I have always wanted to take a Viking River Cruise, so I was thrilled when my blogger friend, Suzanne Stavert of Adventures of Empty Nesters, and I were invited to sail! I chose the ship and itinerary, Elegant Elbe, and prepared for an exciting and fun trip! I was not disappointed! And best of all, I learned so much along the way, and for me, that is one of the best things about travel.
The Elbe River is not as famous as the Rhine or the Danube, but I loved the itinerary which took us from Berlin, Germany to Prague, Czech Republic. I hadn’t been to Europe for 10 years, and it was so wonderful to experience places I had never been before. Our exploration of the cities of Germany and Czech Republic, all behind the Iron Curtain of the Cold War, was nothing short of a revelation. It was my first real look at how people lived in places controlled by the Soviet Union. Of course, the trip was full of beauty and wonder, too, incredible countryside, castles, palaces, vineyards and ancient town squares. However, a funny thing happened on this trip, we didn’t sail at all.
Yes, I know, it’s a river cruise, but the drought in Europe had lowered the Elbe River to a point where we could not sail. There was much disappointment, but Viking handled the situation with seamless hospitality. After staying a couple of nights in Berlin, we went to the Viking ship, the Beyla, docked in Wittenberg, Germany. I was bowled over by the elegance of the streamlined luxury ship. It was truly, truly a beautiful ship. Suzanne and I were fortunate to have tours of the bridge and the kitchens, and they were so clean, so perfectly appointed, it was amazing. Our stateroom had a balcony and was absolutely gorgeous! The dining room, lounges and bar were spotless and very luxurious. The food was delicious. We met so many new people, most of whom were dedicated Viking passengers, having sailed with Viking at least once, and most had gone on more than one trip. That is certainly a testimonial to the excellence of Viking Cruises.
After two nights on the Beyla, we switched to her sister ship, in Dresden, the Astrild. Actually, it wasn’t like changing boats at all, the ships were exactly the same, and Viking handled everything smoothly. The crew was different of course, but both crews were absolutely fantastic. Our program director, Benne Bennison, remained for the entire trip, and she was absolutely professional and very enjoyable to travel with. She did an amazing job with ninety people who were disappointed not to sail! After three nights on the Astrild, we went to Prague and a hotel there.
Comfortable Viking coaches took us to all the sights that had been originally planned, and so we had a fantastic time on our non-cruise cruise! I do hope to take a Viking Cruise that actually sails at some point, but hats off to Viking Cruises for making this trip absolutely wonderful! I cannot think of a single thing that wasn’t perfect. Every passenger enjoyed the trip, and planned to take another Viking Cruise. Thank you, thank you Viking River Cruises, for a marvelous experience! Take a Viking Cruise, y’all, and #traveltamstyle!
You’d enjoy reading more about the destinations, yes?
Why Haven’t You Visited Awesome Potsdam, Germany, Home of Frederick the Great??
I love this itinerary, from Berlin to Prague, places I have always wanted to visit. Adding this to my bucket list!
Glad to hear it!
This wonderful article has come just at the perfect time! My husband has been mentioning wanting to take a Viking River Cruise after he retires next year. I’m emailing him the link to this post!
Wonderful !!! You will lové it!!!
What a trip! You make me want to go aback again this weekend! We truly had an epic adventure!
Lol, it was so amazing and went too fast!
Ah! My dream is to do a Viking River Cruise? Have you had an opportunity to try out one of their ocean cruises as well?
No I haven’t! I loved the river cruise, hopefully someday I will do an ocean cruise!
OMG I’m so jealous! I’ve been drooling over these river cruises for years! What an amazing opportunity!
I have always felt the same way! Now that I’ve done it, I can only urge everyone to take a Viking Cruise! Amazing!
Sounds like a great itinerary! And it sounds like they handled everything with the upmost professionalism!
They absolutely did! Top notch!
I’ve always wondered about Viking River Cruises. Glad to hear you had an exceptional experience, even (or especially?) without sailing!
It was absolutely fantastic! They did an amazing job, just perfect.
Oh my gosh this looks so fun! I’ve been on a few cruises and they’re always so fun and relaxing. I’ll have to try a Viking River Cruise next!
Oh, you must! Everyone should do a river cruise!
I want to take a cruise SO badly! We live in Washington so I am hoping we could at least do an Alaskan cruise.
Now you are talking my dream cruise….ALASKA!
I have been dying to do a river cruise! This looks amazing!
Believe me, it is amazing! You would love it, I’m sure. Who wouldn’t??
Great article Tam. Thanks for sharing!!
I absolutely adore cruising myself, having been on several over the last 10-15 years with my wife.
I would love to do a river cruise at some point 🙂
my travel buddy and I were very impressed with it!
I want to do an ocean cruise now!
That’s great to hear Tam.
I really hope I can get something sorted within the next few years.
I have never been on a cruise and most likely never will go on one. I am not a water lover and with my luck the ship would sink when I was on it. My brother in law and his wife are going on their 5th cruise soon but its just not for me.
Khourshem recently posted…Things to do in Khasab Musandam
I understand. Are you afraid of water? Might be a good way to get over that fear! If you just don’t like oceans and rivers and lakes, you don’t want to go on a cruise.
Really nice and interesting post. I was looking for this kind of information and enjoyed reading this one. Keep posting. Thanks for sharing.
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Cool Content and Great Advice, Definitely I am going on a Musandam Tour this year.
Journey on the cruise is always really adventures and entertaining. Cruising makes it easy to visit several places in a single trip without the need to repack your belongings and sit in a car/train/bus/plane
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