Anyone out there not sailing Viking?

[H2Otstr]

 

In addition to their pricing model, their history of handling high/low water situations and communication with passengers has been poor, from all reports. We have been in both high and low water water situations and were very pleased with how these were handled. We were able to continue sailing without interruption of our itinerary - AMA Vineyards of the Rhine and Moselle - during the same week that Viking turned their cruises into bus tours.

 

How was the situation handled by AMA that you were able to continue sailing? We were in the May floods with AMA (Bucharest to Budapest) and had to miss our last two ports in Hungary and be bussed to Budapest. The flood waters in that area were just too high to continue on cruising.

[caviargal]

 

How was the situation handled by AMA that you were able to continue sailing? We were in the May floods with AMA (Bucharest to Budapest) and had to miss our last two ports in Hungary and be bussed to Budapest. The flood waters in that area were just too high to continue on cruising.

 

Ours was low water with AMA and our Captain was able to navigate us safely through areas where the water was only inches deep. We were unable to sail the Rhine Gorge so they chartered a brand new day boat (built to handle 600) and stocked it with food and wine/beer to take us through the gorge. Their was a bus to meet us on the other side for the 45 minute ride to the boat, where we resumed our cruise.

 

This was a week before before the river was so low they found undetonated bombs on the riverbed in Koblenz.

 

We had high water with Avalon and they changed the itinerary to leave port early, leaving some passengers ashore as they did not decide to do so until the snows were melting and river rising. The CD waited with a chartered bus to take the remaining passengers from Regensburg to our next port. They rendezvoused with another another boat about midnight, who picked up our guests that were left behind, and docked side by side mid river and had them cross over.

 

Very well done in both cases.

[bobalink]

...

 

I am very interested in hearing more about your guides. Please give a bit of detail about your tours and pass along their contact information.

Thanks in advance.

 

sippican,

 

Regarding private guides...

 

Andrea Makkay is a well known Budapest guide on the CC boards. She was not available on the dates that we were going, so she referred us to her colleague, Magdi Pelech. She was outstanding and I highly recommend her. Her email is magdi.pelech@gmail.com We did 2 half-day tours with her.

 

Our private guide in Prague was wonderful, too. Her name is Eva Trkalova and her website is: www.trkalova.guide-prague.cz

We did 2 full-day tours with her, and we loved it.

She had fascinating stories of what it was like to grow up in communism, and all the changes over the past twenty years. Eva is also a qualified and official guide for the Jewish tours, which required a great deal of additional education and rigorous examinations.

 

Both guides were great about email communication and suggested tours with our input. Their goal was to make us happy and see the sites we wanted to see.

 

In Budapest, it was VERY hot and our guide was careful to make sure we stood in the shade (while she shared info of the site we were at) and kept hydrated, as she also made adjustments to our day to maximize "shade" time.

 

Besides all of the great historical information guides share, they also give great tips for restaurants, shopping, using public transportation. All very useful information for us tourists.

 

Hope that is helpful. If you send them an email they will be able to answer all of your questions.

 

Enjoy!

[jpalbny]

We're trying for the third time to get our first European river cruise under our belts...

 

Nov 2012 we were signed up for a Danube cruise on Viking but a 1/2 price Egypt tour with A&K fell into our lap so we went there instead. Looking at the current situation in Egypt, we are very glad we went when we did! Amazing trip, minimal crowds, and I don't think we'd go there now, unfortunately...

 

June 2013 we tried a Danube cruise again, this time on Avalon - and we had perfect timing to get canceled by the floods! The cruise got canceled a few days before our embarkation date. We kept our flights and went there anyway, and did 2 weeks in Bavaria and Austria on our own, making it up as we went along. Had a fantastic time.

 

Hoping that the third time is the charm - we are signed up for a Rhine cruise, Basel to Amsterdam, on Uniworld, first week of April. Still hoping for a Danube cruise at some point.

[stretchcruz]

JP and Chris, at least you were able to enjoy your land trip and Avalon cancelled the river cruise rather than forcing you onto buses as Viking did.

