Viking Gullveig

[In Retirement]

This was probably my least favorite day on the entire cruise. Your morning is basically free, as you are traversing the Rhine on your way to Kinderdijk. In the morning, breakfast is the usual – starts at 6:00 am for early risers, but the buffet begins at 7:30 am. Morning activities include a presentation on Dutch Water Management, followed by a Dutch table shuffleboard game called Sjoelen. I did not attend the talk on Dutch Water Management. After a leisurely breakfast, I decided to have quite time on my balcony with a strong cup of coffee. It was a very enjoyable morning watching the landscape sail by from the balcony.

I also used this free time to repack my suitcase, as our luggage had to be out at very specific times the next morning (depending upon our after-cruise plans). Viking’s plans were to leave luggage tags with the schedule for transferring bags in your room during the evening dinner. With the farewell dinner that night, I needed time to pack my bags.

 

Lunch was served at 12:30 to 2:00 pm in the restaurant or Terrace. After lunch, Ryan our Program Director, presented a talk on all things Dutch, including Dutch painters and cheeses. The Gullveig arrived in Kinderdijk at 2:15 pm. The shore excursion of the windmills began at 3:00 pm and ended at 5:00 pm. This excursion required a lot of walking. The terrain was flat, but it was a fairly good distance. I did not find the windmills that interesting and could have skipped this excursion. The Gullveig cast off for Amsterdam at 5:30 pm. Evening activities included a farewell reception at 6:30 pm and farewell dinner at 7:00 pm. The reception and dinner were great fun with new friends from around the world.

Regrets for the day – going on the Windmill excursion

Best part of the day – the farewell dinner with new friends

 

Good to see that your balcony (on the right/starboard side of the boat?) got some use? Were you often tethered to another ship and therefore "shared" someone else's cabin? Perhaps your relative lack of interest in windmills was not shared by your companion? I have found that guys love stuff like the Panama Canal and the Vasa Museum (Stockholm). I wonder what else was possible (or just an earlier arrival in Amsterdam)? Seems like Kinderdijk is also part of other Amsterdam-based tours (like spring Dutch flowers). Your commentary and our hearing directly from the hotel director on the ship have contributed to our preparatory comfort. Much thanks!

DJ:)

[KaraokeQueen]

Alliecat61,

 

I want to thank you for all the valuable information you provided on this itinerary. We board the Gullveig tomorrow, doing the same route direct.

After 3 weeks on Silversea, we have tired of organized tours and looking forward to doing some exploring on our own. You have given us great information regarding the cities we visit. Thank you so much.

[KaraokeQueen]

I just want to add, Basel is a gem of a city and well worth spending extra time here. We chose to stay for 3 nights pre-cruise. Sure glad we did as today is Ascension Day and only restaurants are open. Our hotel provided us free tram tickets upon check in. We haven't used them as we prefer to walk.

 

The daily farmers market is a highlight along with the amazing cathedrals.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[mskaufman]

Thanks for the detail.

 

We are thinking of doing this cruise in late December and are reading mixed reviews. You give a pretty good impression of what it will be like on this cruise.

[In Retirement]

Thanks for the detail.We are thinking of doing this cruise in late December and are reading mixed reviews. You give a pretty good impression of what it will be like on this cruise.

 

Have read several descriptions of "holiday market river cruises" and I suggest you do the same? If you like the idea of dealing with bad weather in your holiday fun, I'll bet a rail pass or rental car with cozy nights in local hotels will be your cup of tea.

 

We'll be on this boat in a couple of weeks and I'll be pleased to report back how much time we spend on the top deck versus reports of snow/ice and limitations. Get to leave home with all that heavy winter clothing as well. My preference for winter travel (unless you do winter sports?) is warm, balmy, tropical or south of the equator?

DJ

[In Retirement]

Thanks for the detail. We are thinking of doing this cruise in late December and are reading mixed reviews. You give a pretty good impression of what it will be like on this cruise.

