If Captain's Club changes come to Crown & Anchor . . .

[yogimax]

11 hours ago, island lady said:

 

This will be my first Viking cruise (though not my first river cruise)...I am worried I might like Viking too much.  😉  Been wanting to try their new ocean liners also. 

Our first river cruise was on Avalon, next two on Viking.  Very little difference between the two lines but we decided Viking was a smidgen better.

 

One small difference, which you may appreciate.  Avalon includes complimentary wines at dinner, but Viking at lunch and dinner.

[xpcdoojk]

1 hour ago, yogimax said:

Our first river cruise was on Avalon, next two on Viking.  Very little difference between the two lines but we decided Viking was a smidgen better.

 

One small difference, which you may appreciate.  Avalon includes complimentary wines at dinner, but Viking at lunch and dinner.

And Viking makes you pay a year in advance.  And Vikings ships are so big, that they don’t float when the rivers are low and you end up taking a really expensive bus tour in Europe.

 

Avalon is so superior.  

 

Just saying.

 

jc

[yogimax]

9 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

Vikings ships are so big, that they don’t float when the rivers are low and you end up taking a really expensive bus tour in Europe.

 

 

Not true.  Avalon and Viking ships are almost identical in size.

[xpcdoojk]

I know you are incapable of being wrong but .... again you....

 

When is final payment on Viking?  O, pretty much when you book a year in advance.

 

Have you ever visited the river cruise section of this forum and read any of the historic fails of Viking on the Rhine?  I am guessing yes you did and figured a different way of thinking about it.

 

jc

[xpcdoojk]

2 hours ago, yogimax said:

Our first river cruise was on Avalon, next two on Viking.  Very little difference between the two lines but we decided Viking was a smidgen better.

 

One small difference, which you may appreciate.  Avalon includes complimentary wines at dinner, but Viking at lunch and dinner.

How often are you on the river cruise ship at lunch,... almost never...  

 

Good lord... Viking has awesome commercials.  Welcome to the club! 🤣

[island lady]

14 hours ago, yogimax said:

Our first river cruise was on Avalon, next two on Viking.  Very little difference between the two lines but we decided Viking was a smidgen better.

 

One small difference, which you may appreciate.  Avalon includes complimentary wines at dinner, but Viking at lunch and dinner.

 

Oh yes...love the duo dining wines!  😉  Our last European river cruise had that, as well as Champagne at night on the top deck after dinner.  So heavenly on a cool night watching the scenery go by up there.  🤗🥂

[island lady]

15 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I don't know why they changed the location. Several times when I tried to edit a post I ended up quoting myself instead because of the old location of the edit button.

 

Old habits die hard...have done the same thing several times myself.  

[yogimax]

15 hours ago, xpcdoojk said:

When is final payment on Viking?  O, pretty much when you book a year in advance.

 

 

Yes, you are right on final payment.  My comment was in regard to the size of the ship.

[yogimax]

15 hours ago, xpcdoojk said:

How often are you on the river cruise ship at lunch,... almost never...  

 

Lunch on a river cruise?  Viking plans their excursions so that you will be on the boat for lunch almost every day.

[yogimax]

3 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Oh yes...love the duo dining wines!  😉  Our last European river cruise had that, as well as Champagne at night on the top deck after dinner.  So heavenly on a cool night watching the scenery go by up there.  🤗🥂

A river cruise can be so relaxing.  What a pleasure to just relax and watch the scenery as the boat meanders slowing up or down the river.

[Milwaukee Eight]

13 minutes ago, yogimax said:

Lunch on a river cruise?  Viking plans their excursions so that you will be on the boat for lunch almost every day.

Why would you want to have lunch almost everyday on the boat instead of out and about?  
 

M8

[Goodtime Cruizin]

On 11/19/2020 at 3:18 PM, mugtech said:

A 14 day cruise we were looking at in Asia in 2022 increased by $1,000 for an inside for two.  We don't drink alcohol, priced us out of that cruise, probably will never sail X if that is the result for other cruises.