 

You'll love the Danube when you get to do it, we are considering doing it again....

[junsam]

Yes my husband & I will be travelling with uniworld from April 28th on grand European voyage from Amsterdam to Istanbul. it will be our first cruise of any kind. Why uniworld? They offered a two for one deal too good to pass on

[hoopman]

I too thought this had turned into a Viking board ....:). I guess they're offering a product that is very competitive on paper.

 

We're off on our 2nd Tauck cruise in late August. This time we chose their French Escapade - Paris to Monte Carlo cruise on the Rhone. It's a part of our 40th Wedding Anniversary holiday. We all choose different companies for many and varied reasons but the end result should always be that everyone has a great cruise.

 

I had a ton of fun planning this holiday and now the hard part is still to come as we wait and countdown the many days still ahead.

 

Rod

We are doing the Tauck French Escapade in reverse, Monte Carlo to Paris in July as apart of our 35th Wedding anniverary. We're very excited. Have you used Tauck foe river cruising before?

[Ozjohnno]

We are doing the Tauck French Escapade in reverse, Monte Carlo to Paris in July as apart of our 35th Wedding anniverary. We're very excited. Have you used Tauck foe river cruising before?

 

Yes. We sailed on their MS Treasures in September 2011 from Amsterdam to Budapest. We'd never experienced such attention to detail in our travelling lives as we did with Tauck. When we came home we decided to save as hard as we could so that we could travel with them again for our 40th anniversary. I can't imagine that any other company could do more for their clients than Tauck. We're counting down the days to when we fly out.

[coolerchick]

After a year lurking and intensive research we are going on our first River cruise this Sept - Basel to Amsterdam with AMA. What made up my mind was the way they handled the floods (that I read on these boards).

 

We will be arriving 2 days ahead of time and staying in Basel and then staying an additional 2 nights in Amsterdam (on our own - not through AMA).

 

However I may want to start in Paris - I've been reading how some folks went to Paris for a couple of nights and then took a train down to Basel (4 hrs). Something to consider.

 

Question for you guys regarding hotel rates - you mention that you get these rates through priceline - I'm assuming you are bidding for them?

[cruiserfromalabama]

Yes. We sailed on their MS Treasures in September 2011 from Amsterdam to Budapest. We'd never experienced such attention to detail in our travelling lives as we did with Tauck. When we came home we decided to save as hard as we could so that we could travel with them again for our 40th anniversary. I can't imagine that any other company could do more for their clients than Tauck. We're counting down the days to when we fly out.

We are doing our first River Cruise this summer and curious about experience doing a Tauck Tour! We have been to Europe numerous times and ocean cruises 5 times as well-we wanted to do a River Cruise and Tauck's "French Water Ways" was the one we decided on. We like the reviews we have read about Tauck taking care of everything for you and look forward to a wonderful trip with no hassels or worries! I wanted to know if they have a luggage limit? We travel with one wheeled checked bag and one wheeled carryon for each of us-do you think this is an issue? Also, did you find the food to be good? Do you think that their excursions were good at each port and made the most of points of interest in each city? Was there a need to take a lot of extra cash for extras or did you find all you could need was included in price of trip? I know that even alcohol and soft drinks are included now. Thank you for any info you could give me-I am finding out that river cruise forums don't seem to have much posted and especially specific River Tours(ocean cruises are full of info and I have always used cruise critic for our other cruises)!

[Ozjohnno]

We are doing our first River Cruise this summer and curious about experience doing a Tauck Tour! We have been to Europe numerous times and ocean cruises 5 times as well-we wanted to do a River Cruise and Tauck's "French Water Ways" was the one we decided on. We like the reviews we have read about Tauck taking care of everything for you and look forward to a wonderful trip with no hassels or worries! I wanted to know if they have a luggage limit? We travel with one wheeled checked bag and one wheeled carryon for each of us-do you think this is an issue? Also, did you find the food to be good? Do you think that their excursions were good at each port and made the most of points of interest in each city? Was there a need to take a lot of extra cash for extras or did you find all you could need was included in price of trip? I know that even alcohol and soft drinks are included now. Thank you for any info you could give me-I am finding out that river cruise forums don't seem to have much posted and especially specific River Tours(ocean cruises are full of info and I have always used cruise critic for our other cruises)!