 

We often select travel times just because they are available. In the future I hope to take advantage of some off-peak very good price options and some seasonal experiences that don't work with MDWs continuing teaching schedule. What I've discovered so far about river cruises, however, is that the same length of river can be covered in both a shorter and a longer time period. Both may offer the same ports, but one might mainly move the boat when its passengers sleep, while the other anchors the boat at night and travels more distance during the day time.

 

I think that sitting on the top deck after dinner and watching the world go by might be a lovely experience? By selecting a time of year with the longest days, there will be daylight during long evenings (hope then for blackout curtains?). As we follow this 13/20 June river cruise with days/evenings in Ghent, Brugges, and Amsterdam, walks after dinner are a good possibility, followed by an extended cruise to Norway (26 June/8 July) were evening hours on a balcony (and hopes for a dark cabin!) have us expecting bright evenings maybe past 11pm?

DJ

[mskaufman]

My DW is also a teacher. We weren't even looking at the Christmas Market cruise but were thinking about Christmas week. The one we are thinking about is Amsterdam to Basel. I guess you're saying that we are less likely to sit on deck if the temperature is somewhere between 15 - 40 deg F. Something to consider, although the price (including air) is about half what it is in the summer.

 

Thanks for the input.

[In Retirement]

My DW is also a teacher. We weren't even looking at the Christmas Market cruise but were thinking about Christmas week. The one we are thinking about is Amsterdam to Basel. I guess you're saying that we are less likely to sit on deck if the temperature is somewhere between 15 - 40 deg F. Something to consider, although the price (including air) is about half what it is in the summer.

Thanks for the input.

 

Last year followed one Rhine Cruise the week before Christmas and the pictures were very useful: snow and ice on the top deck and people in ski jackets -- no kidding (no one sitting outside as the boat moves down the river?). Our experience from last August was that I had a hard time finding an open cabin on the Basel/Amsterdam route the following June! Was quite a shock considering how negative folks are here on having to pay 100% upfront! Sometimes price fluctuation represents demand and sometimes you are able to plan a vacation and come out ahead (last year we did a week's cruise out of San Juan that started 14 December and then a week in a convenient condo the following week: that cruise week cost about half the price on the following week, and we were able to fly nonstop from Houston and go directly onto the ship, which was the first day my wife could get away.

 

If I could get my wife to fly to Europe in December, I'd consider a variety of alternatives where inside time would be great (Paris, London) or weather would be at least likely to be temperate (Greece, Turkey) no so certain about Israel as last winter wasn't good for a vacation!

 

Good luck,

DJ

[Host Jazzbeau]

My DW is also a teacher. We weren't even looking at the Christmas Market cruise but were thinking about Christmas week. The one we are thinking about is Amsterdam to Basel. I guess you're saying that we are less likely to sit on deck if the temperature is somewhere between 15 - 40 deg F. Something to consider, although the price (including air) is about half what it is in the summer.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

If you do consider a cruise at this time of year, I would suggest opting for a French balcony. You won't want to sit on the top deck or out on a real balcony, but with a French balcony you can open the drapes and enjoy the view out your full-length windows from the toasty warm security of your cabin.

[notamermaid]

Hello mskaufman,

 

there are a few reviews of Christmas and New Year cruises here on CC. You can probably find these via the advanced search.

 

The weather is a major consideration. Days can be anything between minus 10 degrees, snow and bright sunshine to plus 10 degrees, rain and boring grey skies. Sorry, I do not feel like converting this to Fahrenheit this morning.

 

The Christmas markets actually close on the 23rd December (in general) so you will miss that on the Christmas days. A few in major cities re-open on the 27th for a few days.

 

Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

[mskaufman]

I have a cousin in Amsterdam who gave me the same -10 to +10 range. It converts to 15 - 50, quite a big range. We have gone to NYC Christmas time and had no problem walking around at 40 deg F. 15 deg is another story. We've cruised to AK and stayed on deck in Glacier Bay. This summer we are cruising to Canada. Although we are bringing the coats, I am not expecting anything close to 40 deg.