{"id":24839,"date":"2016-07-14T08:30:35","date_gmt":"2016-07-14T14:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/?p=24839"},"modified":"2022-05-23T15:02:33","modified_gmt":"2022-05-23T19:02:33","slug":"vikings-passage-to-eastern-europe-kalocsa-hungary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/2016\/07\/vikings-passage-to-eastern-europe-kalocsa-hungary\/","title":{"rendered":"Viking’s Passage to Eastern Europe – Kalocsa, Hungary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Beauty of the Viking Longships<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Viking<\/a>
Viking River Cruises’ Viking Embla docked in Kalocsa, Hungary this afternoon. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Aaron Saunders, River Cruise Advisor<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wednesday, July 13, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four motorcoaches pulled up on a dusty road outside of the ship this afternoon. I looked at them, then at the Hungarian family taking a picnic in the shade under the trees. It looked hot. I stepped outside the ship. It was <\/em>hot. I looked back at the air conditioned splendour of my ship. And I decided to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a>
The cool, shaded stateroom balconies aboard Viking Embla look tantalizing today, as the mercury climbs towards 40 degrees Celsius. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Yes, I\u2019m electing to skip our last port of call \u2013 Kalocsa, Hungary \u2013 <\/strong>in favor of relaxing aboard Viking River Cruises<\/strong><\/a>\u2019 Viking Embla<\/em><\/strong>. With the mercury rising again to 37\u00b0C by this afternoon, and the humidity piling up on top of that, I decided to stay onboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were other reasons for my decision: today is our last day aboard Viking Embla<\/em>. It\u2019s my last chance to fully enjoy this beautiful ship, which is half of the reason I come here in the first place \u2013 to experience the joy of river cruising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Although<\/a>
Although our cruise tour isn’t over, our river cruise is coming to an end: disembarkation forms were handed out this morning, along with the guest questionnaire. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Watch<\/a>
Watch out when you fill out your survey; it’s surprisingly strict in terms of how you mark it. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s another reason: though this is my last day aboard Viking Embla<\/em>, it\u2019s not the last day of our Passage to Eastern Europe<\/em><\/strong> adventure. On this itinerary, Viking includes a one-night pre-cruise stay in Bucharest, Romania and a two-night post-cruise stay in Budapest, Hungary<\/strong> at the Budapest Hilton<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tomorrow, Viking is giving us a complimentary six-hour city tour of Budapest, transferring us from the ship to the hotel in the process. Our luggage will be waiting for us in our hotel rooms, and Viking has already provided us with a full list of optional excursions available for Friday, along with our flight times, transfer times, and relevant information for our departures back to North America on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Instead<\/a>
Instead of sweating it out today in Kalocsa, Hungary, I’d rather show you why I love these Viking Longships so much. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Today, though, began with customs formalities: at 6:30 a.m., we came alongside in Mohacs, Hungary<\/strong> for a face-to-face passport check. This is not because we\u2019re entering Hungary, but moreso because we\u2019re entering the Schengen Zone<\/strong> that a number of EU countries are members of. And with the issues facing refugees and migrants in the EU as of late, customs officials aren\u2019t taking any chances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"First,<\/a>
First, you’ve got the atrium, with its soaring two stories and walls of glass. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"There's<\/a>
There’s also a neat living garden at the base of the staircase, on Deck 2. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Crew were called first, followed by guests in the 100 Corridor, 200 Corridor, and 300 Corridor. The entire process took maybe an hour, and we were underway again by 7:30 a.m. Being up at 6:00 anyway, I wasn\u2019t inconvenienced at all, and we were warned it would be early at last night\u2019s briefing. Still, it\u2019s a pain, but an unavoidable one that is imposed on Viking and every other river cruise line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Viking<\/a>
Viking is known for other little niceties, too. Put a book out in your stateroom – you just might get a nifty little bookmark inserted into it. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s one of the primary differences with this Eastern Danube voyage compared with its Western counterpart: lots of passport and immigration checks. This is our first face-to-face check, but our passports have been stamped in and out of each country we\u2019ve visited over the past week. If you\u2019re short on available passport pages, you might want to get yours renewed before making the journey; I reckon I\u2019ll have close to 10 new stamps by the time I leave the EU on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what\u2019s happening onboard today:<\/p>\n\n\n\n