nicksfix

Thanks everyone for your input! Needless to say, I'm ecstatic about the trip. We'll stick with the stateroom we booked (I got a rather curt customer rep on the phone saying major upgrades "just don't happen" but you never know) - thanks for the advice on our choice of cabin! Frankly I'm fine with what we have either way and couldn't care less about upgrades. Going to book a tasting lunch at the Verandah one day as well! So exciting.

I might as well add that we're on Deck 6 in 6084. Is anyone familiar with that part of the ship? I turned down a next-category upgrade from a recent promotion because my husband prefers the safe feeling of having a sheltered balcony (plus being able to use it no matter the weather in most instances). It seems like a quiet part of the ship, but I see Carinthia Lounge looming overhead on the Deck 7 layout and it's starting to seem a little too close for comfort (though admittedly, the stage seems to be at the aft end). Still, I can't see it getting noisy at night after midnight or so - hopefully I'm correct. Any input is greatly appreciated - hopefully I don't have to change rooms, as we love the one we've locked in!

I've also adjusted the table assignment to one for 6 in Britannia, first sitting. Specifically asked them to make a note to see if they can get us in the "well" area with the dome above us. Crossing my fingers! We had a table for 2, but I think it'll be a great deal more fun to get to know some of our fellow passengers. Plus it'll be my birthday on board, so maybe they'll have the chance to embarrass me with a cake and a singalong.

Please don’t do that— it’s your honeymoon- dance together... don’t worry about what other people are saying.

For minitur wonderland, there is also a “backstage” tour that looks really interesting. I had wanted to do it last summer from Kiel, but it was during the G20 summit, so didn’t want to travel to Hamburg.

Fair enough on the dancing - mind, neither of us can dance to save our lives, lol! We're not the kind of couple that likes to put on a show to force agendas and draw attention, and we respect that the passengers mostly consist of an older demographic, but I daresay we'll brave the dance floor together once or twice. G32 seems like the more suitable spot in my opinion, but we'll play it by ear! Will definitely look into the backstage tour as well. Thanks!

Thanks so much for the insights! Yeah, it's pretty much what I expected - we have single-button black blazers with matching dress pants, black neckties, and black dress shoes, so I envision that we'll be fine with those and will just have them pressed onboard after lugging them across Iceland. The White Star Luggage fee is far too high for us when factoring in the cost of the entire trip overall - we've even had to cut out Berlin and will just be seeing Hamburg to cut costs.

We're both aware that a crossing has a more laid-back and "let me sit here with my book all day" kind of atmosphere to it as opposed to RCI and the like, but to us it's actually preferred as we're looking for a peaceful, inspiring, and truly unique experience! As someone who has extensively written about and researched ocean liner travel since a young age, I'm sure nothing is going to beat the usual grand departure from Hamburg and iconic arrival in New York! Hoping for good weather on the port days and hopefully a couple sea days, but wouldn't complain if we experienced rough weather here or there in-between.

Those photos of the Commodore Club make me wish it was 2019 already - can't wait to settle in a chair with a drink on one of the wings overlooking the bow (even the architect's favourite spot). The wait for this trip is going to be absolute hell, but this forum sure will help with making the time pass!

There is no need to arrange anything ahead of time with regard to the standard afternoon tea in the Queens Room. Just be there on time to ensure you get a seat. The Planetarium tickets are usually distributed beginning at 9:00am from the ConneXions desk on deck 2. They usually go very quickly the first few days but are more readily available later in the voyage as the shows tend to repeat.

 

Regards, John

Excellent info. Thanks for sharing!

I am on that trip from Southampton to New York and also from Ottawa. The QM2 is truly incredible! I have been onboard 8 times. My advice: don’t try to pack everything in but rather just take time to relax. There is nothing better than a late afternoon drink in the Commodore Club and watching the ocean and then going to get ready for dinner. All this without any pressure.

