WisRiver

We did the Basel to Amsterdam Rhine Getaway from October 13 to October 20, 2021.  We are independent travelers, and had been moving around Europe for several months before starting the  Viking River Cruise.  We made all our own travel arrangements.  We booked a room at the Hotel Basel near the Marketplatz.  The Hotel Basel is an excellent, centrally located hotel.    Basel is an interesting city, and very convenient to get around, since a tram pass is included in your hotel stay.  We had a great three days before starting our cruise.

Viking has a dedicated dock, but we called the ship's number on our morning of departure to verify the dock.  Our hotel called a taxi for us, and he took us directly to dock.  Viking staff met us on the street in front of the dock.  There were crew who took our bags and delivered them to our cabin.  We never touched our bags after leaving the hotel until we were in our cabin.  

In 2019 we were on the Holland America Voyage of the Vikings.  We stopped in Isafjordur.  We booked an excellent private tour to Dynjandi with a tour company Wild Westfjords.  I do not know if they are still in business.  There is a new tunnel from Isafjordur to Dynjandi so travel time is shorter and an easier drive.  If your stay allows it, I second the recommendation for Thöruhusid.  Otherwise, the Dokken Bruggenhus, which is near where the cruise ship docks, is an excellent brew pub.

We were on the Rotterdam transatlantic last month.  The sports court is marked for pickleball, pickleball was listed in the daily navigator, and I saw people playing.  I do not know if they brought their own paddles and ball.

We are 4* Mariners.  We used to use a local travel agency, but switched to the big box TA in Issaquah, Washington because of the rebate of a portion of their fees in the form of an on board credit.  The rebate amounts to about 4 or 5% of the total cost of the cruise.  The on board credit has been discontinued and the rebate is in the form of a credit that can only be used in one of their stores.  If you shop at their store, it can be a good deal.  Also the big box agency does not cover all cruise lines.  However we do most of our cruising on HAL.

Here is my response to the Ft Lauderdale turn around thread.

Four years ago in pre-Covid times we did a B2B in Fort Lauderdale where our first leg a transatlantic from Italy.  We had the same cabin on both legs.  We got off the ship at about 9:30 AM, cleared customs and immigration and took the crew shuttle to the shopping area on 17th Street.  We had a coffee and read a newspaper at Starbucks.   We had an early lunch at Kellys Landing and did some shopping at the discount store near Kellys.  We finished with a grocery stop at the Publix for snacks and wine at the Total Wine.  We took an Uber back to ship at about 2:00 PM.  There was no line for reboarding and were back on the ship in time for a second muster drill.    It was nice to walk on land and eat a non-HAL lunch.  

Before answering this question I would have to know where the fjord cruise would stop.  I liked Oslo, Bergen and the Norway in a Nutshell, but we did not overnight in Flam.  We have also done the Hurtigruten cruise from Kikenes to Bergen.  The fjords are incredible.  If I did a fjord cruise out of Bergen I would want to see the Geiranger Fjord and the city of Älesund

Four years ago in pre-Covid times we did a B2B in Fort Lauderdale where our first leg a transatlantic from Italy.  We had the same cabin on both legs.  We got off the ship at about 9:30 AM, cleared customs and immigration and took the crew shuttle to the shopping area on 17th Street.  We had a coffee and read a newspaper at Starbucks.   We had an early lunch at Kellys Landing and did some shopping at the discount store near Kellys.  We finished by a grocery stop at the Publix and wine at the Total Wine.  We took an Uber back to ship at about 2:00 PM.  There was no line for rebounding and were back on the ship in time for a second muster drill.    It was nice to walk on land and eat a non-HAL lunch.   

I know it difficult to compare ships in post-Covid times, especially for a ship that has never carried a passenger.  Nevertheless we are planning a Spring, 2022 transatlantic.  We are 4* Mariners and have done five transatlantics.  We are booked on the Rotterdam for the October 20, 2021 east to west crossing.

Currently the Volendam is scheduled to leave for Rotterdam on April 16 while the Rotterdam is scheduled to leave on April 17.  Both will arrive in Holland on May 1.  The Volendam is the oldest and smallest ship in HAL's fleet, while the Rotterdam is the newest and largest.  The Volendam offers Lanai cabins (which we dislike based on experiences on the Zaandam) and Vista Suites.  The least inexpensive Vista Suite on the Volendam is $3,199 p/p and there are no Veranda class cabins.  The Rotterdam has Veranda cabins on the 6th deck at a cost of $1,829 per person.  The Rotterdam cruise is one day shorter than the Volendam.  Is there anything from a passenger perspective that would justify a pricier cruise on an older ship?  Maybe HAL will start to discount the Volendam.  I heard the Volendam is on the block for possible sale, but it looks like the Volendam is scheduled for cruises into 2023.

