Viking Legend

[no fuss travel]

Bill

That is a good cabin. We had friends who were in that one and it looked very nice. No worries about spilled wine from them. lol

You are very convenient for leaving the ship as quite a few times we had to climb up to the sun deck to transfer over to another ship to get to shore.

[ddean52]

Bill,

 

we are in cabin # 317 keep an eye on it for us! Have a wonderful time!

 

Dean

[Xoe]

Thanks -- now I have a mental image of boarding.

 

Keep an eye on Stateroom 337 too -- 8 months before it will be "mine", but much anticipated for the Netherlands next spring.

[billinyucatan]

I did find the information I was looking for in Mainz. The Viking Legend docks at Adenauer-Ufer, Viking Steiger (docking place is located close to the Congress centrum). The scheduled arrival is 7:30 PM and scheduled all-aboard is 12:30 PM. Mainz is close to Frankfurt for those with friends in Frankfurt.

 

Also, Viking has a deal with cell phones with http://www.globalphoneworks.com/Viking

but because I live in Mexico I can not use it. However, for those who live in the US, it is probably a good deal for phone use when on the cruise.

 

For my friends in Netherlands, I can check in on the ship when I arrive (early on day 1 ... 7:30 AM) so that they know that I will not be a no-show and then show up before departure on day 2.

[billinyucatan]

As we leave for the Viking Legend this weekend, since we need to keep contact with the kids we are leaving behind and with friends in Europe, and since we can not use the Viking special for cell phones (we do not live in the US).. I believe that my TelCel cell phone is a quad-band GSM phone (and unlocked since I can change Sim cards with my family), so I will take my TelCel cellphone and buy a Sim card in Europe .. which only costs around $5-10 USD. Phone calls received by cell phones are free and text messages are very cheap. The only problem is that I can not give my family/friends the phone number in advance.. but I can text it/email it when I arrive in Europe.

 

We note that Rick Steve's does NOT recommend rentals as the Viking mailing said.. Read the following from Rick Steve's:

 

"The Bottom Line on Mobile Phones For the majority of travelers, phone booths are still the best way to make calls in Europe — they're cheap and easy to find. But if you travel frequently, a mobile phone is a great convenience. Here's a wrap-up of my advice for those who want to go mobile.

If your American mobile will work in Europe...Take it and use it if you have a reasonable calling plan. But if you will be making lots of calls, first get it "unlocked" so you can switch out the SIM card in Europe (and get better rates). [NOTE from billinyucatan: We have a North-American Plan Verizon phone but it uses CDMA not GSM. GSM is used in Europe but not CDMA.... so I can not use my Verizon! AT&T/T-mobil uses GSM, so get that phone unlocked before you go and use it in Europe with European Sim cards!]

 

If your American phone won't work in Europe...Skip the rentals. It's cheaper and relatively painless to buy a new phone there. If you're planning to visit multiple countries, make sure it's an "unlocked" phone so you can change SIM cards as you cross borders.

I've roamed with my American phone in two dozen different countries. No more noisy, urine-perfumed phone booths for me...I travel Europe with a mobile phone." --- from website http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/mobilephones.htm

 

checklist of things to ask when you buy a European SIM card:

 

1. What is the cost per minute for domestic and international calls and for text messages?

 

2. Are there different calling plans with different per-minute costs? Which one is right for me?

 

3. How do I get a tally of the remaining credit on my card?

 

4. How can I get more credit when I run out? Can I add more credit when I'm in another country?

 

5. What are the extra costs for calls and text messages when I'm roaming in another country?

 

Before leaving the shop, turn off your phone, put in the new SIM card, and go through the entire process, from turning the phone on through actually making a call — to the store, or, for fun, to the salesperson's personal phone.

Hope that is useful for other Viking Legend travellers.

[billinyucatan]

Since many Viking Legend passengers will be using Amsterdam as their hub...

 

More specific info concerning cell phones there thanks to dutch friends....

 

There are 5 national GSM mobile phone networks with good coverage. You need a phone that uses the European 900 and 1800 MHz bands. There is a good chance that your AT&T phones in the US are useful for that and that my TelCel phone from Mexico will be useful since we use GSM here. Verizon does not use GSM phones, so leave them back at home unless you want it for an alarm clock! We can buy a SIM card for these phones and use them for the entire cruise....

... or you can hire a mobile phone at Schiphol Airport (once you get through immigration and customs), or if you have a suitable GSM phone, you can buy a pre-paid SIM card from telephone shops (there are several on the Rokin) or supermarkets (such as Albert Heijn behind the Palace on the Dam).

Albert Heijn supermarkets have SIM cards for €10 (they are piled in cans by the checkouts). Hema stores (there's one on the Nieuwendijk near the Dam, and one on the Kalverstraat near the Munt Tower) also have one for €10, which includes €3 worth of calls on it. One EURO is about 19 mexican pesos right now or 1.42 dollars. If you have a European phone or a tri-band one or a compatible US or Mexican GSM phone, you just stick the SIM in your phone and you've got a working Dutch telephone number! Take a baggy with you to keep your original SIM for use when you return home. Since it is free to receive calls on mobile phones in Europe (you only pay for outgoing calls), you can leave the cell phone on all the time. The outgoing tariff for national calls is around 35 cents, and 10 cents to send an SMS (the actual name for a text message). You can buy more prepaid time from the same locations or from numerous places throughout the cruise stops.

