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travelgenie
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Just got back a few days ago from Viking Forseti, our second river cruise with Viking, and we were not disappointed. We booked rather late (July), taking advantage of a great offer with free air. We also decided to do the pre-extension in Amsterdam and post in Lucerne with all the transfers, all worked out perfectly. We could have saved money doing this ourselves and usually do but since we did not have to pay for flights, decided to splurge, and so glad we did. We were fortunate that the flight arrangements that Viking made were non-stop both ways, thrilled with that. Once we arrived in Amsterdam, we were met by a Viking rep and were taken within minutes to the Movenpick Hotel where we were met by another rep who got us settled in and oriented with maps, etc. and we were on our way. The Movenpick, is probably about a 20 minute walk to the edge of the city, we opted to take the free shuttle to the train station and walked in from there and other times used trams to get out to the museum areas. Ultra modern hotel, great room with a nice view of the river/city and nice breakfast buffet. We had a nice city tour the next morning and then took a countryside tour in the afternoon to see some windmills, fishing village and the quaint town of Volendam, enjoyed this very much. The day of embarkation, Viking handled all of our luggage and transferred them to the ship, we went back into the city for the day and walked back to where the ship was docked in the late afternoon.

The Forseti was very nice, the staff was great, our cabin, on the lowest deck, was a lot smaller than our previous cruise on an older ship, but was nicely appointed. I did not mind the location, the small window was fine, we spent so little time in there anyway, with the weather being on the cool side, money would of been wasted for us on a balcony. All the staff was wonderful, helpful and professional, Darrin the program director was a hoot, we really enjoyed his quirky sense of humor. The food was great, we had most meals on the ship with the exception of a few lunches. The wine and beer flowed pretty freely at dinner, our glasses were always kept full. No complaints at all with our time on the Forseti.

Ports:

Kinderdijk, a morning tour of this windmill park, it was nice, but we enjoyed seeing the windmills on our countryside tour the day before. Back on the ship for lunch and cruised through the afternoon, enjoying the sites and relaxing.

Cologne, my least favorite port, we were there on a Monday and all the museums were closed as they are all over Europe for the most part. We really wanted to go to the Chocolate Museum...we were very disappointed with our city tour guide, later in the day when talking with other passengers, we found out our tour was cut very short, missing allot of important sites and info. Besides the Cathedral, there are not that many interesting sites, but lot's of shopping if that is what you want to do.

Koblenz, the tour to Marksburg Caste was great, we enjoyed that very much. Back to the ship for lunch and then cruised through gorgeous scenery to Rudesheim. We got there late afternoon, most everything there was getting ready to close up, we darted into a couple of shops for some Christmas decorations and then headed back to the ship for dinner.

Heidelberg, the city tour was nice, it is a beautiful city, having been there before we knew that the castle were really ruins and not to be compared to Marksburg. Stayed in town for a great German lunch and back to the ship now docked in Speyer. We walked into town, very quaint, nice pedestrian area, with some nice shops and pretty church. Back to the ship for dinner.

Strausborg, a busy city, we had a nice tour and then stayed for lunch and some shopping, it is a little confusing getting around, the map the ship provided was poorly printed and pretty much useless. Our tour guide gave us good directions to get back to where we were to meet the shuttle.

Breisach, a tour to the Black Forest, yes it is sort of a tourist trap, but the ride there was beautiful and there were quite a number of people interested in purchasing cuckoo clocks. We booked the optional tour to Colmar, a lovely place, I enjoyed that more than Strausborg, we had a great guide.

Disembarkation in Basel was good for us, we were transferred to Lucerne by bus about an hour away and for us this was the highlight of our trip. Lucerne is gorgeous, I was very impressed with the 5 star hotel, The Schweizerhof, I was not expecting the gorgeous 2 room suite with balcony facing Lake Lucerne, very very pleased. Once our luggage was stored we went on a city tour and the Viking rep arranged for us to go on a boat tour of Lake Lucerne in the afternoon, awesome. The beauty of the area was mind blowing, it had snowed the night before in alps, the place looked like a postcard. We also signed up for the optional tour the next day to Mt. Titlis, an awesome experience, picturesque bus ride, stop at the base at cheese factory/monastery and then the trip up to the top, spectacular!

