Viking Vilhjalm Review
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My daughter and I chose the Danube Waltz river cruise on the Viking Wilhjalm because the dates coincided with our time off from work and the cruise included two cities - Budapest and Vienna - that we wanted to visit. From beginning to end every aspect of the cruise exceeded our expectations.
Since Viking arranged our air travel one of their representatives greeted us at the Munich airport and escorted us to Passau, where our ship was docked. Upon arrival at the ship we were greeted warmly by the Hotel Manager (Julian) and the Maitre D' (Alex) who welcomed us aboard. Our cabin was not quite ready so we proceeded to the Upper Deck Lounge for a buffet lunch. By the time we had finished it our cabin was ready, and when we entered it we found our luggage in place along with two complimentary robe/slipper sets.
Our cabin was on the main deck (water level) so it had a half-window, but we spent so little time there that we didn't feel deprived of scenery. The cabin was small but designed so efficiently that we never felt cramped. We showered, dressed, and slept there but spent most of our wake-time on board in the dining room, in the lounge, on the Aquavit Terrace, or on the upper deck.
Cabin Review
Port Reviews
Durnstein (Krems)
After our morning tour of Melk Abbey we sailed through the Wachau Valley to Durnstein. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous and the cruise itself very relaxing. Our Program Director pointed out places of interest along the way and even supplied good luck coins for us to toss at a shrine as we passed it. We also enjoyed the experience of traveling through a lock in daytime. Later in the day we took a stroll through the town of Durnstein, It's a small town, but lovely.
Bratislava
Wonderful town with many interesting sights and a stark contrast between communist-era and non communist-era construction. After a guided tour that began with wet and wild weather on Castle Hill and ended with a walking tour that included the old town and the Bratislava Bronzes we spent free time in town before heading back to the ship. Suggestion: be prepared for high winds and stormy weather on Castle Hill, even when it's calm downhill.