We went on our own to Budapest for a week before the cruise, although we booked our flights through Viking. I think we paid $100 each as a deviation fee and we had to get to our hotel on our own, but that was no problem. We stayed at the Marriott as that's one of the hotels they use and the views were fantastic. We booked a concierge level room and were very happy with the use of the lounge. We loved Budapest and can't wait to go back on our own.

The waters were low when we were there and we had to change ships in Passau, Germany, but we think that Viking handled it as well as they could have. We started out on a different ship in Budapest. We were very pleased with the itinerary. Our guides were all knowledgeable. The food was very good and we appreciated the wine and beer included with lunch and dinner. The wines frequently reflected the area we were traveling through. We were in Cabin 227 with a veranda. The room was small, but it was comfortable. The ship itself was lovely, very modern and bright. Both ships were longships and identical. Except for the painting on our wall, I wouldn't have known we had changed ships. The weather was very hot, close to 100 degrees many days, which made some of the excursions difficult. Since we had been to some of the ports before, we stayed on the ship some days and actually enjoyed the relaxation. Depending on which country we were in, entertainment from the local area was provided, and it was uniformly good. The cruise was a great choice for an anniversary celebration.

We wouldn't hesitate to take another Viking River Cruise. We are scheduled for one of their new Viking Ocean Cruises to the Baltic in May, starting with a pre-cruise excursion to Iceland and ending with a post-cruise excursion in Oslo.