All in all we were very pleased with our trip, we would sail with Viking again in a heart beat, the weather was great, terrific food, we met some great people a truly great vacation. I am happy to answer any questions.

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Just got back a few days ago from Viking Forseti, our second river cruise with Viking, and we were not disappointed. We booked rather late (July), taking advantage of a great offer with free air. We also decided to do the pre-extension in Amsterdam and post in Lucerne with all the transfers, all worked out perfectly. We could have saved money doing this ourselves and usually do but since we did not have to pay for flights, decided to splurge, and so glad we did. We were fortunate that the flight arrangements that Viking made were non-stop both ways, thrilled with that. Once we arrived in Amsterdam, we were met by a Viking rep and were taken within minutes to the Movenpick Hotel where we were met by another rep who got us settled in and oriented with maps, etc. and we were on our way. The Movenpick, is probably about a 20 minute walk to the edge of the city, we opted to take the free shuttle to the train station and walked in from there and other times used trams to get out to the museum areas. Ultra modern hotel, great room with a nice view of the river/city and nice breakfast buffet. We had a nice city tour the next morning and then took a countryside tour in the afternoon to see some windmills, fishing village and the quaint town of Volendam, enjoyed this very much. The day of embarkation, Viking handled all of our luggage and transferred them to the ship, we went back into the city for the day and walked back to where the ship was docked in the late afternoon.

The Forseti was very nice, the staff was great, our cabin, on the lowest deck, was a lot smaller than our previous cruise on an older ship, but was nicely appointed. I did not mind the location, the small window was fine, we spent so little time in there anyway, with the weather being on the cool side, money would of been wasted for us on a balcony. All the staff was wonderful, helpful and professional, Darrin the program director was a hoot, we really enjoyed his quirky sense of humor. The food was great, we had most meals on the ship with the exception of a few lunches. The wine and beer flowed pretty freely at dinner, our glasses were always kept full. No complaints at all with our time on the Forseti.

Ports:

Kinderdijk, a morning tour of this windmill park, it was nice, but we enjoyed seeing the windmills on our countryside tour the day before. Back on the ship for lunch and cruised through the afternoon, enjoying the sites and relaxing.

Cologne, my least favorite port, we were there on a Monday and all the museums were closed as they are all over Europe for the most part. We really wanted to go to the Chocolate Museum...we were very disappointed with our city tour guide, later in the day when talking with other passengers, we found out our tour was cut very short, missing allot of important sites and info. Besides the Cathedral, there are not that many interesting sites, but lot's of shopping if that is what you want to do.

Koblenz, the tour to Marksburg Caste was great, we enjoyed that very much. Back to the ship for lunch and then cruised through gorgeous scenery to Rudesheim. We got there late afternoon, most everything there was getting ready to close up, we darted into a couple of shops for some Christmas decorations and then headed back to the ship for dinner.

Heidelberg, the city tour was nice, it is a beautiful city, having been there before we knew that the castle were really ruins and not to be compared to Marksburg. Stayed in town for a great German lunch and back to the ship now docked in Speyer. We walked into town, very quaint, nice pedestrian area, with some nice shops and pretty church. Back to the ship for dinner.

Strausborg, a busy city, we had a nice tour and then stayed for lunch and some shopping, it is a little confusing getting around, the map the ship provided was poorly printed and pretty much useless. Our tour guide gave us good directions to get back to where we were to meet the shuttle.

Breisach, a tour to the Black Forest, yes it is sort of a tourist trap, but the ride there was beautiful and there were quite a number of people interested in purchasing cuckoo clocks. We booked the optional tour to Colmar, a lovely place, I enjoyed that more than Strausborg, we had a great guide.

