Jump to content

Viking Gullveig


OCruisers
 Share

Recommended Posts

Have any of you cruised on Viking Gullveig? If so, please tell me about her.

Any information would be appreciated. LuLu

~~~

 

Greetings!

Our 2014 June/July vacation consists of three segments: Basel to Amsterdam on the Viking Gullveig (just launched!) a short visit to Belgium via rail (Ghent and Brugges via Antwerp on Thalys (have tickets and hotel reservations for 4 nights) and return to Amsterdam (laundry!) visit to renovated Rijksmuseum and nearby friends, and 12-night Norwegian fjord cruise on Celebrity Constellation (RT Amsterdam).

 

Compare my preparation of river cruise to ocean cruise experience (using both Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor): For our 8 Norway ports, have detailed plans for 6 ports, including 3 purchased from websites, 1 offered privately and filled by contacts, 2 organized by myself including coach leases -- the other two ports are large cities where we now understand where, when we dock and options and competition from other ships. Amazing amount of information!

 

We anticipate that our river cruise will be top-notch, but have some concern regarding the process and whether our interests will match our peers or even Viking's expectations. Have tried to better understand and maybe influence, but the great success and expansion of Viking sailings and CC disinterest in even providing an easier structure for use, indicates perhaps with less competition and high demand, there is no interest of applying any effort! For example, so far have emailed one other person who will be on Gullveig in May (we are on 13 June from Basel). Have not been able to read any experiences about afternoon free time at ports and am concerned that Black Forest "tour" has not been well-received when Colmar tour could easily be a replacement (watched Rick Steve's new program on Alsace that highlights Colmar). My thought is that peers will tend to be our age group and with college/professional backgrounds, yet options include bar-hopping? At any rate, this is a high-volume and relatively brief experience. If we like it, may repeat -- if it is problematic, will will continue to develop vacations that couple cruises with other land experiences instead (our second interest would be a southern France, maybe coupled with a Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona: research Marseilles/Barcelona travel?).

 

If you are considering the Gullveig in 2015 or will travel on it after 9 July (when we return) send me a note when we return home and I can answer questions (balticports@yahoo.com). If you are on 13 June Basel/Amsterdam, hooray!

DJ:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In Retirement: keep in mind that Celebrity Constellation has 2,034 passengers vs. Viking Gullveig @ 190.

 

River cruising is very different from ocean cruising in many ways, and one big one is that Type-A personalities like you and me have to learn to relax and just let the cruise unfold. There will be an included tour at every port which will give you a good introduction, then free time to explore the town (and I mean town, not city).

 

The Black Forest excursions get poor reviews no matter what the cruise line -- although someone on a Christmas markets cruise said they enjoyed the bus trip through the snow-covered forest, summertime cruisers won't get that snow-scene perspective and the cuckoo clock shops and Costco-quality Black Forest cake don't have many admirers.

 

On our AMA cruise we opted for the Colmar/Riquewihr tour rather than the Black Forest. Colmar is a good size town with beautiful old half-timbered buildings. It touts the fact that the sculptor Bartholdi was born there and has a museum with a model of his Statue de la Liberté. Hopefully the Viking option also includes Riquewihr, which is a one-street village that is very cute -- that street is lined with shops offering free wine tasting plus a couple that had fresh macaroons [real coconut macaroons, not those namby-pamby Parisian macarons].

 

If you find you like river cruising and are looking for Provence + Barcelona combo, AMA's Provence cruises have an optional extension to Barcelona that would fit the bill. [it's hard to get from Provence to Barcelona on your own because there is no direct train service.]

 

PS - that Celebrity Norwegian fjords cruise is a great itinerary! I have it on my list for 2016 if they are still offering it.

Edited by Host Jazzbeau
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In Retirement: keep in mind that Celebrity Constellation has 2,034 passengers vs. Viking Gullveig @ 190. River cruising is very different from ocean cruising in many ways, and one big one is that Type-A personalities like you and me have to learn to relax and just let the cruise unfold. There will be an included tour at every port which will give you a good introduction, then free time to explore the town (and I mean town, not city).

 

The Black Forest excursions get poor reviews no matter what the cruise line -- although someone on a Christmas markets cruise said they enjoyed the bus trip through the snow-covered forest, summertime cruisers won't get that snow-scene perspective and the cuckoo clock shops and Costco-quality Black Forest cake don't have many admirers. On our AMA cruise we opted for the Colmar/Riquewihr tour rather than the Black Forest. Colmar is a good size town with beautiful old half-timbered buildings. It touts the fact that the sculptor Bartholdi was born there and has a museum with a model of his Statue de la Liberté. Hopefully the Viking option also includes Riquewihr, which is a one-street village that is very cute -- that street is lined with shops offering free wine tasting plus a couple that had fresh macaroons [real coconut macaroons, not those namby-pamby Parisian macarons].

 

