LIVE - Viking Bordeaux Cruise: 11/26-12/3

DW and I leave tomorrow for Bordeaux.:D This will be our 3rd river cruise, all on Viking. Last year in late October we did the Seine on the Spirit and the Romantic Danube Christmas Markets 3 years ago. Obviously, we have been pleased with Viking. I chose V because they included our airfare for free and the cruise price was good. We book the least expensive cabins out of season to save money. We are in our mid 60s and have done over 40 cruises.

I picked this date because Bordeaux has a large Christmas market and it was the lowest price.

We will fly out of Orlando to JFK on Delta then Air France to Paris and then to BOD. We will fly Air France back on the 3rd through Detroit. Economy both ways. Surprised? Our return flight doesn't leave until 12pm on the 3rd so we will avoid one of those gawd awfully early travel days.

We did not book any pre or post cruise stays. We have been to Paris a couple of times and had good times. But cost is important. We booked one optional tour, the wine tasting on the last day in Bordeaux.

We enjoy wine and I have a small collection but we aren't overly sophisticated; WalMart provides our usual table wine. I'm looking to bring a couple of bottles home to add to our "cellar."

I plan to post daily detailing our activities. Once we get home I will add the dinner menus and wines served. Because of travel, time changes, and jet lag, I probably won't post again until Sunday evening. I hope to address any questions as we go.

Looking forward to your review, like you we will be going on our third Viking cruise in December.

We got upgraded to a verandah cabin! :D At lunch another couple said they also went from the bilges to having a balcony.

Our flights went fine but a long travel day. We arrived at the ship at 12:30pm and got into our cabin, then had a light lunch. Now it's time for a shower and a nap.

Following as this cruise is on our list. We sail on our third Viking cruise next November (But with a 3-day pre cruise Paris extension the last three days of October). We also sail when fares are lower, and airfare free (Or at least cheap). We did Christmas Markets in 2014 (Danube) and Portugal last year, both in December. We also book the lower fare cabins.

Did you get upgraded as a surprise once on board, or did they announce that upgrades were possible, but you had to ask for them at the desk? On our Christmas Markets cruise in 2014 they announced at the pre-dinner briefing that upgrades were available, but did not elaborate if they were free or for a fee. We stayed put because we had already unpacked and had met our cabin steward, who was delightful.

Enjoy your trip.

We had no clue we were being upgraded. When we boarded today we were taken directly to the new cabin. I went back to the desk after I saw it was a balcony to make sure it wasn't a mistake. I didn't want to unpack and then be told we had to move. No mistake but I could hav ethe old cabin if I wanted. No Way! At dinner it was obvious the ship was only half full. Several people we talked to had been upgraded to balconies.

We napped this afternoon then went to the orientation by the Program Director, Lorin. For this cruise you have to be flexible because of the tides. He said there were 38 distinct itineraries for this cruise. We will do everything promised online but maybe in a different order or different manner. For example, we wIll not cruise to Cadillac. We will bus over for the tour. Then tomorrow night the captaon promised a scenic river cruise for dinner around Bordeaux. After dinner tomorrow we wIll have an extra wine tasting aboard by a chateaux!

After dinner we took the walking tour of central Bordeaux. A little light rain after a sunny day but not bad. The town is lovely with the Christmas lights. Unfortunately the Christmas market closes at 8 pm so we dIdn't do that. We did ride the tram a couple of times. Very easy. Great first day.

Our first cruise was the one you are on. We loved it and could easily be persuaded to take it again. I really look forward to reading more of your posts.

I think that our friends from Scotland Graeme and Aileen may be on your cruise. We met them on a big ship cruise, they have been in Paris the past couple of days before embarking on their first river cruise. They have been on maybe 100 ocean cruises? Anyway if you meet them tell them Dobie and Rog are following along....a few weeks ago they were on a transatlantic on the Harmony with other friends. Have fun!

Sunday

Today's weather was great - sunny and mild. At 9am we took a bus tour of Bordeaux. There were 2 short stops and a museum tour (about 1 hour). We finished at noon. After lunch we took a 45 minutes bus ride to a sauturne chateaux. Over 1 hour, we tasted 3 wines and toured the facilities. Then we drove 20 minutes to Cadillac. We toured for about 45 minutes. Then had a 45 minutes ride back to the boat. After dinner, a young lady led us through a tasting of 4 Bordeaux wines, 1 white and 3 reds. Fairly basic information but fun.

Tomorrow there is a walking tour of historic Bordeaux and then sailing in the afternoon.

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Never mind about our friends...they are on Trier to Prague and having a great time. Thanks for your updates, I will keep following!

Greetings! We did the Viking Bordeaux cruise in June of this year and *loved* it. Yes, I could actually see myself doing this one again :)

Looking forward to following along.

