Viking Mimir Grand European Tour 7-1-22; "Live"

[Canal archive]

Notamermaid my husband bought me a ‘wide angled lens’ I dread to think what it cost him but it’s the best bit of kit ever. I’ve even stopped using my paperatzi lens.

[notamermaid]

31 minutes ago, Canal archive said:

Notamermaid my husband bought me a ‘wide angled lens’

A very useful and fun present for all those Rhine panoramas and Würzburg and Budapest - and Versailles! You know that Baroque idea was to be wide and impressive. Also Castle Howard in Yorkshire (what a dome!), but there the huge park helps with positioning the most humble of photographers, i.e. me.

 

But back to the Main. Recently been to Aschaffenburg, that is a neat little (big-ish) palace they have on the waterfront, what a setting. I am sure that looks good in a photograph taken from the river.

 

Speaking of the lesser known ports, while I agree with the "hop off here hop on there" logistics on the Main not being ideal on a river cruise, it is certainly right that on an Amsterdam to Budapest itinerary you need to avoid all the meanders and locks, I mean make good time on a coach, while the ship needs to follow the winding river. Or expand that itinerary by two to three days...

 

notamermaid

 

[loge23]

15 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

We had similar days. Docked in Honfleur, so perhaps an hour less on the bus each day. But you can’t get those sights without a relatively long ride that backtracks. Our visit to the Caen Museum was part of our return to CDG from Honfleur - loooong ride.

A bit off topic on this thread, but I'd like to pipe in a bit regarding visits to Normandy. I highly recommend doing a tour of the beaches, the tapestry, and the towns of Normandy as independent as you are able to do. If you are interested in the landing beaches, you will need at least 2 or 3 days - more depending on how interested you are in the D-Day events. A great base is Bayeux - very centrally located for exploring the sites. There are also several companies that run guided day tours out of Bayeux both to the landing beaches and to Mont Saint-Michel (not as one tour!). The town is beautiful and the people are warm and friendly (yes, tis true). You can walk over the tapestry building for an incredible exhibit of the original work. Plenty of good restaurants too. It's a relatively short, easy drive from CDG if you fly in to Paris (be sure to get a car with GPS). 

Us Yanks will be sure to see Omaha, Utah, the Pont du Hoc, and the incredibly moving American cemetery; but if you're on your own, you may want to drive a bit east to take in Sword, Gold and Juno and maybe the Merville Battery - a very important and well-preserved landmark for the D-Day invasion. The invasion wouldn't have been successful without the British and Australian forces, among other Allies who combined with the Americans to change the course of history. Your visit honors them.  

 

[gnome12]

45 minutes ago, loge23 said:

The invasion wouldn't have been successful without the British and Australian forces, among other Allies who combined with the Americans to change the course of history. Your visit honors them.  

And Canadians. 

[loge23]

50 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

And Canadians. 

Of course! My apologies for that unintentional omission!

[CPT Trips]

And also from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland. We in the US forget that our troops were less than half of the invasion force.

[rizello]

On 7/6/2022 at 1:24 PM, StartrainDD said:

Wednesday, July 6 – Cruising the Main and Wurzburg Germany

 

We woke on our own right about 7:00. Normal morning routine and we found our new friends in the dining room. Afterwards we went up to the Aquavit terrace to work on photos and post a few on the live thread. The Eistla is docked at Zell am Main to let off two optional excursions and do some housekeeping.

 

I stepped off the ship for a few minutes to take photos as the sun was at just the right angle to do so. The crew were busy removing trash and also a lot of 20 gallon (?) blue containers that may have been holding recyclables? Apparently right behind the trees next to the dock there was some kind of processing facility.

 

Back to the Aquavit to update this log as we left the dock and resumed our very pretty cruising along the Main. By the way, “Main” is pronounced 'Mine.' We greatly enjoyed sitting in the Aquavit and just stayed there until lunch was served. Lunch was very good and the “Fish & Chips” would have satisfied any British friends for sure. The chef was cooking Chicken Breasts on the grill, and everyone seemed quite happy with lunch.

 

The ship docked a little before 1:00 in Wurzburg. We decided to forgo the provided excursion and left the ship, along with a few others, as soon as the gangway was in place. We walked around the “Ring park” to the far side of the Wurzburg Residenz where we entered the East garden. We greatly enjoyed the gardens, the rose gardens, the terraces, and the statues throughout the East & South gardens.

