pontac

An adapter just is an intermediary the coverts the plugs prongs of one country to the plugs prongs of another country - in your case the flat USA prongs to the round Euro prongs that allows USA devices to be plugged into Euro sockets. They don't convert the electricity, so a device built to operate on USA 110 volts will receive Euro 220 volts. Best to check the device will take 220 volts. If you read earlier posts in the thread, you'll see that personal hair driers are not allowed to be used on river boats. A hair drier is supplied in every cabin (with Viking certainly). Check the rules with the cruise line you are booked on.

Not of any use for the OP, but for UK readers Viking's price includes flights and transfers

Inside the boat is airconditioned, I have never found the restaurant to be too hot or too cold. I like to dress up, but as I am retired there's now few opportunities to do so. If one is on holiday from a job where you have to wear certain clothes you might like to be casual on your river cruise. Viking are relaxed about what you wear. This is from the Dress Code section of Vikings FAQs There are no “formal nights” in the evening; recommended evening dress is “elegant casual.” For ladies, this may include a dress, skirt or slacks with a sweater or blouse; and for gentlemen, trousers and a collared shirt. A tie and jacket are optional. But as @gourmetgirlsays, you won't get turned away. Go with what you're comfortable in.

Thanks for the correction @Haqdeluxe Considering the number of Longships I have been on, I shouldn't have made this basic error. I plead anno domini - although I have never had to use the elevators. So far!

I apologise if I misunderstood and you are talking about elevators from quayside to boat, but Mimir is a Longship and there is an elevator, though it doesn't serve the cabins at the top, lounge or the sun deck. However it will take passengers between the lower deck and the restaurant deck.

PS: we did the Rhine Gateway in April, you may want to read my review Viking Rhine Getaway Cruise Basel - Amsterdam on Cruise Critic PPS: We lived for a while in Phoenixville PA, which is only 90 minutes from Red Lion.

Well, I am simple fellow. The OP (Original Poster) Is cruising Budapest to Bucharest which is B2B also Bordeaux to Bordeaux is B2B and, as you say Back to Back is also B2B so it's worth spelling it out where there is a chance of confusion. (BTW - [By the Way] I am Pontac, not a car) If they are travelling by train to Budapest then they will not be at the airport. If they are being met by Viking staff at the station then that's the time to put the Viking tags on the cases; if they are making their own way to the boat they don't need to fix the tag till then. But even if they fix them when they leave the ocean ship, they are - as you said - sturdier than they look. Anyway - they don't need protection, so save your money @islandwoman

This cruise offers 3 pre-cruise extensions: Lucerne, Lake Como and Basel. Are you doing them all?

I have been on 10 Viking River Cruises. I am not sure I understand what you're asking. Viking issue two types of baggage tags - red leather ones with leather straps you can use these for you home/destination address. They are very sturdy, we use them on our cases for all our travel in the past 10 years, and have not lost one The second one is specific to the cruise, they are a plasticized paper and identify you, your boat and your cabin. They are used by the crew to m take the cases to correct cabins. These tags are sturdier than they look, they are very difficult - I found them impossible - to tear. I imagine these are the ones you are talking about. I don't think they need protecting, but if the worst happens and they go missing, no worries as the crew will use the boats manifest to look for your name and cabin to take the bags to your cabin. In the worst possible case (pun not intended) your bags will stay in reception waiting for you to claim them. (PS B2B - is that Budapest to Bucharest or Bordeaux to Bordeaux?)

No doubt the fires are serious, but I'm aware the media makes things more dramatic. That's why I asked what impact the fires have had on river cruises. One of the excursions is to Arcachon, I was reading of very severe fires there and I expect excursions to the town and sand dunes will not take place during the fires. But I'd like to hear from those on a cruise at this time. A participant on another - non-cruising forum - is on holiday in Arcachon and he says the fires were pretty severe earlier this week and came within a couple of km of Arcachon itself. Last Tuesday evening the sky over the town was, rather alarmingly, entirely obscured with black smoke, although I don’t think we were ever in any real danger. The fires have been put out now. The effect on local ecology has obviously been pretty devastating but, short of another heatwave, I’d hope you’d be fine for your trip in a few weeks.

I take it you're posting this after reading today's news from Schipol? I'm due to transit through there next month, and I'm hoping today's baggage problems will be fixed by then. I left from Schipol after a river cruise in April and it was awful, huge long queues to get into the terminal, then to check in and then go to security. Terrible. Just caught the flight. Schipol used to be a class act.

