Grand European Tour Reviews

Two weeks aboard Viking River Ships is the most relaxing way to explore a beautiful part of Europe. To wake up in the morning and look out the floor to ceiling window and see the stunning river and scenery go past is magical. Viking made everything so seamless (including a ship swap due to flooding rivers). The staff were incredible and the ship was ...read more so comfortable and beautifully decorated for Christmas. Each town and city offered something different and we had plenty of free time in each place. A truly perfect way to travel.

Tracey and Global Journeys made the whole trip fit together! Viking was an excellent company to travel with and although getting late into Autumn, we didn't have all the crowds to contend with and the autumn colours were magnificent. From the moment you stepped on board, the staff were there to help you with any queries, magnificent meals, touring and ...read more just generally taking care of you. The peace of floating down the rivers and looking out were soothing. We had a main deck cabin but spent our time in the lounge or on the Aquavit Terrace. There were times on the sundeck, but fresh. The included tours were great and well organised, and then there was still a little time to explore yourself. Well worth it.

Thanks to the support we received from Global Journeys and Viking we were able to finally complete our much delayed river cruise due to COVID. The communication from Global Journeys was outstanding and very supportive. Viking are the kings of the river and accomplish everything with professionalism and care.

Jemma at Global Journeys was great as always. Viking river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest was amazing. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The tours great. Really could not fault Viking. Would recommend Viking.

My wife and I decided to travel on a Viking River cruise for the second time because of their well organised shore excursions. The ship caters for everything that you can possibly need. The accommodation was great. The food was five star to go with the overall service from the staff. From the time we walked on to the dock we were welcomed like royalty. ...read more During our cruise we have met so many nice people from all over the world and are still in touch with some and hope to catch up on our next tour. The accommodation was great. We unpacked our cases and felt like we were at home. Thank you to Globus ( and Georgie) for organising this for me. A truly wonderful holiday.

Between great river water and awesome weather all the way, Viking's attention to service, food and overall care this was a terrific cruise. Can’t speak highly enough really. All the staff were amazing. The Verandah stateroom storage was plenty, great to get cases under bed, little fridge in room for any personal drinks you want. Nice toiletries and ...read more plenty of. We didn’t do additional tours, only included ones, all worthwhile to get an idea of the place then can go of on your own.

Right from the start Hannnah from Global Journeys took care of everything she kept us up to date on information and the portal that you use is great and easy to use. The holiday is itself was amazing. Staterooms were small but comfortable and cleaned daily. Food was very very good and plenty of it. The included tours were very well organised although ...read more the optional tours I thought were too expensive. Only downside was for 5 days the sundeck was closed due to low bridges. All in all a great experience and one I would do again with Global Journeys.

Absolutely fantastic from start to finish. The couple of years delay we had due to Covid was well worth the wait. We have nothing but praise for Viking and their staff and also Georgie from Global Journeys who we booked through. Everyone was so friendly, courteous and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble. We booked our flights with Viking Air which ...read more included pickup at the airport and transport to the ship.

Our cabin with a French Balcony was a good choice as it was quieter and the weather in November was mostly overcast with single digit temperatures which was not conducive to utilising an outside balcony. While the weather was cool we were comfortable wearing appropriate clothing on the tours. Dining was top class with plenty of choices. We were very impressed with everything and are already planning our next Viking River Cruise which we will book with Georgie through Global Journeys.

Viking provided a very professional magical experience and we enjoyed every moment. David Wander, our program leaders expertise in organising and generally caring for each and every guest aboard was beyond outstanding. The majority of travellers were from America which we at times felt excluded by non Viking excursion leaders who directed all there ...read more commentary to and about Americans. We had to change ships half way as the river level was low, this was handled in the least disruptive way by all the wonderful Viking crew aboard the Bragi and Skadi.

Georgie handled our reservations at Global Journeys and was easy to communicate with. Our Viking travel tags did not arrive in time which caused a delay in our boarding the ship and an error on our flight arrival time receipt back into Melbourne meant we had the extra cost of a nights accommodation, this we did not realise until checking in to fly home. Our arrangements had been made and could not be changed but if we had known the correct flight time we could have travelled the next part of our journey home with ease.

Fantastic trip - Viking have obviously spent years perfecting their on-board service and features, as well as daily excursions and experiences. Staff were all very polite, expert at their role, and always willing to help. Food and drink was high quality, and in abundance. Recommend taking the drinks package - left us with zero to pay at end of cruise. ...read more No need to travel with friends - the boat provides ample opportunity to meet new people.

The Viking boat (Magni) was well maintained. The cabins were all well-appointed and kept spotlessly clean. The saloon had a small outside dining and seating area. The overall dining experience was excellent with good food and impeccable service. Breakfast and lunch could be enjoyed in the saloon’s outside dining area, although there were limited tables ...read more available.

We originally booked a standard cabin on the lowest deck, which had a narrow water level window. We felt this might be a bit oppressive for the next 2 weeks, so we took the opportunity to upgrade to a French balcony cabin on the middle deck and were very pleased we did.

The after dinner entertainment in the Saloon was quite meager with only a piano player to entertain us.
We would have liked to spend more time on the top deck during the day and after dinner, but for a period of about a week, access to the top deck was denied due to safety concerns with the low bridges. We believe this to be a specific issue with Viking. For us, this was the major disappointment with this cruise.

