roothy123 Posted December 3, 2012 #1 Share Posted December 3, 2012 OK, we were going to slow down on the cruising/vacationing, but I don't think we can do it. I am having withdrawal symptoms already after being home for less than 4 months. I have some cruises in mind and would welcome anyone's two cents' worth on which one to choose. I would love to go back to Nautica rather than Marina, but basically, itinerary rules, so that will ultimately matter most. However, I just can't decide among the following cruises, most of which are within $1K of each other for the 2 of us: 1. Paths of the Byzantines - Venice (a day there), Ancona, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Corfu, Santorini (been there; love it), Aghios Nikolaos, Rhodes (been there - was OK), Ephesus, Kavala/Philippi, and Istanbul (full day there). Would be mid-July; I assume pretty hot, but we live in DC, which gets hot. Riviera. 2. Continental Shores - London (Southampton, wouldn't see any of London, but not important; been there briefly), Saint-Malo (been to Mont St. Michel already; loved it), Pont-Aven, Bordeaux, Bilbao, La Coruna, Oporto, Lisbon, Cadiz (been there, including Seville) and depart from Barcelona (been there; loved it, but don't want to extend any days there, so won't see it). Cruise is end of Aug; good time for us and hopefully good weather, I would think. Nautica. 3. Isles and Fjords - London, Edinburgh, Invergordon, Lerwick, Alesund, Geiranger, Hellsylt, Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Portland, back to London. Other than London for a few days, I've never been up in that part of the world, so that's calling me. Nautica mid-August. 4. Viking River Cruises (absolutely love them) - Portugal's River of Gold land and cruise trip. A bit pricier than Oceania, but have never been to Portugal and it's calling me. Anyone care to express any opinions? If it matters, last year (August) we did the Baltic, which I absolutely loved, loved, loved. I like smaller cities, and ones which are easy to do on my own using public transportation, walking, etc. rather than going on excursions. I'm a photographer, so scenery and photo opps are important. Although we love Oceania, I would consider other lines IF the ships were smaller and the price was right. So far I haven't found that, however! Oh, and does anyone know of a cure for cruise addiction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted December 3, 2012 #2 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Can't address all of your issues ... I'm surprised at your comment that you've been to London "briefly" so don't need to see it again. Did I misread that? I cannot believe that you think a brief visit to that marvelous city is sufficient! I realize that it isn't always possible to include a pre-cruise visit to the departure city (schedules are schedules), but I'm just amazed at the thought that a short time in a city like London is sufficient. Portugal -- we love Portugal and have done several self-drives around the North, plus quite a few stays in Lisbon, one of my favorite cities. But we were very disappointed with our Viking trips in France last April (a B2B: Avignon to Chalon-sur-Saone, and then Paris to Paris via Normandy). We loved our Basel-Amsterdam in October '03 but found service was vastly diminished this year. We did love our China trip on Viking in May '08. Not having done their Portugal trip I of course cannot say anything ... other than that we do love that part of Portugal. We did the Norway cruise in July 2010 and loved it, but then we love Scandinavia. I don't think you could go wrong on that cruise. Our itinerary was different from the one you cite but it sounds like a great trip. It doesn't sound like you can really go wrong ... Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roothy123 Posted December 3, 2012 Author #3 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Yes, I know I'm a bit strange about my feelings towards London. Of course there are tons of wonderful things to do and see there, but I guess I'm just not much of a big city person, and that has kept me from putting it higher on my list of cities to visit. I also prefer to go places I've never been, so that's another thing that might be influencing me. To be quite honest, the more exotic a place is, the more it appeals to me. I'm surprised to hear the comment about Viking. We did China two years ago and that was wonderful; did Cities of Light before that, which was wonderful. Of course, I go mostly for the travel part rather than the cruise part (opposite for my husband) so I'm not the best judge of the whole cruising experience! I did, however, hear that there was some rumbling here on Cruise Critic about Viking not being as good as AMA or Avalon, but some friends just returned from a Viking trip and loved it, so who knows. Of course, they had not been on any other river cruise line, so really had nothing to use for comparison. And Avalon, and AMA (especially), from what I've seen, do charge more, so I've stayed pretty loyal to Viking. Anyway, thanks for the input on the cruises. If anyone else has input, bring it on! Also, if there are Londoners out there who are shaking their heads on my London comments, please forgive me. I've lived in big cities most of my life and when I travel I want to run away from them, I guess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted December 3, 2012 #4 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Based on what you said about liking smaller ports, scenery, and photography, I would highly recommend this itinerary: 3. Isles and Fjords - London, Edinburgh, Invergordon, Lerwick, Alesund, Geiranger, Hellsylt, Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Portland, back to London. Other than London for a few days, I've never been up in that part of the world, so that's calling me. Nautica mid-August. I have been to most of those ports, some several times. There is a mix of larger cities (Edinburgh, Dublin), and smaller stops (Invergordon, Lerwick). There is a vast difference in the nature of the scenery. My heart skipped a beat when I read this itinerary. It is calling me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wristband Posted December 3, 2012 #5 Share Posted December 3, 2012 The ports are great but my opinion is with timing. August is not a good time to cruise Europe as most Europeans take the month for vacation since the continent is, well duh, suffering under the strains of heat. So, restaurants and stores will be closed up tighter than a tick and weather is sure to be dreadfully hot. Best to do those port in the cool of the early spring or mid-fall rather than the opressive heat of summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted December 3, 2012 #6 Share Posted December 3, 2012 I've done a cruise similar to #2 and adored it, one our faves. Have pondered #3, sounds great. Also love Portugal--Porto is wonderful--but I'd compare the different ships on the Douro River--might do better than Viking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted December 3, 2012 #7 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Sail the Paul Gauguin!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floridiana Posted December 3, 2012 #8 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Northern Europe is perfect in Summer. Southern Europe may be hot and crowded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TERRIER1 Posted December 3, 2012 #9 Share Posted December 3, 2012 If you are tied to August to travel then I would do the fjords. The scenery should be wonderful provided you don't get fog and rain. Also, have you tried Azamara? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruba Posted December 3, 2012 #10 Share Posted December 3, 2012 I have been to most of those ports, some several times. There is a mix of larger cities (Edinburgh, Dublin), and smaller stops (Invergordon, Lerwick). There is a vast difference in the nature of the scenery. My heart skipped a beat when I read this itinerary. It is calling me. Nice to "see" you on the Oceania board Ruth -- when I saw your post my first thought was that I had clicked on the HAL button by mistake. :) To OP: fortunately there is no known cure for cruise addiction. There are several support groups however; you are on one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted December 3, 2012 #11 Share Posted December 3, 2012 I'm surprised to hear the comment about Viking. We did China two years ago and that was wonderful; did Cities of Light before that, which was wonderful. Of course, I go mostly for the travel part rather than the cruise part (opposite for my husband) so I'm not the best judge of the whole cruising experience! I did, however, hear that there was some rumbling here on Cruise Critic about Viking not being as good as AMA or Avalon, but some friends just returned from a Viking trip and loved it, so who knows. Of course, they had not been on any other river cruise line, so really had nothing to use for comparison. And Avalon, and AMA (especially), from what I've seen, do charge more, so I've stayed pretty loyal to Viking. Roothy, Just because I love big cities, and especially London, doesn't mean YOU have to! As to Viking -- the differences we found were primarily in a greatly reduced staff. That made mealtimes extremely lengthy because 5-6 servers cannot possibly feed 150 people quickly. (On both the 2003 and 2012 cruises we were on the Neptune, although the second leg of the 2012 cruise was on Spirit and we found the same problem.) We agree that the China trip was wonderful on Viking, and I have heard from others that Viking in China is a very different animal from Viking in Europe. From our recent experience that is true ... of course, I can't say that it's absolutely true on every trip. I think Viking is cutting costs in a way that is detrimental to the trip experience is all. The staff on board were all very efficient, friendly and helpful. They just had too much to do and too many passengers to tend to. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted December 3, 2012 #12 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Nice to "see" you on the Oceania board Ruth -- when I saw your post my first thought was that I had clicked on the HAL button by mistake. :) Thanks. It's nice to be here. I have an Oceania cruise booked, so am trying to learn all things Oceania. There is much that's different from what I am used to, so much to relearn. Hope the old dog isn't too old to learn some new tricks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudiaF Posted December 3, 2012 #13 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Fjords would get my vote, that is a wonderful itinerary and on Nautica ! There is no cure for cruise addiction..one must keep booking and planning , cruising..than all over again..( that is the rehab part)...:D make the choice..you'll feel better immediately.. Took my first and last Viking cruise in summer. Would not do again. The slowness of the cruise was not the problem, have taken many barge cruises through France before and absolutely LOVED that..but as Mura mentioned ( and she was on the same Viking as I was) service terrible..food terrible..same buffets everyday was just not my cup of tea. Accomodations terrible..need I say more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
