We often plan early for our vacations, however planning for our Viking River Cruise began in March of 2013. Our friends Roger and Christina were interested in a river cruise to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary and asked us to come along. Our group of four grew to a group of six when my friend Patty, who is also a travel agent and her husband Paul from Atlanta decided to join us as well. The countdown to the adventure was a long one but completely worth it in the end!
Viking continues to provide excellent documents to provide you with all you need to know prior to departure.
We couldn't leave home without Captain Trav!
Day #1 of our adventure began on Saturday, October 4th. We met Roger and Christina in Norfolk and took our first flight to Atlanta where we met up with Patty and Paul. From Atlanta we boarded our overnight flight to Amsterdam and after a few hours in Amsterdam, boarded our final flight to Budapest, Hungary.
Our arrival in Budapest, on Day #2 was very easy and we quickly had our bags and made our way to the Viking Cruise Line representative that was waiting for us. Our coach transfer took about 30 minutes for the airport to our ship, the Viking Legend which was waiting for us at the base of the Chain Bridge on the Pest side of the city.
Embarkation was nothing like arriving at a large cruise terminal. We were able to walk directly onto the ship, provide our names and were handed our key cards to our cabin. The small ship experience was beginning to grow on us already. A short walk down the hall from the Reception Desk and we were at our cabin # 233 with a French Balcony.
Our arrival in Budapest, on Day #2 was very easy and we quickly had our bags and made our way to the Viking Cruise Line representative that was waiting for us. Our coach transfer took about 30 minutes for the airport to our ship, the Viking Legend which was waiting for us at the base of the Chain Bridge on the Pest side of the city.
Embarkation was nothing like arriving at a large cruise terminal. We were able to walk directly onto the ship, provide our names and were handed our key cards to our cabin. The small ship experience was beginning to grow on us already. A short walk down the hall from the Reception Desk and we were at our cabin # 233 with a French Balcony.
Viking offers the largest cabin accommodations in the river cruise market. Our cabin offered plenty of storage, a comfortable bed and two chairs to enjoy the view of the river when we had our curtains open.
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The bathrooms were standard cruise ship size. Unlike many cruise lines, Viking does provide toiletry items by L'occitane which was a nice touch!
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After checking out our cabins and grabbing a bite to eat in the lounge, we were able to join a 45 minute walking tour to introduce us to Budapest. This was an optional excursion offered to any guest that wanted to get off the ship, stretch their legs and get a feeling for the Pest side of the city. We grabbed our cameras and headsets that were provided in each cabin and met our guide just off the ship. The headsets are wonderful! Your tour guide is able to speak in a normal voice and you don't have to be standing super close to hear what he is she is saying.
Our guide for the afternoon was George and he started our tour by taking us to St. Stephen's Cathedral in the heart of the Pest side of the city. From there he walked us through a pedestrian area and talked about the history of the Beda and Pest sides of the city. At the end of his walk we were given the option to stay in the city and explore or could follow George back to the ship. Having been up for over 24 hours we all elected to walk back to the ship.
Our guide for the afternoon was George and he started our tour by taking us to St. Stephen's Cathedral in the heart of the Pest side of the city. From there he walked us through a pedestrian area and talked about the history of the Beda and Pest sides of the city. At the end of his walk we were given the option to stay in the city and explore or could follow George back to the ship. Having been up for over 24 hours we all elected to walk back to the ship.
Beautiful St Stephen's Cathedral in Budapest!
Our ship the Viking Legend on the left and another Viking ship the Viking Magni on the right. This photo was taken from the Chain Bridge and you can see the Hungarian Parliament building in the distance.
After our walk, we enjoyed the rest of our day on the ship. We were able to unpack, get settled and most importantly take a shower! The daily briefing in the lounge introduced us to many members of the crew and the dinner that followed was fantastic.
Our next post will feature our full day of touring in Budapest!
Our next post will feature our full day of touring in Budapest!