Volendam vs. Rotterdam seems like a no brainer.  Am I missing something?

We are booked on the October 20, 2021 transatlantic on the Rotterdam.  I hope it sails.

We will be stopping in Le Havre on October 22 on the Rotterdam transatlantic.  We want to rent a car for a DIY tour of the area.  There is an Enterprise office on Quai Southhampton.  Are there rental car offices closer to or in the cruise terminal?  

We will be stopping in Le Havre on October 22 on the Rotterdam transatlantic.  We want to rent a car for a DIY tour of the area.  There is an Enterprise office on Quai Southhampton.  Are there rental car offices closer to or in the cruise terminal?  

I recognize that there have been no cruise ship arrivals in Fort Lauderdale for over a year.  Hopefully, we will be arriving in Fort Lauderdale on November 3, 2021 on the HAL Rotterdam transatlantic repositioning cruise.  We have sailed out of FLL in the past, but never an arrival.  In the past we would stay at a local hotel and take and Uber or Lyft to the cruise port.  In pre-covid days could you take an Uber or Lyft from the ship to the FLL airport?   Would a taxi be easier?  Our flight home will depart at 1:00 PM, so we plan to be one of the last passengers off the ship.

We have been to Bruges before, so we are interested in doing something other than returning to Bruges.   When we stopped in Zeebruges in 2016, before the new cruise terminal was finished, the coastal tram to Blankenberge stopped just outside the gates of the port where the shuttle busses from the ship dropped passenger.  How easy is it now to get to the tram?  What about tours to Ypres and the WWI battlefields?

We hope that we can travel to Europe this fall.  We are thinking of doing a Rhône River cruise.  We recognize that people's travel experiences are 18 to 24 months old.  Nevertheless, what experiences can you share.  There appears to be a number of cruise lines, Scenic, Viking, Avalon, offering basically the same itinerary, Lyon to Avignon or the Marseilles area or vice versa.   We have cruised the Danube from Bucharest to Amsterdam, so we have a good idea about what river cruising is like.  Thanks for any suggestions.

We have disembarked twice in Buenos Aires, once on Holland America and once on Hurtigruten.Our last experience was in 2018.   Port formalities were relatively quick.  Both times we were going to spend several nights in BA after our cruises, so we did not have to make an early flight.  Several ship mates had early flights, and were off the ship before 8.  The biggest problem is the taxi system.  The drivers have a tightly controlled system that charges a premium for the cruise terminal.  The drivers will not negotiate.  The price of taxi to a city hotel was the same as the cost of a taxi from the hotel to the international airport.  We paid in US dollars.  Several passengers walked with their bags to the train station a mile away rather than pay the taxi drivers.    My experience is pre-COVID.

We have sailed on both (Zuiderdam twice and Koningsdam once) in the past five years.  I liked the additional food choices on the Koningsdam, NY Pizza (one of my favorites), Tamarind and Dutch Cafe.  Nothing stands out about the choice of rooms, since we had aft verandas on all voyages.   All things being equal, I would choose the Koningsdam.  

In 1968 both my parents were educators working in South Dakota.  My father was a principal and was paid $10,000 for a full year contract and my mother was paid $7,000 for a ten month contract. ( I have a copy of my parent's financial aid application for my college)   A lanai cabin was a years salary for a teacher in 1968.  Would an average teachers salary pay for a  lanai cabin on a 90 cruise today?  

In 2017 we did a 7 day Hurtigruten cruise departing from Bergen.  We spent two nights in Oslo at the Grand Central Hotel in Oslo, the Norway in a Nutshell train tour from Oslo to Bergan and two nights in a hotel in Bergen, the First Hotel Marin.  Total cost was about $1,000 plus train from Oslo Airport to hotel and cab rides to hotel and ship in Bergen.  I think you will save money and tailor your own experience by booking on your own.  I do not think they are booking Norway in a Nutshell for 2021 yet.    If you do not want to do Norway in a Nutshell, the train from Oslo to Bergen is easy to book on line and is a fun ride on its own.