writer100 Posted December 3, 2012 #14 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Yes, I know I'm a bit strange about my feelings towards London. Of course there are tons of wonderful things to do and see there, but I guess I'm just not much of a big city person, and that has kept me from putting it higher on my list of cities to visit. I also prefer to go places I've never been, so that's another thing that might be influencing me. To be quite honest, the more exotic a place is, the more it appeals to me. I'm surprised to hear the comment about Viking. We did China two years ago and that was wonderful; did Cities of Light before that, which was wonderful. Of course, I go mostly for the travel part rather than the cruise part (opposite for my husband) so I'm not the best judge of the whole cruising experience! I did, however, hear that there was some rumbling here on Cruise Critic about Viking not being as good as AMA or Avalon, but some friends just returned from a Viking trip and loved it, so who knows. Of course, they had not been on any other river cruise line, so really had nothing to use for comparison. And Avalon, and AMA (especially), from what I've seen, do charge more, so I've stayed pretty loyal to Viking. Anyway, thanks for the input on the cruises. If anyone else has input, bring it on! Also, if there are Londoners out there who are shaking their heads on my London comments, please forgive me. I've lived in big cities most of my life and when I travel I want to run away from them, I guess! A cure for cruising is to travel on land. Try going to Ireland, starting in Dublin and choosing the south or the west. If you like scenery, Ireland offers bountiful ops. Language (mostly) isn't a problem, the prices, even in Dublin, are (relatively) reasonable, and the hospitality is (largely) genuine. If you want something farther afield, set your sights on Argentina. Fly from Miami, and there's no jet lag. The long, skinny country offers desert and water falls, Buenos Aires, the most sophisticated city in SA, a Lake District as beautiful as the UK one, dude ranches on the pampas, and a wine district even more beautiful than Napa. And a weak currency. Knowing a bit of espanol helps, but you really can get by just on english and a smile. Ireland you can, and should, do as a self-drive. Argentina, well, for some things you will need a driver--e.g. Mendoza and its great vineyards. Happy to supply info if you desire. I am not a travel agent, not Irish, nor Argentine.Just a poor scrivener. The penalty of cruising is, of course, that you are involved in a travel tasting menu, rather than a la carte choices with the opportunity for immersion in scene and culture. Clearly, you already know the benefits cruising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted December 3, 2012 #15 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Fjords would get my vote, that is a wonderful itinerary and on Nautica !There is no cure for cruise addiction..one must keep booking and planning , cruising..than all over again..( that is the rehab part)...:D make the choice..you'll feel better immediately.. Took my first and last Viking cruise in summer. Would not do again. The slowness of the cruise was not the problem, have taken many barge cruises through France before and absolutely LOVED that..but as Mura mentioned ( and she was on the same Viking as I was) service terrible..food terrible..same buffets everyday was just not my cup of tea. Accomodations terrible..need I say more? For the record, Claudia and I were on the same Viking cruise! Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted December 3, 2012 #16 Share Posted December 3, 2012 :confused: Yes, I think we knew that, because she said it in her post :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted December 3, 2012 #17 Share Posted December 3, 2012 No need to be confused, Jim! I was remiss and didn't read Claudia's post all the way through is all ... Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roothy123 Posted December 3, 2012 Author #18 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Well, nobody much has mentioned the Byzantine trip (Venice, Istanbul, Kotor, etc.) so it's hard to know whether I would love or just like it a lot! As to the UK/Norway trip, I am leaning towards that, but now there's a new wrinkle for me to consider. In addition to the Aug. 15 Nautica trip, there's an identical July 29 Marina trip. There's a travel agency that's offering the Marina trip for less than what I've found for Nautica but I AM craving Nautica after cruising on Marina in August. (No, there's not a thing wrong with Marina, but I like variety, and I like smaller.) Of course, my husband votes for Marina again, as he loves the extra food choices, especially on the Terrace. Terrier or someone else: Do you know if there's fog around that time of year up north in Norway (basically August)? Temperature-wise I guess it's a good time to go, but I'm not sure about the weather in other regards! Also, is there any advantage in being on Nautica in terms of what I'll see from the ship, especially while cruising through the fjords? I know the differences between the small and large ships in terms of restaurants, more Terrace selections, artist loft, etc. but hadn't really thought about things like visibility, although most of the time after 6 PM we will obviously be cruising with little to see. Also Terrier, yes, I looked at Azamara; thanks. I would LOVE to drive through Ireland, and actually thought of taking a land trip, but