lost and eventually herd us back to the ship. They even had band aids! I had read a ton on here about the different river cruise companies and I had read where some people got upset with Viking, Avalon, AMA ,etc. Viking seemed to be mentioned a lot but I can honestly say we had no complaints. They really treaties all of us great! Hope I have answered your questions and that you have a wonderful trip!

Huntersyaya,

A good post with info re optional tours. Are there any talks or activities onboard when cruising while others are gone for optional tours? I'm a bit conflicted re Vienna. With only one day/evening, I had hoped to have a nice meal there, lunch or dinner, and some idle time in a coffee shop.

my questions:

By going to the concert, where did you have lunch? what time did you return to the ship afterwards? Did anyone stay in Vienna and return to boat later?

Do you know if it is possible to dine independently in Vienna and then join up with the tour at the concert?

Lastly, do you dock close to the city center in Vienna? If staying/dining onboard, is it easy to go into town afterwards?

Thanks in adavance for any info

Were you able to get gluten free meals? How challenging was it?

I'm trying GlutenFreeCruises next spring for the Danube Gourmet cruise. Its run by three amazing gluten free experts, and they've charted the boats to make the entire cruise gluten free, and will eliminate cross contamination, and have a full gourmet menu of breads, desserts, meals and even beer (and wine too) that is all gluten free. I'm so excited to be going...Gourmet Gluten free, without worry...who would have thought!