Starlaker

4 hours ago, pinotlover said:

 

UA flies three days a week, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday out of SFO.

We are flying United from San Francisco to Papeete on Sunday, November 25.  We depart SFO at 2:45 pm.

We are flying from San Francisco to Tahiti in 3 weeks with United.  We are going in two days early to rest and snorkel like ellbon suggested.  We took the air credit from Oceania and found a less expensive and better flight through our TA's broker.

We loved our Amazon Cruise. I would agree that the one stop at Boca de Valeria was a bit disturbing with children begging for money, but the other stops were very interesting. Manaus opera house and square were beautiful. We enjoyed a private boat trip back one of the tributaries where we saw lots of wildlife, including pink dolphins. I added many birds to my life list. The other cities were also very interesting to wander around through. "No culture?" I don't know what kind of culture harrodfan was looking for, but the towns along the Amazon have their own unique culture that is so different from any other we have seen. We found the many native boats along the Amazon to be fascinating.

Fair enough :)

Just saw this. Thank you.

I understand your logic of not wanting to be herded but am somewhat confused. As river cruises are quite expensive - compared to ocean cruises, for example - why pay for all that, including the excursions and expert local guides when you could easily do this trip on your own, seeing how you prefer to DIY in all the places visited.

For that money you could have stayed in 5 star hotels that are much nicer than the ship - especially as hotels are per room and cruises are per person (i.e. double cost). In addition, you could eat what and where you want for less and better. A hefty price for convenient transportation, IMO.

To each their own, I guess.

And I am a bit confused at your disdain without knowing us or our circumstances. We lived in Germany for four years when we were young and energetic. We traveled through Holland, Germany, and Austria with our "Europe on $10 a day" book and our Michelin guide. We took in all the sights, toured the castles and cathedrals, read the history, went to all the museums. This time around we were taking a trip down memory lane (river) for our 50th Anniversary. We are now older, slower, and more interested in taking it easy and having a bit more luxury than sharing a bathroom down the hall. We enjoyed our jaunts into towns with stops for beer, wurst and pretzels as we sat in sidewalk cafes people watching. We thoroughly enjoyed doing it our way.

Why did we chose to take a river cruise and not take the included excursions? The convenience of unpacking once, the experience of cruising along the river, the people we met along the way, the convenience of travel from one spot to another. You are right, to each his own. We enjoyed it very much and would not have seen all those towns in such a relaxing manner if we had done it totally on our own.

We recently returned from our first river cruise (Amsterdam to Budapest with Viking). One of the things we really liked about the cruise was that you could do as much or as little as you liked. We do not like being herded with a group so we either went in to town on our own or in the cases where there was a bus ride to the town we would ride the bus, ask the guide where the meeting point was for the return trip, then go out on our own. The guides were always very amenable to our requests. We had already been to some of the towns so some days we just stayed on the boat and enjoyed having our private boat. One day there were only 8 of us on board. Great service!

We sailed from Regensberg to Passau last night. Lots of ships parked here in Passau. We are on the Viking Modi. Am hoping that we got past the low part.

We are on the Modi right now. Dinner dress is very casual. Most everyone wears what they have worn while touring. I haven't seen a single sport coat on men. I can't tell you if any of the men have worn shorts to dinner as I really haven't paid attention. The atmosphere is casual and I don't think that anyone cares what you wear. We have met some wonderful people and are enjoying this experience tremendously.

On the Viking Modi. One wall is magnetic and I have my map and daily schedule attached with magnets. The other three walls are wood.

We are on the Viking Modi, leaving tonight on the Grand European Tour. So far we haven't heard anything about low water. It rained here in Amsterdam last night.

Starlaker

 

The US is far more unsafe than Europe, so surely you need to be aware of your surroundings?

 

 

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Of course you always need to be aware of your surroundings no matter where you are. What I am saying is that most people I know travel to scenic areas (National Parks, etc.) when travelling in the US, but visit large cities when they are in Europe. Thus their surprise when they are pickpocketed in Europe. Perhaps my perception is limited since I live in the Northwest where most people are interested in hiking, camping, etc. in our beautiful outdoors. I rarely visit large cities here, but have never felt unsafe when I do. Likewise, we go to large cities when we travel to Europe and have never felt unsafe there either. My husband did get his wallet lifted in Copenhagen once, but he learned from that to keep his wallet in a front pocket.

drew69

 

If there are pickpockets also operating in US cities why are Americans so surprised when it happens to them in Europe.