 

 

I like Tauck and therefore you may consider my replies to be a little biased.

 

Luggage requirements, I believe, are standard for all cruise lines. One piece of luggage and one carry on per person. You'll find your luggage fits nicely under the bed and there is more than enough hanging and drawer space for all your clothes.

 

I'm not a "foodie" but at no meal did I find anything I did not like. There is a great choice at every meal. Growing up in wine country in Australia I do appreciate wine and Tauck's offerings at every meal were very good. They changed their wine list daily which meant I got to taste many varieties of European wines. Whilst I might not have liked them all I certainly appreciated the varieties.

 

There are only 4 Tauck people on board. The rest of the crew are employed by Scylla. Tauck has a CD and 3 TD's to organise everything for you. When we toured on-shore Tauck employ local guides and they were all excellent. We had 108 on board on our cruise out of a capacity of 118 and our tour group size was never bigger than 22.

 

During our cruise the all inclusive drinks had not been introduced but we did have free soft drinks fruit juice and water in our bar fridges every day and they were always available free from the bar. At the end of the cruise our bill was 71Eu. Except for a pre-dinner drink at Happy Hour prices everything we expected was included in the price and that included our Gratuities. We carried currency with us to use for small items at markets etc and used our credit card when herself fell in love with a cuckoo clock. ATM's are everywhere in the ports you stop at.

 

I hope this has been of some help. You will enjoy your cruise with Tauck. Tell us all about it in a review when you return as there are so few Tauck reviews on Cruise Critic.

 

If there are any further questions please feel free to drop me an email at rodmky@optusnet.com.au

 

Rod

[usnavyguy]

We've done all our previous river cruises with Viking (except for a Grand Circle Russian river cruise) and loved everyone, but we're sailing with AMA just to change things up a bit. Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel in late March/early April & going to Amsterdam a couple of days early for museum tours we didn't take the last time we were there. We're looking forward to AMA & appreciated Jazzbeau's review of their Rhine river cruise last year. Expect it to be lots of fun.

Edited January 15, 2014 by usnavyguy
add additional detail

[jpalbny]

we're sailing with AMA just to change things up a bit. Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel in late March/early April ...

 

We'll see you there - we're headed in the opposite direction, 3/30 to 4/6 on SS Antoinette! Let's hope for warm weather...

[CaroleSS]

We are sailing with Avalon in July.

 

I would agree with the sentiment of this thread that it seems that Viking dominates this board, but there appears to be a lot of non-Viking sailors out there!

 

We've not sailed in Europe before, but Avalon had the itinerary we wanted at a decent price. We're looking forward to it!

[Host Jazzbeau]

We've done all our previous river cruises with Viking (except for a Grand Circle Russian river cruise) and loved everyone, but we're sailing with AMA just to change things up a bit. Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel in late March/early April & going to Amsterdam a couple of days early for museum tours we didn't take the last time we were there. We're looking forward to AMA & appreciated Jazzbeau's review of their Rhine river cruise last year. Expect it to be lots of fun.

 

Thanks!

[Wingtips56]

We're just beginning to sort and pack for our second AmaWaterways cruise, this one on the Mekong in Cambodia and Vietnam. The first was in October 2012 on the Danube, from Budapest to Nürnberg, with the add-on to Prague. We loved Ama and the cruise, and did all Ama tours (almost all included in the price, including two bonus tours) and were satisfied with all except Vienna. It was just busing around things and quickly glimpsing up a cross street to see the façade of some important building, but not going inside a single one. So another time, we'd book a private tour there. There is too much to see in Budapest than what the Ama city tour included, so maybe a more comprehensive private tour would be good if you don't have much time.