If you find you like river cruising and are looking for Provence + Barcelona combo, AMA's Provence cruises have an optional extension to Barcelona that would fit the bill. [it's hard to get from Provence to Barcelona on your own because there is no direct train service.] PS - that Celebrity Norwegian fjords cruise is a great itinerary! I have it on my list for 2016 if they are still offering it.

 

Hello There! At least a surprise, perhaps even an honor to hear from supervisory staff?

 

Let me respond in back order:

(1) If you do plan the RT Amsterdam 12-night Norwegian Fjords (8 ports including Bergen and Oslo). Feel free to email me (balticports@yahoo.com). So far in preparation Cruise Critic has made a significant contribution to the planning process. (Over my years I have learned that preparation, not Type-A avoidance of disruptive anxiety, enhances the pleasure of a port visit and it has become quite clear to me that being open to new experiences and allowing for serendipity works for a multiple-day land visit of a city, not a 6 to 12-hour port visit! Because of the capacity of Cruise Critic I was able to read through the 2013 Roll Call for this annual cruise, was able to post and obtain observations from previous visitors to several ports and then begin to locate many "similarly minded" fellow passengers and research in depth all 8 ports and in the process find direct-purchase options, attract one private offer to "members" (now filled), identify "issues" to be aware of, and actually lease two coaches that have been filled! (And I promised myself after 2012's arrangement of a private bus shuttle between South Queensferry and Edinburgh not to do that again -- this time, I've really overdone it (I blame it on the lack of private drivers with vans in Norway who maintain websites.)

 

My other two elements of next summer's vacation have had somewhat different results: I have familiarity with Amsterdam and rented an apartment on Prinsengracht in 2012 and am last afraid of trains, so we say goodbye to the Viking Gullveig and board the Thalys at 11:18 to Antwerp for visits to Ghent and Brugge and return to Amsterdam in time to do laundry, visit the Rijksmuseum and eat with one of my son's closest friends (family now lives near the museum). I have benefited from Trip Advisor (but had a horrible run-in with an "expert" who misread my posting and had a rage reaction -- it seems that once an "expert" responds, everyone else is quiet -- I think the Cruise Critic community is more accepting and supportive) and especially from a tourist information professional located in Brugge.

 

My comments about river cruises absolutely account for the 1/10th size and are a comment about the lack of any river cruise-specific structure that could easily be provided by Cruise Critic. Last fall I introduced a couple of threads that solicited comments which were fairly well-populated. If it wasn't for the Research Tool, you could find nothing! I'm interested in understanding why neither Cruise Critic nor the river cruise industry are not motivated. The popularity of river cruises in the last couple of years (seemingly oblivious to the effects of climate change) have resulted in substantial expansion. Apparently when you are doing so well, what priority does improvement and social networking play? I guess until there is some competition, no one is interested?

 

Obviously, the traditional Roll Call structure (unless Viking etc. buy into the value of their passengers talking to previous passengers and making plans with fellow passengers and they make Cruise Critic visible?) does not work! Isn't it pathetic when almost no Roll Call postings receive even one response? As a start, information about river cruises need to be grouped geographically, then by company, then by boat. At least people could then plan for open time with others who will visit the same ports for the same time periods? In addition, "River Cruise Ports" could be similarly organized at least geographically with a header to include port visit length and time of year (month) with an emphasis (a Cruise Critic strength) of what you did, and what are the options (the good, the bad, the ugly). I believe in this century that people will use this site if they know about it. Sure, I find out that you don't dress up for dinner (hurray!) but have no idea who onboard has a specific historical or cultural interest? I've had the opportunity to express my displeasure regarding a cuckoo-clock tour, when a morning's visit to Colmar and its museums should be offered. Another example is of an after-dinner pub crawl in Cologne when the afternoon is open and many museums etc. are available! (Reading about the liquor habits of a Christmas market customer who buys the anything/all the time option (beyond lunch and dinner) and reports on hangovers isn't too educational and I hope not that representative? Maybe river cruises with a fall wine theme or beer theme would make some sense? We were drawn to the dates of next vacation out of necessity and then naturally selected northern Europe and will wait tile 2015 for a Mediterranean experience.

 

It would be my pleasure to share with you my/our findings from Norway 2014 and would enjoy making any meaningful contribution to a river cruise restructure for Cruise Critic.

DJ:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have any of you cruised on Viking Gullveig?

If so, please tell me about her.

Any information would be appreciated.

LuLu

~~~

 

In response to the OP.....

