CDNPolar

So you are on a Viking River Cruise ending in Basel. Great! We have done that one! The only thing to note is that if your flight departs at 6:05am, then Viking will get you to the airport 2+ hours ahead of that flight departure, which means you may be on a bus leaving the ship as early as 3:30am. We have had this happen many times including this past New Year's Day - January 1st. We left the ship after celebrating New Year's Eve at 3:00am.

Then you are good to buy on your own. Many do. Just understand the medical portion and pre-existing conditions if any.

Just to clarify Viking Air. 1) You pay $100 or $150 per person for the privilege to use Viking Air 2) You can do a deviation in or out for $100 per person and fly in days early or stay days late. You do NOT have to fly in the day of and out the day of.... 3) You have some more control over your flights in as much as you can search the routes and the timetables that you want and then request these. This does not mean that flights you want are inside the Viking contract air prices and there can be an upcharge for the flights you want, on top of the Viking Air and Deviation fees. 4) Upgrade to Premium Economy can be pricy, but in our experience it is usually about the same as booking on your own. What you are likely experiencing here is Viking have great contract rates for Economy - $799 - but the PE upgrade is not contract rates so you are paying a bigger upcharge. We use Viking Air on most all of our Viking cruises and we call and book our air as early as 270 days in advance of the cruise as we have generally the best inventory to choose from at that time. Sometimes we score great PE upgrade rates, and sometimes we score great direct non-stop flights. We have also booked the air for many Viking trips on our own. The other thing to consider on booking a deviation is that if you are flying in one or two days early and you are NOT purchasing a Viking pre-excursion trip, you are responsible to get from airport to your hotel and then from the hotel to the ship on embarkation day on your own. Same if you deviate at the end of the cruise.

I have not purchased Viking's insurance because as a Canadian we are not eligible. I do know that it is expensive and yes, you are right the CFAR part - Cancel For Any Reason - is managed by Viking and not TripMate who sells the insurance. The CFAR must be purchased within a certain time frame of booking, but that does mean that for any reason you choose you can cancel. Your cancellation reason does not have to meet one of the insurance companies reasons. You are also right that you will get a voucher for the non-refundable amount of your trip paid and booked through Viking and yes, Viking are going to hold your cash until you rebook. Just a caution that vouchers with Viking have rules attached to them that you may or may not be agreeable to. There are many discussions on CC about vouchers, and for me and my past experience with Vouchers, I would avoid them. For us we don't have the option of purchasing Viking's insurance, so we have always had to purchase our insurance privately. We have knowledge of the different packages available to us and know what we want and we buy that and are satisfied. The one point is that you don't have to purchase Viking's insurance and there may be advantages to buying your own. Also, some insurance companies also offer CFAR insurance if you felt you needed it.

Basel to Amsterdam is inside the Schengen area, so when you arrive in Amsterdam your plane will disembark inside the Schengen travel zone. You will have to then move from the Schengen zone of the airport to the International departures area of the Amsterdam airport. At this point you will go through passport control to log that you are leaving Europe and you will then also go through security to ensure that you are eligible to transit now to a flight going to the USA. Your bags should check all the way through. We have done this type of flight many times and never had to pick up bags. 2 hours should be sufficient for you. We typically never book less than 2.5 hours but we have done this many times on less than 2 hours. We like longer because we just don't feel the stress of the rush... Since you have not flown through Europe before, take advantage of the agents at the gate when you arrive in Amsterdam. Stop and ask how you get to the transit zone for international flights. Some of these airports such as Amsterdam Schiphol are large, and can be confusing. Also, because this is your first time doing this, go directly from your landing gate in Amsterdam to your departure gate for Detroit. Don't underestimate how long this will take as there can be lines at passport control depending on the day and time. Shop when you pass through all the checks... don't shop before. Good luck. You will be fine. This truly is the part of flying that I love - navigating the airports! We have some stories for sure....

We personally have never done this with others but see this in roll calls frequently. I don't think that Viking guests are opposed to doing this. We have certainly met people on both Viking ocean and river that are doing private tours. I just think that you are taking a risk booking for a larger number if you cannot find the other couples in the end to join you. When we have booked private tours, we do so where we can join as a couple - regardless of the cost - and not depend on finding others.

Yes, they are a consolidator, and we have had nothing but good luck with Viator. We have used them in South America, Europe, Asia, and most countries that we have been to. We have never been disappointed, and one of the things that we appreciate most about them is their cancellation policy.

Extensions or power bars that don't have surge protectors are allowed. We have found a plug adaptor that has not only the standard North American outlet plug but 4 USB outlets as well. This allows a plug from a laptop, and then 4 USB cords to charge phones, watches, etc. No need for a power bar with a couple of these and much easier to carry.

I only drink decaf coffee and I am an early riser and want that decaf in my cabin - usually by 5:00am or 5:30am. I put the room service card out each night before bed and very routinely get my decaf coffee delivered to my cabin. We generally book only V1's or V2's and these don't have the coffee makers, but they are way too loud for 5:00am as my husband sleeps while I have my coffee. I have heard coffee makers through the walls from the next cabin before. I always mark on the room service menu for one KNOCK on the door or only one push of the buzzer when the coffee arrives and to leave it on the floor outside the door. This never wakes him.

Clickbait including this discussion. Got me to click! haha

No, these should be attached when you collect your luggage at your final destination and when you are surrendering your luggage to the cruise line. If you have to arrange your own transportation to the ship, don't attach them until you are at the cruise terminal. If the cruise is picking you up at the airport, attach these at the time you pass your luggage over. These tags are ONLY for the cruise line to get your luggage to your cabin. They are in danger of being damaged or lost if you attach them before your flight.

