id est

Does AmaPrima have a sauna? Can't find that info on ama's website.

... understanding of Viking Air Plus...

It is an option to select your own flight schedule from what Viking can offer. I assume the OP uses Viking Air.

There will be numerous responses about best connection cities, connection time etc...

...

This situation just reminds all of us how important it is to follow up on all our travel details making sure we know just what is included and how it will work out. We should be able to rely on our TA but in many cases that just isn't the case....unfortunately. I have had more than one incident where I have "caught" mistakes or oversights made by our various TAs. Actually, I have yet to find one that is really good...still looking!

Although I have a full time job, I am also a registered TA :) But usually only do bookings for ourselves and our friends/acquaintances.

So back to the subject: definitely need to pay attention to every detail at the time of booking.

Checking later if there are any changes won't hurt either.

With regard to Zurich Airport the train station is directly under the Main Terminal.

I have never had a problem locating the relevant Airline's Check In desks.

 

When arriving by car/taxi, it is usually the case at Airports that a group of Airlines have a dedicated Terminal entrance specifically to minimise excessive walking to check in.

Agree. Zurich airport is one of the easiest in navigation. Back in April we had no problem in finding a flight and the hotel shuttle.

If you don't mind doing the planning, and are willing to stay in a 2 or 3 star hotel (or a rental like Airbnb), yes I think it's much cheaper to do it on your own....

Even if you stay in the same hotel the savings are substantial. In our case it was $73 per night vs $699 pp what Viking charges.

Frankly the TA should pay for the transfer the OP ended up taking! Aa the TA should have provided Uniworld with the info needed.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Exactly! Just keep in mind: an average TA's commission (does not matter online TA or not) from a river cruise is about $700 - $1300...

Hi Everyone, we are thinking about taking a Viking Cruise in the Fall and had a question about dinner time. We have read in various sites that there are specific dinner times (a la Ocean cruises) or that dinner is between 7 - 9pm or that dinner is at 7pm, but the first 20-30 minutes is the Cruise Director's spiel about the next day's events.

 

So my question is, what time is dinner on Viking Cruises? When they say x:00, does that mean we actually sit down to eat (order) at that time?

 

Thanks!!

Dinner is at 7 pm. That's the time to sit down and order...

Sometimes (very seldom) they can change it to let's say 7.30

I think I remember that the Lomonosov was renamed the Sineus after the redo. Don't think I'd want to be in the open water that much, it was rough just going across to Odessa.

I agree. That type of ship (called "river-sea") is suitable for short crossings and only allowed to sail close to the coastline. Black Sea has a maximum depth of 7257 ft and can be very rough.

I'd never sail on that ship from Odessa to Istanbul.

All sent except "id est".

Your email address please.

 

Sent using Tapatalk. Sorry for typho.

It is in my signature: id.est (at) zoho (dot) com

Thank you

And to me too please!

Thank you in advance.

Just curious: what cruise is that? 4 tours is Ok for 4-5 days cruise. On a river cruise every day you should have an included tour, sometimes even 2 tours per day

And outside entertainment they (Viking) bring in onboard could be superb. Here is an example:

...

Can t mention TA s on this site.Google for ones that offer discounts.Get a couple quotes and check them out with BBB in their city too.

Good advice. Definitely check with BBB and google online reviews before picking up a Travel Agency. Few months ago we had some troubles with the TA and had to file a BBB complaint.

By the way many river cruise lines (Viking in particular) do offer referral credits for first time cruisers, which you can use as an additional discount (usually $200 per cabin). If you are interested please let me know.

My husband and I would like to go on a 7 to 10 day river cruise, we were thinking around late September 2015. I know this is going to sound crazy and everyone will tell me it depends on personal taste but we sure would like some advice for a European cruise. Is there one better than another, they all sound so great.

It is true: they all are great. So far we did 6 and I really can't tell if one itinerary is better than another. Though for the first time I'd suggest something short: e.g 7 days Rhine or Danube cruise.

We're in our late 50's, love to walk, love the countryside, rivers (obviously), really are pretty opened to anything. I was thinking the French countryside or Paris and Normandy, but then again would Budapest stopping in Croatia be better, or the Rhine river??? If anyone has taken some river cruises please advise. Thank you. Also, is late September a good time to go, we can go anytime.

Although we never sailed in the late September I'd say it should be a good time. High/low water can't really be predicted, so no worries here.

I agree: Viking is really good in tokens of appreciation. Few months ago we even got a $10 Amazon gift card and so far we've sailed 6 times with them.

What currency is used on Viking? Interested when we get final bill for charges while on board will it be in Euros or US? Thanks for any replies

Depending on a region of sailing. In Europe it'd be in euros.

It is been in place for a long time I think: http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/my-trip/travel-forms/transfer-request-form.html

From Viking website:

-------------------------------

transfers may be purchased through Viking Cruises up to 30 days before departure for an additional cost, or you may make your own transfer arrangements

-------------------------------

Our discounts and OBC are always in writing and appear on our invoice. Never have had a problem.

 

Sorry you had a bad experience, did their quotes always include the advertised promo?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Yes, we even had an email confirmation. But that's a long story still not finished...

We use a TA for several reasons; one is that a TA can be an advocate in dealings with the cruise line.

 

If I'm a consumer of a product, then having someone "in my corner" could be beneficial, especially if the TA works for a company that has a very large customer base. ...

Could be an opposite though. Few months ago we had to fight with a TA because they did not honor their advertised discount motivating there is not enough commissions paid to them by cruise line. :eek:

By the way it is pretty large company

... I would rather not use a travel agent - GCT does not use them and it is probably one of the reasons they are less expensive. ...

Exactly. That's also one of the reason why you'd have to use a TA on other lines: to get a TA discount and therefore decrease the cruise price.

Try to google it.

Here is one more very affordable: http://www.btrreizen.nl/riviercruises/

... tours offered in Old Town.

Look for something similar to this one:

We have booked a cruise on the Elbe for late Apr, 2015 on the Schumann. Ours is from Berlin to Prague and we have also booked the pre-trip. This will be our 4th Viking cruise. I was a little upset after booking that they brought out new longships for that area; however, the rooms on those are even smaller than the Fontane/Schumann ships...and as someone mentioned they are quite a bit more expensive. Would like to hear from someone who has been on either of the old ships. What is the comfort level of the cabins? We have always had a good experience with Viking.

We really liked Schumann. Yes, the ship is old but it looks really good, everything is in working order, no complaints.

We had no optional tours on this cruise: everything was included. Not sure if it is always like that or maybe a March promo for all guests :confused:

We are doing the Elbe on one of the new Viking ships next year. We will cruise Prague to Berlin and will spend a few days at both ends. We would love to hear about your experiences in both cities. Did you book any private tours.

We did a very enjoyable tour to Kutna Hora from Prague, visited this very unique place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary

It was a 1 day tour and we booked it in Prague old town the day before. They sell all kinds of tours near Old town square and around.

When reading about tours it seems that most of the tours are optional...

Yes, looks like only 2 tours per cruise are included. However tours are the most valuable part of any river and ocean cruise.

In fact there are tons of cruise companies with very low prices in Europe. Here is the one for example: http://www.nicko-tours.com/home.html

But most of them charge for everything and only provide cruising.