ural guy

Jerry,

Thank you so much for the awesome information in your review! I have enjoyed your pictures and can't wait for our Rhine trip July 2015 the same week that you spent there in 2014. I was a bit concerned about those weather forecast pics you posted, so it will be interesting to see how we fare. I may bring the rain suit!

 

We are pretty independent travelers and have already booked our own air arrangements and will be staying in Amsterdam pre-cruise and seeing the city on our own.

I wanted to get your opinion on the excursions.

We would like to rent bikes, just not sure that is an Amsterdam activity :eek: so I wondered if Kinderdijk would be the best place to ride bikes if we skipped the group tour? :confused:

Your pics of Colmar were lovely, and I must say that trip is definitely now on my To-Do list. Is that trip just an extension of the Black Forest bus trip? We are not huge fans of the bus trips.

Do you think Rudesheim is a must do with the Viking excursion or is this an easy night to enjoy on our own?

 

And, truly, your gorgeous picture of the Eiffel tower in Paris at night was absolutely stunning. Thanks for sharing your photography with us all. :)

Hello- We were in Kinderdijk this summer, and the gift shop directly across from the dock had bikes for rent. Can't remember the rate, except that I thought it was a good deal.

Have a great trip!

Thanks for posting this here and on your blog.

An enjoyable read on a quiet Sunday morning.

I love the pictures of the cable car! I wasn't able to do that in Koblenz, and so it's most fun seeing it from your camera. I would prefer the Sun Viking over the newer Viking long ship you were docked by because the Sun Viking is smaller and doesn't have as many passengers.

I showed the picture with the two boats side by side to my wife to highlight why I would want to be on the longship; I think that the bow seating in the Aqavit lounge is the best spot to be. I haven't seen any other designs that put you so far forward.

Fewer people would be nice, but it wasn't terrible. The lounge made up for it.

Great to know Mimmy. I have a point and shoot Panasonic Lumix with 16X zoom and wide angle lens so it sounds like I should be ok with that for our turn next August. Hopefully we have the perfect weather for viewing that you did.

Banditoo- I use to have that camera and for what it is, you can get some nice shots. Not sure if the 16 zoom is all optic zoom or part optic/part digital.

If it has the optical/digital, you will lose clarity as you go past 12x or so.

A mini tripod is about $10 and helps when you're up on the top deck, it can get windy. Even if you don't extend the legs, it makes it easy to get a steady hold on a small camera. Take plenty of video also, memory cards are cheap now. It's neat to watch the video I took early one morning when we were gliding along, I'm the only one on the bow, and the boat is so quiet.

Lastly, try and clean the lens when you think of it. I have a day or so worth of pics and videos that have a speck of dust or something in them.

Have a great trip.

WWINFL91- Sorry to hear about your trip, it certainly did seem to snowball due to the dry dock.

I would like to echo what many have said, deal with Viking over the phone, cut your best deal, and move on. Anyone who does a google search will come across this thread, and it will give them a good example of what can go wrong.

I would like to point out that being flexible can reduce the stress level...way back in post 98 you stated "I was talked to by over 20 passengers after the briefing all saying they also wanted to answer the same question but were intimidated by the CD's attitude."

In post 93 you posted some links showing how terrible Viking can be, one even from your cruise. Your fellow cruiser wrote "Overall the trip was good although we had to move ships and were inconvenienced due to high water levels and a "ship inspection" that I believe was most likely a mechanical problem. The crew handled it very well in spite of a hostile disgruntled group of passengers and compensated us with free lunches and excursions which was appreciated. The very negative rude passengers are the ones who made it worse for us!"

So, in your version you're a hero, standing up for your cruising comrades, asking the tough questions and not backing down. In someones else's version, you were stirring the pot, disrupting a briefing, and demanding that you be heard.

Same incident, 2 different stories.

Take a breath, make a phone call, cut a deal, and move on. Or not. (Hope this isn't too opinionated for someone with my low post count...:cool:

I never counted but I think we had about 2 dozen people per group. What I do know is that with the quiet boxes they use for sound, if there had only been 2 people per group the experience would have been the same. We never wished we had fewer people in our group.

