Viking Danube River Cruise

I took a Viking river cruise on the Douro and it was a lot of bus time from the boat to the excursion sites. But, we knew this going in and, correctly, thought that the scenery would be make the bus rides enjoyable too. If a lot of time on the bus would reduce your enjoyment, then read the daily itinerary very carefully to make sure you understand what the excursions will be like. We didn't have a problem with it on the Douro cruise, but it would have been a nasty surprise if we hadn't been expecting it.

One of the known risks of any river cruise is the possibility of water levels that are too low or too high; necessitating bus transfers at some points. And the conditions last year may bear no resemblance to those of this year. However, the Cruise Critic website has an entire forum on river cruising. You might check it out for Danube reviews, as well as informative threads on river cruising in general if you are new to this.

+1 to Cruise Critic for detailed cruise questions.

Also, consider watching/following some youtube cruising blogs, as the low water levels (and flooding) have/can play havoc with a relatively straightforward itinerary. The cruise lines are in the business of knowing how to work around these recurring phenomena, but also, some years are much worse than others, so as with any vacation - weather can affect your trip in all sorts of ways.

Ì don't know a thing about cruise boats, but I read about 10 good cruises for every 1 bus ride cruise. But be sure you plan enough time on your own at each end.

Viking has an excellent reputation, we looked at then for a tour and Nile cruise in Egypt, but found a great tour/cruise that was one day less than the Viking tour. It was Gate 1 Travel and was great and cost a little over HALF what Viking charged.

October 2023 my husband and I were on Viking's Capital of Eastern Europe beginning in Bucharest and ending in Vienna. The river levels were low in Constanza(?) where we were supposed to begin the cruise, so we spent an extra day in Bucharest and began cruising from a different port. Viking handled this change professionally. The slight change in itinerary did not effect our experience. This was a terrific cruise, the included excursions were well executed. I don't remember the bus rides to be too long. I'm not keen on spending time on a bus, so I would say if they were too long.

As someone mentioned you cannot rely on previous river levels. Many people blame the river levels on Viking which I find ridiculous.

My advice is to find the itinerary you like, book the cruise and enjoy the experience. I find October is a fine time to travel to Europe.

What times of the year do water levels on the Danube present a problem for river cruising?

Depends on the season and what part of the river. It's over 2800 km long and goes thru 10 countries. Some areas can be affected by high or low levels while other areas are fine. In the broadest and most general terms, rain and snow melt can cause high levels in spring, while heat and drought can cause low levels in late summer.

I had friends on a Viking river cruise in October 2023 through the capitals of Eastern Europe. The water levels were so low that much of the cruise morphed into a bus tour. The upside is they spent 3 nights at the Ritz-Carlton in Budapest compliments of Viking.

We've been on 5 River cruises, one impacted by low water (5 nights in Basel hotel, and 9 nights sailing, received partial credit for days not sailing those 5 days), and another slightly by high water.

If you want to unpack once, and have your 'hotel' take you from city to city, it's worth the risk to us.

Often my wife will take the included tours and I'll explore on my own. Makes it nice, especially for multi-generation trips, to be able to go your own way.

The above suggestion to visit Cruise Critic is spot on. Many more lines than Viking. I just signed my wife, and her 3 mid 70's quilting buddies for a Tulip Cruise on Gate One for $2400 for French Balcony Cabin, 8 April 25. Viking would be much more than that. We've been on Vantage and Viking before.

Spouse took same group to Ireland for 10 nights this April on independent tour. This will be much less stress for her.