 

They did cancel the Cesky Krumlov tour and some of the optional Prague add-on tours for lack of interest.

 

We were the cruise that got stuck in Budapest (oh, darn ...) on the wrong side of an unexploded WW2 bomb that closed the river overnight, delaying our departure until noon the next day. Not Ama's fault, but they handled it well anyway with a $50/pp shipboard credit and a complimentary bus and tour to Bratislava, which the ship skipped because of the delay.

 

Our cruise was one they feature as a Jewish Heritage cruise, and the folks taking part (about 1/2 of the passengers) all spoke highly of those excursions.

 

Note that the Ama excursions and sailings were pretty tightly scripted, so you'll want to be very sure of the "all-aboard" and sailing times if you do venture out on your own.

[sippican]

We're just beginning to sort and pack for our second AmaWaterways cruise, this one on the Mekong in Cambodia and Vietnam. The first was in October 2012 on the Danube, from Budapest to Nürnberg, with the add-on to Prague. We loved Ama and the cruise, and did all Ama tours (almost all included in the price, including two bonus tours) and were satisfied with all except Vienna. It was just busing around things and quickly glimpsing up a cross street to see the façade of some important building, but not going inside a single one. So another time, we'd book a private tour there. There is too much to see in Budapest than what the Ama city tour included, so maybe a more comprehensive private tour would be good if you don't have.

 

Thank you for your insights. Good to know about the Vienna tour. Since it is an overnight port, did you have ample time to explore on your own?

We are spending two extra days in Budapest and currently looking at private tour options there.

[Wingtips56]

Thank you for your insights. Good to know about the Vienna tour. Since it is an overnight port, did you have ample time to explore on your own?

We are spending two extra days in Budapest and currently looking at private tour options there.

 

 

Vienna was not an overnight stop on our cruise. Because of our delay originating in Budapest, we arrived a bit late (even with skipping the port call at Bratislava), after 9:00am. But we were docked until midnight, or almost, so people did have free time if they wanted it. We did the city tour, then the make-up bus tour to very nice little Bratislava, and then back to Vienna for the evening Mozart/Strauss concert, all with Ama. Friends did a beer garten fest on their own and others looked for other evening entertainment in the city.

 

We started in Budapest and got there a few days early, staying with friends and being shown around. How wonderful is that! The Pest side benefits from at least having an around town tour first to get your bearings. You can do the Buda side (Buda Castle) on your own, although it's great having a guide tell you what everything is. Walk across the Chain Bridge and up the hill, or take the blue tram, I think #10 to the top. If it's nice, have a little light lunch repast on top of the Fishermen's Bastion wall, and in the evening, book (in advance!) the wine tasting in an ancient cellar below the Hilton. "Faust Wine Cellar. I did a review in TripAdvisor. See also if you can book an inside tour of the Parliament Building - spectacular! Plan on a few hours inside the grand central market hall. Oh, I need to go back!

[Shana51]

As stated earlier there never seems to be much dialog from Tauck sailors. We are doing our 3rd and 4th Tauck river cruise this summer. Doing a back to back. Budapest to Amsterdam..on the Treasures...then spending 4 nites in Amsterdam and then boarding the Inspiration..Amsterdam to Basel. We are treated excellently by the staff and crew. Example..I was sick in bed with a severe cold while onboard...there is no room service but the room steward brought me a cup of soup and a ham sandwich to the cabin. I did not ask for it. Wonderful guy. Concerning high water/low water issues...I posted how Tauck handled a low water situation on another thread ( Titled Viking flooding issues I think). It was very well done and the overall attention to every detail throughout the whole cruise is the reason we are cruising with them again. The Inspiration is their brand new boat, just starting to sail in June I think...can't wait!

[bobalink]

Thank you for your insights. Good to know about the Vienna tour. Since it is an overnight port, did you have ample time to explore on your own?

We are spending two extra days in Budapest and currently looking at private tour options there.

 

sippican,

 

Regarding private guides...