I will be on the Viking Gullveig April 25. I will either try to report while on board or when we return in early May.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In response to the OP.....

I will be on the Viking Gullveig April 25. I will either try to report while on board or when we return in early May.

 

Thanks, Cindy! I'll be looking forward to your report.

Have a great trip! :)

LuLu

~~~

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
In response to the OP.....

I will be on the Viking Gullveig April 25. I will either try to report while on board or when we return in early May.

 

Looking forward to hearing all about your trip on the Gullveig!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm onboaed Gullveig now....beautiful new ship( we're on 5th sailing) with sleek Scandinavian design. I am uploading my ship pics to shutterfly and will try to post a link when complete.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm onboaed Gullveig now....beautiful new ship( we're on 5th sailing) with sleek Scandinavian design. I am uploading my ship pics to shutterfly and will try to post a link when complete.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hi Cindy. I am looking forward to your pictures and trip report. We are planning on doing this itinerary next year, probably Amsterdam to Basel direction and possibly on the Gullveig. Will watch for your shutterfly photos...I am a shutterfly fan!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm onboaed Gullveig now....beautiful new ship( we're on 5th sailing) with sleek Scandinavian design. I am uploading my ship pics to shutterfly and will try to post a link when complete.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

This will be wonderful. Maybe even location of the first dock? We will be onboard 13 June (Basel).

 

You are the best,

DJ:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking forward to hearing all about your trip on the Gullveig!

 

Apparently now, at least temporarily, here on a conflict-free taunt-free location, you might want to say when you are leaving for Europe. Will return 9 July, but probably won't be in any condition to do email for a couple more days. (Am considering doing a diary for this trip, first time ever.)

DJ:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Cindy. I am looking forward to your pictures and trip report. We are planning on doing this itinerary next year, probably Amsterdam to Basel direction and possibly on the Gullveig. Will watch for your shutterfly photos...I am a shutterfly fan!

 

We made our 13 June reservation (more accurately, full payment) last August. I remember returning home the end of July from a family RT Seattle week and starting to plan for early the following June. After getting a grip of air options, I started to look at chaining a week on Viking with something either before or after. Found Switzerland both complicated and incredibly expensive (I like to spread the $$ over more days, not treatment better than "at home," so we ended up with a new ship (one requirement) that ended at Amsterdam (familiarity, with transportation and vacation options for extension). My warning to you, as the economy is yet better than a year ago (unless you want to run to Russia or Ukraine) is that my planning was seriously limited by the absence of available cabins in August 2013 for June 2014! I would suggest that May is not too early to do careful reasearch/planning. I found several cruises with a good timing and new ship with only the royal suites (and if you can afford them, why even consider this option?) or the cabins with the round port holes at water level (would not find an eye-to-eye with water fowl or a test of sound-traveling-through-water appealing). We actually ended up on this cruise where there was one veranda cabin open (near the back). Be aware of where your east/west lies, where the summer sun will be in the afternoon. Can't tell you if a balcony is "worth it" might know on 12 July -- but then you will have trouble locating one for 2015!

 

To be forewarned is a good thing,

DJ:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We made our 13 June reservation (more accurately, full payment) last August. I remember returning home the end of July from a family RT Seattle week and starting to plan for early the following June. After getting a grip of air options, I started to look at chaining a week on Viking with something either before or after. Found Switzerland both complicated and incredibly expensive (I like to spread the $$ over more days, not treatment better than "at home," so we ended up with a new ship (one requirement) that ended at Amsterdam (familiarity, with transportation and vacation options for extension). My warning to you, as the economy is yet better than a year ago (unless you want to run to Russia or Ukraine) is that my planning was seriously limited by the absence of available cabins in August 2013 for June 2014! I would suggest that May is not too early to do careful research/planning. I found several cruises with a good timing and new ship with only the royal suites (and if you can afford them, why even consider this option?) or the cabins with the round port holes at water level (would not find an eye-to-eye with water fowl or a test of sound-traveling-through-water appealing). We actually ended up on this cruise where there was one veranda cabin open (near the back). Be aware of where your east/west lies, where the summer sun will be in the afternoon. Can't tell you if a balcony is "worth it" might know on 12 July -- but then you will have trouble locating one for 2015!

 