the convenience of cruising makes it easy to just choose a cruise and go with that. However, can I assume that car rental might be available in many of the smaller ports? I love lighthouses, and if nothing else, would love to drive to a few of them. As to Viking, Mura and Claudia, when did you travel? Our friends did Amsterdam to Basel at the beginning of November. It was on one of the longships, but that's about all I know. I'm always surprised to hear people say that Viking's China trips are so different from their European trips, as I really haven't found that to be true, except in amount of hand-holding, plus fancier ships. I always assumed that the extra hand-holding was a necessary and wanted-by-everyone thing, as to be in China on your own is not exactly like being in, say, Amsterdam on your own! When your husband asks a hotel employee for a small bucket of ice and gets a little bag to hold used tampons, you realize just how glad you are that Viking is taking care of arrangements, logistics, and language for you! One more thing: Does anyone know what airlines I'm likely to get with O's air? I live in Washington, DC, where United is big. Think I might get a non-stop to London? Then if I don't buy transfers, is there a decent way to get from Heathrow to Southampton, where the cruise starts? Ruth R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted December 3, 2012 #19 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Roothy, This got longer than I anticipated ... hope it's helpful. Travel in Scandinavia in the summer is glorious. Even way up north while it may be cold, we've always had clear weather. (It was cold at the Arctic ice cap but then no one would expect it to be warm, I'm sure.) We've done several trips to Norway, Sweden and Denmark in July-August and weather has always been lovely. Down south, of course, it's warm without being hot. We did the Midnight Sun cruise on Insignia which is lower to the sea, of course, but I'm not sure the views would be all that much different. Still, we took a local boat tour in Geiranger which went up the same fjord we'd come in on ... I nearly cancelled, figuring it would just be a re-run, but our friends convinced us to stick with the original plan. I was glad we did because the view from the water was much different from that on the top deck of Insignia or our veranda on Deck 7. I'm sure it would be even more different from a ship the size of Marina. Venice, Istanbul, Kotor, etc., are great too. I didn't comment on that cruise because while we've booked similar itineraries, somehow we've never taken them! I love Istanbul (and Ephesus-Kusadasi), haven't been to Kotor but have read wonderful reports here from other CC members. We did Yugoslavia on a road trip back in 1977 from Pula down to Dubrovnik and it was just wonderful. Pre-troubles, of course, and it must be vastly different now. Dubrovnik (if it's on your itinerary is marvelous, assuming not too many ships are in port on the day you are), I love the R ships as well as the O ships on Oceania. You get on and off faster on the R ships, naturally. Food choices are more on the O ships. Rooms are larger on the O ships. Staff is great on both. As to Viking, Mura and Claudia, when did you travel? Our friends did Amsterdam to Basel at the beginning of November. It was on one of the longships, but that's about all I know. We left for France on April 11th and boarded the NEPTUNE on the 15th. We had a one week cruise on NEPTUNE, then another week on SPIRIT. We had lots and lots of rain, especially in the Normandy area. Weather was just not wonderful this spring. So much for "April in Paris"! As to our Basel-Amsterdam trip in 2003, we were on the last trip of the year -- that year it was mid-October into November. Weather was cold but mostly clear. I remember other passengers being surprised at how cold it was (probably mid-40s) but we'd done several off-season trips in that part of Europe before so we weren't surprised. The basic itinerary on that route is very charming. I'm always surprised to hear people say that Viking's China trips are so different from their European trips, as I really haven't found that to be true, except in amount of hand-holding, plus fancier ships. I always assumed that the extra hand-holding was a necessary and wanted-by-everyone thing, as to be in China on your own is not exactly like being in, say, Amsterdam on your own! When your husband asks a hotel employee for a small bucket of ice and gets a little bag to hold used tampons, you realize just how glad you are that Viking is taking care of arrangements, logistics, and language for you! It's true that the ships are newer, but we also found that there was a lot more staff on board. For example, I don't recall endless meals on board in China! And the guides they provided (which were with us much more than those in Europe) were all wonderful. It could be interesting to hear from someone who's taken Viking's China trip THIS year to see if they are cost-cutting there as well. One thing: we decided not to do ANY riverboats in the future simply because the rivers have become too crowded. Docking next to other ships wasn't very entertaining ... and we had to do that much of the time. I heard the captain on the SPIRIT say there are now about 1,000 riverboats on the Danube. One more thing: Does anyone know what airlines I'm likely to get with O's air? I live in Washington, DC, where United is big. Think I might get a non-stop to London? Then if I don't buy transfers, is there a decent way to get from Heathrow to Southampton, where the cruise starts? Can't speak definitively here but you should be