Live from Bordeaux!

I’m heading out this morning to Bordeaux, for a long-planned cruise on Viking River’s Viking Forseti, and would love to share my trip with you (Internet willing) here on this thread. Our Saturday-Saturday cruise starts in Bordeaux. Planned stops include Pauillac (for chateaux wine tasting and then later dinner at another chateau), Blaye, which is an all-around charming small town with an historic fortress (and is also the kick-off spot for the Cognac tour), and Libourne/St.-Emilion (the toughest day of choices; we’ve heard so many raves about the Chateau Sieurac visit but also want to go truffle hunting with dogs!). There's an option to go to Archachon, a resort village on the Atlantic seaboard, one of the days, and that's tempting.

We’re also spending time in the lovely city of Bordeaux. We’ve been before, had just a few hours there, and it seems fantastic.

Have any questions about what to see and do on this itinerary? Ask away, and I’ll do my best to respond (a huge shout-out to Cruise Critic members id4Elizabeth and TipsyGirl, who have already taken this cruise, and who’ve posted great advice on the river thread “Viking Chateaux, Rivers and Wine” -- look for pages 20 onward).

As well, this is our first cruise on one of Viking’s Longships (we sailed on Viking’s older Prestige about four years ago), so am happy to answer any questions about the onboard experience as well.

Carolyn

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

Many on another Viking thread have complained that size of ship hindered where it could go,as compared to a Uniworld,etc.Others have said it seemed to be mostly bus tours.lots of time in Bordeuax.Is it worth taking RIVER cruise to this region?

See besides Uniworld,that Scenic will also be offering it next yr.So sort of an emerging market?

Will wait and see the various reviews.

A day to day review would be great,all details very helpful.Hope you have a great time.Let us know.

Carolyn ~ Thanks SO much for taking on this "task" of a daily report!!! I thought I could do it last December on the Rhine River cruise but found time the greatest enemy!!! Also was the first time I was using my tablet abroad and thought it was at fault - but many had a problem sending large photo attachments when the ship wasn't docked. There seemed to be no problem with just regular e-mails.

So Good Luck with time and internet - I'm sure all of us are looking forward to fabulous reviews!!!

As for questions ~

Blaye - is there any way to just go to the town of Cognac??? Our guys want to "make" their own Cognac but us gals would just love to see the town - heard from my SIL its oen of the most beautiful in France.

Bridge - is the ship able to go under the bridge?? Just wondering!

Archachon - its still on my list - but I also want to see Bordeaux! If you don't go could you listen for reviews of others plus name of the restaurant when lunch is served.

Have a fabulous trip!!!!!!

Looking forward to this!

Thank you Carolyn,

for taking on this task! I tried to make lots of notes on my cruise and failed to write more than four lines day.

On my Danube cruise we sailed over 1000 kms. I would like to know what the kms sailed on your cruise will be.

And that bridge... Just a question of a final signature under a paper or on-going problems with sailing under the Pont de pierre, possibly never to be resolved, which would then cut out even more sailing time?

Have a great time!

notamermaid

We arrived yesterday – Saturday – later than planned, and with no time to explore Bordeaux. But there’s time for that later this week! Here are some early impressions (ship-centered cause we really didn't get off once we were onboard):

*If you do a lot of big ship cruising, as we do, the welcome will surprise you! Crew were on the lookout at the pier for guests arriving independently (we didn’t take a transfer from the airport) and they raced out to greet us, take over our suitcases, and guided us onboard. Within a few seconds, and with lots of warm hellos all around, we had our key cards and were in our cabin.

*Our cabin, a standard stateroom with balcony, is compact but very well designed. There’s plenty of storage (drawers, double closet, high bed so suitcases fit underneath). The bed (a queen that can be turned into two twins on request) is comfortable with nice, bright white linens and duvet. There’s a mini-fridge that we suspect will be useful for cooling the white wines and roses that we pick up along the way this week!). Nice touches include bottled water and this decorative tray that had four apples on it last night – four pears today. The bathroom, also compact, has a good shower and nice lighting. Storage there is a bit tight but there is a shelf under the sink. And the balcony? Lovely! There are two comfortable mesh chairs and a wooden cocktail table.

