Any advice for first time Viking Cruisers?

[Been There, Planning That]

We're booked on an October Budapest to Amsterdam cruise on the Viking Sky -- our cabin is on the lowest deck.

 

We're prepared for a tiny cabin and bathroom but I have concerns about the high cost of laundry. Any suggestions other than trying to rinse and dry in our cabin?

 

We anticipate good basic meals with limited choice. This will suit us just fine.

 

Is a fifteen euro tip per person per day the norm? Seems rather high given tipping is usually lower in Europe than in North America and lower on ocean cruises?

 

As this will be our first European River cruise we're open to any advice or suggestions.

 

Thanks, in advance,

 

Ruth

[Talisker92]

Dear Ruth,

We recently took the same itinerary. Our story and pictures are on our website http://www.stevekathytravels.com We will be happy to answer any questions.

We took enough clothes to last the 14 days, In fact we did not wear some of them.

With mix and match clothing, and wearing things more than once, you should not have to do laundry.

[Been There, Planning That]

Thanks Kathy for one great link -- and lovely pictures to boot. We've opted for the extensions in both Prague and Budapest and highly regret already not doing our own flights so we'd have greater flexibility in pre and post cruise visits. I'm not sure if we can pack light and still have enough clothes for almost 3 weeks. When we travel on our own we repeat and rinse but on cruises we tend to try for greater variety. But then how conceited am I thinking others care or recall what I wore the previous day!

 

Did you honour the fifteen euro per day per person? We usually over tip on ocean cruises but always do at least the minimum suggested.

 

Ruth

[CasaM]

Ruth, How will Viking transport you from Prague to Budapest to start your cruise.. I'm curious if you will go by train or bus. Do you happen to know?

[Been There, Planning That]

I believe, though cannot find the written confirmation that the transfer to Budapest is a long dull bus ride.

 

This is a first European River cruise -- we've done river cruises in China and Egypt but they were part of extended land vacations.

 

For European River Cruises we are on a sharp learning curve.

[CasaM]

We'll be on our first river cruise in Nov, so it's all new to us too. We're doing Prague to Budapest, actually the ship leaves out of Nuremberg, but we'll fly into Prague and visit there first. We end in Budapest and then have to get back to Prague for our return flight. We are on a "buddy pass" from a Delta employee, so unfortunately, we can't fly out of Budapest, hence the return to Prague. My preliminary research indicates that a train will be the best way to get back to Prague.

[WarEagle76]

Here is a link to the European laundry list:

 

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/pdfs/Europe_laundry_list.pdf

[Been There, Planning That]

Yes, War Eagle 76, those are the shocking prices I'd found which I assume are in euros.

 

I guess we've been spoiled by laundry by the bag prices.

 

Ruth

[H2Otstr]

Those are pretty standard prices for river cruises. I have had slacks laundered on two different cruise lines and the price was 5 Euros on both. I didn't mind paying; items were fresh and it felt good to be in clean clothes :D.

[Paulinda]

New begginer - you will probably be pleasantly surprised with the food served. We did an Avalon cruise last June and the lunches and suppers were very good. The breakfast buffets (IMO) weren't as good but they did offer a variety that should please you. I believe Viking is similar.

 

Don't worry about being in the lowest deck. We did the same. We ended up spending most of our time on the sun deck or in the lounges. Our cabin was as large as the upper decks (except the suites) and very quiet. The bathroom was moderate in size but functional. I'm not familiar with Viking but would imagine they are similar too, although I believe some have Murphy beds that pull down at night. YUCK!

 

Tipping was 15 euro per day per traveler - 12 euro per day for the crew and 3 euro per day for the cruise director. I simply included this amount in my travel budget and by the time I tipped I discovered that the tips were well worth it. We were pampered and entertained like royalty.

 

As far as laundry, we packed lots of co-ordinating items, slacks/skirts/shirts/blouses that could be worn multiple times without necessarily cleaning them. We did have undercloths/socks laundered a couple of times and a set of travel cloths so that we could at least go home feeling fresh. The bill wasn't that staggering in the end and it was well worth it.

 

Try to go on all the included tours but only go on the extra side excursions that you really, really want to see. Spend lots of time exploring the ports you are in on your own or with some of the many friends you will make on board. Stop in some of the local restaurants/bakery shops and try some of the local food/drinks. The pasteries/coffees and sandwiches always seem to taste better.