 

From the Residenz we followed Rick Steve's walking tour and passed the Fountain of Franconia before touring the Dom, AKA St. Killian's Cathedral. We also toured the Neumunster Basilica before enjoying the Upper Market Square and the main Market Square. We needed a break and enjoyed some beverages and Apple Strudel at Wirtshaus Lammle just off the square by Marienkapelle church. Leaving there we headed towards the rathaus (City Hall) and ran into the program director just finishing up a Bratwurst sandwich. He walked with us as he said he needed to meet some of the tours there.

 

We could not find the WW2 memorial near the rathaus. We finished our tour at the Old Main Bridge where we partook of the Wurzburg tradition and enjoyed a glass each of Franconian wine from Alte Mainmuble at the base of the bridge. The bridge dates from 1133, and is the second oldest in Germany. On the bridge we found the statue of St. Killian with his golden sword pointing the way to heaven.

 

We returned our glasses for the deposit and walked back to the Eistla, arriving just after 5:00. That gave us time to freshen up before the port talk for the next day and dinner. We wanted to try dinner in the Aquavit but the “Treasure Wine Tasting” was still going on at 7:10, so we proceeded to the dining room. Dinner was very good but service seemed slow this evening and we didn't get out of there until just after 9:00.

 

We enjoyed entertainer Api for a while and called it a night at 9:50.

 

Oh, and tomorrow we leave for our tour to Bamberg at 1:30 but will not be able to return to the ship until 6:15.

This has been very helpful.  Inspired me to venture out on my own using the Rick Steves walking tour.  And I have just discovered that Wurzburg is a wine hub, so I'm looking forward to stopping at some of the wine bars and wine producers in town.

[rcaruso]

1 hour ago, rizello said:

This has been very helpful.  Inspired me to venture out on my own using the Rick Steves walking tour.  And I have just discovered that Wurzburg is a wine hub, so I'm looking forward to stopping at some of the wine bars and wine producers in town.

My favorite is Silvaner, dry white wine in the rounded bottle.  Julius Spittal has a tasting room--also you can find the Wurzburg app and add it to your phone will give you additional places.  The hills on the Main are covered in vines.  Enjoy.

[StartrainDD]

Thursday, July 7; Cruising the Main & Bamberg Germany

 

No rush out this morning and we followed our normal morning routine until we found our friends having just ordered breakfast in the Aquavit and they invited us to join them. We watched the rain clouds gathering and a few sprinkles occur while we were enjoying breakfast.

 

We returned to our cabins to gather things for later until our cruise director came on the speaker to indicate the start time for the “Canals & Locks” talk was being moved up to 10:45. We immediately went to the lounge and met our friends there. Well, the talk. I was very disappointed. This was a general talk on the history of the development of locks and canals, with a lot of time on the panama canal, but no mention until the last slide of the Main-Danube canal.

 

I spoke with the program manager afterwards and he said he had written information on the Main-Danube and would leave that in our cabin (which he did that evening).

 

After the talk we enjoyed watching the ship dock at a lumber processing yard in Zell am Main where the buses would pick everyone up later. I will admit it smells nice here (the smell of fresh cut wood). We enjoyed lunch on the Aquavit. Shortly before 1:30 everyone departed in coaches for the Bamberg Walking Tour.

 

Bamberg's entire old city is a UNESCO world heritage site (so this makes five UNESCO sites in six days). It rained on and off during our tour and stay in town afterwards, so that may affect my perspective. The buildings are well preserved and our guide explained the baroque appearance of the city versus medieval. Property owners were encouraged by tax abatements by the prince-bishop to modernize their frontages in the 1700's. The abatements went up to 20 years if they modernized three floors of their building. So there are four story buildings with the first three looking baroque and the top floor medieval!

 

We were shown the primary bars for the city's popular 'smoky beer,' and walked up the stairs and hillside to the cathedral. Our guide spent a lot of time telling us the story about the Bamberger Dom St. Peter und St. Georg. The cathedral is noted as it holds the tombs of Henry II and his spouse Cunigunde, the cathedral contains the remains of the only imperial couple that was canonized. With the tomb of Pope Clement II (1005–47) it also contains the only papal grave in Germany, and north of the Alps. It also contains the only statue of a horse within a cathedral anywhere in the world according to our guide. During the tour we did not go into the cathedral but we did visit it on our own after the walking tour.

 

We visited the rose garden and it's very nice view over the city. During our few minutes there we had a break of sunshine and then the liquid sunshine came down in droves! The walking tour ended here and we returned to see the inside of the cathedral. Afterwards we walked back down the hill and found a pub for a cup of coffee & tea to sit out the storm. We did not try the smoky beer. We noticed the real sunshine returned so we walked back past the Rathouse (a very unique building in the middle of the river) and towards our bus pick up point.

