Viking Elegant Elbe

[Jesterscourt]

Has anyone taken an Elbe River or East Germany river cruise with Viking or any other cruise line? Would appreciate overall impression and particular highlights (our trip starts in Magdeburg and ends in Melnik (Czech Republic) next October.

[pacmom]

We took this trip in June 2007. It was before the boat was refurbished. All cabins are alike, so don't spend a lot for upgrades. It will only take you to a different place on the boat. The cruise itself was wonderful. Our CD Christian was really good. We rarely saw the assistant. Christian was with us from Berlin thru our stay in Prague. The tours were very well done. The local guides very knowledgible. We were disappointed at the timing of the trip to Meissen. After the afternoon tour of the "factory", we were given time in the area around the town square. Bad timing, it was almost 5pm and the shops were closing. The food was excellent. The wine package would not be worth the money. You can always buy local wines and pay a small corkage fee. One day when we were cruising thru the preserve area, they had a picnic on deck---beer, sausages, brats, beer and small German appetizers. Oh, did I mention the beer.

 

The hotel in Berlin was the Sol Melia--brand new, centrally located right across from the train station where people would stop to visit their friends and family in East Berlin. The hotel in Prague was the Hilton. Located near a tram and metro stop. There is a wonderful restaurant quite near. If interested in some of the restaurants, let me know and I'll get out the journals. We spent a Sunday in Potsdam on the way to the boat. The castle and the town were lovely. Happy to try to answer any more questions. Pat

[jacksonnh]

We took this trip last Sept with Viking. Flew into Berlin, staying at the Hilton which is located in the center of the city. If you're interested in a 1940ish local Greman restauant, try Schinkel-Klause on Unter den Linden about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Our cruise director was Christian. I felt Berlin was a fascinating city. The water level in the Elbe was low so we spent an additional night in Berlin. Viking paid for this as well as dinner that night.The ship could not make it to Magdeburg so we were bused to Dessau to get the ship. We followed the itinerary as outlined either with the ship or by bus. We ended the cruise portion in Decin instead of Litomerice again due to very low water levels. We were told that 4 cruises (not just Viking) had to adjust because of the waterso far. We had 90 people onboard and as the previous poster said, the rooms are all the same. The crew was great and the food was well prepared. We had a great time and met some wonderful people. We spent additional days in Prague.

 

Here's some info on Prague (Many will be included with your tour)

-Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square: This is one of those “must sees”. Every hour mechanical figures do a short performance (watch the skeleton on the clock as the performance starts). Even more fun is to stand under the clock and look at the tourists looking at the performance. It’s really funny (and a great photo) to watch about 300 digital cameras all pointing upward at the same time.

 

 

 

 

-The tower above the Astronomical Clock offers a great view of the city. It is accessed through the Old Town Hall. While looking at the clock, the entrance is about 100 meters to the left in the tourist information area. There is a small fee. There are ramps (not very steep) and a short spiral staircase up to the top. If you are looking for an Old Town Square photo opportunity a better choice is at the top of the U Prince restaurant.

-To the left of the bathrooms in the square is a great Irish pub that will give you a better rate if you want to exchange euro's for koruna. Many places will take the euro.

 

 

 

-On weekends in the Old Town Square they set up a stage and various events were held. I couldn’t find anyplace on the Internet that listed events for the square but it’s worth stopping by for a look to see if anything is going on.

 

 

 

-Prague Castle: I wandered around the Castle Grounds, especially beautiful at night when St. Vitus is lit. Admission to a portion of St. Vitus is free as is entrance to the bell tower – lots of steps (287) but great views and the cathedral is beautiful inside. I visited Golden Lane (and paid the admission fee) these are quaint little colorful houses, now gift shops, attached to the side of the castle. I found out later that entry is free before 9AM and after 5PM. Of course the shops are closed (but you wouldn’t be missing much). To get to the castle you can walk up the hill or take tram 22 or 23.

 

 

 

-The changing of the guards at the Prague Castle: This occurs hourly but the most elaborate is at 12:00 noon everyday. It’s best to sit on the pavement and shoot upward thereby focusing on the guards and virtually eliminating the crowds for the photo.

