Review Viking Kvasir Rhine Getaway June 15

We just got back from the Viking Kvasir Rhine Getaway trip yesterday (Madrid-Amsterdam-Rhine Cruise-Swizterland) so here is my post of our visits to Madrid and Amsterdam beforehand. I will post the cruise review separately. I so appreciated reading all the message posts prior to our cruise so I though I would reciprocate for others.

Madrid

We flew to Madrid and arrived on Sunday June 7th. We had rooms for 3 nights at the Hotel Liabeny which was in a great location. Lovely rooms with king sized beds. Large bathrooms with both shower and tub. Breakfast was a very nice buffet with lots of cheeses, hams, fruit, etc. We ate in the restaurant on our last night there as we were tired…not very good and wouldn’t recommend the restaurant other than for breakfast. Other than that a great hotel and we would stay there again. Walking distance to great shopping and food. Our favorite place was the Mercado; an indoor market with dozens of tapas-type stands and ones for drinks. We also did a Madrid Food Tour, which was fantastic (saw it on TripAdvisor) – great way to sample lots of food and learn about Madrid history. Our favorite stop on that was visiting the monastery of the cloistered nuns to get cookies (given to you via a Lazy Susan so they don’t see you); if we hadn’t done the food tour we would never have experience this. Spain is very cheap right now (and we surely got sticker shock after the cruise when we were in Switzerland).

The Cathedral is a must! Very beautiful. Unfortunately, the Palace was closed for official events for two days. Overall, we loved Madrid and would definitely recommend this if you have the chance.

Amsterdam

Flew to Amsterdam on the Wednesday before the cruise and stayed at the Canal House. Absolutely fabulous boutique Hotel in the Joordan and well worth the money. Round the corner from the Anne Frank house (lines were horrendous so we followed advice we found online and went to the Jewish National Museum instead- which we thought was great) and close to restaurants. We had friends who had been to the Anne Frank house recently and years ago and said they were disappointed because all the furniture is now removed, so it really is just a small empty house. It was a 10 minute walk to Dam Square – which was much trashier (both literally and figuratively) and more touristy than I remember, so glad we didn’t stay near there. There was a great wine shop across the canal from the hotel and great restaurants on the same block (Seasons and Max’s). The hotel staff was so incredibly attentive and provided us with wine glasses daily so that we could sit in the beautiful garden and visit. They had great recommendations for us (the restaurants and things to do), and that included letting us know that the cruise that departs near the Rijksmuseum actually is 90 minutes, as opposed to most of them that are only 60. We did this canal cruise and it was lovely. You could buy drinks, wine and snacks before the trip so we followed this up after our morning visit to the museum. The breakfast was included in the hotel rate and had plenty of choices. This really was our favorite hotel of the whole trip!

We are staying at the Canal House pre cruise in Sept!!!! How did you get from airport to Canal House. Trying to decide, hauling luggage on the train does not sound fun after 10+ hrs on an international flight

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

The Anne Frank House is far from a small empty house. I urge anyone wishing to visit to simply plan ahead and purchase tickets in advance online.

We are staying at the Canal House pre cruise in Sept!!!! How did you get from airport to Canal House. Trying to decide, hauling luggage on the train does not sound fun after 10+ hrs on an international flight

 

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Even if you take the train you still need transportation to your hotel. Check this shuttle http://www.schipholhotelshuttle.nl/

Or these cabs that are populair too:

https://tinker.travel/

The Anne Frank House is far from a small empty house. I urge anyone wishing to visit to simply plan ahead and purchase tickets in advance online.

I agree. We went last July on our pre cruise stay in Amsterdam and certainly one of the highlights of the trip. We ordered months in advance on line so at our appointed time just rang a bell at the side door and walked in bypassing a 2 plus hour line. I also highly recommend booking the 30 minute presentation in English prior to the tour. It's only a few Euro's more and really sets the stage for what's to come. They used a college student for the presentation and it was really wonderful. They only have a few of these a day so you do have to get the tickets way in advance.

Even if you take the train you still need transportation to your hotel. Check this shuttle http://www.schipholhotelshuttle.nl/

Or these cabs that are populair too:

https://tinker.travel/

Thanks Ine that was my concern, messing with the train and still needing to get a train at the central station. Wondering what others did?

Wow Tinker has wonderful reviews and the price is great... Guess that is my ride!

Thanks again Ine, this is perfect!

We just grabbed a taxi. It was 42.50 euros.

