Page 144 - WDT INTERACTIVE

The Viking “Longship” Vilhjalm offers
95 river-view staterooms, including 39
staterooms private verandas.

Those commercials were a boon to river cruising 50 or older. (Since late August 2018, Viking no longer
worldwide. As a director of a competitor line once told books anyone under age 18 aboard its river cruises.)
me: “We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Viking.” The typical passenger aboard our cruise was 60+ with
Norway’s Torstein Hagen, the Viking Founder, a passion for travel: hunger for history, art, culture and
launched “the thinking person’s cruise” line in 1997 with connecting with locals. The first optional shore excur-
four ships sailing the Volga in Russia. By the end of this sions to sell out were those with home visits.
year, Viking will have 69 river ships sailing throughout Many aboard the Vilhjalm were repeat Viking cruisers
Europe, in Asia and even in Africa. Most of its European – quick to point out why they’re fans. It started on the
fleet is comprised of popular “longships” that accom- evening we set sail from Budapest around 7:30 p.m.,
modate up to 190 passengers with 53 crewmembers. during dinner, still daylight. Before dessert, the Vilhjalm
I sailed the Danube last spring aboard one of those made a U-turn on the Danube and headed back to
longships – the Vilhjalm. During our weeklong trip, Budapest. It was dark by the time we made a second
we cruised 380 miles through 11 locks and visited U-turn and this time, as we passed under the Chain
five countries: Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, the Czech Bridge, Budapest was a glittering fairyland. More than
Republic and Germany. My journey started with a 3-day 500,000 pricks of light illuminated the magnificent old
pre-cruise stay in Budapest (see our last issue: https:// city. On the left bank, the Parliament building dazzled;
issuu.com/wdusa/docs/wdt_magazine_ireland_issue_ high on the right bank, Buda castle and Matthias
winter_2/234). Our cruise ended in Passau, Germany. Church glowed. Those brilliant images left incandes-
Viking is for grownups; it’s designed for travelers cent imprints on our minds.

144 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018