in atlanta ready to board/amsterdam to the viking Hiln

[tml1230]

good evening, we are flying to Amerstam tonite to board the viking hiln on wednesday after one nite at the "a-train hotel in Amsterdam….we disembark in a week in Basel, then taking a train to Paris for the month of April before heading home to florida.

 

as always i have gotten great information over the years from cruise critic and would like to repay the favors…

 

if any one has a question about anything on this rhine cruise on viking just ask….we are viking fans, by the way, our first cruise with them last year brought us back back

 

 

Since my university of florida gators are not in the ncaa tourney this year (they'll be back!!) i have been told by my wife to focus much more on the sights and history….yea.best regards

[banditoo]

We will be on the Viking Idi late August doing the Rhine Getaway Amsterdam to Basel and I would be most interested in hearing everything about your experience, the Viking tours and the ports! Please do keep us posted about the experience. I think yours is possibly the first sailing of this season. Have a great cruise!:)

[JVilleGal]

Would be great if you would pop in and update is while on your cruise!

[notamermaid]

Hello tml1230,

 

the weather is warming up on the Rhine, the Sun is coming out of the clouds and the first signs of Spring are around us, the daffodils in parks and gardens are blossoming.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

[tml1230]

we arrived in Amsterdam safely and on time. After any "all night" flights to europe my wife and i lose our adventuresome spirit and usually take a cab or arrange a driver to drop us off at the hotel. For this trip, based on reports and suggestions here we took the local train from the airport to central station. that operation went perfectly. Its a great airport ,well marked and easy to maneuver.

the train runs every 20 minutes or so and only costs 4.80 euro…such a deal!

the A Train hotel is a hoot,,,,clean very reasonable rates and right across the street from the station.

 

the local people here are genuinely friendly and warm folks….

we checked out the port area where the Hlin will dock tomorrow….probably 10 minute walk dragging suitcases. there were 2 river cruise vessels in port today.

 

i am about to walk down the street and try one of those large amber colored ,frosty headed beverages i keep hearing about. i think they call it beer.

[didicruiser]

Thanks for the update and keep us posted!

Enjoy your beer :cool:

[JVilleGal]

Have s wonderful time!

[Valley Girl of VA]

How long was the train ride from the airport to central station. We have about an 8 hour layover and thought about going into Amsterdam. We took the train a few years ago but don't remember much about how long the ride was. Did you buy your ticket from the kiosk or from the window with a person to help you?

 

Jane

[Ine]

How long was the train ride from the airport to central station. We have about an 8 hour layover and thought about going into Amsterdam. We took the train a few years ago but don't remember much about how long the ride was. Did you buy your ticket from the kiosk or from the window with a person to help you?

 

Jane

 

The trainride from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal is only about 20 minutes. If you buy from the window there is a small surcharge. http://www.ns.nl/en/travellers/home

[tcdcruiser]

Hope your travels are going well. My wife and I will be on the May 19th departure from Amsterdam on the viking hiln.

 

Would be interested in your opinion of the Black Forest tour and the optional colmar tour. I have heard mixed reviews from other cc contributors.

 

Safe travels. Thanks.

[tml1230]

Jane... as stated above, the train ride is about 20 minutes long and departures are about every 20 minutes. some of the trains are direct to the central station and that shaves a few minutes off that. the central station is literally across the street from the historic area. if i had that long of a layover i would certainly take the trip in again.its that easy. the ticket kiosks are everywhere but i was told they only accept euro coins or credit cards. Fortunately i researched on trip advisor that you could buy and print tickets for the day (4.80 euro each) on line, which we did ... the lines were long at the manned counters. so to maximize your time you may consider that option…..also there is a good video on UTUBE on using the kiosks which looked pretty user friendly. However after a 9 hour nighttime flight my computer skills are severely diminished. bill gates i aint! the on-line tickets worked great for us. the trains are clean and secure.

 

TCD cruiser…i will let you know on black forest and Colmar tour, i am most looking forward to that day.

 

since embarkation everything has exceeded our expectations…staff super attentive and friendly, hard working folks…great first night dinner. our aquarium class room is very quiet and impressive.

