Viking Kara Christmas Cruise - Photos

[Francis M]

 

We had a terrific time on our first ever cruise. My wife and I have always traveled Europe independently and were very wary of the "group" thing. I must say I felt a bit of guilty pleasure at being escorted around and treated like royalty on board the Kara.

Happy cruising to all,

frank

[Hoyaheel]

Lovely photos!

[vinodoc]

Great photos. Thanks for sharing!

[ural guy]

 

We had a terrific time on our first ever cruise. My wife and I have always traveled Europe independently and were very wary of the "group" thing. I must say I felt a bit of guilty pleasure at being escorted around and treated like royalty on board the Kara.

Happy cruising to all,

frank

 

Very good way to put it. It was kinda uncomfortable at first, the crew jumping out of your way in hallways, always greeting you so nicely....I'm an old soldier who transitioned into construction. Not a lot creature comforts, kinda crude, and I'm fine with it.

 

After a few days on board, it was nice to be treated so well, and not have to plan everything out. Very relaxing, unlike other Europe vacations where I felt responsible for everyone having a good time and making all the arrangements.

 

Glad you enjoyed yourselves.

[Francis M]

Very good way to put it. It was kinda uncomfortable at first, the crew jumping out of your way in hallways, always greeting you so nicely....I'm an old soldier who transitioned into construction. Not a lot creature comforts, kinda crude, and I'm fine with it.

 

After a few days on board, it was nice to be treated so well, and not have to plan everything out. Very relaxing, unlike other Europe vacations where I felt responsible for everyone having a good time and making all the arrangements.

 

Glad you enjoyed yourselves.

 

You really said it better than me ural guy; (" am I on the road to Dingle? Will this bus take us to the Colosseum?")

[SusieO]

FrancisM; how beautiful! We are looking in to a Christmas Market cruise this December on Viking. What category was your cabin? Thanks!

[Francis M]

FrancisM; how beautiful! We are looking in to a Christmas Market cruise this December on Viking. What category was your cabin? Thanks!

 

We did the Veranda Suite SusieO. A bit of a splurge but we didn't regret it.

Frank

[Host Jazzbeau]

We did the Veranda Suite SusieO. A bit of a splurge but we didn't regret it.

Frank

 

Please explain. We get a lot of posts from folks who have booked Aquarium class and can't imagine why other people pay more for balconies and suites. I think there must be value in those higher categories and would like to be able to point to the reasons why.

[rothbury]

Hey Jazzbeau,

Can't speak for the OP but if you are the least bit claustrophobic...aquarium class can be a problem. DW is claustrophobic and we visited an aquarium class and she couldn't go inside. Also, if you go at Christmas market time the Sun Deck can be just flat out too cold to use. Some of the best pictures I took came from the balcony while cruising the Rhine. There is always the lounge and it stayed somewhat crowded while cruising. Honestly though, if cost is the main concern there is nothing wrong with aquarium class. You get the same service, same food, same etc......

[papa B me]

Jazzbeau,

I know your question wasn't for me but it does seem that most of the people who post on CC tend to go with the aquarium class and say their reasoning is that they are in their rooms so little. I had a suite on Uniworld last July that had both a balcony and a french balcony and it was certainly worth it to me. Below are some of the reasons:

 

#1 The additional space. It seems the average aquarium class room is between 150-170 sq ft. The suite we had was 300 sq ft. Although I agree the smaller cabins are layed out well and make use of every inch of room, we found the additional space alone worth the extra money.

 

#2 Use of the balcony - Although it is true that on occassion you are tied up next to another ship I found that most early mornings we were either still sailing or I did have a view. I would put the window down on the balcony(it was designed for all weather), make myself a cup of coffee, and sit out and read the daily news paper Uniworld provided and soak up the atmosphere while my wife was getting ready. It was actually one of the favorite times of our day. We even had breakfast served one morning that we had an early excursion while cruising down the Rhine

 

#3 Larger bathroom- Most of the suites I've looked at on various lines tend to have a larger batheroom. In our case it had the double sinks which we found valuable when trying to get ready quickly after a long day of excursion and trying to get to dinner on time.

 

#4 Extra amenities - Because the larger suites are more expensive we found that we were provided numerous extra amenities such as: daily fruit tray, daily cookie tray, night time snacks, breakfast in room if desired, Nespresso machine, refrigerator stocked with beer, water, sodas, juice, etc..., premium alcohol, daily news paper, extra gift soaps, bottle of wine to take home, free laundry service, special alternative dinner for the suite guests, and much more

 

#5 Butler service- Not all lines provide this but many do with the suites. It took the service to a completely different level. Certainly not a normal type of life for us and was really uneasy about it beforehand. But must admit that for a week out of our lives it was quite special to have someone anticipate your needs(I should say wants) and be right there on the spot to meet them was an extra special experience.

 

I have since booked two more cruises. One a Christmas Cruise on the Danube in December and another for 2016 in Italy and in both cases chose to go ahead and book the suite for the above reasons.

 

I understand that for many the above does not appeal to them but I know when I was researching CC 2 years ago as I began planning my first river cruise for last July that it was easy to find information as to why not to book a balcony/suite room and little explaining the suite experience but I took a leap of faith and went with my gut and booked it anyway. So glad I did and I hope this might help someone struggling with the same decision.

[Francis M]

I agree with everything Rothbury and Papa said , although Viking was a little short on butler service, Papa :confused:

I'm a fairly frugal person. When we make our various family visits we don't stay at the Ritz Carlton and I've never been able to justify paying full price for business class air ( although I'm still working on that). Even though we have been retired several years, we still try to treat our trips to Europe like "vacations". And for me that always means a time to treat ourselves well. I still look for a balance between value, comfort and yes - a little luxury when planning a trip. For us Viking hit that (I'm so sorry) suite spot with the veranda suite.

The little living room was a jewel for morning coffee and a glass of wine after a long day of touring around. The extra room; not getting in one another's way; the balcony that I ventured out on several times in December; and yes, even the night I couldn't get to sleep and popped out to the sofa just like I would at home, all made it a good value for the money to us.

The best endorsement is that I booked the veranda suite again for our Rhine cruise this August.

Frank

Edited February 1, 2015 by Francis M