Christmas on the Danube Cruise on the Viking Egil
12/8/22 to 12/17/22

Click on the above link buttons that will take you directly to a particular page or area of the review; or you can just click through to the next page at the bottom of each page.
Page 1 – Preface, Ship, Ports of Call:  Budapest, Hungary Days 1 & 2
Page 2 – Ports of Call:   Budapest, Hungary Days 2, 3 & 4; Vienna, Austria Day 1
Page 3 - Ports of Call: Vienna, Austria Day 2; Krems, Austria
Page 4 - Ports of Call:   Passau, Germany; Regensburg, Germany

Preface

I had previously done a Danube River cruise in June 2009 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Cathy had also done one in the summer of 2014, but her experience wasn’t as enjoyable, since the river was low, and they had to spend a lot of time on busses going between towns. She still loved the experience but had wanted to return to for a Christmas markets river cruise. It was a bucket list item for her, so we booked this cruise with Viking on their Egil long ship. When two of our neighbors, Barbara and Claudia, heard about our cruise, they also wanted to join us. We were so glad that they did. It made the cruise even more fun to have friends to share it with.

Barbara & Claudia

Living in south Florida, I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy the much colder weather, but we purchased new warm weather gear for this cruise and one six weeks after it for a Norway Northern Lights cruise. We were prepared.

Ship

This would be my first cruise with Viking. The only other river cruises I had done were with AMA River Cruises and we couldn’t have been happier with them. Thirteen years ago, Viking’s ratings weren’t that good, so we never looked at their cruises. They have since really upped their game with the long ships and superb ocean ships, getting top ratings for both cruising modes. We both loved the ship and the outstanding service throughout the ship. We will be doing more Viking cruises in the future.

The various public rooms are shown below by category. The way the long ships are arranged, all the cabins are in the back half of the ship and the public areas are in the front.

The Restaurant -
This is a very nice room with views to the outside through the large windows. As through all of the ship, the modern Scandinavian style feels so comfortable and attractive. All the tables hold from six to ten guests. We sat at the only table for ten guests in the dining room. We found that we were always the last table to get our food items. I asked one of the waiters and he told me that they do the smaller tables first. Since most of the tables held six, I guess that made sense. Since we were never in a big rush for our food, it wasn’t that big of a deal, but was a bit irritating.

With this being a very small ship, I didn’t do my normal photo check off list of the public rooms, since I assumed I would take all the pics quickly. For some reason I failed to take any photos of the dining room. I apologize for failing my readers of this review. I have copied some photos of the dining room from the Viking 360-degree tour from their website.

Aquavit Buffet –
This is a very nice area near the front of the ship, where they serve continental breakfasts, light lunches, beverages and other special food items. It is also a handy place to hang out when cruising the river, since it is easy to get outside to take photos when needed.

The ship had been decorated for Christmas. There were some cute gingerbread houses on one of buffet tables.

Aquavit Terrace –
This area at the very front of the ship is a wonderful place to hang out with a drink or to have an al fresco dining experience, but in warmer weather. It wasn’t used much for this cruise.

Sun Deck –
This deck is on the top of the ship. For this cruise, it should have been named the snow deck. I did go out on it frequently for photos, but it was quite slippery in areas, even though most of it was salted and sanded.

On the first day in Budapest, the sundeck was set up like it would be in the summer. It looked like a great place to hang out with the chairs and sun cover.

There was also a small shuffleboard and minigolf area. Very small.

The bridge in the middle of the sundeck can be lowered to allow for clearance under lower bridges.

There is also a walking track around the outside of the sundeck. But for this cruise it might have made a better ice skating rink later in the cruise.

Observation Lounge -
This is the main room on deck three where all the group activities take place. It is a wonderful place to spend time while cruising the river, since there are large windows and comfortable temperatures.

This is where our evening port talks, or other important meetings would take place. The chairs are arranged where they can handle various size groups comfortably. Folding chairs would be set up at the back of the room, since there aren’t enough comfortable chairs available for everyone on the ship. We had 180 passengers on this cruise. Full double capacity is 190. We had a good crowd, but it never felt crowded.

At the back of the room is the Sky Bar. The waiters are excellent and very friendly. They also learn your names quickly like the waiters do in the dining room.

For this cruise, we ordered the Viking Silver Spirits beverage package. It costs $150 per person. At $21 per day, it seemed like a no brainer. They included every spirit they had in the package, even the very expensive liquors. I was surprised.