 

River cruising is not at all like ocean cruising, you have time to sit back and relax. Social activities are limited, so you will spend lots of time chatting with people from all over the US and world.

 

Have a great trip. River cruising is addictive.

[pacmom]

We were on the Sky 2 years ago on the lowest deck. The cabin is the same size as all the others, bathroom was ample. The real downer to the lowest deck was the plumbing noise. We heard just about every toilet flush and at times water gurgled up from the shower drain. Engineering claimed all ships have the probles. On 8 river cruises prior to that one never encountered it on lowest decks. There is also no elevator or chair lift. If Janas is still the maitre'd, you will have a wonderfully well run dining room. One good thing at lunch, there were 2 areas for dining. The dining for a plated meal or the lounge for a lighter buffet. With 198 pax, the tours are crowded, usually broken into 40 people. Pat

[IrishKathy]

Paulinda,

 

We are going on the 8-day Danube Waltz Viking cruise on August 27.

 

Yesterday I was browzing the Viking site to find out about tips. They quoted the figure of US$12 to $15 per person, per day. Your previous post indicated that this should have been in Euros. Do you know which it is? If Euros, I don't know why the Viking site would say dollars.:(

 

Please let us know. We will go along with your experience.

 

Kathy

[Been There, Planning That]

Paulinda,

 

I think it was our five days on the Nile that convinced me I'm getting too old for a 'hotel a night' travel. The Middle East was wonderful, but changing hotels every night or two made River Cruising seem like the lap of relaxed luxury. Thus, we're going on our first European River Cruise.

 

I do hope that Kathy is correct and the tipping is in dollars -- and for the first time in a LONG while we'll benefit using your American dollar. But you're right Paulinda, tipping just has to be factored into the costs.

 

We've only become 'dependent' travellers recently, so we'll certainly do our own thing after the guided tours. For us, planning is half the fun.

 

Pat, hopefully they'll have fixed the flushing problem, but if not, we'll just have to cope -- steerage passengers were are!

 

I do appreciate the sharing of your experiences,

 

Ruth

[Paulinda]

IrsihKathy and New Beginner - I had to go back and check the Passanger Hints book that Avalon provided. Regarding tips - they did rec. 12 EURO for crew and 3 EURO for CD not US dollars. Perhaps Viking has a different standard?

 

One of the nice things about cruising is you don't have to pack and unpack, you sleep in the same bed night after night and you know where you are eating (unless you want to explore). It allows you to relax a bit more than on a land cruises.

 

As far as noise in the cabin....we never heard any plumbing noises and we are particularily attune to issues like that. We were quite satisfied with the cabin. We never felt like 'steerage' and were never treated like secondary passangers.

 

We were on the Avalon Felicity and we only had 136 passangers plus crew. It was essentially a brand new ship last year. We had a great time and will be doing another probably next year.

[H2Otstr]

Viking's tipping guide is stated as US dollars.

[Been There, Planning That]

I see that you're sailing on a Viking cruise this month. It would seem that you're going as early in the season as we are late. We sail October 22nd.

 

Wishing you good weather and a wonderful adventure.

 

And with your confirmation of tipping in US dollars I feel much better. That way we can afford to tip extra to the few special people on board.

 

Ruth

[no fuss travel]

I believe, though cannot find the written confirmation that the transfer to Budapest is a long dull bus ride.

 

This is a first European River cruise -- we've done river cruises in China and Egypt but they were part of extended land vacations.

 

For European River Cruises we are on a sharp learning curve.

 

The bus ride is long but not particularly boring. You will be traveling through some beautiful countryside and they have a long lunch break in a town in Croatia, I believe. You will actually get better pictures of some of the towns from the bus than you will from the ship and being in the town. It is a good cruise and you will enjoy Prague. We wished we had had more time there. The metro is excellent and the city is very walkable. Just remember not to eat right at the city centre square as the prices are 4 times higher than even a few blocks away. We walked around and found a spot where the locals were eating and had really good food.

[Been There, Planning That]

Thanks fellow Canadian for the advice about Prague. We're sure looking forward to the holiday.

 

The bus trips sounds good -- I'd read negative reviews elsewhere, so thanks for your reassurance.

 

Ruth