Viking Rhine Getaway (2014): It Just Depends!

Hard to believe, but its taken me 1 1/2 years to become calm enough to share my experiences for this week in June of 2014:

(1) People are very different and the expectations of various travel-providers are different, so any report of pleasure or discomfort cannot be understood without the context of facts.

(2) Some people are concerned about beer and wine with dinner, others want to eat in nearby towns (even though they have paid for food on the boat), others (who act similarly in developing port experiences for ocean liners) read about geography and history in planning their adventures. My thought is that the people who enjoy these river cruises, enjoy their walks through towns (See the houses, stores, and there is a church!), and have no such expectations. These people also either aren't experienced in planning travel, or don't want to be "bothered." (Onboard, we met a retired pilot who was booked from home in northern Florida to Minneapolis to board a flight to Frankfort, rather than flying through Atlanta!) Potential for profit rather than passenger comfort is a primary motivator. Also, once one sees the size of the boat's kitchen and meets the kitchen staff, one realizes that all meals (save breakfast) are accomplished under great challenge.

(3) When you select an ocean cruise, the port schedules are posted, so you know +/- 2 hours, the time available for each visit. On a river cruise, its pretty much being informed the night before and if you don't like cruise line coach excursions, you get them here (or long walks divided into similar numbers). Multiple efforts are visible to minimize expenses and to make guides (and the passenger manager) dependent on your tips. At a typical stop in the Netherlands a state-sponsored presentation of water management is run by volunteers (who hope for your tips) and is the ideal stop for Viking, in that they do not accrue any expense!

(4) Specific to the Rhine (maybe): rivers are major economic geographical elements, and much are industrial, not scenes of beauty. Trains and cars are always visible. The boat frequently traveled at night and/or during meals (don't think that beautiful views are available each day). Don't consider paying more for a balcony because they will be mainly blocked by other Viking boats going the other direction and using the same dock. (This experience is by schedule and plan -- not some mystical experience.)

(5) Daily tour "experiences" fall close to the river and constitute three hours with a return to the boat for lunch -- so one may walk or bus travel tor 1/3 to 2/3 of the time. Its not useful to know what may be available 30/60 more minutes away and Viking management knows what you want to see and do (so don't have other ideas). If you decide to return an hour later (in their scheduled bus) to visit an art museum, you will be greeted onboard by a closed kitchen (not even a pitcher of iced tea and cold sandwiches offered: just high sugar and fat cookies and coffee until dinner).

(6) The Rhine Getaway basically keeps you tied to the boat and away from the surrounding culture. You want to visit Cologne: first read up and then stay for a while (we've done this with great success in locations like London, Barcelona, Paris, and Amsterdam). Train travel (as recommended by Rick Steves) is a wonder in western europe.

Would a river cruise be different through France? (At this point I might rather take a 12-night cruise to New Zealand!) Would love to hear from river passengers who have done a river in France and have had different experiences. It seems that Viking has made great strides in its TV promotion and has developed across-river world experiences in which all potential itineraries are highlighted (tied together) in 10-second flashes. When I now see a Viking TV promotion almost nightly on PBS, I cringe.

My best,

DJ

When it comes to this particular provider I agree completely. And no, I've never sailed them but after following the CC River Board since about 2012 you start to see a pattern emerging.

But yes aren't those PBS commercial a beautiful piece of marketing.

Sorry you experience was so disappointing, our recent one was pretty good. But River Cruising may not be for us!

Dear In Retirement,

We appreciate your thoughtful comments about river cruising and are interested in discussing your 2014 Rhine Getaway cruise in greater detail. Please contact us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com so that we may discuss the details of your experience.

We are looking forward to speaking with you!

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises

Hard to believe, but its taken me 1 1/2 years to become calm enough to share my experiences for this week in June of 2014:

 

(1) People are very different and the expectations of various travel-providers are different, so any report of pleasure or discomfort cannot be understood without the context of facts.

