Day 1

At the outset, I should be clear - I am an anxious traveler always prone to imagine the worst and worrying that I will not handle any unexpected hurdles gracefully. Being mentally prepared to manage the typical travel headaches, such as a delayed or cancelled flight, has its value I suppose, but assuming going in that bad things will happen is not the best way to prepare. 

So I am pleasantly surprised and happy to report that we left the house at the time we had planned without incident, made the long drive to Dulles airport in good time without traffic issues, found a parking place in the economy lot just as the shuttle bus arrived, dropped off our luggage and got our boarding passes with no wait, got through security with no wait or hassle, and found the Lufthansa business class lounge with just one wrong turn, and enjoyed a satisfactory lunch! All by 12:30 for a 3:30 flight. Thankfully the lounge is quiet and comfortable.

So far so good.

We are scheduled to arrive in Budapest at 10:30 am Monday morning and have purchased a pre-cruise extension which includes being met at the airport by a Viking representative, transfer to a nice hotel for two nights, and transfer to the ship on Wednesday morning. We are on our own until Wednesday dinner on the ship. Then we are in Viking’s hands for 8 days and 7 nights.

Our flight was a little late leaving, but cocktails were served at 4:30 and dinner at 5. It’s now 6:30, and the lights are out and half the cabin is asleep. How to stay awake in these conditions is the challenge! These seats recline into a comfortable sleeping position for which I will be grateful when the time comes.

Oh, sadly masks are required when not eating or drinking!