Roz

A lot of people don't realize there are river cruise lines beyond Viking. They look at Viking's onerous solo pricing and conclude river cruising isn't for them. I've had good solo pricing on both Tauck and Uniworld. 

Last year I did Buenos Aires to Ft. Lauderdale.  My favorite ports were Port Stanley and Ushuaia.  It was 31 days. 

What did you think of the itinerary?

Yes, it has to do with the staff having to schlep the bags on and off the ship. 

On 3/20/2024 at 2:46 PM, PMGS247 said:

Just to add a little additional info to the menus that were posted, Planks and Steamers are open on alternate nights, dinner only, and reservations are highly recommended but cannot be made in advance of the cruise (call the dining line or find someone at the host stand at the restaurant).

 

Vines is a charcuterie board (no reservations) but a very plentiful one, plenty of food to call it a meal for 2 people.

Newb to Princess and sailing on the Caribbean Princess, so this thread is helpful.  Can I make reservations for Planks or Steamers using the app?

Tauck is a first class act.

I had to change cabins in Vancouver, and the whole process was awful from start to finish.  Never again. 

Seeing the Ghent Altarpiece (Adoration of the Mystic Lamb) was one of the highlights of my holiday cruises through the Netherlands and Belgium.  I'm an art history nut. 

Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam, and Rotterdam. 

@1of4, I hope nothing's broken and you can continue your cruise. Things can happen in a split second. 

The early bird 🐦 gets the worm. 

I think it depends on when the Board of Directors meets.

@canadianbear, I can picture Mr. Bear getting antsy. 😄

25 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Hungary IS a member of the EU and as far as I am aware, is also a SCHENGEN member country.

Correct.  Hungary doesn't use the euro,  but they're in the EU. 

I've never had an issue with OTC meds or vitamins and supplements on my last 6 European river cruises. 

Go to the Seattle Express website to see which hotels are their pick up locations. There are loads of them around Seatac. Make a reservation online and they'll pick you up at your hotel and take you to your pier. Easy. 

@grannyshell, if you're staying in the city center of Amsterdam and can get a transfer from the Movenpick as was @Mary229experience,  that would be ideal. 

6 hours ago, rj59 said:

Do you not have enough money for a taxi from your hotel to the ship? Why would you add hours to getting on the ship and huge hassles of loading luggage and people on a bus? They also don't let buses go until they have enough people to fill one, so you might be sitting in the airport waiting for flights to arrive, instead of being on the ship. If you want an even more pleasant time, stay in Haarlem the night before your cruise, which is a lot cheaper and less crowded than Amsterdam and has a lovely downtown. It's also closer to the cruise port than Amsterdam or the airport. When I took a Rick Steves tour, we stayed in Haarlem and just took the train to Amsterdam, which was cheap and easy. 

IMO, this is a very rude response.  A taxi would run 210  - 260 euros.  I have to budget in order to cruise,  and would not choose to spend that much of my travel funds on one transfer when there are other less expensive alternatives. 

Maybe 2 4-tops pushed together?  Have your TA contact Emerald beforehand to make dining arrangements for your group. 

7 minutes ago, victory2020 said:

I will most likely be taking the Viking transfer from Passau to the airport. So I.m assuming it Munich approx. 3 hours away?

My Uniworld transfer took about 1.5 hours in the wee hours of the morning. 

Munich is the closest airport to Passau. 

My TA arranged for a driver to pick me up at the Budapest airport.  I'm sure there has to be public transportation from the airport to the city center. 

I highly recommend the Sofitel Chain Bridge Hotel. 

Definitely Budapest. Nothing wrong with Passau, but there's so much more to see and do in Budapest. 

2 hours ago, TRLD said:

All of the mainstream lines get around 1/3 of their revenue from onboard sales. As such they get considerably more revenue from a cabin with 3 or 4 people than 2.

Not necessarily, if the 3rd and 4th are children. 

@acctgtogo, that's been my experience.  Very annoying.  There should be a way to split the payment between a gift card and credit card.  

Make sure you look at what's included in the fare.

@victory2020, unless you're "married" to Viking, take a look at other lines for better solo pricing.  I agree 100% with what @gnome12 posted. 

I've sailed both Uniworld and Tauck as a solo, with either no single supplement or a reduced supplement, making it less expensive than Viking's 200% supplement.  Friends have reported good solo pricing on Grand Circle and Gate 1.