 

(2) Some people are concerned about beer and wine with dinner, others want to eat in nearby towns (even though they have paid for food on the boat), others (who act similarly in developing port experiences for ocean liners) read about geography and history in planning their adventures. My thought is that the people who enjoy these river cruises, enjoy their walks through towns (See the houses, stores, and there is a church!), and have no such expectations. These people also either aren't experienced in planning travel, or don't want to be "bothered." (Onboard, we met a retired pilot who was booked from home in northern Florida to Minneapolis to board a flight to Frankfort, rather than flying through Atlanta!) Potential for profit rather than passenger comfort is a primary motivator. Also, once one sees the size of the boat's kitchen and meets the kitchen staff, one realizes that all meals (save breakfast) are accomplished under great challenge.

 

(3) When you select an ocean cruise, the port schedules are posted, so you know +/- 2 hours, the time available for each visit. On a river cruise, its pretty much being informed the night before and if you don't like cruise line coach excursions, you get them here (or long walks divided into similar numbers). Multiple efforts are visible to minimize expenses and to make guides (and the passenger manager) dependent on your tips. At a typical stop in the Netherlands a state-sponsored presentation of water management is run by volunteers (who hope for your tips) and is the ideal stop for Viking, in that they do not accrue any expense!

 

(4) Specific to the Rhine (maybe): rivers are major economic geographical elements, and much are industrial, not scenes of beauty. Trains and cars are always visible. The boat frequently traveled at night and/or during meals (don't think that beautiful views are available each day). Don't consider paying more for a balcony because they will be mainly blocked by other Viking boats going the other direction and using the same dock. (This experience is by schedule and plan -- not some mystical experience.)

 

(5) Daily tour "experiences" fall close to the river and constitute three hours with a return to the boat for lunch -- so one may walk or bus travel tor 1/3 to 2/3 of the time. Its not useful to know what may be available 30/60 more minutes away and Viking management knows what you want to see and do (so don't have other ideas). If you decide to return an hour later (in their scheduled bus) to visit an art museum, you will be greeted onboard by a closed kitchen (not even a pitcher of iced tea and cold sandwiches offered: just high sugar and fat cookies and coffee until dinner).

 

(6) The Rhine Getaway basically keeps you tied to the boat and away from the surrounding culture. You want to visit Cologne: first read up and then stay for a while (we've done this with great success in locations like London, Barcelona, Paris, and Amsterdam). Train travel (as recommended by Rick Steves) is a wonder in western europe.

 

Would a river cruise be different through France? (At this point I might rather take a 12-night cruise to New Zealand!) Would love to hear from river passengers who have done a river in France and have had different experiences. It seems that Viking has made great strides in its TV promotion and has developed across-river world experiences in which all potential itineraries are highlighted (tied together) in 10-second flashes. When I now see a Viking TV promotion almost nightly on PBS, I cringe.

 

My best,

DJ

Hard to believe, but its taken me 1 1/2 years to become calm enough to share my experiences for this week in June of 2014:

 

(1) People are very different and the expectations of various travel-providers are different, so any report of pleasure or discomfort cannot be understood without the context of facts.

 

(2) Some people are concerned about beer and wine with dinner, others want to eat in nearby towns (even though they have paid for food on the boat), others (who act similarly in developing port experiences for ocean liners) read about geography and history in planning their adventures. My thought is that the people who enjoy these river cruises, enjoy their walks through towns (See the houses, stores, and there is a church!), and have no such expectations. These people also either aren't experienced in planning travel, or don't want to be "bothered." (Onboard, we met a retired pilot who was booked from home in northern Florida to Minneapolis to board a flight to Frankfort, rather than flying through Atlanta!) Potential for profit rather than passenger comfort is a primary motivator. Also, once one sees the size of the boat's kitchen and meets the kitchen staff, one realizes that all meals (save breakfast) are accomplished under great challenge.

(3) When you select an ocean cruise, the port schedules are posted, so you know +/- 2 hours, the time available for each visit. On a river cruise, its pretty much being informed the night before and if you don't like cruise line coach excursions, you get them here (or long walks divided into similar numbers). Multiple efforts are visible to minimize expenses and to make guides (and the passenger manager) dependent on your tips. At a typical stop in the Netherlands a state-sponsored presentation of water management is run by volunteers (who hope for your tips) and is the ideal stop for Viking, in that they do not accrue any expense!

