Viking Skadi

JULY

An excellent cruise, well organized with a professional and dedicated staff. I would have preferred a bit longer stay in some ports and maybe skipping some, but thats a personnal preference. One downside was the upper deck was closed for about half the trip due to low bridges.

SEPTEMBER

Other than running aground, which was handled very well by crew and staff. And that was an adventure too. I had a very needed relaxing time.

JANUARY

I didn't realize that "transfers" in Viking language meant all connections - even train and taxi. Apparently I could have made train reservations through Viking that might have alleviated problems since the Danube was low and the cruise couldn't start at Budapest but Romaron. When I received the e-mail from Viking about the docking change, I called the US number. The people there told me to contact the ship directly. I received only the message that the number wasn't available and they would send an SMS message when it was. For 3-1/2 days it was NEVER available. On the afternoon my cruise began (the 26th) I called the hotel where Viking was meeting people and finally talked with a representative. She took my phone number, the time of my train arrival and said she'd get back to me. Two hours later, I retried to no avail. But they had arranged for a gentleman to meet me at the train - sign in hand, and a personal drive to the Skadi. He had looked me up on Facebook and knew what I looked like as well. Kudos to him.(Of course, if someone had returned my call, I could have gotten off the train in Romaron - 5 minutes from the ship - instead of having an hour's drive in heavy fog. ) Once I arrived at the ship I was well taken care of. The only problems were the low water on the Danube and fog. Otherwise it was a delightful trip. And we could have used a little more time in the ports.

OCTOBER

We weren't prepared for all the necessary tipping of the local guides..... it is difficult to always have enough of the local currency in small amounts. It was not unusual to have 3 - 4 people that required tipping in one day..... several local guides and different bus drivers! Our local guides were EXCELLENT AND SO KNOWLEDGEABLE. You also needed to have small coins to pay for use of the toilets. Be prepared for long lines at the water closets! We were provided maps of our daily excursions and emergency phone numbers for contact if necessary on every outing. Quiet VOXES were great for audio to be able to listen to the guides' narration. We were always provided water to take on daily excursions. We applaud the concierge and cruise director for their choreography of 180+ passengers and getting them to and from daily excursions and onto busses! We had the last state room towards the back of the boat, and would not recommend that, be/c there is constant activity going in and out of the storage room..... the door is always slamming. Beverage center for coffee and tea with cookies is available between dining times. When you return from excursions the staff greets you with little surprise treats of local sampling of beverages, hot towels, etc. Lots of extra attention on many levels.