Viking River Cruises Corkage Fee and Optional Tours

[Mel]

We have never been on a river cruise and will be going on the Viking Neptune Eastern European Odyssey cruise at the end of October. We love to try local wines and wondered if anyone had any recent experience with taking bottles of wine onboard. I'm sure we can drink it in our cabin, but if we want to take it to the dining room, what would the corkage fee be? I know most of the shore excursions are included, but understand that there are some optional ones - any information on these would be appreciated. We have booked our own air and have to get to the hotel in Bucharest from the airport, and from the ship in Nuremberg to the airport - the ship charges $60. p/p each way for transfers which seems like a lot - surely taxis would be cheaper and easy enough to get? Has anyone been on the Neptune, and if so, any comments about it? Mel

[no fuss travel]

It would be cheaper for you to take a taxi at both ends rather than Viking's transfer. They will charge you $60 each at both ends. I checked into this and through another website forum discovered that it was less expensive to take a taxi for two people.

 

I remember them charging a corkage fee, but can't remember what it was. It wasn't too much.

[parkie]

We have been on several Viking cruises, and will take the Eastern European deal next month (July 26). With respect to corkage fees, last fall they charged either 10 euros or $10 per bottle...but if you take your own bottle and corkscrew on board (and they have no prohibition on this) and open your own bottles (in your room or up on the deck) there is no charge. However, if they open the bottle in the dining room (and I believe that this is the only option) there is the corkage fee. Also, if they open the bottle up on the deck, there is the same fee. So, take your corkscrew from home and enjoy...they will gladly provide you a wine bucket and ice for your room.

 

With regard to the taxis, we have done it both ways, and generally avoid their transfers, unless they provide the air; we used their airfare offerings a couple of times (and hence received free transfers), but their airfares have really gotten expensive, so for this trip, we are buying our own tickets and will simply cab it from the Nuremberg train station to the ship, and from the Bucharest hotel to the airport. One cautionary note (and I don't presume to tell you something that you already know) I always establish the fare in advance, so that I don't get clipped. To this point, I have never had to argue with a cabbie once we arrived at the destination (and I know that there can always be a first time!)

[Mel]

Thanks, Parkie. We would love to hear from you when you get back from your Eastern European jaunt. Any hints on optional tours or interesting excursions you did by yourselves would be much appreciated.

[Mel]

Hi Parkie,

I'm dying to hear how your Eastern European Odyssey went! Any comments would be most welcome. Only 79 days until we leave -- no, I'm not excited or anything..... Mel

[no fuss travel]

Mel

Take a corkscrew with you and open your wine in your own cabin. This way you can avoid the corkage fee. They will give you glasses for your wine at the bar or in the dining room. We did it the entire cruise and enjoyed some really good local wines. We found a local wine for 7 Euros that they were charging 28 Euros for aboard the ship.

[Mel]

Thanks for the tip - we will definitely take our own corkscrew! Did you drink your own wine only in your cabin, or could you take it elsewhere on the ship (I don't imagine you could take it to the dining room.....) Mel

[no fuss travel]

Thanks for the tip - we will definitely take our own corkscrew! Did you drink your own wine only in your cabin, or could you take it elsewhere on the ship (I don't imagine you could take it to the dining room.....) Mel

 

We did take it into the dining room. Some people actually bought their own bottles into the dining room and drank it there. We took a glass to the lounge with us before dinner, would pop down to our room for a refill before going to dinner and take a full glass into the dining room. Our waiters would keep a clean glass for to take back to our room after dinner. People took their own drinks up to the sun deck and just about anywhere on the ship.

[Mel]

Wow! I wouldn't have thought you could take it into the lounge or to the dining room - but that's great. We are going to be on the Viking Neptune in October - do you think that this would apply there as well? I'm assuming that you were on the Viking Legend Grand European cruise. Did you do any optional tours such as the concert in Vienna? I'm not really a big classical music fan but wouldn't want to miss a great performance! Mel

[no fuss travel]

Wow! I wouldn't have thought you could take it into the lounge or to the dining room - but that's great. We are going to be on the Viking Neptune in October - do you think that this would apply there as well? I'm assuming that you were on the Viking Legend Grand European cruise. Did you do any optional tours such as the concert in Vienna? I'm not really a big classical music fan but wouldn't want to miss a great performance! Mel

 

I'm sure you can. As you are using their glasses they have no idea if they poured it or if you did.

