Any veterans of Viking River Cruises?

[pjtraveler]

I can highly recommend Uniworld's river cruise in Egypt which also includes four days in Cairo in a hotel.

[cwind]

Hello from Burlington,Ontario,just getting my feet wet here,still don,t know what I,m doing.Myself and my wife are booked on Vikings Imperial Jewels out of Beijing in July looking for any info at all about Viking,shots I shoud get anything at all .Looking forward to trip BIG TIME Thanks

[cwind]

Hello Myself and my wife are booked on Vikings Imperial Jewel on the 15th of July out of Beijing.Trying to get my feet wet here(still confused) What kind of shots should we get and what kind of meds should we take.I know its going to be hot as h e--.We are very excited about this trip Thanks

[Grandma5]

Sheila

We chose Viking because of the incredible cruise we had with them in China. We used a TA because it was easier for her contact Viking than it was for us. I honestly felt the Legend was too big a ship for river cruising. The people on the smaller Viking ships seemed to be having more fun than we had on the Viking. We had originally booked on a smaller Viking ship and were changed to the Legend by Viking. For those with walking disabilities, you need to chose your ship wisely. Viking Legend is not for those who cannot manage stairs. We did notice other Viking ships that we crossed over to get ashore did have chairs to assist people from getting from one floor to another.

 

How did you find the land portion of the China trip? Planning to go on Viking's new ship Emerald.

[no fuss travel]

How did you find the land portion of the China trip? Planning to go on Viking's new ship Emerald.

 

The land portion was well organized and the tour guide who stays with you for the entire trip was fantastic. She made sure that everything ran smoothly and there were no hiccups. We did find the cruising portion more relaxing than the land tour as there is so much to see and not enough time. The hotels were fantastic. We were there in July and it was hot and humid. The expression "sweat running down your back in rivers" was very appropriate. You had long days of touring but Viking has now made some included items optional. I would not miss the cultural show in Xi'an. It was fantastic. Also the acrobatic show in Shanghai. If I had to do it again, I would skip the Chinese opera. I am not an opera fan at the best of times, but I can honestly say, "been there, done it". A lot of us were suffering from jet lag and were dozing off during the show. If you have any more questions do not hesitate to ask. Sometimes I do not check this site everyday, depending on how busy I am.

[Longtime Cruiser]

We are cruisers. We did Russia on Viking about 8 years ago. What a wonderful experience, a very old ship. We had no expectations of what to expect and were delighted with the trip. Not too much with the ship, but just Russia.

We have not taken a river cruise since my wife had numerous foot surgeries, but with AMA offering new ships and elevators we will be sailing on the Amalyra on June 6th. Recently we went to a local presentation with 4 river cruise lines on a panel to compare and answer questions. I think we made a great choice—look for my review upon my return.

A dear friend just returned from the same trip on Avalon—they are full of praises, except there was no elevator.

Hope this is helpful.

Steven

[Funsun60]

Hi everyone: new to this site and new to river cruising (other than a Nile cruise) as well. We are considering the Viking Grand European Tour for September 2011. Stated price in their 2-for-1-cruise for the date we want is $5612 for Cat A cabin on either Viking Danube or Viking Sky (depending on the direction Amsterdam/Budapest). We will book our own air.

 

Question: I have read several posts on the boards that indicate other cruise companies that have newer ships and better services than Viking offer their cruises at a regular price that is less than Viking 2 for 1 offers. We have looked at other sites on the web and have yet to find comparable pricing for a similar trip. Even adding in a generous amount for tips, drinks and transfers, I couldn't find a similar cruise elsewhere for $7000 or less. Can someone help me out and let me know which company (or companies) is offering these competative prices.

 

Thank you.

 

We don't need fancy, but we do want clean.

[TravelerThom]

Hi everyone: new to this site and new to river cruising (other than a Nile cruise) as well. We are considering the Viking Grand European Tour for September 2011. Stated price in their 2-for-1-cruise for the date we want is $5612 for Cat A cabin on either Viking Danube or Viking Sky (depending on the direction Amsterdam/Budapest). We will book our own air.

 

Question: I have read several posts on the boards that indicate other cruise companies that have newer ships and better services than Viking offer their cruises at a regular price that is less than Viking 2 for 1 offers. We have looked at other sites on the web and have yet to find comparable pricing for a similar trip. Even adding in a generous amount for tips, drinks and transfers, I couldn't find a similar cruise elsewhere for $7000 or less. Can someone help me out and let me know which company (or companies) is offering these competative prices.