Disembarkation in Basel was good for us, we were transferred to Lucerne by bus about an hour away and for us this was the highlight of our trip. Lucerne is gorgeous, I was very impressed with the 5 star hotel, The Schweizerhof, I was not expecting the gorgeous 2 room suite with balcony facing Lake Lucerne, very very pleased. Once our luggage was stored we went on a city tour and the Viking rep arranged for us to go on a boat tour of Lake Lucerne in the afternoon, awesome. The beauty of the area was mind blowing, it had snowed the night before in alps, the place looked like a postcard. We also signed up for the optional tour the next day to Mt. Titlis, an awesome experience, picturesque bus ride, stop at the base at cheese factory/monastery and then the trip up to the top, spectacular!

All in all we were very pleased with our trip, we would sail with Viking again in a heart beat, the weather was great, terrific food, we met some great people a truly great vacation. I am happy to answer any questions.

 

I will be on this cruise next week. Did you need a warm jacket and warm

boots? I am trying to decide what to pack.

Did you have any rain?

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Dear travelgenie,

 

Welcome home from your cruise! All of us at Viking are delighted to learn that you enjoyed your trip, and we’re even more happy to hear that you would sail with us again in a heartbeat. When you are ready to embark on your next journey with us, feel free to contact us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com if you have any questions. Until then, we just want to say thank you for choosing to sail with Viking Cruises. See you soon!

 

Best,

Viking Cruises

 

 

Just got back a few days ago from Viking Forseti, our second river cruise with Viking, and we were not disappointed. We booked rather late (July), taking advantage of a great offer with free air. We also decided to do the pre-extension in Amsterdam and post in Lucerne with all the transfers, all worked out perfectly. We could have saved money doing this ourselves and usually do but since we did not have to pay for flights, decided to splurge, and so glad we did. We were fortunate that the flight arrangements that Viking made were non-stop both ways, thrilled with that. Once we arrived in Amsterdam, we were met by a Viking rep and were taken within minutes to the Movenpick Hotel where we were met by another rep who got us settled in and oriented with maps, etc. and we were on our way. The Movenpick, is probably about a 20 minute walk to the edge of the city, we opted to take the free shuttle to the train station and walked in from there and other times used trams to get out to the museum areas. Ultra modern hotel, great room with a nice view of the river/city and nice breakfast buffet. We had a nice city tour the next morning and then took a countryside tour in the afternoon to see some windmills, fishing village and the quaint town of Volendam, enjoyed this very much. The day of embarkation, Viking handled all of our luggage and transferred them to the ship, we went back into the city for the day and walked back to where the ship was docked in the late afternoon.

The Forseti was very nice, the staff was great, our cabin, on the lowest deck, was a lot smaller than our previous cruise on an older ship, but was nicely appointed. I did not mind the location, the small window was fine, we spent so little time in there anyway, with the weather being on the cool side, money would of been wasted for us on a balcony. All the staff was wonderful, helpful and professional, Darrin the program director was a hoot, we really enjoyed his quirky sense of humor. The food was great, we had most meals on the ship with the exception of a few lunches. The wine and beer flowed pretty freely at dinner, our glasses were always kept full. No complaints at all with our time on the Forseti.

Ports:

Kinderdijk, a morning tour of this windmill park, it was nice, but we enjoyed seeing the windmills on our countryside tour the day before. Back on the ship for lunch and cruised through the afternoon, enjoying the sites and relaxing.

Cologne, my least favorite port, we were there on a Monday and all the museums were closed as they are all over Europe for the most part. We really wanted to go to the Chocolate Museum...we were very disappointed with our city tour guide, later in the day when talking with other passengers, we found out our tour was cut very short, missing allot of important sites and info. Besides the Cathedral, there are not that many interesting sites, but lot's of shopping if that is what you want to do.