 

(4) Specific to the Rhine (maybe): rivers are major economic geographical elements, and much are industrial, not scenes of beauty. Trains and cars are always visible. The boat frequently traveled at night and/or during meals (don't think that beautiful views are available each day). Don't consider paying more for a balcony because they will be mainly blocked by other Viking boats going the other direction and using the same dock. (This experience is by schedule and plan -- not some mystical experience.)

 

(5) Daily tour "experiences" fall close to the river and constitute three hours with a return to the boat for lunch -- so one may walk or bus travel tor 1/3 to 2/3 of the time. Its not useful to know what may be available 30/60 more minutes away and Viking management knows what you want to see and do (so don't have other ideas). If you decide to return an hour later (in their scheduled bus) to visit an art museum, you will be greeted onboard by a closed kitchen (not even a pitcher of iced tea and cold sandwiches offered: just high sugar and fat cookies and coffee until dinner).

 

(6) The Rhine Getaway basically keeps you tied to the boat and away from the surrounding culture. You want to visit Cologne: first read up and then stay for a while (we've done this with great success in locations like London, Barcelona, Paris, and Amsterdam). Train travel (as recommended by Rick Steves) is a wonder in western europe.

 

Would a river cruise be different through France? (At this point I might rather take a 12-night cruise to New Zealand!) Would love to hear from river passengers who have done a river in France and have had different experiences. It seems that Viking has made great strides in its TV promotion and has developed across-river world experiences in which all potential itineraries are highlighted (tied together) in 10-second flashes. When I now see a Viking TV promotion almost nightly on PBS, I cringe.

 

My best,

DJ

Wow! Please don't tar all river cruises and their passengers with the same brush you are using to voice your unhappiness with Viking because it just isn't true. I think you chose the wrong cruise line especially if you are this angry 16 months later.

There are many different ways to experience other cultures and countries - very few, if any, of the people we sailed with restrict themselves to just river cruising. We are experienced ocean cruisers and world travelers and lived in 4 different countries in Europe for a total of 15 years who took our first river cruise on Uniworld this summer (Budapest to Amsterdam). We greatly enjoyed the fellow passengers we met, the towns and cities we visited, the excursions we took, and the lovely crews (we were on 2 ships because of a ship change necessitated by low water in the Danube) who took wonderful care of all the passengers. We already have 7 days on the Seine and 7 days on the Rhone on Uniworld planned for next May.

Hard to believe, but its taken me 1 1/2 years to become calm enough to share my experiences for this week in June of 2014:

 

(1) People are very different and the expectations of various travel-providers are different, so any report of pleasure or discomfort cannot be understood without the context of facts.

 

(2) Some people are concerned about beer and wine with dinner, others want to eat in nearby towns (even though they have paid for food on the boat), others (who act similarly in developing port experiences for ocean liners) read about geography and history in planning their adventures. My thought is that the people who enjoy these river cruises, enjoy their walks through towns (See the houses, stores, and there is a church!), and have no such expectations. These people also either aren't experienced in planning travel, or don't want to be "bothered." (Onboard, we met a retired pilot who was booked from home in northern Florida to Minneapolis to board a flight to Frankfort, rather than flying through Atlanta!) Potential for profit rather than passenger comfort is a primary motivator. Also, once one sees the size of the boat's kitchen and meets the kitchen staff, one realizes that all meals (save breakfast) are accomplished under great challenge.

 

(3) When you select an ocean cruise, the port schedules are posted, so you know +/- 2 hours, the time available for each visit. On a river cruise, its pretty much being informed the night before and if you don't like cruise line coach excursions, you get them here (or long walks divided into similar numbers). Multiple efforts are visible to minimize expenses and to make guides (and the passenger manager) dependent on your tips. At a typical stop in the Netherlands a state-sponsored presentation of water management is run by volunteers (who hope for your tips) and is the ideal stop for Viking, in that they do not accrue any expense!

 

(4) Specific to the Rhine (maybe): rivers are major economic geographical elements, and much are industrial, not scenes of beauty. Trains and cars are always visible. The boat frequently traveled at night and/or during meals (don't think that beautiful views are available each day). Don't consider paying more for a balcony because they will be mainly blocked by other Viking boats going the other direction and using the same dock. (This experience is by schedule and plan -- not some mystical experience.)

