Viking Rhine Getaway - Our photo intensive review on the Viking Ingvi, Summer 2014

[CupKayke]

Thank you for this excellent review! It's taken me a week but I've read every page. Love the pictures and the helpful information.

[mvcountess]

We are going on the Ingvi the first week in October. Amsterdam to Basel, are there do it yourself laundry facilities on board?

[cruisinskier]

Jerry --

 

Just catching up after a few days off the board. I am annoyed because it looks like we were table neighbors for the Captain's Dinner as well. UI am not in any of those pictures as it looks like we were in the same relative seat, but you have pics of our tablemates.

 

I wanted to add some thoughts to your synopsis, but overall I agree with you.

 

 

 

We would definitely take another river cruise, though I am not sure which one excites any. It would definitely Viking and may be wine country of France. I might be tempted to do the Viking Ocean Cruise through Scandinavia before something the body of Europe.

 

Jim, I still don't know how we didn't connect on this trip :confused: While there will be another river cruise in our future, for now we have two Celebrity cruises booked and are very close to booking an Azamara cruise to the Greek Islands for 2016. Yeah, we like to plan ahead! And I certainly would have no concerns sailing with Viking again....

Enjoy your future travels!

Jerry

Edited September 1, 2014 by cruisinskier

[cruisinskier]

Thank you for this excellent review! It's taken me a week but I've read every page. Love the pictures and the helpful information.

 

Cupkayke, thanks for your comments and for investing a week to follow along. Glad you found it helpful! Safe travels.

Jerry

Edited September 1, 2014 by cruisinskier

[cruisinskier]

We are going on the Ingvi the first week in October. Amsterdam to Basel, are there do it yourself laundry facilities on board?

 

Hi mycountess, there are not any self serve laundry facilities on-board. The only option is to use the laundry services. I had included the rates early in my review. Have a great trip!

Jerry

[mvcountess]

Thanks Jerry, good to know.

[John99]

Jerry, many thanks for your review. A really outstanding review! I viewed and/or read every post. Thanks for answering all our questions. The amount of time and effort by you is clearly evident. Your planning and research paid off. The photos have very high resolution with beautiful color contrasts. The pictures are very thoughtfully presented which for me tell us so much more about what to expect when river cruising in Europe. Just like you indicated "a picture is like a thousand words." Great camera. I thinking about a high end Sony Cybershot for my next trip. Point and shoot is fine for me. We (retirees) are planning our first river cruise so this really helps! Oh yes, "the local beer of the day" -- that's me. Now a few questions:

 

Post #22 pic shows a walking path on the sundeck. One mile equals approx. 13 laps. Did you observe anyone using the track? After all the sightseeing was there even enough time available in the day for usage?

 

Post # 31 You indicated that you use the ships laundry service the first day. I believe the both pictures shows a retractable close line in the shower. If correct, did you use this feature for some small items in addition to the ships laundry service?

 

Post # 25 pic shows the balcony with two chairs and a small table. You indicated that you used the balcony "a fair bit each day." Any though about a "French balcony" versus a full balcony? What did other cruisers state as their preference -- if any?

 

Post # 73 Anne Franks House. The lines look so very long. You indicated you "walked right in". How much time did you save with pre-purchased tickets to Anne Franks House?

 

Post # 111 The one photo shows the lounge area with many people. How was the noise level? Could you carry on a normal conservation? How was the noise level in the dining room?

 

Post # 147 The photos shows tour groups getting organized for their morning walk. On average, how many people make up a group size?

 

JOHN

[cruisinskier]

Jerry, many thanks for your review. A really outstanding review! I viewed and/or read every post. Thanks for answering all our questions. The amount of time and effort by you is clearly evident. Your planning and research paid off. The photos have very high resolution with beautiful color contrasts. The pictures are very thoughtfully presented which for me tell us so much more about what to expect when river cruising in Europe. Just like you indicated "a picture is like a thousand words." Great camera. I thinking about a high end Sony Cybershot for my next trip. Point and shoot is fine for me. We (retirees) are planning our first river cruise so this really helps! Oh yes, "the local beer of the day" -- that's me. Now a few questions:

 

 

1. Post #22 pic shows a walking path on the sundeck. One mile equals approx. 13 laps. Did you observe anyone using the track? After all the sightseeing was there even enough time available in the day for usage?

 

2. Post # 31 You indicated that you use the ships laundry service the first day. I believe the both pictures shows a retractable close line in the shower. If correct, did you use this feature for some small items in addition to the ships laundry service?