 

Thank you.

 

We don't need fancy, but we do want clean.

Grand Circle [gct dot com] is offering Amsterdam - Vienna [admittedly not Budapest, but I think both Viking and GCT cruises are 14 nights aboard the boat] in Sep 2011 from $4195pp including air from NY [note several hundred dollars in air taxes are additional]. GCT will reduce this trip by $500pp [to $3695pp] if you don't take their air. Since I posted earlier on this thread I have had my first Viking cruise [Elbe on Viking Schumann (probably their oldest boat)]. I'd say that Viking and GCT food and service where comparable, but GCT includes wine with dinner, and Viking sometimes does not, or requires very early payment to get the "free" wine. Pricing can get blurred as included versus optional varies between companies, but an almost $2000pp difference in price would get my attention. GCT sells only direct, not thru Travel Agents. You could even knock these prices down another $50pp if you use my GCT client number as a referral - let me know if you have interest.

 

BTW I do consider Budapest a worthy destination, but you could hop a train from Vienna to Budapest [about 3 hours with many trains daily] and stay serveral days for less than the price differential.

 

Thom

[thunderbird56]

Question: , I couldn't find a similar cruise elsewhere for $7000 or less. Can someone help me out and let me know which company (or companies) is offering these competative prices.

 

.

We are sailing AMsterdam to Budapest on July 2 with Vantage. (vantagetravel dot com). I booked it last fall for a CAT A balcony cabin at 5000 pp including rt air from Phoenix. Thats normally another 1400-1500 pp. They don't include wine or gratuities, but that's a lot of savings to work with. I have talked and corresponded with a lot of Vantage customers and have heard nothing but great reports. That price includes all the excursions. In fact there are only two additional optional excursions offered on the entire 14 day trip.

 

Good luck on your choice.

[roothy123]

Hi. I'm taking a Viking cruise from Prague (well, no ship there, just hotel!) to Paris (no ship there either!) and in between, a cruise from Trier to Nuremberg. I was hoping to get some impressions of the places we'll visit along the way (Rudesheim, Koblenz, Cochem, Wurzburg, etc.) along with Prague. Has anyone done that trip? Would love to hear about it - for example, how much did the tours cover? What would favorite or least favorite stops?

[no fuss travel]

Hi. I'm taking a Viking cruise from Prague (well, no ship there, just hotel!) to Paris (no ship there either!) and in between, a cruise from Trier to Nuremberg. I was hoping to get some impressions of the places we'll visit along the way (Rudesheim, Koblenz, Cochem, Wurzburg, etc.) along with Prague. Has anyone done that trip? Would love to hear about it - for example, how much did the tours cover? What would favorite or least favorite stops?

 

I enjoyed all of those cities with Viking. Each city had its unique sites. The tour guides they supply are excellent so you will pick up a lot of history. As I had been to Cologne before, the only part I found a bit tiring was the cathedral. The tour guide we had waxed on forever about each stain glass window.

[hcat]

We cruise mainly on Celebrity & sometimes on Royal C...ut are thinking about a River cruise.

 

We received a brochure from Viking. The Tulips & Windmills itin looks interesting esp b/c it cruises RT Amsterdam... has anyone tried it?

 

The ships would be Viking Pride, Viking Sky, Viking Danube or Viking Europe

[roothy123]

Viking's Tulips and Windmills cruise was our first river cruise (on Viking Europe, maybe 4 or 5 years ago) after cruising Premier Cruise Line (now defunct) and our first Oceania Med cruise. We became fans of river cruising because there was lots to see when cruising, and because it was a lot easier to visit the smaller places on the route. The Tulips cruise had a number of fairly small towns, which I found fascinating, since I love to just wander on my own. Amsterdam, of course, is not small, but certainly a fun city, and Rotterdam was pretty interesting. The timing was great for tulips - we saw whole fields of them. We like the fact that tours are included in the price of the cruise, plus you usually are so close to the city centers that you can wander on your own with a map after the tour.

 

River cruising is definitely different from ocean cruising, but as long as you don't mind smaller cabins, less dining flexibility, and less entertainment, you'll find it a great alternative to the ocean cruises. We loved it, and have since gone on a trip down the Danube (last year) and will be going on Viking's Cities of Light cruise in late August.

[nordski]

We cruise mainly on Celebrity & sometimes on Royal C...ut are thinking about a River cruise.

 

We received a brochure from Viking. The Tulips & Windmills itin looks interesting esp b/c it cruises RT Amsterdam... has anyone tried it?

