jrkstl

Looking forward to the remaining post! We just booked this itinerary for March 2018 with the pre-cruise stay in Paris. Very excited ��

Thanks in advance!

Jeff

Hello,

I believe that you're looking at the airfare incorrectly, but in my experience it's almost always cheaper to go with Viking for your flights, especially with the air specials that they always offer. If you want to go it on your own, you still book your air through Viking, but they'll charge you a $100 per person deviation fee.

I'd highly recommend researching Prague to see what might interest you, but there is plenty to see and do. The included Viking tour is very good, but won't show you everything. I suggest at least watching Rick Steves via his YouTube channel so that you can get some of his suggestions, and his travel books are always a good resource. We really enjoyed the Viking-led day trip to the village of Kutna Hora, but I'm sure there are other tour operators that have this as an option.

You're going to love Prague! We had 3 or so days, but I'm ready to go back.

Enjoy!

Jeff

Hello,

We took the Kutna Hora tour in 2015, and it was well worth the trip. I believe that we left in the morning around 9? It was an approximately 90 minute coach ride, but it didn't seem that long.

The tour first stopped at the famous Sedlec ossuary, then we travelled the short trip to see the cathedral and town center of Kutna Hora. It's a lovely and scenic town that reminded us both of Italy and Germany. The tour was followed by lunch, then free time before the trip back.

We thoroughly enjoyed the trip!

Jeff

There aren't any corkscrews in the cabins on Viking ships (that I recall), but they'll be happy to open it for you at the bar, and to supply you with glasses as well.

Cheers!

Jeff

What does Viking charge for the tour?

It was $80 per person, I believe. Worth. Every. Penny.

One of these days I'll get my pics organized and will share the link of my Flickr account...

Here is Viking's YouTube video about the Dom and tour.

After viewing this, I was OBSESSED with doing this excursion. As stated before, I was not disappointed :)

Jeff

Viking offers an optional excursion to the top of the Cologne Cathedral. Has anyone been on this who can provide feedback?

Hello,

We did the Viking "Top of Cologne" tour which was a major highlight of the trip. It's a very detailed behind the scenes tour that takes you up via construction elevator, and then through the roof, walking around the roof, inside and up high in the cathedral, etc. It's a completely different tour than simply walking up the steps, etc. If you're at all interested in the Dom history and if architecture is something you like, I would *highly* recommend this! Beware - this one sells out quickly and I believe only has 16 or so spots to sell. Also, it's not available for all Rhine cruises as it seems to depend on which day you spend in Cologne.

I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have, so ask away :)

Again, highly recommend this!

Jeff

Thanks, Jeff. We know Viking provides transfers and transportation between Basal and Lake Como - is it train or bus? How long is the trip? And in Lake Como are there any tours included? Any recommendations on best areas to visit?

Hello!

You will be taken to Como via motor coach, and you leave the ship around 9:30, I believe. They provide you with a snack bag for the journey, and the coach will stop a time or two for a bathroom break. The trip should take approximately 4 hours. Ours was longer since the traffic was crazy busy due to nice weather, and we had to wait to travel through the Gotthard tunnel, which is only one lane each direction and around 11 miles long. You might take the trip via the high road through the mountains, but these were still closed in April. Either way, the scenery through Switzerland is spectacular! You will stop for lunch at Lake Lugano. The view at lunch is breathtaking too! The trip from lunch to Como is fairly short.

We stayed at the Sheraton, which is close to Cernobbio. We walked to Cernobbio several times to eat as well.

Viking will provide a tour of Como (with a ride to the top of the mountain via funicular) which gives you a detailed overview of the area, and then the next morning you'll have a leisurely scenic cruise on a private boat to Bellagio. There are certainly other boat rides and tours that you can do on your own, but we felt that Viking gave us a really thorough feel of the area. We truly enjoyed our down time taking in the scenery and slowly wandering around the area by the hotel and around Como. We loved this area of Italy so much that we plan to return on our own.

Jeff

We're on Viking's Rhine Getaway departing Amsterdam on September 9, 2017 and doing the post extension in Lake Cumo. Interested to hear from others who have done this extension - comments, suggestions?

Hi Rhody Lynn,

We took this extension in April of this year at the end of the Rhine Getaway.

We thought it was fantastic, and that Viking did a stellar job with all of the details. Lake Como gets my personal vote as the most beautiful place on Earth, so there's that :D

I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have, so feel free to ask. You're going to LOVE it!!

Jeff

The Viking walking tour on day two of the pre cruise stay began at the Renaissance and ended in front of the Palace at Dam Square. It lasted at least 90 minutes or so and included interesting details about the canal home architecture, went past the Anne Frank House, etc. It gave you a very good feel for some of the historic details of the city.

Jeff

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with Vikings Pre: Amsterdam. I understand you are paying for the convenience of Viking and could most likely book things on your own cheaper. I like how they provide transfers, lodging and tours. How are the tours?

While it's certainly cheaper to do on your own, it's really nice to have all of the details taken care of for you.

We splurged a bit on our recent Rhine Getaway trip in April of this year, and did the pre-cruise Amsterdam stay (at the Renaissance - location was perfect!) and the post-cruise trip to Lake Como, Italy and both were fantastic. No regrets whatsoever.

Oh, and the walking tour by Viking on day two in Amsterdam was very well done.

Jeff

So my standard room was 15 sf larger than the French balcony room above mine? They seemed the same size to me. Now I wish I could compare again.

Yes they really are :) This is due to the off-center hallway on floors two and three that allow the balcony cabins on one side, and the French balcony rooms on the smaller starboard side.

On our last cruise, I was in a friend's French Balcony room, and you really only notice the difference on the window side of the bed.