 

Andrea Makkay is a well known Budapest guide on the CC boards. She was not available on the dates that we were going, so she referred us to her colleague, Magdi Pelech. She was outstanding and I highly recommend her. Her email is magdi.pelech@gmail.com We did 2 half-day tours with her.

 

Our private guide in Prague was wonderful, too. Her name is Eva Trkalova and her website is: http://www.trkalova.guide-prague.cz

We did 2 full-day tours with her, and we loved it.

She had fascinating stories of what it was like to grow up in communism, and all the changes over the past twenty years. Eva is also a qualified and official guide for the Jewish tours, which required a great deal of additional education and rigorous examinations.

 

Both guides were great about email communication and suggested tours with our input. Their goal was to make us happy and see the sites we wanted to see.

 

In Budapest, it was VERY hot and our guide was careful to make sure we stood in the shade (while she shared info of the site we were at) and kept hydrated, as she also made adjustments to our day to maximize "shade" time.

 

Besides all of the great historical information guides share, they also give great tips for restaurants, shopping, using public transportation. All very useful information for us tourists.

 

Hope that is helpful. If you send them an email they will be able to answer all of your questions.

 

Enjoy!

[jklc123]

jklc123

please share where you have decide to stay in Amsterdam. We too are still trying to decide. will be there 2 night first part of October after Budapest to Amsterdam on Viking. Will be with another couple.

 

We ended up booking a higher priced hotel than we had planned, the Banks Mansion, which sounds delightful but is expensive. We were surprised to find most of the hotels that were recommended to us (on another thread) were already booked. DH doesn't want to stay in one of the many interesting hotels that weren't booked because they have steep stairs and small rooms, according to comments on Tripadvisor. So my advice is to book as soon as possible to get what you want!

[sippican]

bobalink and Wingtips56,

Thank you both so much for the tips and information. Great information to get us rolling on the planning. In Budapest we are staying on the Buda side, riverfront, a short walk over the chain bridge to Pest. In Prague we are staying at the Hilton Old Town (same hotel as AMA, but we are DIY pre-cruise).

I will look into both of those guides.:)

[Familygoboston]

We're just beginning to sort and pack for our second AmaWaterways cruise, this one on the Mekong in Cambodia and Vietnam. The first was in October 2012 on the Danube, from Budapest to Nürnberg, with the add-on to Prague. We loved Ama and the cruise, and did all Ama tours (almost all included in the price, including two bonus tours) and were satisfied with all except Vienna. So another time, we'd book a private tour there. There is too much to see in Budapest than what the Ama city tour incl

Note that the Ama excursions and sailings were pretty tightly scripted, so you'll want to be very sure of the "all-aboard" and sailing times if you do venture out on your own.

 

I'm glad to hear you were pleased with the AMA included tours- it was one of the reasons we chose them for our Budapest- Bucharest Da Ive cruise. I will not be happy trapped on a bus, peering out at things. The bicycle tours also appeal for this reason, although there are not many offered on the itinerary we chose.

 

I agree about Budapest, which is why when we booked I decided to forgo Vienna (for now- will see it properly when we cruise the OTHER half of the Danube one day!) and book extra nights in Budapest instead- - 1/2 day tour seemed too short to me! Since we booked I noticed AMA offers the option of taking your "pre nights" in Budapest now, so we did just that!

 

sippican,

 

Regarding private guides...

 

Andrea Makkay is a well known Budapest guide on the CC boards. She was not available on the dates that we were going, so she referred us to her colleague, Magdi Pelech. She was outstanding and I highly recommend her. Her email is magdi.pelech@gmail.com We did 2 half-day tours with her.

 

Our private guide in Prague was wonderful, too. Her name is Eva Trkalova and her website is: http://www.trkalova.guide-prague.cz

We did 2 full-day tours with her, and we loved it.

She had fascinating stories of what it was like to grow up in communism, and all the changes over the past twenty years. Eva is also a qualified and official guide for the Jewish tours, which required a great deal of additional education and rigorous examinations.

 

Both guides were great about email communication and suggested tours with our input. Their goal was to make us happy and see the sites we wanted to see.