Enjoy!!

Jeff

I forgot to post the name of the chateaux that we visited for the sauternes -Chateaux d'Arche.

Also I wanted to mention that on Sunday there is a great farmer's market right by the dock. Also the ship docks next to the skate park for you skate boarders bring your boards! Also the trams, line B is right there so it is very easy to do independent touring.

Bordeaux is a much bigger city than I imagined and there is lots to see and taste. The boat docks in Bordeaux for Saturday, Sunday, and half of Monday.

The wines tasted last night were interesting but not real high end. The white, a sauvignon blanc, was quite interesting and different from those of California or the west coast. We tasted a red, primarily a merlot, that had not been barrel-aged. Tastey. The other 2 were interesting Bordeaux reds.

This morning we had 1 1/2 hour walking tour of central Bordeaux. We sailed from Bordeaux at 11:30am and arrived at Libourne at 4:30pm. I took advantage of having the blacony of napping in the sunshine after lunch. We had a nice French tea (meaning pastries, pastries and more pastries) at 3pm. Then I was up on the sun deck for river cruising into Libourne.

A couple of other comments:

Food has been very good - more details to follow as promised. Breakfast has been very good; lunch ok, and dinner very good. Lots of wine and beer may help. I like the offerings but I'm not fussy.

Internet has been good in common area and spotty to useless in the room.

Looks like you'll be in Libourne for the market on Tuesday. Wonderful stuff! Then, if your itinerary was like ours, it's off to Saint Emilion which was our favorite stop of the trip. Just magical there!

If you have any interest in purchasing wine to have shipped home, we had a wonderful experience shopping/purchasing from Ets Martin in St. Emilion on Rue Guadet. Nice people, good prices and great service!

So wish that I was back there :(

Jeff

Tuesday was my birthday. When we got back to the cabin after breakfast there was a towel animal, dog, and a towel b'day cake covered in little candies. Very nice. At dinner, the maitre'd and waitersbrought a little tart with a sparkler and sang Happy Birthday.

In the morning we had 45 minute walking tour of Libourne to the city square and the farmers market. The tour guide took us into one of the stores around the square, a loca) market. There butcher#, grocers, cheese shops, etc. We tasted some local delicacies. We then had an hour of free time to look around and make our way back to the ship /or sailaway.

We arrived in Bourg at 2 pm. The tour to Saint-Emilion left then. We had a 50 minute bus ride to SE. We had a 45 minute walking tour of the village - very picturesque though quiet. The day was overcast and chilly. We had free time for wine shopping and looking. I bought 3 bottles of the 2010 vintage to take back. The bus left at 5pm and got to the boat at 6pm. We had dinner and then a special performance by the piano man.

Your posts are a pleasure to read. Almost as good as being there.

This morning the program director led an hour walk of Bourg. We dIdn't take it but I took a quick walk later. A picturesque town that is steep. Not much was open. We sailed away at noon for Blaye. We arrived ar Blaye at 2pm. There is a big fortress there. We had an hour walking tour of the Citadel. At 4pm, chef did a demonstration how to make macoorons, tasty. After dinner we had a short lecture on wine and food pairings. We tasted 2 whites.

In the morning we were still in Blaye. We walked into the village to buy pastry shop recommended by Lorin. We got a delicious, huge almond croissant to share back aboard. We sailed at noon for Paulliac and arrived at 1:30pm. At 2:30, we left for a drive through chateaux country to our wine tasting at a chateaux and then onto dinner at Chateaux Kirwan. The weather was perfect. We stopped to look at the outside of 3 chateaux. At the winery we toured the facilities and then tasted 3 wines, all excellent. The winery was in Margaux. (Unfortunately, I cannot find the name and will post it later.) We had driven about 1 1/2hours to get there. Then it was off to dinner which we nearby. I will post about it later. After dinner we drove an hour back to the ship for a glass of sauturnes, cheese and fruit. Lorin presented info on the Christmas traditions of various staff members.

Another great day!

This was the winery that we visited on Thursday. This was one of 3 wineries that were visited by Viking passengers. Tree groups left the ship and went to different wineries after the chateaux sightseeing described above.

Today the ship left Pauillac at 9am after the 3 optional tours left. We arrived in Bordeaux at noon. After lunch we left on the optional excursion, Bordeaux for Connoisseurs. We visited 2 wineries in the Medoc region. The 1st, Chateau Leoville Poyferre, is located in Saint-Julien, about 1 1/2 hour drive. We toured the winery and then tasted 3 wines, 3 reds. This winery is a 2nd Grande Cru Classe so very excellent Bordeaux-style wines. And EXPENSIVE. We then drove a short distance to Chateaux La Tour Carnet. Here we got to tour the restored chateau building built in a castle style, even had a moat and drawbridge. Very elegant and furnished with antiques. We then had a brief tour of the winery and a tasting of 1 white and 2 reds. Again excellent wines. We drove back to the ship and got there at 6:30 pm. Bordeaux rush hour traffic s**ks. We skipped the farewell party and dinner to visit the Christmas market. I finally got foie gras there. We got bakc to the ship in time for the singers in the lounge. They were excllent 3 ladies and pianist who did classical vocals, Italian and French.

