Anyone on Viking Schumann August 7, 2009?

[DonfromNC]

We'll be on the Viking Schumann "Elegant Elbe" August 7, 2009. Is anyone else from the Cruise Critic forum joining us? This is our third Viking cruise (obviously we enjoyed the first two) and we're lookng forward to visiting lots of places we've never been before.

 

Don

[jacksonnh]

Don,

My wife and I took this trip last September and enjoyed seeing the cities and towns along the way. Saxon Switzerland was stunning. I see you were on Viking Sun in 2007 -Antwerp to Basel. We took this cruise this past spring and just booked the revamped Paris to Paris cruise for April 2010. Hope you have a great trip!

Dave

[DonfromNC]

A week to go. Still no other CC'ers on this cruise?

 

Don & Kay

[mike35]

We took this cruise in April, and for the most part, we loved it. A couple of comments:

 

• The only AC outlet in our cabin was above the door leading to the tiny bathroom. It was a 220V European type. Reception had an adapter so that I could use my U. S. plug strip, but the plug strip had a three-prong plug and adapter was only two-pronged. The ship's maintenance department was kind enough to saw off the grounding pin on my adapter - problem solved.
  
• The rooms are incredibly tiny, with the only storage being a tiny closet to hand a couple of items and a shelf above the pullman bed. Don't overpack!
  
• Food, service, tours were all excellent.
  
• Ditto the comment on Saxon Switzerland! Be prepared to walk, but the scenery is magnificent!
  
• The hotel that Viking used in Prague (Corinthia Towers) was well outside the city and inconvenient. In order to get to the heart of Prague, one had to walk to the nearby underground or take a taxi. The restaurants in the hotel are EXTREMELY expensive!
  
• The Hilton in Berlin was well located, adjacent to the underground and within walking distance to the Brandenburg Gate at the end of Lindenstrasse. It's a beautiful walk with some great restaurants along the way.
  

I would be happy to answer any other questions that you might have. Have a wonderful cruise!

[DonfromNC]

Mike35, thanks for your advice.

 

We haven't experienced a room that small before, but we'll deal with it. I'm sure the itinerary is worth the sacrifice.

 

My wife does have trouble walking a lot, particularly up stairs and hills. On previous trips we've managed to find others even slower than us and have skipped some of the castles and all the towers. The guides will usually work with us and tell us when and where to meet the bus in case we get behind.

 

How much of Saxon Switzerland can you see with limited walking? I assume we can stay with the bus if necessary.

 

Don

[mike35]

At Bad Schandau (Saxony Switzerland), the bus winds its way up some gorgeous scenery and parks in a large parking lot. From there, there's about 1/2 mile of walking - pretty much at your own pace and on a smooth road - to the lookout areas. There's a decent snack restaurant close to the bus parking lot - on the right hand side as you're walking from the parking lot to the scenic areas.

[pacmom]

We opted out of the trip up to the overlook in Bad S. Instead we walked around the small town, visited a church that held a record of the flood in 2003. A nice alternative to a bus ride up and down to the overlook. You must have guessed by now that I don,t like heights. The nice thingh about the Schumann is the chair lift to all decks including the sun deck. We had ample storage space when we really looked for it.

Our CD was Christian, a very knowledgeable young man--claims to be a disappointment to his parents because he didn't remain in the practice of law. Sorry to hear that the Hilton in Prague is no longer Viking's hotel.

This was a very enjoyable trip, saw many interesting towns and sights along the river. Another nice thing, we had the same guide for more than one day--mostly 2 dys at a time. ENJOY!!!!!! Pat