To be forewarned is a good thing,

DJ:)

Thanks DJ. I have already done a ton of research (13 pages of typed notes) but it never ends. As we are not planning on doing the river cruise until September 2015 I am just now getting to the point where we will decide on actual date and boat. I am not interested in balcony; French balcony at best and actually might not mind the cabins with window at water level. We spend very little time in our cabin so the balcony won't be a whole lot of use while we sleep. We can get direct flights to Amsterdam for start of trip and then plan to head to Greece (one of our favourites) post cruise while over on that side of the Atlantic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just returned last night, 4/27/14, from a cruise on the Gullveig. As soon as I get my river-legs back under me, I will posted details about my travels. We embarked Friday, 4/18/14 in Basel and cruised to Amsterdam. We disembarked on Friday, 4/25/14. We did the two-day pre-cruise stay in Luzern, Switzerland and the two-day, post-cruise stay in Amsterdam.

 

It was a wonderful trip!

 

More details to come!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just returned last night, 4/27/14, from a cruise on the Gullveig. As soon as I get my river-legs back under me, I will posted details about my travels. We embarked Friday, 4/18/14 in Basel and cruised to Amsterdam. We disembarked on Friday, 4/25/14. We did the two-day pre-cruise stay in Luzern, Switzerland and the two-day, post-cruise stay in Amsterdam.

It was a wonderful trip!

More details to come!

 

Really looking forward to any and all observations! (Currently working on our visit to Bergen and Oslo (July 4 and 6). Considering that we leave at 10am from Stiphol the day after we leave that cruise, am considering an expensive night at the airport (walk out to United desk) and find a pleasant RT airport train destination (within an hour or so) for and afternoon walk and lunch/dinner.

DJ:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=bacb7356025326fa&sid=8AaMnLlyzcM2Ih

 

Here is a link to my Gullveig pix during week of apr 25. Connection is slow, so it was painful to try to add captions to each. There are abt 48 pics. I do not have any pics of dinner dining room, but know that the tables are set with lovely linens. A taste of Germany night was an awesome surprise. More on that later....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited by CEV426
Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=bacb7356025326fa&sid=8AaMnLlyzcM2Ih

 

Here is a link to my Gullveig pix during week of apr 25. Connection is slow, so it was painful to try to add captions to each. There are abt 48 pics. I do not have any pics of dinner dining room, but know that the tables are set with lovely linens. A taste of Germany night was an awesome surprise. More on that later....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hi Cindy, Your shutterfly link only seems to lead to the one photo of the window of the stateroom. I even logged into my shutterfly account but it still only shows the 1 photo in the album. Did you just share the one picture or the whole album? Not sure if others are able to see more than the 1 photo?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=bacb7356025326fa&sid=8AaMnLlyzcM2Ih

 

Here is a link to my Gullveig pix during week of apr 25. Connection is slow, so it was painful to try to add captions to each. There are abt 48 pics. I do not have any pics of dinner dining room, but know that the tables are set with lovely linens. A taste of Germany night was an awesome surprise. More on that later....

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I'm not that technical expert, but when I clicked on shutterfly, I found an album with only one picture of what looks like the cabins water-level windows? More to come?

 

Did you fly into Basel or take the train? Did you stay at least overnight or were you taken directly to the ship? (We always expect jet lag, and have never been disappointed!) Having a piece of paper with hotel reservation (Hotel D, Blumenrein 19) I think might get us on a bus from the airport to the train station where we would transfer to a tram (or if we aren't feeling well, just a taxi that takes a credit card)? This contemporary hotel is within a couple blocks of market square (across from university hospital) and very close to a variety of restaurants (and the Rhine). How did you know where to go to find the Gullveig? Does Viking (long silence, no communication) provide you with a phone number to call that morning for location? Do Taxis take a credit card? We will arrive 1:30pm at Basel airport and less than 24 hours later should be onboard. Plan to visit ATM at Frankfort airport for euros (first time not a prepurchase) and wonder if I am going to have trouble not having Swiss francs?

 