Hema also has prepaid cards for inexpensive international mobile calls ( 3 cents per minute to the USA or UK). You buy the prepaid international card at Hema, then dial 020-715 55 55 on your mobile phone, and then enter the number on the back of the prepaid card. This allows the card to be used by your phone. After that, you can dial the same number and then the international number you want to phone, followed by a '#'. Pretty cool!

[bbsiming]

I have an unlocked GSM phone that I bought on line a few years ago for under $40. Now, whenever I travel outside the US I stop in a supermarket or a tabacco shop or even a convenience store and buy a SIM card for it. I ususally pay about $12 for it and it comes with a minimal amount of airtime. Then I can stop at most ATMs and charge a few dollars of airtime to my debit card when it gets low. Last year in Scotland I was paying the equivalant of 7 cents a minute to call the US. When I got home and checked with Verizon I found that I would have paid about 47 cents a minute to use my regular phone.

 

I didn't know what my number was until I got the SIM card but then I just text'ed the number to the people in the States who might need to contact me.

 

Scottsdale Bob

[jcrandle]

I am finding that more and more electronics sold in the US actually have the ability to work on both US (110v 60 Hz) and European (220v 50 Hz) power. The only requirement is that you use an adaptor to plug the device in. Take a moment before you leave and look at the chargers for your cameras, phones, and other devices and you will probably see that they are capable of runnning on 220v 50 Hz. The two most common items that probably won't accept the European power are hairdryers and electic razors but the boats usually have one 60 Hz socket for that purpose and they have hair dryers.

 

Bob

 

I'll share my faux pas with you all so that you won't make the same mistake that I did. Most of our electrical/electronics are dual voltage, 50/60hz compatible, so I always take a power strip with US style outlets, and use a plug adapter to plug it into European power. On our last trip, I grabbed a multi-outlet strip, and when I got to the hotel in Europe, plugged it up and immediately tripped the circuit breaker. Hmmm, I thought, maybe I should try a different outlet. I tripped the breaker on that one too. After careful examination of the power strip, I realized that it also had surge protection. Guess what, a 240 volt input looks like a power surge to a 110 volt surge protector, so it shorted across the contacts, which tripped the breaker. The moral of this is to make sure if you take a power strip, don't take one that also is a surge protector, as you will have to explain to the maintence guy why you keep blowing his breakers!

[billinyucatan]

The Viking Legend has a 110 v 60 Hz outlet. The power strip is ONLY for that outlet NOT for the 220 v European outlet. The adapter for the powerstrip is from a grounded 3-prong male to a 2-prong male to fit into the ships outlet which is 2-prong. One should never put a plug adapter on a power strip. One needs a small converter box with a transformer for using 110 v appliances in a 220v european outlet AND the wattage of those devices depend on the power rating of the converter box. I think it is best to reserve the 220 v outlet for the hair dryer or for apparatus made for 220v.

 

Does anyone know if we need to go through immigration/customs as the ship changes countries... and during the bus trip from Budapest, Hungary to Slovakia, to Czech Republic for the add-on trip with Viking Legend?

[no fuss travel]

The Viking Legend has a 110 v 60 Hz outlet. The power strip is ONLY for that outlet NOT for the 220 v European outlet. The adapter for the powerstrip is from a grounded 3-prong male to a 2-prong male to fit into the ships outlet which is 2-prong. One should never put a plug adapter on a power strip. One needs a small converter box with a transformer for using 110 v appliances in a 220v european outlet AND the wattage of those devices depend on the power rating of the converter box. I think it is best to reserve the 220 v outlet for the hair dryer or for apparatus made for 220v.

 

Does anyone know if we need to go through immigration/customs as the ship changes countries... and during the bus trip from Budapest, Hungary to Slovakia, to Czech Republic for the add-on trip with Viking Legend?

 

No you do not need to go through immigration/customs as the ship changes countries or during the bus trip from Budapest to Prague. They are all members of EU so therefore once you land in Holland, that's it for customs and immigration until you leave to come home.

 

Have a wonderful trip and may all the technical glitches be fixed before you board. Looking forward to your tale when you come home.

[no fuss travel]

Oh I just found the edit button. Did they just add it or was it there all along?:D

[steamboats]

No you do not need to go through immigration/customs as the ship changes countries or during the bus trip from Budapest to Prague. They are all members of EU so therefore once you land in Holland, that's it for customs and immigration until you leave to come home.

 

For an Amsterdam-Budapest cruise (or reverse) there are no passport controls anymore since Dec 21st, 2007.

 

Just to be correct: It´s because Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia have joined the Schengen Community by that date. They have been part of the EU before. Not every country which belongs to the EU is also a member of the Schengen Community. Like Great Britain which is part of the EU but not of Schengen.

