carlo7

Hi Carlo7 way back in 2011 we did what is now considered the best length of time and traveled Scenic for the first time, Budapest to Nuremberg and were quite surprised when we realised that many of the aquaitences we made were traveling on to Amsterdam. By Nuremberg we would have quite happily stayed aboard. This year we cruise again with Scenic our 6th time Amsterdam to Budapest, like you, although the itinerary is now different, we cruise bits we haven't done before and Scenic is now all inclusive. Between times we have done one 15 day the rest various lengths of time, we have come to the conclusion that 15 days is just about right and most probably longer would be a bit to much I also cannot put forward a good enough argument for a butler, cook, housemaid, entertainer or bar staff of Scenic quality at home. ( my DH is good but not that good) enjoy your cruise what date and boat are you traveling on? CA

Hi CA,

We are on the Crystal departing AMS on 6/14/17 for 15 days. Our first river cruise. Longest ocean cruise was SEA to FLL through the Panama Canal on Holland America. 18 days went by pretty quickly. Karen and I believe a positive attitude makes any journey a good journey. Enjoy your tour.

Carlo

We are a couple, 69 and 70. Booked Scenic Amst to Buda Feb 2016 for Jtune 2017. 2 considerations:

1. Although we do not think the free drinks are important the cabin size is and we could book one that fit our needs well.

2. Although we booked in Feb and airfares for the round trip from Seattle were not available until Aug we asked for and received BA Premium Economy class seats for $650 each since Scenic offered free air for our cruise and gave us credit for the cost of the air they would have provided. We picked the seats and they were booked the same day they became available in Aug.

Finally many have suggested as first time river cruisers you book a shorter trip. We booked the 15 day trip since it covers most of the places the shorter trips cover and we will not have to return to Europe from SEA to book another cruise to see those places our trip will cover.

Perhaps others are correct that you may not be happy with river cruising and the longer trip will be the wrong choice. Given all the positive reviews people post about river cruising and Scenic in particular we are not concerned with worrying about whether the adventure will be positive

Good luck.

Carlo

My bride uses the Patch on all our cruises. On our last cruise out of Miami on Oceania's Marina she had forgotten to attach the Patch until we were under way. After 30 minutes she was not feeling well so we applied the Patch. Within 15 minutes all was fine. I disagree with the suggestion you should apply the Patch 24 hours in advance given this experience although everybody is different. One consideration is the time limit for each Patch. After 3 days they must be replaced. Using one on dry land wastes a day of use.

Hopefully your Doctor instructed you on the Patch and touching your eyes after application. If your hands are not washed thoroughly you may find your pupils will dilate and your eyes will be sun sensitive for some time. Same goes for your partner if he or she applies the Patch and then touches their eyes.

Hope you enjoy your cruise.

I really appreciate your responses. While looking for Viking discounts yesterday I found a site called Avoya that listed the steep discount but only for Jul and Aug too. I like to make reservations when we decide what we want but this year that strategy may not apply. I received a letter from Tauck (we took a tour with them in '13) 3 weeks ago that stated they were continuing a special that offered Premium Economy air for $1,690pp from anywhere in the US to any tour in Europe. We reserved a tour in Aug because this deal is too good to ignore. Hopefully Viking will need to fill a few more cabins next year for the Elegant Elbe and we can jump on it.

Once again thanks for your help.

We have not done a river cruise but think it is a good idea now that we have done 4 ocean cruises and are looking forward to a smaller ship experience with fewer people. We receive 4 to 5 Viking brochures each week. The "Elegant Elbe" cruise in a Veranda A cabin ((ASTRILD and BEYLA) is very appealing. The brochure we received yesterday had the July & August 2016 sailings listed at $5,599pp for a Veranda A cabin and no listed cost for west coast airfare (although airfare from the East Coast is listed at $1,295 pp).

The brochure we received today lists the same cruise for July and August 2015 at $3,999 for the same cabin and FREE airfare from here in Seattle. My question concerns whether this is something others who have cruised with Viking have seen in the past ? My thinking about the "Elegant Elbe" cruise is that as a new itinerary perhaps they are willing to accept less to fill a ship that is now less booked that they want. This may not apply next year.

Any thoughts?

It was mentioned that you will be given a bulk ticket if you book through OC. We just returned from a tour of Ireland and reserved through the tour operator, thus received bulk tickets. I did this mainly because I could cancel the tour and air fare up to to 60 days before the tour. Flying from Seattle to JFK then JFK to Shannon and returning from Dublin to Atlanta and then Atlanta to Seattle we earned 2,734 miles per person TOTAL. Reason: bulk tickets on Delta earn 25% of the actual miles flown. If miles are important to you check with the airline you are flying to determine what happens to your miles under the bulk ticket rules.

I booked the Westerdam Panama Canal repositioning from Seattle in Sept. '08 last month. I booked through a TA and was waitlisted for the second early seating (1815). I called HAL and was told I was #3 on the waitlist and would definitely be confirmed for this seating. The HAL rep did not say when this would happen, but with such a low number felt I would be granted my request.