 

We boarded the bus to return to the Eistla. Once again, the buses were at the boarding site before the Eistla arrived. This site was in an industrial area outside of town with a very narrow sidewalk to stand on. We were told we could wait on the coach, but with the engine turned off it quickly becomes very stagnated air. 40-50 people sitting in a coach with no air circulation is certainly a tremendous recipe for spreading diseases of all types, and there are certainly an increasing number of guests with coughs. The program director said it is the law in Germany that motor coaches need to turn off their engine when not in transit...

 

About 10 minutes later the Eistla was docked and we could all get on board. We headed straight for the Aquavit and took a table to listen to the next day's schedule and wait for dinner. The sun was out but we could see storm clouds ahead of us. We went through a few very tall locks, these had to be at least 80 feet or 25+ meters tall. The plan for Friday in Nuremberg is that the WWII tour and Nuremberg tours will leave at 9:00 AM. The ship will be docked but 20 minutes outside of town. The morning tours return in early afternoon. There is a 2:15 “Art in Nuremberg” tour and also a complementary option to return to the city on your own for the afternoon. The ship will depart at 2:30 and pick up afternoon tour or shuttle guests at Roth. We are taking the WWII tour in the morning and will take in the city in the afternoon on our own using the Rick Steve's tour book, so a very full day tomorrow.

[Canal archive]

StartrainDD I always ensure that I tailor my talks to whatever aspect required, recently believe it or not the role played by the canal during wartime entitled ‘The Final Frontier’.

Any visit to Pont du Hoc is an experience and after to the American war grave cemetery.

The people of Normandy are so appreciative of all that the alies achieved my dad was on board HMS Nelson and I was brought up in Portsmouth. I’ve learnt that one of my grandmothers brothers is named on the Menin Gate and another went down at the Battle of Jutland these two wars touch us all in some way.

[ural guy]

7 hours ago, rizello said:

This has been very helpful.  Inspired me to venture out on my own using the Rick Steves walking tour.  And I have just discovered that Wurzburg is a wine hub, so I'm looking forward to stopping at some of the wine bars and wine producers in town.

Just a heads up, the wine growing region around Wurzburg is know as the Franconian wine region, and all their wine is in the squat rounded bottles.  It is very, very dry.  We never developed a taste for it.  Instead picked up the local young persons drink of mixing red wine with coke.  I know sounds weird, but we liked it. 

 

Enjoy your sailing. If you go up to the fortress in Wurzburg, nearby is the International Garden (use to be called that).  A large park, with representations of different coutries ornamental garden style.  If nice weather, very enjoyable.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franconia_(wine_region)

[notamermaid]

6 hours ago, StartrainDD said:

The program director said it is the law in Germany that motor coaches need to turn off their engine when not in transit...

And a good thing, too. But for your comfort the coach driver could have kept you all on board and taken another few rounds just driving you along (with air conditioning and all that). I think he should have offered that.

 

6 hours ago, StartrainDD said:

This was a general talk on the history of the development of locks and canals, with a lot of time on the panama canal, but no mention until the last slide of the Main-Danube canal.

Which sounds like "the huge Panama Canal, etc. etc., by the way here is one slight of the Canal you are going to be on" (added by me: this absolutely major engineering feat that for the first time ever has managed to connect the European continent by waterways to allow major transport and river cruising to happen).

 

5 hours ago, Canal archive said:

StartrainDD I always ensure that I tailor my talks to whatever aspect required

That is the way to do it. Be it lecture or guided tour.

 

Would love to see Nuremberg, top of my list is the railway museum.

 

notamermaid

 

[meg1021]

8 hours ago, StartrainDD said:

Thursday, July 7; Cruising the Main & Bamberg Germany

 

No rush out this morning and we followed our normal morning routine until we found our friends having just ordered breakfast in the Aquavit and they invited us to join them. We watched the rain clouds gathering and a few sprinkles occur while we were enjoying breakfast.

 

We returned to our cabins to gather things for later until our cruise director came on the speaker to indicate the start time for the “Canals & Locks” talk was being moved up to 10:45. We immediately went to the lounge and met our friends there. Well, the talk. I was very disappointed. This was a general talk on the history of the development of locks and canals, with a lot of time on the panama canal, but no mention until the last slide of the Main-Danube canal.

 

I spoke with the program manager afterwards and he said he had written information on the Main-Danube and would leave that in our cabin (which he did that evening).

 

After the talk we enjoyed watching the ship dock at a lumber processing yard in Zell am Main where the buses would pick everyone up later. I will admit it smells nice here (the smell of fresh cut wood). We enjoyed lunch on the Aquavit. Shortly before 1:30 everyone departed in coaches for the Bamberg Walking Tour.

