Sparky333

Hi - I haven't done any other part of the Danube so I'm not really qualified to say - but from pictures I've seen and other posts I've read the upper parts do seem prettier with castles and villages along the way. What we saw along the river seemed to be mainly trees - not so much industrial so don't worry about that -- although we did have a few areas where there are cranes (not birds!) and other not-so-lovely bits.

I don't think we docked up against other ships more than a couple of times but I guess that really depends on the river traffic on the day you're sailing through an area. Mainly when we were docked we were out and about doing our tour or walking around on our own so it wouldn't have affected things much. But we had an aquarium class cabin so we weren't planning on spending time on a balcony.

It was interesting to see the the towns we docked in - older gothic or neo-classical buildings interspersed with some Soviet-style apartment blocks and office buildings and then driving out of those towns into the countryside with small villages and an agricultural emphasis.

We did extend in Romania and thought Transylvania was lovely - and yes, the Dracula castle was fun even though Vlad the Impaler really had no connection to it. I think the Romanians don't love that one of their national heroes is tied up with the vampire fable but probably anything that brings in tourist dollars is not a terrible thing. We had a guide on our own on our last day and went to some Vlad-related sites including the remains of the castle he really did spend time in which was a fun day.

Here are some pictures

https://picasaweb.google.com/jamison.leslie/EasternEuropeOctober2013?feat=email#

Let me know if you have any questions - I'll be happy to try to answer.

Have a great cruise!

Leslie

I hope you both enjoy your cruises -- we did :)

I didn't do a trip report or review...I'm hoping to get around to doing that soon but we did really enjoy both the Viking Embla and the itinerary. I think the scenery along the river is not as much of a draw on this cruise as others - since we knew what to expect going into it that was not an issue. If you have any questions or are interested in seeing pictures from that itinerary let me know.

We just did Budapest to Bucharest in October on Viking and the top deck was never closed. Maybe if there are low bridges they sail under them at night.

Wonderful review and beautiful photos -- thanks so much!

I've read through this long and very informative thread and have gotten excited about the itinerary. I've been loosely planning to take this cruise in 2014 based on all of the info here so I was very disappointed to read the latest posts about Viking possibly not offereing it next year. I was just on their website and saw that it isn't listed for 2014 but I spoke with a rep and he said the itinerary is being firmed up by management and will be released soon. :D

Thanks for the great list - I'm making notes for a trip in March 2013.

I'm trying to get a feel for the minimum amount of time we should spend in Sydney before the cruise. (also have previously asked this question about Auckland where we disembark)

I know the more the better of course but if we're limited because of work and might have only one or two extra days before the cruise do you think that's enough or a big mistake?

I haven't ruled out trying to fly to Ayers Rock for one night - as crazy as it seems to go that distance for one night! - so we might only have another day or two in Sydney.

Just back from Egypt and Jordan and had a fabulous trip. Thanks a lot to you, Seafun, for some great pre-trip inspiration and travel tips. I was so glad I read about how many pictures you took and ran out and bought an extra 1G memory card the day before I left. I took almost 1000 pictures in 16 days and easily could've taken more!

The situation with coffee that I asked about was no problem. I took Vivarin pills with me (one is the same caffeine as a 16 oz cup of coffee) so on the mornings we had early flights and took our breakfast from the hotel in a bag I was able to get my caffeine fix from that. Otherwise the coffee in our hotels (5-star) was excellent (I guess it's all Nescafe) and by the end of the trip I was even drinking it with milk not black since my mom was fine doing that.

I can't say enough good things about both Egypt and Jordan -- guess I'll start a new thread and write some of it so people can ask questions. I was very pleased with the company I booked through and would recommend them. Hope everyone planning their trips has a great a time as we did!

MVP - Will do-- can't believe we'll be there tomorrow!!

Thanks seafun - your answers have been very helpful.

I knew I should've weaned myself off coffee before this trip!

I'm wondering if some vivarin or no-doze would come through for the caffeine fix and then I wouldn't have to fool with any barista supplies. :p

Glad to hear the laundry service is not over-priced. In addition to the ship, we're staying at the Grand Hyatt in Cairo -- hopefully it will be reasonable to have done there as well. I'll pack my little bottle of woolite and do some small things in the room.

There's so much great information on these boards - I love being able to get first-hand advice & hear about other people's adventures. How did we all ever travel without the internet?

Thanks again!

Hi Seafun --

Yes, I did check out your wonderful pictures. I hope I'll have that same grin on my face in my pix that you are wearing in yours -- you obviously were in a state of bliss!

If you have a chance to read this & reply before I leave, here are a couple of silly questions...

Did you do laundry at your hotels or on the ship? Or did you fool with washing anything on your own in the sink? I'm struggling with that luggage weight limit and trying to imagine how easy it will be to get laundry done. Lots of threads talk about people bringing just 2 pairs of pants, 2 tops, for example and re-wearing or washing in the sink at night but I can't possibly pack that light!

Regarding what food is safe or not -- are you a coffee drinker? I guess since it's heated, it's not a problem to drink -- but what about putting milk or cream in it? Wondering if I should avoid that to be safe. I'm such a caffeine addict that I'm worried about not getting my morning fix and getting that terrible caffeine-withdrawal headache.

I know -- of all the important things to worry about, coffee & clean underwear are my focus -- I'm weird!

I won't bombard you with the other trivial questions that are churning in my head keeping me awake. Only two nights to go! :)

You're a fabulous writer! Thank you so much for sharing.

We leave for Egypt next week and I'm so glad I happened on your report beforehand. I will definitely be buying another memory card or two tomorrow.

I knew I'd want a lot of memory but I was thinking enough for 600 pictures would do. You've convinced me that could be a big mistake. And maybe I'll buy some more batteries, too.

And the tips on the Luxor museum, making a list of the tombs we'd most want to see in the Valley of the Kings -- oh, and not eating ice cream -- priceless. Thanks again, seafun.