Departure day. boo hoo. We were lucky because our flight did not leave until 12:05 pm from Bordeaux. Two days before we had received information regarding departure procedures and times for luggage to be out and then leave the boat. We had our luggage out by 8:30 am and went to breakfast. Continental breakfast had been available starting at 3 am. Full breakfast was available 6:30 am to 9:30am. We were out of the cabin after the requested 9am time and left for the airport at 9:30 am. Viking had conveyed our luggage to the bus and loaded it after we confirmed ours. Viking reps at the airport unloaded the bus and conveyed us to check in and confirmed everything was OK until leaving. All very straightforward.

Thursday night was the dinner at the chateau. We arrived after dark so we didn't really see any of buildings other than the catering hall/wine shop. The tables were all set and the crew servers ready for us. The buses arrived fairly quickly and were all seated. The first wine, a Bordeaux white was served. There was a young lady from the winery that told us about the wines that were being served. The Viking chef told us about the menu. The meal was delicious and served very efficiently.

The wines served were:

Signatures 2015, a classic Bordeaux white

Les Charmes de Kirwan 2012

Chateau Kirwan 1995

The menu:

Tourin A L'ail Bordelais

traditional Bordeaux sweet onion & garlic soup with a puff pastry topping

Salade Des Vendages

seasonal greens with harvest grapes, pine nuts, cured duck breast, duck confit with a sour cream dressing

Filet Mignon De Veau, Sauce Champignous, Gambas A La Provencale

veal tenderloin with mushroom sauce, shrimp Provencale, steamed asparagus, baby carrots and potato gratin

Viennetta De Chocolat Aux Figures A La Sauce De Cassis, Creme Glacee Au Vin Rouge

chocolate Viennetta with figs in black currant sauce with red wine ice creme

All of the dishes were very good to great. The servers poured the wines generously. The only "miss" for me was no coffee or tea was served with dessert. I guess I am so American but love coffee with chocolate. I had really been looking forward to this dinner and I was not disappointed!

This cruise, for me, was about Bordeaux wines. When I look back at the cruise, I was not disappointed. We drink alot of California wines, Australian and South American wines. This was to expose us to Bordeaux wines. We had 3 wines tastings onboard, had 2 included winery tours/tastings, and did an optional winery tour/tastings which were at 2 different chateaux, grand cru ones. The wines ranged from modest prices wines to high end ones, whites and sauternes. Some I liked others not so much. So we had a broad exposures to wines available from the region. Exactly what I was looking for.

On Friday we did the optional tour which was a bit pricey and didn't leave us much free time for Bordeaux. I had booked the excursion before the cruise and could not cancel it once onboard. V did offer 2 options for wine tastings at the Musée du Vin et du Négoce near where the boat docks, for 10 euros and 20 euros. They looked interesting and lasted about 1 1/2 hours. Check with the program director once on board to get the details. I don't think we learned about them until Thursday which is after the deadline to book the Friday optional tours.

I enjoyed the wines served aboard. The wines served at dinner seemed better than those at lunch and the reds better than the whites. No surprises there. I will list the dinner wines with each day's menu. I did not note the wines'' years though I recall most were 2012 to 2014 or 2015 (whites). I wasn't that crzye about the sparkling wine served but it was way better than I get on Celebrity or Princess.

Items Available Every Day

Caesar Salad

Poached Salmon

Chicken Breat

Prime Rib Eye Steak

Saturday

Carpaccio de Marget de Canard Prepare pur nos Soins

duck breast smoked onboard with bell pepper confit on toast

Rouleau de Printemps aux Crevettes

filipino shrimp egg roll, mixed vegetables, ginger dip

Salade de Tomates de Marmande

salad of local tomatoes, roasted pine nuts, basil & mozzarella foam

Veloute de Petits Pois au Curry

sweet pea soup with curry & fresh shrimp

Osso Bucco de Veau et sa Mirepoix de Legumes

veal osso bucco with vegetable cubes & piquillo polenta

Filet de Trite Saumonee en Papillote

papillote of salmon trout with fresh herbs, julienne of vegetables & new potatoes

Wok de Nouilles Chinoises

sauteed chinese egg noodles, ****ake mushrooms & vegetables, spicy sesame-soy sauce

