$4174, tax included (river view cabin) and $5674 tax included (balcony), double occupancy, payment plans are available.
When?
April 10 – 21, 2026 (10 days)
Where?
Overnight in Berlin, Germany; visit Potsdam before an overnight in Wittenberg, Germany. Then stops in Meissen and Dresden, Germany. Scenic sailing on the Elbe precedes a stop in Bad Schandau, Germany before our final stop in Děčín, Czechia. Here we disembark and spend two nights in a Prague, Czechia hotel (included).
How many?
Minimum 12, but typically 30 – 50
What's included?
Double occupancy cabin (pay extra for solo occupancy); most beverages (including beer/wine/soda at meals); unlimited WiFi; one excursion in each port; all taxes and port fees; onboard entertainment and activities; meals; transfers from airport to ship and from ship to airport; and access to private excursions and other Daddy Cruise benefits (see below). Also includes discounted airfare ($799 round trip economy tickets from most of the US & Canada).
What's not included?
Gratuities; other alcoholic beverages not cited above; and flights to/from Europe (but Viking greatly discounts them)
What else?
We are a gay group (usually 30 – 50) on a 'regular' cruise of under 100 total guests (so we’re not an 'all-gay' cruise)
What about special needs?
Accessible cabins are limited; most dietary restrictions are easily accommodated
What if?
Your deposit is refundable until December 10, 2025 (less a $200 cancellation fee). Travel protection insurance is available.
The best cabins go first (river cruises typically sell out over a year in advance!), so book now to get the best!
Viking Astrild
We sail out of Wittenberg on the sleek Viking Longship Astrild. CruiseCritic awards her 4 out of 5 stars, and members’ ratings average nearly 5 out of 5! The first thing you notice upon boarding is all the natural sunlight—yes, views from anywhere on board will be great! Decked out in Scandinavian styling, the ship makes clever use of space. And you can feel good knowing you’re on a ‘green’ ship with hybrid diesel-electric engines that burn less fuel and produce 20% fewer emissions. Solar panels on top help fuel the engines and the ship’s chef even maintains an organic herb garden up there!
Because we spend so much time in port, the focus is more on the destinations, and less on the actual sailing. That’s why a shore excursion in each port is included in the price of this cruise! Now, there’s no gym on board: you’ll get your exercise exploring the fabulous cities and towns we visit. And there’s no theater with huge Broadway style productions, because you’ll still be in port checking out the local nightlife instead! That said, you’ll still have plenty to appreciate on board. Service is top notch! According to CruiseCritic, food is “another highlight” with a menu that focuses on regional cuisine and signature dishes that are “perfectly prepared.” The décor throughout is understated and minimalist. Little touches everywhere will amuse, pamper (heated bathroom floors!) and amaze you.
Itinerary
Arrive in Berlin and get yourself settled into your hotel room. Then use the rest of the afternoon/evening to wander this marvelous German city.
Discover Berlin’s highlights on an included excursion. See the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, remnants of the Berlin Wall and much more.
After breakfast, we check out of our hotel and begin our journey to our embarkation city. Potsdam straddles one of the Elbe’s main tributaries, the Havel River. It boasts a rich history that spans more than 1,000 years and through it all, Potsdam maintained its prominent stature. Today, the city’s regal past lives on in its 16 well-preserved palaces and three elegantly landscaped parks.
We'll board our ship and settle into our staterooms in Wittenberg, Germany, birthplace of the Protestant Reformation.
Wittenberg, Germany: In a city so central to the Protestant Reformation, it is well worth taking a closer look at Wittenberg’s churches. The most famous is the Lutheran All Saints’ Church, built around 1340. It later became the official church of the University of Wittenberg and provided a pulpit for Martin Luther and his colleague Philipp Melanchthon to preach Protestantism. Luther and Melanchthon are both entombed within the church. The Town Church of St. Mary is renowned as the first to have celebrated mass in German rather than in Latin. Here, also, bread and wine were offered to worshippers for the first time, earning it a place as the “Mother Church of the Reformation.”
Surrounded by idyllic wine villages and set at a rocky spur on the Elbe, Meissen dates back more than a thousand years. The city is dominated by its 13th- and 14th-century Gothic cathedrals and Albrechtsburg Castle, perched on a low hill, considered one of the great achievements of German architecture. The introduction of porcelain here by Johann Friedrich Böttger in the early 18th century made Meissen world famous. Meissenware has been produced here ever since. Across the city, the chimes of the Gothic Church of Our Lady’s bells can be heard; they were the first church bells made of porcelain.
Dresden is awash in artistic treasures and baroque splendor. The city is blessed with water meadows and green parks near the center, giving it a wide-open feeling and making it easy to focus on the beautiful sandstone buildings that line the river. It took Dresden more than 50 years to rebuild after it was devastated during Allied bombing. The city has been lovingly restored to its original glory, from the ornate Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) and grand Semper Opera House to the shining Zwinger Palace.
Sail through the magnificent, soaring rock formations of Saxony. You will witness some of the wildest cliff formations imaginable, with nicknames such as Catapult, Locomotive and Wolf’s Ravine. As you pass through, marvel at the Bastei, a 1,000-foot spectacle of tooth-like rocks connected by a footbridge. Then sail past even more breathtaking landscape, with stunning views of lush forests, rolling hills blanketed with vineyards and dramatic mountains that have hardly changed in centuries. Be on the lookout for the abundant wildlife here.
One of the oldest and most important spa resorts in Saxony, the beautiful resort city of Bad Schandau has retained much of the splendor and charm of bygone ages. After iron-rich springs were discovered here in the mid-18th century, hotels and spa houses soon dotted the landscape. In 1920, the town (then Schandau) was awarded the right to use the prefix “Bad,” meaning “Spa.” For refugees and emigrants during World War II, this was a place of hope. Many were helped to safety by climbers who knew secret passes through the mountains and out of Germany.
