mimmy52

I'm enjoying your review and love the pictures!

Thank you for this review and especially the photos.  We’ll be doing the same ports in October on MSC and look forward to reading/seeing more about your trip.

I wonder how they decide who gets evacuated first.  Women and children?  Young to old?  And I just hope everyone gets through this with the least amount of injuries.

Thank you for your interesting trip report.   Did you bring waders or boots with you?  Did the ship provide any?

Glad that my review is still helpful. djh1959, here's hoping you have neither low water nor high water for your trip.  As for why the review is still getting replies, my guess would be it's for the same reason I read older trip reports before I went on my two river cruises.  There aren't a lot that have details and a lot of photos.  Those were always my favorite.

I hope there will be more.

Just found your trip report and love it. I was on an Alaskan cruise three years ago and would love to go back, but in the meantime I'm having fun reliving it through your photos. Best wishes to you and Paul for a happy life together.

It was 2014 when I took a Rhine river cruise. We had high water so the cruise had to start in Breisach rather than Basel. We had a lot of sunshine, yet when I was on the top deck and the ship was moving, it was cool enough for a jacket. Just goes to show that you never can tell what the temperatures will be on your trip. I wouldn't even have brought a jacket had it not been that I spent a pre-cruise visit in Lucerne and knew at some point I'd be on a mountain.

Nice trip report. I'm glad you included photos. Look forward to more.

Most of your questions have been answered, but I will add that embarkation is a little more than giving your name. You must also show your passport. Then one of the crew will escort you to your cabin. It is so easy.

When I did a Viking pre-cruise in Amsterdam two years ago, six passenger vehicles started arriving at the hotel at 2:30. So the registration desk on the ship was never crowded. No embarkation procedures at the hotel, unless they've changed in the past two years.

During your stay in Amsterdam, there will be a Viking representative available at the hotel during the morning and at other times throughout the day. We were given a sheet that had suggestions on things to do along with what tram you should take if you were doing public transportation. But you could also ask the rep for specific information about places and directions.

Have a great time!

What a great trip review! Can't wait for the next "episode." Your photos are amazing.

I would definitely choose option 2. My friend and I did option 1 in 2015 (you should see a link to my photo heavy report in my signature). I thought Copper River was wasted time. That might be because it was at the end of our trip rather than the beginning, but the really fun sounding excursions from there all took a considerable amount of time to get to and we'd already spent a lot of time on a bus. It was a long bus ride from Fairbanks to Copper River and another long bus ride from Copper River to Anchorage, although we did make a couple of interesting stops along the way.

The idea of two nights in Denali is a selling point and if the Denali History Tour is the included excursion there, be sure to upgrade to the Tundra Wildnerness Tour. Otherwise, you probably won't see wildlife. With two days there, you can probably do more in Denali if you choose. Even if you don't want to hike, you can see the Visitor Center and the sled dogs.

I liked the McKinley Princess Lodge. We were only there one night so just enjoyed the lodge the afternoon we arrived and left the next morning. That is a place where you can get some nice excursions, though, if you're there for two nights.

I'm so glad you're posting a review. I'm enjoying it a lot, love seeing all the photos, and am looking forward to more.

Can't wait for more! The hotel looks lovely.

I always enjoy reading your trips reports. You have a clever way of writing. Nice new tablet you got.

I feel I must stand up for those of us who are stampeding geezers. We were three who wanted to be seated at a table with a certain waiter who was very popular. I was the geezer chosen to stampede and save two other spaces at the table. This only started when we had been in other sections and had other wait staff.

I love dining on river cruises. You meet such interesting people. I never noticed excessive noise, but I am hard of hearing so maybe we were all shouting and it sounded normal to me.

The ship looks very inviting. I hope you will include a few pictures of the sights you saw. When we cruised the Nile in 2009, I loved sitting on deck in the afternoons and watching the activity on the banks of the river.

MyDogRudy, I'm glad you found my trip report helpful. I'd take a river cruise every year if I could afford it. What a wonderful way to celebrate your parents' 50th. I'm sure you'll all have a great time.

Liked your comment about drinking alcohol the rest of the day in case the water wasn't safe.

I'm thoroughly enjoying your review and am so glad you're writing a detailed report.

I'm enjoying your review and looking forward to more.

I took the pre-cruise Luzern extension with Viking in 2014. At that time the hotel was the Radisson Blu and the room was very nice.

The guided tour on day 2 will probably start at 9:00 am and end at lunch time (lunch on your own).

I would check the Mt. Pilatus website to see what time everyone has to be off the mountain. When I was in Luzern, the first two days were rain, and I was told they wouldn't be good days for a mountain trip. Since I was by myself, I took Viking's optional tour on day 3 of Mt. Titlus, a beautiful sunny day. I signed up for it the night before (day 2). Since the first stop was a cheese making demonstration and the lines for the Titlus gondolas were long, we didn't get to spend much time on the mountain, so I think doing it on your own makes better sense.

After you book your trip, you should get a link to "My Viking Journey" where you can plan any excursions. I don't think it matters how quickly you sign up for the included tours. There will be enough room. If there's an optional tour you don't want to miss, you might want to sign up beforehand, but from what I saw, they rarely sell out of the optional excursions.

I don't know if you can see the link to my review of the trip in my signature, so I'm including it here. The first couple of pages are about the Lucern portion.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2094179

Thanks for your review. I often wonder about Gate 1 so I'm glad to see it reviewed so positively. I did the same cruise on Viking last year and would love to do it again, maybe in the opposite direction. If the opportunity presents to river cruise again, I'll be checking out Gate 1.

I always appreciate trip reports more when they include photos, and yours are stunning! The Paris portion brought back many happy memories, even though Paris is the only place I've ever been pick-pocketed (and I thought I was being so careful with my backpack). Hope there's more to come.

Thanks for your great trip report and beautiful pictures! Now I have another trip to add to my list.