Elbe River cruises , anyone done one ?

[missbsmom]

We have done 4 other river cruises and really enjoy them. I am looking at the various river cruise companies for a cruise other than on the Rhine or Danube. We have also done Paris to Normandy ( was very good too !). Have been looking at some on the Elbe River from Berlin to Prague. This would be an entirely new area for us. I understand that not many ships cruise the Elbe due to the fact that it is considered a "shallow " river. I know that if a river is gets too low the ship can't sail and your trip is either cancelled or you are put on a bus very day and they bus you to each city. Not want I want to happen since we love the river boat cruising experience. Would appreciate hearing from anyone who have done this itinerary with any of the various river cruise lines. It there a lot of scenery to view while you are cruising along ? In your opinion is there a better month of the year to do this trip? Who did you sail on ?

Thanks

[usnavyguy]

We did Viking Fontane in June 2012. Here's the link to my review:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=106970

 

You may have to cut & paste in your browser, but it's the best river cruise we've been on & we've done 8 total.

[missbsmom]

Thank you for responding and your review. I appreciated reading a little about the various port stops. About how far from Berlin is the port ? We are planning to do some touring on our own pre and post so I don't we will able to take advantage of Vikings air. I understand that Viking has ( or will have ) 2 new boats on the Elbe. Will need to look more into those.

[usnavyguy]

You don't embark/debark in Berlin. I guess I didn't make that clear. You take a motor coach to Potsdam, tour that area, then go on later in the day to Magdeburg where you embark on your cruise. Same thing on the other end; you disembark/embark in Melnik and take a motor coach to Prague. The description is, I guess, a little misleading.

You are correct about Viking. They are christening two new "Longship-esque" riverboats as the describe them in 2015 so they'll have 4 boats on the Elbe. The new ones are 98 passenger boats with drafts suitable for the shallow Elbe.

While I didn't include it in the review, we did two days in Prague before the trip & two days in Berlin post-cruise. Thoroughly enjoyed both of those stays and didn't feel we missed out by not doing the Viking extensions.

I've never used Viking air so I can't comment as I've always arranged my own air for our schedule.

The single biggest drawback to Viking if you are in North America is the requirement to pay up front for the whole trip. They don't do this anywhere else in the world as I've divined through the various posts. I always have heartache about paying 12-15 months or more in advance for a trip.

But, obviously most folks don't mind as Viking is rapidly becoming the most dominant player on the rivers of Europe with the widest range of itineraries of any river cruise line. You'll find lots & lots of Viking haters on this board, but also passionate defenders. (Check the thread on Viking vs. Uniworld for an example). We personally have always enjoyed Viking and probably will cruise with them again.

[franski]

We are booked on the Viking Fontane in May 2015. I always said I wouldn't travel unless I could have hotel style (ie: double) beds - but, decided the trip was worth the inconvenience. THEN Viking brings 2 new boats on board. I might have asked to switch to one of the new boats, but figured the $500+ per person it would cost to cruise with the new boat wasn't worth it for me.

 

I knew when we booked that we would have to pay up front (final payment due May 31st this year) but such is life.

 

The only other company to cruise the Elbe is (I believe ) Vantage. That really isn't an option for us.

 

Fran

[HDS]

We are doing the cruise with Viking Prague to Berlin in June 2014. We will travel independently pre and post cruise in Czech Republic and Germany.

Notamermaid and Steamboats have reported little snow last winter so Elbe levels are low. I am prepared for, but hope we won't have, a floating hotel and bus trips to the "ports".

I'll report on my return.

[SeaTheWorldBySea]

You don't embark/debark in Berlin. I guess I didn't make that clear. You take a motor coach to Potsdam, tour that area, then go on later in the day to Magdeburg where you embark on your cruise. Same thing on the other end; you disembark/embark in Melnik and take a motor coach to Prague. The description is, I guess, a little misleading.

You are correct about Viking. They are christening two new "Longship-esque" riverboats as the describe them in 2015 so they'll have 4 boats on the Elbe. The new ones are 98 passenger boats with drafts suitable for the shallow Elbe.

While I didn't include it in the review, we did two days in Prague before the trip & two days in Berlin post-cruise. Thoroughly enjoyed both of those stays and didn't feel we missed out by not doing the Viking extensions.

I've never used Viking air so I can't comment as I've always arranged my own air for our schedule.

