Viking River Cruise to Europe

[Yosemitegal]

Has anyone taken the Viking Sun from Basel to Antwerp or the Viking Sky from Vienna to Amsterdam? I'm having trouble deciding which one would be the best. The Sky is an older boat (1999), windows in the cabins dont open. The Sun is newer (2004) category A cabins have french windows that open. Does it really matter?

I dont know a lot about the small towns that they visit. If you could only go on one cruise, which would you choose? :confused:

[loge23]

Tough call - both cruises look wonderful. We're also looking at a Viking cruise this summer and have taken a good look at both trips that you mentioned.

I like the option of visiting Strasbourg on the Antwerp itinerary - also the optional Lake Lucerne add-on when travelling from Antwerp to Basel.

We are very interested in reading more about this cruise line, of which we know very little at this point.

[BJS]

Tough call - both cruises look wonderful. We're also looking at a Viking cruise this summer and have taken a good look at both trips that you mentioned.

I like the option of visiting Strasbourg on the Antwerp itinerary - also the optional Lake Lucerne add-on when travelling from Antwerp to Basel.

We are very interested in reading more about this cruise line, of which we know very little at this point.

Have you seen the River cruise board? http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=191 If you have not try a search on it for Viking and there is a great deal of information.

 

We leave in 2 days for cruise on Viking Spirit from Budapest to Amsterdam.

 

 

.

[dnl_in_Illinois]

Has anyone taken the Viking Sun from Basel to Antwerp or the Viking Sky from Vienna to Amsterdam? I'm having trouble deciding which one would be the best. The Sky is an older boat (1999), windows in the cabins dont open. The Sun is newer (2004) category A cabins have french windows that open. Does it really matter?

I dont know a lot about the small towns that they visit. If you could only go on one cruise, which would you choose? :confused:

 

Yosemitegal - we booked the Antwerp to Basel trip for April 25. It was a hard trip. Let us hear from you if you will be on the same river boat.

[Neecies]

Yosemitegal,

 

I'll tell you which destination looks better: the boat with the windows! I can't imagine not being able to get fresh air any time I wanted. Even in hot, sweltering China, we were out on our balcony several times a day.

[pacmom]

The balconies on European river boats are "French" balconies. Basically, sliding glass doors without screens and with a small wrought iron railing--no room to sit. When the window is open, the a/c automatically goes off. Also, during the buggy season, many unwanted "guests" visit in your cabin. Cabins with these balconies are 12-18 inches smaller due to size requirements for the many locks. Find an itinerary you must do, then compare companies that offer it and see what is offered for the price. The European lines are all good at least the ones available to the US market. Safe travels and most of all enjoy. Pat

[Bulabula]

Hello,

 

My wife and I have been on a few of Viking's ships now and really like the windows that open. It's great to hear the sound of the water passing when you're that close to the water line. As the previous poster mentioned, having the small balcony in China was a plus, even with the bugs.

 

For my money, I would abandon the Vienna to Amsterdam itinerary on the older ship. Try to squeeze two more days for the Grand European through to Budapest, which was a highlight of our sailing. Traveling west to east assures you of arriving in Budapest after dark to experience the illuminated bridges.

 

If you cannot get those two additional days, I would lean toward the newer vessel.

 

Brad