After years of listening to our travel agent rave about Viking’s river cruises, we finally got to experience the incredible 5 star hotel on water as we cruised the Danube river from Budapest to Passau the summer of 2023. In this post I will tell you all about the ship, our room, the food, and life onboard the Viking Embla so you can decide if a river cruise is right for you.

The Ship

The ship that acted as our home for seven nights was the Viking Embla.

In Norse mythology, Embla was the first woman to be created, the mother of the human race. The god Odin and his brothers made Embla, along with Ask, the first man, from two tree trunks found on the seashore. Embla and Ask were then given Midgard, the world of humans, as a place to live and call home. -Taken from Viking.com

Click To Take an interactive tour of the ship

Image taking from Viking Embla (vikingrivercruises.com)

Some highlights about the ship:

Only 190 guests and must be at least 18 years old.
Crew: 53 and from 12 different nationalities.
Length: 443 feet.
Year built: 2017.
95 comfortable outside staterooms (25 Standard Staterooms, 22 French Balcony Staterooms, 39 Veranda Staterooms, 7 Veranda Suites, 2 Explorer Suites).
All suites feature two full-size rooms with a veranda off the living room & a French balcony in the bedroom.
Free Wi-Fi (connection speed may vary).
Laundry service (for an extra charge).
Ecologically friendly hybrid engines producing less vibrations for a smoother ride.

Here are some photos of the ship taken from various angles and docks throughout our journey.

Sun Deck

Our favorite hangout place on the entire ship was the sun deck. It is completely open so that you can literally watch the world go by while enjoying a breeze on the calm waters of the Danube. Whether docked or at sail, this was a perfect place to chat, play some cards, read, or just take in the sights.

They always had towels available. You only really needed them if there was morning dew on the chairs or if you wanted to roll one up to use as back support on one of the chairs.

View of the sun deck facing the front of the ship.

The smoking section. In the background you can see Liberty Bridge in Budapest.

The walking path was very popular. Guests were walking on it constantly. In the morning for exercise, and after meals to walk off the calories from the excellent food.

There were several flotation devices spread out around the railing on the sun deck.

One evening before dinner, we actually saw someone from the kitchen come up and cut some herbs from the garden to use in that evening's meal prep!

Shuffleboard, The Herb Garden, and putting greens all sat inside the walking path. This was located towards the back of the ship closest to the smoking section.

One afternoon while we were docked, I saw a crewmember going into the cockpit and I asked if I could go in and have a look. He let me take photos, showed me around, and told me what all the buttons and screens were for. He even let me push the button that raised and lowered the cockpit so that they could travel under lower bridges!

Here are some photos from the Sun Deck and of the ship. The views were lovely no matter where we were. There were always seats available to use (sometimes ones with tables, and sometimes the lounge chairs that laid all the way back).

Most of the Lock’s that we passed through happened at night (we went through 11 during our journey), but one morning during breakfast, we went through the biggest one and I went up on the Sun Deck to experience it and it was incredible!!

Sometimes when we went under lower bridges they had to lower the shaded area so that we would not rub against the bridge. This video shows how they lowered the shaded areas. It was so fast and easy!

The Upper Deck

The Upper Deck was a constant source of activity on the ship. The “best” rooms are located on this deck as well as the library, internet corner, lounge/bar, the Aquavit Terrace, and my personal favorite-the 24 hour coffee station.

This is in the Aquavit Terrace. You could have a continental breakfast out here or dinner. It was also a lovely place to lounge and still enjoy some sunlight.

Another sitting area in the Aquavit Terrace.

The Aquavit Terrace when converted for mealtime. This is one of the inside tables.

This is the only elevator that is accessible to guests. It only services the Upper and Middle Deck and is just outside the Lounge.

The coffee station was open 24 hours a day. They had several coffee options for you to choose from as well as a variety of milk, syrups, sugars, and tea choices. In the morning they had fresh pastries and muffins, and, in the afternoon, they rotated different freshly baked cookies that were available all day and night. They had glass coffee cups or paper ones so that you could either lounge with your beverage or take it away.

I had a cappuccino at a shop in Venice and the one on the ship was just as good!!

One of the public sitting areas that was just outside the lounge.

There were also public restrooms just past the library/internet station just before you got to the staterooms.

This is a view of the staircase from the Upper Deck looking down to the Middle Deck. To the left you can see some public seating areas on both levels. To the right of the staircase, you can see a person enjoying some coffee from the coffee bar (there is one on the exact opposite side as well). On the right side you can also see the Elevator that services these two levels. There is also a table towards the front right. They utilize this table to hand out waters to guests whenever a shore excursion is happening.

Here is one of the spry sanitizer stations that you can find throughout the public areas of the ship.

While Wi-Fi is accessible throughout the ship (with the exception of the Sun Deck-I almost never got service up there), there is also an Internet station available for guests. You are allowed to connect two devices per stateroom to the Wi-Fi and are given instructions upon check in.

