A group of lucky Australian agents recently enjoyed an eight-day Danube Waltz, sailing onboard Viking Ingvi between Passau in Germany and Budapest in Hungary.
The group included agents from Phil Hoffmann Travel, Destination HQ, Gippsland Travel, Helloworld Drysdale, Wings Away Travel Essendon, FBI Travel Caulfield and Oliver Travel in Adelaide, with hosts Kim Vaughan, Viking’s Commercial Manager for Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, and Erin Kramer, Trade Marketing Manager at Viking.
With overnight stays in both Passau and Budapest, the itinerary visited Vienna, Krems and Linz in Austria, as well as Bratislava in Slovakia. The agents visited five countries on their voyage and enjoyed six included shore excursions, allowing them to explore central Europe’s history, culture, cuisine and natural beauty.
One particularly special experience the group took part in was an excursion from Krems in Austria to the Mörwald winery in the Wachau Valley, where agents learned that Mörwald produces over 350,000 bottles of red and white wine for guests sailing on Viking river cruises. Viking has been a partner of Mörwald since 1999.
“Our agents were able to explore the beautiful winery, tour the bottling facilities, which was a fascinating behind the scenes experience, then sample some of the wines. While the banter between our hosts was hilarious, the most memorable part was then heading back on board our ship to find the same wines being served to guests,” said Kim Vaughan.
“We know that for travel agents, being able to experience the product first-hand can make all the difference when a customer comes through the door, which is why it’s such a privilege to be able to host agents on our ships in this fascinating part of the world,” Erin Kramer said.
Onboard their elegant Viking Longship, agents and guests were treated to destination-inspired cuisine as well as al-fresco wine and cheese tastings on the Aquavit Terrace.
