tjb19841987

For what it is worth, we have taken two cold weather Viking river cruises (late November 2016 & mid November 2017) and booked veranda staterooms both times. We enjoy sitting on the balcony during the evening sailing, but agree with others that there's no great utility there (and not much to see!). Honestly, I'd be just as happy with a standard cabin, but my husband enjoys the balcony. Regardless of what cabin you choose, enjoy the Christmas markets and be sure to save room for the many tasty treats available at each one!

Looking at this cruise for Nov. weather ???!?

 

 

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We went on this cruise this past November and it ranged from comfortably cool (40s/50s in Budapest) to downright cold (20s/30s in Passau). We're from the Midwest, so it wasn't off-putting, but a few people on our cruise were poorly prepared, having packed only light windbreakers and no hat/gloves.

We are 29 & 33, respectively, and have taken two river cruises (both Viking). We were definitely a rare breed but it didn’t impact our enjoyment at all; we found our fellow travelers tended to talk mostly about other travel adventures, so we could relate.

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I love following the “live from” posts/blogs, but with the spotty internet (and packed agenda) on river cruises, we opted to stick to photos only. If you’re interested in following along, find us on Instagram— username “wallaceswander” or http://www.instagram.com/wallaceswander

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Both tethered (USB or Bluetooth) sharing, and Wi-Fi hotspot options have been native to my last 2 Android phones. No app needed.

 

I am pretty sure that the Wi-Fi hotspot option is native to the iPhone but since I don't have one I can't say with 100% certainty. But whenever I'm sniffing for Wi-Fi, I always see secured networks called "so-and-so's iPhone" so I infer that this can be done...

 

Mark_T, thanks for pointing out that not all service providers and/or plans permit sharing the internet connection by tethering. Hadn't thought of that.

Your suspicion is correct regarding iPhones. I tether every once in a while when I'm travelling and it is native, through the settings. You just click on "personal hotspot" and there are simple instructions on how to connect.

Not to argue any point, just in continuing the exchange of information, we are on Scenic - but we are not "touring" with them, we are just taking the river cruise. When taking a TOUR - yes, they only allow 1 piece per person which THEY handle. If you bring any extra pieces (which I have done in the past with GCT, for example) you must handle it yourself. Since ours is a cruise only trip, this would not apply. If the cruise line transfers me from a hotel and won't take my extra pieces, I'm willing to make my own way or pay extra. I'd love to see them try and not allow me to bring an extra bag on the ship! It would never happen.

 

In our case, for example, my husband is 6'6" and wears size 16 shoes. He has a hard time packing for a week in a regular suitcase, let alone a month. A carry on.....never! 2 pairs of shoes and it's full. Lol.

 

We all have different needs. I knew a very well seasoned traveller who never went anywhere without her framed photos of all her pets, even those that had passed on. To each his own. After all, it's not a competition.

 

 

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I think that's a great perspective. The idea of checking any let alone multiple bags is paralyzing to me, but I realize the same is likely true for those who can't fathom sticking to a carry on. Choice is a beautiful thing! (And it doesn't impact me one iota whether some brings a camping backpack or a steamer trunk)

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Thankfully, my wife does not read this forum.

My husband packs far more than I do, but claims it is because his clothes and shoes are bigger than mine :D

If you're going when it may be rainy or snowy, I would strongly suggest bringing two pairs of comfortable shoes to alternate, in case one pair needs to dry out. I had a pair of Cole Haan sneakers and a pair of very comfortable boots (from an obscure local brand), which was really helpful when my damn shoes didn't dry off between our 11:30 am return from a morning tour and 1:30 pm departure for an afternoon tour.

There are no direct flights from the Basel airport to anywhere in the U.S. We connected through Frankfurt while some others connected through Munich or Paris. The Zurich airport is over an hour away, so I wouldn't think that Viking would provide included (free) transfers from port to Zurich unless there was some compelling reason why the Basel airport wouldn't work (unlike Passau, where the nearest airport is Munich at two hours from port). I don't know that for certain, though, and am confident you would be able to explore those options if you opted to use Air Plus. If Viking ends up providing you with a more desirable route (and includes transfers to Zurich), please come back and let us know!

You can also use OBC to purchase a future cruise voucher (or whatever they call it).

For what it is worth, Viking also recently changed/clarified TA promotion policies:

http://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/Viking-Cruises-Adopts-New-Travel-Agent-Commission-And-Advertising-Policy

I agree with what others have said.

We had a balcony cabin on our late November Rhine cruise and it was definitely cold. We really enjoyed sitting on our balcony with hot chocolate or Irish coffee during daytime sailing. However, that was only about a half day over the course of our eight day cruise. We ended up booking a balcony again for our upcoming fall trip, but only because it was about $200 more expensive than a french balcony. During the colder months, I wouldn't put much of a premium on a balcony cabin.

We are 29 & 33, respectively, and have one Viking river cruise under our belt and one more scheduled for November. I think river cruises will alway seem boring compared to ocean cruises. The idea of more active tours sounds great, but otherwise we're happy to be the young bucks on board a traditional line. I think younger people who enjoy ocean cruising may really like the U by Uniworld product. I look forward to hearing reviews, as the Uniworld decor is a big turnoff for us (so minor, I know!) and for now we'll be sticking with our sterile Scandinavian Viking longships.