 

In Budapest, it was VERY hot and our guide was careful to make sure we stood in the shade (while she shared info of the site we were at) and kept hydrated, as she also made adjustments to our day to maximize "shade" time.

 

Besides all of the great historical information guides share, they also give great tips for restaurants, shopping, using public transportation. All very useful information for us tourists.

 

Hope that is helpful. If you send them an email they will be able to answer all of your questions.

 

Enjoy!

 

Thank you for posting this! It's very helpful! We have 2 full days in Budapest, and are happy to go independently, but there is something special about getting first hand accounts and history, and insider perspective from a good guide! I'm going to look into these tour guides for our "pre days" in Budapest.

[bobalink]

I'm glad to hear you were pleased with the AMA included tours- it was one of the reasons we chose them for our Budapest- Bucharest Da Ive cruise. I will not be happy trapped on a bus, peering out at things. The bicycle tours also appeal for this reason, although there are not many offered on the itinerary we chose.

 

I agree about Budapest, which is why when we booked I decided to forgo Vienna (for now- will see it properly when we cruise the OTHER half of the Danube one day!) and book extra nights in Budapest instead- - 1/2 day tour seemed too short to me! Since we booked I noticed AMA offers the option of taking your "pre nights" in Budapest now, so we did just that!

 

Thank you for posting this! It's very helpful! We have 2 full days in Budapest, and are happy to go independently, but there is something special about getting first hand accounts and history, and insider perspective from a good guide! I'm going to look into these tour guides for our "pre days" in Budapest.

 

Familygoboston,

Wise decision to visit Vienna on another time. It deserves several days!

 

Prior to our Danube river cruise, we flew into Vienna and stayed a few days, then took the train to Budapest. Stayed at the Sofitel Chain Bridge for a few days (booked on my own, it is the same hotel AMA uses.) The view from our room was incredible. Then we boarded the river cruise for a 7-day cruise, ended in Nuremberg. Took bus to Prague. Prague is magical!

 

We did the bike tour on AMA and it was really fun.

 

Glad you found the information on the tour guides helpful. Budapest is wonderful and a tour guide will make the most of your time there.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[Familygoboston]

Familygoboston,

Wise decision to visit Vienna on another time. It deserves several days!

 

Prior to our Danube river cruise, we flew into Vienna and stayed a few days, then took the train to Budapest. Stayed at the Sofitel Chain Bridge for a few days (booked on my own, it is the same hotel AMA uses.) The view from our room was incredible. Then we boarded the river cruise for a 7-day cruise, ended in Nuremberg. Took bus to Prague. Prague is magical!

 

We did the bike tour on AMA and it was really fun.

 

Glad you found the information on the tour guides helpful. Budapest is wonderful and a tour guide will make the most of your time there.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

We only have 2 weeks; leaving a senior in HS at home with family and it's a big year for her, she will need lots of our support, so even 2 weeks is a luxury. Something had to give, and rather than spend a series of one or 2 nights all over Europe we decided, 3 nights in Budapest and 4 in Istanbul, before and after the cruise to more fully experience each place.

 

I've already sent an email to the guide- it's early, hopefully she has an opening. For us, her daily fee is well worth the private attention and wonderful local perspective! I'm hopeful we can put together a good visit!

 

This is our first river cruise and to get back to the original topic of the thread; we booked AMA based on demographics and amenities long before the flooding troubles, but after reading these boards, I was glad we had not chose Viking. My DH would be fit to be tied if the river cruise turned into a European bus tour, it's the absolute last thing he would want. We all understand that things can happen out of the control of anyone, but the options to re book another time to get the type of experience one paid for, (cruise vs bus) should be offered. Sounds like AMA did offer that (from what I had read) and that would be what we would have done had we been in the shoes of the people who experienced that.

 

We do get very frequent emails and mailings for Viking, and the itineraries and reviews here are lovely, but those circumstances would not have pleased us! Based on the mailings and discounts, I have to think the way the floods were handled has affected them at least a little!