bellemere

When we sailed in April, they had lap blankets to use so we could eat on the Aquavit Terrace.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I had given my husband a book several years ago about a World Cruise on the Queen Elizabeth 2 and how the author was upgraded as the cruise progressed.

Has anyone ever been upgrade while on a World Cruise?

Thanks for input.

Planning ahead.

When you go to make reservations for Manfredi's online, what are the times that are offered?

What time do they start ? Are they offered at two hour intervals?

Thank you.

Usually there is someone waiting outside on the dock to help you. I do not recall ever carrying my own luggage on board unless I indicated I would take a certain suitcase. However, if you arrive independently (by taxi), do not let the taxi leave until you confirm this is your ship. Ships look alike, so look for the name or the companies' flag. Ships do not always dock at the same place for each cruise or where your documents said they would be because the harbor master decides where they go. We learned this on our first trip where we arrived independently in Basel, Switzerland and our ship was not where the documents said but our cab driver knew another possible place. You can also call the ship and ask where they are docked. All of our seven cruises with Viking have been wonderful.

On our Viking River cruises, it has always been opening seating. The dining room opens for dinner following the daily briefing about the next day. As the week progresses if you have found people who like to share the evening meal with or a wait service team that you prefer, then you select one person in your group to go a little early to wait outside the dining room to open so they can enter and go to the table that fits your group size or is in the area where the waiters work that you like. Some people are looking for round tables vs. rectangular tables. This only happens at the evening meal. Breakfast, people come and go and is a good time to sit and eat with people you have not met and lunch is much the same. However, we have found the Aquavit Terrace a wonderful place for a light lunch instead of the dining room.

Thank you for all the information about the main dining room.

Do you need to make a reservation for dinner in the main dining room or do you just show up and are seated?

Thanks.

If we are spend a few days independently before the start of the cruise or at the end of the cruise, we do not buy the insurance offered by the cruise company. Their insurance will not cover the days we are doing outside of the cruise unless the days are part of a pre extension or post extension we have purchased from the cruise line.

Yes, the Queen Mary 2 library is only one level. Having traveled on all 3 Queens, all the libraries are wonderful.

The library on the QM2 is on two decks connected by an inner winding staircase. There is amazing selection of genres to choose from. I often ask the librarian to recommended an author that is popular in Britain that I might not find in United States for me to read while on board. It is truly a wonderful library with lots of travel guides to read up on ports you will be visiting. As mentioned previously, to get a comfortable seat at a window and read, is very relaxing but hard not to just sit and gaze out the window.

Thank you for the updates both on the Queens' locations but especially the situation of those directly hit by this large storm.

Our prayers are with them.

Has this storm affected the travel of any of the Cunard Queens?

I called Viking and they emailed me a possible timeline for our Danube Waltz trip.

Hope you get a response since it will help us in our planning.

You usually do not find out about them until you are on the ship. We did one in Amsterdam. The walk usually just helps you get the layout of the city. Walked thru the Red light district and the main square and got a good historical background. We have always had a walking tour the first day in Europe on Viking. We just consider it a bonus for arriving by early afternoon.

Those that fly in the day of the cruise are brought directly to the ship. I know we have boarded before 10 in the morning. We have been lucky each time with our room being ready but others have had to wait until 3:00 PM. There is always a lite lunch on the Aquavit Terrace and in the afternoon an introductive walking tour of the city where the ship is docked. We always try to take the walking tour because on some cruises, the cruise does nothing in the city where we are docked the first day.

Last April, 2016, we took the Tulips and Windmills cruise with Viking in late April. We had a wonderful trip. In preparation for the trip, I signed up at TulipsinHolland.com for their newsletter which lets you know each week what spring flowers are in bloom.

Just thought some of you headed that way might enjoy the site/newsletter or if you are thinking about 2018 when is a good time to go to see the flowers.

Check the websites for the museums and attractions you want to see for their calendars. Most will respond to you by email.

I have also called Viking and they have sent by email the tentative sailing times from different cities. Times they have for going thru locks affects the sailing times.

We have done both the Rhine Christmas Markets and the Heart of Germany river cruises with Viking in December. In Koln there are seven Christmas markets if I remember correctly. We went in early so we could do them ourselves. We stayed at the Marriott by the train station. The main Christmas Market is at the base of the cathedral.

We have also done Prague on our own after finishing the Heart of Germany with Viking which finished in Nuremberg. Viking front desk called a cab to take us to the Nuremberg train station. From my research, we decided to take the bus which is right outside the train station and is marked by a sign. It is a double decker bus and has an attendant while you travel with purchasable refreshments We booked ahead online. It takes you straight to the train station in Prague. There is a cab stand right in front of the train station which took us to the Prague Marriott. Make sure you get a cab with meter.We walked to everything from the hotel. I believe Viking also takes their passengers on a bus to Prague. From my reading it is better than the train to Prague.

We have always enjoyed the food on our seven Viking cruises. We often eat on the Aquavit Terrace for lunch. It great way to see the scenery if you are sailing during lunch and less crowded than the dining room.

The included excursions have been good as well as the optional ones. It is marvelous to walk back into Koln at night before the ship sails and see all the lights. As you leave the dock at night, you can see the cathedral lite up for miles.

On the Heart of Germany trip we seemed to spend more time on a bus getting to places since the river was not close. Lots of good history spots in Nuremberg. As a reader of World War II history, it all comes alive as you stand in the **** party rally stadium and documentation center museum. But it was also nice to be dropped off near the castle in Nuremberg and then walk thru the castle and then down the hill into Nuremberg and the huge Christmas market.

Yes, there might be snow. I can remember the walks in Berlin had not been cleared yet. In southern Germany you are more likely to have snow. We saw Dachau concentration camp in the snow. Snow just adds to the atmosphere. Be sure to take long underwear and waterproof foot wear. Of course there are lots of places to buy hats, scarves, and gloves in the Christmas Markets. Great souvenirs.

I think the reason we enjoy our trips is we read about the places we are going so they already have some background on the history of the place.

Enjoy.

We have done this trip twice from Basel to Amsterdam, with Viking, once in the summer and again in December. You will want to be on the top deck or the front of the ship to see the UNESCO area of the Rhine (castle area) and to hear the commentary about the castles as you approach each. On the first trip we bought a foldout map on the ship that shows the Rhine River and the details along the river.

We have used the Cunard transfers to Southampton from London from the Victoria Coach Station and we have used the transfer from Southampton to Heathrow. Both have worked very well for us. If you use Cunard's transfers then you wait for your time for your stateroom to disembark. But you can self disembark earlier. I think you have to let them know.

Have used the self laundry but go early and be patient. Laundries are locked over night. Soap provided. Only one iron.

We have seen laundry bag offer one time in all our cruises with Cunard.

We have taken the train from Koln to Frankfurt. The train station is right beside the Cathedral. In fact you look out at the cathedral through the huge glass windows at the train station's entrance. We stayed at a Marriott very close to the train station's exit next to the McDonalds in the station.

We visited the train station the day before we boarded the train to figure out which track and how to find everything. There is a ticket office there that was very helpful in answering all of our questions about the train. We flew into Koln to have a few extra days to visit the Christmas markets. We took the train to meet our Viking cruise for the Heart of Germany cruise.