The single biggest drawback to Viking if you are in North America is the requirement to pay up front for the whole trip. They don't do this anywhere else in the world as I've divined through the various posts. I always have heartache about paying 12-15 months or more in advance for a trip.

But, obviously most folks don't mind as Viking is rapidly becoming the most dominant player on the rivers of Europe with the widest range of itineraries of any river cruise line. You'll find lots & lots of Viking haters on this board, but also passionate defenders. (Check the thread on Viking vs. Uniworld for an example). We personally have always enjoyed Viking and probably will cruise with them again.

 

We are doing the Elbe on one of the new Viking ships next year. We will cruise Prague to Berlin and will spend a few days at both ends. We would love to hear about your experiences in both cities. Did you book any private tours.

[CPT Trips]

SNIP

 

The only other company to cruise the Elbe is (I believe ) Vantage. That really isn't an option for us.

 

Fran

 

GCT is another line that does the Elbe . . . 7 nights on the ship, 2 nights on either end in both Berlin and Prague.

[H2Otstr]

We cruised the Elbe with Grand Circle and it was a great trip. We encountered low water levels and ended our trip in Dresden and were bussed to our last port, maybe a half hour bus ride......no big deal. Our pre trip started in Hamburg, but I think that it now starts in Berlin. The boat was older and we had a wonderful time.

[usnavyguy]

We are doing the Elbe on one of the new Viking ships next year. We will cruise Prague to Berlin and will spend a few days at both ends. We would love to hear about your experiences in both cities. Did you book any private tours.

 

We didn't have any private tours. We did a dinner cruise in Prague on the Vitava River which was very enjoyable. In Berlin, we did the Hop On-Hop Off bus which included an hour boat trip on the Spree River. That was also great in getting a different perspective of the city. Both cities have so many attractions that it's really a matter of picking & choosing what you want to do. We think the new Viking boats look wonderful. They will really dominate the Elbe since as some others have stated, only Vantage & Grand Circle do Elbe cruises and neither of those companies have that big a presence.

[bcraw13]

We have booked a cruise on the Elbe for late Apr, 2015 on the Schumann. Ours is from Berlin to Prague and we have also booked the pre-trip. This will be our 4th Viking cruise. I was a little upset after booking that they brought out new longships for that area; however, the rooms on those are even smaller than the Fontane/Schumann ships...and as someone mentioned they are quite a bit more expensive. Would like to hear from someone who has been on either of the old ships. What is the comfort level of the cabins? We have always had a good experience with Viking.

[id est]

We are doing the Elbe on one of the new Viking ships next year. We will cruise Prague to Berlin and will spend a few days at both ends. We would love to hear about your experiences in both cities. Did you book any private tours.

We did a very enjoyable tour to Kutna Hora from Prague, visited this very unique place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary

It was a 1 day tour and we booked it in Prague old town the day before. They sell all kinds of tours near Old town square and around.

[notamermaid]

Hello,

 

another company that sails the Elbe is CroisiEurope. I think some cruises also include the Havel river(canal). They also have Prague on offer.

 

Not offered in the Anglo-American market it seems. So possibly no English commentaries on board.

 

notamermaid

 

Rhine water levels have risen to a comfortable level. Mild, cloudy weather.

[id est]

We have booked a cruise on the Elbe for late Apr, 2015 on the Schumann. Ours is from Berlin to Prague and we have also booked the pre-trip. This will be our 4th Viking cruise. I was a little upset after booking that they brought out new longships for that area; however, the rooms on those are even smaller than the Fontane/Schumann ships...and as someone mentioned they are quite a bit more expensive. Would like to hear from someone who has been on either of the old ships. What is the comfort level of the cabins? We have always had a good experience with Viking.

We really liked Schumann. Yes, the ship is old but it looks really good, everything is in working order, no complaints.

We had no optional tours on this cruise: everything was included. Not sure if it is always like that or maybe a March promo for all guests :confused:

[SeaTheWorldBySea]

We did a very enjoyable tour to Kutna Hora from Prague, visited this very unique place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary

It was a 1 day tour and we booked it in Prague old town the day before. They sell all kinds of tours near Old town square and around.

 

Looks very interesting! We actually visited a place in Rome where monks had done the same sort of thing with the bones of their predecessors.Thanks for the tip about tours offered in Old Town.

[id est]

... tours offered in Old Town.

Look for something similar to this one: