And so my whistle stop tour continues – time to take on the Vikings!

Goodness, what a few weeks it has been – Oasis of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, MSC Preziosa, and as I write you find me somewhere between Passau and Regensberg on the very lovely Danube river aboard the Viking Rinda. This is my third Danube cruise but my first time on board a Viking Longship. What do you think of my cabin (above)? Isn’t it fab. I can’t wait to wake up and pull the curtains back tomorrow morning to see where I am! I have already had a bounce on the bed and I am anticipating a great nights sleep. I did take the precaution of taking the photo before I bounced on it and spread my belongings everywhere!

I have previously sailed with Avalon ~Waterways, AmaWaterways and on the Royal Crown which is an independent river cruise ship, all of which were  fantastic. I am comparing everything as Viking claim to be the best but you will have to wait until I am back in the office to hear my thoughts as I am having far to much of a good time to be able to do that while I am on board. I’m also busy with excursions along with getting my nosebag on in the restaurant – always my favourite part of any cruise be it on rivers or oceans! I have to say that so far I am really impressed with Viking – accommodation, food, service, staff, all are second to none. Our fellow passengers are lovely too. A good mix of Americans, Canadians, Australians and British too.

My colleague Gina has never tried river cruising before and she is loving every moment of it. She loves how friendly these small ships are – just 190 people on board. The food has surprised her, excellent choice and beautifully presented. Just wait until she see’s the tiny galley where the food is prepared! I am looking forward to seeing how she enjoys the scenic cruising tomorrow up to Regensburg although I suspect it might be a bit nippy up on the Sun Deck so we might have to jostle for pole position by the floor to ceiling windows in the lounge so that we can keep nice and warm. It’s certainly much colder here than it is at home. Don’t worry, I’ve packed my thermals!

What I am most looking forward to is our call into Nuremberg. Last time I sailed along the Danube there was a barge collision between Regensburg and Nuremberg so we didn’t get there as the river was blocked. I’m really interested in WW2 history so Nuremberg holds special appeal for me. Anyway, that isn’t until Thursday afternoon so there is lots to enjoy before then – there is always something to enjoy while sailing along a river! On our way from Regensburg to Nuremberg we will be going through the locks along the Main-Danube Canal. Forget anything you might have seen on your local canal. These are in a different league entirely.

So for now it is farewell from Passau. I am heading off to sample the evening entertainment. This is something that was particularly good on AmaWaterways so lets see how Viking compares shall we.

Catch you on the other side!