pontac

Viking have a vegetarian dish on each of the three courses at lunch & dinner, marked with a leaf symbol and gluten free dishes are also marked. (Breakfast is a self serve buffet so you have your choice).

@Ladyshopper23 Further to my note above I am reminded that on my last cruise we were delayed at the airport and didn't get to the ship to about 20:20 and after checking-in went straight to the restaurant for dinner

Thanks for your comment @SFSing The Van Gogh t-shirt has now been through many washes and the colours are as bright as they were when bought, so it's good quality. Suggest you do what we now do which is to put 3 days worth of necessary clothes in your husband's case and pack same of his, so if a bag gets delayed you'll have a change of clothes. If your bag doesn't arrive on the carousel you must report it missing before you leave arrivals hall I always find flying from the USA to Europe more of a strain than vice versa as Europe bound planes usually land early morning and all I want to do is go to bed but if I do then I don't sleep well that night and it takes several days to right myself. It's worse for you as if you're staying in a hotel the first night then the check in time will be in the afternoon. I am sure you'll have a most enjoyable cruise. Not long to go now!

I agree 100%. I don't want to spend a meal with people ponging of scent. A shower before dinner will do.

Which line are you asking about? On Viking and Scenic the main restaurant opens at 7pm. Most people are seated by 7:30 in order to get the table they want or sit with the people they want. The restaurant hours are 7 - 9 pm and I don't think you'd get a meal if you turned up at 8:55pm. We tend to sit when service starts and enjoy a leisurely meal Scenic offer in-room dining but I think you'd need a larger than standard cabin to make use of that and I don't know what hours that's available. The galley is tiny and turns out multi choice 3 course hot lunches and dinners plus a breakfast. Oven space has to be booked by the various chefs, the baker needs over time to produce the breads while the meat cook needs oven time to roast joints. Having toured galleys I am amazed what they manage to do.

Time zones and other commitments meant I have only just read your response on the other thread, to which I responded, and won't repeat here. I agree with you completely that cabin size is one of the many considerations that potential cruisers should look at. There are so many cruise lines operating now that we have a great choice.

😁Not every cruiser can afford to travel in a Royal One-Bedroom Suite like your good self

One of the most memorable and enjoyable dining companions we had on a cruise were two American couples who were friends. The men were both pastors of a church in northern California on the border with Oregon. They had not met people who didn't believe; we had never met anyone who believed every word of the bible was literal truth. We had some good discussions. We both could sit elsewhere at subsequent meals but didn't as we had such interesting talks. We perplexed them and vice versa, and no-ones beliefs were changed. Another time a simple 'what do you do' brought forward the info at we were dining with a couple of eye surgeons. Talking with them gave me the confidence to go ahead with eye lens replacement surgery. For the first time since I was 9 I don't wear spectacles. One meets all sorts on a river cruise. Viking used to give out name badges with the state you were from, now they don't enquiring after the state is usually the first question American ask each other.

Excuse me, because I've also posted this under a post made in another similar thread but I contend the French balcony and aquarium class cabins have exactly the same floorspace. Viking include the bulkhead width in their aquarium room dimensions. The only use that can be made of that space is the window sill in the bulkhead.

I don't it's a legal requirement in the UK because we had to pay in full on booking 10 months in advance for our upcoming Scenic cruise. I think it's the market. Whilst US customers continue to accept their payment conditions, they'll continue taking the money.

Unfortunately the OP doesn't show their location on their profile as terms and conditions are different depending where you book. T&C on the UK and Australia sites differ from the US site. Bookings on the UK site do include gratuities, air (or train if preferred) travel and transfers. And immediate payment is not required. The boats are the same no matter where one books 😁but I contend the French balcony and aquarium class cabins have exactly the same floorspace. Viking include the bulkhead width in their room dimensions. The only use that can be made of that space is the window sill in the bulkhead.

