Steve Johnson

Age: 65
Occupation: Retired
Number of Cruises: 5
Cruise Line: Viking River Cruises
Ship: Viking Star
Sailing Date: June 2nd, 2001
Itinerary: Danube

This is a review of our seven night Danube cruise aboard Viking Cruise Line’s Viking Star. Our cruise begins in Passau, Germany. The Star’s schedule is to make a quick 560 km run down the Danube to Budapest, Hungary, followed by a leisurely return. We sail from Passau during an early June Saturday evening, followed by a Sunday stopover in Melk where we visit the magnificent Benedictine Abbey. The Abbey makes a marvelous benchmark for the incredibly exquisite palaces, castles and cathedrals that follow.

On Monday afternoon we arrive in the picturesque city of Budapest. The following afternoon The Star sails again, arriving in Bratislava Wednesday morning. Bratislava is today the capital of The Slovakian Republic and was previously the residence of the king, as well as the capital of Hungary for 258 years. The next port we stay two nights in Vienna, capital of the Austrian Republic. Don’t miss the Sacher tortes! Vienna is the music capital of the world and the political, economic and cultural center of Austria. Here you can enjoy every imaginable cosmopolitan pleasure, as well as take a ride on the very same ferris wheel that carried Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles to their dramatic climax in the classic film

The Third Man. The final port before returning to Passau was the town of Durnstein where we enjoyed a walking tour of the village, culminated by a wine tasting in the local Heurigan (wine bar). Following the wine tasting, we staggered back to the boat. Durnstein was a low key and fitting climax to the cruise.