*Every night before dinner there’s a briefing in the lounge about the day ahead. On our first night, it was stretched to include all manner of topics – how things work, where to dine and when, procedures for leaving the ship (you leave a key and pick up a card so staff knows it you’re not onboard). That got a bit long – most of us having flown in this morning, and pretty soon the room had all the feeling of a large, friendly cocktail party (the fact that the Captain provided the drinks probably had something to do with that!). But when the chef – whose reputation proceeds her – began to talk about dinner, everyone went silent.

*And oh, what a meal. The trip really infuses local ingredients, foodstuffs and cuisine into the menus and the chef’s red wine risotto with quail, as a starter, was the size of our full dinners at home (though her risotto was far superior to mine). Then there was duck and mashed potatoes. I ordered dessert but was really too stuffed to eat it. I forgot to photo the menu, but will try to do a better job moving forward so you can get an idea of the range offered :)

*After dinner there was a guided tram ride and walk in the center of Bordeaux, centered around the Three Graces fountain. We were having such a good time dining and drinking fabulous red wine suggested by Viking's bar servers, that we forgot to go. From the ship, Bordeaux was so gorgeous, both during the day and at night, all lit up with the fountain's colorful spumes.

Sunday starts with a morning spent cruising from Bordeaux to Pauillac, and then a Medoc-oriented wine tasting before heading for dinner at a chateau. Have heard other Cruise Critic members who’ve already taken this cruise say that the dinner is an extraordinary experience.

Any questions? Happy to answer them….

Carolyn

Hi, notamermaid. Happy to! Will plan to post that on the last day. I'm told the certification that Viking needed to sail under that confounded bridge is signed, sealed and delivered. And that this will be the first cruise to go under it. I'll keep you posted.

I must say the atmosphere onboard is so upbeat and people are having a great time, not seeing a lot of angst about the schedule.

Carolyn

Thank you Carolyn,

 

for taking on this task! I tried to make lots of notes on my cruise and failed to write more than four lines day.

 

On my Danube cruise we sailed over 1000 kms. I would like to know what the kms sailed on your cruise will be.

 

And that bridge... Just a question of a final signature under a paper or on-going problems with sailing under the Pont de pierre, possibly never to be resolved, which would then cut out even more sailing time?

 

Have a great time!

 

notamermaid

FotoPeg, great questions and I'll keep you posted.

Carolyn

Carolyn ~ Thanks SO much for taking on this "task" of a daily report!!! I thought I could do it last December on the Rhine River cruise but found time the greatest enemy!!! Also was the first time I was using my tablet abroad and thought it was at fault - but many had a problem sending large photo attachments when the ship wasn't docked. There seemed to be no problem with just regular e-mails.

 

So Good Luck with time and internet - I'm sure all of us are looking forward to fabulous reviews!!!

 

As for questions ~

Blaye - is there any way to just go to the town of Cognac??? Our guys want to "make" their own Cognac but us gals would just love to see the town - heard from my SIL its oen of the most beautiful in France.

 

Bridge - is the ship able to go under the bridge?? Just wondering!

 

Archachon - its still on my list - but I also want to see Bordeaux! If you don't go could you listen for reviews of others plus name of the restaurant when lunch is served.

 

Have a fabulous trip!!!!!!

What is the capacity of the ship and how many are aboard this week? Does it feel crowded?

We are looking at this trip for next year. Which airport did you fly in to and how did you get to the ship?

Carolyn ~ hurray - sounds like a different cruise!!!!!! SO happy to hear about the food - first meal sounds fantastic!!!! Hope the good news continues!!

Keep enjoying your cruise!!!!

Foto Peg - forgot to mention this in my earlier posts but one delightful surprise we had on our sailing was that there was a FREE optional tour in the afternoon of the day we were in Blaye. They took us through the wine country of Cotes de Bourg and then to the small town of Bourg. I had been concerned that there wouldn't be that much to do that afternoon, as about all there is to see in Blaye is the Citadel which you see in the morning. But this added tour filled the bill nicely. The bus made quite a few stops by Chateaux so that we could take pictures, they stopped at an overlook where the Dordogne and Gerrone meet, and we saw the town of Bourg, which was an unexpected surprise. It will be interesting if they do this on Carolyn ' cruise.

Hi, FotoPeg. I'll tackle the Blaye question today. I checked with the concierge about whether or not there's a way to just explore Cognac independently (by the way, great question; I did the cognac wine tasting last trip, and loved it, but really want to see something of the town, too).