This was our first river cruise. (see my post on our Madrid Amsterdam precruise portion)

Viking Kvasir

The boat was not docked where our documents indicated, so our taxi had to drive around a little looking for the location. Another Viking ship was docked where ours was supposed to be and no there seemed to know where ours was (even though it was directly opposite it turned out). Was it pretty there no…but so what! I know a few people have commented how ugly it was in that part of Amsterdam, but that honestly didn’t matter to us.

Check-in was an absolute breeze; none of the commotion of an ocean cruise line. They don’t even ask for your credit card. We were taken straight to our room (313), along with our bags. Lunch was still being served so you could still get your wine and beer for free. We elected not to get the Silver Spirits package because we knew we could bring wine, etc on board and wanted to sample wines from the places we were visiting.

The room was really nice, although smaller than on an ocean liner which was to be expected, the bathroom had heated floors and there was plenty of storage space. It was already clear that every member of the crew was there to attend to your every need, very pleasant and friendly. The people in our group aged from 49 (this was my 50th birthday trip) to 67 (my husband).

There were a couple of teenagers on the cruise, but I really felt like the youngest person. Don’t be offended, I am not saying that as a bad thing, but if you are going on this expecting a younger crowd (which we didn’t) then you will be surprised. This is a really laid-back trip and it was great!

After the evening briefing we went to the dining room….well…..as there is no assigned seating there was nowhere for 5 of us to sit together. They encourage us to split-up but we didn’t want to; we came on the cruise to visit with each other. So, Darko the Maitre D, took us upstairs to the Aquavit Terrace, we had one waitress assigned to us and our food was served to us personally by the Chef and Sous Chef….now where else would that happen! It was quite funny because other people realized that if you want a certain table, with a certain number of people, or really wanted certain waiters you had to be in line before the doors open. So, after that first day those of us who had groups would send a person to wait outside the door of the dining room to grab a table while the others listened to the briefing. I know this might sound ridiculous to some of you but we really didn’t want to split up and introduce ourselves to new people each time we sat down to eat. If you enjoy that then fine; but it just wasn’t what we wanted to do.

We loved the availability of the 24 hour coffee and tea machines (there were always pastries and cookies too). The food throughout the trip was fabulous at all 3 meals. The included wine and beer were not the highest quality but quite tasty.

Daily Reviews

Overall, the ease with which you get on and off the ship is astounding. No ridiculous scanning of cards, bags, etc. You just pick up your boarding cards and a card that assigns your excursion group for the day and then hand them in when you get back on. They offer water when you get off and provided umbrellas when it rained. Sometimes the excursion buses were parked at the end of the gangway! The buses belonged to Viking and were very clean. We noticed that other cruise lines were using hired buses from local companies. In your room there are little radio-looking things called QuietVox. You hand it around your neck and it has an earpiece so that you can hear the commentary of your tour guide while walking around; this was really great. Don’t worry if you forget it; the tour guides carry extras. You do a lot of walking on the excursions (no matter what the booklet indicates) and this was clearly difficult for some of the elderly people. However, they do have wheelchairs on the buses if anyone needs one. On a couple of occasions you could sign up for the “Leisure Group” that had less walking and at a slower pace. Attending the evening 1 minute briefing is important as they sometimes ask you to sign up for a specific group depending on what you want to do and see (this includes any optional excursions).

Kinderdjik

My husband and I got up early in time to watch the ship docking. The ship docks right at the windmill site so there are tour buses involved. It was misty and cool with no wind; we didn’t get to see any windmills turning this day, although the sun did come out later. This is a really beautiful place with 19 windmills and quite a lot of walking. Very educational and interesting talk given by the tour guides. After the visit you get right back on the ship for lunch (never had to worry about getting tables at lunch). We choose to eat in the main dining room daily, but there are also a limited number of tables on the Aquavit Terrace – this fills up very quickly on sunny days and has a more limited selection.

We cruised during the afternoon and enjoyed just relaxing on the ship. If you get bored easily, make sure you bring books, etc to keep you entertained.

Cologne

The weather was cold, dreary and windy this morning, but cleared up in the afternoon The cathedral is absolutely beautiful and this was a very interesting visit. Afterwards, you have the whole afternoon and evening to do whatever you want. We went to Peters Brauhaus; we only had drinks and it was fine but I wasn’t overly impressed (the one we went to in Heidelberg was excellent…more on that later). Koblenz and Rudesheim (Castle viewing day)

We got off the ship and went by bus to Marksburg castle (it’s quite rocky and steep to walk around). At the top of the castle we could see the Kvasir cruising down the Rhine to meet us. The castle tour was excellent and the views from the top are amazing. After the tour we had time to sit at the little café at the top while we waited for the buses. When we got back to the ship (which is moored right in front of the castle) we ate lunch and readied for the castle viewing as we cruised to Rudeshiem. Grab seats on the top deck before lunch or you will be standing or sitting on the floor. This was a beautiful afternoon and the weather was lovely. They served us Rudesheim coffee (coffee, Asbach and whipped cream) on the deck. Really great to see all the castles.