Here the question is concerning only two cruise lines; Viking and Emerald. While both allow people to bring alcohol on board they have different attitudes to it. Viking's FAQs say: Can I bring alcoholic and other beverages on board? Guests may bring alcohol and beverages with them or purchase alcohol ashore at destinations that sell alcohol. Alcohol can be consumed in the guest’s stateroom or in public spaces, including dining venues. There is no corkage fee. Emerald's FAQs say: Can I bring my own alcohol on board? We have no problem with guests purchasing alcohol for consumption in their rooms. However, we do ask that personal drinks are not consumed in the communal areas of our Star-Ships and luxury yachts.

Again - only someone who has experienced both lines can really answer your questions, @familymum An experience of past voyages are not necessarily what is on offer now, as ports, excursions, food and drinks can and do change. My first river cruise was chosen by our friends and I did no research and knew nothing about cruising. They'd chosen Viking and we were completely satisfied with them, so our subsequent cruises have also been with them. But there are now many river cruise lines competing for your money so there's a lot of choice. I expect if you enjoy your first experience then you'll book another cruise with the same line. What I enjoy most is being looked after, not having to choose meals in advance, buy the ingredients, then cook them and clean up afterwards. I can just walk into the dining room and choose what I want from the menu and if nothing takes my fancy have steak & chips. Excursions occupy the days, but they're not the main point for us. On food and wine quality, that's very subjective, and as I've said I've not cruised with Emerald but I have with Scenic and Emerald are a less expensive sister line. I rate Viking and Scenic the same for food and Viking better for wine. In UK bookings Viking include the drinks package & gratuities. Remember that with Viking you can bring your own wines on board to have with meals & anywhere, so you can buy at wineries and wine shops. According to the Emerald site you can bring your own drinks on-board for room consumption only. You might like to read my trip reports, linked to in my signature below. These will give an idea on the experiences we've had. (I understand that the signature doesn't display on a phone, in that case ask & I'll give the links)

It's not clear if you're asking about the merits of the two boats, or the cruise lines. For either you'd only get a definitive answer from someone who'd been on both, and so far that doesn't seem to be the case, and some repliers have been on neither. I've cruised with Viking and Scenic (Emerald's sister line). I've cruised Basel>Amsterdam twice with Viking and I'm booked to cruise Amsterdam to Basel with Scenic in August. Water levels can impact cruising, too low and there's not enough draught, too high and there's not enough clearance under bridges. Viking (and no doubt others) can adjust their draft by pumping out ballast. Luckily (touch wood) I've not encountered these problems on the 13 cruises I've done so far. Viking have a lot of boats on this route, not all will show on the website you use, just as your departure doesn't show on the UK site. Posts from others have shown that when a bridge or part of the rive is unnavigable Viking swap passengers with another boat going the opposite direction and that boat then turns round and you continue the cruise. As boats are identical you stay in identical cabin. But I think your decision should be based on the cost, facilities offered by each line and advice from the travel agent you've chosen, and just hope the river gods are smiling when you travel. Enjoy your cruise.

An evening dinner cruise on a Bateaux Mouche ( bateaux-mouches.fr ) is the only thing I remember well about our only trip to Paris long ago. Good meal and the boat has arc lights both side that illuminate the banks as it passes along the Seine

No doubt by the time we reach Platinum level they will have withdrawn this perk. Year before last even1st time cruisers with Scenic (like us) got free transport. Last year it was replaced by a transfer credit, this year that too was withdrawn.

Didn't receive a voucher. When I phoned Scenic to book they asked if we'd travelled with them before. I said we had and they told me that therefore each of us got £100 off. I don't know if they checked; it seemed a bit casual. Pleasant surprise, especially as I had to pay total amount then and there - ten months in advance of travel - full payment at time of booking is a bugbear you've mentioned many times. However it was the cost of getting the discount on this cruise that Mrs P wanted. When I then told her that they'd stopped the free chauffer to/from airport she was disappointed because, she said, that was the best thing about Scenic!