 

 

I couldn't agree more! It's important to savour such special moments. The plan is to not live according to a schedule the 9 days we're onboard - if anything, I'm just looking to gather information about the experiences available to us onboard so we can very roughly plan what we'd like to do each day (with plenty of open time for relaxing and exploring the ship). Will definitely head straight over to book the tour after stepping onboard - one of us is a foodie and the other a longtime admirer of ocean liner design, so it's sure to appeal to us both! Otherwise, the only things I plan on pre-scheduling are the excursion in Southampton (walking tour and SeaCity Museum), afternoon tea twice, and planetarium tickets. I presume this can all be done at the Purser's Office/Tour Office. Leaving the rest up to chance for us to discover!

I'll definitely have to check that out when we visit. Thanks, John!

Subsequently, we've adjusted our trip so that we spend 8-9 days in Iceland before flying to Berlin for 3-4 days, followed by 3 days in Hamburg before boarding the ship. I've been seeing reviews heavily knocking the food, so we're keeping our expectations low. Also not looking forward to the disembarkation/interrogation in New York (my husband is originally from Mexico and won't be a full Canadian citizen before the trip, so I can't help but fret a little), but we'll make the most of it and just be extra-cautious with paperwork, etc.

Also contacted Cunard as they were offering free upgrades, reduced deposits, and other benefits for the same suites on the same trip, and they were kind enough to help me reduce our booking by $700 and give us a free upgrade to anything above category BZ (our current stateroom type, though I hope they leave it as is if they plan to transfer us to another sheltered balcony room, as we're on Deck 6 starboard basically under Canyon Ranch - will call to say we'd prefer upgrades only to staterooms on Deck 9 or higher). They couldn't transfer our bonus onboard credit attained through the initial booking, but gave us $75 each "because it's our honeymoon" (hope there's more of this in the way of an invite to the Queen's Grill one night). This will go straight to the gratuities so my s/o doesn't flip out over extra expenses, etc. If they have other promos on before February 2019, I've been instructed to call again so they can give us the perks. Guess that's what happens when you book 550+ days out!

Also, does anyone know if it's possible to book tours of the bridge and galley?

We're booked on Mary from June 21-30, 2019 (Hamburg to New York). It's going to be a distant honeymoon (just married earlier this month) and also my birthday while on board at the same time, so couldn't have planned it better! This is going to serve as the extra-big cherry on top after visiting Iceland, Berlin and Hamburg for a couple of weeks, after which we visit New York for a week and head back home to Canada.

Hoping a roll call for this crossing comes to fruition soon so I can mingle with future fellow passengers!

I have not actually visited it myself, but since you are planning several days in Hamburg and mentioned your interest in liner history, you may want to consider a visit to the Internationales Maritimes Museum in Hamburg. As I understand it, that museum has exhibits of various ship models including a model of the Queen Mary 2 made out of legos. Here is a link to an image of that QM2 lego model found on Wikimedia Commons.

 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/LEGO_Queen_Mary_2_model_-_Internationales_Maritimes_Museum_Hamburg.jpg

 

I only know about this because it has been mentioned by several others on this forum over the years. I thought it might be worth mentioning again now in connection with your trip to Hamburg where you will be joining the QM2.

 

Regards, John

Thanks for reminding me about this, John! It had completely slipped my mind and I'm sure we'll check it out (sure will be cool seeing the QM2 in Lego form before going on the real thing). Yes, we're making the whole Hamburg visit very liner-themed it seems. We're even staying in the Atlantic Hotel (though partly because we love the 007 movie filmed there, Tomorrow Never Dies). I'd also love to see the "village" that Albert Ballin had the Hamburg-Amerika Line build for immigrants, but I'm unsure of where it is or what's left.

Cunard has a walking tour of Southampton based very loosely on the Titanic which has a stop at the SeaCity museum, and transportation back to the Ocean Terminal. I am doing that next month on my trip from Hamburg. By the way, if you have any interest in model railroads. I can recommend the Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg as a knock your pants off exhibit.

Well, that's absolutely perfect! Thanks for letting me know about this. Will definitely check out the Minatur Wunderland when we get to Hamburg also.