 

3. Post # 25 pic shows the balcony with two chairs and a small table. You indicated that you used the balcony "a fair bit each day." Any though about a "French balcony" versus a full balcony? What did other cruisers state as their preference -- if any?

 

4. Post # 73 Anne Franks House. The lines look so very long. You indicated you "walked right in". How much time did you save with pre-purchased tickets to Anne Franks House?

 

5. Post # 111 The one photo shows the lounge area with many people. How was the noise level? Could you carry on a normal conservation? How was the noise level in the dining room?

 

6. Post # 147 The photos shows tour groups getting organized for their morning walk. On average, how many people make up a group size?

 

 

JOHN

 

Hi John. Thanks for your comments. Let me try to answer your questions below...(I have numbered them to assist)

 

1. Yes they were some people using the walking track. While most days were full, I did see some folks walking on the Kinderdijk afternoon and also a few evenings after dinner. It was never crowded on the walking track but I do remember walking around the sundeck and there were 4 or 5 people walking the track one evening.

 

2. I used the laundry service to have a few shirts pressed as there is no self-serve iron available. There is a retractable clothes line however we did not use it as we had laundry available to us in the apartment pre-cruise so did our laundry there.

 

3. I did not actually discuss a french balcony vs real balcony while on board. We did enjoy and use our balcony and had no regrets with booking. I believe Jim said he was in a french balcony so he may want to weigh in here...

 

4. I am just guessing but I would expect having the pre-purchased tickets saved us at least 60-90 minutes. Our tickets also included the pre-tour 30 minute introduction which would not be available for walk-up tickets.

 

5. It was fine to have a conversation in the lounge however the largest crowds were there for the daily briefings so at that point you are mostly listening. The dining room was full of good conversation but still no issues to hear your table mates.

 

6. There were usually 4 groups of 45-48 people

 

Hope this helps. Happy planning!

Jerry

[DrivesLikeMario]

What a fantastic review! I appreciate you answering so many of the questions as well since many people do a review then never come back to their post. We'll be on an Avalon suite ship next summer doing your itinerary in reverse (regular French balcony cabins are 200SF which was one of the reasons we chose that line), and now I really cannot wait. I thoroughly enjoyed your review and pictures. It was wonderfully done. Thank you! :)

[Sparky333]

Hi Jerry -

I just saw where you said you were in groups of 45-48 people. I'm sad to see that. We went on Viking's Passage to Eastern Europe last fall and that was the size of our groups which I thought was too big. When I commented here to see if that seemed the norm many people replied that they had smaller groups (25 or 30) on other river cruiselines and then Viking replied to my post:

 

"Welcome home from your cruise — we’re happy to hear that overall you enjoyed your trip. Walking tours tend to have group sizes of approximately 20-25 people, although in certain cases groups may need to be a bit larger. All Viking itineraries also feature a variety of paces to choose from for walking tours, along with different excursion types, such as “extended tours” or “highlights only.” Unfortunately it sounds as though your particular sailing may have been met with some exceptions – and for that we do apologize. We’d liked to put you in touch with our Customer Relations team so we can learn more about your experience, work to make adjustments based on feedback, and answer any questions you may have. Please contact us directly"

 

We also did not have the option of being in a 'faster' or 'slower' paced group so I really hoped our particular cruise was an anomoly but it sounds like that large number might be the norm for Viking and maybe that reply was not quite accurate.

 

We have another Viking cruise booked for next summer (Portugal). Fingers crossed they break us into smaller groups on that one but if not it would probably cause us to try another company for future cruises where smaller groups are used.

[cruisinskier]

What a fantastic review! I appreciate you answering so many of the questions as well since many people do a review then never come back to their post. We'll be on an Avalon suite ship next summer doing your itinerary in reverse (regular French balcony cabins are 200SF which was one of the reasons we chose that line), and now I really cannot wait. I thoroughly enjoyed your review and pictures. It was wonderfully done. Thank you! :)

 

DrivesLikeMario, thank you for your kind words and glad you enjoyed the review. It was fun to re-live our trip! Thanks again and happy planning for your upcoming adventure!