Given our experience with ocean cruising, we felt this cruise lacked a “wow” factor. With reduced access to the sun deck, limited shore time and limited activities on the boat, it was a long 2 weeks. Would we recommend Viking? Yes, we would consider one of their ocean cruises. We like their “no children and no gambling” policy.

We chose Viking for a higher end river cruise but value for money, including flights, and weren't disappointed! From the moment we booked with Global Journeys our travel plans and organisation was hassle free - all necessary documentation and arrangements were taken care of and anything we were required to do was well communicated and easy to complete. ...read more

Our Viking cruise was outstanding; quality food and drinks in abundance, wonderful sights and highly enjoyable included tours as well as additional ones to choose from. The crew on board were all amazing from the ship's captain to the room stewards, they function as a team and interact with all guests with a highly professional and friendly manner regardless of their position and role. This, along with the relaxed and casual atmosphere aboard, made for a quality cruise without any formalities.

Although we are in our early 50s and many of the passengers were retired, we did not feel out of place. Definitely not a party scene like larger cruise ships but plenty of opportunities for fun and relaxing. We had a lower deck cabin without a balcony or French window and it was fine as we enjoyed the views from both sides of the ship from the lounge or upper deck. The other options can be pretty one-sided and most cruising is done at night when not too much to see.

Everything was very well organised, from the tours to the daily schedule of activities. The staff were both friendly and obliging, and the food was great. The facilities were first class and spotlessly maintained.

From start to finish, everything was very well organised by Viking and Global Journeys. The transfers were smooth throughout, however our arrival time in Amsterdam was so close to sailing that we were not there in time for the Amsterdam tour.

The vessel was very well set up, clean and welcoming and most of all the staff were the best we have ever ...read more encountered. Most excursions were interesting with some excellent guides, however we would question the high cost of the Munich and Salzburg trips.

We will be looking at another Viking Cruise but we would not wish to fly QATAR airways again. It is not that Qatar are not a reasonable airline, it is more to do with Doha Airport security. We were treated in a way that made us feel very unwelcome by inefficient, arrogant and rude security staff. At one check the staff member took Robyn's Boarding pass for some form of check and did not return it denying he had got it.

At Sydney airport Qatar did not have an Air Bridge and hence much time was wasted in shuttle buses (this also happened on the Budapest to Doha flight which was the equivalent to a Ryanair flight, old aircraft, seat reclining mechanism not working properly and the worst meals we have had in 40 years of travel).

The only hitch was because of low river water we had to travel by coach from Nuremberg to Passau where we had to change to a similar but older ship which was still in excellent condition. Had the cruise company had less available ships we might have ended travelling the second half of the cruise by coach. Viking made good of a tricky situation and ...read more handled everything in an efficient manner without too many hassles.

This was our second River Cruise in Europe and lived up to our expectations. Viking ran everything like clockwork and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a well organized holiday. It was pretty full on but then if you weren't able to keep up with the pace there were options. We had folk in wheel chairs who still took part in most excursions ...read more and another very elderly couple who chose just to remain on board and view the scenery as we sailed although most days were spent in port so not a lot for them to do then but staff were outstanding especially on the Viking Gefjon. We were in one of the lower deck cabins and so only had a very high up window that you could only see out if standing. We did not spend much time in our cabin but if able to afford it I would recommend a cabin on a higher deck with a full window.

The Viking cruise was well organised, cabins comfortable and the services provided were excellent. The staff and crew very very attentive and the onboard activities first rate. The on shore excursions provided a variety of venues to suit most tastes. I highly recommend this river cruise to others.

The whole planning and implementation of our river cruise, with the most able assistance of Michelle was wonderful. We were reassured by the timely and informative responses to any issues that we raised prior to the trip. The actual 15-day Viking river cruise on the Viking Delling went well beyond our expectations in every way. The staff, cruise ship, ...read more cruise content and organisation were brilliant. Any interruptions to the activites (e.g. weather) were handled extremely well, ensuring there was no disadvantge to our enjoyment. Barry required medical assistance and Henrieta Balisova, the Program Director arranged a Doctor's appointment within hours and accompanied Barry and myself personally to ensure there were no language problems. The cruise shore excursions were of a first-rate standard, using experienced local guides. At all times Henrieta and her colleagues were at hand , during these shore excursions, to ensure that the experience was of the highest standard. She regularly sought feedback on the quality of the guides. We noted that Viking River Cruise ships always had prime mooring points, which added to the ease of our access to the various towns along the rivers. The food was delicious, the daily news bulletins of national news in Australia, US and Canada were an added bonus. The daily ship paper - Viking Daily - was delivered to our Stateroom each prior evening and provided detailed and precise information.

Viking River Cruise was very good with all stops well worth a look. The crew and daily tours all very well organised and all worth the value of the cruise. All paper work, info and bookings by Global Journeys well handled. Thanks.

This was very much a family cruise as we travelled with my two sisters and my brother and his wife. We all really enjoyed the cruise family on board. The ship was new and the crew were very attentive. All the tours were informative and easy on the body. We were luck with the weather. The highlight was our arrival into Budapest at about 11.00pm with ...read more all the buildings lit up - what a sight. Thank you for assistance in booking this river cruise.