Viking Alsvin

:ovely

July

Pros: Nice ports

Cons: Lots of bus time

Recommended: Yes

The Alsvin is very nice. Seems a little short staffed compared to other Viking boats we've been on. We never had to get our own drinks at the bar in the lounge like we often had to here. One of Viking's selling points is that they dock right in the center of cities. Pretty much true on their Amsterdam to Basel and Passau to Budapest cruises. Paris to Prague felt more like a bus tour than a riverboat cruise. Aside from the 4 hr ride from Paris to Triere and Nuremberg to Prague, we pretty much had a bus ride to/from town every day. Only in one or two towns were we close enough to walk into town. The tours were all nice, but they could cut the time at the palace in Prague shorter since you are just walking around the courtyard. More free time would have been nicer. Overall, it's very nice.

Wonderful cruise on the Main, Rhine, and Mosel

June

Pros: Too many to list here- great ship, outstanding crew & crew to guest ratio!

Cons: The only con was having to pick from all the opportunities since you can't do it all.

Recommended: Yes

Our Viking voyage on the Alsvin lived up to everything Viking promoted it to be. My wife and I felt like we were cradled through our first vacation in Europe. In addition to the regular local tours the Program Director added a "leisure" group for those who were not as mobile or fast so they could tour at a more relaxed pace and avoid stairs & hills, and he added an "energetic" group for those who wanted to move quickly and have more free time after doing the tour. Advice to future travelers: watch for the sign-up date for optional excursions and register quickly. We had one fill-up before we did. It turned out to be fine as we met friends that afternoon for a lovely day. I can't say enough good things about our trip on the Viking Alsvin.

Great time from Prague to Paris

June

Pros: Excellent tour guides, beautiful ship, great food, terrific service and wonderful tour director

Cons: Occasionally rushed for free time while in port

Recommended: Yes

Our cruise director Jane was fantastic! She was calm under pressure and did a great job making sure that people were happy and things ran smoothly. I found our standard cabin very comfortable because it wash