Newbie needs help...what am i missing here?

[toseaornottosea]

Recently booked our first Europe river cruise on Viking. With respect to using 'included air' on Capt. BJ's post he said "4. prices wrt 'included air'. We never use air arranged by the cruise line. Period. We always do better on our own. But we are willing to spend TIME setting things up.

 

I too am retired and spend a lot of time researching our trips including flights & costs. We ended up having our TA book our air thru the Viking Air Plus Department for this cruise which cost us $50pp. We wanted RT business class and we had a deviation to another city in Europe before we got to the departure city for the cruise. The cost of the flights booking thru Viking Air Plus for the exact flights and seats I had found on British Air were 50% less than the best prices I could find and that included the $50pp and a $100pp deviation fee we paid Viking Air Plus to get the flights we wanted. As you might guess I was shocked by how much booking thru Viking Air Plus saved us.

[Cobbie48]

Thank you. I'm now looking at a couple of others...any suggestions?

 

Just booked our fourth cruise on Avalon. Provence to Paris. First was Prague to Budapest. Second was cancelled at the last minute due to Main River water levels in July. Avalon refunded all $$ and gave us I think $500 of on next cruise. Amsterdam to Basel, wonderful. Last fall I caught a great deal on the canals Brussels to Amsterdam.

 

We always stay in the aquarium cabins as we are not in it much. Avalon offers an alternative dinner in the lounge which is smaller portions of the main dining room meals.

 

Their tours are wonderful and majority of local guides excellent. I know avalon has some special pricing running now. Give them a look

[Cruzer1001]

My DH is really interested in a river cruise. We have done a few ocean cruises and enjoy unpacking once and waking up every day in a new place. We like small ships that can get close to the ports and are small enough that they're easy to navigate. We don't particularly care for the entertainment. Sounds like river cruising meets all of those criteria, right?

 

My issue is that for not much more than I will be paying for a balcony/french balcony/some kind of view on a 7 night river cruise (Scenic or Uniworld), I can get a 12 or 13 night ocean cruise in a balcony cabin (Azamara). Both include all alcohol, and the river cruises include a shore excursion each day. Looks like cabin sizes are about the same on both, but in reading reviews I perceive that the culinary offerings are more limited and probably not as good on the river cruise as what we've experienced on our ocean cruises. In those same reviews, I learn that there is the possibility of (a)having to be transported by bus/miss ports due to low or high water levels and (b)boats being rafted together rendering the balcony unusable. We have missed ocean ports before, but it just didn't seem like that big a deal. We still had the ship to enjoy.

 

Can anyone help me justify spending what seems like an astronomical amount of money for a one week vacation? Are the included shore excursions on the river cruises "all that"? Do they ever offer special pricing and perhaps I'm just looking at "rack rates"? I'm struggling here:confused:...first world problems, for sure!

 

P.S. We are specifically looking at the Danube, Nuremberg (or similar) to Budapest.

 

 

 

We have done a number of ocean cruises but our three weeks on the Viking Embla in 2015 was outstanding. Amsterdam to Bucharest with a different port almost every day. No “nickel & dimeing” like the ocean lines. Tours and sightseeing in every port included. Think of what it costs on a liner for two people to purchase tours every day. The smaller ships mean that you get to know your shipmates and crew.

I have to admit that we were lucky since we sailed in the spring and had no water “issues”. Low water is bad and high water is bad, but the constant parade of scenery makes for a special experience. My one piece of river cruise advice would be: sail east to west if you are going from Eastern Europe to Western.

 

 

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[philw1776]

Curious, why sail East to West?

[Hoyaheel]

Curious, why sail East to West?

One reason I've heard is that way the weather doesn't "follow" you (in the case of bad weather).

[Cruzer1001]

Curious, why sail East to West?

 

 

 

The reason is that Eastern Europe hasn’t experienced the kind of rebuilding that the Netherlands, Germany, Austria etc. have. The castles, cathedrals and rebuilt cities of Western Europe are a tough act to follow as you go east from Budapest. Starting in Bucharest the sites get progressively more completed and spectacular as you move west. The people all the way from Amsterdam to Bucharest were wonderful but the structures after Slovakia have not benefitted from the same 70 years of rebuilding since WWII that say Germany has.

If you are lucky, like us, you will meet and make new friends from Slovakia and Romania and experience the warmth of Eastern Europe.

 

 

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[Peregrina651]

"The included wine is average and plentiful but there is no need to upgrade to a better alcohol package. Most cruise lines encourage you to bring your own wine onboard and don't charge a corkage fee."