 

The main variable was the quality of the guide. We had a couple of super ones but the rest were adequate but no better. None were bad.

Your experience matches ours on the AMS to Budapest cruise. It really was luck of the draw with the guides. With some, I would wander around and turn my quietvox off. Some feel the need to give out every factoid possible, and never come up for air. And trying to point out every gray building that you are driving past on a bus @ 30 mph/ 50kph...that get's old.

Our best guide was in Bratslava. Some humor, quick history of the region and split w/ Czech republic, and a lot of how current life is, how earnings compare to Soviet Union times. Turns out she was an economist. Very interesting.

Angelle- Regardless of which shoes you go with, make sure that you break them in before the trip. I know cold weather gear isn't comfortable in LA, but ya gotta get the bugs out...sometimes a 'aftermarket' insoles can make a big improvement over what comes in the shoe. Or they just really aren't that comfortable after an hour of walking. Better to know that now.

Waterproof shoes can make your feet sweat, even if they say they're breathable. Or the seams can leak. Bring extra socks in your day pack, or if you head back to the ship for lunch, change socks. Change to the backup shoes if you're getting 'hot spots'. Have moleskin for when the 'hot spot' becomes a blister.

Don't let bad feet ruin a trip! I have 3 daughters and am a former soldier.

When it comes to shoes, function triumphs over style. Plus, the Europeans girls will have way cooler clothes anyway...just because that's how girls think. :rolleyes:

jklc123 said "I hear you about spending two hours to have dinner every evening, as delicious as the food might be and as congenial (hopefully) as your table mates are. After a busy day of touring, sometimes a quiet light dinner would be our preference."

This is one thing that I really like about Viking, the front area of the boat is called the Aquavit Lounge. You can either sit inside or outside. They have a limited menu for dinner. Fast, great view, and few people. Usually 10 or so people would eat there. The bar crew acts as your servers and I enjoyed getting a chance to chat with them. Some nights, the main dining room would be too noisy for me.

Do other lines have a seating area directly behind the bow? Looking at the boat layouts, most seem to have that area off limits to passengers.

Thanks for the review, interesting to see reports from folks who have been on different lines. Definitely agree that having a nice mix of countries make everything more interesting. This was especially true as we were sailing during the world cup. Aussie's love some soccer, and don't block the TV by the bar when the game is on!

Your 'collision' could have been terrible, seeing as it was a gas tanker you hit.

We had a similar experience with information disclosure. We were on a Viking cruise in June. Late at night there was a hard thump, but no big deal, we probably just hit the side of a lock. My sleep filled mind made no connection with one of the over head lights in the cabin turning on and off earlier.

Turns out, we lost power, and the emergency generators didn't kick in. The lights turning on where the battery backups. The bump was the boat hitting the bank hard enough to dimple a 2'-3' area of the bow, and smash a section of the glass in the lounge railing. We were told that morning that the captain's quick actions avoided another ship when the power cut out, and he steered us into the river bank. We would be told more details that night.

That night we were told that the engine quit, and the emergency generator didn't kick on, but everything had been checked out and it was all OK. In fact, it was such a small bump into the river banks that the captain wasn't even aware of any problems until he woke up for breakfast.

Huh?, I thought you said it was his quick thinking that avoided a ship to ship collision?

The upper Danube IS the most scenic part ... with the exception of one day our scenery was pretty mundane. There was one day of "cruising only" when we crossed the Iron Gate (a very large lock) after which there was a period of time when the scenery quite spectacular (we had a running commentary on what we were seeing from the program director as we cruised through this section) but after that it returned to the "could be anywhere" scenery ... not that it wasn't pleasant just cruising along the river ... just not as spectacular as we have seen elsewhere.

 

Generally one half to one day was spent in each city with the exception of Budapest; which is pretty spectacular. There was a guided tour at each stop and some (like Belgrade) included some free time in the afternoon. The full day stops were in Budharest (fascinating history!) and the Veliko Tarnova / Arbanassi, and Belgrade.

 

Glad you enjoyed your trip! That route really is quite lovely. We have done several and it is hard to beat the Upper Danube for beauty scenery!

