sharkster77

Thanks all--we are probably going to use Delta nonstop, Boston to Heathrow. No connection, thankfully. If we had to connect we would probably go through Dublin or Reykjavik, to avoid Heathrow.

Question: need to book flights from Boston to London. Looking for a nonstop if possible. How is British Air? Decent, avoid at all costs, or no better or worse than anyone else?

A few folks have indicated in this thread that they have booked their first river cruise after 20+, 50+ ocean cruises. I would suggest to them that they read as much of these boards as possible, so they are not disappointed because river cruises are a completely different animal as compared to ocean cruises. No climbing walls, water slides, big evening shows, or sea days, for a start. Ocean cruises are about the ship; river cruises are about the ports. Somebody posted here a few years ago and lambasted river cruises because he couldn't get a shrimp cocktail and t-bone steak for dinner every night. Somebody who clearly did not do his homework.

Also, any charger for a cell phone, laptop, fitness watch, etc., is 99.99999% going to be dual voltage. In that case just an adaptor is needed. Wife uses a curling iron, and even that was easily available in dual voltage, for ~$10 at Target.

It may depend upon what airports are available to you? We fly out of Logan in Boston, and having been to Europe 4 times in the last 5 years, we have never been able to get flights as cheaply as the cruise/tour company. 3 out of 4 times we were able to get non-stops, again for less money than if we booked it ourselves. Family asks why we go to Europe as opposed to Alaska, Hawaii, etc. Easy answer: Europe is (a) closer and (b) cheaper to fly to.

In the early spring high water can be an issue. There are many low bridges and if the water is too high, the ship cannot pass under the bridge. In mid summer it's low water. Usually (but not always) low water issues resolve themselves in the fall.

2018 was rough year water level-wise, then when we sailed in 2019 it was not a problem. THEN 2 yrs of COVID happened, now it's an issue again. It's unpredictable---could be low water, high water, or no problems.

I am a fervent believer of the adage "Happy wife, happy life". It just makes things easier.

Customs it typically if you have nothing to declare, just keep on walking, if you do, here's the line to do so. With connecting flights passport control can be different. This year we flew BOS--MTL--CAL. We expected to go thru PP control in Calgary, but did it in Montreal instead, with MTL--CAL becoming a domestic flight. Last month we flew BOS--DUB--GLA. We did passport control in Dublin, not Glasgow. We figured Dublin would be a pass-through as we never left the secure area of the airport, but no.

Dear wife has shifted her viewpoint---now she can't justify the $1500-$1700 per person upcharge for a french balcony. She says we could do a lot of things with the $3K plus price difference. Now she is leaning toward aquarium class--after the first night, we slept fine on our first cruise.

I believe you go passport control, then bags, then to the exit hall, where all the limo drivers are holding signs with people's names on them (like in the movies!)--Viking will probably be out there.

Viking gave us gigantic red Viking stickers to put on our jackets/shirts---I think they found us before we found them.

Thanks all--we spent so little time in our cabin that having less light due to the smaller windows wasn't noticed. 150 sf is small to begin with, so losing 15 sf wouldn't be a bother to me since, as mentioned, we were only in there to sleep and change clothes. Less noise would certainly be a plus (as long as I avoid the guy who HAS to run on the track at 5 AM--that would be my BIL for sure). That being said, paying the extra $$$ to maintain domestic tranquility may be worth the cost.

Context: we are looking at tulip cruises for 2024--- When we sailed with Viking 3 yrs ago we booked a cabin in aquarium class. We did notice that there was a bit of noise---water against the hull, maybe noticeable because we were sailing upstream against the current. This caused sleep problems the first night or two. My question is this---is there less noise in cabins on the middle level? Another factor is that I could see out of the windows in aquarium class while dear wife could not, so she really wants a french balcony so she can see out. As the numbers guy, I'm trying to justify that against a difference of $3K per couple. I MIGHT be convinced if there is also less noise. I won't consider the uppermost deck, as I don't want to deal with the guy for whom rules don't apply who HAS to run on the track at 5 AM! In summary, I do know that french balcony is much more expensive, trying to find a way to both justify it in my mind AND keep the queen of the realm happy. Thanks in advance to this awesome online community!

In 2019 we sailed A to B. Colmar tours were the optional AM tours and Black Forest was the included PM tour. I would imagine the order reverses for B to A.

@Canal archive, we are heading off to Scotland as well, today, for 2 weeks. The reports on the queen's health in this morning's news are concerning---hoping she makes a quick rebound!

Most of the actual crusing occurs while you sleep, unless you are traversing a scenic area, like the Wachau valley on the Danube, or the middle Rhine (castle-apalooza).

The Rijksmuseum is set up such that upon entering you are in the "greatest treasures" gallery (it has a different name, which presently escapes me). Straight ahead, at the end of the long gallery, is The Night Watch. In side alcoves, you can find the Vermeers, Hals, Steens, etc. If one is pressed for times, the "greatest hits" can be seen here. Other very neat galleries include the doll houses (PBS series The Miniaturist made us very interested in this gallery--17th century wealthy women collected unbelievably realistic miniatures and placed them in these ornate doll houses), and the Delft pottery display was amazing. We arrived there at about 11AM, had lunch there, and left about 3 PM.

Air Canada changed the departure times of my flights prior to our flying with them in June. They DID notify me via email, COMPLETELY WRITTEN IN FRENCH!!! Now, I spoke French as a small child (descendent of French Canadian immigrants), and I did take 4 years of French in HS almost 50 yrs ago, but...... Google Translator can be a very good thing.......

Another consideration is that experienced ocean cruisers often book their own independent excursions. That is quite difficult on a river cruise. The docking times are not known well in advance, and can change based on back ups in locks or a whole host of other factors. Also, the ship is often moving while you are on an excursion, so the boat may not be there when you return from your self-booked tour. The bus that brought you on the excursion will bring you to the ship's new location. And lastly, you are already paying for an included excursion in every port, and we found the optional excursions of very good quality and reasonably priced.

Fair enough, as I mentioned, rivers further south, like the Colorado for example are suffering greatly. I did try the ACL board but got no reply. I knew this board would come through! Thanks!

I posted this on the American Cruise Lines page and got no response, so maybe someone here can provide an answer: We are all aware of the low-water problems on the Rhine this summer. Given that the western US has been under drought conditions for the last few summers, are Columbia river cruises ever affected by low water, or is that not a problem there?

Right now, river cruises on the Rhine have been rather chaotic as a result of low water. Given that the western US has had water problems the last few summers, have there been any low water issues on the Columbia? Or is that typically not a problem there?

Just spoke to American Cruise Lines, and they have already eliminated the 3-day NP extension! The 7-day has been absorbed into a 15 day river cruise/NP tour that comes in around $11K pp. Given the short summer in the Rockies, this option is only available from June to early September.

We had no complaints about our Viking cruise 3 years ago, then again, we don't need free flowing liquor all day, a butler, a spa, etc. There are some on these boards that simply do not Viking due to their payment policies, but have this dislike despite never having sailed with them. We are definitely satisfied Viking customers. If they aren't someone's cup of tea, so be it--I'm sure other lines are also fine.