Viking Idun Amsterdam to Budapest--July/Aug 2012
My wife and I are somewhat regular cruisers on Regent, Seabourne, Seven Seas, Oceania, Princess and a few other lines, so we have some basis for comparison. Over 90% of our fellow cruisers were new to Viking, and most were from the US, Canada, and UK, a few people from Australia and New Zealand. Bottom line,we will not cruise with Viking again.
Itinerary--we took the cruise to experience the interior of Germany. Every place we stopped was either very good or wonderful, so our criticism is not of the ports of call. By all means add these to your bucket list and find a way to get there.
Cabin with balcony a must. Cabin with no balcony has smaller closet, less drawers, no chair. Balcony doors need a screen. Bathroom is adequate and worked well. No iron. Laundy is wash in sink or send out--expensive. No public laundry to use. Useless little nightstands. Internet barely worked. More interruptions than not. If you go through a canal lock, you are in a dark hole for the length of the lock--no internet.