We chose this itinerary because we wanted to go to the markets and we were not disappointed! We started in Amsterdam (we have been there before) and then traveled to Kinderdijk, where we have also been before. We then went to Cologne and our first Christmas market. It was absolutely magical! We continued to more markets in Germany and one in Strasbourg France. The markets did not disappoint and i filled an entire bag of gifts from the markets as well as ten different mugs from the markets. If you don’t care for the hot wine at the markets, get the hot chocolate, it’s incredible.
The ships captain was probably the best of all 6 of our Viking cruises as was the hotel manager. Our favorite by far was Renee, our program director. However, quite a few of the crew seemed uninterested in us being there. As a matter of fact I had a bartender be incredibly rude to me which has NEVER happened on Viking before. Another crew member who witnessed it came over to me to apologize, but I was so upset about it I left the lounge and was uncomfortable seeing this crew member the rest of the trip.
The ship seemed a bit run down and housekeeping was a bit lax although our cabin steward was very sweet.
The cabin was as we expected as we book this category each time we travel. The cleanliness left a bit to be desired.
Toured the city and cathedral and then went on our own to visit the markets
An amazing visit to the Black Forest
A great tour of the castle
A wonderful city with great markets