Jeff

I'm not Pat, but I'll chime in. On our three cruises, we've been more that happy with the standard stateroom on the lower level. We find that we're not in our rooms long enough to justify the increased cost of French balcony, etc.

Also, I rather like the sound of the water while in bed, since quite a bit of cruising is done at night.

Jeff

Just returned from our Rhine Getaway with Viking that included a pre cruise stay in Amsterdam. You'll have the opportunity to meet others on your cruise if you partake in the walking tour. For our trip, this was offered the morning of the second day.

Enjoy!

Jeff

We are very satisfied Viking customers of now three cruises, but due to this scenario (and thanks to the advice of our TA!) we always purchase 3rd party travel insurance.

I certainly hope that Viking can continue to be a success, but reality is reality.

BTW, we've been okay with paying in advance since we have taken advantage of their great airfare deals, and consider it the cost of savings. I've always simply assumed that this is how they pay for all of the new ships...

Jeff

On our Rhine cruise last month with Viking, most menus included some items that were considered regional specialties, and these were marked with the asterisk.

The regional specialties were sometimes a starter, sometimes a main course and sometimes dessert. I really didn't pay that close attention to how many were offered during our cruise, but it seemed like the same quantity (and quality) of our Bordeaux and Danube cruises with them. We frequently ordered the cheese board during dinner, and this always included regional cheeses and accompaniments.

I didn't find the menu to be that "Americanized..."

Jeff

Please do set yourself a calendar reminder regarding Anne Frank House tickets (2 months out). We did and I'm so glad that we got to tour the house.

I would also strongly recommend a dinner cruise in Amsterdam - specifically Amsterdam Jewel Dinner Cruise. Thanks to Cyber Kat here on CC and her recommendation, we did this during our stay in Amsterdam and it was a big highlight of the trip.

The optional tour that we booked through Viking called "Top of Cologne" was another highlight of the trip. This is the tour that takes you up a construction elevator and through the roof, etc. of the Cologne Cathedral. Wonderful!

The food served on our ship (Viking Alruna) was great to very good, and there were a few local specialties thrown in here and there as well.

You're going to have a great time! I'm ready to do the trip all over again :)

Jeff

Hello flgirl543,

I just returned from this very trip, and would be more than happy to answer questions :)

notamermaid has covered your initial questions very well, but thought I'd chime in should you have others.

As stated, be sure to read the "Viking Rhine Cruises 2017" thread on the roll call page, located here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2337826

Out of our three Viking cruises taken, it was my favorite!

Jeff

Greetings.

Just came home from the Viking Rhine Getaway cruise last week, which was a wonderful trip! We cruised on the Viking Alruna, but there are several Longships running this itinerary at the same time. All of them are pretty much the same, with only a few cosmetic differences.

I would concentrate on time of year, and the direction that you want to travel. For example, we were sold on the doing the Viking Lake Como cruise extension and we decided that it would be a great ending to the cruise so it made sense for us to start in Amsterdam.

Just be mindful that this is a very popular itinerary, and you'll need to book the trip soon so it doesn't sell out.

Jeff

While we are on the food topic, can anyone tell me how responsive Viking is to special dietary needs? Our party will include some who don't eat meat (including chicken stock in soup and sauces), someone with a dairy allergy, and a few other limitations. Viking has been advised and we raise it again when we board, but I am wondering how accommodating they will be given how small the kitchen must be and how limited their menu options are. It will be so helpful to hear from anyone with experience on Viking who has dietary issues.

We are both vegetarian (not vegan) and this has never been an issue with any of our Viking cruises. They really handle this well, at least in our experience. I do recommend that you mention it to your server and restaurant manager if possible, but you'll be well taken care of.

Jeff

Was it local, German beer?

I believe so, yes

Jeff

You will have a lovely time! Don't stress one persons unhappiness.

 

Yeah, what JVilleGal said :)

And you're welcome! It's only been a week but I'm so ready to go back!

Jeff

FYI - just retuned from the Rhine Getaway with Viking last week, and the food choices were all (for the most part) based on the destination, etc. Once again, we found the food to be good to excellent on this cruise and we've been happy with the other cruises as well. The "free" wine stayed pretty much the same (with the exception of a Riesling added once in that region) but they had other (maybe free, maybe not) options as well. Same with beer - more than one included option as well.

Sounds like the OP may have a boat with chef issues?

Jeff

Just a quick comment re: Viking Air. On our three cruises, we've purchased airfare through Viking due to the incredible promotional deals. We live in St. Louis, so the long haul flights are always from a different airport, but we've been very happy with all three itineraries. It usually involves a short flight via Delta to Detroit, then Europe from there. No complaints at all. I would imagine that paying the extra amount for Viking Air Plus (not sure if that's the official name) would allow you plenty of options - especially flying from the East Coast.

Happy Cruising!

Jeff

First off, I do know we would like to go when the weather is comfortable (light jacket or no jacket, but not too hot). I had been thinking May would be a nice time, and that April (best prices) might be a bit too cool and rainy

Hi mlbcruiser (and fellow St. Louisan!)

We leave Wednesday of this week for Amsterdam, and our cruise down the Rhine begins Saturday April 1st. I plan to post updates regarding the trip, so you might want to follow the "Viking Rhine Getaway 2017" thread over in the River Cruise Roll Call forum. We specifically chose April as our first river cruise was in July/August of 2015, and it was really REALLY hot. Looking at the weather forecast for the next few days looks like we'll see mostly 50's and 60's, which sounds perfect to me :D

Jeff

I'm not new to Viking, but I am new to the concept of shipboard credit on Viking. We don't drink and I know there are no Bingo games to buy into! Am I able to use shipboard credit for the crew tips at the end of the cruise?

Hello!

I'm fairly certain that shipboard credit can only be used for drinks, optional excursions and for items in the small shop onboard.

Jeff