 

I'm curious about your three days in Germany. Have you visited Germany? We have visited it extensively over the years, and will answer any questions that you would like to ask us. We've driven and traveled on the trains. We really like the trains in Germany! They're very stable unlike the Amtrak trains!

Thanks so much everyone for your suggestions!

As it stands, we plan on flying to Iceland from Ottawa (our home) and renting a camper van before trekking around the country for 7-10 days. Then, we'll jet over to Hamburg for 3 or 4 nights (we've never been but I'm fascinated by the liner history and culture of Germany). After, we board the Mary for the crossing to NYC before flying home on July 3rd (we want to get out before the chaos of 4th of July in NYC). I think we'll bring our suits with us, both being gentlemen who pack light when traveling, and just bring two oversize bags to put everything in (clothes for Iceland and hiking boots, plus dress shoes and clothes for the ship - now I know what people went through with steamer trunks lol). We just have basic single-button black blazers and pants, but can add a bowtie and white dress shirt if that would be acceptable for formal nights (will rent tuxes if not, just unsure of the fees). We'd love to ballroom dance together along with the rest, but I daresay it would probably be more acceptable if we find lonely women to escort to the dance floor (though if people are comfortable with it, we'll certainly give a waltz together to Glenn Miller's "Moonglow" a whirl).

It would be an absolute dream to be upgraded to a Queen's Grill suite and be able to dine in its respective restaurant, so we'll see what happens! We've reserved a table for 2 in Britannia, but I plan on calling Cunard tonight and switching to a round table for 6 (as long as I don't order pasta I won't make a fool of myself at least). It would be amazing to dine in the open area in front of the mural, near the captain's table with a view of the stairs. We also plan on visiting the Seacity Museum in Southampton when in dock, as we're unsure of what else there is time for during the short time in port before heading out to open ocean again. Again, thanks so much for your input along with everyone else's!

Hello there!

We've booked a Westbound transatlantic on QM2 (Hamburg to New York in June 2019) for a very distant honeymoon, to cap off a week or so in Iceland and three days in Hamburg. This will be both our first time on any ship, let alone an ocean liner (the golden days of ocean travel have long-resonated with me and we wanted something reminiscent of that era). Is anybody else going on the same crossing or has anyone been on the same one from previous years? I'd love to hear of your experiences with QM2 and maybe some tips for getting the most out of this bucket list trip. We've booked a sheltered balcony (BZ) stateroom and now I find myself ogling at our voyage personalizer several times a week purely out of excitement.

We'll be 30 and 26 at the time of the crossing, and I know the general pax age is often double that. However, I guess you could say we've "matured our interests early" and already appreciate more refined and sophisticated entertainment, etc. We'd rather take fine dining, big band / string quartet music and traditional elegance over belly flop contests and surf simulators (not to say those ships aren't fun, but just aren't our preference), but still will sooner head over to the Royal Court Theatre than take a painting class, for example. Does anyone have advice on what to partake in and what to avoid (expenses such as photos, White Star Luggage or other fee-based events/services)? What is the process of embarking like and what should we be aware of? It's 9 days altogether and I want to avoid us getting bored, bearing in mind that our interests line up with the refined options onboard, preferably those with a little more energy in them than visiting the Library (though I look forward to that, honestly). We don't plan on scheduling every minute of the crossing of course, but I'm just curious about what the experience will be like for two first-timers with a love of the golden age of ocean travel. Thanks, and I hope I posted this in the right place as I'm unfamiliar with the new CC layout!

Hello!

I've been asking around about different cruise opportunities, and recently stumbled upon a wonderful-looking Celebrity cruise, an 11 night cruisetour from Vancouver to Anchorage aboard the Millennium. Of course, I realize there are many different threads regarding this ship and similar voyages, but none were really in line with what I'm curious about.

Basically, I'm trying to see how little we can pay for the entire trip without missing out on anything vital. I'd love if the 3 of us can get an oceanview cabin, but we'll gladly settle for an inside if necessary, so long as it sleeps 3 comfortably. With the busy daily schedule of the ship and only one or two sea-ish days, it isn't a huge concern as we intend to lounge about around the ship in the many lovely observation/gathering areas.