 

(5) Daily tour "experiences" fall close to the river and constitute three hours with a return to the boat for lunch -- so one may walk or bus travel tor 1/3 to 2/3 of the time. Its not useful to know what may be available 30/60 more minutes away and Viking management knows what you want to see and do (so don't have other ideas). If you decide to return an hour later (in their scheduled bus) to visit an art museum, you will be greeted onboard by a closed kitchen (not even a pitcher of iced tea and cold sandwiches offered: just high sugar and fat cookies and coffee until dinner).

 

(6) The Rhine Getaway basically keeps you tied to the boat and away from the surrounding culture. You want to visit Cologne: first read up and then stay for a while (we've done this with great success in locations like London, Barcelona, Paris, and Amsterdam). Train travel (as recommended by Rick Steves) is a wonder in western europe.

 

Would a river cruise be different through France? (At this point I might rather take a 12-night cruise to New Zealand!) Would love to hear from river passengers who have done a river in France and have had different experiences. It seems that Viking has made great strides in its TV promotion and has developed across-river world experiences in which all potential itineraries are highlighted (tied together) in 10-second flashes. When I now see a Viking TV promotion almost nightly on PBS, I cringe.

 

My best,

DJ

It is very clear by your description and judgemental tone that you did not enjoy your cruise. Did it perhaps occur to you that river cruising is just not for you? You seem to think every other type of touring is superior (i.e. ocean cruises, Rick Steves trips).

We have been on many ocean voyages, have done traveling completely on our own and are getting ready for our second river cruise. We have enjoyed them all for various reasons. First, we are traveling! What is not to like about that? River cruising is different, but I don't think it is to fair to charcterize river cruisers as lazy travelers. It is different, not better, not worse. We enjoy the small passenger load, we prefer 200 to 2000. We actually enjoy the trains and other passing scenery and find it very peaceful. We enjoy the fact that the crew gets to know you quickly and you get to know the other passengers.

I also object to the constant Viking bashing by folks who have never cruised with them. (I am speaking about others who have commented on your post) Their opinions are based solely on hearsay and it is obvious that anyone with a complaint likes to post it on CC. Perhaps the large numbers of Viking passengers translates to more negative posts.

Our first river cruise was on Avalon and we enjoyed it immensly. Our next river cruise will be a Christmas Markets cruise on Viking. Will it be perfect? Of course not. However, we will have a great time because we will choose to have a great time. I look forward to judging Viking for myself, through experience, not hearsay.

Hello In Retirement,

I thought a while about what to call your river cruise with Viking called "Rhine Getaway". The best I can think of is: mismatch.

Thank you for posting your thoughts, although they sound bitter im some parts and I am glad to read you have not given up on river cruising altogether.

Personally, I regard the Rhine Getaway as inferior to other itineraries on the Rhine. By that I mean when comparing itineraries in brochures. I recall someone posting that a small change had been made to it in 2015 compared to 2014. But that would not make much difference to my overall rating of this way of presenting "my" river to tourists.

The magic is there if you can find it but the river has changed much since the 19th century when the likes of Byron, Turner, Hugo and others where overawed by it. So I do not see the magic when I am out and about daily. I need to choose to look for it.

Having said that, I stumbled across what makes my river special when I was on a KD (the company) local ship and all the Japanese rushed to one side of the ship when it was announced in English that the Lorelei rock was coming into view.

I agree with the fact that those commercials are not giving any balanced view of your experience. See them, forget them. Think: "might I like to go to Europe (again), perhaps on a river cruise?"

Then start looking for what might suit you. I suggest you start with: different company with higher ratio crew to passengers. Max. capacity of passengers 150. Different country. Different river. Even a canal barge experience.

But in the end it might mean that river cruising as it is done in modern times is not for you.

I hope you find what will be another great holiday. If I had to choose today it would be a self-planned, self-booked 10-day train ride experience round that island called Britain. First class, of course. But then I am a train enthusiast. :D

notamermaid

All comments and observations are most appreciated. It is a shame that some folks respond with anger to criticism not directed to themselves (I think that Viking is a privately held company without stockholders.) -- I'm obviously not into "hearsay" and just report my personal reaction that unfortunately hasn't changed much over the months following our 2014 vacation. It is my general observation that the reporting of problem experiences here are the most useful for subsequent travelers, and that Cruise Critic has too many examples of "this is what I did, so in retrospect I really enjoyed it! I guess that I have observed that my expectations for an improved experience through personal preparation (pretty much the hallmark for Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor participants) were not met (was pretty well met for our train foray to Ghent and Brugge, our time in Amsterdam and day in Leiden, and especially our many port calls in Norway).