You are providing a wonderful service!

Much thanks,

DJ:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Possibly try clicking on "slide show" in the upper right. If not, I will work on it when I get home. Today is our travel day home.

The wifi leaves a lot to be desired. Wifi does not work on sun deck!

I can't answer those questions regarding transportation as we arrived in AMS, took train from airport then walked to B&B. Then walked from B&B to ship. We pack only a carryon each! Yes, it can be done! I have several things I never wore. It's warmer here than we planned for. The ships port is next to the train station, but it stills involves a little walk. If mobility is an issue or you have big luggage this may be a problem.

 

Regarding Swiss franks....I'm told that they also accept euros.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, here is a NEW link to my ship pics and a few ports...

 

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=55ba46f46158afa5&sid=8AaMnLlyzcM2Iw

 

If this doesn't work, I try when I get home.

 

Also some good to know tips regarding ship:

We were just fine with our lower level cabin. Plenty of light and room. As a matter of fact, I heard others question why they spent so much on balconies when they were never in their room.

There are 5 outlets for appliances or charging. They all accept either 110 or 220 watts. Very convenient.

In addition to bottles water in room, they provide plenty of bottled water at gangway for excursions.

Extra large umbrellas also offered.

There is a fridge in the room as well as a hair dryer, but it's only 1600 watts! My hair needs 1875!

There is a safe in the closet.

All 4 episodes of Downton Abbey are avail on the movies/tv channels.

There are 2 laptops available for use, but wifi is just as slow on them!

 

There is a taste of Germany event on day 5 of southbound cruise. It's a buffet night, but there are 3 buffets to wander around: the dining room, the Aquavit lounge, and the kitchen. They are all different!

 

There is a 24/coffee station with pastries or cookies.

 

Viking does embarkation and disembarkation simultaneously! You can get on as early as 830 while previous pax are still on board. You just won't be able to get to your room.

 

No fuss embarkation. Just walk on and check in like a hotel.

There is an elevator, but very few used it.

 

And those steps in Amsterdam are no joke. We even had trouble with only a carry on. Believe it or not, going down is worse than going up. We handed bags down to person a lower landing and did this over for each floor. This worked well.

 

Well, if I think of more, I will post in a day or two.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I traveled on the Gullveig from Basel to Amsterdam on 4-18-14. I did not have any problems with the ships wifi in any area of the ship. We were in a room on the third level, near the back of the ship. But, I was able to use the wifi on the sun deck at the front of the ship too.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As noted in an earlier post, we traveled on the Gullveig from Basel to Amsterdam between 4/18/14 to 4/25/14, on her fourth voyage. Before the trip, we signed up for the pre-cruise extension in Lucern, Switzerland and the post-cruise extension in Amsterdam. Our entire vacation was booked with Viking - flights, transfers, etc.

 

Day 1 - this was the only day we experienced any problem on our trip, as our flight between DFW and Newark was canceled due to weather problems on the east coast. We called United to make air changes and flew from Chicago to Zurich on SwissAir. It was a great airlines and flight.

 

We arrived in Zurich around 10:30 am. The Viking Rep was waiting for us as we exited from Passport Control. We were told that we were going to wait on others in our transfer party - the total wait was approximately 50 minutes. We walked to our bus - Viking had very nice buses throughout the trip - most were new. The only place we did not use a Viking bus was during the post-cruise extension in Amsterdam.

 

The bus ride to Lucern took 45 to 60 minutes. Our pre-cruise extension hotel in Lucern was the Palace Lucern. Our rooms were ready upon arrival. We were free to explore the city on our own that afternoon. We explored the city trying to stay awake until 7 or 8 pm to adjust our internal clocks. One thing we found interesting is that the restaurants did not open for dinner until 6:00 pm. It was hard to stay awake until then, but we made ourselves. We found good spots for food near the Chapel bridge. Be aware - everything in Switzerland is very expensive. I had a tomato/mozzarella sandwich for dinner and it cost 17 swiss francs. One of my traveling companions asked for tap water and it cast 3 swiss francs.

 

Palace Lucern is very nice. My only complaint was that we were not in a room on the lake side of the hotel. I thought by having committed to the trip with Viking early in 2013, I would have had a lakeside room. Instead we were on the street side. This was my only disappointment for the pre-cruise extension. Lucern is beautiful and I would have liked to look out at the lake in the mornings and evenings.

 