Also, aside from dining once at The Olympic (who wouldn't want to dine surrounded by the actual panelling of RMS Olympic), we plan to stick to the free dining options. Considering that the cruisetour offers free excursions already, we don't particularly feel it is a necessity to pay for more - although the whale-watching and flight-seeing are very tempting. What we might do is get the cheapest stateroom possible for 3 people, and splurge on all the awesome excursions to make it truly a remarkable trip that gets my travelling companions bitten by the cruising bug.

Long story short, I'm hoping to hear from cruisers who have taken this same itinerary on the Millennium, preferably those who travelled an inside cabin for 3 and looked to do it as cheaply as possible. Will we be missing out on much at all by giving it this approach? We'd love to have an ocean view, but are fine without one. We're going to wait until the cruise goes on sale for 2016 or 2017, and take it from there, anyway - I just wanted to see what other's experiences in a situation similar to ours were like.

The pricing is not a mistake. Singles usually pay the full fare for the cabin or in other words they pay for 2 passengers except that they only pay 1 set of taxes and fees. I would stick with 1 cabin to keep costs down.

 

If you are looking to cruise to Alaska this year I have seen some drastically reduced prices (well under $1000pp for an inside room.). Example...July 31 on the Radience $504pp inside cabin.

 

Alaska frequently gets discounted last minute for inside cabins, but you may pay more in airfare.

Good god, what a steep discount. Oh, it's very, VERY tempting to do so - I'd just worry of the airfare being too expensive, considering 3 of us are going there and back, it would come to a whopping $6,000 normally. Checking through Expedia, though, I see that flights in May 2016 are only as low as $923 or so (it won't let me choose anything further away). Would we be essentially be paying about the same for airfare by waiting? If so, I think we'll just wait and save money.

Or perhaps we'll travel to Greece, since we worked out a total cost through Celebrity including flights at just over $10,000. We wish to do both cruises, so it all boils down to what I can convince the others into pooling into doing first, really. Since none of us have cruised before, I think Alaska would work out better - with the cruisetour having included excursions, it makes it much more worthwhile without having to shell out hundreds of extra dollars.

Thanks, I'll keep an eye on it. It tells me online that for the 3 of us, an oceanview stateroom for 3 wouldn't even break $8000, which is perfect as we have to fly from Ottawa and back also. However, when I try to select just one stateroom, we keep getting a stateroom with connections, which obviously we don't want if we're all in one room, safe to say!

I'll contact RC and see if they can help.

Thank you kindly for the quick response!

We're not sure yet due to determining when we can afford it, but it'll either be this July or next, as we hear that is when there is the most daylight and nice weather (hopefully - it IS Alaska). I'm fine with any sleeping arrangements that can accommodate 3, so long as it is comfortable enough. Would like it if it didn't feel tooooo cluttered - I'm trying to get these two bitten by the cruising bug quite desperately.

If anything, I will try contacting RC and have them assist me in figuring out a definite cost. Could be that their system reads my stateroom assignments wrong.

Hello! I'm looking into what appears to be a wonderful RC trip to Alaska, the Mountain Valley Cruisetour 3A from Vancouver to Anchorage on Radiance of the Seas. There will be 3 of us travelling, two of us in our mid-twenties and one person who is 70. We'd like to save money and are fine with choosing an ocean view (porthole) stateroom (would like to have some kind of view) or an inside stateroom if it makes a huge difference in price.

The trouble is, when I try to set up the booking to determine the total cost, I have it so there is a stateroom for me and my boyfriend, connected to a stateroom that sleeps our snoring, humming 70 year old travel buddy. Problem is, it charges over $5000 for just one person in that stateroom as if there were two people sleeping in it and four of us going! I'm unsure of why it does this, so I tried to set it up where we all sleep in one stateroom and the price is much more respectful.

