14 Nights Mediterranean - Spain And France Cruise

Another Great Viking Cruise

This was our 4th Viking Cruise since 2013. We had originally booked a Viking Ocean cruise during Covid so we had to use our money soon as Viking wouldn't issue a refund. Also, we had to spend all the money on one cruise and not spread it out on 2 trips. Therefore, we ended up in an Explorer suite with all the perks - SS Package, laundry, private transfers, and breakfast in our room. I will say that the Explorer suite and perks have us spoiled. WE began with a pre-trip extension in Prague. The Hilton we stayed at was probably the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at. Fantastic breakfast, great views from the rooftop bar, the biggest hotel gym I have ever seen, and great location. The Viking representatives were fantastic and helpful. It is a very large hotel with lots of groups staying there but it never seemed crowded. We ate a few other meals there besides breakfast that were great also(but expensive). Transfer to ship in Passau was about 3 1/2 hours. Boarding was effortless. The Embla is an older ship but it looked in great shape for a 12 or 13 yo ship. Lots of room in the Explorer suite but because of the cooler weather in April, we didn't get to take advantage of the great balcony in our cabin. This cabin was a little noisy from the ship's engines but personally, it never bothered us much (more like a white noise). Whether you have a big cabin or not is your preference but the Explorer suite is the only cabin that isn't affected by rafting. Lots of cruises were happening in April and the ports were busy. Our last stop in Budapest had 5 Viking ships there at once with 3 being rafted together. The cruise director and staff can make or break your experience on a cruise. Marko was exceptional and a delight for all on board. Of course, the staff was fantastic, friendly, and accommodating when possible. Shout out to Martina who met with my wife every day to discuss her GF restrictions. The staff learns your name on the first day and remembers your preferences with drinks and food. The food was great and chef Michael had something interesting to try every night. Of course, everyone has different tastes, but we heard no one complain about the food or menu. Reading other reviews, I see people complain that there is no seating for 2. I think the great thing about this type of travel is the opportunity to meet other people. We met many interesting people from the USA, Canada, and Scotland at dinner and lunch. Most likely, we will keep in touch with some of them. The itinerary was good but not my favorite. I think the Rhine and Douro both had better scenery than the Danube. The big cities of Prague, Vienna, and Budapest though were all spectacular. The ship was docked close to town in Budapest and one could walk easily into Pest. Vienna's dock was about a 10 minute walk to the metro. We didn't try this but stayed on the ship after our morning excursion. One could easily spend a week and not get bored exploring those 2 cities. Prague Old Town was easy to walk to from the hotel. The other towns we visited were nice but definitely a different flavor from the big cities. The ship docked in a good location to explore Krems, Passau, and Linz. Entertainment was the usual enjoyable piano player with a few nights having local entertainment. With several create composers like Mozart, Listz, and Shubert coming from this region you would expect great musicians and that was the case here. I have never heard more talented musicians. Disembarkment went smoothly (at 4am) and we had a long day of travel to get home. The Aquavit lounge was open at 3am for a light breakfast. Overall, an outstanding cruise. Kudos to Viking for an exceptional product.

Awesome experience on Seashore- Second MSC cruise

After reading recent reviews for the Seashore I was a bit nervous about this cruise. Turns out I had nothing to worry about! This was my second MSC cruise, having previously sailed on the Seaside in 2019. I’m an experienced cruiser with this trip being my 12th cruise, and i’m in my mid-thirties. Here’s some details from our 4 night cruise on the Seashore: Embarkation: Smooth and easy!! We arrived at the port about an hour earlier than our boarding time but were allowed to check in and board early. No fuss and no waiting. The Ship: I found the ship to be beautiful and well maintained. Everything was clean with no complaints. The one con I had was that the public areas, mainly stairways, were always warm like the AC was barely on. That was odd to me, but wasn’t a huge deal. Stateroom: We stayed in a deluxe balcony room on deck 14. Our room and balcony were very clean!! Absolutely no complaints and contrary to other reviews we experienced no sewage smell whatsoever. Service: Ok so here’s the deal. On some other lines like Carnival, Royal, or Disney, the staff go out of their way to ask you if you need anything. That wasn’t as much the case on this ship. HOWEVER, anytime I asked for anything at all the crew members then went above and beyond to assist. Our stateroom steward was especially awesome! Food service staff were great too! Food: The food was much more americanized this time vs. my experience in 2019. Everything we ate from the buffet and the main dining room (Central Park) was wonderful! The food was fresh and the selection was great. Lots of flavor. Really enjoyed the desserts too! We did not try any of the specialty restaurants this time around though. Other notes: The ship was at capacity but honestly never felt over crowded to me. There was always space at a pool or hot tub, and always a table available at the buffet. The only thing that annoyed me was the lack of printed daily times and activities or physical menus at restaurants and bars. I get that everything is moving digital but I just don’t enjoy having to scan a QR code or did through the app to find information. Overall, we had a wonderful time and will definitely cruise with MSC again in the future. For the price you just can’t beat it. Don’t listen to all the negative reviews. No ship or line is perfect but really and truly the Seashore and MSC were awesome!

Engagement trip

We had a fantastic trip from embarkation to disembarking. The staff was friendly and attentive. Entertainment was top notch. We especially liked the Indulge Food Hall concept on the Prima. Being able to order from multiple styles of food in one location was very enjoyable. The ship layout creates numerous areas that keeps you from feeling crowded. If I had to find one flaw. The main pool could be a little bigger. A tip for specialty dining. We could only get a 9:30 reservation for Cagny's Steakhouse. I stopped at the reservation desk to see if anything earlier was able in the morning. They said they couldn't see cancelations but we could stop by the restaurant that evening and check. We stopped by at 7 and they were able to seat us right away. The overall experience was great. Easiest boarding and leaving the ship you could imagine. 45 minutes from walking in the terminal to having a drink in my hand. 30 minutes from leaving our room to being in our car on our way home.