pontac

All cabins can 'dine in rooms'. I returned this week from an 11 day Scenic cruise of the Douro. The was a card in the room for breakfast choices you can hang from your cabin door handle. But the options do no include hot food. I asked the 'butler' about in-room dining as it had been a forum discussion item before I took the cruise. He said he'd never served any in-room food other then breakfast. You don't say which level of cabin you are in. For a balcony suite there is a small table in room with a stool chair. On the balcony are two wicker armchairs and a low table. I asked the butler if table and chairs were brought with in room dining. He didn't think so and there was no space for them. Unless you have a larger cabin where you can dine with a knife and fork on a plate at reasonable level, you might have issues with in-room dining, except for food like burgers and sandwiches. There was on our boat, it's viewed on the TV under FAQ>FOOD. This is it I think the custard tarts are special to Portugal 🙂 Menu available 11:00 to 24:00 according to screen above

Many? There are only two at 455 sq ft, the Royal One-Bedroom Suite and only two at 305 sq ft the Royal Balcony Suite. Balcony Suites are 205sqf, exactly the same size as Viking's Veranda Stateroom.

If you mean on the Douro route, the Viking cruise was a long time ago - 2014. I really enjoyed it, I recall the visit to the Sandeman Port Lodge and lunch at a winery surrounded by vines. And the mechanical feet for stomping grapes in one of the Port wineries. I remember visiting Salamanca with flamenco dancers at lunch, the visit to the bakery where one woman was kneading dough and baking bread in a wood fired oven. They demonstrated opening a crusted Port bottle by heating port tongs..... But that was then; there were barely any other hotel ships on the Douro and I don't think we were rafted once. Now the river is teeming with river cruise lines and rafting is usual. Viking no longer supply lunch with entertainment in Salamanca and I think they no longer have the lunch at the winery. I heard from the PM on Scenic they no longer do the crusted Port demonstration after an inattentive demonstrator let a cloth too near the gas hob and after it caught fire, attempted to extinguish it be putting another cloth on top which in turn burst into flames. All the river cruises I could find had 7 days on the Douro. Take off 2 days for embarkation at start and disembarkation and there's only 5 days - 2 days going to the Spanish border, one day moored there while passengers go to Salamanca and 2 days back. Scenic do a 7 day cruise, but they also do an 11 day cruise, the only one I am aware of, which is why I booked them. Viking have the better designed boat and include on-board gratuities and currently the Silver Spirits package. Scenic also include tips for guides and coach drivers as well as bar drinks and one small clothes wash per cabin. I think there's much of a muchness. One is better in one way, the other is better in a different way. No easy answer, especially as prices in UK will differ in Canada. However Scenic are having big discounts, our cruise was only 75% full.

@Host Jazzbeau Scenic RIVER cruise roll calls should go in: All Other River Cruise Roll Calls. Make sure you mention Saga and the name of the ship in the title. I think you meant Scenic not Saga 😉

I have probably made a mistake in thinking all Scenic 'Spaceships' are alike. I haven't travelled on Gem or Jade. On Scenic Azure the exit door is in deck 3. The lounge is the same level, as are the cabins. The restaurant is on deck 2 same as the restaurant. On Scenic Diamond (the first Scenic I travelled on) the lounge and restaurant were off-set from the decks the cabins were on. Our cabin was on deck 2. We had to descend stairs to the restaurant and ascend stairs to the lounge, reception and exit. So the exit was midway between deck 2 and deck 3, say deck 2.5 🙂 This off-set entrance did not align with other non-Scenic river boats so when rafted on outside only way to transfer to other boat was via the sundeck. I hated this feature of Scenic boats - having to walk down a narrow gangplank at a steep angle with a section at the highest point where there was no metal hand rail, only a loose rope, and would not recommend Scenic to anyone with mobility problems for this one reason. Yes, other companies boats might have to cross a rafted boat via the sun deck, but even when not rafted Scenic have a high exit point and a scary gang plank. (on the boats I have been on, and it seems on Gem and Jade. I will find out myself about Jasper in 4 weeks time.

