loriva

Today’s stop in the morning was Wittenberg. We visited the Lutherhaus, a small stroll along the shopping street in the Old Town, St. Mary’s church, and ended at the Castle church (where Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses after about an hour of free time for the Christmas market. We also visited a very nice Christmas shop on the shopping street the guide pointed out. (If you get Christian for your guide, he is very funny as well as knowledgeable.) After returning to the ship for lunch, we cast off and are now sailing the Elbe. We should reach Torgau in the evening for a short stroll to see the memorial to the site where the U.S. forces met the Soviet ones near the end of WWII.

That was the reason given by the Viking guide for the change.

Today’s stop was the Christmas market along Brandenburg street in Potsdam. Some local crafts people with boiled wool mittens and things and some Ukrainian and Polish specialties. A wide variety of gluhwein, including a ginger one. Viking also included a stop at the “bridge of spies,” San Souci palace, and a panorama tour of Potsdam. Not related to the Viking tour, but thanks to postings on CC.com, we booked dinner last night at the Kaefer restaurant on the top of the Reichstag building. Food and service wonderful as was the view—we lucked out with a very clear night! Show up for your reservation at least 30 minutes early to clear security—although note that security does not open until 1800 hours for the evening seatings. I’d suggest a reservation no earlier than 1900 hours and then pick up one of the free audio guides and walk up the ramp to the top of the dome. (The restaurant is on the lower level of the dome across from the exit from the elevator—you can’t see it from the elevator due to the center part of the dome structure.). A lovely and unique experience!

Neutral, I guess, would be the best description. They dropped most of the tour of “illuminated” Berlin. This might be due to the energy crisis after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They added a quick trip up the TV tower. Initially it was a little disappointing for us as we had visited the tower earlier in the day, but it was a different experience at night and having a live guide to point out places of interest and give some history added to the information boards all around the tower. We did have a photo stop at the Brandenburg gate and a quick swing by the Victory Tower.

The Grand Hyatt, at least for the Christmas market cruises. Buy a day pass for the BVG (public transportation) and you can ride the 100, 200, and 300 buses to all the major sites (plus U- and S-bahn.)

On our first river cruise with Viking. My tip is to double check the description of any shore excursions on Viking’s website just before you cruise. We found an optional tour we booked had changed significantly. When I showed the guide the description I had copied from the Viking website when I booked the shorex, she told me it was an old description. Viking does not notify you of changes to shorex, it appears.

The “City” Christmas market on the Ku’damm in Berlin by the Kaiser Wilhelm Church (aka “the lipstick”). Plus a shot of the tree by the Brandenburg Gate. Walked through the gate for the first time—could not do that during my only other visit to Berlin in 1980. We had a photo stop at the church on the “Berlin by Night” tour after dinner at “Nolle.” The food was average (some curry wurst to share for an appetizer, then schnitzel, and apple strudel for dessert) but the building is interesting—nested in a viaduct for the S-Hahn with an art deco theme. We visited the main Christmas market in Berlin today, this year held in Bebelsplatz as the Gendarmenmarkt is undergoing renovations. Viking only gave us 20 minutes to explore, which was not nearly enough time. It is the last stop on the panoramic tour, however, and the Statsoper stop for the 100, 200, and 300 city buses is right there and then a 10-minute ride and five-minute walk back to Viking’s hotel, the Grand Hyatt. (Too bad they are not using the Hilton for the Christmas market tours as it is just south of the market.) A quick tip for those on Viking: double check the shorex descriptions just before you leave. Viking changed our optional “by Night” tour significantly after we signed up for it.

Visited three markets in Hamburg as part of our (independent) trip prior to starting our Christmas Markets on the Elbe tour with Viking tomorrow. Markets were by the Alster lakefront, the main one at the Town Hall, and the St. Pauli one. The last, on the Reeperbahn, bills itself as the “hottest” (geilster) market—there were some interesting tree decorations and other things to buy. We visited it after a tour of Beatles’ sites with Stefanie Hempel—a wonderful time and highly recommend.