When we docked in Rudesheim we did part of the walking tour (until we found a wine shop) and went back to the ship. Cute little town, but nothing exciting. I think this might have been the night when some people did the optional dinner at a brauhaus but not sure – anyway we heard very mixed reviews from our fellow passengers about that and were glad we didn’t go).

Heidelberg and Speyer

I think this was my favorite day. Interesting bus ride to Heidelberg, which is absolutely beautiful! We toured the castle and then had until 230 to roam around the city. We actually smelled the aroma of this Bauhaus Kulterbrauerei, just a few steps from where we got off the bus and….what a find! Truly authentic, clearly frequented by plenty of locals and the food was fantastic. Yes, I freaked my fellow travelers our by having liver sausage and black pudding (I am from England originally) with mashed potatoes and onion gravy….wow! My companions had herring, eggplant casserole and German sausage and potatoes. Fabulous atmosphere; we sat on the patio and the weather was gorgeous. Would highly recommend going here. We didn’t even stroll into the town further just sat and enjoyed the beer, food and weather. We went by bus back to the ship, which was now in Speyer. 3 of us went on the walking tour to the cathedral and 2 went to the Technical Museum (fabulous cars, helicopters and a 747 where you can stand on the wing). Unfortunately, the Program Director told us the museum was open until 7 but it actually closed at 6, so my husband was disappointed he only got to spend 45 minutes there.

Strasbourg

This was a really rainy day! You take a bus tour of the town first and we got to see the European Parliament building (that is only used 14 weeks per year – what a waste) and the European Council building. Storks were also nesting and it was lovely to see them in the tops of the trees and on chimneys. The cathedral was beautiful – notice a pattern of us seeing cathedrals everywhere we go. If you aren’t into that, don’t go on this cruise! In fact, the tour guide in Cologne said someone had coined the phrase “ABC- Another bloody cathedral” to describe being on a river cruise in this region LOL. After we finished the tour, there was free time but the weather was awful so we found someone to eat and just waited until it was time to be picked up.

Breisach and WWII optional excursion

About 70 minute ride by bus to the Black Forest and the scenery was just beautiful. We opted to do the 30 minute walk into the forest and it was lovely, but chilly. You need sneakers or sturdy shoes as the terrain is rocky and slippery when damp. Gorgeous waterfalls and foliage to look at. We then went to the cuckoo clock shop (we purchased one and it will be delivered in 8 weeks). We also went to the glassblowing shop. I am a proficient cook so wasn’t really interested in watching the black forest cake being made. Very cute little area. The ride back was so scenic and we really enjoyed it.

In the afternoon we took the optional WW II excursion which was quite tiring at about 5 and a half hours long. Very interesting – you visit a small museum, go up Mount Sogelsheim (fabulous views of the Rhine Valley), have a coffee break in a small village and then visit the Audie Murphy memorial. Our young tour guide did an excellent job of discussing the Colmar Pocket Campaign and we really had a great time.

The ship actually arrives in Basel before 930PM so you could go into to town if you want. We did not as we were staying 2 nights there anyway (we actually weren’t that impressed with Basel).

Debarkation

We were getting a taxi at 930 AM so our luggage did not have to bed outside until 830AM (not the ocean cruise departure madness). We had paid our account the day before so all we had to do was walk off the ship. The ease at which everything happens on this cruise is so impressive. Would be do it again…yes! Is it worth the money…yes! You really cannot compare ocean cruising and river cruising as they are too very different experiences. But the river cruise experience was just fabulous and we would definitely sail with Viking again.