There is a lovely public Library space on the Upper Deck where you can borrow books and lounge during downtime. They also have some books for sale in the gift shop one level down.

Through the sliding glass door, you will enter the lounge and then the Aquavit Terrace. The lounge has a bar and tons of public sitting areas to enjoy and socialize. They also have a piano player in the late afternoons and evenings. Some evenings they have live entertainment or games. Every night, 15 minutes before dinner, everyone meets here for the “port talk” to hear about the activities for the next day and to hear the chef discuss his suggestions for dinner that evening.

The bar in the Lounge. If you have purchased the “Silver Spirits Package” for around $350 you can have unlimited beverages during your voyage. If not, even a soda will cost you if it is not mealtime. A soda will be around $4.

Some of the seating in the lounge. You can see the Aquavit Terrace in the back left and the stairs up to the Sun Deck. Seating filled up quick in the evenings for the port talks and especially when they had live entertainment on the ship in the evenings so make sure you get there early!

Some snacks that they set out during the “port talk” every evening at the tables in the Lounge.

Just inside the doors of the Lounge they have a wall indicating the key crew members that you will be interacting with during your voyage.

A nice quiet outdoor space on the Upper Deck.

In addition to all the common spaces on this deck, this is also where you can find staterooms 301-341. These rooms include 2 Explorer Suites, 5 French Balcony rooms, 7 Suites with verandas and French balcony’s, and 20 staterooms with verandas.

The Middle Deck

While the Sun Deck and Upper Decks both have their appeal for specific reasons, the Middle Deck was the most popular and the most frequently visited because it contained a few key areas. The most important area on this deck (and on this whole ship in my opinion) is the restaurant/dining room.

This Deck also contains the Reception Desk, the Shop, the second and only other guest elevator stop, the kitchen (not guest accessible), and Staterooms 200-237. The Staterooms on this Deck include 17 with French Balcony’s and 19 with Verandas.

Here you can see a public sitting area, to the left an outside public area, a team member desk, and towards the back the doors to the restaurant. There is also a TV on the wall that tells you exactly where you are in your journey via a live map.

These spray sanitizer stations were outside the Restaurant and there were also some on the Upper Deck (next to the coffee station).

The TV map showing where you are in your journey. There was one of these by the Restaurant doors as well as behind the reception desk.

The Gift Shop sells jewelry, jackets, hats, backpacks, umbrellas, binoculars, cookbooks, and even the lovely wooden bowls that our bread was served in each night at the shop.

This is the gift shop that is right across from the reception desk. There is always someone at reception with the exception of the nightly safety checks. From 10pm until 6am, at the top of every hour, the staff member walks the ship for safety checks, and it takes about 10 minutes.

The dining room. The buffet is to the left.

Breakfast

This is the breakfast buffet. Every other meal is a table service meal. You can also order items at breakfast from the menu or have eggs cooked any way from the eggs station at the buffet. The buffet is in the center of the room and there are tables all around. The tables are set up as 4 tops or all the way up to 10 tops are available. Seating is not assigned, and you can change it up every meal to meet new people or sit with whoever you choose.

Lunch

There were always “staple” lunch items that you could choose from like hamburgers or hot dogs, and then there were items that changed every day. There was always a dessert and there was always either a soup or salad.

Dinner

There were always “staple” items you could choose from for dinner like salmon, chicken, or steak. Every night you could also choose from chef specials that changed, or you could choose from the special menu that featured dishes from the country you were currently located in. The waitstaff was always very accommodating when it came to offering recommendations, and once during lunch they even offered me a half portion so that I could try two things!

They are also very accommodating with dietary restrictions and handle this with grace and ease. Just make sure you communicate clearly. If you dont like something, just tell them and they will bring you something else. I have to say that one of the things that impressed me most about this trip was the food. I have done a few all-inclusive things in the past but this far exceeded my expectations and anything that I have experienced in the past.

The waitstaff does move around and you can also choose your seating so you may not always get the same staff member, but by the third day, the staff could remember what Ash and I preferred as our drinks. We were so impressed. Remember, if you did not pay for the special drinks package, during meals you can get the house wine or beer or any soft drink or tea for free.

One of the nights, they surprised us and transformed the dining room into a Hungarian taproom. They changed all the tablecloths and cutlery, they set the tables up special, the waitstaff dressed up differently, and they did traditional Hungarian food and beverage complete with beer and pretzels! It was so fun! See photos below of some menus, meals, and the Hungarian night.

Dinner. They serve free beer and house wine at lunch and dinner every day.

The Main Deck

The main deck is mainly just staterooms and where the crew resides. This is where our room was located and where you can find rooms 100-125. All the rooms on this Deck are water level but they do have windows that allow you to see outside.

Down the hallways of each deck, there were ice machines, floor plans, and energy panels like the ones pictured above.