Koblenz, the tour to Marksburg Caste was great, we enjoyed that very much. Back to the ship for lunch and then cruised through gorgeous scenery to Rudesheim. We got there late afternoon, most everything there was getting ready to close up, we darted into a couple of shops for some Christmas decorations and then headed back to the ship for dinner.

Heidelberg, the city tour was nice, it is a beautiful city, having been there before we knew that the castle were really ruins and not to be compared to Marksburg. Stayed in town for a great German lunch and back to the ship now docked in Speyer. We walked into town, very quaint, nice pedestrian area, with some nice shops and pretty church. Back to the ship for dinner.

Strausborg, a busy city, we had a nice tour and then stayed for lunch and some shopping, it is a little confusing getting around, the map the ship provided was poorly printed and pretty much useless. Our tour guide gave us good directions to get back to where we were to meet the shuttle.

Breisach, a tour to the Black Forest, yes it is sort of a tourist trap, but the ride there was beautiful and there were quite a number of people interested in purchasing cuckoo clocks. We booked the optional tour to Colmar, a lovely place, I enjoyed that more than Strausborg, we had a great guide.

Disembarkation in Basel was good for us, we were transferred to Lucerne by bus about an hour away and for us this was the highlight of our trip. Lucerne is gorgeous, I was very impressed with the 5 star hotel, The Schweizerhof, I was not expecting the gorgeous 2 room suite with balcony facing Lake Lucerne, very very pleased. Once our luggage was stored we went on a city tour and the Viking rep arranged for us to go on a boat tour of Lake Lucerne in the afternoon, awesome. The beauty of the area was mind blowing, it had snowed the night before in alps, the place looked like a postcard. We also signed up for the optional tour the next day to Mt. Titlis, an awesome experience, picturesque bus ride, stop at the base at cheese factory/monastery and then the trip up to the top, spectacular!

All in all we were very pleased with our trip, we would sail with Viking again in a heart beat, the weather was great, terrific food, we met some great people a truly great vacation. I am happy to answer any questions.

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Cologne, my least favorite port, we were there on a Monday and all the museums were closed as they are all over Europe for the most part. We really wanted to go to the Chocolate Museum...we were very disappointed with our city tour guide, later in the day when talking with other passengers, we found out our tour was cut very short, missing allot of important sites and info. Besides the Cathedral, there are not that many interesting sites, but lot's of shopping if that is what you want to do.

Koblenz, the tour to Marksburg Caste was great, we enjoyed that very much. Back to the ship for lunch and then cruised through gorgeous scenery to Rudesheim. We got there late afternoon, most everything there was getting ready to close up, we darted into a couple of shops for some Christmas decorations and then headed back to the ship for dinner.

 

Hello,

 

great to hear that you enjoyed your trip so much.

 

From yours and previous posts I get the impression that cruise companies are not pointing out enough that opening times of museums and shops in Germany are regulated by certain laws (and custom) which may cause disappointment to a non-German cruise customer.

 

Is my impression right?

 

Where you not given any information about closures?

 

notamermaid

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THank you for the review....My husband and I are booked for the same cruise with another couple in September 2014. It will be our first River Cruise so we are a bit unsure (so many other cruises but never one this small!).

I have a few questions:

1) What specifically did you do when all of the museums were closed?

2) Do you remember how you booked the countryside tour?

3) Were the beers and wines on the ship local/unusual?

4) What time did the ship leave Amsterdam?

5) No need for a Meet & Greet with the smaller # but was there one?

 

Any possible gotchas? I am concerned we will not be savvy enough in our packing/preparation. Thanks in advance!

 

We are so excited to try this type of trip and Viking looks like a great choice!

 

Thanks!

 

Marianne

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I will be on this cruise next week. Did you need a warm jacket and warm

boots? I am trying to decide what to pack.

Did you have any rain?