 

Bamberg's entire old city is a UNESCO world heritage site (so this makes five UNESCO sites in six days). It rained on and off during our tour and stay in town afterwards, so that may affect my perspective. The buildings are well preserved and our guide explained the baroque appearance of the city versus medieval. Property owners were encouraged by tax abatements by the prince-bishop to modernize their frontages in the 1700's. The abatements went up to 20 years if they modernized three floors of their building. So there are four story buildings with the first three looking baroque and the top floor medieval!

 

We were shown the primary bars for the city's popular 'smoky beer,' and walked up the stairs and hillside to the cathedral. Our guide spent a lot of time telling us the story about the Bamberger Dom St. Peter und St. Georg. The cathedral is noted as it holds the tombs of Henry II and his spouse Cunigunde, the cathedral contains the remains of the only imperial couple that was canonized. With the tomb of Pope Clement II (1005–47) it also contains the only papal grave in Germany, and north of the Alps. It also contains the only statue of a horse within a cathedral anywhere in the world according to our guide. During the tour we did not go into the cathedral but we did visit it on our own after the walking tour.

 

We visited the rose garden and it's very nice view over the city. During our few minutes there we had a break of sunshine and then the liquid sunshine came down in droves! The walking tour ended here and we returned to see the inside of the cathedral. Afterwards we walked back down the hill and found a pub for a cup of coffee & tea to sit out the storm. We did not try the smoky beer. We noticed the real sunshine returned so we walked back past the Rathouse (a very unique building in the middle of the river) and towards our bus pick up point.

 

We boarded the bus to return to the Eistla. Once again, the buses were at the boarding site before the Eistla arrived. This site was in an industrial area outside of town with a very narrow sidewalk to stand on. We were told we could wait on the coach, but with the engine turned off it quickly becomes very stagnated air. 40-50 people sitting in a coach with no air circulation is certainly a tremendous recipe for spreading diseases of all types, and there are certainly an increasing number of guests with coughs. The program director said it is the law in Germany that motor coaches need to turn off their engine when not in transit...

 

About 10 minutes later the Eistla was docked and we could all get on board. We headed straight for the Aquavit and took a table to listen to the next day's schedule and wait for dinner. The sun was out but we could see storm clouds ahead of us. We went through a few very tall locks, these had to be at least 80 feet or 25+ meters tall. The plan for Friday in Nuremberg is that the WWII tour and Nuremberg tours will leave at 9:00 AM. The ship will be docked but 20 minutes outside of town. The morning tours return in early afternoon. There is a 2:15 “Art in Nuremberg” tour and also a complementary option to return to the city on your own for the afternoon. The ship will depart at 2:30 and pick up afternoon tour or shuttle guests at Roth. We are taking the WWII tour in the morning and will take in the city in the afternoon on our own using the Rick Steve's tour book, so a very full day tomorrow.

Thanks, once again, for your informative post. I didn't realize that there were so many drop off points, where the ship keeps moving to another location.  I suppose that's necessary on this itinerary.  As for the rain, it does put a damper on any tour that involves walking outdoors.  But I suppose that the upside is that it helps the river levels, and keeps the surrounding scenery green.  Can't wait for your post about Nuremberg.  My husband is a history buff, and this port is something that he's especially looking forward to.

[StartrainDD]

NOTE:  There are references in the following report to the National Socialist Party of Germany but their common name.  Cruise Critic may delete that name from the post.

 

 

Friday, July 8 – Nuremberg, Germany

 

This was a very full day, and quite fulfilling until 6:15. We enjoyed our normal morning routine. We awoke just before our alarm was set, and enjoyed breakfast in the dining room. We were on the WWII tour and departed the ship at 9:00 while the ship remained docked.

 

This tour was very well done. Our guide was a political science major who has now worked with the *** Documentation Center since 2001. Our first stop was the Zeppelin Field. What was striking was the amount of deterioration that has occurred in the stone building. In fact, the columns at each end were in danger of collapse and were taken down in the 1990's. Our guide said that this was not built using typical German engineering but it was done on the 'quick' and using forced labor to both create the stones and build the stands. The Field area is on the preservation list and there is currently a struggle to find how to preserve it while keeping it as original as possible for future generations to learn from the site.

 

Our next stop was the actual *** Documentation Center. The main site is in the midst of a four year expansion as the number of visitors is triple what it was originally designed for, so we had to settle for a temporary exhibition. It was still striking. Our guide did a tremendous job of explaining the factors that allowed the third Reich to come to power and then to take absolute power.

 

Following that we visited the Nuremberg Trials courtroom & museum. It is amazing that several of these fellows escaped sentencing with their lives and then had their sentences reduced later, yet many were hanged, the first war crime criminals in history to face judgment. We returned to the Eistla for a quick lunch and then took the afternoon shuttle back to Nuremberg.

 

We really enjoyed walking around town. We used the Rick Steve's walking tour and took in about ¾ of the tour. We stopped and enjoyed a break in a cafe, visited two department stores just to see, and stopped in a supermarket right on the main market square. The vendors from the main square were all up and down the Konigstrasse as they were readying the square for some kind of musical event, I assume over the weekend.

 

We met at our assigned 5:30 time for the return bus ride. The Eistla had moved and we were to re board in Roth. Well, we arrived, and no Eistla. We were there at 6:15 as expected, and the program director could not reach the ship by phone. They did not arrive until 7:33.

 

There has got to be a better way, a “Plan B” for these types of situations. For what Viking charges for this trip, one should expect a first class experience. Waiting for the ship, now FOUR times in the first week of the trip, and this time for an hour and eighteen minutes just isn't right. It seems like there are many docking spots along the canal, could we have not met the ship earlier? We heard later that they were held up waiting for the ~90' lock, and a small barge arrived just before them. Well, okay, but let the program director know so we can all relax at a pub for an hour before getting on the bus. Something, nearly anything, is better than waiting at a dock where there is absolutely nothing around.

 

So we are back on the ship at 7:33. Our friends were waiting in the dining room and they had placed our order. That didn't seem to help as we still didn't receive our dinner until after 8:15. So, time for another observation. It seems that every day the service level is ticking down at lunch and dinner. Service does seem a bit better in the Aquavit, but the dining room is really getting slow. Everyone sure seems to be working very hard. I don't know if there are servers missing. Tonight my three glasses (water, wine, and cider) were all empty for a long time before I could catch a waiter. Again, for the price Viking charges, I suppose I was expecting a higher level of service, at least as it was the first couple of days.

 

After dinner we went to the lounge for the 9:15 port talk. The hotel manager worked with the program director on this talk. Tonight sometime we reach the Danube. There is a stretch of the Danube just downstream from Regensburg that has no lock, and the river flows quickly. The water level is currently just at the minimum needed to transverse that area. With no rain in the forecast, they need to get through that area.

 

So, the Eistla will drop folks off at Regensburg early in the morning. Those heading to Munich on tour and those who wish to spend the morning (until 2:00) on their own in town. Then we will dock early afternoon for the included tours which will take coaches back to Regensburg. While everyone is off the ship, the Eistla will transverse the fast and narrow part of the river. I would rather have liked to be aboard for that, but will not miss Regensburg to do so. Then we are supposed to rejoin the ship downstream at Deggendorf at 6:15. Well, maybe. Who knows?

 

It is now late and at least we don't need to start tomorrow early as we don't want to be off the ship from 8:30 until (maybe) 6:15.

[notamermaid]

1 hour ago, StartrainDD said:

The water level is currently just at the minimum needed to transverse that area. With no rain in the forecast, they need to get through that area.

Yes, I have been thinking of you while writing the river levels in the Danube thread. So, It is tight then for the Eistla (as it is for a few other 135m ships). Hope it works out.

 

notamermaid

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Based on what I know of the rivers in this area, you have chosen a particularly risky combination of ship and itinerary:

•  Viking 'longships' hold 190 guests in only 135m [same as all other non-'long' ships] with only 50 crew – that may be why they couldn't get your cabin ready extra early for you [with that ratio, they must 'work to plan' to get it all done].

•  Your itinerary covers 1,300 km – that is a lot of river and is the exact opposite of the 'leisurely' river cruises that the brochures and TV ads depict [Tulip Time, the Seine, and the Douro are more like what they show].

•  Viking longships aren't any longer than the others, but they do seem to be deeper – which is why your Captain must take extraordinary measures to navigate the low-water stretches.

 

It's still possible to have a great cruise despite these disadvantages, but you need to be more flexible and understanding of the challenges you bought in to.

[CastleCritic]

Glad you seemed to have enjoyed Nuremberg, its definitely an interesting city with a lot of history.  I really thought it was interesting how some of the "administration of the 40s' buildings have been repurposed

 

perhaps none more fitting than the power building for the zeppelin field that is now...well...the signs are accurate.  

 

I wish I had an opportunity to spend more time there we kind of blitzed (no pun intended) it on the way out of town to do the land extension (Prague) after the river portion was over, we went outside at the center of justice to the zeppelin field, dropped off passengers who were getting back on the ship to do its next cruise (main to Amsterdam, we had come from Basel originally) at the train station and then we were gone.

