MS Swiss Sapphire

We have just come across a cruise on this riverboat. It sails down the Seine through Paris and Normandy. It looks lovely, but I would really be interested in reading experiences and tips from fellow board members. I had considered Viking, but read several accounts of English speakers receiving a poor translation if commentery and feeling a bit 'second class'.

Hello Priya2 - Not sure I understand what you mean by "read several accounts of English speakers receiving a poor translation if commentery and feeling a bit 'second class'."

Could you explain a bit more? I believe Viking is marketed squarely at English speaking travelers.

I read (and was surprised by) several reviews that said commentary was in German and that English speakers were given headsets that didn't work very well. Someone mentioned that there was a strong German bias on the boat and that she, and others on board who she spoke to, felt they were not the most valued of the cruisers. I have no experience of Viking myself, but tat put me off!

Viking is aimed 100% at the American market, per the President of this company. It is 100% English speaking.

I believe you gave mistaken Vikiing for some other company. There are river cruise companies who market just to German speakers, Viking is not one of them.

The MS Swiss Sapphire is a Tauck river boat....and if you have read about this company it is reported to be the best of the best in river cruising.

Remember that almost any of the boats can be "Chartered" and I suppose it would be possible for Viking to Charter one of there boats to a different company.... Don't know how likely that would be in Vikings case though.

Hmm! Maybe it was some kind of mistake.

Still, anyone here sailed with Tauck on MS Swiss Sapphire or one of their other river boats?

We sailed with Tauck on a French river cruise a year or so ago. it was an awesome experience. The boat was beautiful, the service was excellent, the food was first rate and delicious, and the tour guides were all top notch. I have only experienced one other river cruise and that was on the Danube with Viking. That was also a very nice trip but not at the Tauck level. In my opinion, you usually get what you pay for and Tauck definitely delivered value for the money. I also like the fact that you don't have to do any tipping on Tauck so that the only $ we ended up paying at the end of the trip was for some cocktails. Wine and beer are served with meals and they were regional and quite good. Tauck contracts with a swiss company for onboard crew and service including the overall cruise director and the captain. They were an impressive group of caring and personable individuals. Then there are the Tauck tour directors who oversee groups of passengers for tours and activities. They too were very engaging and helpful. Finally there are the local guides who meet the boat and provide the guiding in towns along the way. Everything was extremely well organized and ran like clockwork. Tauck also provides some surprise activities along the way which were unexpected and fun. I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have.

That sounds lovely btoohill. I am very tempted and might book for next summer later this month (after my end of month date on my AMEX LOL!). I shouldn't really. We leave for a break in San Francisco followed by a road trip on 25th and I booked Celebrity Eclipse for the Caribbean in December '14. The thing is, I'm 54, my partner is 60 and over the past year, I have heard of so many people around our ages who have popped their clogs, or developed terminal illness. It concentrates the mind and makes me want to pack as much travelling in asap!

“Popped their clogs?”

We are doing our third cruise on Tauck’s Swiss Emerald next week. This time we will be on the Rhone River in France. We also sailed on the Swiss Jewel with is a sister ship of the Swiss Emerald and of the Swiss Sapphire. All narrations on all of the cruises were in English. Tauck is first class all the way. It is expensive than some, but you get what you pay for.

My recommendation to those that want to try river cruising is to take the Danube from Regensburg to Budapest. You get the scenic beauty of the Danube plus you visit Prague, Vienna and Budapest. Cruising into Budapest at night to view the lights of the city and bridges is something we will never forget.

“Popped their clogs?”

 

We are doing our third cruise on Tauck’s Swiss Emerald next week. This time we will be on the Rhone River in France. We also sailed on the Swiss Jewel with is a sister ship of the Swiss Emerald and of the Swiss Sapphire. All narrations on all of the cruises were in English. Tauck is first class all the way. It is expensive than some, but you get what you pay for.

 

My recommendation to those that want to try river cruising is to take the Danube from Regensburg to Budapest. You get the scenic beauty of the Danube plus you visit Prague, Vienna and Budapest. Cruising into Budapest at night to view the lights of the city and bridges is something we will never forget.

