TimATL

Hi Tim,

 

Breisach was a 10:30pm departure, Strasbourg was 6:30pm, left Mannheim at 1pm after the Heidelberg excursion and arrived in Rudesheim at 6:15pm for an overnight stay, left Koblenz at 4am, Cologne at 11pm, and left Kinderdijk at 5:30pm.

 

Tim

Do you go back to Mannheim after the Heidelberg excursion? I'm reading on one of the Viking itineraries that after the Heidelberg excursion you "re-board your motor coach for the drive to Gernsheim, where your ship has sailed during your excursion."

This cruise is sold out now, but I'm told that there are over 40 people in the Aquafest group. Are there any of you out there?

RXgrad98 - Did you do the optional tour to Colmar? If so, would love to hear your thoughts. This town intrigues me, but on a Sunday? Or should we just spend the afternoon in Breisach.

 

And the Black Forest tour screams tacky tourism to me. Your thoughts?

 

Also, is dinner on the boat that night or off? A little confused by the intinerary notes.

 

Thanks for your help.

Just so I can update my notes to better inform people, what was confusing about dinner on Sunday? It says, "Dinner on the boat" right now. How should I word it better?

FYI, I put "lunch in Strasbourg" on Monday and "dinner in Cologne" on Thursday because those were my personal choices. You can also eat those meals on the boat. In fact, you can eat every meal on the boat, if you prefer.

Here's the itinerary that I put together. Let me know if I made any mistakes.

Saturday

Check-in at the Viking Tor at 12:30pm.

Lunch on the boat.

Free time in Basel.

Back on the boat by 6:00pm.

Boat departs at 7:00pm.

Dinner on the boat.

Sunday

Breakfast on the boat.

Boat arrives in Breisach.

Black Forest tour 8:30am – 12:30pm.

Lunch on the boat.

Free time in Breisach.

Optional excursion to Colmar 2:15pm – 6:00pm.

Dinner on the boat.

Back on the boat by 10:00pm.

Boat departs Breisach at 10:30pm.

Monday

Breakfast on boat.

Boat arrives in Kehl.

Strasbourg tour 8:30am – 12:30pm.

Lunch in Strasbourg.

Free time in Strasbourg.

Back on the boat by 6:00pm.

Boat departs Strasbourg at 6:30pm.

Dinner on the boat.

Tuesday

Breakfast on the boat.

Boat arrives in Mannheim.

Heidelberg tour 8:30am – 12:45pm.

Boat departs Mannheim at 1:00pm.

Lunch on the boat.

Free time on the boat.

Boat arrives in Rudesheim at 6:30pm.

Dinner on the boat.

Free time in Rudesheim.

Overnight in Rudesheim.

Wednesday

Breakfast on the boat.

Boat departs Rudesheim at 8:00am. View castles along the Rhine.

Boat arrives at Marksburg Castle in Braubach for 10:30am - 1:00pm tour.

Arrive in Koblenz by bus at 1:00pm.

Lunch on the boat.

Free time in Koblenz.

Dinner on the boat.

Overnight in Koblenz.

Thursday

Boat departs Koblenz at 4:00am.

Breakfast on the boat.

Boat arrives in Cologne.

Cologne tour 9:30am – 11:30am.

Lunch on the boat.

Free time in Cologne.

Dinner in Cologne.

Back on the boat by 10:30pm.

Boat departs Cologne at 11:00pm.

Friday

Breakfast on the boat.

Free time on the boat. Cheese and jenever (juniper-flavored liquor) sampling.

Lunch on the boat.

Boat arrives in Kinderdijk.

Kinderdijk tour 2:00pm – 5:00pm.

Boat departs Kinderdijk at 5:30pm.

Dinner on the boat.

Saturday

Boat arrives in Amsterdam.

Breakfast on the boat.

Disembark the boat.

I think with that last bit of information I finally have a detailed itinerary all figured out. Thanks for the offer though.

