Capitals of Eastern Europe - Day 17 - Bucharest>Home

  

Day 17 – Tuesday 7 July 2025 – Bucharest>Home

 Room checkout was 12:00 and our flight departure was 18:15. We had a cooked hotel breakfast and planned on getting snacks in the airport lounge and a dinner when we got home. Viking like to get us to the airport three hours before departure, even though checkin at Bucharest doesn’t usually open until two hours before.

On our way to airport

The coach containing passengers for London and Amsterdam left at 14:30 and arrived at the airport at 15:15. But on the coach the BA app showed a flight delay of two hours. We waited at the checkin desk with our baggage, but two hours before scheduled departure the desk remained unstaffed.

Eventually staff arrived and slowly got ready. They knew the flight was delayed and so there was no urgency, but we’d been standing in line for 90 minutes and had reasons to deposit our bags, if only to sit down. 

When we were checked in we were given a snack voucher that could be used at a sandwich takeaway after security. We got a filled baguette each, and progressed through a slow passport check to the small business lounge where we had our baguettes and waited for our flight.

O2 Dome on Heathrow approach

Champagne and a hot meal on the plane revived spirits some.

We arrived home past midnight Romanian time and went to bed.

Summary

The cruise was fine until its premature end. I really wanted to cruise to Constanta. Viking did the best in the circumstances, but the supplied meals did not match on board meals. The Programme Director’s announcement of an included winery visit was incorrect and misled many people, including us, to a long coach journey.

The cruise, food, wine and staff were good. Joan would have preferred more daytime cruising.

On the second day someone decided to run on the sundeck track from 05:00-06:00. Two or three times every minute for an hour heavy steps thudded across our ceiling. Several passengers complained to the Programme Director during the day and were told that if it happened again to call reception. Next morning the thuds sounded again at 05:00. Someone called reception and it soon stopped. Near the end of the cruise another runner started early, and was quickly stopped.

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Capitals of Eastern Europe - Day 16 - Constanta

 

Day 16 – Monday 7 July 2025 – Constanta

We’d thought long and hard about it and decided to go on the long coach trip to Constanta, primarily because on the boat the Programme Director said it would include the winery visit. It didn’t. A post trip reading of the description of the Constanta excursion and the winery visit that would have been available if the boat was moored in Constanta, shows that – presumably because of time limitations – we got something different.

During the coach journey everyone's mobile phones all played a load noise and showed a heat alert warning us – among other things – not to travel. This happened several time during the day. The alert was in English.

We started with a walking tour of the old town when we arrived in Constanta that ended with a walk along the waterfront promenade.

We were then given 10 minutes  ‘free time’ increased to 15 minutes, and people dashed for a coffee. I was disappointed not to go to the sandy beach and paddle in the Black Sea, but there was not enough ‘free time’ .

The coaches then drove for 30 minutes to Murfatlar Winery, https://www.murfatlarwines.com/ which we saw in the distance, but we drove past the winery, through vineyards to a purpose built function dining hall.

 Musicians greeted us, and as we entered we had a traditional welcome of bread and salt.  The building was round and table seating 8 or 10 placed like spokes against the outer walls. The musicians followed inside and set up in the middle and kept playing.

 The tables were set with platters of cheese, nuts and dates. Each person had 5 wine glasses, and we were poured a measure of:

• ‘Zestrea’ Muscat Ottonel  - sweet white wine
• ‘3 Hectare’ Chardonnay 2024 – very oaky white wine
• ‘Aerosoli’ 2024 – pink blend of Feteasca  Neagra & Pinot Noir
• Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 – bland red wine
• ‘3 Hectare’ Feteasca Neagra 2023 – a Romanian speciality and the only interesting wine.

 The restaurant manager told us what the wines were and which cheeses they matched with, but otherwise his wine talk couldn’t be trusted.

Lunch was poor, starting with a water clear soup with a few microscopic bits of vegetable and two grey meatballs. Main course wasn’t hot, some lumps of chicken in a thin pink sauce and a big lump of lukewarm mashed potatoes. Dessert was a pastry with sweet cheese inside. But the toilet was fine, and I managed to get another bottle of Feteasca Neagra from the manager.

I was unsatisfied with the touted Winery Tour and said so to the Viking representative at the hotel. But post cruise reading the online description I realise this wasn’t the normal advertised winery tour.

The journey back took three and a quarter hours, depositing us back at the Marriott at twenty minute before dinner at 19:00

Dinner that evening was on Viking, served in Champions Sports Bar which was closed to the public. A couple of youths circulated with wine glasses and a bottle of white and a bottle of red wine, but they seemed loath to pour. The meal was served as a buffet and I was dismayed by the way some guests piled up mountains of food on their plates. I found it unpleasant and so I went next door to the steak house, paid for the meal and wine and didn’t regret it.

A delicious USDA Fillet steak, crispy potato wedges and a couple of glasses of Feteasca Neagra in peace and calm with an attentive waiter.  I wasn’t the only Viking guest who’d decided to leave the melee to eat in the steakhouse.

https://www.jwsteakhousebucharest.com/

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Capitals of Eastern Europe - Day 15 - Bucharest

Day 15 – Sunday 6 July 2025 – Bucharest

The hotel breakfast buffet was all encompassing, and they had both omelette and fried egg chefs.

There were four optional tours, but after our long coach ride yesterday and the long one to Constanta on Monday no included excursions were scheduled. We took our Kindles to a nearby park and came back for a light  lunch in the hotel’s Italian restaurant Cucina https://www.cucinabucharest.com/.

Cucina menu

It is not normally open Sunday lunchtimes but because there were passengers from two Viking boats at the hotel they’d decided to open for lunch.