'Popped their clogs' = old English expression meaning 'died'. I expect it will have come from popped out of his/her clogs. Clogs being working class footwear in the late 1800s/early 1900s in Northern England!

We noticed when we were researching our river cruise for 2014 that Tauck was shifting the Swiss Sapphire down to the Seine after the 2013 season closes. They will have two new boats for the Rhine/Main/Danube runs. 2014 will be the first year that Tauck has cruised the Seine. I liked their Seine itineraries but we opted for the Swiss Emerald and the Rhone cruise as we really wanted to see southern France.

We cruised with Tauck in 2011 and found them to be very, very good and had no hesitation in selecting them again for our 40th Anniversary holiday next year. If you wish more on our Tauck experiences please drop me an email rodmky@optusnet.com.au and I'll happily answer all your questions.

Rod

Thank you Ozjohn :)

Viking is aimed 100% at the American market, per the President of this company. It is 100% English speaking.

 

I believe you gave mistaken Vikiing for some other company. There are river cruise companies who market just to German speakers, Viking is not one of them.

Viking does cater to other nationalities. For example - when in Russia, we saw a Viking ship that was never marketed to North America. I believe it was full of Germans.

Here is Viking's website for Germans: http://www.viking-flusskreuzfahrten.de

If you book a ship that is marketed in North America, it will probably be mostly English speakers. But if you book off of the website listed above, I think you will be on a ship with mostly Europeans who speak German.

I looked at one of the Chinese ships and it is marketed to both North America and Germans at the same time. In other markets, the ships are different.

Viking does cater to other nationalities. For example - when in Russia, we saw a Viking ship that was never marketed to North America. I believe it was full of Germans.

 

Here is Viking's website for Germans: http://www.viking-flusskreuzfahrten.de

 

If you book a ship that is marketed in North America, it will probably be mostly English speakers. But if you book off of the website listed above, I think you will be on a ship with mostly Europeans who speak German.

 

I looked at one of the Chinese ships and it is marketed to both North America and Germans at the same time. In other markets, the ships are different.

Thanks for this. That must be where the negative reviews I read came from. The reviews were from American's and British who were sailing with lots of Germans. Nothing against the German cruisers of course. The problem was said to be that the emphasis was on German speakers.

Thanks for this. That must be where the negative reviews I read came from. The reviews were from American's and British who were sailing with lots of Germans. Nothing against the German cruisers of course. The problem was said to be that the emphasis was on German speakers.

I wouldn't rule Viking out - I would just have your TA speak to Viking and see how the ship is being marketed to. I have friends who have done Viking several times and have not encountered that. It just depends on if that sailing and ship is being cross marketed.

I completely understand where you are coming from.

I wouldn't rule Viking out - I would just have your TA speak to Viking and see how the ship is being marketed to. I have friends who have done Viking several times and have not encountered that. It just depends on if that sailing and ship is being cross marketed.

 

I completely understand where you are coming from.

Yes, I see what you're saying. Tauck, who do the MS Swiss Sapphire do seem very attractive though. It appears they are a bit more upscale. They seemed to me expensive at first glance, but so much is included in the price :)

Yes, I see what you're saying. Tauck, who do the MS Swiss Sapphire do seem very attractive though. It appears they are a bit more upscale. They seemed to me expensive at first glance, but so much is included in the price :)

I would choose Tauck over Viking with out hesitation. Tauck is going to be a higher quality experience.

http://m.travelweekly.com/3_article?guid=248821&t=1&s=1&from=1_tab1

This is an article about Viking ceasing operations aimed at German speakers And that they were going to focus strictly on the English speaking market.

Article is date May 2013

I'm hoping the link works.

http://m.travelweekly.com/3_article?guid=248821&t=1&s=1&from=1_tab1

 

This is an article about Viking ceasing operations aimed at German speakers And that they were going to focus strictly on the English speaking market.

Article is date May 2013

 

I'm hoping the link works.

Link works. I wonder what the German Viking website says or wonder why they still have a Viking German website.