LFS517

We've done four Viking cruises, and I would also recommend the Rhone. Lots of history, great food and wine, beautiful scenery. Our other cruises were the Seine, Rhone, and Douro and we have enjoyed them all....kinda like choosing your favorite child!

We've never had a problem getting a mimosa at breakfast on any of our four Viking cruises, just order one from the waiter. I believe this is part of the included drinks with meals. Other than that, there is usually someone at the bar by 10 am or so based on what we've seen. The only problem we ever had was on our first cruise...my DH wanted a Bloody Mary with his breakfast, and our waiter had to wake up the bar manager to open the bar. My DH got his drink and we laughed about it the rest of the cruise (along with the Viking bar manager who had a good sense of humor).

We have been on four river cruises along with pre- and post- stays and have done a lot of walking. In addition to athletic sneakers, I include some good walking socks that provide extra support in the arch and extra padding in the heels and toes. I prefer Thorlo brand, but there are others.

Following with interest. I have had no trouble logging in to MyVikingJourney over the past week or two. Our cruise is not until next year, so there is nothing available yet, but I keep checking to see if any excursions have been added!

It sounds like Viking limits the included wine choices to boost upselling of their wine package. This is an interesting topic and I would love to hear from cruisers who have actually sailed on Viking. How acceptable are the wines included in the extra fee package? Are they worth the upcharge? Do the choices vary daily?

We have been on four Viking cruises with the Silver Spirits package each time. We have been provided with a wine list on each cruise with a good selection of wines, mostly local to the area we were cruising. The wine list stays the same for the duration of the cruise, but there are usually 6 to 8 different reds and the same number of whites to choose from. On our recent Rhone cruise there were also a couple of rose wines (sorry, don't know how to put the accent on the final "e.") . We have never been disappointed with the wines we have chosen and, combined with a few other alcoholic beverages during the cruise, we definitely feel the package is worth it for us. Guess it depends on how much you like to drink!:wine-glass::cocktail::beer-mug:

We have been on 4 Viking cruises and the wine list has been different for each cruise, depending on the location. Our Douro cruise had Portuguese wines, our Rhone and Seine cruises had French wines, and our Rhine cruise had German wines. Some of the wines available by the bottle are also available by the glass. However, with the Silver Spirits package, we have always been able to order what we want, either by the glass or by the bottle.

You are probably better off visiting Notre Dame on your own. Near by is Sainte Chapelle and I consider that a must see. It has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained glass collections anywhere in the world.

Please be aware that there is a spiral stone staircase you have to climb to access the gorgeous stained glass windows in Sainte Chapelle. I have minor mobility issues and was unable to handle those stairs. The brochure we picked up references special tours for the disabled, but we didn't see that until after we left the church. I still enjoyed the visit - my husband got some great photos and I got a cute gargoyle magnet for our refrigerator!

Another question, I assume if you purchase the package you can chose a bottle of wine from their premium wine list at dinner.

Absolutely! We enjoy studying the wine list and choosing a different bottle of wine each night with our dinner. There are always a couple of fairly expensive wines that are not included in the package, but, after 4 Viking cruises, we have never been disappointed in the wine list. Also, many of the servers are very knowledgeable about the wines and can help you choose.

Can't speak for Viking's Danube cruise, ours is booked for 2018. We have been on 4 other Viking cruises so far. They do sell wine by the glass in the lounge, so it seems to me you could get the same wine list at dinner. We have always bought the Silver Spirits package, and really enjoy ordering a different bottle of wine for dinner each night. If your cruise doesn't sell wine by the glass in the dining room, maybe you could get a glass in the lounge and carry it to dinner? The servers in the dining room usually remember if you have ordered something special to drink. As far as sparkling wine, on our recent cruise on the Rhone we saw the Viking house brand (for mimosas at breakfast), also Veuve Cliquot yellow label. There may have been others, but we didn't see them.

Well said, lackcreativity. It is nice to have options, different people travel for different reasons. We were on a Viking Rhone cruise in April and there was a very nice younger couple on the ship. The husband wouldn't eat anything not "American", had the always available steak most nights, and didn't drink wine either, only Coke. Why was he on this cruise? Because it was his wife's dream trip and he cared enough about her to go along in spite of his preferences. He even joked about his "brown wine."

Also for the people who think Viking does not provide local cuisine, on our Rhone cruise we had escargots, frogs legs, boeuf bourgignon, coq au vin, lamb with Provençal herbs, salade nicoise, and more. The wines were mainly local, and we had the Silver Spirits package and the wine list was full of local choices.

Thinking of Avignon to Lyon in March/April 2018 with Paris extension. Historical weather looks like it could be a bit chilly - will it be too cold to enjoy?

