Viking Chateaux, Rivers & Wine

[roebud]

loge23...Congratulations on your 32nd anniversary...Wow! Have a wonderful time and if possible keep us informed on you vacation experience.

 

Rose

[magellan2022]

I am delighted to say that we boarded the Forseti yesterday, July 5th. After an uneventful 3 1/2 hour train trip from Paris (do pay attention to the time of departure and the number of the train since the ultimate destination may not be Bordeaux) and taxi (E20) from the station, we were greeted on the dock by a crew member who promptly took our luggage! Once on board we checked in and were escorted to our cabin (232). We have a french window on the port side of the ship (currently blocked by a Uniworld ship). It was 2:30 so we were able to grab a lovely light lunch and Bordeaux wine for me, beer for DH. After unpacking in our very tight but wonderfully organized cabin (we have extra drawer space and plenty of outlets - thanks for the suggestion of taking an small power strip to use on the desk), we took our first 45 minute walking tour with Diane of the area close to the ship. The evening tour (with Lori) covered essentially the same area plus a tram ride, so we probably could have skipped the afternoon tour. There was time to explore the ship and unpack before the orientation and welcome session at 6pm. Meike Bakker,, the Program Director gave the Orientation aided by the other officers and important staff. We had our welcoming toast with Captain Pascal Eschbach. Dinner was very good with many choices. A table mate needed gluten free and the server worked with her to accomodate her needs and create a delicious meal for her. The house wine was good and plentiful (red-2010 Merlot blend and the Bordeaux white, a delicous and crisp).

Our heads "hit the pillow" and we slept soundly. Many of us shared the same story this morning.

More soon. It's almost 10am. We are docking in Paulliac and time for our mandatory safely drill.

[Bet & Peg]

Magellan 2022 ~ great report!! SO happy your day went so we'll!!

 

And thanks for the tip about the train - we just bought our tickets & printed them on Friday! And you're SO correct - final destination might not be Bordeaux!!

 

Hint to others buying tickets - I used the sncf.com site and they were having a "special" multi ticket sale which was great since we're traveling with 2 friends. I bought 4 senior tickets for a total price of 48euros!! Regular senior price for one ticket was 20euro which is still a lot less than the $68 on Rail Europe! (Not sure what the price was for one adult ticket but I'm sure its less than RE.) SO anyone buying tickets do it early - they're available for sale 3 months out - and try the sncf site - it worked for us!!

[vcgeno]

We are leaving next Friday and hope the "able to dock lotto" that seems to be the case with cruise tuns in our favor. You would have thought they would have figured this out before planning this itinerary. We are planning to make the best of whatever happens. When I stared this tread I thought we would be doing extensive research and I would share what I found. Life has been very busy over the last year and we have not be able to do the planning we normally do. Thanks for all of the reports, tips, and suggestions and I plan to return the favor by posting a full report upon our return. Wish us luck!!

[ginabab]

Hi, Great report and hint Magellan2022 and FotoPeg

Thanks

[Bet & Peg]

vcgeno ~ all the best on your cruise - hopes all works out - but you have the correct attitude - make the best of it if there are changes!!! But really hope you won't have to use that philosophy!!! Will look forward to hearing about your trip - just enjoy!!!!

[magellan2022]

I have been so impressed with Viking in that they have listened to what their passengers have said and improved on it. Remember when we read that they were reading Cruise Critic and that most importantly, it was asked that they be honest and straightforward with what was going on? At the first briefing on Saturday evening, Meika said that she was delighted to report that the tides were such that we could follow the itinerary. Today she talked about what an influence the Atlantic Ocean weather had on our time in Pauliac...a real gale off the coast (very close) would influence the ship's ability to navigate the waters. The timing of the tides control the sailings and they are different every day.

When we arrived in Pauliac (prononced Poiliac), we were at highish tide. When we returned at 9:15 tonight from a very full day, we were down in the mud! It's fascinating!