In front of the lounge on either side is a hot beverage station. During the day they would change the sweets offerings from cookies to cupcakes, to croissants, etc. It was always fun to walk by to see what was there. It wasn’t fun to resist the treats, but I did, most of the time.

Internet –
Well, I guess everything can’t be rosy about the ship. The internet was very slow. With us weaving along a river much of the time, they frequently had no connectivity. I was surprised that it was even lost when we were docked. It was very inconsistent internet and only good for the barest necessities. Since both Cathy and I use T-Mobile, our plans include unlimited international data. Even though it is a reduced speed service, it works great for most of our needs. There was a small internet room with two terminals on deck 3 opposite the library.

Library -
There is a small library on deck 3. I never saw anyone using it, but then again, we were off the ship as much as we could.

Lobby -
The lobby area is on deck 2 with a staircase in the middle leading to deck 3.

There is a small desk in front of the dining room that I assume is used for concierge type activities, but I never saw anyone working at the desk.

Also in the reception area was a unisex bathroom with two stalls. Men and women could be in there at the same time, which was a bit different. But it seemed to work just fine.

We would leave the ship from either the 2nd or 3rd deck lobby area. Two machines were set up where we could swipe our key cards when we left from and when we returned to the ship.

Shop -
Across from the reception desk was a very small shop area. It mainly sold outerwear. I don’t think they did much business on this trip, since most people came prepared for cold weather.

Elevator –
There is a small elevator that goes between decks 2 and 3. If a guest needed an elevator, I am sure that they were told not to book a cabin on deck 1. The main exits off of the ship were on deck 2 and 3 depending on where we were docked. However, in one port, we had to go up to the sun deck and walk across another ship’s sundeck to get off the ship.

Laundry –
For a week’s cruise, we probably didn’t need to use the laundry, but we decided to since we were too exhausted most evenings to hand wash items. Below is the cost for doing laundry. We knew it wouldn’t be cheap, but what bothered us was that we couldn’t just have underwear washed without being folded. It makes the cost more expensive than it needs to be.

Cabin
Cathy and I were in balcony cabin 209 on deck 2 about five doors down from the reception area. We thought that it was a perfect location, especially with the long hallway back toward the end of the ship. We didn’t need a balcony for this cruise, but this category had a bit wider cabin which was most appreciated. We also had a chair that came in handy.

Even though the cabin only had 205 sq. ft including the small balcony, it was quite adequate for our 7-day cruise. There was more than enough storage in the two closets and six drawers and numerous shelves. The empty suitcases fit easily under the bed.

The right section of the drawer grouping is just a facade in front of the small refrigerator door. Above it is the Whisper device charger used for the tours.

There are also a couple of USB-A plugs for charging mobile devices.

There was also a US and European power plug on either side of the bed.

The bathroom was quite functional with its long shower. I would have liked it to be a bit wider, but that is because I am a bit wider. It worked out fine for both of us.

The bathroom has a night light that does a very adequate job of illuminating the bathroom. So much so that it worked out better to have the door shut to keep the bedroom darker. One welcome feature was the heated floor in the bathroom. There was a knob on the bathroom wall to increase or lower the temperature of it.

The balcony had a couple small chairs and table. We never used either of them, but I did walk out for some photos at times. I am sure it would be most enjoyable during warmer months.

We had an outstading cabin attendant, Romeu. He kept everything in great shape and did an outstanding job of working around our scheduld.

Dining (Link to Menus)
I have included copies of the menus for the main dining room along with photos of some of the food items at the Menus link just above and at the top of each page of the review.

Even though the menu didn’t have a lot of choices, what they did have was delicious and well prepared. The food really exceeded my expectations. They varied the menus nicely where I was always looking forward to trying one of their delicious sounding appetizers or main courses.

There were light options in the Aquavit Buffet if we didn’t feel like a full meal or we could get items from the counters in the middle of the dining room. I was very impressed with Viking’s ability to provide a great meal for each seating.

For breakfast, there was a nice self-serve area with eggs, omelets, breakfast meats, fruit, cereal, yogurt, etc. We could also order off of the menu.

Entertainment
River cruises aren’t known for their entertainment. But we did have one musician to keep us entertained. Each night, pianist/singer Gigi performed after dinner.

He did a nice job, but we didn’t do much after dinner with the full and busy schedule we had set up. So, we didn’t see much of his performances or the other activities available. Hearing from other guests, they did have a good time in the lounge with the entertainment.