What the sharkster says. On my first Viking cruise I brought a wine from home with me because I didn't know what the included wine on board was like. (pretty good actually) On subsequent cruises I have bought wine during the journey from wineries and wine shops along the way. Waiters happy to open bottles for you and pour your wine for you. Take glass from restaurant to your cabin or ask for glasses at bar if wine glasses not supplied in your cabin.

We booked our second Scenic river cruise and got £100 each off as Welcome Home Discount - Gold - Voucher However Scenic no longer include backpack and transport to/from the airport that we had in 2022. Their websites says Gold benefits include: Welcome Home voucher to be redeemed on your next ultra-luxury cruise or land journey**, priority booking on pre-release land journey or cruises, Scenic Club members-only events and exclusive access to Scenic Wonder eMagazine. Never had eMagazine, any invitations to member events or info on pre-release cruises. (I quite frequently get invites to Viking member event, regularly get both Viking eMags and printed mags.)

I did this route with Viking. I didn't get any of their currencies. There were two nights in a hotel in Budapest and on night in a hotel in Bucharest where we had to get our own meals and we used Visa credit card. Other places we weren't in long enough to spend any money.

WIN!!!!

What the others have said, we used room only for sleeping and changing clothes. But my wife is shorter than me and she decided after we had had waterline cabin on two cruises that she didn't want to stay in them again as she was too short to see anything out of the window other than the sky. I'd suggest a veranda is not worth the extra as it'll be too cold to sit outside at Christmas.

The included half day excursions are between mealtimes, so morning excursions allow you to have breakfast and they are back in time for lunch, afternoon excursions allow you to have lunch on board and are back before dinner. See my trip report photos of Viking Daily front page for examples of info you get about timings - Yes. If bussing is needed then they'll be coaches at the closest point to the boat. If it's a walking tour the guide will be at the end of the boat's gangway. Most towns are by the end of the gangway. If not then take the Viking bus and tell the guide you're doing your own thing when you get to the town and check what time and where the coach back leaves. Or take a card from boat's reception with the address of the mooring to show to a taxi if you want to make your own way back. Viking Daily will state time boat leaves mooring but if doing your own thing double check with reception before leaving boat.

That was true of our cruise with Scenic (one of the things we didn't like about Scenic*) but OP said they were going on a Viking Cruise and Viking deliver a 4 page Viking Daily newsletter to the cabin every night during dinner. Front page has locations and timings of places to be visited the following day. Other pages have info about the cities and countries being visited. *(for our next trip with Scenic I am going to request of the 'butler' on the first day for a paper copy of the schedule to be in our cabin each day)

If you haven't paid in advance there il be an envelope placed in your room at the last evening for you to deposit cash, or you can pay with credit card at reception. We've never paid more than the recommended amount. (Nowadays gratuities are included on cruises booked in UK) Viking recommend a daily amount to tip drivers & excursion guides. Most people seem to think that is by excursion then over tip. The difference between the US and Europe is that drivers and tour guide are well paid with free health care & etc. Yes. But there can be a crew change. If you're thinking tipping, see my answer to 1. Your cruise is only 9 nights. I cannot think you'll have more stuff you need in a bathroom than there's space for. There's a shelf above the sink plus room for toothbrushes and toothpaste and a half length and a full length shelf below. You can see these in the 360 degree display Seems to be something people do on ocean cruises. What would you need them for? There are two hooks on the door you can hang outside coats on. You get a daily info sheet delivered to your room the evening before with the times of departures and excursions. That's all you need, and the work surface will keep that. I'm not sure the walls are magnetic as they're padded. I wouldn't waste any time thinking about this. One piece of advice? Relax and enjoy being pampered, being transported from place to place, having sightseeing organised for you. Don't worry, it's enjoyable and relaxing. That's why so many of us are return cruisers. Get out of arrival hall, meet the Viking reps in their red jackets and once you get on the coach you can leave it all to Viking till you take your bag out the coach at the airport at the other end. No cooking, no dishwashing no worries.