Tartelette aux Fruits et au Nougat

fruit tart with vanilla ice cream

Creme Glacee Pistashio

Sorbet Passion Fruit

Poire Pochee au Sauternes , Sabayon au Speculoos

poached pear in Sauternes, spiced cookie sabayon

Chai de Bordes Blanc, Cheval Quancard, Bordeaux

Chai de Bordes Rouge, Cheval Quancard, Bordeaux

Sunday

Poulpe en Vinaigrette de Poivons, Fleur de Sel et Herbes

octopus in bell pepper vinaigrette,fleur de sel & fresh herbs

Risotto au Vin Rouge

red wine risotto with quai legs & parsley sauces

Salade de Chevre aux Echalottes, Kiwi de L'Adour

goat cheese salad with shallot, kiwi, radish, walnuts & stanuis vinagrette

Soupe de Tomate Fraise

tomato strawberry soup, basil foam

Canard du Perigord a l'Oranage

perigord duck a l'orange, caramelized chinese cabbage with lavender, mashed potatoes

Pave de Bacalao Poele au Chirizo

baked cod with chorizo, shrimp, tomatoes & toasted seaweed

Pancake d'Aubergine

eggplant pancake with creamed spinach, pine nuts, raisins & mozzarella

Gateau au Mascarpone et Cerises

mascarpone & sour cherry cake, brownie streusel, marinated berries

Creme Glacee Stracciateila

Sorbet Resberrry

Millefeuille a la Vanilla

Chateau Les Grandes Vignes, Entre-Deux-Mers

Chateau De Paillet Quancard, Cheval Quancard, Cadillac

Monday

Terrine de Fromage Frais sur Legumes Grilles

roast vegetables and cream cheese terrine, arugula, shallot vinaigrette

Gateau de Crabe Croustillant

crisp crab cake, avacado-corn salsa, roasted tomato coulis

Salade de Cresson et Betteraves Sautees

watercress & red beets, crisp shallots and navel oranges

Creme de Lentilles du Puy

cream soup of Puy lentils

Coq ua Vin

braised chicken in red wine sauce, bacon mushroom, silver onion, herb croutons and fork mashed Red Bliss potatoes

Saltimbocca de Filet de Medaillions de Baudroie au Jambon de Pays

saltimbocca from monkfish medallions with Basque country cider sauce & sand carrots mash

Tomate Farcie aux Legumes, Riz Camarguais et Sauce Tomate

baked tomato with camargue rice and vegetables, tomato sauce

Pain Perdu de Pastis Landis Sauce au Carambar

brioche toast of pastis landais, caramel bourbon sauce

Creme Glace Walnut

Sorbet Maracuja

Panna Cotta a la Citronelle et Framboise

lemongrass & rasberry panna cotta, white chocolate sabayon, cranberry biscotti crisp

Chateau La Fleur Clemence Blanc, GravesAOC

Chateau Canteloup, Cheval Quancard, Bordeaux Blayes

I don't have Tuesday's menu

Wednesday

Saint Jacques sur Lit Ratatouille

scallops on ratatouille vegetables, black olive tapenade & herb oil

Vitello Tonnato

veal carpaccio with tuna sauce and capers

Salade de Melon Charentais Marine aux Cognac

salad of Charentais melon marinated with Cognac with baby greens, feta cheese & local anchovies

Veloute d"Asperges De Blaye

Blaye asparagus soup with crayfish tails

Faux Filet Bordelaise

sirloin steak, bordelaise sauce, croquette potatoes green beans wrapped in bacon

Fletan Confit a l'Huile de Vanille

halibut fillet in vanilla oil, glazed market vegetables

Demi Lune de Potimarron Roties, Riz aux Graines de Courge

baked pumpkin, pumpkin seed rice, horseradish paddy, green apple salsa

Gateau Basque

Basque country cake, vanilla sauce

Creme Glacee Banana

Sorbet Mango

Crumble aux Pommes et Noisettes

crumble, whiskey malted ice cream

Chateau Fontaine Fluerym Cheval Quancard, Bordeaux

Chateau La Fleur Clemence Blanc, Grave, AOC

Friday

Homard, Semoule de Choux-Fleur

lobster with cauliflower couscous, coriander & ginger

Escargots a la Bourguignone

baked escargots with shallots, garlic, parsley & butter

Cappuccino de Cepes du Perigord

mushroom cappuccino with truffled milk foam

Kir Royal

Chateaubriand de Blonde D'Aquitaine

Filet de Bonite Poche, Jus d'Ecrevisses

poached butterfish fillet, crayfish sauce, celeriac puree

Gateau au Chocolat Noir de Valrhona

Cheval Quancard Reserve, Bordeaux Blanc

Cheval Quancard Reserve, Bordeaux Rouge