 

I don't believe the increase you post is a result of the changes in the Captain's Club. I believe it's the future cost of cruising in general in an effort to re-group and pay for a shut down. As an example, my 12 day July 30, 2021 British Isle Cruise on Celebrity is currently 114% higher than my May 1st booking.  I also believe you'll see increases in most if not all other carriers as well. 

[island lady]

26 minutes ago, yogimax said:

A river cruise can be so relaxing.  What a pleasure to just relax and watch the scenery as the boat meanders slowing up or down the river.

 

Indeed yes.  In many ways, really prefer that over an ocean cruise....as everything is so "up close and personal" on a river cruise.  Love the smaller ships/boats also.  🙂   

 

Then again, we love the variety as well...going from Mega ship Oasis class..to the little barge/boat river cruisers and everything in beween.  A wise Pinnie friend once told me when I asked her "What is your favorite ship"...she told me "Any ship I am currently on"....she was right.  😉 

[island lady]

20 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Why would you want to have lunch almost everyday on the boat instead of out and about?  
 

M8

 

Fantastic chefs that know you and your preferences....totally spoiled.  😉 

 

The guided shore excursions are complimentary and always in small groups....the history is so fascinating...not to mention the wineries we visit.  ☺️

 

No need for special lounges, Captain's Clubs, SL, CL, DL....it's all included.  No worries about "changes" coming to a program.  

Edited November 24, 2020 by island lady

[snichols23]

On 11/20/2020 at 11:43 PM, John&LaLa said:

 

I'm making my own😉🍋🍸

Beautiful! I learned how to make it in Italy and is now a neighborhood favorite. I get bottles from Dollar Tree. 
 

pricing of new CC cruises is hard to justify. I’ve been looking at other lines. Loyalty may be a thing of the past. I may be forced to walk the plank and jump on another cruise line.

 

[xpcdoojk]

1 hour ago, yogimax said:

Yes, you are right on final payment.  My comment was in regard to the size of the ship.

Actually, their ships are typically larger with more passengers and thus a deeper draft.  More Viking ships have had their river cruise passengers become bus trip passengers than all other lines combined.  

 

If you are saying that they are all pretty much the same size, that is true, as they are limited by the bridges over the river and the locks they sail thru.  IE most of them are three decks and limited in length by the length of the locks.  They however have significant differences in draft and thus when the water is low, they are trapped quite often.  

Edited November 24, 2020 by xpcdoojk

[yogimax]

1 hour ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Why would you want to have lunch almost everyday on the boat instead of out and about?  
 

1.  Excursions morning and afternoon on some days

2.  Boat may be traveling from port to port

3.  Some stops are a distance from the towns

4.  Good food

5.  Gotta eat sometime.

 

 

Edited November 24, 2020 by yogimax

[reallyitsmema]

1 hour ago, xpcdoojk said:

Actually, their ships are typically larger with more passengers and thus a deeper draft.  More Viking ships have had their river cruise passengers become bus trip passengers than all other lines combined.  

 

If you are saying that they are all pretty much the same size, that is true, as they are limited by the bridges over the river and the locks they sail thru.  IE most of them are three decks and limited in length by the length of the locks.  They however have significant differences in draft and thus when the water is low, they are trapped quite often.  

 

That is exactly what happened to my Mom two years ago.  River was at a record low and her ship was stuck on one side of a void and its sister ship was on the other.  They sailed a few days on one ship and then had a long bus ride to the other ship to finish their cruise on that ship.  They had the same cabin on each ship but they had lots of bus trips in place of some of what they had planned for their once in a lifetime cruise.  Boarding the ships was tough because the river was so low, many very steep gangways at alternate docks as they couldn't reach some of the usual ones.  

 

Unfortunately, she won't ever go again due to age and how poorly Viking handled the whole situation.  

