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FuelScience

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Posts posted by FuelScience

    Drink Packages

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    I forgot to mention that for Viking, if one party in the cabin wants the Silver Spirits package, then both must purchase it, so it's basically $60/day for two people. In addition to free drinks at the bar, Silver Spirits purchasers have a wider choice of wines with meals.

     

    FuelScience

    Viking not the best? Who Says?

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    I've started a spreadsheet to compare cruise lines/cabin types/pricing/all inclusive...but guess now I have to go back and add fields types/inclusions of shore excursions/gratuities/splash pools/alternate dining venues etc.

     

    Bottom line....please keep describing your experiences and features of each cruise line as they are helping me to complete my spreadsheet!

     

    I'm a spreadsheet geek. One factor that swayed me to Vantage for my next river cruise was a 10% discount on the cruise for paying it all a year in advance. A guaranteed 10% return on your money is a pretty good deal these days.

     

    FuelScience

    Avalon or Scenic? Budapest to Prague (or reverse direction)

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    You'll find that everyone tends to recommend the line they've sailed on. That tells you that you're pretty sure to have a good cruise regardless of which line you take.

     

    Pay attention to the details that are/aren't important to you. If you're not a big drinker, then an open bar isn't a big deal. I suggest using a spreadsheet and comparing prices on an equivalent basis.

     

    I'm a nerd, but once I found my preferred itinerary, I put a spreadsheet together estimating costs for how many drinks a day I'd have, tips I'd pay, extra excursions, etc. for all the lines.

     

    For my next cruise, I ended up picking Vantage (after 3 Viking cruises). One thing that helped tip the scales was Vantage's offer to discount the entire trip by 10% if I paid in full a year early. There aren't many places where your money can get a guaranteed 10% return these days.

     

    FuelScience

    All Things Vantage

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    For Vantage cruisers from 2015. Has anyone taken a Vantage cruise this year since they started offering free wine with dinner? If so, do they still charge a corkage fee if you bring wine onboard. I know that they still charged in 2014, but wondering if they've dropped it since offering free wine at dinner.

     

    FuelScience

    Uniworld River Duchess Tulips & Windmills WiFi quality?

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    With you leaving tomorrow, it's a little late to suggest, but some of my friends have decided to rent wireless hot spots for their European vacations. These small devices typically allow up to 5 devices to connect and have "unlimited" data. The two that I seem to see most are TEP and XCom. Costs range from $7/day to $20.

     

    They are mailed to your home before you leave and you mail back upon return. You can also do a pickup at Heathrow, but that seems to be the only airport with this service.

     

    FuelScience

     

    http://www.tepwireless.com/wifi/europe

    http://www.xcomglobal.com/plans/europe-wifi

    Mosel River cruises

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    Several lines have cruises that include the Mosel (or Moselle depending on your spelling preferences). All seem to cover the river from Trier to Koblenz where it joins the Rhine. Typical itineraries are Trier to Nuremberg (often billed as Paris to Prague with bus rides on both ends), Trier to Basel (Viking's Rhine Rhapsody), or Amsterdam to Basel with a side trip down the Mosel and back. I think that there may be some Paris to Amsterdam itineraries as well.

     

    If you look on the various web sites, you should find several

     

    We'll be taking Vantage's Switzerland and the Heart of the Rhine & Moselle cruise this August. It's a 14 day trip from Amsterdam to Basel.

     

    FuelScience

    What currancy do I need?

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    I always save Euros from previous trips so that I arrive with some local money. Coins for toilets are good to have available! Then I hit an airport ATM for cash to see me through the next few days.

     

    The comment about limits is true, but on most river cruises you aren't going to need much cash unless you're going to be doing SERIOUS shopping. All meals are included and ship charges (mostly bar tab and tips) are all done via credit card.

     

    FuelScience

    Vantage New Ship the River Voyager will not launch in June

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    Pat,

     

    So sorry. I'm sure that Hydrokitty will weigh in. She's done 2 or 3 cruises on the Navigator, and I think that she'll be on the the Navigator about a month before you are. We'll be taking the Navigator up the Rhine and Moselle, sailing from Amsterdam on July 31. I plan to post from the cruise.

     

    I'll go ahead and change you on the Roll Call Thread.

     

    FuelScience

    Viking Longboats Standard Cabins - drawbacks?

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    Pontac has given a good summary. My last cruise was in a French balcony room on a long ship, and I found it very small. Standard rooms are 150 sq. ft., and the French balcony rooms are only 135 sq.ft. Getting around in the room was always a problem with almost no space beside the bed or between the bed and the desk counter.

     

    We did our sightseeing from the lounge or the top deck, and as others have mentioned, a lot of the time when you're docked, the ship is rafted, so there's a good chance that your only view will be a cabin in the neighboring ship.

     

    FuelScience

    Newbie Questions

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    So, what do you suggest? From the posts I have read here as well as the information in the sticky, I assume Uniworld and Scenic might be good choices for us. Any others we should look into?

     

    Thanks in advance for your input!

     

    We've only sailed Viking (3 times), but we'll be trying Vantage in August. Although they don't advertise as much and they don't use travel agents, I was impressed with the loyalty shown by Vantage travelers on this board. Also, we booked over a year in advance, and by paying in full about a year before the cruise we got a 10% discount.

     

    If you look, I think you'll find that most of Vantage's itineraries have you on the ship most of the time with little or no hotel stay on the front or back end. We'll be doing the Rhine and Moselle, and we've arranged to fly into Amsterdam 2 days early for some sightseeing on our own before board the ship.

     

    I think that you'll enjoy river cruising, and I don't think that you can go too far wrong with any of the big lines.

     

    FuelScience

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