You did ask about the included spirits. I don't drink spirits now so I didn't photo all the list but be assured that all the major types are available free (except you've paid for them in your fare 🙂 ) but maybe not your favourite brand. I only photographed the two pages of the bar menu which had wines & Ports

I departed the Scenic Azure at Porto yesterday after the Unforgettable Douro 11 day cruise. The refreshing thing is that on Scenic Azure all the wines on the list are Portuguese except for one white and one red Spanish wine. There will be different wines on other cruises. You do not need to ask for the wine list because it is in the menu folder you are given at lunch and dinner. When the folder is given you the waiter opens it at the first two pages which have the food items. Turn over and there are two pages of wines, one page white and one red/pink. Unfortunately the list does not name the grape varieties in the wines, but all the reds and most of the whites are blends of mostly native Portuguese varieties. I only recognised two wines - Mateus Rose and Monte Velho - the second of which I have bought from The Wine Society. Not knowing the wines I took the recommended wines offered by the waiters - later on when we wanted white I asked for Vinho Verde which tastes fresher to our palate than the other (wooded) whites. If you don't like any wine, ask for another. There is complimentary sparking wine at the bar, or ask the waiter. Both white and pink - from Portugal. If you want Champagne - which I did - and we had a glass as aperitif before dinner it is best to go the bar yourself and order it the check the bottle as they tend to pour the Portuguese fizz when asked for Champagne. After I corrected them twice they s got the Champagne subsequently. The Champagne is Drappier. At breakfast buffet is Moet & Chandon on self pour. Also at the bar is Ferreira Tawny Port. This is a favourite brand of the Portuguese and I liked it. Alcoholic drinks are available from 11:00 till midnight (except the breakfast Champagne). Outside of those times you have your complimentary mini bar in your room. There is a two page 'Chairmans List' of drinks you have to buy. The wine seems to be priced twice retail cost. Here is the list of on-board included wines

I left Porto yesterday after an eleven day trip on Scenic (I have cruised the Douro before on Viking Hemming). Though Porto was sunny with clear skies it was chilly as there is a strong breeze off the Atlantic. When you pass the mountain ranges that provide a barrier to the winds and you enter the Douro demarcated wine region the temperature will be warm. It was 35-36C at Pinhao on Friday 5 July.

I think your deck two is my deck three The two Scenic ships I have cruised on, and all the Viking boats, have 3 decks which have cabins, and one open one at the top. In Scenic the first (lowest) deck is called the Jewel deck (on CC it's called Aquarium or Swan) The second (mid) deck is called the Sapphire The third (upper) deck is the Diamond Deck The open deck above that is the sundeck On Scenic the only place to board/leave the boat is the third - Diamond - deck, unless when rafting one has to cross at the sun deck. On Viking, the main entrance is the second deck and the third can be used when that gives a more level access to the river bank

EU prices include VAT which is 20% in the UK and similar in other countries.

We're in our 70s and I use a stick. We are on the Viking Paris cruise in September so if you can wait till then can let you know. Use Google maps to calculate how long coach ride is if that's a concern. We are on a Scenic cruise right now and although they are OK we prefer Viking. One really bad thing about Scenic for those with mobility issues is the passenger exit is from deck 3 down a gang plank that's steep, has a nasty angle at end and a part that only has rope railings. Viking has exits from decks 2 & 3 and uses one which is closest to land level so most times you can leave boat on horizontal or slight slope using wide ramp with metal hand rails

I live in the UK. All the cruises I've taken bar one the cruise line booked flights on day of departure. Although on our first Rhone cruise we got them to change it to day before as the flight they selected left too early for us. We stayed overnight at Lyon airport hotel and when we saw incoming flight next morning from our room, checked out, crossed road to arrivals and saw the cruise line reps meeting passengers joined them to get coach to boat.

Lanyard on Scenic. What you get depends on what cruise line and cruise. As there is so many please say which you have booked

Breisach - small town, short distance from mooring Strasbourg - coach ride to city Speyer - short distance from boat to city centre Koblenz - basically you will be in town, but it's big. Cologne - basically you will be in town, but it's big. Kinderdijk - boat moors right by the windmills. You have to cross a dike carrying a road, up a slope to the road, down a slope on the other side. If you change wheelchair pushers it should be possible. It's impossible to say. The boat has to moor where the harbour-master specifies.

When talking about Viking cabins one first has to determine which boat. There are differently designed boat used outside Europe. Within Europe Viking generally uses the Longships which are identical in size and design. (On the Seine, Elbe & Douro they uses smaller boats to a similar design) The 55 Longships have 5 types of cabins, in their parlance 'staterooms' on 3 decks. Standard - on lowest deck. This has high (non-opening) window at water level. Known as Aquarium class on this board. French Balcony - on middle deck. This has floor to ceiling window facing water and one half of it can be slid across. (Confusingly, there's no balcony to step out on) Veranda -on middle and upperdeck. This has floor to ceiling window facing water and one half of it can be slid across and there is a balcony with two chairs and a table Veranda Suite - on upper deck. This has bedroom with french balcony and a separate living room with balcony. Explorer Suite - 2 on upper deck at stern. This has bedroom with french balcony and a separate larger living room with wraparound balcony. Floor plans, room descriptions and layouts plus a 360 view can be seen on the Viking website. I have cruised in all but Explorer. Be aware one spends little time in one's cabin if one takes the included excursions. There's a different destination every day.