 

 

[ural guy]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Based on what I know of the rivers in this area, you have chosen a particularly risky combination of ship and itinerary:

•  Viking 'longships' hold 190 guests in only 135m [same as all other non-'long' ships] with only 50 crew – that may be why they couldn't get your cabin ready extra early for you [with that ratio, they must 'work to plan' to get it all done].

•  Your itinerary covers 1,300 km – that is a lot of river and is the exact opposite of the 'leisurely' river cruises that the brochures and TV ads depict [Tulip Time, the Seine, and the Douro are more like what they show].

•  Viking longships aren't any longer than the others, but they do seem to be deeper – which is why your Captain must take extraordinary measures to navigate the low-water stretches.

 

It's still possible to have a great cruise despite these disadvantages, but you need to be more flexible and understanding of the challenges you bought in to.

Jazz- all great points.  One thing I'd like to know, is what line line is least impacted by low bridges.   When we did this route in 2014, it was our first cruise of any sort.  I had my two daughters with me (20's, they're like pups at that age with tons of energy, need to keep 'em moving), and not being able to wander the top deck was a big surprise.  Given the time it takes to lower and raise the railings, if you were short staffed, I could see a Captain just leaving the railings down and keeping the sun deck closed until off the canal, which is where I think most of the issues are.

 

I really like the Vantage Rhine route for some of the above reasons: 14 days when most others do it in 7. Lots of stops in smaller towns, more time to unpack and really relax on board.

Edited July 9, 2022 by ural guy
clarity, hopefully

[ural guy]

StartrainDD-  Your Main Dining room experience is why we eat in the secondary spot so much.  You can finish as quickly or slowly as you like.  On both Vantage and Viking, it was the same two attendants every night, so they learn your preferences, it's more informal so you can joke and talk a bit.  Service is very quick.  On Vantage, omelette guy is also grill guy, and the grill is about 20' from your table.  That guy had some serious skills, he was grilling probably 10 nights of the 14 night cruise.  One cruise we were given a nice cake for our anniversary, a lot of fun sharing it between the tables and new friends.  It not so noisy as MDR;  you can have nice conversations.  My hearing is shot, and with all the different conversations going on in MDR, and the low ceiling, I can't hear anything clearly.  I wind up nodding and smiling alot.

[tx121]

7 hours ago, StartrainDD said:

Friday, July 8 – Nuremberg, Germany

After dinner we went to the lounge for the 9:15 port talk. The hotel manager worked with the program director on this talk. Tonight sometime we reach the Danube. There is a stretch of the Danube just downstream from Regensburg that has no lock, and the river flows quickly. The water level is currently just at the minimum needed to transverse that area. With no rain in the forecast, they need to get through that area.

 

So, the Eistla will drop folks off at Regensburg early in the morning. Those heading to Munich on tour and those who wish to spend the morning (until 2:00) on their own in town. Then we will dock early afternoon for the included tours which will take coaches back to Regensburg. While everyone is off the ship, the Eistla will transverse the fast and narrow part of the river. I would rather have liked to be aboard for that, but will not miss Regensburg to do so. Then we are supposed to rejoin the ship downstream at Deggendorf at 6:15. Well, maybe. Who knows?

 

We are currently sailing on the Viking Baldur, following you guys “down the river”. Our program director mentioned yesterday that we will have to pack our bags and transfer to a new ship since the water levels are low. I’m guessing your boat will be one of the last ones to go through with the minimum water levels. Viking must be prepared for these type of situations and have a empty boat waiting for us on the other side. 

I agree with you that the service seems off at times and the quality of food has been declining each day as well. Hopefully this transfer to a new boat with a different crew and chefs may be a blessing. 

Also it seems like Covid cases seem to be increasing on our boat. We have be encouraged to wear masks around the boat and required when on the bus. 

Edited July 9, 2022 by tx121

[StartrainDD]

8 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Yes, I have been thinking of you while writing the river levels in the Danube thread. So, It is tight then for the Eistla (as it is for a few other 135m ships). Hope it works out.

 

notamermaid

 

Tight is right!

8 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Based on what I know of the rivers in this area, you have chosen a particularly risky combination of ship and itinerary:

•  Viking 'longships' hold 190 guests in only 135m [same as all other non-'long' ships] with only 50 crew – that may be why they couldn't get your cabin ready extra early for you [with that ratio, they must 'work to plan' to get it all done].

•  Your itinerary covers 1,300 km – that is a lot of river and is the exact opposite of the 'leisurely' river cruises that the brochures and TV ads depict [Tulip Time, the Seine, and the Douro are more like what they show].

