Blues51

Two questions -- 1) we'll be on Beyond, Aqua class, but don't plan to add the drinks package. If I bring (2 or 4, I've seen claims for both) bottles of wine onboard, what is the corkage fee? And 2) do they sell bottles of wine at the meals, and can we drink some and bring the rest back to the cabin? If so, what's the typical cost for bottles of medium to good quality red wines?

We ran into a similar situation 9 years ago when we traveled to Europe (by land, not a cruise). My wife's brother was, unfortunately, diagnosed with cancer. He has since passed, but at the time, his prognosis was fair to good. We insured our trip via InsureMyTrip.com. We were afraid we might have to cancel at the last minute if her brother worsened. The agent at InsureMyTrip was very helpful. But it was her opinion, and only an opinion, though an informed one, that if we were to do so, normal trip insurance would deny a claim due to pre-existing conditions. Our solution, at her suggestion, was a policy known as "cancel for any reason" insurance. It's pricier than a normal policy, to be sure. And IIRC, it only reimburses 75% of the cost. But it was good peace of mind for us. I hope this helps you.

We were told that we, on the Viking Baldur, were the very first ship to make it from Passau to Regensburg. The senior crew were all up at 2 am to see if we'd make it through. Which we did, with centimeters to spare. Apparently we have a very aggressive captain, for which we're all thankful. Now on our way towards Nuremberg.

Hello again from the Viking Baldur. We left Melk this afternoon and are sailing for Passau. Our cruise director announced that they had quite a discussion about the water levels, but finally decided that we could make it upriver. Several optional excursions from Passau are canceled, and the sun deck is closed, but the ship will continue upstream. Yay!

On Viking Baldur, we're approaching Melk. No public announcements, but cruise director told me Passau is flooded, not allowing ships to dock, and impassible past Passau. But he said much can change in the 24 hours until the captain needs to make a decision.

We're on the Viking Baldur, currently docked in Vienna on a B to A cruise. We're due to leave tonight for Melk and then Passau. No one of the crew has mentioned anything about a ship swap - it appears to be business as usual. That doesn't mean that they may spring a change on us at the last minute, but so far, so good.