Viking Chateaux, Rivers & Wine

[tipsygirl]

Still looking for others embarking on April 26th.

[MABOAT]

My friend and I are going in this cruise Aug 23rd. We are arriving in Bordeaux on the 22nd. Dune du Pilat is about an hour by train from Bordeaux and I hope to add that to our itinerary. My travel agent is going on this cruise at the end of March so I'm waiting to hear her feedback

 

After this cruise we plan on taking the train to Paris to meet up with the guys.

 

This is our first River Cruise and first trip to Europe. All tips would be welcome

[lovetocruise17]

Have been following this board and thought I would jump in finally. We are living in Atlanta now and on the Aug. 16 river cruise and certainly looking forward to it. Haven't seen anyone else post that they are on this date. We are going to take the Loire Valley trip first before boarding the boat. Looking at their optional tours and feel some pricey but could be very interesting. Like other we are anxious to read any reports of cruisers who have taken this trip once it begins. Sailed many times with the big ocean ships but this will be the first river cruise.

[Go Pack]

For you 1st time River Cruisers, I know you will LOVE IT. Much more relaxing than the crowded, busy any can be noisy ocean cruises. The scenery along the sailing route are always in view and usually very beautiful This will be our 6th river cruise having sailed on the Danube, Rhine, Moselle, Main and the Seine. We look forward to our April 12 departure on the Gironde, Garonne and Dordogne Rivers in the west of France. Have not be disappointed with either Viking or GCT. We chose this particular trip because of the new Longships of Viking and the newness of the trip itinerary. I will report back on my thoughts.

[id4elizabeth]

Hi GoPack - We are sailing with you, boarding the Forseti on April 12! Finally met someone on our sailing…amazing.

 

We will be arriving at CDG in Paris on April 8 and then are renting a car and driving through the Loire Valley, hopefully gawking at a few Chateaux along the way. We were originally booked on the Viking pre-cruise extension of the Loire Valley, but on closer examination discovered we would be spending one full day in Orleans, which we weren't all that enthralled with. We also weren't too impressed by the Trip Advisor reviews of the Paris and Tours Viking hotels, so we decided to do it on our own. We'll drive to Bordeaux and drop off the car at the train station, then cab to the ship.

 

Wish Viking would give us a few more details about where we will be going exactly. But sure we'll have a great cruise no matter where we go. How can we go wrong in beautiful wine country?

[kidfixer]

This is my first cruise, ever. I need guidelines for tipping staff on the boat and for the bar when I purchase an adult beverage.

 

Also, does anyone know if you can buy a cheap, "burner phone" like the bad guys use for when we are in France? this would just be for security purposes in case we end up in the wrong city.

 

thank you.

 

We are on the May 17 sailing - is this the one you're on? If so, I'm sure we'll meet onboard.

 

We also added the Verizon global plan to one of our smartphones, but I have gotten burner phones in the past. Usually you can buy one once you arrive in a country at a 7-11 equivalent store (sometimes called tabac or similar). You just need to be sure it works in the country(s) you will visit. If you google "phone for France" or similar, you should see several items pop up. You might also look on Trip Advisor, as lots of people travel by land on that site and they are very knowledgeable. Not a lot of help from me, but you definitely can get one of those phones and they're pretty cheap.

Linda

[MalibooNewYork]

@Kidfixer,

Yes, we are signed up for May 17 and really looking forward to it. I'm going with a lifelong friend, having known each other since we were 8 years old.

I have only asked about phones on this site but have read posts on other TA forums. The posts are way over my head needing a level of expertise that neither of us have. But, it's early days and I'll try to get info on phones at tabac shops.

Thanks for the advice.

[kidfixer]

We sailed on Viking for the Tulips and Windmills cruise 2 years ago, on the 3rd voyage of the Idun. The rooms were fine, great bathrooms, but the public areas seemed to be designed with little thought by someone who never actually sailed on it. Very loud, hard to hear and see, and without enough room in the lounge for all the passengers to see/hear the presentations. Otherwise, it was great.

 

The walking tours (included) on a daily basis were 1st rate. The guides all spoke decent English and were quite knowledgeable. Headsets worked well and allowed you to be away from the guide and still hear her/him. The optional (extra money) tours that we did were also 1st rate, and we ended up being glad we'd taken them, despite being shocked that they were so expensive. The guides were the best part of most of those, as well, since they added so much to our understanding of what we were seeing. That said, I do think you could probably arrange tours on your own if you think you don't really need to hear all the guide's information.

 

There was a question about tipping. The easiest way is to add tips to your bill at the end of the cruise. Our experience was that you could not check out until the morning of departure and then there were only 2 people checking out 65 couples. It took forever, so plan ahead! We also found we needed lots of 1 and 2 euro coins for tipping the daily guides, drivers, etc. I think we averaged about 4-5 euros/day for that. Additional tips to bartenders, room stewards, etc. can be left in envelopes or added to your bill at the end (but may not make it to the specific person you had in mind).