My query is, would an ocean view stateroom on the Radiance sleep 3? If the couch turns into a bed, that's perfectly fine, so long as it's comfortable enough. I'd like to have it so we have 2 staterooms that are connected, but no such luck, possibly due to a computer error. If anybody has experience with this, please leave feedback here. We're looking to keep the trip under $10,000 including pre-booked, discounted flights from Ottawa and back. Since it is a cruisetour, excursions are included so we won't really have a need to be paying extra - perhaps for the flightseeing, but we'll see.

As I said, one of our party is 70, and the rest of us are in our mid-twenties. It's no issue.

After countless days of searching, I found out that the Carnival Vista, launching next year, is doing an amazing cruise from Barcelona to Athens. It stops in Marseilles, Florence, Rome, Naples (Pompeii), Crete, Rhodes, Izmir and ends in Athens. I wish it stopped in Santorini, but if it isn't a huge deal, then that's alright. The ship actually looks incredible for a Carnival one, and is relatively cheap (although I can't help but take all of this with a huge grain of salt).

So far though, I feel that this is the best one to take:

Celebrity 12 Night Greek/Med Cruise

http://www.celebritycruises.com/cruises/cruise-package-CS12M435?packageid=CS12M435&dest=EUROP&shipCode=CS&shipName=Celebrity%20Constellation&sailDate=1160427&cabincls=OUTSIDE&promoType=80

It REALLY peaks my interest. It stops not only in Rome and Naples, but EVEN VENICE (the only cruise I've found to do so), not to mention a ton of Greek ports including Athens, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Chania, Santorini, Rhodes and even Malta. Quite something. There are only two sea days, but I think we can live with it. It beats nothing, and frankly, it keeps my group excited about always having something new to enjoy. It stops everywhere we wanted to visit, and more. The cost is a bit high considering that it is on the Constellation, but I can definitely live with it considering where it goes. We also get 2 days in Venice at the end out of it, too. Flying to Rome will be costly, as will flying back to Canada from Venice, but so long as we save up, it'll be worthwhile.

I know several of you are asking about budget, etc. I'd like to keep it under $15,000 if possible, and it seems that this will do it. We only wish to stay an extra day in Rome on top of the one included in the cruise, so a safe, comfortable hotel room near the ship for one night shouldn't run us too much.

These are some wonderful suggestions - thank you everyone, they are greatly appreciated. We're not sure when it is best to go, to be perfectly honest. We have no knowledge of the temperature or seasonal weather outside of Canada, unfortunately (Siberia in Winter, Calcutta in July). We graduate in April 2016, but may need to wait until later on in the year or even 2017 to do this - so it is really quite flexible for us in choosing a month.

I had never known that transatlantic cruises were offered, which, frankly, blew my freakin' mind! Thank you SO VERY MUCH for this info. So now, I'm edging very closely to choosing a trans cruise that leaves the U.S and ends in Rome. There are loads of sea days - so many that I wished the ship would stop here and there along the Atlantic. I cannot find any that go all the way to Greece other than Holland America, and it is ridiculously expensive compared to Celebrity or RCI. Considering that it will be 3 of us flying from Ottawa to our boarding destination, 3 of us to a suite, and 3 of us eating and drinking and paying for excursions PLUS 3 of us possibly staying longer in the disembark point and then flying back, it would be a definite no - unless it goes on sale. Plus, I don't feel at all comfortable crossing the choppy Atlantic in a smaller ship. Anything large works, though. I'm unsure if there are any trans cruises that go to Greece within Celebrity, MSC or RCI, but it would certainly save a lot of money on flights with just having to fly to Florida to board the ship.

I'd like to avoid ports that are samey and typical, if anyone knows what I mean. Safety is important too, so I'd like to avoid any run-down, economically turbulent stops (Greece notwithstanding, for they cannot afford to turn away tourists right now!). As I said, I'm looking for an itinerary that will blow the minds of my travelling companions to get them hooked on cruising. They aren't particularly interested right now, but I know it's likely because I won't stop going on about it!