We bantered about options, having a taxi take you and pick you up, but really the best way to see Cognac independently is to rent a car for the day. Cost: Something under $100 euro (you can probably do better than that), and you can get one at Blaye, he says.

Just a note that Blaye is about 1.5 hours away from Cognac. Still the chance to have some flexibility, and the fact that the drive itself is quite scenic itself, isn't such a big deal.

I think there's time to do both Archachon and Bordeaux (different days, depending on the itinerary). I'm planning to do both, so I'll let you know how it goes.

I'll get back to you on other questions as soon as I've figured 'em out!

Carolyn

Carolyn ~ Thanks SO much for taking on this "task" of a daily report!!! I thought I could do it last December on the Rhine River cruise but found time the greatest enemy!!! Also was the first time I was using my tablet abroad and thought it was at fault - but many had a problem sending large photo attachments when the ship wasn't docked. There seemed to be no problem with just regular e-mails.

 

So Good Luck with time and internet - I'm sure all of us are looking forward to fabulous reviews!!!

 

As for questions ~

Blaye - is there any way to just go to the town of Cognac??? Our guys want to "make" their own Cognac but us gals would just love to see the town - heard from my SIL its oen of the most beautiful in France.

 

Bridge - is the ship able to go under the bridge?? Just wondering!

 

Archachon - its still on my list - but I also want to see Bordeaux! If you don't go could you listen for reviews of others plus name of the restaurant when lunch is served.

 

Have a fabulous trip!!!!!!

Hi, id4Elizabeth. Cognac and Blaye are today, and there is no optional tour. That's because there's another case of a freighter not being able to get out of the way in order to let Forseti dock in Blaye and so we came back to Cognac late last night.

The ship sorted that out by offering two tours: One, no-fee to Blaye for half a day or so, and another that combined Blaye and Cognac's blending experience. It's not ideal, of course, but passengers seemed to take it in stride (in my case, since I got to sample both Cognac and Blaye on our mini-cruise in Bordeaux in March, I stayed back for a luxuriously relaxing morning on the ship, and then I'll spend the afternoon in the city).

I'm told by ship staff that Viking Forseti will not have the occasional Blaye problem moving forward of this week; they're actually soldering on to the hull some piece that will permit the ship to dock at an alternative spot in Blaye, where freighters have no weight.

Carolyn

Foto Peg - forgot to mention this in my earlier posts but one delightful surprise we had on our sailing was that there was a FREE optional tour in the afternoon of the day we were in Blaye. They took us through the wine country of Cotes de Bourg and then to the small town of Bourg. I had been concerned that there wouldn't be that much to do that afternoon, as about all there is to see in Blaye is the Citadel which you see in the morning. But this added tour filled the bill nicely. The bus made quite a few stops by Chateaux so that we could take pictures, they stopped at an overlook where the Dordogne and Gerrone meet, and we saw the town of Bourg, which was an unexpected surprise. It will be interesting if they do this on Carolyn ' cruise.

Hi, Los Pepes. The capacity is 190, there are 184 passengers aboard. The only time the ship has felt crowded was at the welcome lecture, when we all gathered in the Aquavit at the same time. Otherwise, people spread out and you don't feel it. We had a casual dinner in the Aquavit (by the way, great experience, we just wanted more casual food) one night, and that was marvelous (we were alone, actually!).

On the included tours the motor coaches are pretty well full. I'm not sure if there's more room on the optionals (will try my first optional, the Chateau Suiriac visit, tomorrow, so will let you know).

Last night, when four buses unloaded passengers in Pauillac, and we all boarded at the same time, I worried it would be chaos at the gangway. Not at all. There were a couple of crew stationed to hand out hot towels (nice touch), and others to take our embarkation cards (these help the ship keep track of those who are off the ship). Smooth!

Carolyn

What is the capacity of the ship and how many are aboard this week? Does it feel crowded?

PS One other observation. You'd think that maybe if most of the passengers are on the included tours, services would be curtailed for the few who stayed behind and I've been pleased to see how much care Viking gives to those who don't go. Yesterday, our chateaux tour merged with the chateaux dinner, but the ship offered separate transportation for those who just wanted to go to the dinner.