 

it has only been one day, but i sure can't find one thing that hasn't been outstanding…well its off to the windmills…..

[Valley Girl of VA]

I have done the Colmar optional tour in the past (a few years ago) and I would highly recommend it. It remains one of the highlights of my travels. The town is so interesting with the symbols as signs over the building. The museum with its famous painting and the interpretation by our guide was outstanding. I hope you consider doing this excursion.

 

Jane

[banditoo]

How long was the train ride from the airport to central station. We have about an 8 hour layover and thought about going into Amsterdam. We took the train a few years ago but don't remember much about how long the ride was. Did you buy your ticket from the kiosk or from the window with a person to help you?

 

Jane

We've gone into Amsterdam from the airport by train during a long layover. Very easy to use the kiosks for train ticket, then a quick 15 minute ride to Centraal Station and then walk, take tram or canal boat cruise to fill a few hours in central amsterdam. Schipol Airport is also great to spend time for a few hours as they have lots of facilities, even a small museum display. We have also enjoyed the shower facilities and day rooms at the airport when we have had a layover between really long flight segments.

[banditoo]

tml1230

Thanks for reporting back in. Great to hear that the start of your cruise is going well. Also really good to hear your favourable impression of the aquarium class stateroom since we have also booked aquarium class on the Idi in August. How are you finding the internet connection on the boat? Looking forward to more postings so we can ride along with you on the adventure!:D

[tml1230]

We are sitting in Paris now after disembarking the viking hiln…after the first couple of outstanding days on the ship, some hiccups developed that disappointed us a little. The food quality went down noticeably during the cruise, which surprised us.

On one castle tour, our ENTIRE group was left behind at the ship…. and the confused staff person (her first tour) walked us around for over an hour "looking" for the bus. OK, mistakes happen and we don't judge a whole cruise by one episode….but for the on-board hotel manager to repeatedly blame the "stupid bus driver" for leaving without us….yes, the bus driver drove away in an empty bus… is wrong. An absolute lack of leadership and accountability on the part of a senior staff member disturbed many of us much more so than the screw up.

 

The most anticipated tour for us was the Black Forest tour…we were disappointed by a poor tour guide and what amounted to one stop at a cuckoo clock store. For those of you that have been on large cruise ships and been "escorted" to a "ship friendly" store, you know what i mean….Our original intent was to buy a clock on this cruise... but that changed once we got there, mostly based on prices…we had done a lot of research prior to the trip for cuckoo clocks so we know enough about quality and cost…we figure we will order on-line from the Black Forest and save money. Basically we had an hour and half bus ride through a magnificent area being distracted by an inaudible guide. Then an hour wandering through one store, then an return ride back to the ship.

 

The other tours were good to very good and the staff continued to be outstanding . They worked very hard, always smiling and helpful. The viking owned busses are excellent and plenty of room.

 

Our aquarium room was wonderful. We enjoyed it much more than any ocean cruise ship rooms. The accent lighting in the room, REAL shower glass doors, a toilet seat with that magic thing that doesn't let the seat slam down (really cool) all were great. We surely wouldnt spend the extra money for a balcony, particularly in cooler weather.

 

Will we take a 3rd cruise with viking?…yes, even with the hiccups, we bought 2 future cruise certificates. With the exception of the hotel manager,the staff really made the cruise…..We enjoy river cruising….no art auctions, no long lines at the buffet, no "buy this", or massage that …etc etc.

we are not the "Hi, what is your name and where are you from ?" type and we were able to find spots to be by ourselves…

although no tables for 2 exist in the dining room, that was not a problem for us…we met some wonderful people during the week and tried to avoid only a few others. You probably know the type…self absorbed and omni knowledgeable about every topic…and NEVER take a breath…..

 

thanks again to all who helped us plan this cruise! we hope your cruise is safe and memorable.

[banditoo]

Thanks tml. Good to hear that for the most part the cruise was a success and enjoyable. I hope you provided feedback directly to Viking so they can make the necessary quality improvements for food and tour logistics. Many of us yet to cruise with them on this itinerary this year....