 

We had for the most part beautiful fall weather, needing only a mid weight jacket some days. Only used my umbrella briefing one morning in Amsterdam for a light mist and then the skies cleared. A coastal storm was headed towards Kinderdijk the day we were there and it was extremely windy with an occasional burst of rain, so the hood on my jacket was welcomed for sure. You will need something warm for the scenic cruising day, if you want to be on the top deck. I would suggest layers and check the extended accu-weather for various ports. Pack comfy shoes though, lots of cobblestone streets and there can be a lot of walking. Have a terrific cruise!

Edited by travelgenie
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Hello,

 

great to hear that you enjoyed your trip so much.

 

From yours and previous posts I get the impression that cruise companies are not pointing out enough that opening times of museums and shops in Germany are regulated by certain laws (and custom) which may cause disappointment to a non-German cruise customer.

 

Is my impression right?

 

Where you not given any information about closures?

 

notamermaid

 

We were told the night before at the port briefing about the closures of the museums in Cologne, I was not overly upset about it, my husband was disappointed more than me. I then remembered that it is pretty standard in Europe that museums are not open on Mondays, it happened to us in Paris once. I would imagine that the reverse trip, Basel to Amsterdam, the Cologne stop would be another day. Also, the day after Halloween, Nov. 1st is a big holiday in Europe, All Saints Day, which fell on our stop to the Black Forest, it did not affect that stop but our optional afternoon tour to Colmar, all the shops were closed except a few tourist shops although all the cafes and lots of chocolate shops were open. Our focus was not on shopping so we really enjoyed the tour and our time there. I would not have thought about checking this out before I planned the trip but would advise those who have something in particular that you want to see to check all this out before choosing a date.

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THank you for the review....My husband and I are booked for the same cruise with another couple in September 2014. It will be our first River Cruise so we are a bit unsure (so many other cruises but never one this small!).

I have a few questions:

1) What specifically did you do when all of the museums were closed?

2) Do you remember how you booked the countryside tour?

3) Were the beers and wines on the ship local/unusual?

4) What time did the ship leave Amsterdam?

5) No need for a Meet & Greet with the smaller # but was there one?

 

Any possible gotchas? I am concerned we will not be savvy enough in our packing/preparation. Thanks in advance!

 

We are so excited to try this type of trip and Viking looks like a great choice!

 

Thanks!

 

Marianne

 

You will have a great time, we have done tons of cruises the 2 Viking cruises have been some of my favorites.

 

Museums tend to be closed on Mondays in Europe, we have come across this in all the times we have traveled there, cruises and land trips, it is what it is. Personally, I don't want to spend my time in port inside of a museum, however at Cologne, my husband did want to go to the Chocolate museum so he was more disappointed than me. On that day we just walked around on our own, did a little gift shopping, had a great German lunch and then headed back to the ship to relax. You can shop yourself crazy there if you want. Check which port you are in on a Monday and come up with another plan.

 

We booked the countryside tour from Amsterdam from the Viking rep at our Amsterdam hotel, she had a lot of options for us and took the time to explain which each one entailed. Loved that tour, we had to go into the city to a tour company to be picked up though, but not a big deal.

 

I did not have beer, my husband had a few, not sure what kind though, the wines were local, I only drink white and they were good, especially the German Reisling's, they featured different ones every night or so it seemed, but we had a great wine steward, Edwin, who knew that some of us really liked the Reisling and scurried around to find us some on another night when they were serving something else. The wine and beer flowed freely....

 

The ship left Amsterdam late in the night, we were told by the Viking rep at the hotel, just to make sure we were on board for the Welcome Party which was around 6:30. It was possible to go back out afterwards if you want, we had been out all day so we were ready to just have dinner, unpack and relax.

 

I did not know of a Meet and Greet if there was one. We boarded the ship around 4, there weren't that many people there but quickly sat with another couple for a drink and instantly new friends! River cruising is a more intimate experience, without all the hoopla of a big cruise ship, it really is nice to meet, talk and share stories with fellow passengers.