 

Immigration and customs are at the first place of entry into the Schengen Community. There you will get your visa stamp into your passport which is valid for all Schengen countries.

 

steamboats

[ddean52]

Oh I just found the edit button. Did they just add it or was it there all along?:D

 

<S> its been in use for a while

[billinyucatan]

Thanks for the information and explanation of Schengen. Interesting and very useful. Good to know I don't need my travel documents after clearing immigration in Amsterdam.

[no fuss travel]

The only time you might need them is if you make a large purchase and want to obtain you VAT refund. I had to show my passport once to get the refund in Germany.

[no fuss travel]

<S> its been in use for a while

 

Guess I was too tired to notice. Well at least now I know it exists.

[no fuss travel]

For an Amsterdam-Budapest cruise (or reverse) there are no passport controls anymore since Dec 21st, 2007.

 

Just to be correct: It´s because Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia have joined the Schengen Community by that date. They have been part of the EU before. Not every country which belongs to the EU is also a member of the Schengen Community. Like Great Britain which is part of the EU but not of Schengen.

 

Immigration and customs are at the first place of entry into the Schengen Community. There you will get your visa stamp into your passport which is valid for all Schengen countries.

 

steamboats

 

Thanks Steamboats. I knew that it was stamped in Amsterdam and then again in Prague when I left Europe. Other than needing it for a VAT refund, my passport stayed safely in the safe for all of Europe.

[billinyucatan]

Well, we are packed and ready for our 24 hour journey to Amsterdam.. which begins in yet 24 hours. Thanks for you help.

 

Ich denke grade dass wir zu unserer Reise auf dem Schiff, VIKING LEGEND, bereit sind. Wir danken jeder für Ihre Hilfe. Wir haben noch, ein Tag bevor wir abreisen. Danke!

 

....y gracias!

 

Bill and Sara

[no fuss travel]

Well, we are packed and ready for our 24 hour journey to Amsterdam.. which begins in yet 24 hours. Thanks for you help.

 

Ich denke grade dass wir zu unserer Reise auf dem Schiff, VIKING LEGEND, bereit sind. Wir danken jeder für Ihre Hilfe. Wir haben noch, ein Tag bevor wir abreisen. Danke!

 

....y gracias!

 

Bill and Sara

 

Bon voyage.

[bbsiming]

Take pictures!!! No one is posting pictures.

 

Scottsdale Bob

[usavvy2]

Well, we are packed and ready for our 24 hour journey to Amsterdam.. which begins in yet 24 hours. Thanks for you help. Bill and Sara

 

Bill & Sara -

Bon voyage and smooth sailing! Will be waiting to hear your experiences!

 

Sara & Bill

[steamboats]

Bill and Sara,

 

Have a great trip!

 

steamboats

[ddean52]

Bill,

 

ENJOY!

 

Dean

[billinyucatan]

Thanks. We board our plane in a few hours. Can't wait.

 

By the way... For future record for those in Mexico that may be going on Viking Legend, I went by Telcel today (I do better speaking spanish face-to-face than I do over the phone!) and they informed me that although Telmex uses GSM, my TelCel Amigo phone can NOT be used in Europe. Also I was told that if I purchase a SIM card in the Netherlands or Germany, my cell phone would not work on their networks.

 

The problem is that there are 4 bands on which GSM function, and TelMex phones work on the American-standard GSM which is 850 and 1,900 megahertz whereas the European GSM phones work on 900 and 1,800 megahertz. It seems my phone is not quad band. Rats! Thus, even though we have GSM instead of CDMA, thre is no using my cell phone.

 

Thus, I will likely purchase a cheap phone in Amsterdam. From what I understand with 5 networks in the Netherlands, the pricing in NL is as good or better than anywhere else. Although there would be roaming charges in other countries, it is not as bad as it use to be. Roaming charges in the EU are fixed now and can not top €0.49 a minute to make a call and €0.24 a minute to receive. Texting is cheap. That way, I have a phone if somone in MX or USA needs to reach me (esp my kids in MX), and I can make and receive calls to/from my European friends.

 

Phones can be bought and recharged at one of the numerous Albert Heijns stores or one of the many mobile phone stores.

[ConradMZ]

BillinYucatan had some questions about Mainz and restrooms:

 

In Mainz, all Viking ships dock at the Viking dock, which is located at the Rheingoldhalle, between city hall and the Hilton. Usually, the ships arrive during the night or in the early morning. Walking tours are scheduled for 8:30 (occasionally 9), and last for about two hours, including the Gutenberg Museum and the cathedral, after which passengers have free time until about 12:30 pm.

 

As for restrooms, there are both free and pay restrooms in Mainz. The restrooms at the Gutenberg Museum are probably the best choice for cruise passengers whose admission is pre-paid, anyway. There is also a McDonald's just a block or two west of the cathedral, right in the middle of the downtown pedestrian zone, as well as a free city restroom on the marketplace involving some stairs.