- The weather was wonderful once again. Last year when we were here the weather cooperated and this year was a repeat. We did not have a single rain day. There was a day of overcast and a bit of mist. The temperature was mild as well.
- The stay in the Tivoli Hoel was good. It is not quite as elegant and charming as the Hotel Avenida Palace we stayed after the Seabourn crossing and before the river cruise began. Without debate, the Palace is the place to stay if there is a next time.
- The two private full day tours we took before the river cruise were outstanding. Miguel and Paulo, our guides on each day, were great. While exhausting, both tours were well worth the cost.
- My only other river cruise was the Tauck cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest last fall. Comparing the accomdations of the two cruises,
- Cost (excluding air, pre/post cruise, optional excursions and insurance)
- $13,598 Viking
- $22,680 Tauck
- Ships
- Size
- Viking Osfrid
- 106 guests
- 30 crew
- 262 foot length
- 39 foot width
- Four decks (three decks with cabins)
- Dining
- Main dining room with open seating
- Our suite
- 302 sq ft (including veranda)
- 30 sq ft veranda
- MS Treasure
- 98 guests
- 36 crew
- 361 foot length
- 39 foot width
- Four decks (three decks with cabins)
- Dining
- Main dining room with open seating
- Alternate dining venue offering classic at lunch and dinner and lighter breakfasts
- American breakfast room service
- Our suite
- 300 sq ft
- French balcony
The "300" sq ft AA Veranda suite included a veranda and the "living" area was separated from the sleeping area. The inclusion of the veranda on the Osfrid resulted in no space to store the luggage and so we were constantly moving and working about the luggage. The bath room was also very small. There was a closet to hang clothes but only two drawers in the entire suite. There was a lot of wasted space in the suite including useless shelving. The little room there was often was cluttered with glasses and ice buckets which were never used.
The worse thing about the suite was when the suite was flooded due to a broken AC pipe. The crew did an initial wet vacuum sucking of the free water, but after that, there was no effort to continue to dry out the suite. We ended the cruise with the carpet still very wet. We were told at the time that we would be compensated for our inconvenience and discomfort. A day later we found a small box of chocolates in the cabin. I guess that was the compensation. Very disappointing.
The Osfrid single seating dining, with no alternative, was not satisfactory. The air conditioning in the dining room was inadequate, the food was mediocre (at best) and the dining room service was often chaotic. The use of a "chef" standing at a hot plate fixing individual servings on order added to the chaos and inability to move freely in the room. The dining room was also sized with little room to navigate between tables. The dining was such that, on more than one occasion, I opted to skip a meal instead of suffering through the dining room ordeal.
Internet service on the Osfrid was inconsistent and often lacking entirely. Room cleaning was inconsistent and often not complete.
The ship was disappointing. The scenery and crew made up for much of the ship's inadequacies, with the exception that I would have expected them to continue to try to dry out our suite. The next guests will find a wet room still.