I don't believe that I said that my fellow passengers were lazy or in any way "limited." (Did I?) I believe (as did the management person from Viking) that they attract people with less experience in such travel. (For example, I met a most engaging physician in his early 60s over lunch and found that this was his first travel to Europe. Another example was being told by Viking that they make all travel arrangements for the majority of their customers. Just because you don't travel abroad doesn't make you "lazy" and many people don't consider preparation for travel to be important. Indeed, before I retired I often made preparations on the spot instead of beforehand (considering the effort and energy that went into career and family).

What should I say about river cruising? A comparison of the industrial versus scenic potential of different river locations, the time of travel (daylight/night, during meals). I was very uncertain of adding this experience to our 2014 one-month vacation, so I limited its length, had it end at a location we love and that also offered multiple other travel possibilities (perhaps a river cruise following time in Paris would be great?). I believe that our daily outings were either designed to meet the needs of Viking's typical passenger on this particular itinerary or met the needs of Viking's perceived "typical" passenger attracted by their wonderfully effective TV advertising. After one 3-hour walking tour, we would have benefited from something different, such as a visit to a cathedral and other town (maybe a 1 1/2 hour's drive away) with lunch provided (versus return to the boat every day). Have no idea what other companies provide, but am quite hesitant to try this again.

On the other hand, we were on a brand-new longboat (maybe on its 4th/6th one-week trip). The cabin and public areas were very nice and our brief encounter with the captain was most pleasant. Our general observation was that staff were very uptight/challenged and the coordinator of passenger activities was wound quite tight and was making efforts to maximize passenger behavior conformity. Being that this is a 7-night itinerary, the day of week/location pattern remains stable for the northbound and southbound itineraries, so that over time, a company can identify consistent challenges and make corrections. One example was the lack of entrance into the Strasbourg cathedral (always visited northbound on Sunday). Another was Black Forest vs Colmar: pleased to see that a Frieberg option is available this year, but another one would be an entire day in Colmar (this would only be possible for those who didn't have to return to the "mother boat" every 4 hours!). Another alternative (beyond a couple of museums in which we wandered alone) was in Koblenz where the boat docked just yards from an aerial ride over the river to a wonderful lookout point to view the important geography of rivers merging -- again we were the only ones to go (and the cost was minimal).

I can't help but imagining that each of these outings were what many of us work hard to avoid on passenger ship excursions! No, I can't imagine that Viking would want to do a thing to change any element of this itinerary: I can't imagine what the % booking rate is for 2016. Obviously they have a product that is well-received. I am obviously very atypical compared to their target population (had a few discussions over dinner with UK citizens who were much experienced and shared similar observations). I must admit that participation in Cruise Critic for this river cruise was not as useful as such an effort has been for our ocean cruises. My concern with side of boat, option of balcony, etc. was greatly misdirected (dark windows at night or up against views of river banks than village views).

Currently am trying to motivate a Roll Call for 14-night holiday Caribbean cruise (they are just islands, right?) but mainly focused on trying to decide if a 6-day Southern England Globus itinerary is a worthwhile addition to a British Isles cruise for our family, or if I need to focus on vrbo and apartment-hunting in Kensington!

Hope all are enjoying the beginning of Fall and my heart goes out to folks in the Carolinas.

DJ

Recently lived through the traumatic experience of my laptop's death, and getting used to the speed and capacity of the replacement (at 1/3 of the latter's cost as well). Just found the 5-page repeatedly edited review that I would be pleased to share with those willing to spend the time in its reading.

As an aside, am in the process of planning a family vacation in the British Isles. Three of us are planning on taking a guided coach tour for the week before a 12-night cruise. This will be my 3rd experience with guided tours, and my expectations are plenty low (and yes, I will be happy enough with the four days outside London) and plan to expose my two oldest grandsons to fun and educational experiences (our trip to Alaska was wonderful).

