Viking Hild Review
Very many positive reasons to take additional cruises on Viking!
Rating by category
Additional details
We went on this cruise on the recommendation of close friends (all of us in our early 70's) that we join them. They had thoroughly enjoyed a previous Viking river cruise (Amsterdam to Budapest) and wanted to take another. My husband and I had never taken a cruise, mostly because we were never enticed by the concept of a-week-at sea-with-4000-of-your-closest-friends. Our trip that started in Zurich for two days, then cruised from Basel to Trier and ended with two days in Paris with 180 very interesting people - and we met most of them - was a singular experience. It seemed that no detail was overlooked or left to chance.
My husband is convinced after our trip that Viking has an extraordinary emphasis on a thorough "systems analysis" of everything about cruise vacations, learning from each trip how to improve all aspects from food, to tours, to staff selection and training, to ship design, to baggage handling, and more. It shows, and the result, which we experienced on our trip, was first rate.
Our meals were excellent, although it took several days before we thought to ask for smaller portions and ate less! Wine selections were well paired with entree choices; our chef was exceptional and willing to share recipes. He even treated us to not-on-the-menu very fresh white asparagus one evening because he found it in a local market.
Cabin Review
Veranda Superior
The cabin was very thoughtfully designed, e.g., the protective cover for the bed on which one could place suitcases for unpacking/packing, plenty of hangers, effective mix of drawers and shelves, etc. - and there was plenty of room for everything. (Although we do travel light). Our cabin steward was superb; a very lovely person and exceptionally thorough. Two small issues were handled expeditiously. We heard very little from neighbors on either side (no voices, just an occasional flush!). The veranda was lovely for an early AM coffee and croissant, and for a very close-up look at the walls of locks.