Airbear232

Has anyone experience with the Roughrider wheelchair? I've seen online that it is meant for rough terrain and is quite sturdy though a bit heavy. We're thinking of getting one for a family member to go on a river cruise.

Hello, looking for feedback on a good wheelchair for use on a Viking River Cruise on the Danube. We're looking to travel with our Aunt who is 87 this autumn. She can walk a bit but will need a wheelchair to get the most out of port days. Has anyone used a wheelchair on Viking River cruises? Do you have any tips? Which excursions would you recommend from Amsterdam to Budapest? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the feedback. I have been doing research and reading all I can on Viking and other sites and will contact them directly in the next few days. My Aunt can walk a bit and go up and down stairs. However, the amount of walking in Europe is too much. When we did the Baltic, we had no issue with a wheelchair on cobblestones and were able to navigate Stockholm, Visby, Helsinki, Riga and Tallinn easily. I'm hoping someone who travelled on Viking either in a wheelchair or with someone in a wheelchair will see this and reply on their experience.

My Aunt has always wanted to do a Danube River Cruise with Viking. However, she is 87 and has mobility issues. Last year, we did a Baltic Cruise on Royal and I was easily able to move her about in all of the ports. How are Vikings ships and river cruising, in general, for people who will need to aid of a wheelchair to really enjoy each port. My wife, aunt and I will travel together with Aunt in her own cabin. Any insight, tips and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all of your feedback, I'm glad there are so many people who are loyal to Princess. We'd haven't done an Alaska or Hawaii cruise yet and will consider them.

Our last cruise on Princess was 15 years ago on Caribbean Princess to the Southern Caribbean. While we loved the ship we had one very bad experience in St. Lucia as a result of advice given by the port and shopping guide. Suffice it to say based on her advice we almost missed the ship. We thought the information provided to us was wrong and gave her feedback that maybe this is something she shouldn’t recommend in the future. Not a big deal but upon giving feedback to the port and shopping guide, she was aloof, unsympathetic and defensive. We didn’t appreciate the attitude and notified customer service, who while not belligerent, provided no positive feedback or assurance that the issue would be addressed. While we loved that cruise overall, and it was our first cruise, we decided to opt for other cruise lines going forward and have done 30 cruises on other lines in the interim. Should we try Princess again. Do you find their service to be comparable to Royal and Celebrity?

We went during the time there were heavy floods. We flew in the week before and spent a three days in Rome, 2 in Florence and 3 in Venice. This was when there were heavy floods in that area of the country. Our train going from Florence to Venice was delayed a few hours in transit. The one smart thing we did was to book Royals transfers from Venice to ship and from ship to airport at the end of the cruise. Because of flooding, Ravenna was closed and the cruise departure was moved to Trieste. This is where booking the transfers with Royal saved us as they were responsible for getting us from Venice to ship and from ship to airport. If you will be in Ravenna, then its just a taxi ride. However, if you are leaving immediately after the cruise, I recommend the transfers from ship to airport. Have a great trip.

The hard part is getting to Ravenna for the cruise. If you’re there a day before - great. Your cruise will also end in Ravenna and not Venice. So, you’ll have a little commute to get to Venice. We were on EOS in May. It was a great cruise. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

Either through the Royal app or calling Royal Caribbean.

Yes, you can link reservations and Royal will be happy to take your money for excursions and specialty dining.

I was on EOS in May and happily found they were still there! One of the reasons I love EOS. Also, they have kept the MDR intact and not cut it up.

The word is the “Wizard of Oz” will be the show on the Icon.

Just saying, on Quantum class, great views forward from the Solarium and aft from 270. Not doubting your experience as YMMV for everyone. I really find Quantum and Oasis shops very spacious.

Welcome to Royal, I hope you have a wonderful cruise. The Ovation is a beautiful ship, you’ll find it more spacious than NCL. I’ve never preloaded money to my seapass. Like most, I have it linked to a CC and never think more of it. The food quality is good but can vary from ship to ship. If you’re a foodie then the specialty restaurants are worth it. As a few people mentioned, you can often get promos for specialty restaurants prior to cruising, on the first day, and for lunch. Being a coffee freak, I used to get the non-alcoholic beverage package as between lattes, freshly squeezed juices, and mock tails, it was worth it for DW and I. If you find you enjoy Royal, you’ll find many perks as you move up their loyalty tiers.

I agree with those asking for the two daily cleanings to continue. It was a great nicety of cruising. And, truth is on land, if needed, you can ask at most hotels to tidy your room up at any time. Most cruise cabins aren’t too big and it doesn’t take the average room attendant too long to do all of their cabins. We tip over base gratuities and this is one service I believe they should restore.

Regardless, it’s scarce, whether due to supply issue or supply choice because it’s not as requested on these cruises.

Well, until we get to pinnacle, I do like the free bag of laundry, 2 days internet, 2 for 1 speciality restaurants and 5 drink vouchers.

I grew up with the best European coffee. Nothing, for me, beats kaffee with schlag with a nice piece of cake. YMMV.

By scarce in Europe, I meant scarce on ship on a European cruise.

Maybe given the vouchers everyone has they don’t feel a need to repair. Do you think the Diamond lounge will survive long term?

Given we like cream in coffee, we’ve experienced this where half half or cream was scarce. More so in Europe than North America. Another thing I be noticed is that most whipped cream has been replaced with whipped topping. I’ll admit, if a snob this way, I like real whipped cream and not the oil based substitute. The other thing is if they are changing it, label it for what it is.

We were on Explorer last month and tendered to Santorini. No priority other than to RCL excursions. Only one person had to go. Go earlier than stated. On our cruise they started giving out half an hour early because so many people were waiting.

Best wishes to your mum for a speedy recovery. If she can’t fly, have your parents considered taking a train to Seattle? Might be better than driving. I hope you can all go and have a great time!

Sorry, looks like I’m late to reply to this. We’ve done both in the past as we do a lot of cruises out of NYC area. Here’s my take. Just my opinion and YMMV. Ships: Royal hands down. Much more spacious and more things to do. I find NCL to be more closed it. Their ship within a ship (haven) concept doesn’t appeal to me, I think it ruins the rest of the ship. Entertainment: Close but edge to Royal. Water shows and Ice shows to me give Royal edge. Staff: slight edge to NCL, their staff I’ve always found to be incredibly approachable Food: in MDR and buffet slight edge NCL in specialty edge to Royal. Cabins: edge Royal Itineraries: NCL, more options Oversll: Royal Again YMMV

Thank you, will do!