sharkster77

YES---Your are on the Grand European Tour, not the Rhine Getaway (Basel to Amsterdam, just 8 days--yours is 14 days). Marksburg USED to be included in the Rhine Getaway, but not anymore. Are you going to Heidelberg? It used to be part of the Rhine Getaway as well, but was replaced with Speyer (Heidelberg became an optional excursion on the Rhine Getaway.

I was thinking that to access the UK website and pay in pounds, one had to be on a computer in the UK. Similarly, my US Netflix account a few years ago detected I was accessing the website from Iceland, and wouldn't let me log in.

Many travel credit cards give 3% or more cashback for travel purchases. Isn't the discount for paying by "check" often 3%? In that case it would be the same discount, but with the protection of using a credit card.

We enjoy bus tours, but love river cruises for this reason: Imagine a bus tour, but you take your hotel and restaurant with you. The line in the latest Viking commercials that resonates with us is "unpack only once..........". There is no "have your luggage out in the hallway at XX o'clock..........." Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I know, you also unpack only once with other river cruise companies as well....... (pre-emptive reply to Viking-haters out there)

On Viking's Rhine Getaway cruise, the middle Rhine castle viewing is either in the morning or afternoon, with an excursion in the other time slot. We visited Marksburg Castle in the morning, had lunch, then sailed the middle Rhine. We arrived in Rudesheim late afternoon and could venture out on our own either before or after dinner. Now, I believe Marksburg Castle is replaced with Koblenz, Marksburg is now an optional excursion. OOPS @pontac just saw your post, did not mean to repeat pretty much what you said word for word!

"Sea days" may work on ocean cruises because there is not shortage of things to do on the ship (spa, gambling, programs, etc.). River cruises are all about the ports, not the ship, so if there was a "sea day" on a river cruise, there would be a limited amount of things to do. River cruises are a very active kind of vacation, which some of us love, but others may not.

I would hope those who bought sufficient trip insurance would get relief? I don't mean from Vantage, but from a 3rd party.

FULL cruising days? NO. On the Rhine with Viking, we had a morning when we cruised the scenic middle Rhine, and an afternoon, after visiting Kinderdijk, when we cruised on the Waal on our way to the Rhine. My comment was in referral to sea days on ocean cruises, when one can spend the entire day in a lounge chair sipping umbrella drinks watching the water. On the Rhine that does not happen. Maybe your cruise company was different, but my comments were based on my experience.

RE: ship swaps, with a ship leaving Amsterdam and Budapest every day, in opposite directions, Viking is probably better equipped than most to handle ship swaps. You will have to pack, but when you return from an excursion you will be brought to the other ship, which has the exact same layout as the old one, you will be assigned the same cabin, and the crew will follow along with you. There's a joke out there (pretty much true) the the only difference between Viking longships is the painting of the Norse god for whom the ship is named at the top of the stairs. Even the shorter Seine ships have the same layout, just fewer cabins. Cannot comment about TripMate--we have always used Allianz, and the one time we had to make a claim they paid us super-quickly, within days.

One of the big differences, river vs ocean, is that on a river cruise you really aren't in your cabin very much, mostly for sleeping and changing clothes. There are no sea days, so no sitting on the balcony watching the world go by---most sailing is done while you sleep. If you are day sailing it is in a scenic area (middle Rhine, Wachau valley) and the best place to view the scenery is not on your balcony, but on the top deck or the lounge (floor-to-ceiling windows). When there was that rare chance to watch the world go by, it was very pleasant doing that from the lounge or top deck. Rafting is a part of river cruising---OP, don't let that discourage you! When you are rafted, you are most likely waking up in the morning, or off the ship.

Upon emigrating to the US the von Trapps opened a resort/ski lodge in Stowe Vermont. Called it the Trapp Family Lodge (dropped the "von"). It is still in operation today, some of the grandchildren (or great-grandchildren?) have opened a brewery that brews kolsch and other German-style beers. My daughters stopped in last summer and bought me a sampling of their brews, along with this hat (to show their logo).

The Diary of Ann Frank is a staple in US middle schools---EVERYBODY here, it seems has read it (or was supposed to have read it). Similar to the Sound of Music----HUGE in the US, but Saltzburgers don't see what the fuss is.

Churches in Rome certainly will ban you from entering if you have shorts on, but it may be more lax in other parts of Europe. Check with your cruise director, as mentioned. Then again, I'm old fashioned----I'm often the only man to remove his ballcap upon entering a church!

