Viking Danube Waltz Questions

[Works for travel]

This is my 1st cruise ever, I have a few questions:

 

Have you been on the Viking Danube Waltz Cruise? Any tips or need to knows?

 

I know it is a river but can the ride get "bumpy"?

What about the locks, how is that experience?

 

How are the optional excursions on Viking?

Specifically the Heurigen Evening in Vienna and Grand Market: Taste of Hungary & Pancake Kitchen in Budapest, has anyone been on either of them?

Is there any other Optional excursion that you would recommend?

 

Gratuities: I am traveling Solo, do I TIP for 2 or 1? Also is Tipping only done at the end of the cruise?

 

I appreciate any insight or suggestions. Thanks in advance.

 

Note: I incorrectly asked the same questions on the roll call thread :(

[JVilleGal]

Have not sailed Viking but sailed on the Danube last Sept. All river cruises are similar in some respects. So

 

No,the river does not get bumpy, you glide and hardly know you are moving.

 

Because I sail Amsterdam to Budapest I feel like an expert on Locks (we had 63;)) the first couple are fun, your boat actually has appointments to transit most locks. You do many at night while sleeping and hubby who is a lite sleeper woke up a couple times.

 

Gratuities - paid at end either in cash or by credit card on your ship account. You do need a few Euro a day to tip your guide & bus driver (3 or 4 euro) your cruise director will give you that info. (Only pay for yourself)

Pay to potty!!! Europe bathroom require euro coins to use. Always have some with you!!!!!

 

ATM machines are everywhere. Stock your account at home with cash for emergencies and use your ATM card to access.

 

We order about 250 Euros from our bank at home to bring with us so we have money when arriving.

 

Hope this helps and others can give you more Viking specific info :)

Happy planning!

 

Omg Pancake House in Amsterdam we went 3 times, yum yum!!!! Here is the link and they are also on Facebook

 

http://www.pancake.nl/

Edited April 28, 2016 by JVilleGal

[Works for travel]

Thanks JVilleGAL! That was great advice.

[JVilleGal]

Thanks JVilleGAL! That was great advice.

 

 

When are you sailing??? There are lots of Viking cruisers here to advise you. Be sure and go on the Viking website and register and set up your account. Info about tours and other great advice will be there. "FAQ & Know before you go"

[JVilleGal]

This might also give you good info

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2220727

[JVilleGal]

PS Visa & MasterCard are widely accepted, Discover not hardly at all. American Ex in larger cities but stick with Visa. Take at least 2 cards in case you have trouble with one you will have a back up card.

Important to call your Credit Card companies & ATM bank too and let them know you will be out of the country - where you are going and dates. You don't want them to turn your card off when you are trying to buy beautiful wooden Christmas ornaments in Germany :)

[CharlieDog4]

This is my 1st cruise ever, I have a few questions:

 

Have you been on the Viking Danube Waltz Cruise? Any tips or need to knows?

 

I know it is a river but can the ride get "bumpy"?

What about the locks, how is that experience?

 

How are the optional excursions on Viking?

Specifically the Heurigen Evening in Vienna and Grand Market: Taste of Hungary & Pancake Kitchen in Budapest, has anyone been on either of them?

Is there any other Optional excursion that you would recommend?

 

Gratuities: I am traveling Solo, do I TIP for 2 or 1? Also is Tipping only done at the end of the cruise?

 

 

 

I appreciate any insight or suggestions. Thanks in advance.

 

Note: I incorrectly asked the same questions on the roll call thread :(

 

 

When are you taking this cruise? We are on the 8/7/16 Danube Waltz.

[JVilleGal]

When are you taking this cruise? We are on the 8/7/16 Danube Waltz.

 

 

In looking at her past posts it appears she sails Oct 12. She will need warmer clothes and a rain coat. (My theory is if you have them with you then you won't need them) it rained on us last Sept

Edited April 28, 2016 by JVilleGal

[Works for travel]

Yes I am leaving on 12 Oct 2016. However I will be in Prague first. I opted for my own fight and pre-cruise trip. I am a pretty well traveled person just never on a cruise, river or sea.