After breakfast, we'll disembark the ship and transfer to Děčín. The 13th-century king of Bohemia Ottokar II invited northern neighbors to settle here, forever giving the town a German flair. Though the 1945 Potsdam Agreement expelled postwar Germans, Děčín embraces its heritage in many of its architectural treasures, including its namesake castle and the 1906 buttercream- and azure-colored synagogue, the only surviving structure of its kind in the former Sudetenland. Děčín’s elegant beauty was inspiration for Polish composer Frédéric Chopin.
Arrive and check in to your hotel in Prague, known as the “City of a Hundred Spires.” The towering twin steeples of Týn Church and the beautiful baroque Church of St. Nicholas are among some of the city’s most notable. Best explored on foot, Prague’s Old Town is a maze of ancient cobblestone lanes with the Old Town Square at its core. Here, the medieval Astronomical Clock still chimes today and provides for its viewers a little theater with the “Walk of the Apostles” on the hour, every hour.
Few cities embody the past as authentically as Prague, the Czech Republic’s atmospheric capital on the Vltava River that clings to its history with unwavering passion. Prague’s medieval architecture is its most prominent, but the city is also a rich repository of Romanesque, baroque and art nouveau buildings that stir the imagination. The city’s graceful, pedestrian-only Charles Bridge served as the coronation route of the kings of Bohemia across the river to Hradčany Castle and its rich complex of royal buildings.
After breakfast, check out of your hotel and journey home. Or,
perhaps stay another day or two in this beautiful European capital?
Why Sail with Us?
Happy hour is happier with your Daddys!
You'll never have to feel lost with us there to answer questions, take care of problems, and even facilitate you meeting other guys on board
From Zoom calls to a private Facebook group page to a pre-cruise dinner in our host city, you'll feel like you're boarding the ship with old friends already
Introverts and shy guys love feeling welcome and included as much (or as little) as is comfortable for them. No pressure here to engage!
You'll be with a group of LGBTQ people and allies, on a regular cruise with all walks of life. This keeps costs down, and allows for discretion and diversity.
From our standing group dinner reservation, to our daily happy hour, you’ll always have a seat waiting for you (if you want it).
We'll help you experience fewer unexpected expenses, fewer unpleasant surprises, and fewer travel missteps.
You'll feel safe with our large LGBTQ group both on board, and in port. Our host ship, the Viking Astrild, is welcoming, and our private tours are sensitive to the special needs of the LGBTQ traveler.
Travel Risk Free (or pretty close to it!)
Travel protection insurance is available
Deposits are refundable (less $200/person) until December 10, 2025
We promise your Daddy Cruise® experience will far exceed what the cruise line delivers without us. If not, we'll make it up to you.
The cost of the cruise includes your cabin, tons of food and beverages (including wine and beer and soft drinks at meals), an excursion in each port, wifi on board, taxes and port fees, transfers from airport to ship and from ship to airport, all the Daddy Cruise benefits, entertainment on board and so much more. Viking offers discounted flights: round trip economy seats from most of the USA and Canada are $899 (pay extra from the west coast and/or if deviating departure or arrival dates or cities). There are additional things you’ll want to budget for: travel protection insurance (I never travel without it); additional excursions if you want them, gratuities of $20/person/day (for crew staff: housekeepers, waiters, etc.), pre-cruise or post-cruise hotels and tours, plus lots of beer and souvenirs central Europe!
A:
Cruise lines typically advertise cruise prices at half of what a cabin actually costs. They assume that two will share the cabin (called “double occupancy”) and each pay that fare. If you sail solo, Viking will add a 75% surcharge of our advertised rate to cover the full cost of the cabin.
A:
Of course! While we cater to the LGBTQ community, our allies are always welcome!
A:
You’re always welcome to participate as much, or as little as you like. No pressure from us to engage, no hassle if you opt to sit anything out! We’ll be there to welcome and encourage you at whatever level of engagement feels right for you.
A:
Enjoy it! We will offer plenty of opportunities to connect with the rest of us, but nothing is required. Dine with us, or on your own, or with a friend, or even in your cabin! Join one of our private excursions, or go with one offered by the cruise line, or explore a port on your own, or stay on board. It’s your vacation—spend it however you like!
A:
It is extremely rare to become seasick on a river cruise as the waters are much calmer. No waves or rough seas on a river mean rocking is non-existent. Plus, river ships move at a fraction of the speed of ocean vessels so there is hardly any speed to create any seasickness on board.
A:
Absolutely not! Large, all-gay cruises have a reputation for this, but we’ll be on a regular ship with several dozen other guests of all persuasion. You’re certainly welcome to hook up with others if you want to, discreetly of course.
A:
Typically, most of our guests are middle aged or senior gay men, but a lot of younger guys join us as well. All races are represented, as are all genders and those of varying physical abilities. Allies (non-LGBTQ people) are always welcome.
Daddys never let the cold stop their fun
Daddy Cruises® Exclusive Extras
Taking a break from the heat in the jungles of Panama
Private Facebook group page for registered guests to start connecting early.
Welcome Aboard Party (with free drinks!)—come meet your fellow Daddies and friends in a warm, welcoming, and casual atmosphere. Play our fun mingling/get-to-know-you activity, and start forging friendships that will last a lifetime.
Free Welcome Aboard Gifts include a lanyard for your sailing card… and then some other surprises!
Group dinner reservations together (when available from the ship).
Access to exclusive excursions just for us (additional fee applies).
Special discounted rates at our host hotel in Berlin before the cruise and in Prague after the cruise. Plus optional tours in each city may be offered.
Click here to see what other guys have said about our cruises