I may be very wrong with this, but what we expect in North America in liability is desperately missing in other parts of the world. That is why we should all buy medical insurance when we travel. I have climbed some sketchy stairs without railings and rock steps carved out of a rock face and my thought is that this is my risk and no one is going to pay me any life changing windfall if I am injured.

We are doing West Indies to Iberia on Viking in October. Barcelona to San Juan. 6 days at sea. From what I read about Viking is that they have plenty to keep you busy.

If you don't ask you will not get. We learned this a long time ago. "Sorry, I really don't enjoy Chardonnay. Do you have another included white?" "Yes Sir, we do, I will be right back with a couple of choices." The fact is that most of the wines on the Wine List are not that much superior to the daily included wines in price or quality and they aim to please. We have experienced rules that bend many times without a second thought if you ask. They just have more stock of the included wines.

We have so many times asked if there are any other choices - both for included wines, and SSBP. We have rarely if ever been disappointed and told no. We find this to be true with the Wine Stewards, and have never asked a Bartender, but we will now.

You are dealing with companies that are not registered in the USA, ships that are not flagged in the USA, and travel providers that are not registered in the USA. I don't think that US standards, expectations, and litigious nature will hold up in other countries. I may be completely wrong, but I would not assume that tripping on uneven pavement in a foreign country would net any kind of legal satisfaction. Just walk down the streets in Buenos Aires and you have to have eyes all around you at all times because of the gaps and the holes and the shambles that are their sidewalks... injuries are just waiting to happen and I would say that those travel providers are not concerned about legal action.

Again, this is a question (above) to put to your insurance company. You may not find obvious language in the policy that covers this specific situation, but that does not mean that it is not covered. When you call and if they do - for either post #1 or #3 - tell you that you are covered, then get this in writing. Here is my opinion, that may be right or wrong, but after months of reading insurance policies of many companies this is my thinking: 1) Trip cancellation / Interruption insurance is likely only going to cover you for something booked through the cruise line. If you go out on your own and book some random company and they are late returning you to the ship, I would doubt that you would have coverage. 2) We have booked tours with companies that will automatically refund if the ship has to miss the port. We have never booked with one that did not refund for that reason. These are companies that know well the situation of cruising and want the cruise ship business. I do think that this could be covered by cancellation / interruption insurance BUT, again, I would call the insurance company and get their answer in writing. I have also found with insurance companies that you have to be very detailed in your description of the situation as some agents react and answer without fully understanding the situation.

This has been our experience as well that the cruise line we use and prefer, the prices only go up. We look at the itinerary up to two years out (or as soon as the itineraries are released) and if it meets our needs/desires as to destination and price, we book and pay the deposit. We know that larger ships and lines have promotions closer to sailing if they are not selling out the cabins, but our. preferred line does not.

Are you suggesting that if a guide, or the cruise line misrepresents the difficulty of an excursion that there would be liability if you were injured? This is what I think you are saying... If so, then I would suggest that you look to your cruise line terms and I am sure that by purchasing your cruise you are releasing the cruise line and the tour provider from any liability coming from a misrepresentation. Excursions are basically at your own risk. Here is just a bit of the language from the Viking passenger contract: ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FOR ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF THE CARRIER OR THOSE PERSONS OR ENTITIES PROVIDING TRAVEL SERVICES, ACCOMMODATIONS OR ANY OTHER ELEMENT OF A CRUISE TOUR. VRC IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGE, INJURY, ILLNESS, DEATH, LOSS, ACCIDENT, DELAY OR IRREGULARITY OF ANY KIND, OCCASIONED BY REASON OF ANY ACT OR OMISSION ARISING DURING OR FROM THE CRUISE TOUR.

That is a question that you need to pose directly to your insurance company. This could be different with every insurance company. Personally I doubt it however.

No doubt, this is what scares me about the bigger ships. Lines, waiting, etc. My nephew loves the big ships and the bigger the better but they don't leave the ship. They take their kids and it is all about alcohol (adults) and waterslides (kids and adults) and all the other stuff. They don't wait because they do nothing that requires waiting. On a Viking Ocean ship you can be "invisible" if you want to be but we love Viking for the fact that the crew learn our names and we are known.

Drones have a very specific "buzzing" sound from the speed of the propellers and we also experienced people sharing their distaste for this sound when they could hear it. With all the permission and care possible taken, it just was not a pleasant experience for us and so we sold the drone shortly after our last time using it.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. You will hopefully get someone to comment on this particular river cruise itinerary as I have not done this one. River cruising for those with mobility concerns can be a challenge. First, there is no guarantee on river levels and that you will dock in the planned spots. You could be docking further away if water levels are high or low which then would indicate bussing where walking would be the situation under normal water conditions. This is something that you just never know with river cruising. Last December we were on a Rhine cruise and we could not dock a couple of times in the planned location, and were a 15 minute bus ride from the town. What you may or will experience is uneven surfaces and cobblestones in most ports. For those with mobility concerns the cobblestones can often present a challenge.

If you have not already, please email tellus@vikingcruises.com about the excursion descriptions. I emailed them some time ago, and they thanked me for my suggestion and indicated that they were forwarding it on to the shore excursion team. We need to band together on these things because discussing them here on CC does not effect change at Viking. I understand that you are putting in your comments on the surveys, but with the 100's of surveys completed everyday, how long does it take for a comment to actually surface to the right department?

We know people that are waiting for ships bigger than they are now. They love these massive ships and don't even leave the ship at ports. They are there only for the ship and the waterslides and other activities.