Day 2 - on the pre and post extensions, breakfast is included. Breakfast was between 7:00 and 10:00 am each day. At 10:30, we left on a walking tour of Lucern. It was not a strenuous walk and I did not encounter any cobblestones. The walking tour ended at 12:30 and we had the afternoon to explore the city. Lunch and dinner are on your own.

 

We found a pub, Pickwicks, near the Chapel bridge. It had good, reasonably priced food. On our tour, our guide pointed out several grocery stores. We went back and bought cheese, meats, bread and wine for dinner.

 

After lunch, we walked to the Lion's memorial and explored the old city wall.

 

Day 3 - this was the last day of our pre-cruise extension in Lucern and we were given an option to take an optional excursion to Mount Titlis with Viking or continue to explore the city on our own. We decided to take the optional excursion. It cost approximately 149 euros and was the most expensive optional excursions on the entire trip. But, it was worth it.

 

We were driven by motor coach to the town of Engelberg where we toured a cheese factory in a monastery. The tour lasted about 30 to 45 minutes and was very informative.

 

Afterwards, we rode the lifts to the top of Mount Titlis - 10,000 feet high. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and snowing at the top of the mountain. But, we were able to eat lunch at the restaurant at the top. There were two restaurants at the top. It was very crowded at the top with other tour groups. It was Good Friday and a holiday in Switzerland - I'm not sure if this is the reason that it was so crowded or not. At times, it was hard to navigate through the crowds. I still enjoyed the excursion.

 

We left the mountain around 2:00ish and returned to Lucern for our transfer from Lucern to Basel, which left Lucern at 4:00 pm. (One thing I liked about Viking was their punctuality - if they said we were leaving at 4:00 pm, we left at 4:00 pm. This was true throughout the trip.)

 

That morning we set our bags outside our room at the Palace Lucern and the next time was saw them was in our room on the ship. Great not to have to cart the bags around.

 

The trip from Lucern to Basel took approximately 1.5 hours because we arrived at the Gullveig at 5:30 pm.

 

I will continue this post in another post that covers our time on the ship. Stay tuned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is Day 3 and we have finished the pre-cruise extension in Lucern.

 

4/18/14 - we left the Palace Lucern promptly at 4:00 pm. Since it was Good Friday, and a national holiday in Switzerland, the traffic was light. We made it to the ship by 5:30 pm. We walked on to the Ship and checked in like a hotel. We went down to our room to check it out briefly because there was a "Welcome Aboard" gathering starting at 6:00 pm in the lounge. We arrived right at 6:00 and had to sit at the bar. We learned during the week that if you want a good seat for the presentations, it is best to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the schedule start. Since there is a cocktail reception in the lounge everyday between 5:30 and 7:00, the prime seats go quickly.

 

The "Welcome Aboard" presentation ended before dinner was scheduled to start at 7:00 pm. We went back to check our room to make sure our luggage was in our room, which it was. We quickly unloaded our suitcases and made our way back to the restaurant. We met up with other travelers and settled in for a nice dinner. Note, if you want a table by a window, arrive a little early. They go rather quickly. As we set down for dinner, the Ship cast off for Breisach and the Black Forest.

 

Unfortunately, I did not transcribe our meals at all. For every night's dinner, except, the night we had all German food, there is a good selection of food. You were give a choice of one of two appetizers, one of four entrees, and one of two desserts. If you wanted two desserts, they would bring you both. One of the four entrees was a vegetarian selection. Also, available everyday was a selection of either fish, chicken, steak or pasta. You select one of those, and you are given a choice of one of the appetizers, sides, and desserts from the regular menu. If you enjoy wine or beer with lunch or dinner, you can have as many glasses and you can consume. Each night the wine changed to a wine from the local region.

 

If that is not enough beer and wine for you, you can select the premium liquor package. We debated it amongst the four of us , as we like to have different wines with dinner. We decided not to do so due to the cost of 30 euros a day per person. It paid off at checkout - my bar bill was 76 euros, not 210 euros. Viking is also good about letting you bring beer or wine back onto the ship to have with dinner or up on the sundeck. We took advantage of this several times.

 

I'll close each post this way going forward:

 

Regrets for the day - not getting to see Basel, Switzerland.

Best thing for the day - getting to say that I have been to the Swiss Alps (Mount Titlis)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...