 

 

 

-On the way up to the castle wander up Nerudova Street and check out the historic house signs (these are all over Prague but this street has the most). Before there were house numbers people used these as identifiers.

 

 

 

 

 

-**The Charles Bridge: This is a pedestrian only bridge with lots of vendors (art & jewelry), musicians and tourists. You can climb the Tower’s on each end (small fee). The one closest to the Old Town offered a better view (and was open until 10 PM – the tower on the other end closes at 6 PM). The bridge gets pretty crowded. I got up before sunrise one day (4:30 AM) and took a walk to the bridge. It was nice to walk the bridge without tourists – just a few other photographers and a few drunks from stag parties headed back to their hotel. This is a beautiful place to watch the sunset over the castle. We were told that the most interesting was the crucifix with the Hebrew words “holy, holy, holy lord” that were paid for by a Jew that disrespected the cross and the statue of St John Nepomuk (he was thrown off the bridges for refusing to divulge the sins of the queen to the king) which you are supposed to rub and make a wish.

 

 

 

-John Lennon Wall – this was pretty cool, it’s a colorful wall of graffiti a few minute walk from the Charles Bridge on Kampa island. To get there you pass an old mill wheel the last of many that used to line the canal.

 

 

 

-Wenceslas Square – I guess this is something that you have to see. It’s a really long street with lots of junk shops and tourists. There are some nice flower gardens down the middle of the street .

 

 

 

-***The Crypt in the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius: the church is between Charles Square and the Fred and Ginger Building. This is an amazing memorial to the Czech assassins of top-****, Reinhard Heydrich, and the place where they hid after the Operation Anthropoid and where they, after a fierce gun battle, reportedly committed suicide to avoid capture. The entire exhibit is explained in English. Another sight not to be missed. Just an FYI that the a few of the current guidebooks mention an exhibit on Heinrich at the Army Museum. I arrived at the museum to find that the exhibit had ended 2 years ago.

 

 

 

-***Wallenstein Palace (Valdstejnsky palac) Valdstejnske namesti 3; the entry gate is just behind the metro station entrance and tram stop Malostranske namesti. This is a great place for all ages. A large pond houses large fish (lots of kids were feeding pieces of bread to the fish). There are peacocks (including little babies) who wander freely around the palace garden. There are also some caged owls. Worth seeing is the grotto with stalactites and stalagmites. Hidden among the rocks are animals and scary faces The palace itself is rarely open but the garden is really worth a visit. The gardens are open 10-6 (5 on weekends).

 

 

 

 

 

-**Prague-Venice boat ride on the Vltava. There are people dressed up as sailors all around the Charles Bridge selling tickets to these boats. They offer a 45 minute ride on a medium sized boat or small boat (same price, your choice of boat). The price includes an ice cream and a beer (which don’t really mix but both were good). The ride was nice because it was short and the boat stayed around the area of the Charles Bridge and Kampa Island. The best time to cruise is the sunset ride beneath the castle. The guide was very informative and spoke English well.

 

 

 

-TV Tower, this is Prague’s tallest landmark, Jiriho Z Podebrad metro stop. Great views but you can’t see the Vltana so the views from Letna and Petrin Hill are better (and free!). It is a very bizarre structure. There are 10 giant crawling babies attached to the outside. Not on my top ten but if you are in the area it’s worth a walk by. Admission was 150 Kcs

I hope you have a great time!

Dave

[CincyAL]

We are on Viking in April. Any additional tips on restaurants in Prague & Berlin would be helpful.

[Jesterscourt]

Thanks for the great information. I already learned from you that it might pay to skip the Meissen Factory Tour so we can see the lovely town. Also, we are considering a brief private tour of Terezin Concentration Camp which is only a few km. from Litomerice. I'm surprised Viking is not at least having an optional tour since it is so close. Do you have any thoughts on that?

[pacmom]

Now that Santa has come once again and left us grandparents exhausted, I can think about river cruising again. In Berlin, our hotel the Sol Melia was on the river Spree. We walked across the river and to the left along the river was restaurant row. We continued to the corner and turned right--there we found a lovely Italian rest., Machiavelli--really good authentic food. Owners are Italian.. another good rest was Maximillan'sn a few bolcks from Check-point Charlie. The wurst was excellent.

