This was our first river cruise having done ocean cruising seven times with Cunard.
We chose Viking because of its reputation as a leading river cruise company.
We were not disappointed.
We sailed on Viking Tialfi from Amsterdam to Basel.
The included trips were very good (apart from a couple of guides who talked too much!).
On one occasion we stayed on the ship as it moved from one port to another to pick up those who had gone on a trip and we sailed with only 10 other people left on the ship – sunny, warm and silent! One of the advantages of the way trips were organised on this Rhine cruise was that the included tour was often only two or three hours which then gave us time to explore small towns on our own when the ship had docked in places like Breisach, Speyer and Strasbourg.
Everything about this ship was top quality.
The food (on a table of six, we all received our food hot and at the same time), the staff (drinks/snacks when we returned after trips, drinks and ice cream on the top deck on a particularly hot day) and the furnishings (a larger bathroom and shower cubicle that we have had on ocean cruises).
My wife does not eat meat but she was catered for individually when necessary.
We had a French Balcony cabin and we didn’t hear any noise from the corridor or from rooms above or on either side.
Although the cabin is smaller than on ocean cruise ships, it was perfectly adequate and very comfortable.
The large majority of guests were American and, apart from the occasional passenger who thought everyone wanted to listen to them, we were with a friendly and easy-going group of people.
The planning of trips and meetings on the ship was excellent and the programme manager, Claudia, was first class in her manner and the way she organised things; her commentary during the three hour sail viewing the castles of the Rhine was exemplary – she didn’t talk all the time and just gave us occasional information leaving passengers to take in the view.
When the ship became stuck in a lock for five hours, Claudia’s comments made it seem like a fun day out! There was a bit too much background music for our tastes (always on in corridors) and it would have been nice to have one or two more quiet places.
Having said that, there was no music at all on the top/viewing deck.
We decided to extend our stay and travel independently in Switzerland and Viking allowed us to change the date of our return flights at no extra cost.
We will definitely take a river cruise again and Viking will be our first choice.
