Trip Wrap Up: A Look Back

June 08, 2026

June, 2026, Pinetop, Arizona

I’ve been back in the States now for a week, and I’ve been gathering my thoughts for this page. This trip visited eight countries in a three-week span, including seven countries (and one new continent*) that I’ve never visited before. New friends were made, and there were a lot of sightseeing highlights.

I really enjoyed my time in some of the cities, especially Munich, Salzburg, Budapest, and Istanbul. Being immersed in those cultures, traveling around the city on my own, using public transportation, eating the local foods, gives you a different appreciation for those places and the people who live there.

Additionally, I enjoyed the time spent in some of the less populated stops. Regensburg is charming, Passau is beautiful, Vukovar is resilient, Vidin is trying to find itself as it recovers from Communist rule and figure where it fits in in the 21st century. Our voyage through the “Iron Gates” was impressive, kind of like the Danube’s version of the Grand Canyon.

I suppose that the reader/follower might be wondering if I am going to compare the two different cruise companies. And I do have a few thoughts, but they’re not particularly dramatic.

Let me just say that both Viking and AMA Waterways provide a great river cruise experience. If you had sailed with one and not the other, you would likely still be a happy traveler.

In all respects, the meals and meal service (the personable servers do a WONDERFUL job) were very similar, very comparable. Both were excellent and offered way too much food.

Cabin space was about the same, the difference comes down to the need/want for a balcony. I was pretty gung-ho for a balcony and I liked having it, but, honestly, it didn’t get used all that much. I think I’ll stay with a lower-level cabin from now on, and spend the savings in other ways.

There are a couple of areas where AMA might have an edge over Viking. The reader needs to decide if the somewhat higher cost is worth it:

1) Both lines offer unlimited free beer and wine during lunch and dinner. AMA also offers complimentary soft drinks at all times and champagne/mimosas during breakfast. (I was annoyed that Viking charged me six euros for a small bottle of ginger ale.) During happy hour before dinner, Viking charges for all drinks, while AMA has a complimentary “cocktail of the day.” So - it depends on your drinking habits.

2) AMA wins the sundeck battle, which breaks the tie with a pool and spa. Our (larger than typical) ship also had a pickleball court. Both offered shaded and sunny lounge areas.

3) Excursions: AMA offers more excursions DAILY, both morning and afternoon, at no extra charge. Viking offers just one free excursion per port, and charges a high premium for additions. We were in Vienna for two days with Viking but had to pay for any second day excursions. This can actually run up the bill considerably. AMA also offers limited complimentary bike tours at each stop. There are 15-20 bikes aboard.

If someone tells you that travel/tourism is off, you sure couldn’t tell it by this trip. EVERYWHERE we went, at least the main tourist spots, the big cities, crowds were HUGE, tourists were seeing the sites and spending their money.

If you’ve come this far, I need to thank you for following along. As you can imagine, there’s a bit of time and effort that goes into creating this blog, which was originally supposed to be just a journal for my own use and memories. Based on some of your comments, it’s somewhat rewarding to hear that others are enjoying traveling along vicariously.

Finally, let’s wrap this up with some bonus photos. Some may be repeats, some may be new. Remember to click on any photo to see full size.

Cheers!

Germany