JaniceWilcox

Thank you both! I think I will book it!

We are considering a Romantic Danube Cruise in November. Has anyone ever taken that cruise in November? How is it? Another option is an Ocean cruise that includes Norway in March. Which would be best for someone who is not used to very cold winters. We are from a southern state and are not used to extreme cold!

That sounds like a winner to me! Thanks.

Did Viking provide a shuttle to Bruge from the port?

Thank you, deec. I do hope we get to take that cruise. Not willing to tie up that much money for a whole year, so we're waiting until closer to book. I did notice that this year they have a summer sale, so hope to get in on that next summer. We hope to do the Norway in a Nutshell in Bergen.

How did you get to the canal tour? Maybe we could sign up for that and leave before getting on the boat? After the cruise, did you have time to see other things in Amsterdam?

We are considering taking the "Trade Routes of the Middle Ages" cruise with Viking, and would like to know if there is an opportunity to get off the canal cruise anywhere close to the Anne Frank museum. We were in Amsterdam several years ago, and didn't get to go there because of a storm. I'm assuming that if we did that, we would have a shuttle that would take us back later?

I am seriously looking at Viking Cruises because of the "inclusiveness" that people say they have, and the great food, etc. I would like to hear more about your other excursions and how they were. Thank you so much for contributing.

I have been on a canal tour in Amsterdam with Rick Steves, and I assumed the one with Viking would be similar, but obviously not! Could you have stayed in Amsterdam? We would like to see Anne Frank's home while there. We missed that the last time around because of a storm. Were you on the Trade Routes of the Middle Ages cruise? I would really like to know how the other included excursions were.

The lack of courtesy is something I have not run into on a tour. All of our tour groups have been great. But when you have 900 plus people on a ship, I'm sure it is bound to happen. I can't imagine leaving an excursion without telling the person in charge! (We did, however, have one scatterbrained person on one who was always late!)

Thank you, Clay! We usually take our tours with Rick Steves, so are used to being able to explore the cities without a deadline to "get back to" wherever. Do they often depart from a port early in the day? This is an awfully expensive way to travel to not get to see much! However, my husband is 82 & I am 76, so we've decided that it may be time to switch to cruising.

We are also considering a Viking Cruise. I have been reading the included excursions, and many of them say at the end, "You will then return to your ship." The longest of those is four hours, and it made me wonder if we were required to return. The only cruise we have ever taken was in 2005, which was an Alaska cruise-tour with Holland America, so I am clueless! How long are we allowed to stay in port? I assumed it would be pretty much all day.