Jerry

[cruisinskier]

Hi Jerry -

I just saw where you said you were in groups of 45-48 people. I'm sad to see that. We went on Viking's Passage to Eastern Europe last fall and that was the size of our groups which I thought was too big. When I commented here to see if that seemed the norm many people replied that they had smaller groups (25 or 30) on other river cruiselines and then Viking replied to my post:

 

"Welcome home from your cruise — we’re happy to hear that overall you enjoyed your trip. Walking tours tend to have group sizes of approximately 20-25 people, although in certain cases groups may need to be a bit larger. All Viking itineraries also feature a variety of paces to choose from for walking tours, along with different excursion types, such as “extended tours” or “highlights only.” Unfortunately it sounds as though your particular sailing may have been met with some exceptions – and for that we do apologize. We’d liked to put you in touch with our Customer Relations team so we can learn more about your experience, work to make adjustments based on feedback, and answer any questions you may have. Please contact us directly"

 

We also did not have the option of being in a 'faster' or 'slower' paced group so I really hoped our particular cruise was an anomoly but it sounds like that large number might be the norm for Viking and maybe that reply was not quite accurate.

 

We have another Viking cruise booked for next summer (Portugal). Fingers crossed they break us into smaller groups on that one but if not it would probably cause us to try another company for future cruises where smaller groups are used.

 

Hi Sparky, Viking should be able to do the math....there are 190 people and 4 buses. 190/4 = 47.5 people in each tour group. Even if 10 people decide to stay on-board, there are still 45 in each group.

 

Overall the size of the group was not a big deal as the Quietvox headphones work great. We did find some groups moved a little slow though. There was a "slow" group offered a few times which my in-laws used and found comfortable for them. I wish there had been a "faster" group option....

 

Enjoy your trip to Portugal and i look forward to reading your review! ;)

Jerry

[cruisinskier]

Hi all. I know this is all about river cruising but I just need to share that we have tonight booked the Azamara Journey for the Greek Island cruise!! Only issue is I have to wait until 2016....yeah, we do tend to plan ahead :rolleyes:

 

The Greek Islands are high on our bucket list and friends are booking with us so it will be a great trip I am sure. And I really like the itinerary...with 2 overnights (Dubrovnik & Istanbul) and lots of late departures from port.

 

 

We have been to Venice & Dubrovnik but all other ports will be new adventures. And under two years to do my planning!! :rolleyes: ;)

 

OK, very excited but now back to river cruising.....

Jerry

[banditoo]

Hi all. I know this is all about river cruising but I just need to share that we have tonight booked the Azamara Journey for the Greek Island cruise!! Only issue is I have to wait until 2016....yeah, we do tend to plan ahead :rolleyes:

 

The Greek Islands are high on our bucket list and friends are booking with us so it will be a great trip I am sure. And I really like the itinerary...with 2 overnights (Dubrovnik & Istanbul) and lots of late departures from port.

 

 

We have been to Venice & Dubrovnik but all other ports will be new adventures. And under two years to do my planning!! :rolleyes: ;)

 

OK, very excited but now back to river cruising.....

Jerry

Great itinerary. I love every one of those ports.

[jpalbny]

Hi all. I know this is all about river cruising but I just need to share that we have tonight booked the Azamara Journey for the Greek Island cruise!! Only issue is I have to wait until 2016....yeah, we do tend to plan ahead :rolleyes:

 

The Greek Islands are high on our bucket list and friends are booking with us so it will be a great trip I am sure. And I really like the itinerary...with 2 overnights (Dubrovnik & Istanbul) and lots of late departures from port.

 

 

We have been to Venice & Dubrovnik but all other ports will be new adventures. And under two years to do my planning!! :rolleyes: ;)

 

OK, very excited but now back to river cruising.....

Jerry

 

That looks fun! We will be in that area in 6 weeks on the Silver Cloud. Two of our stops are Patmos and Mytilini (Lesvos) - those two are new to us. Will try to post some pictures to whet your appetite, but 2016 is a long ways away... :(

 

We agree with banditoo; the other stops are great!

[Got2Cruise]

That looks fun! We will be in that area in 6 weeks on the Silver Cloud. Two of our stops are Patmos and Mytilini (Lesvos) - those two are new to us. Will try to post some pictures to whet your appetite, but 2016 is a long ways away... :(

 

We agree with banditoo; the other stops are great!

 

JP, which board will you post your pics? I want to make sure to follow along. :)

[Maggie Mae]

Jerry,

Thank you for your comprehensive review and fabulous photos. I leave in three weeks for the Rhine and your information helped us make some choices about the itinerary.

One question, if you choose to eat at the Aquavit are you still served wine & beer, or is that only in the dining room?

Thank you again, you made us even more eager for this trip.

