Viking Paris to Zurich Question

My husband and I are planning on this itinerary in late March, as, unfortunately, April/May dates were sold out except for lowest category. Can anyone tell me their experience with staying in an Explorer Suite? Also, any feedback that you can provide or information that would help regarding this itinerary, would be greatly appreciated. Thanking you in advance.

My husband and I are planning on this itinerary in late March, as, unfortunately, April/May dates were sold out except for lowest category. Can anyone tell me their experience with staying in an Explorer Suite? Also, any feedback that you can provide or information that would help regarding this itinerary, would be greatly appreciated. Thanking you in advance.

I can’t speak to the Explorer Suite but we just returned from the Paris to the Swiss Alps cruise, starting in Switzerland. I highly recommended it. We did extensions at both ends. The Switzerland pre-cruise (Geneva-Zermatt-Zurich) was tremendous. Taking the Glacier Express across the country was a breathtaking experience as was Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

As far as the cruise portion of the trip is concerned, the optional tour of Heidelberg is well worth it. The Moselle river valley is lovely, similar to the Rhine with vineyards covering the slopes.

OneSixtytoOne:

Thank you for your feedback, it is greatly appreciated. I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed this itinerary. My concern is now with the ship, the Alsvin. We booked one of the Explorer suites and a couple of reviews have said that there is noise and vibration in these suites that caused the occupants to not be able to sleep. I can't imagine why the "supposed" more expensive suites would have this problem. I don't want to throw money away on a cruise where I can't sleep.

Again, many thanks,

Almost invariably (on all cruise lines), the most expensive cabins and suites are located in what I consider less-desirable locations. Part of this is that some people really value those locations for their unique features [e.g. front- and rear-facing cabins, especially with corner verandas, are worth it for the views despite the possibly bumpy ride] but part of it has to be the 'Tom Sawyer fence painting' syndrome where the cruise lines have made these locations not only not-undesirable but highly coveted. It makes learning how to read deck plans with a critical eye a very valuable talent ;)

I can’t speak to the Explorer Suite but we just returned from the Paris to the Swiss Alps cruise, starting in Switzerland. I highly recommended it. We did extensions at both ends. The Switzerland pre-cruise (Geneva-Zermatt-Zurich) was tremendous. Taking the Glacier Express across the country was a breathtaking experience as was Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

 

As far as the cruise portion of the trip is concerned, the optional tour of Heidelberg is well worth it. The Moselle river valley is lovely, similar to the Rhine with vineyards covering the slopes.

OneSixtyToOne, I was wondering if you could answer my question re the Paris to Zurich Cruise. Our cruise boards the Viking Hild 24/09. How does Viking board all the guests arriving at the ship in Trier at the same time. Is there a long que & do we arrive at the ship late? Thank you for any help in advance. Also hoping the Rhine has improved water levels very soon.

OneSixtyToOne, I was wondering if you could answer my question re the Paris to Zurich Cruise. Our cruise boards the Viking Hild 24/09. How does Viking board all the guests arriving at the ship in Trier at the same time. Is there a long que & do we arrive at the ship late? Thank you for any help in advance. Also hoping the Rhine has improved water levels very soon.

We did the opposite direction (Zurich to Paris) so we disembarked at Trier. The Paris-Trier leg trip is by bus caravan. They group you by color code and slightly stagger the departures. You'll be touring Luxembourg and visiting the American Cemetery. Those will be your touring groups for the day. Everyone arrives about at the same time, but there is a small delay between buses. That being said, the process of boarding en mass is pretty well organized. They issue you your key card to your stateroom, you freshen up there, and your luggage arrives a short time later.

Going in the opposite direction there is an optional Swiss Alps tour so the arrivals in were split into two groups, those who took the included tour and those that did the optional tour. Those groups arrive at totally different times.

BTW Upon arrival at the ship, the crew will greet you with hand towels to freshen up and maybe a snack or drink to enjoy while waiting in line. Remember there are only about 100 staterooms so it's not like an ocean cruise.

Thanks One Sixty. I thought Viking would be efficient. I believe SteveRhodes cruised the same direction as the one we will be doing. We didn’t book our flights with Viking so hoping our cruise is not cancelled as replanning would be complicated & unsettling.

Thanks One Sixty. I thought Viking would be efficient. I believe SteveRhodes cruised the same direction as the one we will be doing. We didn’t book our flights with Viking so hoping our cruise is not cancelled as replanning would be complicated & unsettling.

BTW when in Trier, be sure to check out Karl Marx's 200th Birthday cross walk signals.

Thanks Sixty One.