 

The food on our trip was excellent. Portions were reasonable, but you could probably ask for more if you were still hungry. They also had cookies in the afternoon which totally busted my eating plan! The wine on board on our last trip was Viking's own label, and was only mediocre. We plan to buy wines in towns and take them on board to drink. Viking is fine with that arrangement, and why wouldn't they be since their wine is included and you won't be drinking it!

 

I recently looked into options for getting from airport to ship and back and wasn't thrilled with the choices. I don't care for taking a bus or tram while carrying all my luggage, so I think we'll bite the bullet and pay for the transfers. Taxis seem to be extremely expensive, too. If I did not have luggage, I would not have a problem with the bus/tram system as it seems to drop you a few blocks from the dock, and I understand Bordeaux is quite walkable.

 

Not related to the "what I know" issue - but Thanks!! to the DH who found the Maps of Bordeaux site. It's really good!! We've been talking to one of the wine suppliers of a local grocery store and hope he will be able to add suggestions for places to visit. If I get good info, I'll post it here later. (our trip is the 5/17 sailing). I'm also planning on emailing a winemaker from Idaho (3 Horse Ranch Vineyards - check it out) who is taking one of the early trips on this itinerary. I'll let you know what I hear. We are arriving a week early and staying in St. Emilion so will do some of the additional touring on our own. If I have anything worthwhile to add, I'll post on this Roll Call.

 

Looking forward to everyone's input and updates as people complete the trip. Please give as much information as you think is useful when you return! Thanks in advance, fellow cruisers! Linda (Oregon)

[indianrider]

Are there any routine drinkers of classified bordeaux wines taking this cruise? I have a cellar and have my favorites like the "Leovilles-Las Cases & Poyferre, Ducru & Pichon. I am hoping we will get to drink some Chateau Margaux?

[tipsygirl]

@Kidfixer,

Yes, we are signed up for May 17 and really looking forward to it. I'm going with a lifelong friend, having known each other since we were 8 years old.

I have only asked about phones on this site but have read posts on other TA forums. The posts are way over my head needing a level of expertise that neither of us have. But, it's early days and I'll try to get info on phones at tabac shops.

Thanks for the advice.

RE phones in Europe, at one time their was a U.S. company that provided and phone service for international use called Mobal. We had one of their phones, but discontinued use when international rates for our cell phone carrier became the same as theirs.

The article by Rick Steves at the following link may be helpful to sort out the phone issue. He refers to "unlocked phones" rather than burner phones, and gives info on how to get one. http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/phones-tech/cell-phone-europe The article is actually written without much tech talk, which I appreciate.

[tipsygirl]

We sailed on Viking for the Tulips and Windmills cruise 2 years ago, on the 3rd voyage of the Idun. The rooms were fine, great bathrooms, but the public areas seemed to be designed with little thought by someone who never actually sailed on it. Very loud, hard to hear and see, and without enough room in the lounge for all the passengers to see/hear the presentations. Otherwise, it was great.

 

The walking tours (included) on a daily basis were 1st rate. The guides all spoke decent English and were quite knowledgeable. Headsets worked well and allowed you to be away from the guide and still hear her/him. The optional (extra money) tours that we did were also 1st rate, and we ended up being glad we'd taken them, despite being shocked that they were so expensive. The guides were the best part of most of those, as well, since they added so much to our understanding of what we were seeing. That said, I do think you could probably arrange tours on your own if you think you don't really need to hear all the guide's information.

 

There was a question about tipping. The easiest way is to add tips to your bill at the end of the cruise. Our experience was that you could not check out until the morning of departure and then there were only 2 people checking out 65 couples. It took forever, so plan ahead! We also found we needed lots of 1 and 2 euro coins for tipping the daily guides, drivers, etc. I think we averaged about 4-5 euros/day for that. Additional tips to bartenders, room stewards, etc. can be left in envelopes or added to your bill at the end (but may not make it to the specific person you had in mind).

 

The food on our trip was excellent. Portions were reasonable, but you could probably ask for more if you were still hungry. They also had cookies in the afternoon which totally busted my eating plan! The wine on board on our last trip was Viking's own label, and was only mediocre. We plan to buy wines in towns and take them on board to drink. Viking is fine with that arrangement, and why wouldn't they be since their wine is included and you won't be drinking it!

 

I recently looked into options for getting from airport to ship and back and wasn't thrilled with the choices. I don't care for taking a bus or tram while carrying all my luggage, so I think we'll bite the bullet and pay for the transfers. Taxis seem to be extremely expensive, too. If I did not have luggage, I would not have a problem with the bus/tram system as it seems to drop you a few blocks from the dock, and I understand Bordeaux is quite walkable.