Ports of Call

We had booked a two-night pre-stay in Budapest, so we could enjoy the lovely city for more time. We booked the air and hotel through Viking. We did have issues getting all four us on the same planes, but that finally did get worked out. We did have to first fly to Washington, DC then to Frankfurt and on to Budapest. I am always worried when there is more than one layover, due to missing connections and lost luggage, but everything worked out fine getting there. We were met at the airport by a Viking representative. We were then taken to our hotel for the next two nights.

Budapest, Hungary

Day 1

Viking put us up in a lovely hotel, The Corinthia. It is in a very nice location, but it is about a mile away from the main city center.

The lobby area was most impressive and was decorated for Christmas.

Our room was on the 5th floor. To get to it we had to cross over a bridge between the two sections, which gave us some great views looking down into the open areas.

The room itself was quite comfortable with all the necessities.

There was plenty of closet and storage space too.

The bathroom had a long tub and nice size shower.

Since we had flown all night and didn’t get to the hotel until about 1:30 PM, we thought we would rest up a bit before going out for a light dinner. I did some research and found a restaurant within a short walk of the hotel. At about 3:30 PM, we headed over to the Menza Café (https://www.menzaetterem.hu/en/).

Across the street was a gorgeous building, the Franz Liszt Academy of Music.

The café itself was nicely appointed with a very comprehensive menu. The meals were very good, and we were pleased that we had found the restaurant. If you look at the menu at the above restaurant link, don’t be shocked. Hungary is not in the EU and use their own currency, the Florint. A US $ is worth about 400 Florints.

After dinner we walked around the Franz Liszt Park next to the restaurant. It was dark outside since sunset was at about 3:45 PM. There was an unusual looking statue of Franz Liszt that was nicely illuminated. I don’t know if Franz would have liked this image of him.

The illuminated academy building looked even nicer than in the daytime. They did have some strange reliefs on it.

It was only about 5:30 PM, but we were ready to just go back to the hotel to chill before putting off going to bed as long as possible to try to synch our internal clocks. We only made it to 8:00 PM

Day 2

Even though we weren’t yet on the ship, Viking had an optional tour available for us called the Highlights of Budapest. I was most interested in this tour because it included an inside tour of the Parliament Building. We couldn’t tour it in 2009, since it was sold out. I wasn’t going to miss it this time. The building was completed in 1896 to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of the country of Hungary.

The tour started at 9:00 AM. We had an outstanding guide named Gergo. He was very enthusiastic, knowledgeable, helpful and friendly.

The bus dropped us off at the side of the Parliament building. It is one of the most recognized buildings in the world, but not from the side. We passed by the tall Istvan Tisza Monument, with a lion on the top. It celebrates the accomplishments of the 19th century Hungarian prime minister.

From the other side of the monument, Gergo pointed out that the lion was being attacked by a snake. Lions are the symbol of Hungary, so it was fighting off the attacker.

We arrived early for our 10:00 AM visiting time, so we were able to watch the video display about the building. Grego had told us that we would be able to take photos thorough out the building except for the hall where the Holy Crown of Hungary is on display. So, I took a photo of the video screen showing what it looks like.

The crown has been used for the coronation of Hungarian kings since 1070 AD. This version of it was made in the late 12th century. The cross on top of it was slightly bent when the housing was closed on it before it was properly set in the box. It has remained that way since.

When the tour started, Grego told us that it would start on an upper floor. We would have the option of either taking an elevator or climbing the famous 132-step golden staircase. It was no choice for me, I had to see it, which meant I would get some morning exercise. It was exquisite.

When I reached the rest of the group in a hallway, I liked the statues on the wall. The statues represented the different craftsman, professions and liveliehoods of the Hungarian people. This was to show that it was a parliament for the people.

We continued our walk down the elegant hallway.

We arrived at a magnificent room. It is the hallway encompansing the main staricase. It was a lot more than just a staircase. I couldn't stop taking photos of this place.

We then walked toward the central hall where the royal crown is displayed. It is a large 16-sided room with a very high ceiling. I wish I could have taken photos of it for you, but I obeyed the no photo rule. The building is just exquisite. Every hallway was a treat.

We finally came to the National Assembly room. Another beauty!

We walked through one last hallway on the way out of the building. Grego pointed out the metal cigar holder stands in the window wells. These were positioned all around the building, but I hadn’t paid attention to them until he mentioned what they were.