This was definitely an impulse trip, after watching too much Downton Abbey!

Yes I will be bringing warm close and dress in layers.

Whatever the weather or issues (I hear water levels can be an issue) I am determined to have a great time...after all I won't be working, what's there to complain about.

[JVilleGal]

Yes I am leaving on 12 Oct 2016. However I will be in Prague first. I opted for my own fight and pre-cruise trip. I am a pretty well traveled person just never on a cruise, river or sea.

This was definitely an impulse trip, after watching too much Downton Abbey!

Yes I will be bringing warm close and dress in layers.

Whatever the weather or issues (I hear water levels can be an issue) I am determined to have a great time...after all I won't be working, what's there to complain about.

 

Knock on wood, water levels "should" be ok in October. Last year was bad, in Sept we made it all the way into Budapest when many other ships could not, so feeling blessed about that! :)

[Works for travel]

When are you taking this cruise? We are on the 8/7/16 Danube Waltz.

Charliedog4, I saw your post about the Optional Tours... I will be very interested when you get back, to hear your suggestions/experiences.

[Clay Clayton]

This is my 1st cruise ever, I have a few questions: Just back from our first river cruise also...we were on Viking Njord from Passau to Budapest

 

Have you been on the Viking Danube Waltz Cruise? Any tips or need to knows? The only thing that I hadn't learned from these boards prior to our trip that I wish I had of known, was not to count on the published timing of any of your stays. I had tried without success prior to leaving to get a better idea from Viking of what "depart after lunch" or "time for a stroll after dinner before an evening departure" in our published itinerary actually meant. During our trip I found out why I couldn't get an answer. We rarely followed the timing laid out in the publications. For example, we thought we would be arriving in Bratislava "after lunch" and would be departing after dinner, after time for the aforementioned stroll. However, we arrived early morning and departed before lunch. Luckily, I hadn't made reservations at the restaurant where we had planned to have an off the ship dinner that night. Lesson learned, do not book anything privately ahead of time.

 

I know it is a river but can the ride get "bumpy"? It wasn't for us.

What about the locks, how is that experience? Locks were interesting, not as interesting as the Panama Canal but still enjoyable. As a PP said, we were awakened one night as we jostled through them.

 

How are the optional excursions on Viking?

Specifically the Heurigen Evening in Vienna and Grand Market: Taste of Hungary & Pancake Kitchen in Budapest, has anyone been on either of them?

Is there any other Optional excursion that you would recommend? We didn't do any of the paid optional tour but did participate in the complementary additional market tour in Vienna with the Chef and Concierge. Very enjoyable, but our group was probably a little bit too big....be nice if they limited it to 6 or so.

 

Gratuities: I am traveling Solo, do I TIP for 2 or 1? Also is Tipping only done at the end of the cruise? Not only is tipping only done at the end of the cruise, so it payment...very specifically between 6 pm and 8 am on your last night/day. I really like being able to use my room keycard for everything after swiping my credit card on the first day of a cruise and only having to visit the reception desk if there is an issue. No that way on Viking - you become best friends with the reception folks. Prior to leaving the ship each time, you stop by and pick up "your" card which lets them know you have left, and then you return it when you get back aboard...of course some folks forget to do so which then brings about announcement to please stop by reception if you are aboard. Also, each day you pick up your "tour card" which tells you which tour group you are assigned to. Hint - if you want to be in a different group, they will move you.

 

I appreciate any insight or suggestions. Thanks in advance.

 

We enjoyed our cruise and the crew were mostly great....I wasn't pleased with the expected tip to the Program Director especially since he wasn't all that personable or helpful but you can read about folks opinions on tipping the PD elsewhere on these boards.