 

Don't forget the Pergamon Museum with the magnificent altar, the gates of Ishtar and the promenade. Just spectacular. We had lunch at their outdoor cafe.

 

In Prague, we stayed at the Hilton. Just around the corner was a wonderful rest., U CheckLova. It is in the basement--don't mistake the beer garden for the rest.--food not as good. We ate there twice. We like to try pizza where ever we are, so in Prague, recommend Giovanni's. If you are standing looking at the clock in the square, turn to your right at the corner there is a money exchange--go down that street and Giovanni's is on the right. We shared a pizza and it was brought divided on 2 separate plates.

 

There is a brewery just above the castle grounds--St.Norbert's. Good food and good brew. Also had a good lunch near the Charles bridge--U Domini Kana. We had dinner in the Jewish sector at Pivnice U Pivrnce-- excellent food, bawdy cartoons on the walls.

 

Hope this helps. Pat

[Jesterscourt]

Pat and Dave, thanks for the detailed information and for remembering the names and locations of the restaurants especially since we may be staying at the same hotels although I have heard that they usually use the Hilton in Berlin as well. Speaking of Berlin, it seems like there is a "welcome walk" the day of arrival and then another tour of Berlin Highlights the next day. Do you happen to remember where that tour goes, and most importantly, where they don't go that you would recommend seeing in our free afternoon?

Dave, I have recently been to Prague, and agree with your recommendations, and I loved the John Lennon Wall so much (or the idea of it) that I went back twice just to be there! Steve

[mike35]

We're booked on the April 17 "Elegant Elbe". I booked this cruise several months ago, and at the same time I booked independent air and a pre-night hotel in Berlin. Both are non-transferable and non-refundable. Imagine our surprise when we returned last week from a cruise to find a letter from Viking, telling us that they had reversed the itinerary, now starting in Prague and ending in Berlin! I've been in contact with Viking, and I'm awaiting their approval of alternate air arrangements. We would have to fly from Berlin to Prague at the beginning, and then again from Berlin back to Prague at the end of the cruise. Hopefully, everything will work out - please wish us luck!

[orchestrapal]

Jesterscourt: We took a tour of Terezen with a former prisoner of that camp.

The Jewish community of Prague has a website where you can get in touch with them and they will provide private guides for the Terezen visit as well as the Jewish sites in Prague. We were very fortunate with our guides for both tours. They made the visits very moving and meaningful.

http://www.jewishprague.info/jewishprague.html

[CincyAL]

We also encountered the change in start cities and did our own air as well. After many many phone calls and e-mails Viking agree (in fact we also have the check) to cover the airline re-booking fee. This was around

$240.00. They required PROOF of earlier flight reservation and what the re-booking fee was. Good luck.

[Jesterscourt]

Orchestrapal, did you see Terezin from a river cruise or an excursion from Prague? I'm trying to figure out how to do it from Litomerice where the boat docks and being that we will probably only have a few hours. Thanks for the great website on Jewish Prague.

[jacksonnh]

Jester - here's some info on terezin

http://www.viator.com/terezin

[mike35]

We also encountered the change in start cities and did our own air as well. After many many phone calls and e-mails Viking agree (in fact we also have the check) to cover the airline re-booking fee. This was around

$240.00. They required PROOF of earlier flight reservation and what the re-booking fee was. Good luck.

 

Viking has been wonderful working with us to rearrange our flight arrangements. Basically, since we had non-refundable air tickets, we'll fly twice from Berlin to Prague. The only real change in our itinerary will be on the last day. Since our flight departs Prague at 7 a.m., we'll depart Berlin the previous evening and spend the night at the Prague Airport Courtyard by Marriott. Viking is paying for both flights and the hotel.

 

See you on Prague in 105 days!

[CincyAL]

Looks like you recieved better service from Viking than we did. Nice to know for future reference! Look foward to meeting you also.

[mike35]

CincyAl - from your name, I would guess you're from Cincinnati. Our future daughter-in-law is a Hokie, and she was ecstatic about tonight's Orange Bowl outcome.

[CincyAL]

We are actually fans of the real University of Cincinnati, aka Xavier University.