In the other (closed) thread, some have expressed doubt that their travel insurance will pay up. My experiences with travel insurance have been quite the opposite. CAVEAT: my claim did not involve Vantage. I would expect that if the policy with the appropriate coverages was purchased, and that if all of one's ducks are all in a row, I would expect travel insurance to cover the losses. After all, don't we purchase travel insurance in the event of this kind of event?

Fair enought, @MOssyLedge. Thanks for your reply. I've spent almost 50 yrs now hearing things like "Those who can, do, those who cannot, teach", or "ohhhh, your JUST a teacher....", and your post struck a nerve. I apologize for reacting to something that was not intended. Oh, and I agree 1000%----what Henry Lewis has done is despicable.

Please do not say that those of us who worked in academia did not produce anything for a living. I produced doctors, nurses, techincians, engineers, researchers, etc. Heck, without your education you certainly would not be where you are today "producing something". You many not realize that some could take that comment in a negative way.

This whole affair is Exhibit A for "Why travel insurance is necessary". Corollary to Exhibit A: Purchase third-party travel insurance, not from the tour company. If they self-insure, then when they go down, your insurance goes down with them.

The on-river experience with Viking was wonderful, very attentive, crew very much aims to please, officers approachable, great excursions, etc. If the Viking experience on the boats was not so good, they would have a problem getting away with less pleasant stuff (super-early final payment, etc.) I'm sure the experience is similar on other cruise lines---just saying that if Viking's product was not very good, they would not be able to pull off the other stuff. And I am a fan of Viking saying this.

1.23 million dollars recovered isn't 'nothing'. I know you're angry, but be fair.

And from the crew---we didn't cruise with Vantage, but on our river cruise the waitstaff, chambermaids (I'm sure there is a more modern word), etc., worked tirelessly and always with a smile. I can't imagine stiffing those people.

Ha, good one Roz, touche! I'm glad humor can be injected into this discussion that has somehow become edgy.

I appreciate all that you do for this website and respect you and your opinions. When I say "with all due respect" I mean it---please do not read snark into my comments towards you--none are intended. You, Jazzbeau, have expressed your opinions RE: Viking without the snarky tone that others have used. I am simply asking those who like other cruise lines to express their opinions without denigrating those who like a different cruise line--that's all. I am not angry with you at all, or anyone else, to be honest. More like a bit annoyed. Please don't read more into my comments than I have intended. Since my comments have gotten 'likes', apparently I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Because the pros and cons of Viking can be outlined without the air of superiority (and implied inferiority of Viking fans). The pearl-clutching at thought of booking with Viking (GASP!!) is a bit over-the-top. I take it as an insult because it comes across as one ("how could ANYONE be as foolish as to book with Viking!!! I would NEVER, NEVER be caught doing that!!") Excuse the hyperbole--I use it to make my point by exaggeration. LOVE Avalon, Ama, Uniworld---I don't care if you do. But don't cast aspersions at those who prefer one company over your favorite. I personally do not like the French bordello look of the Uniworld ships, but don't hold any opinions about those who do like it.

With all due respect Jazzbeau, if it doesn't bother me that Viking wants final payment far in advance, why should that bother anyone else? I don't believe Viking is putting a gun to anyone's head and forcing them to book with them. I love their product and don't mind the payment policy. If you consider Viking to be arrogant, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. Similarly, Viking fans are entitled to like them without being castigated for it. It's fine to like another product, but the demonization of Viking is not necessary. Just say you like Company X better, but don't categorize Viking patrons as naive, gullible, inferior etc.--NOT saying you, Jazzbeau, have done this, but there is an air of smugness among SOME non-Viking fans. If Amawaterways or Uniworld or Avalon wanted to spend as much on advertising as Viking, no one is stopping them. If Viking has created the impression that there are no other river cruise companies out there, that is a marketing strategy that succeeded brilliantly.

And------------ There are some of us out there who have had NO problems dealing with Viking, enjoy their product very much, and are OK with paying them early (that's what travel insurance is for). We do not micromanage our finances to the point that missing out on a few months of interest is going to cause us to lose sleep. Note: I have been jokingly (I hope) been accused of working for Viking on these boards for supporting them, I do not, but need to pop up when the "Viking is the root of all evil in the world" crowd makes their feelings known! Just want to be fair. Thank you @island lady for your perspective ---This concludes the end of my old-man rant-----