Thanks, I was hoping it wouldn't be too much like the lower Rhine...that was like an American Interstate highway with all the trucks delivering cargo. It was interesting to see all the commerce going on, but coal barges, lpg tankers, etc aren't too scenic.

One part I really enjoyed was along the Main river, it seemed like our boat was too big to be gliding quietly along such a small stretch of water. I got up early a few mornings and had the bow to myself (actually myself, a book, and a coffee). Great moments...

We also enjoyed the small towns over the large one, so this trip looks promising.

Good to hear you enjoyed yourselves. I had looked at doing this trip, and then a great deal came up for Amsterdam to Budapest, so we took that. That was our first cruise ever, and I feel like we got spoiled....the other routes just don't look as interesting or scenic.

How was the actual cruise part? I was told that the upper Danube was the very scenic portion. How much time did you spend in the different cities?

Thanks.

Just completed AMS-Budapest on Viking Jarl Tuesday. We were lucky that we had no major impacts from lack of water, just a reduction in speed at times. Wouldn't have noticed if we hadn't been told. Very lucky on our part.

On a general note, the cruise was exceptional. The crew we had was great. Friendly, great work ethic, etc. I really enjoyed talking to them about where they were from, and heard great stories from Slovaks, Serbs, Bulgarians, etc. I purchased a map of the Balkans so they could show me where they grew up, and I could also pick their brains for future independent travel. It helped that my 2 college age daughters were with me...I don't think the crews get too many passengers that are in their age bracket. If you're tied up in Krems, Austria, make sure to try out the playground right next to the dock. It has a great zip line. Watching some of the passengers and crew letting off steam and having fun was great. Wine seemed to enhance the experience.

I have only done independant and Uncle Sam sponsered Army deployments previously, so I was leery about being 'trapped' on a ship. My concerns were misplaced, and we were totally spoiled. Expensive, but for a treat it was worth it for us.

We are on the Viking Jarl, on the Ams to Budapest run, approaching Passau. Luckily no busses for us, we got just enough rain to make it through.

I think that only the people heading from Budapest to Ams had issues.

It has been a great trip for us, no complaints.

I am departing Monday for a cruise which includes a stretch on the Danube.

I called Viking yesterday on an unrelated matter. Once that was resolved I asked the representative about the water levels and possible cruise impacts.

She checked into it, then started giving an answer saying that once water levels subside, that everything will be fine. I told her that water levels going down wasn't an issue this year, it was that the water levels were too low.

Oh, of course she responds. So, that reply came off of last years script.

I said I was really looking forward to this cruise and I hoped it wouldn't turn into a bus tour, with having to jump from ship to ship.

Oh no, you'll finish on the same ship!

Viking, I really hope the Danube watershed gets some rain. Understand that's out of your control. Putting out honest, accurate info? That's completely within your control. Fingers crossed.

I hope that your trip picks up. It sounds like you've been on the boat a lot more than planned. Having time to wander the small towns on your own is nice.

Are you getting a sense of being cooped up on the smaller boat?

Thanks for report, we'll be making the same trip in 2 weeks.

I'll be reading along with much anticipation. :)

Thanks for asking this question, we took advantage of this offer and sail 24 June, but are headed Amsterdam to Budapest. This is our first cruise, so I wish the free airfare offer had been on a 10 day trip. This one is so long, and starting on a Tuesday, so I couldn't take extra vacation time to spend in ams or Budapest.

Also good to hear that this is considered a good deal. We're taking our 2 oldest daughters for college graduation trips. Very anxious after spending that much money.

Sign up for e-mail notices from the cruise lines. We got a quote to sail budapest to bucharest, May 2015 for $3500 for cheapest cabin on Viking. (Per person)

A week goes by and I get an email, free airfare from JFK for an Amsterdam to Budapest cruise, but you have to sail in June 14. The cruise is 4 days longer than the other cruise, but only $500 more...and the other quote didn't include airfare.

So we booked a 24 June cruise, Ams to Budapest, $4000 person, including air.

I did check,the airfare for the same Delta flights we're booked on would be $1500. I don't know if they offer this often, but if your flexible, this seems like a deal.