Our Stateroom

Home sweet home. We were the second room to the left just off the main staircase and it was really convenient.

While on the smaller side, our room was just fine for the few hours a night we occupied that space. The beds were comfortable, the shower water pressure was intense, and the water was hot, there were tons of outlets, and the Wi-Fi worked great. The service team did a wonderful job every single day, and then came back while we had dinner and turned down our beds and left us papers to tell us about tomorrows activities and left us our bus boarding passes.

We got free bottled water every day (and it was replaced as often as they noticed it was open-so sometimes twice a day), had shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, and lotion. The towels were HUGE and fluffy. We had a refrigerator that we could utilize as well as a safe. Plenty of the things that you would expect from a luxury hotel, just on water!!

Some details about our stateroom:

Stateroom size: 150 sq ft
River-view stateroom with half-height picture window
12 PM Embarkation
3 PM stateroom access
Queen-size Viking Explorer Bed (optional twin-bed configuration) with luxury linens & pillows
Free Wi-Fi (connection speed may vary)
Flat-screen TV with infotainment system featuring a selection of live TV channels, complimentary Movies On Demand and in-house programming
110/220 volt outlets & USB ports
Private bathroom with accessible shower, heated floor, anti-fog mirror & hair dryer
Premium Freyja® toiletries
Plush robes & slippers (upon request)
Telephone, safe, refrigerator
Individual climate control
Bottled water replenished daily
Stateroom steward & twice-daily housekeeping
Under-bed suitcase storage space
Roomy wardrobe with wooden hangers

This video clip shows some beautiful scenery passing by as we cruise down the Danube and take a peek out of our stateroom window.

There were four sliding drawers for storage under the mirror and counter space in our room.

There were towel hooks on each side of the shower doors. The doors could swing in or out to make it easy to move around inside the shower and the bathroom.

Inside the shower there were three little metal shelves for storage. There is also a line that you can pull and secure to utilize if you wash any of your clothing in your room and wish to dry it on the line. The shower head was removeable, the water pressure was better than at home, and the water got SUPER hot SUPER fast. I was honestly really impressed. I was also impressed that the floor never flooded or puddled.

Here you can see that just above the toilet, in between the shower and the sink, there were two shelves where our fresh towels were kept. They had slats in them that could also be used to hang things (I hung my toiletry bag here to save counter space).

Under the sink there were two shelves that you could also use as storage. One contained the trash can. The toilet paper and Kleenex were stored inside the shelve to save space.

There were also three glass shelves off to the side of the mirror along with two attached glass cups. I put my toothbrush and paste in the cup for storage and easy access. There were also controls for the heated floors as well as the outlet for the European facial razer. There were no other outlets in the bathroom. The rooms did come with a hairdryer, but we had to dry our hair out in the room at the little vanity area.

Here is a full shot of the bathroom. You can see they provide an extra roll of toilet paper, a bathroom rug, two washcloths, two really large (like extra-large) towels, two hand towels, hand soap, body wash, body lotion, shampoo, and conditioner. They change out the towels when you put them in a designated place daily. The bathroom door is a sliding door. Right outside the bathroom door are some light switches and a dimmer switch for the main room.

There was a mini refrigerator under the “dresser” space in the main part of the room. We fit three bottles of wine inside along with some bottled water.

On the main counter space in the main area of the room, Viking provided a pen and paper pad, a TV remote, a phone, some European and US outlets, and our rechargeable listening devices.

This photo is from my bed and shows the mini fridge to the far left, the TV above it, the closet (which has a sliding door), the exit door (which has a full-length mirror covering it) and the safe inside the closet. The safe was huge as far as closet safes go. Inside the closet there was also a wooden shoehorn, a laundry bag and pricing (if you wanted to pay to have anything laundered) and 4 deep shelves.

This photo was also taken from my bed and shows the main dresser or vanity area with the closet to the right. You can see the vanity and stool, the four drawers that act as the dresser (the fridge is directly beside them). The Window is to the far left and you can see it in the reflection.

This photo is from in front of the closet and shows you the two beds, nightstands, bedside lights, window, and the vanity to the far right. We stored our luggage under our beds (our life vests were also stored there). The nightstands each had one European plug as well as a storage space at the bottom and a pull out that you could use as a flat surface. The curtains were blackout curtains and we pulled them all the way over the window at night, so we had pitch black for sleepy time. The beds were extremely comfortable, and we honestly had nothing to complain about when it came to the room.

I hope this gave you a thorough look at the ship and the different areas where you would be spending your time. Apart from meals, sleeping, and the few hours that we traveled during the day, the rest of our time was spent exploring incredible new countries. I have to say, we did not mind our accommodations (even though we stayed in the cheapest room) and the service and amenities were all five stars.

Stay tuned to learn more about the excursions offered on this trip! Happy travels!!

Viking River Cruise-The Ship & Our Stateroom