 

We enjoyed dining on the Aquavit Terrace a number of times - for dinner they do a reduced menu there which is served to you course by course just like downstairs. For breakfast, there is a smaller version of the dining room buffet AND they will bring you anything off the breakfast menu except for the omelet.

All of the sorbets were very tasty and typically they would bring you any of them, not just what was on the menu.

 

Note: I incorrectly asked the same questions on the roll call thread :(

 

Have a great cruise!

Edited April 28, 2016 by Clay Clayton

[JVilleGal]

Just a comment on our Program Director she was fabulous and had our trip organized and running like a well oiled machine. She gave a the briefings, joined different tours daily. Fixed problems, Chased down missing luggage, went with hotel manager to buy my husband "special" pillows.

She was fun and entertaining and never stopped working. She earned every cent of her tip and those tips are the only salary the CD get.

I'm sorry a PP had a worthless CD, I'm sure like in all businesses there is a bad apple or two :)

Edited April 28, 2016 by JVilleGal

[Bailey Swedishfish]

This is my 1st cruise ever, I have a few questions:

 

Have you been on the Viking Danube Waltz Cruise? Any tips or need to knows?

 

I know it is a river but can the ride get "bumpy"?

What about the locks, how is that experience?

 

How are the optional excursions on Viking?

Specifically the Heurigen Evening in Vienna and Grand Market: Taste of Hungary & Pancake Kitchen in Budapest, has anyone been on either of them?

Is there any other Optional excursion that you would recommend?

 

Gratuities: I am traveling Solo, do I TIP for 2 or 1? Also is Tipping only done at the end of the cruise?

 

I appreciate any insight or suggestions. Thanks in advance.

 

Note: I incorrectly asked the same questions on the roll call thread :(

 

Hi!

 

We've done this trip twice, both in December for Christmas markets and both starting in Budapest.

 

You will never know you're moving on the ship. The ONLY tiny bump you may feel would be entering into the locks as the ships need to be right up against the side and occasionally there's a slight "blink and you miss it" bump. There are no waves and you will never get motion sick. Trust me.

 

I am not sure what the Heurigen Evening in Vienna is; we opted for the Mozart concert in Vienna in the evening and it was magical. There's something incredible about listening to Strauss and Mozart in an 18th century palace concert hall.

 

We have spent a lot of time on our own in Budapest and did not opt for tours. Since you're travelling alone it would be great to take advantage of those tours, but getting around Budapest is super easy and safe. The ship is docked by the Chain Bridge/Parliament Building and if you are up for walking, most places can be gotten to on foot--OR--get a Budapest card and hop on and off all the public transportation. The Grand Market is great fun--the main floor is food, the top floor is gifty items and restaurants. I don't know what the pancake thing is. We didn't do that. If you're doing this as a Christmas market cruise, you can taste all of Budapest at the markets.

 

Tipping is done at the end of the cruise and you should tip for one.

[Works for travel]

Thanks everyone for all the useful info!

[Solent Richard]

This is my 1st cruise ever, I have a few questions:

 

Have you been on the Viking Danube Waltz Cruise? Any tips or need to knows?

 

I know it is a river but can the ride get "bumpy"?

What about the locks, how is that experience?

 

How are the optional excursions on Viking?

Specifically the Heurigen Evening in Vienna and Grand Market: Taste of Hungary & Pancake Kitchen in Budapest, has anyone been on either of them?

Is there any other Optional excursion that you would recommend?

 

Gratuities: I am traveling Solo, do I TIP for 2 or 1? Also is Tipping only done at the end of the cruise?

 

I appreciate any insight or suggestions. Thanks in advance.

 

Note: I incorrectly asked the same questions on the roll call thread :(

 

Good afternoon.

 

Here is an insight of my Danube cruise with many photographs...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2013/05/28/solent-richard-catches-a-viking-maiden/

 

The Spanish Riding School, Vienna...

 

 

 

The Benedictine Abbey at Melk...