As the steakhouse wasn’t open Sunday night we booked a dinner table, and had an enjoyable evening meal. I had grilled baby chicken in Cacciatore Sauce with roasted potato wedges. And we had a bottle of Domaine Muntean, Zana Zanelor, Feteasca Neagra.

  Click to go to Day 16 

Capitals of Eastern Europe - Day 14 - Bucharest

 

Day 14 – Saturday 5 July 2025- Bucharest

Ceaușescu spoke to the crowd from the balcony above  three arched entrances with flags

After breakfast we left the boat and boarded the waiting coaches. The journey took three hours, including a comfort break. We didn’t go to our hotel, we had stops at the old communist party building where dictator Ceaușescu gave his last speech before a helicopter whisked him away from an angry crowd.

We stopped at his immense  Parliament Palace building  then we had a walking tour of Bucharest old town, followed by  lunch at  Hanu' lui Manuc restaurant https://hanumanucrestaurant.ro/en/

The lunch was excellent; the group was in a large upper floor room. The place claims to be the oldest inn in Europe. There was a chunky vegetable and meat soup, followed by cubes of tender venison in a thick tasty red pepper sauce with potato wedges, then what was said to be Tarte Tatin, but was flaky pastry filled with apple. Tables had bread, carafes of red & white wine, carafes of chilled water and a selection of canned soft drinks and juices. Draft beer from the bar was delivered on request. As decanters emptied they were replaced.

A group of entertainers in traditional costumes paraded, and danced between tables.

After a leisurely lunch we were taken to our hotel, J W Marriott Grand https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/buhro-jw-marriott-bucharest-grand-hotel/overview/ where we’d spend three nights instead of the scheduled two.

Viking handled it very well. The Viking desk beside reception was clearly marked and there were many people wearing Viking’s bright red polo shirts. Before we got to the desk we were approached by one who asked our name and then we were given an envelope with our room key and shown to the lifts. Our bags were already in the room.

We went out for dinner at nearby  Restaurant Allucinante https://allucinante.ro/ that had been praised in a Trip Advisor review and found several tables occupied by others from the cruise who’d been recommended there by the hotel. 

We chose to sit outside, with views of the gigantic white and gold National Cathedral.  Meal was freshly cooked and it and the wine were excellent.

J W Marriott Grand location https://what3words.com/dubbing.moped.album

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Capitals of Eastern Europe - Day 13 - Nikopol

 Day 13 – Friday 4 July 2025

When we woke we were moored at Nikopol, Bulgaria, Port side to bank. The included excursion ‘Panoramic Pleven’ features the Pleven Panorama, an immersive 360˚ degree painting of the battle for Pleven. I’d like to have seen it, but Programme Director Michael stressed how difficult it was to visit by those with restricted mobility, with 200 steps to negotiate. So we relaxed on board with our Kindles.

At the Port Talk we were told to put our cases outside the cabin before retiring because of the distance from the boat to the transport. This has never happened before, and it was inexplicable as the cases would be transported to the hotel separately while we wouldn’t get to the hotel till 16:00. So we had to take our night wear and toiletries in our day bag.

During dinner we cast off for our next destination, Turnu Magurelle, Romania. To my astonishment this just meant crossing to the other bank of the Danube and mooring exactly opposite to our Nikopol mooring.

Nikopol mooring https://what3words.com/shoestring.caves.gutters

Turnu Magurelle mooring https://what3words.com/blowing.largeness.hobbled

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Capitals of Eastern Europe - Day 12 - Vidin

Day 12 – Thursday 3 July 2025 – Vidin

Vidin name sign

When we woke we were in Vidin, Bulgaria, moored Port side to bank. We’d had to set our watches one hour earlier now we were in Bulgaria. Despite loudspeaker announcements and a reminder in Viking Daily I met a lady puzzled by people leaving the ship who thought she had another hour before the excursion left.

Vidin Castle

At the convenient time of 09:30 we took the included excursion which was led by an 18 year old guide. The boat was moored by a park running along Danube’s banks and our excursion ambled through the park to the castle. Opposite the entrance was a souvenir stall recommended by our guide in preference to the shop in front of the boat ramp.

Alternative lunch from BBQ on prow

In the afternoon there was an optional excursion to the Belgradchik Rock & Fortress. We had visited this impressive place in 2019 on Viking’s Passage to Eastern Europe, where it is an included excursion.

At the Port Talk we were told we’d be leaving the boat on Saturday and having three nights in Bucharest instead of the scheduled two. 

One dinner would be supplied at the hotel and the optional Constanta Wine excursion would be included with the excursion to Constanta, with a refund to those who had booked the winery trip. Those who didn’t go on the Constanta excursion would get a credit for lunch at the hotel. 

Those on the Silver Spirits package would get one day’s fee refunded.

Vidin mooring https://what3words.com/extend.caves.targeted 

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Capitals of Eastern Europe - Day 11 - Donji Milanovac

 Day 11 – Wednesday 2 July 2025 - Donji Milanovac & Iron Gate

We arrived at Donji Milanovac, Serbia during breakfast, Port side to shore.

Instead of going on the included excursion Charming Donji Milanovac we walked through the small town on our own, thus missing ABC on the guided tour. The boat was moored next to a manicured small park, with a few booth selling souvenirs, ethnic embroidered tops and dresses.

After lunch Kadlin cast off to sail through the Iron Gate gorge. Programme Director Michael gave a running commentary and some people missed seeing the huge sculptured head of the Dacian king Decebalus (above).

Cruising downriver, it’s on the left and the best viewpoint is from the sundeck. It’s not on the main river but in a tributary. Look for the monastery at water level on the left (above). Immediately after is the entrance to the tributary and the carving faces you on the bank to your left.

Sunset after cruising the gorge

Donji Milanovac mooring https://what3words.com/cropped.smugly.transported

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