 

The ships would be Viking Pride, Viking Sky, Viking Danube or Viking Europe

We were on the Viking Spirit (similar to the Pride I believe) on Tulips and Windmills the spring of 2009

 

Although sometimes lacking the "wow" factor as you cruise the Danube and Rhine, it is our favourite of our three river cruises.

As suggested by roothy123, try to aim for the period when the Keukenhof Gardens are in full display. Usually this seems to be in mid-late April and early June.

 

We too found the small towns like Hoorn fascinating.

[merlot101]

Look at the cabins for the class that you are using. Some older ships and GCT have beds that are separated, and flip to seating during the day. Not very comfortable.

[TravelerThom]

Look at the cabins for the class that you are using. Some older ships and GCT have beds that are separated, and flip to seating during the day. Not very comfortable.

I am 6'3' [195cm] , and a verteran of maybe eight river cruises. I have been in the both the Viking and GCT flip beds and have been surprised at how comfortable I have been. Maybe not the best I have ever had, but far from the worst IMO. YMMV

 

Thom

[brownblonde]

Hi. I'm taking a Viking cruise from Prague (well, no ship there, just hotel!) to Paris (no ship there either!) and in between, a cruise from Trier to Nuremberg. I was hoping to get some impressions of the places we'll visit along the way (Rudesheim, Koblenz, Cochem, Wurzburg, etc.) along with Prague. Has anyone done that trip? Would love to hear about it - for example, how much did the tours cover? What would favorite or least favorite stops?

Did Viking in the fall of 2004 great great trip. If you can go to Rothenburg walled city do it. I think our trips have taken us there 3 times. Stayed next door to Kathy Woffert xmas store. Viking could have taken us there and dropped us off but we had lunch included by them. In Rudesheim make sure to have their Rudesheim Coffee, that was included in the tour. Can't go wrong with Viking Did China with them and it was great.

 

Good Luck

[brownblonde]

Just booked this today. Will be our first to travel with grand circle.

 

Anyone on the tread booked also on the July 12,2010

 

Anyone been on this leg of the Rivers?? any info welcom

[TravelerThom]

Just booked this today. Will be our first to travel with grand circle.

 

Anyone on the tread booked also on the July 12,2010

 

Anyone been on this leg of the Rivers?? any info welcom

We did Antwerp to Basel on the GCT Debussy in July 2006 [unfortunately in the middle of a heat wave]. This is perhaps my favorite river itinerary. Lots of highlights, but I especially enjoyed Bernkastel. At the end of the trip, I visited the small town where three sets of my ancestors departed in 1744. Glad to answer any specific questions you may have.

 

Thom

[webfoot]

Bernkastel is such a magical place. It is so picturesque!!! And the wine there is wonderful, too.

[brownblonde]

We did Antwerp to Basel on the GCT Debussy in July 2006 [unfortunately in the middle of a heat wave]. This is perhaps my favorite river itinerary. Lots of highlights, but I especially enjoyed Bernkastel. At the end of the trip, I visited the small town where three sets of my ancestors departed in 1744. Glad to answer any specific questions you may have.

 

Thom

Can not think of any one thing, but Husband and I are always interested in do's and don'ts. The one thing ,what is interesting when we are at the stops that we will have to pay for as extra to see. We have been to Trier, but have to look up pictures about if we have seen Boppard. The Holland stops are new. Glad it isn't Amersterdam as we have been there about 3 times.

 

Will look for your posting

[TravelerThom]

Can not think of any one thing, but Husband and I are always interested in do's and don'ts. The one thing ,what is interesting when we are at the stops that we will have to pay for as extra to see. We have been to Trier, but have to look up pictures about if we have seen Boppard. The Holland stops are new. Glad it isn't Amersterdam as we have been there about 3 times.

 

Will look for your posting

I just looked at the list of Optional Tours for this year [the number of Optionals versus Included seems to go up each year as GCT attempts to keep the advertised base price down (but occasionally they actually include one that had been Optional)].

 

Baden-Baden was included in 2006, but was definitely my least favorite tour [a fast drive thru the Black Forest (with no stops) and while Baden-Baden was pretty I didn't find that much of interest there] - others opinions may vary, but I'd pass on this tour.

 

I don't take that many Optional Tours (either on river or ocean cruises), as I think they are often overpriced, have too many people, and having no fear of local trains or buses, I often set out on my own. Surprisingly I have taken three of GCT's Optional Tours from the 2010 Rhine & Mosel list.