In 2019 as part of a Botswana-South Africa trip, we spend four nights at the Victoria and Alfred Hotel on the waterfront.  An excellent hotel with a great breakfast.  It is walking distance to the Robben Island ferry.  We never felt unsafe in the evening.  There are dozens of excellent restaurants and lots of shopping.  Who knows what it will be like for post-Covid traveling.  If I were returning to SA next year I would check out the Victoria and Alfred.

I cannot help you with Windstar or ProCruise.  However, you might want to look at Hurtigruten's Iceland excursions.  We like Hurtigruten; having sailed with them on a Norway Coastal and to Antarctica.  We are on the Namsen which is a little larger (500 passengers), but we have enjoyed the passenger mix, cabins, expedition staff (in Antarctica) and menus.  The cost of alcohol on board is high, but if you are a light drinker, that cost is minimal.

In 2019 we did the 35 day round trip Voyage of the Vikings on Holland America.  On the Boston-Rotterdam leg we did one day stops in Isafjordur and Akureyri.    We were traveling with another couple so we made arrangements for private tours.  On the way back we stopped in Djupivogur for a day and an overnight in Reykjavik.  In Reykjavik on the first day we explored the city on our own.  Took the Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour, explored the city center and went to a concert in the evening.  On the second day we arranged for a private Golden Circle tour ending with the mineral baths  at Laugervatn.  A perfect way to end a long day without the crowds of the Blue Lagoon.

We are planning to return to Iceland in June, 2022 on an 8 day Hurtigruten cruise around the island.  We want to spend more time in and around Reykjavik including renting a car and driving out to Borgarnes.  We think we will do the land touring after the Hurtigruten cruise.  I think an extended stay in Reykjavik combined with the Hurtigruten might be an answer to your questions.

We did an Antarctic cruise on Hurtigruten's MS Fram.  We had a great time, and would do it again.

If you want to go ashore in Antartica, you have to use the "rigid inflatables".  You sit on benches in the boat.  The ride can be quite smooth and a little choppy.  You are wearing life preservers.  When we went ashore on Deception Island, the sea was dead calm.  The ride to shore is short, usually 5 to 10 minutes.  

Our trip included stops in the Falklands and South Georgia Island.The trip to and from South America can be rough.  On our southbound leg we had a smooth sail.  On our trip north the seas were a little rough, but not bad.

Several years ago we started a Black Sea cruise in Athens.  The cruise port is in Piraeus, 10 miles south of Athens.  Piraeus is a commercial port and there are several hotels in the area, but nothing interesting to visit.  We flew in to Athens three days before our cruise started.  We worked with a Greek travel agency, Fantasy Travel, because after the HAL cruise we did a tour which included Santorini and Mykonos.  We had a great three days in Athens.  So much to see, so much to do.  I would try to spend extra days in Athens, and take a cab to Piraeus to start your cruise.  

In 2018 we did the Bucharest to Amsterdam (24 days) on Viking.  Other than a 5 day Yangtze River cruise as part of a 21 day trip to China, this was our first river cruise.  We are Holland America 4* Mariners, and have done 5 transatlantic.  We like our sea days.  We had been traveling in Italy and France for the previous month so we made all our own travel arrangements to Bucharest and from Amsterdam to the US.  

We had to change boats in Budapest, which meant that we spent two nights in Budapest in a Viking supplied hotel.  Budapest was one of the highlights of our trip.  

Food on Viking was comparable to Holland America, except that beer and wine were included with all meals.  We ate most of our meals on the forward Aquavit Terrace.  While the Terrace menu was more limited, it provided excellent views.  In Nuremberg we skipped the ships tour and paid for a private tour.  Because we were a group of four, we were able to see more that if we used the boat's excursion.  

Sometimes we skipped the boat's tour, went into the city, explored on our own, and usually ended up sitting at a sidewalk cafe people watching.  In one city we noticed a riverside Chinese restaurant, so we skipped the boat's lunch and had a very good Asian lunch (the owners were Vietnamese) that catered to German tastes.  

We used the ships laundry, and while pricey, met our needs for some clean clothes.  

We  were traveling in early June,  There was lots of daylight, especially in Germany.  Bring some rain gear, since there were several rainy days. 

Sometimes it is hard to get a two person table for early dining. We are 4* Mariners.  When we started cruising we found it was hard to get a two person table for early dining, so we switched to late dining.    On our last cruise, Voyage of the Vikings in 2019, we had late dining and were seated by ourselves at a table for four.  There seemed to be plenty of open tables at late dining.