travelingman

@MyDogRudy first, when are you cruising? We are on the June 4 cruise from Budapest to Regensburg. We were originally booked for August 2022 but move it due to low water concerns. On that cruise Passau had the walking tour of Pasau in the morning from 9:30am - 11:00am (1 1/2 hours) and the E-bike tour was in the afternoon I believe starting at 1:00pm or 1:30pm. This gives enough time to get back to the ship for a quick lunch in between the excursions. Sorry I do not have the total time in port. By the way their is a "roll call" under Viking River Cruises for 2023 Romantic Danube Cruise - https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2875010-all-2023-viking-romantic-danube-river-cruise/#comment-63911273. You will see a link in post #12 to a google doc you can enter your information and maybe see other others sailing on the same cruise.

@CityGrrl you stated "Large bottles of sparkling water are a rare commodity. Make friends with a bartender who can help you find them on the ship ("try the buffet bar today!"). They're great for taking back to your room and rehydrating after a fun night!" Do you have to pay for these bottles of water or are they included with the drink package? Thanks. Stan

@CityGrrl thank you very much. i was wondering about the electrical outlets. I had read somewhere that many of the outlet extenders for the US type outlet will not fit because they are too big or too wide. I like the one you referred to. We have a couple of different types of converter/ adapters and hope one of them will fit for the E/F adapter. I figured it would be fairly easy to figure the ship out with it's small size. Had also heard the aft bar was a good place to sit and watch the ocean go by. Thanks for the tip on the lounge at the top of the ship. I am with you on the natural beauty and history. I will add the architecture. We will occasionally check out some of the entertainment but usually check out early to get to bed and get ready for the next day. Thanks for the info. Stan

@CityGrrl since you have taken a cruise already with Celestyal Crystal I wanted to see if you have any tips, comments or suggestions on the Crystal ship itself. Any "secrets" you wish you had known before boarding? Thanks. Stan

One other note for sea sickness. Many of the lines now have green apples on the ships which is supposed to be good for queasiness. As mentioned above there is no guarantee. When we cruised some years ago round trip Vancouver everything was good until one evening at dinner my wife mentioned she was feeling queasy. I asked why. She said the ship was moving up and down. None of the remaining 10 of us could feel anything. When we looked out the window the ship was moving up and down about 3 - 4 feet. It was nothing to most of us but she could feel it. She did et over it and was able to eat dinner. I will say this was during one of the moments when there was no islands on the West of us. She has now found that ginger helps her a lot. Stan

I agree that a travel agent can be of a help. If nothing else they will offer an OBC which the Viking Agent cannot do. They can also do as you mentioned as far as monitoring your flights, etc. Don't know why a Viking agent would have a problem with you talking to a travel agent - unless the Viking agent gets some type of "commission" if they book it first versus the travel agent booking it first. Stan

I will disagree with the no country wide toilet paper flushing in Greece. I have stayed at several hotels in Greece - Athens, Delphi and Thessalonica that did not require toilet paper to not be flushed.

If things are as they are today you will meet at the dock in Budapest, unless you arrive on the day of the cruise, and you will be bused to Komárno. If arriving on the day of the cruise with a Viking transfer you will be bused to Komárno, maybe stopping at the dock to pick up other passengers. Then you will be bused back to Budapest the next day for the tours. It is possible they might move the tour to the boarding date since you are going to be on a bus anyway. If you are on pre-cruise extension everything should be the same except on the boarding day you will be bused to Komárno.

Question please. We will be on the Celestyal Crystal in Nov. 2022 and have a free excursion to Ephesus called "Ancient Ephesus through the ages Hellenistic and Roman". It seems basically a tour of Ephesus plus the usual "time for shopping for carpets, jewellery, leather and other souvenirs at the end of our tour." It mentions "We will be able to see .... the Houses of Koressus, where the wealthy families of Ancient Ephesus lived." It doesn't say visit, just able to see. Has anyone done this tour and can comment on whether it is just see from a distant or visit them? Trying to decide whether to do this free tour or take a private that will include visiting the terrace houses. Thank you. Stan

We stayed at an Airbnb in Plaka (Athens) where you could not flush the toilet paper down the toilet. Wife said never again. But with the Airbnb we had to take the non-covered "waste" to the dumpster ourselves. Hopefully she can survive it with a lidded trash can and them emptying it twice a day - probably when they clean the room and when they do the turn down in the evening. I am just not going to tell her and take my chances. Thanks again for the review and update. Stan

Thanks for the review. Had not previously heard or read that you were not supposed to flush the toilet paper. Wife is not going to be happy with this. Was it done anyway? Was the wine and soft drinks still included in the Classic Drink package? Was there any problem with bringing bottle water and snacks onto the ship? Thank you. Stan