I'm due to go on a Scenic river cruise in Bordeaux in a few weeks time. I read today that wildfires are raging in the region, including Arcachon which is a excursion destination. I'd like to hear from those currently cruising the Bordeaux region what impact these fires are having..... Source: Fine wine estate evacuated as wildfires rage south of Bordeaux - The Drinks Business

Our friends did this cruise last week and their Lisbon hotel was the Tivoli.

@thetravelsofmrsb I'm looking forward to your view - and photos - of food and drink on the cruise. Please post here with a link when ready. When we started cruising with Viking 10 years ago the house white was Gruner Veltliner and the red Blaeur Zweigelt both from Wachau's Morwald winery. Now Viking have 80+ river cruisers they serve different wine. I thought the Austrian wines particularly good. Anyway, last time we went through the Wachau Valley (On Danube Waltz in 2018) we took an excursion to Morwald winery where the very jolly owner Erhardt Morwald, pictured below, treated us right royally. He supplied 35,000 bottles annually to Viking and implored us to drink more!

Excellent posts, lovely photos. They answer many questions visitors here ask, including whether all the passengers are ancient. 🙂 One typo you may want to correct is in the second sentence of the first paragraph of the itinerary post - saw us vising six different ports

I beg to differ. Earlier in that description it says Meet your guide and drive into the city for a half-day motor coach and walking tour, Given that the excursion lasts a max 3.5 hours which includes free time (denoted by 'Shopping' at the top), the excursion shows you the sights of Vienna from the coach, plus a walking tour with free time to do your own thing. I took this tour, and thought it did an admirable job of exactly that. As we didn't want to shop, we had a pastry and coffee in a café. From the information given by the guide about the metro, we made our own way back to the centre later. There's a metro station close to the river morning. There's not enough time in 3.5 hours to enter and tour Hofburg Palace, St. Stephan's cathedral, the Vienna State Opera concert hall and have time for shopping and a walking tour. If you already know the city or prefer to visit certain places by all means skip this excursion. We didn't and enjoyed it. mhb1757 had the bad luck to have a poor guide and get stuck in traffic. Luck of the draw, but our guide was good, explained a lot and gave a history, all of which was new to us.

The OP is cruising with Viking. Viking has American sockets in cabins. My electric toothbrush is charged via a USB plug. There are USB sockets in the cabins. If you're not cruising with Viking, please say with whom you are cruising with, and what plug/power need you brush has.

See second post in this thread

I book direct with Viking and get promotional emails and letter from them. Also when booking direct with them I have been offered money off and the Silver Drinks package that hasn't been advertised

Viking supplies hair dryers in every cabin; as others have said European hotel rooms also have hair dryers. See Viking FAQs on the website under My Ship Is my stateroom furnished with amenities that I do not need to pack? All stateroom bathrooms are equipped with premium bath toiletries. A hair dryer is also provided, and laundry and pressing services are available. Also in FAQs is link to a prohibited on board list which includes Any electrical device that produces heat You may want to bring face cloths (not sure what they are called in the USA). Though supplied in your cabin, many Euro hotels don't have them.

Thanks Tim, but I'll need the airline booking reference to check in, and the hotel chit(?) to book into the hotel, plus details of when the car is due on outbound and where to meet driver on arrival back in UK. I 'spose with the disruption at Heathrow they need to leave it to later to confirm when and which flight we're actually booked on.

Have you browsed the River Cruise Ports sub-forum of this forum?

I can't see I have the option to subscribe to newsletters, this is what I see if I click on Newsletters in my Profile

No.

Tours can differ depending on the cruise you are on. The included tours tend to give you an orientation, and are walking tours or bus & walking tours. How difficult the walking is depends and is rated on the Viking website. Sometimes they go into buildings The Viking website give a clear indication of how difficult the walking element is, and the tours are fully described there. We went on included tours in Budapest and Vienna when we took Romantic Danube I think the Budapest included tour - which is coach & walking covers a lot of ground that you couldn't do in the time - on both sides of the river - plus you get an explanation from the guide. On that tour you enter Matthias Church. As one now has to book the included tours on MVJ I recommend you do so, you can later decide not to go on them. The excursions should be described the evening preceding by the Programme Manager in the lounge before dinner As the included tours take only half the day you can do your own thing the other half.