Probably because most Americans don't travel much to major cities.

TravelingAPor, We were four adults in a taxi with plenty of room. The taxi's were lined up right as we got off the ship.

trbasso, Depends on how much you want to wander and shop. We spent about 4 hours, but we stopped off for a beer at the town square, wandered the back alleys, went into shops, and bought a few sweaters at the sweater wall. You could do it in much less time. It really isn't a long walk.

We were on Princess and docked close to town. It was an easy taxi ride to the Vasa. We did that first thing after we docked and got there before the crowds. We were able to see all the exhibits close up before the tour groups started pouring in, then we took a taxi back to the castle and went through the museum there. It was very interesting and there were no crowds.

The OP has at least three or four threads he started where everything Viking is perfect and the best and Uniworld is not. The Uniworld decor is gaudy; the dining room windows are too small; the curtains are too large; etc. There is a pattern here.

 

He even said that he will only go to Alaska on Viking because there is no other cruise line in the world that provides the wonderful and exclusive experience that Viking does. So now, even the large table sizes are the best. Interesting that most people ask about tables for 2, not tables for 8 unless they are sailing with a group.

OK. Being new to River Cruising and likewise new to the River Cruising board, I wasn't aware of the history. As a total newbie, I was just happy to see the various pictures of different dining arrangements. Looking forward to our first River Cruise in three weeks!

I didn't perceive Steve's post as being critical of Uniworld. As a matter of fact, he didn't even mention Uniworld. He was just commenting on the differences in table set ups. To each his own, and it is nice to know before we go how each line does dinner settings. I was glad to see the pictures for comparison.

We did the same as dakacz. We were the 4th off the ship and got the first taxi to take us to the overlook in upper old town. The cost was 15 Euros (~$25).We had the upper town to ourselves for the first couple of hours. The tour groups start at the bottom of the hill. What a wonderful place to wander around in. Highlights: Russian Church, Town Square, towers, KaterinaPassage, Sweater Wall, and the Olde Hansa restaurant.The Olde Hansa is just off the square near the town hall. It is a great spot to stop for a beer. I had a tankard of Mead (honey beer) and it was pretty good. Lots of atmosphere. Be sure to go to the restroom there.The toilets look like outhouses and the water comes from a jug. A fun place.

I agree! +3

(My big objection to the dining experience was the scrum when the dining room opened and trying to make sure that all four of us who were traveling together could eat together.)

Oh dear. I don't like the sound of that. Can this be avoided by eating on the Aquavit Terrace? I absolutely hate jockeying for a position in line, etc. I used to hate that on Southwest before they changed to a numbered system.

We had one of those aft concierge rooms on the Regatta on our Amazon cruise. We loved it! The balcony is much larger and we loved the view and the sound of the wake.

We have been getting 2 for 1 offers from Oceania for years now. Every single mailing (which is about 2-3X a week) is 2 for 1. How dumb do they think we are?

hawkeye65,

We are on the June 25 Viking Modi. Looking forward to your report when you return.

This thread has been very interesting. Such a wide range of opinions. We are doing the Viking Amsterdam to Budapest cruise in June (also for our 50th wedding anniversary) and am looking forward to it greatly. Personally, I am going for the touring experience. The food and wine doesn't really matter that much to me as long as it is edible. I guess the secret is to be informed before you go and choose the line that is most compatible with your interests. I expect to have a wonderful time and will report back when we return. I am pleased to see that Viking Guest Relations is following these boards and attempting to address Goldenrod's concerns.

I have arthritis in my feet and have tried many different walking shoes. For me, the GoWalks from Sketchers are the best. Walking the very uneven cobblestones in the old town of Lisbon this past fall was the real test. I will be getting another pair in a different color for our Amsterdam to Budapest cruise this summer.