 

I found the Delta Works tour interesting, and it would not have been easy to do on your own [but note that I frequent tours of dams, bridges and factories, so if these bore you, this might not be for you]. The Netherlands stops at Willemstad and Kinderdijk are both very nice.

 

I took the Marksburg Castle tour [this was done when I was on the Great Rivers trip, but I assume it would be the same on R&M], and have been in more interesting castles. Boppard (the same stop) has Roman ruins and walls - pretty low key, but a nice little town, and I'd just do a leisurely day there.

 

I found the Luxembourg tour interesting, especially the back to back visits to the American Military Cemetery (where Gen. Patton is buried) followed by a German military cemetery. Drives home the fact that most who die in wars are the lowly conscripts, not the so called leaders who created these messes to start with [i am in no way an apologist for the despicable **** regime, but the Versailles Treaty created terrible conditions in Germany, facilitating the ****s rise to power]{those ****s are courtesy of CruiseCritic; I had used an apparently forbidden word (I presume to keep people from calling others that word)}. Luxembourg city is an interesting old fortress town with an interesting cathedral and crypt.

 

I have no knowledge of the other Optional Tours to Augustusburg Palace and to Kroller-Muller Museum.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy a great trip.

Thom

[brownblonde]

I just looked at the list of Optional Tours for this year [the number of Optionals versus Included seems to go up each year as GCT attempts to keep the advertised base price down (but occasionally they actually include one that had been Optional)].

 

Baden-Baden was included in 2006, but was definitely my least favorite tour [a fast drive thru the Black Forest (with no stops) and while Baden-Baden was pretty I didn't find that much of interest there] - others opinions may vary, but I'd pass on this tour.

 

I don't take that many Optional Tours (either on river or ocean cruises), as I think they are often overpriced, have too many people, and having no fear of local trains or buses, I often set out on my own. Surprisingly I have taken three of GCT's Optional Tours from the 2010 Rhine & Mosel list.

 

I found the Delta Works tour interesting, and it would not have been easy to do on your own [but note that I frequent tours of dams, bridges and factories, so if these bore you, this might not be for you]. The Netherlands stops at Willemstad and Kinderdijk are both very nice.

 

I took the Marksburg Castle tour [this was done when I was on the Great Rivers trip, but I assume it would be the same on R&M], and have been in more interesting castles. Boppard (the same stop) has Roman ruins and walls - pretty low key, but a nice little town, and I'd just do a leisurely day there.

 

I found the Luxembourg tour interesting, especially the back to back visits to the American Military Cemetery (where Gen. Patton is buried) followed by a German military cemetery. Drives home the fact that most who die in wars are the lowly conscripts, not the so called leaders who created these messes to start with [i am in no way an apologist for the despicable **** regime, but the Versailles Treaty created terrible conditions in Germany, facilitating the ****s rise to power]{those ****s are courtesy of CruiseCritic; I had used an apparently forbidden word (I presume to keep people from calling others that word)}. Luxembourg city is an interesting old fortress town with an interesting cathedral and crypt.

 

I have no knowledge of the other Optional Tours to Augustusburg Palace and to Kroller-Muller Museum.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy a great trip.

Thom

Thank you for your interest and thoughts to my request. I must now check more into the stops and what is there . My DH usually looks things over, checks what he thinks and I do the same and then we come to a decision. A few hours in one place you can never see it all and hope you pick the most interesting thing.

 

I was surprised about GCT having optional, as Viking does include a lot. Either way you pay for it.

[MacRob]

Have been looking a GCT but never taken one. How are the ships? I've been on Viking and AMA, they were great.

Where do you put your luggage in a GCT room since the beds fold up?

 

Have you been with other companys and how does GCT compare?

 

Any and all info would be helpful.

 

Thanks

[brownblonde]

Have been looking a GCT but never taken one. How are the ships? I've been on Viking and AMA, they were great.

Where do you put your luggage in a GCT room since the beds fold up?

 

Have you been with other companys and how does GCT compare?

 

Any and all info would be helpful.

 

Thanks

I have found that reading the postings really helps you make some decisions, but in the end it is up to you. I have asked questions here and thank ful for the reply I got and was able to research a few things for my boat trip. We have done Viking and feel they were tops, but we were with a group that included our best friend TA.

A good question I had not thought of about the suitcase.

We chose the bottom of the ship this time and yes with the fold up bed/seat where in the world can you put it.

 

Help each of us with the answer