By Chris Meyer

What a finale!

Budapest’s ancient buildings sparkled as the Viking Egil took a victory lap along the Danube River waterfront. We oohed and awed atop the ship and reviewed the spectacular week, taking occasional breaks from conversation to capture that perfect angle on the castle, parliament building or some other illuminated structure basking in the limelight.

The week had sped by, but at the same time the start of our journey seemed sort of distant. We had packed so much in since setting foot on this beautiful river ship seven days earlier outside of Nuremberg, Germany.

The whirlwind of sights and sounds seemed a kaleidoscope as Program Director Anthony Papandrea wound down his week of witty narration.  Our group of 22, and every other passenger I talked with, agreed that Viking exceeded even our lofty expectations.

EXPLORING IN COMFORT

Once we settled in on embarkation day, the advantage of a floating hotel was immediately evident. We hadn’t unpacked our suitcases in Berlin and Prague because of our short stays there and need to move along to the next hotel. We were able to get organized on the river cruise ship and make ourselves at home.  Our French balcony cabin was quite compact, but highly functional with a place for everything. Just don’t drop anything in the shower or you will have to open the door to retrieve it. Open the floor-to-ceiling sliding-glass door and the outside floods the room. Watch the river float by from the bed or peer over the rail to watch a lock raise or lower the vessel.

The beautiful restaurant is just down the hall, with the convivial lounge just a deck above and the 360-degree-view top deck just one more flight of stairs. Floor-to-ceiling windows everywhere mean the magnificent scenery is always in full view.

The ship is marvelously engineered to function at a high level in space constrained by the size of river locks. Similar precision is demonstrated by a crew that constantly keep the hardware polished and passengers well served. The compact galley consistently produces 5-star meals including perfectly prepared chateaubriand, surf and turf (medium rare filet mignon and lobster), and authentic wiener schnitzel on German Night.

The Ukrainian captain guides the vessel expertly though locks so snug there are just an inch or two to spare. When Anthony is not explaining what’s upcoming, sprinkling quips befitting the stand-up comic he is in the off season, he’s troubleshooting, quickly appearing in central Vienna after our local guide made an SOS call about a malfunctioning unit broadcasting her voice to our earpieces. He pulled a spare from his messenger bag of tricks and, viola, all is well.

INSIGHTS ASHORE

Vienna, Austria was typical of our stops along the river. After the guided walking tour, we returned to the ship for lunch and ventured out on our own for more exploration in the afternoon. In the evening, we took in a classical concert because that’s what you do in Vienna. In Nuremberg, Germany our guide reviewed the city’s long history from medieval times through its role in the rise of the Nazis and its destruction by bombing during World War II. And finally the rebuilding. One interesting fact we learned is that the ramp over the moat and to the castle gate makes a left-hand turn so right-handed hostiles’ shields would be rendered ineffective.

In Passau, Wolf expertly explained how the charming baroque architecture – in churches and throughout town – reflects the optimism that accompanied improving lives after the dark gothic period. For me, this was the hidden gem of the itinerary, though every stop had its delightful discoveries. In places once behind the Iron Curtain, we heard and saw again and again how the people have recovered since freedom was regained.

Although this was a cruise, it was quite different than a large ocean ship – and not only in size. There is no casino or glitzy entertainment. An excellent piano player provided a delightful nightly soundtrack and on German Night, a combo with accordion and guitar offered rousing traditional tunes. But the true entertainment was the river. And the places. Each has its own magic. And especially the people.

The Danube winds 1,785 miles from Germany’s Black Forest to the Black Sea. I contemplate the great mass of water flowing. Constantly. It seems calm compared to the upper Arkansas River we went whitewater rafting on last year in Colorado. But its power is documented by lines on buildings marking epic floods that, over hundreds of years have periodically swamped buildings in towns along its shores .

The Egil’s top deck offers360-degree panoramas of pristine valleys, terraced vineyards, picturesque villages, colorful sunsets and constellations. It is a wonderful place to sit, mingle over drinks or move about and take pictures. That’s entertainment!

It’s no wonder people take one Viking cruise after another. We all were talking about becoming repeat customers. I even purchased discount certificates to give to customers of my travel agency.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• River cruises are a great value and a wonderful, hassle-free way to experience Europe. The value is enhanced by Viking’s air specials for early booking. $500 round-trip air from Los Angeles in this case.
• Viking offers a high-quality luxury experience in all aspects. I look forward to sampling the ocean product and plan to redouble efforts to market this product to our customers.
  

  Dinner is delicious and joyful aboard the Egil.

• Traveling in a group enhances your travel experience. As with anything, it’s the people that make the difference. That includes your fellow travelers, the crew and local guides. We struck gold on all counts. Program directory Anthony called us a “joyful group” in a note me. So that’s my new nickname for us as we truly enjoyed sharing the adventure with each other. Friendships were deepened and new ones made along the way. We’re already planning post-trip get-togethers including possibly a trip to Pasadena to see Anthony’s comedy act.

Want to learn more about river cruises and how our relationship with Viking and Expedia Extras can deliver the best value and make the entire process seamless?  Check out our co-branded Viking web site OCViking, email me at cmeyer@ocglobetrotter.com or give us a call at 949-201-4246. For a comparison of the various river cruise lines we book, check out Avid Cruiser.

I will review highlights of our pre-cruise activities in Berlin and Prague in a separate post.