Folks who are interested enough to read five pages about the Rhine Getaway feel free to write at the email address below.

DJ

balticports@yahoo.com

As an aside, am in the process of planning a family vacation in the British Isles. Three of us are planning on taking a guided coach tour for the week before a 12-night cruise. This will be my 3rd experience with guided tours, and my expectations are plenty low (and yes, I will be happy enough with the four days outside London) and plan to expose my two oldest grandsons to fun and educational experiences (our trip to Alaska was wonderful).

 

 

The British Isles was one of our favorite ocean cruises. You can do all of the ports DIY and/or private excursions. If you have a choice of timing, go in August so you can see the Edinburgh Military Tattoo - it is breathtaking and I'm sure your grandsons would like it.

Recently lived through the traumatic experience of my laptop's death, and getting used to the speed and capacity of the replacement (at 1/3 of the latter's cost as well). Just found the 5-page repeatedly edited review that I would be pleased to share with those willing to spend the time in its reading.

 

As an aside, am in the process of planning a family vacation in the British Isles. Three of us are planning on taking a guided coach tour for the week before a 12-night cruise. This will be my 3rd experience with guided tours, and my expectations are plenty low (and yes, I will be happy enough with the four days outside London) and plan to expose my two oldest grandsons to fun and educational experiences (our trip to Alaska was wonderful).

 

Folks who are interested enough to read five pages about the Rhine Getaway feel free to write at the email address below.

DJ

balticports@yahoo.com

Do you know how to cut and paste? If so, it would be more convenient for you and everyone else to copy a page at a time and post each as a new post on this thread.

I would like to read your review.

We are doing a 9 day British tour before an ocean cruise to Norway next May. I did a coach tour 30 years ago, and I hope to never repeat that experience, and other than a few ocean cruises to Europe and last falls river cruise I have almost completely avoided even a day on those coaches. That said, for group travel ocean or river coach tours are almost required. Most of my trips to Europe (and everywhere else we have travelled) are done as completely independent. In Britain next year, we will take the tube in London and trains as our group of 5 plan on visiting southwest UK, and other than train travel and HoHo buses we will be on our own. My preferred way to travel. Yes it is harder to do than just show up and let a land company an ocean cruise or a river cruise and let them take care of all of the details. That said, many people lack the ability or confidence to do independent travel, and I think that the most tragic thing that can happen would be not travelling because you are shamed into only doing independent travel. But hey that is just me.:eek:

jc

Wow, just wow. Everybody has an opinion and gets to share it on this board and on the internet. It makes life interesting to say the least.

Sorry that you didn't enjoy your Viking cruise on the Rhine. We did the same cruise during Christmas week in 2013 and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was our first river cruise, and this coming December we will be taking our 4th Viking cruise in 2 years.

I don't consider myself an inexperienced travel planner, but I have found that the Viking folks do a great job of planning and providing a well-rounded exposure to the places you visit. I really don't have the time to develop a trip on my own, and have been extremely happy with the trips they provide.

I think a couple of things that people get upset over regarding river cruises, are that you are susceptible to the weather, creating high or low water on the rivers, and the amount of time available in any one location as these cruises travel a lot of mileage in a relatively short time. Nobody can control the weather and the effects it can have on a river cruise, and fortunately, we have not had to experience that. As far as time spent in any one location, I think that the river cruises give you a good overall view of a certain part of that world, allowing you to come back at a later date, on your own, perhaps, to spend more time in a specific location.

One thing that we have done on all of our cruises is do either or both of the pre and post cruise extensions. We spent 2 nights in Amsterdam, 2 nights in Nice, 3 nights in Paris, 3 nights in Hong Kong, and will spend 2 nights in Nuremburg after our upcoming cruise. These extra days allow you to immerse yourself in a particular area, learning and enjoying what those places have to offer. For example, in Nice, which we had spent time in before, we rented a car and drove into the alps, stopping at little mountain villages along the way when it struck our fancy. I had a general idea of where I wanted to go, specifically the Gorges du Verdon, but made numerous changes to the trip on the spur of the moment as we saw an interesting sign or billboard as we rode by. I would recommend that you consider that option if you ever decide to try a river cruise again.