I'd still LOVE to travel with MSC, despite the language issues. One of us speaks perfect Spanish (first language) so it may help a lot. So long as they are perfectly able to communicate vital information in English and hopefully keep English-speakers together, then it's fine.

Celebrity is also a top choice, after watching trans cruise videos on youtube (they are STELLAR, to say the least, those ships). We'd go for an oceanview suite at most, so not even thinking about a balcony.

Sorry for rambling again - I'm studying professional writing, can you tell? ;)

Hello, all!

I'm a college student, graduating in the spring. My boyfriend and I, as well as a close family friend, are interested in taking a Med cruise. The trouble is, the choices are overwhelming. I must warn you that this post will be quite long, as I wish to get all the details and important info down, in hopes of someone willing to help me make the right decisions.

To begin with, we will be flying from Ottawa, Canada. I've never flown before, so that alone is another tango to dance, so to speak. After discussing potential itineraries with my travel companions, we have expressed great interest in visiting the following locations on the cruise. We're fine with 7-14 day trips:

Venice (if possible)

Rome (and Vatican City)

Pompeii

Barcelona

Athens

Santorini

Also, I in particular would like to find a cruise that goes near the island of Kea. I'm an ocean liner buff, and would very much like to pay my respects over the wreck of the HMHS Britannic, Titanic's sunken sister ship, which rests on the seabed near Kea. I know it is quite out of the way, but if there are any cruises that go there, I'm particularly interested in them for certain. If there is a cruise that explores the Greek coastline only and doesn't go to Italy, then that is fine also, so long as I might have a chance to visit Kea.

Our goal is to have a first-person witness to the history and majesty of the Mediterranean, and we are particularly interested in Greece and Italy. We'd love to see the most famous, imposing and picturesque parts of Greece during the cruise, but I'm unsure of which cities to visit (looking to find something along the lines of cliffside cities, sparkling seas, breathtaking views and towering temples, etc.). For Rome, the Vatican City is a must if we stop in Italy, as well as the usual spots such as the Colosseum and whatnot.

Now, on to the choice of line, stateroom, etc. My boyfriend and I are keen to find a crowd that doesn't involve belly-flops, obnoxious hosts deserving of a hard slap or a ship stuffed with party animals fresh out of Wal-Mart that care for little else but where the bars and dance floors are. We aren't against choosing any line, even Carnival. It's just that we'd like to avoid the messy, noisy, rude party boats, and though I know Carnival is typically the bottom rung of the ladder, they do provide lovely staterooms and interior design on their newer ships. We'd love to sail on the Queen Victoria, Quantum/Anthem of the Seas, any MSC or Celebrity ship (breathtaking to say the least) or even smaller lines such as Viking or Windstar, so long as fares don't skyrocket.

We're not picky about the cabin in particular, so long as we at least have an ocean view window of some kind, and comfortable beds. One of those traveling with us is 70, and while active and healthy, I'd imagine he would appreciate a more comfortable bed. If there is a cabin that has enough bed space to comfortably sleep 3 people (not fold out couches, but actual beds), then that is perfectly fine. Also, I have no idea where to begin regarding excursions and don't wish to make this post any longer than it already is going to be (sorry again) by fussing over those details. I just would like to find a very good tour of Athens that covers the must-see spots, and if we go to Rome, then the Vatican City tour needs to be really in-depth, obviously. We would like to enjoy some quality time on the ship, but also be able to get off and experience the culture and tours of the ports the ship stops in. I'm looking for a cruise with many different stops and excursion options that also provides a few days at sea here and there to allow for us to enjoy the ship fully.

I'm really hoping that MSC would be a recommended line to choose, or Cunard, Princess, RC or Celebrity. They are our favourite lines, (MSC/Cunard especially). I'm well aware of the horror stories involving MSC and Celebrity has had a bad rep in the past, so I'm really lost with what to decide upon. MSC has absolutely gorgeous ships, as do Cunard, so those two are at the top of our list. I want to be able to embark upon this trip and be able to truly impress my travel companions, in the hopes of getting them bitten by the cruising bug (neither have never cruised before either and don't expect much).