 

Don't freak out about packing, check the extended forecast and pack accordingly. I learned from my first river cruise that you can wear to dinner what you put on in the morning, although some people change, but no need for anything fancy or dressy. We both live in nice jeans, nice sweaters, jackets, etc., so that is fine for dinner. If you are the sweatshirt and sneaker kind of day traveler than I would change into nice casual for dinner.

 

Have a great time!!!

Edited by travelgenie
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I di Basel to Dam. I recommend doing your own research online before you leave home todecide what you want to do in Strasbourg/Cologne especially since you are there most of the day.While you do a walking tour through petit france onroute to the Cathedral, you may want to go back or take the 1 hr canal tour. Some museums close mon, others tues-catering to tourists. I really enjoyed the pub crawl in Colonge at night but you can easily do it yourself.

Dress in layers. Bring gloves/scarf for adventuring out at night or for mts in Lucerne. Bring a small umbrella that fits into handbag. Viking has large ones at gangway but it may not be raining when you start out.We had rain in Black forest, cologne and dam, although only for a few hrs.

Buy some wine in the ports-wine at dinner was mediocre at best. So we started buying it.

Don't worry about dressy clothes for dinner-everything including captains dinner very casual. I found food good but not exceptional and was disappointed in lack of local fare at dinner especially comparex to what friends had on another viking ship.

If you have enough time in Dam to go to AFH or Van gogh, book on line before you leave.

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I leave in a few days for this cruise.

 

Did you need waterproof boots or just leather boots?

Also did you need a waterproof jacket with a fleece sweater or a warmer type coat??

I don't want to pack something I don't need..

I have never been on a river cruise in November..

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travelfirst, We did Vineyards and Vistas last year in early Nov, which was Trier to Nuremburg. There were some days I'd describe as bitter cold. We needed our heavy winter coats, hats, gloves, scarfs, and some people had boots. We had some dustings of snow, but nothing too much. I'd say be prepared.

 

You can check the weather for your cruise at cruiseoutlook.com.

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I leave in a few days for this cruise.

 

Did you need waterproof boots or just leather boots?

Also did you need a waterproof jacket with a fleece sweater or a warmer type coat??

I don't want to pack something I don't need..

I have never been on a river cruise in November..

 

If it rains, you will definitely want waterproof boots and jacket! It doesn't matter what someone else did/didn't need, since maybe they didn't have rain and you might!

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I leave in a few days for this cruise.

 

Did you need waterproof boots or just leather boots?

Also did you need a waterproof jacket with a fleece sweater or a warmer type coat??

I don't want to pack something I don't need..

I have never been on a river cruise in November..

 

We have only been back since Monday, we did not need waterproof boots, but I would check the extended forecast...I took a lightweight raincoat, left the liner at home and took layers, some days a sweater or blazer was enough.

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Hello travelfirst,

 

the temperature has gone down to 39 F in Koblenz on the Rhine, predicted to rise to no more than 46 F in the next 48 hours. A lot of drizzle and occasionally heavier rain. The sun does come out sometimes though! This is quite typical for November, frost is possible. Snow is possible but not likely, mainly in the hills only, but it usually melts very quickly. I also recommend waterproof boots for guided tours and trips.

 

When do you leave and where does your cruise start?

 

Have a great time.

 

notamermaid

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Hello travelfirst,

 

the temperature has gone down to 39 F in Koblenz on the Rhine, predicted to rise to no more than 46 F in the next 48 hours. A lot of drizzle and occasionally heavier rain. The sun does come out sometimes though! This is quite typical for November, frost is possible. Snow is possible but not likely, mainly in the hills only, but it usually melts very quickly. I also recommend waterproof boots for guided tours and trips.

 

When do you leave and where does your cruise start?

 

Have a great time.

 

notamermaid

 

We get on the ship on the 17th in Basel.

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