On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, we woke up in Vienna, Austria, and for the first time on the trip, we joined one of the included excursions with the cruise ship.
We were not quite prepared for the morning weather. It was cool and crisp in that very April-in-Europe sort of way, and Teyauna and Zakary had dressed in shorts and T-shirts, clearly expecting the afternoon version of Vienna instead of the chilly morning one.
It took about 45 minutes to get into town. Once there, our guide led us through the downtown core, explaining the city’s history, architecture, monarchs, and important figures. Vienna is full of culture, beauty, and fascinating stories, but the delivery that morning was not exactly teenager-friendly. After a while, Teyauna and Zak had quietly turned off their headsets. Zakary found parts of it a little more interesting than Teyauna did, but both of them were fading.
There is a special teenage look that says, “I am physically present, but my soul has left this walking tour.” We saw that look.
So Normand and Kirsten decided to take matters into their own hands. Vienna clearly had more to offer than a slow march through names, dates, and historical monarchs, and they were determined the teenagers were not going to leave thinking the city was boring.
After the tour ended, Normand spotted an ad in a local travel brochure for a Time Travel Vienna experience — a VR and museum-style attraction that promised to tell Vienna’s history in a much more exciting way.
That turned out to be exactly what we needed.
We went into the experience not really knowing what to expect and ended up deep below the streets in the underground spaces of an old Vienna building. Instead of simply listening to history, we moved through it. There were talking statues, screens, special effects, VR headsets, sounds, smells, and scenes that took us from the 11th century all the way through World War II.
One section made us feel what it was like inside a wartime bunker, bringing history much closer than a lecture ever could. It was dramatic, immersive, and much easier for everyone — especially the teenagers — to connect with.
We also did a second experience called Sisi’s Amazing Journey, a 3D/VR-style boat ride that taught us about Empress Elisabeth of Austria, often called Sisi. We learned about her famous long hair that took hours to care for each day, her complicated life, and her tragic death after she was attacked. Then we rode through a playful underground experience that mixed history, storytelling, and motion in a way that was much more fun than anyone expected.
By the end, Teyauna and Zakary had genuinely enjoyed learning Vienna’s history. Sometimes the difference between “boring history” and “that was awesome” is simply whether someone hands you a headset and sends you underground.
After that, we went to the Lindt store near the town square by St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The people working there were incredibly kind, and we got to try fresh handmade Lindor chocolates that had been made that same day. They were so delicious that Normand may have taken a double portion of the samples. This was not theft. This was cultural appreciation.
Then came another major Vienna moment: Zara.
Teyauna and Kirsten spotted the store and were immediately excited. Normand did not even know what Zara was, which tells you he was not the target audience. He and Zak waited outside, assuming this would be a quick look.
It was not a quick look.
According to Kirsten and Teyauna, they moved “like the wind,” flying through the store, pulling outfits from racks, matching pieces, and celebrating the prices. According to Normand and Zakary, they waited outside for approximately forever. In real time, it may have been around 30 minutes, but in waiting-outside-a-clothing-store time, that is much longer.
Eventually, Normand and Zakary gave up and found their own way back to the ship. Kirsten and Teyauna stayed longer and came away victorious: a very cute dress for Teyauna, two sweaters, two shirts, a blouse, and linen pants that matched beautifully with the outfits.
They also figured out the VAT refund process for tourists and were able to receive a refund on the spot. This became a handy travel nugget: in Austria, when tourists spend enough at certain stores, they can ask about the value-added tax refund. In this case, spending over about $75 qualified them to request it, which made the shopping success feel even better.
Everyone eventually figured out how to use the metro and made it back to the ship.
After dinner on board, many cruise passengers went to a cultural music performance. Normand and Kirsten thought it sounded nice, but the kids were not eager to sit through another long performance, especially one that would take around three hours. So instead, we chose a very different kind of Viennese culture: the Prater.
We walked about 20 minutes to the Prater, Vienna’s huge amusement park and night fair. It was free to enter, with rides paid for individually. At night, the whole place glowed with lights, motion, music, and spinning machinery that looked designed to test both courage and stomach strength.
Normand and Kirsten were happy to watch while Teyauna and Zakary went on the rides. They chose some terrifying-looking ones — the kind that flip you, swing you, spin you, and make parents grateful to be standing safely on the ground holding bags.
They went on a roller coaster, a giant swing, and the XXL ride. Teyauna was scared during the rides and screamed her way through, but afterward admitted she loved them. Zakary, meanwhile, smiled during the rides and loved them afterward too.
By the end of the day, we had walked around 20,000 steps. We returned to the ship tired but happy, and that evening the Avalon Passion pulled away from Vienna and continued sailing down the Danube.
It had been a full Vienna day: chilly morning touring, teenagers abandoning headsets, underground VR history, Empress Sisi, fresh Lindt chocolate, Zara triumph, VAT refunds, metro navigation, night rides at the Prater, and finally the quiet movement of the ship as we sailed on.