 

 

Thank you...great idea and one I'll remember. My husband isn't a wine drinker...will they allow him to bring on a bottle of vodka?

 

Viking does not care what spirits--wine, beer, vodka, etc.-- you bring on board as long as they are legal. No need to hide it in a rum-runner either.

[Peregrina651]

The reason is that Eastern Europe hasn’t experienced the kind of rebuilding that the Netherlands, Germany, Austria etc. have. The castles, cathedrals and rebuilt cities of Western Europe are a tough act to follow as you go east from Budapest. Starting in Bucharest the sites get progressively more completed and spectacular as you move west. The people all the way from Amsterdam to Bucharest were wonderful but the structures after Slovakia have not benefitted from the same 70 years of rebuilding since WWII that say Germany has.

If you are lucky, like us, you will meet and make new friends from Slovakia and Romania and experience the warmth of Eastern Europe.

 

 

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On the other hand, we sailed from Budapest to Bucharest and loved it. It was like going on a time machine back into history.

[pickypicky]

We will be sailing from Vienna to Budapest. I have read that the evening cruise in Budapest is special so I chose that route. We have made a deposit on a Crystal Mahler sailing in May 2019.

Thanks to everyone for all the input. I hope we’ve made a good choice...all comments were so helpful!

 

 

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[Cruzer1001]

Viking does not care what spirits--wine, beer, vodka, etc.-- you bring on board as long as they are legal. No need to hide it in a rum-runner either.

 

 

 

Good point to mention. We had our two suitcases AND four cases of wine under the bed! No one said a thing.

 

 

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[Cruzer1001]

We will be sailing from Vienna to Budapest. I have read that the evening cruise in Budapest is special so I chose that route. We have made a deposit on a Crystal Mahler sailing in May 2019.

Thanks to everyone for all the input. I hope we’ve made a good choice...all comments were so helpful!

 

 

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There is a reason why Budapest is shown in virtually every river cruise ad; it is a spectacularly beautiful, and often overlooked city. Absolutely gorgeous!

We were there in May before it got busy and docked right beside the Chain Bridge overnight.

Oh, and by the way, in Vienna, unless you like apricot jam, skip the Sacher torte and instead try the Hotel Imperial’s Imperial torte.

 

 

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[Got2Cruise]

We will be sailing from Vienna to Budapest. I have read that the evening cruise in Budapest is special so I chose that route. We have made a deposit on a Crystal Mahler sailing in May 2019.

Thanks to everyone for all the input. I hope we’ve made a good choice...all comments were so helpful!

 

 

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Can’t wait to read your review and find out if you loved it. I see you’re trying the best of the best! Might as well. lol I imagine Crystal has many special excursions planned for you.

 

 

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[lackcreativity]

We will be sailing from Vienna to Budapest. I have read that the evening cruise in Budapest is special so I chose that route. We have made a deposit on a Crystal Mahler sailing in May 2019.

Thanks to everyone for all the input. I hope we’ve made a good choice...all comments were so helpful!

 

 

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We took a Viking cruise from Budapest to Nuremberg. On the evening of embarkation, the captain took the ship out on a sightseeing trip along the river in Budapest, and then returned to our berth. We all gathered up on the sun deck after dinner and the servers brought glasses of champagne. It was a fabulous start to our voyage.

[pickypicky]

Can’t wait to read your review and find out if you loved it. I see you’re trying the best of the best! Might as well. lol I imagine Crystal has many special excursions planned for you.

 

 

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Thanks, I hope we love it! Since this is our first river cruise, I decided to follow the advice of someone on these boards and book the least expensive category that I could tolerate. On Crystal Mahler, this isn't a below water cabin. It has a full picture window and is right next door to a larger suite. And it is the same size as some ocean cruise cabins that we have occupied. These factors, in addition to the Crystal reputation had me at hello. Also, the price, with gratuities and alcohol included, was about the same as some of the other lines I was considering. Now we have fifteen months to wait...:)

[notamermaid]

Pickypicky,

 

glad to read that the community has been able to help you with your decision (and I think all who are reading this thread are happy to read that you have made a choice for a river cruise). You sound very happy with your choice and it does sound like a good deal if it is so close in price to the other lines you have considered.

 

Have a great time on the Crystal Mahler.

 

notamermaid

[pickypicky]

Pickypicky,

 

glad to read that the community has been able to help you with your decision (and I think all who are reading this thread are happy to read that you have made a choice for a river cruise). You sound very happy with your choice and it does sound like a good deal if it is so close in price to the other lines you have considered.

 

Have a great time on the Crystal Mahler.

 

notamermaid

Thank you!