 

Not related to the "what I know" issue - but Thanks!! to the DH who found the Maps of Bordeaux site. It's really good!! We've been talking to one of the wine suppliers of a local grocery store and hope he will be able to add suggestions for places to visit. If I get good info, I'll post it here later. (our trip is the 5/17 sailing). I'm also planning on emailing a winemaker from Idaho (3 Horse Ranch Vineyards - check it out) who is taking one of the early trips on this itinerary. I'll let you know what I hear. We are arriving a week early and staying in St. Emilion so will do some of the additional touring on our own. If I have anything worthwhile to add, I'll post on this Roll Call.

 

Looking forward to everyone's input and updates as people complete the trip. Please give as much information as you think is useful when you return! Thanks in advance, fellow cruisers! Linda (Oregon)

A word of caution on using the Viking transfers if you also used their trip insurance. The purchase of the transfers tipped our cost into another $ tier and resulted in an additional charge. We went ahead with it, but won't be using Viking insurance in the future. Found out from our travel agent that the insurance we usually purchase through him allows transfers to be excluded from the insurance package. Oh well. You travel and learn.

[barbara787]

In response to IndianRider: Unfortunately, we are not on this cruise (yet), and hope to go next year. Yes, we love to drink the classified growths, too, my favorite is Pichon Longueville. I'm hoping you will give us lots of details about which Chateaux you are able to visit. The itinerary so far shows docking in the vicinity of the first growths, but I know you will need to make reservations, which is hard to do when the cruise line does not publish how much time you will be in "port". We looked into "The Wine Experience", who advertises they will get you into all 5 of the first growths, but they say Chateaux Margaux and one of the others (I can't remember which one right now), will be closed to visitors this year due to reservations. Have not confirmed that as fact. I do understand that many of these Chateaux are not taking visitors at all during the harvest in October.

[loge23]

We toured the Medoc and Right Bank last summer independently. Most wineries are open for tours and tastings (save for harvest season), but most also require reservations. Many are accessible online. Google Bordeaux wineries and you will find many excellent resources.

Highlights from our trip were Mouton Rothschild (do include the museum!) and Lynch-Bages, with their village and fun bistro, Cafe Lavinal. We also visited Chateau Figeac just outside of St. Emilion and La Dauphine in Fronsac. Pontet-Cadet was also a standout, with their aggressive transition to organic vinaculture. We stayed in Medoc at the Hotel Rollan-de-By, which included the named winery and Chateau Graysac, recently acquired by the Hotel's owner. We found three nights on the Right Bank and three in Medoc quite sufficient for touring.

The village of St. Emilion is simply breathtaking, even with the hordes of tourists. Bring very stable and comfortable shoes for this towns cobblestone streets, narrow sidewalks, and very steep passageways. The town is virtually full of wine shops - most of which offer tastings. While great wines that are unavailable in the states can be found here, you will not find any bargains among the grand crus. Factor in shipping and you are most probably better off patronizing your friendly local wine merchant back home.

I understand the Viking ties up in Paulliac. The riverside section of Pauilliac is a wonderful one-street town full of sidewalk bistros and shops - an excellent place to relax and enjoy some of the fruits of the region. With good planning, you should be able to line up a car/taxi for tours to nearby chateaus, just to the east of the dock area. Be forewarned if you drive of the hidden cameras and speed devices on many French roads. You may get a nice bill in the mail 3 or 4 months (yes, with late fees) after you return home!

We will be returning this year to Bordeaux on Viking, in July, to enjoy what we hope is a relaxing return to some of the sites we missed, including Cognac, without having to drive!

[Bet & Peg]

loge23 ~ your trip last year sounds fabulous!! Pauillac sounds lovely - looking forward to seeing it! Since this is a new itinerary for Viking, its SO frustrating not to have reviews from previous passengers!! So your comments about the area are much appreciated!!!

 

And the fact that you're returning this year for the cruise says a lot! Please promise you'll give us a full review when you return!! We leave September 25th for a week in Paris before our Oct. 4th cruise - please give us a "heads-up" on what to expect!!!

[jojocmcla]

in 2009, my husband and I, along with 10 other friends, biked the Loire Valley from Beaugency to Samur. It was a wonderful trip, although I was one of only two non-experienced bikers in the group. I pushed that darn bike up more hills than I care to remember. But, overall, I loved the area. There are so many castles & chateaus to explore.

We toured Chateau Chambord, Chateau Villandry (beautiful gardens), Chateau Azay le' Rideau and a few others. The only one that we didn't get to that I had wanted to see was Chateau Chenonceau.

 

After bicycle tour, we took the train from Paris to Brussels and then onto Brugges to begin a riverboat cruise on Tauck up to Amsterdam. That was great! I figured after 7 days on a bike, I deserved a cruise to anywhere! It sold us on river cruises.