[xpcdoojk]

15 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

That is exactly what happened to my Mom two years ago.  River was at a record low and her ship was stuck on one side of a void and its sister ship was on the other.  They sailed a few days on one ship and then had a long bus ride to the other ship to finish their cruise on that ship.  They had the same cabin on each ship but they had lots of bus trips in place of some of what they had planned for their once in a lifetime cruise.  Boarding the ships was tough because the river was so low, many very steep gangways at alternate docks as they couldn't reach some of the usual ones.  

 

Unfortunately, she won't ever go again due to age and how poorly Viking handled the whole situation.  

 

On the upside they take your money shortly after you make the reservation... isn’t that what Renaissance cruise lines did too, right before they didn’t exist any more.😆  

 

I am quite certain that Viking is a good experience, and I love their ads.  That said, I plan on never ever booking one.  Of course when I priced a river cruise for next fall recently... I will probably never book another river cruise.  They are way fond of the product based on the price.  I really enjoyed our two river cruises, but I really enjoyed our driving vacations in Europe, and at the price of a cruise, I will just buy another car in Europe and end up with a car as a souvenir.  🤣I have done that twice and those are the best vacations of all. The excitement of visiting new places and doing it in a new car. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

1 hour ago, yogimax said:

1.  Excursions morning and afternoon on some days

2.  Boat may be traveling from port to port

3.  Some stops are a distance from the towns

4.  Good food

5.  Gotta eat sometime.

 

 

Free?

[xpcdoojk]

26 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Free?

Most are.  Some have a fee attached.  The standard tour is get off the ship short bus ride to the main cathedral or castle walk around with a guide.  Some of the bus rides can be longer, such as our first cruise on the Danube where we were on and off the bus most of the day.  Those days you would get off the ship in one town and get back on in another.  The countries of Bulgaria and Serbia were like that.  When we did the Rhine cruise, it was more traditional.  Although, I know that there were some tours that had a fee attached, usually any tour with a long bus ride.  Such as going to Rothenburg Au Tabler on the Rhine.  I know we paid $88 each in 2014 for the day trip in Bulgaria. Our Rhine cruise was a wine appreciation tour, so on most days had a winery or cellar visit, and we had several wine dinners as part of the trip.  What I learned about wine that I didn’t already know (I am a bit of a wine snob) is that Germany does a lot of Pinot Noir.  I, also, learned they shouldn’t.  🤔🤣

 

I, personally, when we are in a town during the lunchtime find a nice local restaurant.  A lot of the people who ate on the ship, hardly ever got off the ship.  The food on the ship is very good, but not as interesting as partaking the local flavors.  IMHO

 

jc

[John&LaLa]

4 hours ago, snichols23 said:

Beautiful! I learned how to make it in Italy and is now a neighborhood favorite. I get bottles from Dollar Tree. 
 

pricing of new CC cruises is hard to justify. I’ve been looking at other lines. Loyalty may be a thing of the past. I may be forced to walk the plank and jump on another cruise line.

 

 

I'll look into that. Amazon is around $20 for 12 and includes the seal

[John&LaLa]

5 hours ago, yogimax said:

Lunch on a river cruise?  Viking plans their excursions so that you will be on the boat for lunch almost every day.

 

Interesting, I'd always read you were out and about all day enjoying local culture

[mugtech]

5 hours ago, Goodtime Cruizin said:

 

I don't believe the increase you post is a result of the changes in the Captain's Club. I believe it's the future cost of cruising in general in an effort to re-group and pay for a shut down. As an example, my 12 day July 30, 2021 British Isle Cruise on Celebrity is currently 114% higher than my May 1st booking.  I also believe you'll see increases in most if not all other carriers as well. 

As an example our 12/12/21 12 day cruise out of Cape Liberty on Anthem just went down $71 each for two in an inside cabin.

[yogimax]

4 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Free?

One excursion (sometimes 2) in each port is included.  The food is excellent and both food and wine mirror the locality you are visiting.  In addition, there will be nightly entertainment or cultural presentations.  It is a different experience from traditional cruising and, bottom line, we love both.