I have a feeling we'll want to break away from the group and do our own thing once or twice, as you did in Kinderdijk.

My friend and I just booked a Rhine river cruise on the brand new Viking longship Tor for August 2, 2014. We booked it through Aquafest. It's good to know there will be a hosted, gay group on board.

I'm so glad you kept those Viking dailies! Do they happen to say the specific times for the Marksburg Castle tour and, therefore, what time you arrive in Koblenz? Does the Kinderdijk tour last the entire time you're there (2pm-5:30pm) or is there free time in Kinderdijk?

Oh, and it's a nice bonus that there will be a hosted, gay group on board. The more the merrier.

My friend and I just booked this trip. It'll be my first time doing a river cruise, and I've always wanted to try it. The itinerary is amazing: Switzerland, Germany, France and the Netherlands! And it's aboard one of Viking's brand new longships. I love that everything is included: beer, wine, port charges and shore excursions. It ends up being a really good value, in my opinion. You can tell that I'm excited!! :D

Anyone else going?

Sorry, one more question. At about what time does the optional tour to Colmar depart, and how long does it last? I assume it leaves from the boat after lunch? Does it allow for any free time in Colmar?

Absolutely. That was our original plan, but the day we were there it was only about 40 degrees and raining. We decided we needed a break from the weather and decided to go back to the boat and warm up before heading back out. Have you booked or just researching?

I booked the Basel to Amsterdam Rhine Getaway on the Viking Longship Tor departing Basel on August 2, 2014.

So maybe in Strasbourg, in order to maximize your time there, it would make sense to eat lunch in town. Then you don't have waste time taking the bus back to the boat to eat and then taking the bus back into town; only to have to take the bus back to the boat again before departure.

One other question. When you're in Breisach, Strasbourg and Cologne (places where the boat is docked from morning until evening) do most people go back to the boat for lunch, after the morning tours? Do the tour buses take you back to the boat, or do you have to get back on your own? And what if you want to go back into town after lunch on the boat? Again, do the tour buses take you back into town or do you have to make your own way? Thanks.

Hi Tim,

 

You are correct regarding Basel and Rudesheim. Breisach was a 10:30pm departure, Strasbourg was 6:30pm, left Mannheim at 1pm after the Heidelberg excursion and arrived in Rudesheim at 6:15pm for an overnight stay, left Koblenz at 4am, Cologne at 11pm, and left Kinderdijk at 5:30pm. It was a fairly port intensive cruise. Rudesheim was completely shut down, only a few restaurants open, but we did arrive the day before the Christmas market opened, so probably would have been a completely different experience the next day or had we visited in summer. Hope that helps.

 

Tim

Yes, that's very helpful. Thanks. So you're pretty much in Koblenz overnight then?

Hi 2045jim,

 

We were on the Viking Sun this past November, sailing from Basel to Amsterdam. Not sure if the times will be the same if sailing from Amsterdam to Basel, but here are the times from the Viking Daily that I saved from our trip:

 

Breisach: 8:30-12:30 - Black Forest bus tour

 

Strasbourg: 8:30-12:30 - City tour

 

Mannheim/Heidelberg: 8:30-12:45 - Bus to Heidelberg

 

Rüdesheim: set sail at 8:00, immediately sailing the stretch of the Rhine with the castles

 

Cologne: 9:30-11:30 - City tour

 

Kinderdijk: morning sailing, arriving at 2:00pm

 

Breakfast started at 7:00am every morning.

 

Not sure how much different it would be sailing from Amsterdam, but I'm sure you'll have the same early starts. Maybe someone who has done that direction can supply more info. Hope this helps!

 

Tim

This is great information about the start of the day. What about the end of the day? The boat leaves Basel at 7pm and you're in Rudesheim overnight, correct? What about Breisach, Strasbourg, Koblenz, Cologne and Kinderdijk? When do you leave those ports? Thanks.