No, because most passengers will have gone on the excursion. There is a good library on board, drinks stations, nibbles, and the bar. If she's a reader, it's a good chance to sit in the lounge and catch up.

I stayed two nights in a hotel in Budapest at the start of a Viking Eastern Europe cruise in 2019; it wasn't an option pre-extension, it was part of the cruise. I have a copy of the information sheet given on our arrival in Budapest; here's the relevant part - We left our luggage outside the room as instructed and didn't see it again till we entered our cabin. It was a lovely day and we made our own way to the boat. Your cabin may be ready anytime. Viking say that it will be ready by 3pm. If it's ready sooner, you'll be taken to it. We've never had to wait to 3pm, but I suppose the 3pm time allows them leeway. You can board any time. There is an embarkation/disembarkation lunch served 12:00 to 3pm. You are at liberty to leave and board the boat any time. Just ensure you are back before the boat cruises off to its next destination ( according to the newssheet below, before 9pm). Just to give an idea, this is the first of the daily newsletters that was waiting in our cabin Have a great trip.

I have stayed in this class of rooms, and didn't find them noisy. Sometimes, when the boat is moving there's the swish of water but it never woke me and if it was present when I went to bed it soothed me off to sleep. Never had low water so didn't experience the bottom grating. I found we spent little time in the cabin, sleep, using the bathroom and getting dressed. Meals, excursions and events in Lounge seemed to take up the day, and if there was something worth seeing on the river banks, then the sundeck or lounge was the place to be as both banks can be seen. The room is fitted out the same as others. I was quite happy booking there and using the money saved on life's essentials - such as decent wines.. However - Mrs P is too short to see out the high window and she ruled that we can't stay there, so since then we have stayed mostly in French Balcony rooms. Despite the name, there is no balcony, just floor to ceiling glass facing the river with a slide open half. A proper balcony is called a veranda by Viking, and it's really only of use in fine weather, and as others have remarked not if another boat is rafted alongside

I hope you'll enjoy the experience. I've cruised with Viking and Scenic. I think the Viking boats are very well designed .One can sit at the bow with nothing between you and the water but a waist high glass screen. In warm weather we enjoy eating there. Lunchtimes they have a barbecue going there. I like the bathrooms that have nightlights, heated mirrors that don't steam up, and underfloor heating. And toiletries that aren't screwed to the wall The boat seems so uncluttered and light, with a glass roof over the stairwell/reception area. There are two self serve drinks stations so I've not found a long wait and if ne machine is being serviced, the other is working. I think Viking over delivers on it's promises.

@Host Jazzbeau - I've got two upcoming Scenic cruises and I've been watching tumbleweed in the Scenic section of All Other River Cruise Roll Calls. Now I've found some river cruise roll calls in the Ocean Roll calls. Not surprising as it's titled Scenic Luxury Cruises Roll Call. Any chance of you having a word with the CC powers in charge about retitling it say Scenic Ocean Cruises Roll Call. And while they're doing that, now Saga do both Ocean and River cruises, perhaps Saga Cruises Roll Call should be similarly changed

That's the important thing! I can give you a tip on how to save money by not having to buy coffee and food at airports. Simple, travel business class and all that and more is free to help yourself to in the business class lounge.😁

It wasn't an option when we booked in 2014 and both our friends, with whom we travelled, and us agreed we'd like to cruise the Douro again but we wouldn't book unless we could do just the cruise. Mrs P and I had been to Lisbon many times on business and if we want to go on vacation to that lovely city then its easy to arrange from the UK. As soon as Viking offered just the cruise our friends booked it, and it was on our list for this year. However, as a combination of discounts and recommendations from our CC host, we are going on the longer 11 day cruise with Scenic (Porto>Porto) starting Friday next week. Scenic also do a Lisbon>Porto option with a shorter cruising element Maybe they're not offered on the American site, but here we have Viking's 10 day Portugal’s River of Gold (Lisbon>Porto) and the 8 day Douro’s Valleys & Vineyards (Porto>Porto)

@Roz Good point about tips. I forgot about them. @Janie1229 may want to tip Guides and coach drivers and Euros will be the local currency The airport is physically in France, so Euro is the local currency 😉

Unless you can move here before the end of the month you're out of luck. Viking have sites in Australia, UK & USA and their offerings are aimed at each country and are different

If you are in UK and are making a new booking for a 2025 Europe river cruise then the offer is valid till 30 June. Phone 0800 101 3500. I'll scan advert and post here in an hour or two - Mrs P has just informed me I am to accompany her toe the shops.