I apologize for the length of this, once again! I'm looking to hear the experiences of members on here who have chosen similar itineraries and may have some advice on what to choose, what to avoid, what pricing schemes to steer clear from, etc. Also, considering my boyfriend is training to be a chef, I'd like to find a ship that has excellent food, or at least of The Keg restaurant type of quality. Onboard sushi bars and mexican food are huge bonuses, also, as well as a library and affordable excursions.

Thanks for the info! I personally wanted to travel around England and Western Europe, but out of respect for the older member of our group, I let him choose the itinerary. On that note, we might go with Scenic or Avalon. It's a little bit more expensive (especially Scenic, GOOD GOD), but appears to be more worthwhile - especially with it being all-inclusive. Plus, you can choose from all sorts of amazing excursions.

We may wait longer to go in order to save extra, but honestly, with that level of service, plus with everything included minus the flights, I'm pretty darn impressed. For the extra few thousand dollars per person, it looks like you get much more "bang for your buck", suffice to say. Viking is still in my mind, but after looking a little more into Scenic and Avalon, I must say that it looks to provide many more options than just windmills and wood-framed houses. Don't get me wrong, those are nice, but... yeah. Other lines seem to offer MANY more excursions and unique features. I still can't get over Scenic, with dining at a castle, medieval style, watching Spanish horseback riders in that beautiful riding hall in Vienna, and then the private symphonic concert at the end. Just wow.

We're definitely going to arrange our own flights and insurance, regardless. Flying from Ottawa to Amsterdam won't be cheap, but hopefully we can find decent deals and maybe order our plane tickets well in advance to secure a deal. I'm curious of Scenic offers a 2 for 1 or 50% off special sometimes, or anything along those lines, so I'll keep an eye out for that. I'm used to camping and whatnot too - but for around $10,000 per person, I expect a trip more along the lines of what Scenic offers than Viking, which, frankly, seems lacklustre in comparison. I tried to change the thread title to "Regarding Viking, Scenic or Avalon..." but it wouldn't let me. Lol!

In the end a Cunard cruise is starting to look FAR cheaper than this, such as a Med voyage around Greece on Queen Victoria. Still, I know you have to pay for many services on those big luxury liners, so I'll still wait I think.

Ha! Thanks. Will definitely check these out.

Hello, everyone! Longtime visitor, first-time poster. I'll just cut to the chase: I'm looking into planning a 2016 Viking River Cruise, the Grand European Adventure from Amsterdam to Budapest. I'll be graduating college in early that year, and am thinking it would be a nice way for myself and a couple friends to celebrate in style!

Of course, I realize that Viking tends to cater to older travellers, but that works out just fine for us - one of us who is going is 70 (a close family friend), and two others in their mid-twenties, including myself. The older member of our group used to live in Germany for some time, and wishes to see it again, so this seems like a perfect vacation in the making. None of us are party people, and, if anything, are introverts and history buffs!

I'd love to know what people think of Viking's service - we are all first-time cruisers and have no idea what to expect. It was either going to be this or a Queen Mary 2 voyage somewhere, but Viking wins this time (will save the QM2 for a honeymoon down the road). Is this a good choice for first-time cruisers? We don't mind the excursions - in fact, they make the trip more enticing, suffice to say. I really don't want to have to put up with obnoxious, flag-waving, cartoony staff and reckless passengers, so it feels like this is a smart route to take. I'd love to read of some authentic experience, particularly of those travelling from Canada on the same itinerary, but everyone is welcome to share their tales. Also, ANY money-saving advice that doesn't sacrifice safety or excursions, etc. is welcome too - we ARE college students after all ;)

Sorry for the long post! Also must apologize for posting a Viking topic when I know there are a few already on here - I checked some, but none really answered my query. Nice to be on here, amongst my own people who don't think I'm crazy for loving cruises! Hopefully there's nobody on here that sees any ship and exclaims "This looks like the Titanic!"... ugh (shudders).