It is definitely the luck of the draw, Karen. We crossed with Quark (on a leased Russian icebreaker) in 2000. One way it was fine, just a few normal waves. On the return it was rocking and rolling--we saw waves crashing over the bow of the ship. The crew closed all exterior access to passengers and everyone generally laid low in their cabins. (We had a video, but not sure we have anything we can use to play it anymore or grab some screen shots for you.) The good news is that Antarctic is worth the effort to get there! Enjoy your trip!!

A belated "thank you" for this information. Our Viking Christmas on the Elbe cruise stops in all of these locations, most with overnight stays. I've made a note to seek out the market in the Residenz in Dresden as well as the main market. Over the ocean on Saturday and then will have a chance to check out the markets in Hamburg (I understand there is quite a unique one on the Reeperbahn) before joining our Viking tour.

When we lived in London, we sometimes found black ice to be a problem on the sidewalks--overnight rain, then dipping below freezing before dawn. We used a pair of ice cleats (an internet search will bring up many options and they are flat and easy to pack) to help with the grip. Plus, of course, waterproof shoes or boots--I like lightweight hiking shoes. (And stashed dress shoes in my desk to change into after the walk to work.)

Does anyone know if those two email addresses are for all of Viking's cruises, i.e. river and expedition as well as ocean? Or ocean only?

Not on a river cruise, but we had our first experience booking air through a cruise line (Regent) on a British Isles cruise in September. We did it because we had credits with the line from cancelled cruises we had to use up in 2022. (I also did not see flights for less than the air credit we would have received from the line--but spending the credit was the primary reason.) Our return flight from London was cancelled when our home airport of Orlando was closed due to the passage of Hurricane Ian. The earliest the cruise line could rebook us was three days later (the airport opened one day later--so, a net of two days later than we could have returned.) I found earlier flights in an internet search and asked the line to book one of those, but the cruise line told me they could not book anything other than what they offered as they did not have contract seats on the flights I found (both ones where they had never had seats and ones they had already used their allotment.) As a result, we had to spend three nights in London on our own expense--Regent would not cover the cost and the airline would not as the delay was due to weather. (It is certainly not a hardship to spend time in London, but an unexpected expense as I had failed to realize the credit card we had used to book the trip had dropped travel delay coverage--completely my fault.) I did not like the loss of control over our return. We had paid the fee for flight deviation to fly to London a couple of days before the departure of the cruise, but we had no flexibility on our return even so. Going forward, our default will probably be to book our own air--but we'll consider air from a cruise line if the price is significantly lower. As always, your mileage may vary and it is always an individual call on what works best for each person.

In researching our Viking extension to Poland, I found this website: https://christmasmarkets.io/europe/best-christmas-markets-in-europe/ I found the information about specialties at each market especially useful.

On Splendor in September, the detergent dispenser hose in the launderette I used was not connected to the machine. It was by the sink and had a cup to use. It was very thin--watered down--and the button to dispense it overfilled the cup. I do not recall it having a scent, but was not focused on that either.

https://www.afar.com/magazine/enchanting-european-christmas-markets

For the BA to BA connection, no--the bags should be checked through. The AA to BA connection will also likely be checked through as they are both members of the One World alliance. (There might even be a code share arrangement. If you are on a non-partner airline--like Virgin Atlantic--you MIGHT have to claim the bags and recheck. I'll find out about this scenario in May 2023.) Since you are in transit and the UK is no longer part of Schengen, you shouldn't need to clear Customs at LHR so no need to claim the bags and recheck.

PT had sake on Splendor in September but no pairing with courses--just the one.

Has anyone had any experience with cancelling a SSP bought before the cruise? We're also rethinking whether we need it on our Christmas market cruise, our first with Viking. (I think the free SSP is only for guests from the UK--I don't see it as an offer for those of us in the United States.)