We did Lyon to Avignon from April 5 to April 12 this year, and had a 4-day pre-cruise extension in Paris and Dijon before that. The only uncomfortable weather we had was in Lyon, cool and windy. We had light jackets only and had no problems. But...past weather is no guarantee of good weather next year. I read that later in April this year there was a cold spell with frost affecting the vineyards in Burgundy and the Rhone.

We did a post-cruise stay in Amsterdam in 2015 with Viking. We didn't do any Viking tours, just did our own thing, but wanted the convenience of Viking transfers and assistance if needed. I would highly recommend purchasing the IAmsterdam card. We bought ours from the hotel concierge and used it for all our tram rides as well as an included canal cruise and admission to the Van Gogh Museum (able to skip the line) and Rembrandt's house. There were many other included things but we didn't have time for everything. Nice to pay once for a multitude of uses!

We've been on 4 Viking cruises and purchased the Silver Spirits package on each one, always feel like we have gotten our money's worth. We enjoy choosing a different wine every night from the wine list, always found something we liked better than the included-for-everyone wine. Our latest cruise on the Rhone in April had a wonderful wine list, lots of local wines to choose from. We also got to sample different wines from the list by the glass as a pre-dinner drink, and we enjoyed our cordials after dinner. The bar and restaurant staff will remember you, no bracelets required.

We recently returned from a Viking cruise on the Rhone. We had quite a bit of regional cuisine, including escargots, frogs legs, cassoulet, lamb with Provençal herbs, chateaubriand, beef bourgignon, coq au vin. One lunch was a Taste of Provence with salade Nicoise, lots of cheeses, olives, etc. The included wines were usually local, although we saw some from Argentina and Spain. The additional wine choices available with our Silver Spirits package were wonderful, many local wines from Burgundy and the Rhone, as well as other French and European wines. Sorry, no food or menu photos.

We have been on 4 Viking cruises and have purchased the Silver Spirits package every time. It has worked very well for us. My DH enjoys a beer or two during the day if we are on the ship, we both enjoy a pre-dinner drink or glass of wine, and after dinner drinks (love my evening Baileys). The best thing about the package to us is the ability to choose a different wine every night from the wine list, and ignore the included "house" wines Viking provides. We just returned from the Rhone and the wine list was wonderful, we had some really good wines. For us, the package is definitely worth the price!

What an interesting thread - food and wine! Just my two cents' worth....We just returned from a Viking cruise on the Rhone from Lyon to Avignon (lengthy review posted under Viking Heimdal). We had lots of French cuisine, from appetizers like escargots, frogs legs, cassoulet, onion soup to main courses like coq au vin and beef bourgignon. One lunch was a Taste of Provence with lots of local choices. However, we also had chicken and waffles one night, perhaps a direction from corporate since that dish seems to be showing up on many cruises. The food overall was okay, nothing really memorable. We always had something interesting to eat, but we are not foodies and not very picky eaters. I don't think we should "put down" those who order from the "always available" side of the menu - some people are not adventurous eaters and Viking is trying to cater to different comfort zones. As far as wines go, we had the Silver Spirits package and the wine list on this cruise was wonderful. The "house" wines not so much. The French wine they served was La Vielle Ferme, available at our local liquor store for $5.99 a bottle! We were glad we had the package and could choose better wines with our meals. We did buy a few bottles of wine during our travels, packed in wine sleeves in our suitcase for the trip home with no problem.

What itinerary were you on? We are on a Rhine cruise in Oct and I can't find anything about paying gratuities in cash.

I thought we could just add them to our shipboard account and pay with credit card.

Yes you can - I believe cash tips are only required on the Portugal Douro River cruises. We have been on other Viking cruises (Seine and Rhine) and were able to pay gratuities with our credit card.

Good info...we are new to Viking RIver cruise.

We have just booked the Douro River cruise July 29 - Aug. 8ths....

 

Any information or any tips about Viking would really be appreciated.

We were on the Viking Douro cruise last year and had to pay gratuities in cash - something about how the staff is taxed on tips. Luckily we had extra Euros, a lot of our fellow passengers had to visit an ATM at our last shore excursion.

We did a Douro cruise the beginning of April 2016. The weather was cool and we had some rain. It was cool enough that some of the higher hills along the river had a dusting of snow. I usually wore a light fleece jacket, especially in Salamanca, where we had chilly weather, very windy with a little light rain. We had a wonderful time, weather was not a problem!

We did the half- day Viking tour in 2014. They got us there early and we were the first group into the palace, a great advantage since we avoided the worst of the crowds. The tour guide was very interesting, and we had plenty of free time after the tour to explore the gardens. It was no hassle and, IMO, worth the cost. Of course, it's personal preference but I can recommend Viking for this one.

We just got home from a Douro cruise on the Viking Osfrid and the toiletries were L'Occitaine. I plan to post a review as soon as CC adds the Osfrid (new this year) to the list of Viking ships.