Bette

[Kling_Klang]

Jerry,

 

Thank you for the cruise review and pictures. We took the same Viking Ingvi "Rhine Getaway" cruise from Amsterdam to Basel exactly one week after you did. Unfortunately we didn't get to see or do 10% of what you did. We had a cabin on the lowest level and didn't get any sleep the entire week because of the noise.

 

How did you manage to get any dinner service? Tip the server 50 euros before each meal? We had several meals where we literally received no food or beverages for two hours and then had our dinnerware snatched away.

 

I wrote a cruise review three weeks ago but it looks like it is not going to be published.

[nana541]

Where did you post your review???

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Kling_Klang]

nana541,

 

I have a review on TripAdvisor and have just posted to this forum. I tried to submit it to the 'Cruise Critic' reviews 3 weeks ago but it never was posted.

Edited September 5, 2014 by Kling_Klang

[cruisinskier]

Jerry,

Thank you for your comprehensive review and fabulous photos. I leave in three weeks for the Rhine and your information helped us make some choices about the itinerary.

One question, if you choose to eat at the Aquavit are you still served wine & beer, or is that only in the dining room?

Thank you again, you made us even more eager for this trip.

Bette

 

Hi Bette. Thank you for your kind comments and glad you enjoyed the review. With regards to the Aquavit, absolutely they serve beer and wine there as well. And if you happen to be walking by the bar in the nearby lounge area, just ask for a drink during lunch / dinner hours and they gladly serve it....no questions asked.

 

Enjoy your trip down the Rhine!! Safe travels.

Jerry

[cruisinskier]

Jerry,

 

Thank you for the cruise review and pictures. We took the same Viking Ingvi "Rhine Getaway" cruise from Amsterdam to Basel exactly one week after you did. Unfortunately we didn't get to see or do 10% of what you did. We had a cabin on the lowest level and didn't get any sleep the entire week because of the noise.

 

How did you manage to get any dinner service? Tip the server 50 euros before each meal? We had several meals where we literally received no food or beverages for two hours and then had our dinnerware snatched away.

 

I wrote a cruise review three weeks ago but it looks like it is not going to be published.

 

Hi and glad you enjoyed the review. I am very surprised that you had any issues with dinner service. Our servers on the Ingvi were fantastic so we stuck with the same dinner crew all week, the food was very good and we had no issues at all in the dining room. Did you speak with the Maitre d' (Sasha) to voice your issues? He was always around in the dining room and more than willing to assist.

 

Sorry to hear about your noise issues, I had not heard this in regards to the lower cabins in the past. We were in a balcony on the second level and had no noise where we were.

 

I wish you a better experience on your next vacation, wherever it may be.

Jerry

[cruisinskier]

Hi folks! I thought I would also share some of the resources we used to plan our trip. We had loaded various PDF maps onto my Ipad which allowed us to always have a map of the local area as we were visiting these areas.

 

For Amsterdam, this is the official website for the city, with info about everything: http://www.iamsterdam.com/

 

 

And here is a detailed PDF map of Amsterdam: http://www.iamsterdam.com/~/media/PDF/Map_Amsterdam_Centre.pdf

 

 

And a transit map for Amsterdam with all the trams and subways is here, along with info for those looking to do day trips to local areas by transit: http://www.iamsterdam.com/~/media/PDF/Getting%20around/Region_Day_Ticket_metropoolkaart.pdf

 

Jerry

[cruisinskier]

For Kinderdijk, the main website is here: https://www.kinderdijk.com/

 

The official site for Cologne is here: http://www.cologne.de/

 

The Cologne Tourist Board is here: http://www.cologne-tourism.com/

 

And the Cologne City Guide (with maps at the back) is here: http://www.koelntourismus.de/fileadmin/default/Mediendatenbank/Epaper/epaper-KoelnGuide_03_2014/#/0

 

More to follow....

[cruisinskier]

For those with time in Koblenz, here is the tourist site: http://www.koblenz-touristik.de/en

 

And the Koblenz cable car (wish we had time for that): http://www.diefestungehrenbreitstein.de/fileadmin/bilder/bsa/downloads/Folder_Festung_Seilbahn_ENG.pdf

 

And a Koblenz city map can be found here: http://www.koblenz-touristik.de/en/service-shop/brochures.html

 

For castles along the Rhine, this is a great site: http://www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.de/index.php?id=35&L=3

 

For Rudesheim, here is the city website (PDF info and maps are under the "services" section): http://www.ruedesheim.de/en/

 

More to follow....

Jerry