 

Let me tell you, Sunday was a day we'll remember for the rest of our lives!

A short walk in Pauliac after lunch

Tasting at Chateau Lynch-Blaye: the young woman at the winery was an exceptional educator to the process of making wine in Bordeaux.

The views of famous Chateaux as seen from our bus (stops for pictures and driving by)

Dinner at Chateau Kirwan-an unbelievable experience, the jewel of the voyage! Food and wine exceptional, dinner for 190 served smoothly by our excellent staff.

Madam Natalie Schiller - owner the the Chateau, was present all evening and spoke of the wine before each course. A lovely warm woman who's family established the chateau and has "looked after the vinyards" since the 1800s!

Chef Pascal - introduced each course

Chief Steward, Michael - always overseeing the dining room (at Chateau Kirwan and onboard)

We were all still taking about the day on Monday

[Bet & Peg]

megellan2022~ WOW!! WOW!! WOW!! Sounding better and better!!!

 

Hope you trip continues to be SO fabulous!! And hope we have the same luck with the waters!!!!

 

Thank you SO much for taking your precious time to report back during your cruise! I'm sure there are many of us smiling today!!!

[magellan2022]

Thanks fellow readers, for your appreciation of the time and energy it takes to blog our river cruise journey! I feel compelled to give back, as previous cruisers have done for our benefit and enjoyment!

 

Monday: Early morning cruise from Pauillac to Blaye

 

After docking we toured the citadel in Blaye. It started out raining, then the sun came out and stayed out...umbrellas and sweaters then sunscreen and hats...all in about an hour! That has been the weather so far this week! The citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is full of history from the 1300s to the 1950s and beautiful views. Our guide, Ann, gave us the history as we walked.

We had lunch on board and then sailed to Liborne during the afternoon. The Cognac makers left right after lunch. Sailing friends told me that they had a wonderful time learning about and making their own bottles of Cognac! It was a beautiful day to be on the sun deck for the sail. When we neared Liborne all had to clear the sun deck as we sailed under the bridge. The wheel house was partially lowered.

We had our short briefing in the lounge and a lovely dinner followed by a wine tasting (five wines) led by Sommelier Frank. Over the years we have been to many instructional wine tastings, however we learned some pearls from Frank!

A lovely day!!

Let me tell you a bit about the food on board. Everything is good and many dishes are exceptional! I've asked for several recipes which were provided! Can I do what Chef Pascal does? Doubtful but I will try! The "ship" wine has been good and plentiful at meals, usually a Sauvignon Blanc and a Bordeaux blend! We chose not to purchase the package. With all the wine tastings, we figured that we would purchase a drink if we desired. So far we haven't felt the need.

For us ocean cruising may very well be finished for us. There is no comparison to the River cruise we are experiencing. Our ship is small in comparison and we know the staff and other passengers in a way that would be impossible on a big ship. We have made friends on board and laughed and shared! I cannot say enough about the staff and their desire to provide a wonderful cruise experience for each passenger! Every person I meet is eager to be of service.

[magellan2022]

Actually it is now Thursday afternoon however I want to stay in chronological order so I'm using my notes to catch up.

 

Tuesday was an amazing day!! We started the day with a market tour in Liborne. The market was in full swing. Beautiful produce, meat, fish, bread, pastry and food being prepared in place! That was the outside market. The inside market was totally full and busy, too! We had some free time to shop or to stop by a cafe.

It was then a short bus ride to Chateau Siauric. As we began to walk down the driveway to the Chateau, owner Paul Goldschmidt, was walking up the driveway to meet us! He's warm and welcoming and enthusiastic about the property and his wines. To condense a magical experience into a few sentences does not do it justice! After touring the vineyards and winery, learning about the winemaking process and tasting a wonderful selection of his wines, we were provided the "light lunch" at beautifully appointed tables with three more wines to enjoy. It was a perfect! There was an opportunity to order wine to be shipped from Sonoma, California. I highly recommend the Chateau Siauric visit. The truffle hunters also had a great time, from going out with the dogs to lunch cooked by the owners wife and served in the dining room by their children! There was room to sign up on board for both excursions.

 

The village to St Emilion was well worth it! A lot of history, an upper church and the famous monolith church, lots of shops and cafes all built on the hillside. There was a hard street, an easy street and a medium street to walk down to the church square. The view was spectacular!

 

The meals have continued to have excellent choices both in the dining room and on the Aquavit Terrace. Meika's briefings are informative and complete and her quotes relating to the French and to wine are very entertaining! She is very available, often accompanying one of the groups on tour. There are pictures of the passengers and sights projected in the lounge each evening. There is TV in the cabins and the World Cup was on TV in the lounge, as well. There are movies, TV shows, CNN, US sports, a Viking cruises site and bow and lounge camera channels on the TV in our cabin.

[Bet & Peg]

megellan2022 ~ once again, Thank You for your reports of your fabulous days on the cruise!! I can only hope and pray ours are half as good!!!

 

Your comment about an end to your ocean cruising is very interesting - especially since it echoes our experience. It was my DH who first suggested our 2012 Viking cruise - our desire to see Paris coupled with his enjoyment of wine led to the Rhone River Viking cruise. I was curious enough about RCing to agree but full of my own doubts - no pool, no large entertainment, no large balcony, senseless to arrange our own small excursions, etc. But I did keep an open mind and returned home having fallen in love with River Cruising!!!

 

And you also echo our experience with the staff & crew - even though we rarely had a problem on Celebrity, the Viking crew just seems SO much friendlier and helpful!! And you haven't even experienced departing when everyone - even the captain - helps with the luggage!!! I also love the idea of returning from an excursion and just walking aboard - no checking into bags or surrendering wine - I've described it as being treated as an adult!!

 

We haven't crossed ocean cruising off our list, but we're also not looking into any new trips. On the other hand, we have been talking about the Danube fir 2015!!!

[ginabab]

Hi, what time is everyone off the ship on the last day? Thanks

[Bet & Peg]

Disembarking all depends on the time of your flights or your own plans if you're staying post-cruise.

 

Example, last December we were flying home the day the cruise ended. Our flight was around 1pm and we had arranged it through Viking so we had their transfers. The bus took us - and about 10 others to the airport about 10:30am. The did ask if everyone could be out of their rooms by 10am so they could prepare for the arriving guests. (Last year I saw 2 people who must have come straight from the airport and arrived at the ship at 6:30am!!!)

 

In 2012 we took a Rhone River cruise -our first - that ended in Avignon where we were staying for 2 nights. Two days before the end, the Cruise Director asked everyone who didn't have Viking transportation to please see him about their exit plans. When I told him we were staying in town, he asked if we wanted them to call a cab for us. I said sure and he asked what time - I was pleasantly shocked since I thought they'd be throwing us off the ship early! We had the cab for 10am and Viking carried our bags to the car for us - very individual service!! He also told us just how much the cab would be!

 

Because they're dealing with so few people compared to an ocean ship, we've found that they can give much more personal service!! Yes, you still get colored tags for your bags but that just keeps them straight for the crew who's putting them on busses or in cabs. BTW - both times they took luggage out to the bus/cab but it didn't go in until the person checks that it's is indeed his/hers - added safety feature!!!

 

Hope this helps!

[ABQcruiser]

Hi, what time is everyone off the ship on the last day? Thanks

On our final day June 7 on the Bordeaux cruise, we all had to be out of our cabins by 9 a.m. with bags out as well. The bags were color-tagged and stored in corner of the lobby.

DH and I weren't heading to the train station and airport till mid afternoon and spent free time wandering the neighborhood and quai. But we were also welcome to hang around the ship and invited to lunch--mixing with just arriving newcomers.

 

Though back from our trip for a month now, it's so much fun to relive it all by reading everyone's ongoing posts!

[ginabab]

Thank you, ABQ

So nice about lunch

We too will take a train after the cruise

[MalibooNewYork]

I posted these questions on the main forum but thought the members on this forum might not see my post. I have some general questions. After the Wine and Chateau cruise, our first, we are hooked and looking forward to our next.

We thought the Forseti was amazingly clean. Are all Viking ships as clean?

Is there an age policy with Viking. The youngest cruiser on our tour was perhaps 16 or so. We enjoyed the adult atmosphere and were wondering about the possibility of young children being on the cruises.

We are looking at Romantic Danube and Danube Waltz for our next trip. Thoughts and opinions would be much appreciated.

I have been reading all the posts and am delighted that so many have had a great experience like we did.

[Mark_T]

Is there an age policy with Viking. The youngest cruiser on our tour was perhaps 16 or so. We enjoyed the adult atmosphere and were wondering about the possibility of young children being on the cruises.

 

Yes, Viking have a policy:

 

H4. CHILDREN/MINORS

Due to the nature of our cruises, we do not maintain specific facilities or services for children aboard cruise vessels. On all cruises children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by and share a cabin with a parent, legal guardian or other responsible adult over the age of 21. We regret that we are unable to accommodate children under the age of 12 and reserve the right to limit the number of children on board any particular vessel between the ages of 12 and 18.

[MalibooNewYork]

@Mark,

thank you.

[Bet & Peg]

MalibooNewYork ~ we've been on two other Viking cruises - Rhone River aboard the Neptune, an older ship, and Rhine River on the longship Rinda, sister ship to the Forseti. I found both ship immaculate - never a question of cleanliness.

[magellan2022]

Thank you for those of you who read my previous posts during the cruise. I have created a great journal of our experiences. I'm surprised at how much I had to say! For those that are interested I'll share the highlights of each day in the following posts.

Though the weekly itinerary is pretty much what we expected, it can change with the tides. For example we cruised back to Bordeaux on Tuesday evening and had Wednesday morning had the bus/walking tour. That seemed a positive change. Enjoyed learning and seeing more of Bordeaux.

We had to leave for Cadillac exactly at the right time to go under the "famous" historic bridge. A bit of history, Napoleon XIV built the bridge in order for his troops and supplies to cross the river without having to pay "the ferryman's outrages fees!" It was quite exciting to be out on deck to witness the care it takes for the "tight squeeze." We waited about 15 minutes for the okay to proceed.

Cadillac (pronounced Cadiac) Tiny dock, as yet undeveloped and a small village.

A delight: The Castle; French history coming alive!

A magical moment to share: As I entered the dining room that night, I was holding a copy of the recipe I'd requested for the Lamb Stew from earlier in the week. Chef Pascal greeted me and asked what recipe I had! He shared with me that he had added some lemon to the recipe this time which he really liked. I asked him about a specific spice that I was not familiar to me and he disappeared to the back of the dining room and into the kitchen. He returned with a bottle of the spice and we discussed its exact taste and possible substitute. We found the staff to be accessible!

[magellan2022]

Thursday morning saw us on a short bus ride to the Chateau d'Arche.

Sauterne is a lovely small town with 460 residents. The appellation produces just 2% of all French wine. You'll learn the reasons this during your time at the Chateau. I'd never tasted a Sauterne before thinking it would be too sweet. During a delightful, well organized and informative time in the cellar and vineyards incorporated with tasting, I changed my mind!!

The disembarkation instructions were given on Thursday evening before dinner. This followed the program director's slide show and wonderful descriptions of other cruises and ships. I agree with the question, can another cruise itinerary/ship/crew be as wonderful?

The answer for us is that we're definitely going to take another Viking cruise! The only question is where and when!

[loge23]

Really appreciate the report Magellan2022!

We're about to fly off to Paris and board the Forseti on 7/19.

I intend to report to this thread as well and keep the fun going for all those still to depart.

It appears to be quite cool weather so far in Western Europe, but I'm sure we'll bring the FL sun along - we always do. Last year we came home to cool off!