These should come directly from Viking, maybe a couple of weeks or earlier before your cruise. Or, if you used a travel agent they might go to the travel agent first and then to you. Stan

I agreed withe the above posts. You do not need to put those tag on your luggage until you are going to pass them off to Viking - be that Prague, Budapest train station or at the ship. These are only temporary tags to ensure the luggage is delivered to the correct cabin. Not only does this help prevent the loss of them but it also keeps them from being confused with the info that is on the red Viking luggage tags. It basically only for the Viking personnel although someone else could look at them and figure out they should go to the Viking River ship. Personally, we prepare several tags to be used in our red permanent luggage tag holders. The first is for the pre cruise hotel that we book on our own. The second is for our ship (no cabin info, just the ship name and dock). The third is for our first hotel after the cruise and for our August cruise there will also be one for a second hotel in another city. Lastly, we have a tag with our home address for our return to our house. We change the tags each time we are getting ready to move to the next location be it a hotel, ship or home. Yes, it might seem like a lot of trouble but it is not. Just have to make sure the tags are the right size. The tag you are talking about, as I mentioned above, does not go on until we are turning the bag over to Viking. Stan

@Hlitner, don't know what you have against the Plaka area. We have enjoyed staying there. It is close to pretty much everything and a fun area to walk around with some good restaurants. Plus some of the ruins are right there in it. Stan

@notamermaid, have you seen ant pictures of the Roman Galleys? Stan

Have not said Celestyal yet. We are booked on the Nov.12 14-day Crystal cruise. From the reviews I have read the bottom line seems to be @GlobalMethod has said. Do not be comparing it to Oceania or other "premium/luxury line. The Celesyal Crystal is an older and smaller ship. Might show some aging here and there. Since the basic cruise cost is low there are up charges for things that you might get for free on some lines. But with the low basic cruise costs I'm not worried about some additional charges. One thing I did read was the WIFI might be slow in some areas. The overall reviews I read were mostly positive. The main opinion seems to be to go for the destinations. Some of the mid to lower tier cabins will be smaller than the newer lines. Need to move up to the "suites" to have larger cabins. Obviously reviews are subjective. Some I have read did not think the food was all that great while others thought it was good. There are some pretty good YouTube reviews from prior to COVID that you might want to look at. Guess the bottom line is you can do Oceania and have what you are used to (ship wise) or go for a lower cost cruise with a good port itinerary with a new adventure. I chose the new adventure. Good luck on your choice and your cruise. Stan

One comment please on visiting Delphi. Delphi can also be done as a day trip from Athens. It is a long day trip (maybe 10 hours) but it is done by many. It can be done anywhere from a private tour to a bus tour. Stan

Does anybody even accept Traveler's Checks any more? Stan

Has anyone ever heard of any Galapagos cruises with solo cabins or single supplement prices? Stan

The ETIAS has actually been around since 10/18 but they have kept postponing the effective date. system the US has for foreigners coming into the US. Just another form and a minor fee to pay to enter Europe. Stan

On the Celestyal website look to the top right and find "Manage My Booking." Click on that and the last item is 'FAQ." Click on that and you will be taken to the "Frequently Asked Questions" page. About 1/2 way down is "What to Pack." Click on that and then look for "What is the dress code on-board." Lots of information under the FAQs. Hope this helps. Stan

I have not yet sailed on Celestyal. Booked for Nov. 12. This is what is on their website. "What is the dress code on-board? For your safety and comfort on-board we suggest sports or flat shoes with low heels. These types of footwear will make it easier for you to walk in the outside decks and stairwells. On our seven-night cruises we host Gala Night and the Captain’s Cocktail in honor of our guests, and we ask that you attend in formal attire: a cocktail dress or something smart for the ladies, jacket and tie for the men. For Greek night during your cruise, passengers are invited to wear blue and white attire." However, with this quoted, I have read a some reviews that some passengers don't dress quite this nice. Maybe just a jacket for the men or just a nice dressy type shirt. Hope you enjoy your cruise. Stan

Viking Cruise Line requires passengers to be over 18 years old. You must also realize that most of the passengers would be in the over 50 range. It is not a "party" cruise line. Take a look at it and make your own decision. Pretty much any cruise line is going to have kids on their ships, especially during the summer.

I think you posted this in the wrong forum.

Thank you for your post and info on your sailing. Gives a warm "fuzzy" knowing someone else has already been. I was looking for COVID test locations near Plaka on those that Celestyal has a relationship with. Seemed the closest one was several metro stops away. Did you find one close to Plaka? Stan