And today, when 40 other passengers stayed behind to just relax and enjoy the ship, lunch, which was unusually late but was scheduled to coincide with the return of the tour of Blaye, was moved up to accommodate the onboard folks. Nicely done.

Carolyn

What is the capacity of the ship and how many are aboard this week? Does it feel crowded?

Our day Sunday started with a lovely cruise (7 – 10 a.m.) from our overnight port in Bordeaux to Pauillac, a picturesque town on the estuary that’s in the heart of Haut-Medoc country. With a lot of us feeling pretty travel weary, the easy rhythm of the morning was most appreciated. There was a safety drill at 10 a.m. (one of the best I’ve seen on a riverboat, quick and to the point), and then a lecture on Bordeaux’s history following. We loved sitting out on the Aquavit Terrace in the sunshine, and the lecture was piped out there so we didn’t miss anything.

Our tours – today it’s all about the chateaux in Bordeaux’s six most famous appellations (Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Estephe , Saint-Julien, Listrac, and Moulis. In most cases, what we saw was via drive-by (or get-off-the-bus-and-walk-around) stops at places like Chateau Margaux, Chateau Lafite-Rothchild, Chateau Cheval Blanc. Since it was Sunday, none were open – but in some cases (like with Chateau Margaux) we got a chance to poke around in the gorgeous gardens.

Our guide, Maxine, was full of information (we especially loved her tales of family rivalries, an explanation of why cabernet sauvignon is a male grape and merlot a female, and the chance to see a chateau that she swears is haunted). It wasn’t all about listening, either. The four Viking motorcoaches were divided up, and each (about 46 people apiece) were sent to different chateaux for wine tasting.

The real highlight of the day – and this is all part of the standard, no fee-extra tour, was having dinner at Chateau Kirwan. The dinner, part of the weekly itinerary for all Viking Forseti’s Bordeaux cruises, is held in its L’orangerie (actually it’s the most beautiful barn, with golden stone walls, set right between beautiful parkland and its vineyards). Loved the warm welcome from the ship’s restaurant staff as we entered (kind of made us feel like we were part of the place!). It’s a complicated effort from the Viking side – fabulous head chef ??? and her team prepare some of the dishes at the ship and transport them to the chateau, where they are then finished and served. Amazingly delicious multi-course meal (portions were French so we didn’t feel too groaningly full), paired with the Chateau Kirwan’s own wines.

Back onboard, the culinary team was still hard at work, turning out cheese plates to be served with complimentary glass of Sauternes. Gorgeous experience.

When travelers ask if this kind of river cruise is a good way to see Bordeaux, you have to think that if you came all this way to do an independent land tour would you ever get to try the experience we had tonight?

One note about the meal at Chateau Kirwan: Because it was prepared entirely by the ship's chefs, who already know which passengers have special dietary requests (gluten-free, etc.), they were able to plan ahead and prepare special dishes, as needed, for those for whom the menu really wouldn't work. Nice touch.

Carolyn

(Photos, left to right): The gorgeous gardens at Kirwan; love the sculptures; the menu for last night's wine pairing dinner; I'm afraid my photo doesn't do justice to the gorgeous ambience of the event at Chateau Kirwan; the welcome we got from Viking's restaurant team when we arrived at the chateau; and one of a number of gorgeous views of vineyards we were allowed to tramp through (carefully!), but got to get close up looks at the flowering, which is in season now, and gosh, the smells are beautiful, combination of rose with the mineral scent of stones-meeting-hot-sun, part of the soil that make the Bordeaux reds so famous.

Thank you so much for the enlightening information. We are not sailing until August but your descriptions are whetting our appetite for the Bordeaux adventure.

I haven’t read much about the town of Pauillac, which on our cruise was the first port we stopped in. That’s probably because it’s always on a Sunday, which typically in France means just about every thing – shops, supermarkets, even restaurants, etc. -- is closed. We actually had a fair bit of time to explore – just about three hours or so before the day’s chateaux spotting. But there was a lot going on, from a lecture on Bordeaux to lunch.

So most of my fellow passengers didn’t get off before it was time to head to Viking’s motorcoaches. And that’s too bad. Pauillac is delightful (even on quiet Sundays).

Lying on the Garonne estuary, it’s an amazing thing to see the disparity of the tides. When we arrived, it was starting to be low tide and you could see boats lying on the mud. You couldn’t see our ship from the town’s main street – it was that low in the water! By the time we headed back from our day exploring chateaux (and having a marvelous dinner at one), the ship was riding high on the water – and you could absolutely see at least three decks worth.