Au revoir, amis!

[magellan2022]

We had a lovely experience with wine tasting in Graves with three of our ship friends. Bastion, the Concierge set it up with a driver/guide, a visit to two chateaux and lunch in a small local restaurant. What a wonderful experience! By taking advantage of visiting these chateuax we missed the wheel house tour and additional time to sightsee in Bordeuax. All in all we're happy with the choice that we made!

 

Early in the evening DH easily settled our account at the front desk. Re tips, we gave what was recommended in the literature, without qualm. Though entirely optional, we felt that the entire crew were wonderful and deserved the extra.

 

Friday night is the time for the farewell toast from the Captain and senior officers. They are leaders of a wonderful crew. The Captain's Dinner followed in the Dining Room with a lovely menu and wine choices, introduced with delight by Chef Pascal and Sommelier Frank. After dinner entertainment was brought onto the ship; three operatic singers and a pianist. They were wonderful!! It was a special end to a great evening!

[jojocmcla]

Now, you know you can't talk about recipes without sharing! :)

And, what spice were you talking about?

 

Thank you for those of you who read my previous posts during the cruise. I have created a great journal of our experiences. I'm surprised at how much I had to say! For those that are interested I'll share the highlights of each day in the following posts.

Though the weekly itinerary is pretty much what we expected, it can change with the tides. For example we cruised back to Bordeaux on Tuesday evening and had Wednesday morning had the bus/walking tour. That seemed a positive change. Enjoyed learning and seeing more of Bordeaux.

We had to leave for Cadillac exactly at the right time to go under the "famous" historic bridge. A bit of history, Napoleon XIV built the bridge in order for his troops and supplies to cross the river without having to pay "the ferryman's outrages fees!" It was quite exciting to be out on deck to witness the care it takes for the "tight squeeze." We waited about 15 minutes for the okay to proceed.

Cadillac (pronounced Cadiac) Tiny dock, as yet undeveloped and a small village.

A delight: The Castle; French history coming alive!

A magical moment to share: As I entered the dining room that night, I was holding a copy of the recipe I'd requested for the Lamb Stew from earlier in the week. Chef Pascal greeted me and asked what recipe I had! He shared with me that he had added some lemon to the recipe this time which he really liked. I asked him about a specific spice that I was not familiar to me and he disappeared to the back of the dining room and into the kitchen. He returned with a bottle of the spice and we discussed its exact taste and possible substitute. We found the staff to be accessible!

[editor@cruisecritic]

Love your trip posts, Magellan2022!

 

Carolyn

 

Thank you for those of you who read my previous posts during the cruise. I have created a great journal of our experiences. I'm surprised at how much I had to say! For those that are interested I'll share the highlights of each day in the following posts.

Though the weekly itinerary is pretty much what we expected, it can change with the tides. For example we cruised back to Bordeaux on Tuesday evening and had Wednesday morning had the bus/walking tour. That seemed a positive change. Enjoyed learning and seeing more of Bordeaux.

We had to leave for Cadillac exactly at the right time to go under the "famous" historic bridge. A bit of history, Napoleon XIV built the bridge in order for his troops and supplies to cross the river without having to pay "the ferryman's outrages fees!" It was quite exciting to be out on deck to witness the care it takes for the "tight squeeze." We waited about 15 minutes for the okay to proceed.

Cadillac (pronounced Cadiac) Tiny dock, as yet undeveloped and a small village.

A delight: The Castle; French history coming alive!

A magical moment to share: As I entered the dining room that night, I was holding a copy of the recipe I'd requested for the Lamb Stew from earlier in the week. Chef Pascal greeted me and asked what recipe I had! He shared with me that he had added some lemon to the recipe this time which he really liked. I asked him about a specific spice that I was not familiar to me and he disappeared to the back of the dining room and into the kitchen. He returned with a bottle of the spice and we discussed its exact taste and possible substitute. We found the staff to be accessible!