 

Yes we did the concert in Vienna. We really enjoyed it. Now for to say I enjoyed it when I had a really bad case of heat stroke, you know it was good. The music was incredible and not all that heavy. It is the lighter classical music that they play. They have an intermission where you get a drink included. You will need .5 Euros to use the toilets as there is a lady waiting to be paid at the bottom of the stairs.

 

I was on the Viking Legend Grand European Cruise and enjoyed every port. There were some where I wish we had more time and some I could have skipped, but each to their personal preference. After being to the included palaces, abbeys, castles, etc. I wish I had not bothered to go to the Schonbrunn Palace as the others were better and the price included in the tour. The tour I took many years ago at the Schonbrunn Palace included more than the current tour does.

[billinyucatan]

,,,, Live from the Viking Legend in Austria

 

I do not drink alcohol but my wife does.. she loves wine.

 

We buy wine on shore and bring it aboard. NO PROBLEMS. No charge. We have our own corkscrew and do not drink it in the dining room.. though others do. Wife purchased the 5-bottle special for the dining room and drinks some each night from that. She says it is great wine at reasonable price. I get cokes at the grocery stores in ports and bring them to my room. I order water at dinner.

 

I do NOT recommend getting their all-you-can drink soda or wine "deal". HOwever, the 5-bottle of wine deal for dining is an excellent idea. Supplement with the excellent locally-produced wines you can purchase a the ports for your room and deck consumption.

[loge23]

We were on the Helvetia recently and they actually ran out of wine in the DR!

The Maitre 'D was replaced 2 days into the cruise with a fellow hired from Holland America.

All three of my choices one night - including the featured wine - were out of stock. The story was it was due to a "family emergency" - which obviously caused the poor bloke to allow the supplies to run down. We also witnessed the Captain getting a little upset in Koblenz one AM, when his wife (who lives there) came onboard for breakfast with her husband and all of the empty tables were used and unset. They did have service issues this cruise.

For the rest of the trip I brought wine onshore.

Naturally, no one approached me about corkage fees after that little episode.

[rico567]

We were on Viking Neptune in '03 on their Grand European Tour. Great boat, of course it was practically new then. We drank our wine by the glass at dinner and never had to contend with the corkage fee. Good to know you can just bring your own corkscrew, open your wine in your room, and take it down to dinner.

[petef]

We will be on the "Footsteps of the Cossacks" cruise departing Sept. 23rd from Odessa. One of the optional tours is to the Massandra Winery near Yalta. Based upon all that I have read, I intend to take my own corkscrew.

 

Anyone else on that cruise?

[DTE333]

I see that Viking allows guests to bring wine aboard to consume in your cabin...how do they feel about a bottle of vodka or other alcoholic beverages?

[pacmom]

DTE333,

 

The river cruise lines don't care what alcohol you bring on board. Just as long as you consume it in your cabin or on the sundeck. Personally, we would never carry our own drinks to the lounge or dining room in a glass. The only ocean cruise line that allows you to bring alcohol on board for cabin consumption is Oceania--without a limit. Pat

[Mel]

No problem with bringing any alcoholic beverages on board if they are kept and consumed in your cabin.

[no fuss travel]

Viking had no problem with people bringing their own drinks on board and as a matter of fact the cruise staff would encourage passengers to support the local wineries. We were quite often asked if we would like glasses when we returned from our shore excursions. When you are up on the sun deck, there is no bar there so it was best to bring your own drinks.

[StanleyNY]

We were on Viking Helvetica in September for a Rhine cruise. Same corkage policy applied on board. Local wines definitely better at 1/3 of price! Would not sign up for liquor package heavily pushed by tour as we were given ample shipboard credits to use as desired which easily covered a few drinks with dinner.

[DTE333]

Thanks for everyones input...I enjoy the "dressing cocktail" before dinner in my cabin, and will usually enjoy a post at the bar, so everyone should be happy!