•  Viking longships aren't any longer than the others, but they do seem to be deeper – which is why your Captain must take extraordinary measures to navigate the low-water stretches.

 

It's still possible to have a great cruise despite these disadvantages, but you need to be more flexible and understanding of the challenges you bought in to.

Thank you and this seems exactly correct.  However, we had no clue.  None of this is stated in the literature and we expected something more like "Tulips & Windmills" that we did some years ago.  Had we known all this, I doubt we would have taken this trip.  We are enjoying the places we are seeing, but this waiting around for the ship is very old.

5 hours ago, ural guy said:

Jazz- all great points.  One thing I'd like to know, is what line line is least impacted by low bridges.   When we did this route in 2014, it was our first cruise of any sort.  I had my two daughters with me (20's, they're like pups at that age with tons of energy, need to keep 'em moving), and not being able to wander the top deck was a big surprise.  Given the time it takes to lower and raise the railings, if you were short staffed, I could see a Captain just leaving the railings down and keeping the sun deck closed until off the canal, which is where I think most of the issues are.

 

I really like the Vantage Rhine route for some of the above reasons: 14 days when most others do it in 7. Lots of stops in smaller towns, more time to unpack and really relax on board.

This is exactly right.  The railings have been down since we entered the Main, and they are only being restored later today.  So for nearly half our cruise, the sun deck was not accessible.  They don't tell you that in the brochures and literature either.  I had read this on cruise critic in the weeks before the cruise, and I can't sit out in the sun anyway, but I know many on board are not pleased with this.

2 hours ago, tx121 said:

We are currently sailing on the Viking Baldur, following you guys “down the river”. Our program director mentioned yesterday that we will have to pack our bags and transfer to a new ship since the water levels are low. I’m guessing your boat will be one of the last ones to go through with the minimum water levels. Viking must be prepared for these type of situations and have a empty boat waiting for us on the other side. 

I agree with you that the service seems off at times and the quality of food has been declining each day as well. Hopefully this transfer to a new boat with a different crew and chefs may be a blessing. 

Also it seems like Covid cases seem to be increasing on our boat. We have be encouraged to wear masks around the boat and required when on the bus. 

Our program director indicated last night that the ship we could have switched with has already traversed the area westbound so right now they are up against it as we would have no option to switch ships.  Hope it all works out.

 

I am also of the impression that should a ship switch occur the crew goes with you.  Not sure if that applies to the entire crew or just the serving staff or officers?

[StartrainDD]

Here are a few photos from Miltenberg.

 

 

[notamermaid]

11 hours ago, StartrainDD said:

The railings have been down since we entered the Main, and they are only being restored later today.  So for nearly half our cruise, the sun deck was not accessible.  They don't tell you that in the brochures and literature either. 

I feared as much. And, yes, judging from what past cruisers have said here on cruisecritic, it is typical for (North-American, etc.) cruise lines not to mention this straight out or at least clearly visible in brochures. I have found that German ones tend to better at saying this. Not sure about CroisiEurope, but they have many smaller ships, i.e. two cabin levels rather than three. I actually learnt from a CroisiEurope captain that it is best to avoid the three cabin level ships if you are unhappy about the sundeck issue, as they are too high for the Main to keep the sundeck open. I am not sure if he meant all those, but it sounded to me as if it is very widespread practice among the three cabin level ships to keep the sundeck railings down a lot, because there are so many bridges. Perhaps it is all those ships, very likely he at least meant the vast majority. The split-level three cabin level ships are better for this it seems as the sundeck may be closed but there is a different design of lounge space. For more info, see here from post #4: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2670259-the-river-main-infos-and-river-cruising-experiences/#comment-57658624

 

 

notamermaid

 

 

[StartrainDD]

Saturday, July 9; cruising the Danube and Regensburg Germany

 

We woke a little after 7:00 and did our typical morning routine. Met our friends in the dining room for breakfast. I had asked the matire de earlier in the trip about making some of the thick black bread into french toast, and they arranged to do that today. This actually tasted very good. Likely because of the density of the bread, I will admit it was a little chewy.

 

We docked in Regensburg at about 9:10. Those on the all day excursion to Munich as well as any guests who wanted to explore Regensburg on their own, basically for “All day” could depart. Ten minutes later we were sailing again towards Straubling.

 

Perhaps an hour after leaving Regensburg we passed what looked like the Acropolis on the northern side of the river. Looking this up on my phone I found this was a structure called Walhalla and it was completed in 1842 to honor former kings and nobles of Germany. The structure is still used today and every few years another notable German is added to the roster of those honored. It is based on the Acropolis in Athens. Nothing was said about this on board.