able to get a non-stop flight from D.C. to London. It's possible you'd have to have a short hop to NY first ... which is where we are located so usually we can easily get non-stops to Europe. Then again, as I've said before, we've only rarely used O's flights. We may for the May 2014 TA since it's a one-way flight from London to NY and for once O's biz air quote is better than anything I've been able to find on my own. (Of course, who's to know what fares will be like a year and half from now.) We did a QE2 TA from Southampton about 8 years ago on Grand Circle -- which gave us a week in London first. I was surprised at how long the bus transfer was from central London to Southampton. We boarded the bus at 10:40 (with an obligatory rest stop somewhere) and arrived at 1:15. Not sure what the time would be from Heathrow to Southampton. You might want to investigate private car transfers, especially if you can find people to share. In 2006 we had a great deal with a Dover to London transfer where we were 8 people, 6 of whom were going to central London (different hotels) and 2 were going to LHR. If you are only two people, this gets expensive ... but checking your Roll Call can be helpful in this connection. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueline Posted December 4, 2012 #20 Share Posted December 4, 2012 No doubt in my mind, if you must go in August, this is the time to see the fjords. As another poster remarked, an interesting mix of ports and i would guess, based on my Baltic cruise, some scenic cruising as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted December 4, 2012 #21 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Roothy, that cruise you are considering seems to be a combination of the Dover-Dover cruise we took in June 2006 which went to Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, etc., with a bit of Norway on the way and the Midnight Sun cruise in July 2010 which was mostly Norway, and went all the way up to Spitzbergen and the Arctic ice cap. Both were great cruises and as several have already said the weather will be much pleasanter than southern Europe in the summer time. We did the Black Sea cruise in August and we lucked out ... we had one extremely hot day but the rest of them were hot but not brutally so. I tend to avoid this area of the world at that time of year but I've always wanted to do the Black Sea cruise and didn't think about that particular aspect of the cruise! I believe the cruise that did the Black Sea in July had harsher weather than we did -- I concluded that just from reading some reports of their trip. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roothy123 Posted December 4, 2012 Author #22 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Thanks, everyone - including anyone who replies in the future, as I will be continuing to follow this thread at least until I make a decision, which will be in the next few days! Mura, thanks to you in particular for your posts - very helpful. By the way, the Black Sea was one trip I looked at - but since we were just in St. Petersburg, I guess I was afraid it might be too "familiar" compared to the British Isles and Norway. I'm leaning towards the Ireland/Norway trip, but still undecided on whether to go Marina or Nautica. Both are basically in August. I'm very tolerant of hot weather (live in Wash DC, which can get steamy in August - no big deal to me), so the Med in August doesn't really bother me. However, northern Europe in August sounds even better, especially since my husband would prefer more moderate weather. Anyone know how to get from London to Southampton? Is there a train? I don't mind traveling by train or bus. TA said it's about 2 hours by car, and judging from what one of you guys said, it could be more! Oh well, I like countryside! It's sad that river cruising is getting so popular - but walking through another ship on the way to shore is something that I remember from our first river cruise! It's funny that they pretty much all look the same....at least the little part you see while walking past their reception desk and out the door! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted December 4, 2012 #23 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Roothy, Try this: http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/heathrow_southampton.htm If you go down the page a bit you'll find a section that discusses cost and time for bus and train travel from Heathrow to Southampton. I found a quote for a Mercedes E class chauffeur service from LHR to Southampton at £98 ... the train and bus are MUCH cheaper, of course! Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roothy123 Posted December 4, 2012 Author #24 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Excellent; thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksps cruise fan Posted December 4, 2012 #25 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Anyone know how to get from London to Southampton? Is there a train? I don't mind traveling by train or bus. TA said it's about 2 hours by car, and judging from what one of you guys said, it could be more! Oh well, I like countryside! The British port of call board is very active with many existing posts about transportation options to each of the ports, including Southhampton. I believe you have the option to take a train or a bus. Just head to the Port Call boards and do a search on "transportation" and "Southhampton." One British poster, in particular, provides exquisitely detailed information, but there are many posters who offer good solid advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.