Scenic (nor any cruise line we've been on) is not completely paper free. We received a copy of the excursions we reserved online when we boarded as well as a copy of the excursions we selected after boarding. There were also invitations for Portobello's and the Chef's Table. I used magnets to hang these. In addition, I always print a copy of our itinerary that I have annotated with sunrise and sunset times as well as any special notes (for example, specialty dining, cooking class reservations, spa reservations, etc. when on ocean cruises). I hang that using magnets. The magnets keep paper from cluttering up the limited desk space (at least on Scenic) and help me be organized. And on a holiday cruise, I also like to bring some small, battery-powered lights to decorate our cabin. I hang these with magnets when the walls permit. Some lines use wall coverings that are thicker and regular magnets will not work--but the more-powerful ones (rated as holding 25 pounds or more) will.

If you have a pair of walking shoes that can get wet (or you don't mind getting wet), a pair of waterproof sock could also be an option. (And a lot cheaper than a new pair of waterproof shoes if they are not something you think you'll use a lot.) We have used these: https://www.amazon.com/DexShell-Waterproof-Breathable-Seamless-Ultralite/dp/B09BJ1G55S/ref=asc_df_B09BJ1G55S/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598295320300&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18189613279282952158&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011832&hvtargid=pla-1717279506900&psc=1 Sometimes we pair them with a pair of rubber boots (for wet landings when using a Zodiac-type boat for tendering, for example.) Or with a pair of lightweight, water-resistant (but not -proof) hiking shoes (not boots). We've had ours since a cruise to Antartica in 2000, so I can attest they work, wash easily, and last. Just another option for consideration, not a commercial recommendation. Take care,

Thanks to advice from someone on these boards, I booked dinner at the restaurant on top of the Reichstag last month! Looking forward to it. Thanks for the many great tips. Trying to figure out our touring so we don't overlap too much with the included Viking tour (which is likely mostly panoramic). So far planning a walking tour to visit some of the WWII and Cold War sites, a good spell on Museum Island, and, of course, some breweries and Berliner currywurst.

DH and I have been to the Christmas market in Munich on land trips before, but it will be our first time doing a Christmas market cruise. We'll be on the Viking Astrild starting on 16 December with two days on our own in Hamburg before and then three in Berlin. We're excited to visit the city where The Beatles honed their performance skills and it will be the first time visiting Berlin since reunification for me and first time ever for DH. There is not much out there on the Christmas markets on the Elbe sailings, so would love to hear any tips from @frenchhorn(an instrument both DH and I played in school orchestras!) And, as always, thanks to @notamermaidfor starting this thread and all the great information!

Following this with interest as we're on the same Viking Homelands sailing and had also noted the overlap with Constitution Day. (There is a Roll Call for our sailing if you want to join it, @SempreMare.) We are doing the extension with Viking on the scenic train back to Oslo. (Booked and paid for before Viking changed the itinerary to include an overnight in Oslo. We probably would have still booked the train, but likely on our own instead of through Viking.) I found this online (Wikipedia, I think--same as your information): "In Oslo, children from all the city's schools gather to parade past the Royal Palace, where they and the Royal Family exchange waves and greetings. All over Norway, memorials to the fallen at wars and to other notable national people are honored with speeches and wreaths early in the morning. In many places (like in Oslo) at noon, a salute is fired. The anniversary celebrations in this Nordic nation place a focus on schoolchildren in particular, who parade and make stops at war memorials and senior homes. In Oslo, more than 100,000 people pass by the palace, exchanging waves with the royal family. Costumes and flags are in abundance, along with marching bands and kid-friendly treats such as ice cream and soda." Having grown up in southwestern Wisconsin, where there are many people with Norwegian roots, I've long known about Syttende Mai (the Norwegian for 17 May). Since 1969, the city of Westby (which means "west town" in Norwegian), WI has celebrated a four-day festival featuring authentic Norwegian foods, crafts, a frokost (breakfast featuring Norwegian delicacies), and Norwegian church service. Looking forward to a great trip--our first with Viking Ocean--next year!

The appetizer buffet is the home of the roasted garlic heads. As others have noted, you can serve yourself from the buffet or go take a look and ask the server to bring what you wish. As far as I know (only two trips with Regent) the roasted garlic is always on the appetizer buffet so you can just ask the server to bring just that from the buffet if you wish. We can also attest that the cloves are yummy smashed on a piece of the nice bread!