I also find the Viking cruises to be very relaxing. My only complaint, is the early wake-up times most mornings to take the tours. I don't see how that can be changed, as, again, you are covering a lot of ground in a short amount of time. Maybe I should excuse myself from the bar a little earlier the night before. ;)

Having said all that, we have only done river cruising with Viking. It works for us, but it might not work for you. I read this board regularly and find that most folks have preferences of one cruise line over another. Nothing wrong with that. However, I can't believe that a cruise on the Rhine, as far as what you will see and experience, is much different among Viking, AMA, Scenic, Tauck, Avalon, etc. It may be that you think the food or the service or the amenities are better on this line versus another one, but overall I just don't think the cruises themselves are much different.

One other point. I have found the Viking staff on the boats, the tour guides, and the bus drivers to be high quality and very hard workers to make your experience the best it can be. I continue to marvel at how the bus drivers maneuver their buses through some very treacherous stretches in some of the areas we have seen. Both urban and rural areas. All of that for a recommended 1 euro tip for each person on the bus. To me, that's a real bargain.

One last point. We have been on some bad trips over the years. Once a long time ago, I was complaining to a fellow traveler in the hotel bar during a less than stellar trip. His comment to me, as he took another sip of his cocktail, was, "Just remember the worst day on vacation, is better than the best day of work." I have tried to keep that thought in mind whenever and wherever I am traveling.

Good luck in your future travels. I hope you find enjoyment in your future trips as much as we do.

WOW, I guess everyone is different. Sorry that the trip wasn't for you. I don't think Viking does it different than any other cruise line. They pick the 'touristy' things to do that they think the most people will enjoy. They add excursions to other things that some people will enjoy. They give you time to explore on your own to find things you have read about. We absolutely loved our Viking Rhine experience. We did the Viking Bordeaux cruise this year and while the Rhine is more of a cruise than the Gironde in France, we realized it was different and enjoyed that cruise also. Bordeaux was more of a floating hotel centered on Chateau's and Wine than beautiful scenery. I thought Ocean cruising was a total bore -- you won't catch us on one of those again.

I think the most important thing is for everyone to do their homework before hand to decide if the trip/itinerary is for them. Talk to others, read this forum, scour the internet etc.

For "In Retirement", I don't think you would enjoy a France cruise either. All rivers have an industrial part to them along with scenery that you won't see anywhere else. You may enjoy a self guided tour better. Fodor Forum is full of people who like to travel independently. As for Rick Steves, again that is matter of opinion. Some love him - some hate him. I'm in the latter group.

WOW, I guess everyone is different. Sorry that the trip wasn't for you. I don't think Viking does it different than any other cruise line. They pick the 'touristy' things to do that they think the most people will enjoy. They add excursions to other things that some people will enjoy. They give you time to explore on your own to find things you have read about. We absolutely loved our Viking Rhine experience. We did the Viking Bordeaux cruise this year and while the Rhine is more of a cruise than the Gironde in France, we realized it was different and enjoyed that cruise also. Bordeaux was more of a floating hotel centered on Chateau's and Wine than beautiful scenery. I thought Ocean cruising was a total bore -- you won't catch us on one of those again.

 

I think the most important thing is for everyone to do their homework before hand to decide if the trip/itinerary is for them. Talk to others, read this forum, scour the internet etc.

 

For "In Retirement", I don't think you would enjoy a France cruise either. All rivers have an industrial part to them along with scenery that you won't see anywhere else. You may enjoy a self guided tour better. Fodor Forum is full of people who like to travel independently. As for Rick Steves, again that is matter of opinion. Some love him - some hate him. I'm in the latter group.

I think he is a goober, tree hugging hippee, but that is just me I am sure.

He is a wannabe intellectual, who is a star on PBS... that says it all to me.

That said, I have watched most of his shows, have bought some of his books and occassionally have followed his advice.:D

jc

I think he is a goober, tree hugging hippee, but that is just me I am sure.

 

 

 

He is a wannabe intellectual, who is a star on PBS... that says it all to me.

 

 

 

That said, I have watched most of his shows, have bought some of his books and occassionally have followed his advice.:D

 

 

 

jc

Boy am I confused!!! Guess I had no idea that one of the Rain Dancers was famous ;)