 

We always wanted to go to Paris, we plan to do all of the expected things and hopefully get back some day to dig a little deeper. That said my impression of the "Loire Valley" extension was that it would be similar to some of what we would be seeing on the cruise. I did not give it much consideration however and will take another look.

Edited March 10, 2014 by jojocmcla

[tipsygirl]

Have been patiently watching the Viking website for posting of the detailed itinerary for our cruise, but it has not appeared yet. However, I had printed the abbreviated description from the online brochure in June 2013 and compared to what appears online today, and there are some definite modifications in terms of timing and content of the included tours and optional tours. These changes make the itinerary even more appealing.

So I now understand better why they are delayed in posting the detailed itinerary…it is still literally under construction.

[loge23]

loge23 ~ your trip last year sounds fabulous!! Pauillac sounds lovely - looking forward to seeing it! Since this is a new itinerary for Viking, its SO frustrating not to have reviews from previous passengers!! So your comments about the area are much appreciated!!!

 

And the fact that you're returning this year for the cruise says a lot! Please promise you'll give us a full review when you return!! We leave September 25th for a week in Paris before our Oct. 4th cruise - please give us a "heads-up" on what to expect!!!

 

Will do!

[MalibooNewYork]

I am thinking about the optional excursion to Arcachon but don't know what to expect. Does Viking have guided activities or are you dropped off and on your own until it's time to return? I'm not sure I'm interested if we just wander around and do more shopping and eating. I can do that in Bordeaux.

[molymoo]

So glad someone started this thread! We are contemplating booking this cruise for December 2014 ... yeah, I know but we arre tied to school vacation schedules until I retire! We are looking at the french balcony room ... love the extra light and the open feeling the big window provides but don't expect that we would use a balcony in December. We would probably add the post-extension to Paris ... again the school schedules and we're not sure the Loire Valley would have the same appeal in winter anyway.

 

I will be anxious to hear from those doing the cruise this Spring. We have done five Viking cruises (sixth will be this summer) so we are no strangers to river cruising ... we love it! :)

[Bet & Peg]

I'm also in the Arcachon excursion and eagerly awaiting the cruise to begin (March 22nd) and hoping we hear something about this option from the early passengers.

 

We've taken some of Viking's optional excursions and they usually include some sort of guide & tour in an orgainzed way. Some free time is usually also included, if possible.

 

According to the description of the tour ~ we "travel to the Atlantic Seabord and the elegant town of Arcachon...learn about the daily life of the oyster farmers during a tour of the bay, enjoy an elegant lunch at Cap Ferret (cost approx 159euro which includes transportaton, bay tour, guide, and lunch)"

 

Sounds pretty inclusive - but would like to know exact price + which restaurant. There are also small group tours from Bordeaux to Arcachon and wonder if they'd we a better value - there's a 5-hour trip advertised on the internet for $91.58, no lunch.

 

I'll be interested to hear all about the Cruise once it actually begins!!!!

[indianrider]

Thanks all for the information regarding the great vineyards and potential for touring. I am hoping we will be able to visit some first or second Cru's. I wonder what wines they will allow for tasting? Certainly not a 1945 Lafite, I am sure. I would suppose more like a lesser vintage like 2008 or 2006.

Looking forward to finding out. Hope to hear from you early sailings!

[Bet & Peg]

Talking about 1945.... There's an interesting little book that I'm re-reading with this cruise in mind: Wine & War (subtitle: The Battle for France's Greatest Treasures) by Don & Petir Kladstrup.

 

Its a delightful little book about how the French tried to protect their wine during WWII and really conveys the feeling they have for their greatest treasure!

 

In Queens its available through our library system, also on Amazon.com and on Kindle.

[loge23]

Thanks all for the information regarding the great vineyards and potential for touring. I am hoping we will be able to visit some first or second Cru's. I wonder what wines they will allow for tasting? Certainly not a 1945 Lafite, I am sure. I would suppose more like a lesser vintage like 2008 or 2006.

Looking forward to finding out. Hope to hear from you early sailings!

 

You are correct about the vintages found in the tastings. Also, expect to pay for the top quality producer tastings. Just about all the great chateaus are online and you can reserve your tasting online as well. Mouton had several options, with their grand cru served only at the highest levels. Forget about Lafite unless you are a merchant with good connections.

In all the great chateaus however, you will see the great vintages - some over 100 years old - in the vaults although, alas, not from inside the vaults.

[indianrider]

You speak with some knowledge, can you elaborate some on the wineries you visited and the wines you tasted? It would be greatly appreciated. What kind of prices are you referring to with some of the tastings?

[zmjh45]

We are taking this cruise with 2 other couples on sep 20, 2014. Will be coming up from Barcelona. Will be interested on reviews once they begin sailing.

Any suggestions for hotels in Bordeaux?

 

Sandy