My husband and I just returned from a "cruise" from Nuremberg to Budapest on the Viking Var which began September 18, 2015. We were very disappointed as there was very little cruising done due to low water levels on the Danube. Instead, after docking in Regensberg, we were bussed from the ship to Passau and back permitting only a very short visit in Passau. Then the following day we were bussed to Melk and put on a very crowded local tour ship to visit the Danube Narrows. It was standing room only on the ship's deck. We were allowed only a 30 minute tour in Melk before being bussed to Linz where the ship Tor was docked for repairs. We embarked on Tor and sailed to Vienna. We were then loaded onto another bus for a day trip to Prague. Since we were scheduled for a post-trip in Prague, we asked Viking to arrange for us to remain in Prague rather than being bussed back to the ship and then bussed back to Prague the next day. They would not accommodate us. We had very little time in the cities we were scheduled to visit, not to mention the discomfort of long and cramped bus travel. For the short time we were actually on the ship, we enjoyed the food, cabin, and service. However, this just provided an even starker contrast with the unpleasant conditions experienced during the major part of the trip.

We were very unhappy with Viking's customer service. We had contacted them before the cruise because we had heard of problems due to low water levels on the Danube. We had planned to postpone our trip if conditions were unstable. They assured us that there were no problems and agreed to notify us in advance if any deviations from the itinerary were expected. We later found out that passengers were being bussed to ports at the same time that Viking was assuring us there were no problems. We understand that unexpected events may occur while cruising, with a need to make adjustments. But Viking was well aware that not only were cruise disruptions possible, they were very likely to occur. Viking provided information to us at the last possible moment throughout the trip, claiming that every deviation in the itinerary was a complete surprise.