Post cruise in Basel

Get ready for price shock in Switzerland…good heavens! We stayed at the Hotel St. Gotthard which was really nice and right opposite the train station. Have to say we found Basel dirty and not that enjoyable. The cathedral (yes another one) was beautiful. The places we ate were just “ok” and ridiculously priced. Seriously, everywhere we went coffee was at least 5 euros. I think the city was a let-down after everything we had experience in the previous 10 days. Anyway, the next day we decided to take the train to Lake Lucerne and what a great decision. On getting off the train we went across the street to the lake and bought the Golden Package to go up to Mt. Pilatus. You take a boat ride around the lake to Pilatus Bahn, where you board the oldest cogwheel railway in the world and go to the top of the mountain. We ate at Pilatus Klum (very good and pricey but no more so than anything in Basel) and then came back down on the Gondola. You then take a bus back to the station – the price for the package was 106 euros each (our round trip train fare from Basel to Lucerne was 132 euros for 2 people). Mt. Pilatus was actually one of the highlights of the whole trip because the views were absolutely spectacular!

The hotel gave us free passes for all transportation in the city of Basel for the length of our stay, so we able to get the free bus to the airport (15 minutes).

Strausbourg: "the weather was awful so we found someone to eat"

Huh, that's an odd reaction to bad weather. ;)

Sounds like you and your friends had a great cruise, and made some great memories. Thanks for the write-up.

We just grabbed a taxi. It was 42.50 euros.

Thanks for responding!

Strausbourg: "the weather was awful so we found someone to eat." Huh, that's an odd reaction to bad weather. ;)

And how did they taste (maybe like chicken?) :eek:

We are on the Kvasir in a few weeks. Basel to Amsterdam - thanks for the great review and so glad you had a good time.

Frank

Thank you for your review. We did this cruise several years back. Some stops the same, but a few different ones as well.

Sorry a few people had to make negative comments.

Thanks for the review. I enjoy reading and remembering my trip last year.

Thanks so much for the great review and trip tips! :) We are leaving on this same trip on the Kvasir in a few short weeks. :)

A few questions for you,:confused: if you don't mind:

1. What type of adapter did you travel with on this trip?

2. Did you use cell phones during this trip and if so, did you simply add the international calling plan from your usual cell provider?

3. How was the internet connection onboard?

4. Did anyone on the ship have an opinion on the Colmar excursion? Is that one to consider?

5. Did you find that you had enough free time for independent exploring of each town along the way?

6. Casual dress? Did you think you overpacked/underpacked? What is best for Amsterdam city sightseeing for women's casual wear?

Thanks so much and I am so very glad you had a great trip! :D

Thank you for your review. We did this cruise several years back. Some stops the same, but a few different ones as well.

 

Sorry a few people had to make negative comments.

Are you referring to my comment as one of the negative ones? I thanked her for the write-up, which I enjoyed, and commented on her slip of the keyboard where she mentions cannibalism. If anything that is sarcastic, not negative; esp when combined with my winky face icon.

Britcnm- Thanks again. You're right, the aquavit lounge is a great spot for a meal, sounds like they took care of you.

see my answers below, we did this trip in December, you will have an excellent time

QUOTE=crewsgirl;46957544]Thanks so much for the great review and trip tips! :)

We are leaving on this same trip on the Kvasir in a few short weeks. :)

A few questions for you,:confused: if you don't mind:

1. What type of adapter did you travel with on this trip? No adapter needed plenty of us outlets

2. Did you use cell phones during this trip and if so, did you simply add the international calling plan from your usual cell provider?

I have tmobile able to use I every country no extra charge

3. How was the internet connection onboard? Slow but free

4. Did anyone on the ship have an opinion on the Colmar excursion? Is that one to consider?

My husband and son went on this and loved it

5. Did you find that you had enough free time for independent exploring of each town along the way? Wish I had a bit more, but you are free to leave the tour anytime many people did

6. Casual dress? Did you think you overpacked/underpacked? What is best for Amsterdam city sightseeing for women's casual wear? My boots feel apart has to go shopping in Amderstdam, not much choices, Cologne had an excellent shopping district

Thanks so much and I am so very glad you had a great trip! :D

Sorry for the typos and my lack of proofreading.... My husband pointed that out lol. Don't worry, there was no cannibalism involved....although when you are overseas who knows what you are actually being served!

HI AlexKRN

I know someone already answered your questions. Just to let you know we had really bizarre experiences with AT and T phone service; my husband always had service and two of us had no service the entire trip....very strange and we could never figure our why...we even paid for the international plan!

Colmar was good but long.

We packed way too much stuff, even though we were gone for 15 days. Sneakers or walking shoes a must and a light jacket. We experienced a wide sway in temperatures.

We dressed casually all of the time; usually we did not even change for dinner.

Yes they really did. No complaints for anything really.

JVilleGal you will love Canal house

We are counting the days now and can't wait to get there! Any more hotel or neighborhood tips?