Looking out the windows in the hallway, we had a nice view across the Danube to Buda.

Near the end of the tour was a model of the building. The cut away showing the interior was interesting.

In the last room, Grego told us about a 3-ton red star that was on display. It had been on the roof of the parliament building for 40 years during Russian control. It was taken down in 1989 and was put in a lowly room in the basement, close to restrooms. I took a photo of of a photo showing what it looked like while above the parliament.

After visiting the parliament building, we started our walking tour. We had a nice view of the Fisherman’s Bastion area with the St. Matthias church rising above it across the river in Buda. We would visit there in the morning. While in Budapest, it was foggy, so the photos needed a lot of enhancing to make them look like what they really looked like.

There were many beautiful buildings on the Buda side of the river.

We walked along the back side of the building which was very pretty. Large lions were on either side of the staircase.

There were beautiful monuments and building everywhere we looked. Budapest is a great tourist destination.

We came to the Trianon Memorial which is a monument to Hungarian revisionism. It is a controversial memorial because it revisits the loss of 70% of Hungary’s land area taken away after World War 1. At the bottom of the ramp is a room with an eternal flame.

We even saw a statue of President Ronald Reagan in Liberty Square. Even though Reagan never visited Budapest, Hungarians are most appreciative in his efforts to end the cold war. People have made his hands on the statue shiny by shaking them.

There is also a statue of President George HW Bush in the square. He made a very popular speech when he visited Budapest in 1989 celebrating their independence from Russia.

Also in the square is the Soviet monument. It was erected after WW2. It is very controversial since some feel that it is a symbol of soviet oppression, while others view it as a sign of freedom from the soviets.

There are plenty of beautiful buildings around the square also.

There is a statue of General Harry Hill Bandholtz in the square near the American Embassy. He is a renowned figure in Hungary because of his standoff with the Romanian military who were looting the National Museum. He persuaded them to stop looting it with just his crop and the force of his personality. He must have been quite a persuasive guy.

Also close by is the Memorial for Victims of the German Occupation. It is quite a touching memorial with photos of Jewish Hungarians that were taken and killed in concentration camps along with other memorabilia.

It is a very effective memorial, but it angers some Jewish community organizations, since it tries to absolve the Hungarian government of their part in the holocaust. The government helped the Germans arrest and send the victims to the concentration camps. They did stop it when they realized that the Germans might lose the war; but it was too little too late.

After our very nice tour of the area, we went to a wonderful restaurant. It was quite a unique place and even had a museum in the basement. It was the Urban Betyar Restaurant (https://urbanbetyar.com/en/). It was a fascinating place to just look around and take in all the unique décor.

We were there for a light lunch of Hungarian goulash. The appetizers and goulash were delicious. The dessert was outstanding. The craft beer was also most refreshing. Under the glass table we were eating on were so many interesting things to look at. The waiter took a group photo for us.

The museum in the basement was surprisingly large. They describe it as “our Ethnographic Experience Centre condenses all that can be said about the rich and colorful world of Hungarian cultural heritage: a careful selection of original ethnographic objects tells the story of our ancestors’ everyday life. It was quite a nice display.

After lunch, our tour was over. Gergo told us that we could go back to the hotel on the bus, or we could continue exploring the city. Barbara and Claudia wanted to go back to the hotel, so we told them we would meet up later. We wanted to see the St. Stephen’s Basilica, which was very close to the restaurant. They also had a Christmas market in the plaza in front of it, so we would get to see our first one. Gergo pointed to where we needed to go, and we were off. Just in front of the plaza is the statue of a fat policeman in a 19th century uniform. His stomach is shiny from people patting it while taking photos. We had to do our part too.

Across the street from the policeman, the Christmas market began with St. Stephen’s Basilica in the background.

As we got closer, we got a better view of the very tall Christmas tree.

The building had so much lovely artwork on it.

Before our trip, we had read about chimney cakes, which are very popular at the markets. We finally got to see one in person. The smell was very tempting, but we had just finished lunch, so we pass on these. It was interesting to see how they cooked them.

To enter the church, we had to find the ticket office. There were signs with arrows, but all the vendor’s structures blocked any view of where it was. We finally were able to find it across the street. I was thrilled that there was only one person ahead of me to get tickets. After purchasing my ticket, I couldn’t believe the line that had formed behind me. I guess that I just timed it right.

Day 2 continued on next page.