 

During the cruising this morning, I was also able to read the documents the program manager left me on the Main-Danube canal. During this I learned that there is a monument astride the canal at the point of the European continental divide. Seeing where it was, I realize we passed this during the prior evening's dinner. Again, nothing was said about this on board and I certainly would have liked to photograph the monument.

 

We sat at a table in the Aquavit long before lunch time and stayed there through lunch. Lunch was nice. We docked in Straubling at about 1:45 and departed for the Regensburg tour. It was well over a 30 minute bus ride back to Regensburg.

 

We met our tour guide and had an enjoyable 90 minute walking tour while taking lots of photos. When the tour was over I was able to go inside the Dom St. Peter (cathedral) to photograph many of the stained glass windows. Regensburg was spared bombings during WWII as no military activity was taking place in the area, so the buildings range up to 1,000 years old. The Stone bridge over the Rhine was an engineering achievement when completed in 1146, and it is still standing and in use today. We walked over the bridge twice in fact.

 

We visited Cafe Prinzess just opposite the old town hall. Cafe Prinzess is said to be the oldest coffeehouse in Germany, opened in 1686. We enjoyed a break from touring at the Cafe while listening to a group of four young men who we assume were from Hungary playing music down the street. After the cafe we began walking back towards the bus station, but made a detour to climb the tower at the foot of the stone bridge. I took photos in each direction from the tower's observation deck.

 

We arrived at the bus station and all three buses were there. One left as we arrived. The program director told us we could board the double decker bus and sit upstairs, leaving immediately or take the next bus that would leave within ten minutes. I asked if the ship was ready for us and he said yes, it is waiting in Deggendorf. It was a 55 minute bus ride back to Deggendorf. It was a bit warm on the upper deck and the A/C never made it really cool.

 

We pulled into the dock at Deggendorf to find a river boat tied up, but it was not a Viking boat. Then we see the Eistla waiting just upstream. A few minutes later the third Viking bus arrived. So now, 90% of the guests from the Eistla are standing on the ground or sitting in buses with no air circulation and lots of people coughing. The other ship was waiting for their tour to return from Munich and refused the Eistla permission to tie up next to them so we could board our ship. Now it begins to rain.

 

Long story short, we stood out there for 50 minutes, most of the time in the rain, until the other ship's passengers returned and the Eistla got into place so we could board. We all boarded in less than five minutes. This makes FIVE times in eight days that the majority of the Eistla's passengers had to wait at a docking area with nothing around it for the ship to get into position so we could board. So we boarded after 7:30.

 

The normal dinner time on this trip is a little late for us. I really don't like going to bed right after dinner. Among other things it is not the healthiest way to eat for sure. Yet this evening the main course was served at 8:50. Dessert arrived at 9:18. The program director began his port presentation for the following day at 9:15, so we missed it. The Viking Daily in our cabin indicates that we will be docked “All day” in Passau tomorrow, and we can come and go as we please. FINALLY.

 

I can't say if anything was said during the briefing about the evening's delay as we were not there, but I will share that my patience is shot. Standing around on a dock is not what we paid for, and there is no indication that I've ever seen in Viking's literature or here on cruise critic that this would occur at such a frequency. This is supposed to be the “Trip of a lifetime” and it's been on our bucket list for years, but if we had known before we booked this trip what we know now, we wouldn't have done it.

 

Hopefully the rest of the journey will be uneventful and the remaining ports enjoyable, followed by a smooth return home (one can hope!).

 

 

[CastleCritic]

Unfortunate that that aspect of the trip has worked out so poorly, and todays doesn't really sound like viking had much to do with it.  Its definitely a part of the main segment of most cruises to some degree (and on some other rivers, on my May Seine cruise it happened once and it was the only time where Ive been bussed to a port where the ship wasn't arriving at the same time but even that didnt take too long, its usually been more waiting for the ship to tie up than arrive).  Ive also always done it when the weather was colder, and at least at the time..not raining.

 

looking at the itinerary it should be less frequent from here on out (might happen on the melk day? my mental math on the Vienna to Budapest segment says it could happen despite what the web site says, hard to say you are trading more time in Vienna and Budapest for longer river segments, we stopped in more places) . I know when I did that stretch we only ever did buses while the ship traveled once (dropped off short of Budapest and took buses there rather than wait for the ship to arrive, I remember seeing her arrive after dark as we were walking back to meet her though Amawaterways has a MUUUUCH worse docking spot than viking does).

 

Passau should be fun I can vouch for the castle if you are interested in such things:)

Edited July 9, 2022 by CastleCritic