In town, Bastien, our concierge, told us about a couple of places that were open. One was Le Cellier Gourmand (2, Quai Lyon Perrier), right on the main drag that overlooks the waterfront. Domi Capel (owner of the shop, a delightful lady, is in our first photo) was so lovely and told us all about her products, from foie gras to hand-made soap and from local wines to flavored mustards. We got inspired to start to acquire items for a picnic (fortunately our cabins all have mini-fridges) and everything looked delicious – and was reasonably priced. It’s also a great place to pick up locally made gifts.

The other fantastic spot (also food-centric) was a patisserie up about half a block on Rue du Aristide. There was a line out the door of locals which we thought was a good sign. The specialty is the Choclatine, translated as chocolate bread (which was confusing to us because it turns out it’s really just a chocolate croissant!). Delicious…..

The reason we call at Pauillac is because of its proximity to Haut-Medoc (and what’s dubbed the “chateaux highway” – France’s D2 – because of all the famous chateaux/vineyards that lie along it).

Carolyn

If you have time can you post some pictures of the vessel

Thank you

Absolutely, happy to. Is there anything in particular anyone wants to see of Viking Forseti? Now's the time to make your requests:)

Carolyn

If you have time can you post some pictures of the vessel

Thank you

One of the best ways to spend a morning in just about any town in France – but especially in Libourne, our stop today on our Bordeaux cruise – is just to meander around the market square. Viking Forseti stops here each Tuesday. Libourne’s town square is easy walking distance from the ship, and you can take a free guided tour with Viking, or just explore on your own.

We loved the merchandise on sale. Sure, in mid-May you’d expect absolutely bulbous tomatoes, strawberries that smell so intensely sweet the scent’s alluring, and white asparagus (biggest crowds of locals were bunched around the white asparagus sellers). But you can also buy “practical” stuff (some more practical than others). For sale? Baseball caps with a New York logo, one book, out of some 1,000 in the secondhand paperback stall that’s in English, socks, sewing notions, woven baskets, and Hello Kitty beach towels.

Just off the square is the indoor market – that’s serious stuff – seafood, meats, more veg. There’s also a gorgeous patisserie and even a café where the visitors among us sipped on coffee (it being 9:30 a.m.) while some of the locals were already savoring rose wine or pilsner!

Lovely morning….

Carolyn

Having tried out all the major river cruise lines, every one of them has something special, whether it’s the larger standard cabins of Avalon, the gorgeous and lush ambience of Uniworld’s décor, the electric bicycles and all-day café on Scenic, and the overall calm and peaceful ambience (plus the great sundeck and bicycles to use) on AmaWaterways.

On Viking River, it has to be two things. One: The standard two room suites are seriously the best in the business – tops in some ways because there’s a fair number of them onboard the Longships -- if you want a bit more space. We’re not a suite but we like ‘em!

On this trip, the big wow factor for us is the Aquavit Terrace, the Longships’ indoor/outdoor bar-lounge-restaurant, day or night. Our weather’s been mercurial; if it’s windy or rainy, we hang out indoors, if it’s nice we’re out on the open deck. When the ship’s fabulous chef Magalie mans the grill at lunchtime – it’s fabulous (think freshly grilled flank steak). And at night – and this must be the ship’s best kept secret cause it’s still not full – the Aquavit has a lovely casual menu that’s perfect when you’ve come back from a long day touring, just want home food, and feel like making it a quick casual meal (or a long, leisurely one) with just the best views and exposures. I’ve included a menu for dinner and a couple of pictures….

Carolyn

Carolyn ~ once again Thank You for your details!! And of all things, Thank You for mentioning mustard!! Sounds silly but on our Rhine River Christmas Markets cruise we bought pots of mustard in Cologne. DH loved it SO much and is savoring the little left - even my Swedish chef SIL put his usual imported mustard aside for our gift from Germany!! I know we'll be visiting that little store on our cruise!!

Between your suggestions and Elizabeth mentioning wine store on Bordeaux our list is growing!!! Best part of CC - getting suggestions from past travelers!!!

So please, keep telling us about this fabulous cruise!!!!

What a lovely review and great information, thanks so much for taking the time!

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