Just piping in add a note about tipping-- you could pay via credit card or cash, in the form of Euros or US$ (at least on our Rhine Getaway last fall). We ended up having some quite a few Euros left at the end of our trip due to some overzealous ATM withdrawals, so we slipped those in one of the tip envelopes. When we went to the front desk to settle up, we just reduced what we planned to tip overall by the total of cash we'd put in the envelopes and paid that amount via credit card. Obviously tipping is highly personal and culturally influenced, but we found the service to be exceptional.

On Viking the wine usually changes daily. However on our last Viking River Rhine cruise they served the same wine every night. Bummer. Believe this was a stocking screwup. In any case folks upgrading to Silver Spirits have choices of even more, better vintages. The cost is just not worth it for us but for wine aficionados and those wanting before/after dinner cocktails it's a deal..

Agreed! We drank one of the slightly better (not included) wines almost every night. We had the Silver Spirits package as a perk from our travel agent and I did the math (for no reason other than being a data nerd) and we came out slightly ahead, if you considered the price of the package. Viking's drink prices are quite reasonable, though, if you just want a nicer glass with dinner and/or a nightcap at the bar.

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As an introvert married to an extrovert, I bemoan the lack of larger tables! On Avalon, I think there were 2 8-seaters (one on each side?) but it was hard to get a seat there because of a few larger family groups on our cruise. Large tables work well for us - I can remain introverted and quiet and my husband can talk to a few different people. Tables for 4 are hard because the other couple (usually) keep trying to involve me in the conversation :rolleyes: On the other hand, tables for 2 & 4 are constantly pushed together and pulled apart and the dining room is so small that you're functionally part of a larger group even if you are at a 2 person table. IF YOU WANT TO BE. No one really minds a little table cross-talk, and some welcome it more than others....

 

So, I agree that it is entirely possible to remain solitary IF YOU CHOOSE. If you're a solo traveler, no need to worry you'll be ignored! But if you don't want to engage, no one is going to make you. And I appreciate this!!!

 

(I also escaped to the upper deck - in December! - if I needed solitude ;p)

Piping in to empathize re: being an introvert married to an extrovert! For other introverts, if you're on a Viking cruise (and I'm sure other lines, but I'm only familiar with Viking), consider enjoying a meal on the Aquavit terrace if you need a break from larger table dining. We particularly loved the breakfast service, as you could enjoy all of the made to order options, often with little to no crowd (and tables for two).

Are they really US 110, or are they US plugs with 220 volts?

They're really 110-- my ancient non-dual voltage curling iron can verify!

On our Rhine cruise, the included wine differed daily, but there were only maybe a dozen options throughout the eight day cruise (so definitely some repeats). The only specific I can remember was a sweet Riesling (which wasn't my cup of tea). I realize that isn't an especially helpful answer, but I, too, have read others stating that the wine was the same each day, which we did not find to be true. Hopefully others can provide more specifics.

A number of folks on our trip went and enjoyed the excursion thoroughly. You could certainly do a DIY adventure for much cheaper, as the boat docks walking distance to many of the famous brew houses and stays in town until late, but we heard the guides were what really made the experience so special. We opted to wander into town and enjoy a glass of Kölsch and a pretzel on our own, as the city was very easy to navigate on foot.

We honeymooned on the Rhine last year at ages 28 & 32, respectively. We had a fabulous time and booked another river cruise for this coming November. We are both very active and didn't find the pace too slow. Ocean cruises aren't our thing, so the lack of late night bells and whistles presented no problem.

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Thanks, everyone! This is incredibly helpful, as we speak zero German and have been relying on Google translation of some of the Bahn pages that aren't available in English :)

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Thanks, all!

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Thanks for confirming some of our suspicions, Robin! I'm a big soccer fan, but will definitely heed your advice if we end up purchasing train tickets, as I'd rather not spend two hours with revelers (and I don't think Bundesliga has released a full fall schedule yet).

Kim

Hi all-- I read up on a few older threads on this subject, but hoped to get more up-to-date information.

We're booked on a November Viking cruise (Budapest to Passau). We booked via VikingAir, paid to deviate, and won't be making our return flight until a few days after disembarkation. As such, our understanding is that we won't have airport transfer included (since they have no idea that we happen to be flying from Munich to London; the flight we booked is our return flight from London to DC four days later). Has anyone (recently) navigated the trek from Passau to the Munich airport? Leading suggestions seem to include the FlixBus or the train. We aren't interested in spending big $$$ on private transfer (and are young/spry), so I'd appreciate any advice/pros/cons. Thanks!

That is correct, Norvig. On board credit can only be used on-board, not to pre-purchase. Many folks ordered the beverage package from a bartender the first day, using their OBC to cover the cost.

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We honeymooned last year on Viking (at 28 and 32, respectively). We were definitely on the younger side, but had a fabulous time. While there isn't booming "nightlife" per se, we spent a couple of nights dancing and enjoying live music in the lounge with a handful of passengers well past midnight. We aren't night owls, though, and the morning excursion call times usually had us in bed not long after dinner, as others mentioned.

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