Passenger ages on the ship were varied. We celebrated the 18th birthday of one guest, the youngest who traveled with her 2 cousins and grandma. One would estimate the average age at 60…many in their 50s and others in the 80s…Getting around on the ship is easy however there was not an elevator some mobility is needed. There are three floors of cabins with varied classes.
Meals are reminiscent of the areas, Germany, Dutch, Austrian, Slovakian and Hungarian. The Head Chef, Artur Parol and Maitre'd Klaus Loferer have created a marvelous atmosphere. Meals are at a specified hour and there is one seating. This means that you may dine with different folks for every meal or the same. Servers are from many countries and an absolute delight. There were several we wanted to "adopt". The crew of the Viking Spirit must have been hired because of their "spirit"; we've never seen anything like it. The night of the Captain's Dinner is a beautiful event and one that enforced the need to always take the camera.
The small towns we visited were magical. Oddly enough, even the men got into the shopping experience or were content to find a street side pub to taste the local brew. The porcelain dishes and vases in Holland, the coo coo clocks and music boxes of Germany, beautiful crystal of Austria, hand made lace of Slovakia and paprika of Hungary called out to every shopper looking for gifts to take home. Each area also had its own wine and bakery specialty; too many to mention but all equally as wonderful.
One note on Budapest: since we did stay longer, we did use the TAXI service. Do not even think about trying to drive in Budapest if you plan to stay on. It is frightening enough to ride a cab! Budapest has no speed limits and people park anywhere they want to. I'd suggest that if you want to stay select a hotel that is close to where you want to look around.
Our cruise covered almost 1300 miles and 5 countries. It gave us lots of new friends from as far away as Australia, only a couple extra pounds (we did get exercise) and memories for a lifetime. Do we recommend you take the trip?
Our answer is, let the Spirit take you away….the Viking Spirit, that is!
