TORONTO — Vacation.com hosted 25 of its top members and their guests on a 7-night cruise aboard Viking Cruises’ Idun, as a way to celebrate and reward the success of its top producing members.

The celebratory cruise embarked from Passau, Germany, on March 23 and took guests through four countries along the Danube River: Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia. As part of this high-end experience, guests participated in exclusive gatherings such as a wine tour at the oldest winery in the Kamptal region of Austria and an evening in Vienna at the Palais Auersperg.

“Vacation.com hosted our elite member event outside of the United States for the first time, and it was an absolute pleasure to reward our hard working members which included two Canadians by touring some of Europe’s most charismatic countries,” said Vacation.com Vice President Canada, Christine James. “With the assistance of Viking Cruises, along with the wonderful product and intimate setting they are known for, we were able to create a first class, unique experience for our members that I’m confident they will treasure.”

While docked in Durnstein, Austria, guests were able to partake in an exclusive, three-hour wine tasting and private vineyard tour of Schloss Gobelsburg, courtesy of Viking Cruises. Schloss Gobelsburg is the oldest winery in the Kamptal region of Lower Austria with a documented viticulture history dating back to the 12th century. Grüner Veltliner and Riesling are the winery’s most important varieties.

The exclusive experiences, reserved just for Vacation.com members, continued in Vienna, Austria, at a gala dinner in the Palais Auersperg (a baroque palace).

In addition to having direct access to top executives from Vacation.com headquarters, members were able to partake in a supplier panel discussion. The supplier panel discussion featured representatives from Viking Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Globus family of brands, The Mark Travel Corporation, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.

“It was truly an honour to be considered among the elite Vacation.com members to attend this special event. The Vacation.com leadership team went out of their way to make all the attendees feely very special,” said Vacation.com member Dennis Laliberte of Newwest Travel, AB.

Agency owners wishing to learn more about becoming a Vacation.com member to take advantage Vacation.com’s tools, programs and technology, can go to joinvacation.com.