CutieKakes

We found the crews to be very observant. When we were rafted, we would walk thru the reception area - out - and onto the next boat. One time we didn't realize the boats were rafted - we walked in and started walking down, what we thought was our hallway to our room, and were stopped by two crew members asking us to confirm the boat name etc We quickly discovered our mistake.

But that being said - when you travel, yes, you consider safety of your destination, how you get there etc If I sat and thought about all the horrible things that could happen in any particular situation, I would never leave my house. Ha! We never felt unsafe or felt that security was lacking on our river cruise, but everyone is different. So obviously, if someone has significant concerns, perhaps River Cruising is not a good option.

We are taking our first Viking cruise in May. I am wondering if there is an option to just stay on the boat and relax for a day and not take part in the tours. Although we are excited for the tours, there may be a day we might like to rest!

Definitely! As others have said...you can choose to stay on the boat, or do your own thing in the area where you are docked.

There were quite a few people on our boat, on the day that was kinda dreary/cold/rainy, that opted to not do the walking tour scheduled for that day and instead hung out on the boat or walked into town on their own.

The boat has a system when you are leaving the boat you pick up your room cards (I think this is what they were called). This is how they keep track of who is on and who is off the boat. You would do this if you were going on the scheduled excursion/tour. So if you choose to leave the boat on your own (not participate on the tour), just make sure you stop at the desk, pick up your cards, and also confirm the time to return.

I understand that you're feeling concerned but I would give them a little more time before disputing the charge on your CC. But that's me - I'm a person that tends to be more relaxed about things in general though...although, I can appreciate how you're feeling.

My question.....do Spanx really work? I am in my late 50s, am 5'2" and have fought the battle of the bulge my entire life. I have noticed more bulges in places I never had them before the older I get. Looking at the Spanx body suit or slip. Any thoughts on either one or maybe something better is out there?

If you mean 'do they work' as in do they smooth things out and make your clothes lie nicely? Definitely. If you mean 'do they work" as in, you're a size 8, but if you put on Spanx you're a 4? Not so much. LOL

I have some Spanx pieces that I definitely like...I think though, you need to be careful to purchase the right size. You shouldn't be uncomfortable (obviously). Some folks seem to use Spanx as a hope that they are 3 sizes smaller than they actually are (which may smooth out some areas but causes bumps/bulges in OTHER areas - ie - the sausage casing look)...whereas I wear them under close fitting dresses/skirts to smooth everything out (not change my size per se).

So I would recommend buying a bunch of different items/sizes and try them on at home under the clothing you'll be wearing them with and see what you like. I usually get mine from Nordstrom (free shipping/free returns). They also appear on HauteLook occasionally with some good price reductions (more of a pain to return if you don't have a Nordstrom Rack near you).

I have tried other brands, some with better success than others...but I have to say that my Spanx items have lasted a LONG time and are good quality, IMO.

One thing that I do occasionally..."poor man Spanx"...is to cut the legs off a pair of pantyhose. I had some old pairs of Donna Karan pantyhose, I got the idea to cut off the legs so that they only came down to mid thigh on me. They did what I wanted them to do (smooth my butt and upper thighs under a slim flitting satin dress) but my legs were bare. ;p

Good luck finding something that works for you! ;)

On our Viking Cruise, it seemed that everyone changed before dinner. The ladies were split with about 50% wearing dresses/skirts and 50% wearing slacks - not SUPER dressy, but what you might wear to church, a nice restaurant etc The men wore khakis or slacks, with long sleeve dress shirts (no ties, no blazers). I didn't see any jeans in the MDR for dinner.

I personally took one pair of black slacks, and one skirt. A varied number of tops that I could wear during the day with jeans when we were off the ship, but would also work at night with my slacks or skirt. My husband brought gray slacks and a pair of khakis, and he ended up wearing the gray slacks every night. He wore a long sleeve button down shirt every night.

I am a huge fan of black clothing, but not in blazers. I also don't care for dark dress shirts, especially with black.

 

The most versatile color is Navy. You can pair with khaki, olive green, grey, brown pants or even light blue. If you want navy pants, you'll probably never match them unless you buy the ones that come with the blazer.

 

I'd probably buy the matching pants, and a pair of khaki pants. This will go with almost any color dress shoes. You can dress this up or down. I like white dress shirts for a dressier look (with nice silk tie of your choice) or a patterned shirt for a more casual look. You can also wear a navy blazer with a pair of chinos.

 

Have him try both colors on and see what he likes best.

I agree...I would go with Navy.

UD must be clearing out the coffers! Those revolution lipsticks went on clearance awhile back at UD, and other retailers ($9-$11) and I picked up quite a few at that time (I believe they discontinued the "revolution" line, although they have reinvented quite of few of the revolution shades in the vice line - with similar finishes like sheer, matte etc). I did find that the sheer revolution lipsticks had a tendency to bleed a bit, but a clear lip liner beforehand solves that problem!

I personally am not a fan of the UD High Color Lip Glosses...I find the colors to be chalky, and they don't go on smoothly - just patchy and high maintenance. They also don't last for me. They're nothing like the UD "Naked Ultra Nourishing" Lip Glosses (although those are only offered in nude/light shades). Just my experience though...

If anyone is interested in the lip glosses - and you want to use a different retailer for whatever reason (customer service, samples, pts etc) they're still out there at some retailers for $11 (colors offered vary) - Ulta, Sephora, Macys etc. Just depends on what colors(s) you're looking for obviously. I've also seen the lip glosses at places like TJMaxx, Nordstrom Rack etc The lipsticks have pretty much disappeared from brick and mortar stores, but I did see a bunch at Nordstrom Rack last time I was there.

I had a bad experience previously, ordering from UD directly and I'll never do that again! So I buy their products from other sources with better customer service.

I use Sephora and Ulta for makeup/beauty items.

For clothes/shoes - I'm all online over the place! Just depends on what I'm looking for and who has what. I shop online at Nordstorm, Nordstrom Rack, HauteLook, Saks, Off5th, Neiman Marcus, LastCall@NM, Banana Republic, Gap, Talbots, Ann Taylor, JCrew...man...the list goes on and on! :)

I like the website ShopStyle - you can create "Sale Alerts" for certain designers or styles that you're interested in (or even just one specific item) and they'll send you an email when there are sales.

Swimsuit shopping...ugh.

I used to love LandsEnd for their bikini and tankini separates. Years ago they offered a fabric called "faille" - it was sort of a subtle ribbed fabric, and it was so lovely - I probably had more than 10 suits in that fabric! Then, of course, they discontinued it. A few years ago, I tried some of their new styles/fabrics and I just couldn't get anything to work. Really disappointing to me, because I had worn those suits forever and LandsEnd has fantastic customer service.

Oddly enough, my most recent suits are from JCrew, Target and Gap! Separates. Gap had a cute high waisted bottom they've offered the past few years and I picked up Navy Blue and Black for literally - $4 each when I stumbled across their suits on sale on the website.

It's here (slightly different style than I have, but very similar)

http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1044202&vid=1&pid=640702002

I also got some cute bottoms at Target, in a label I've never noticed at their stores (Aqua Green) - so maybe it's online only? I'm not usually a swim skirt person, but I picked up a cute one with a ruffle last year on sale.

They have it here:

http://www.target.com/p/women-s-swim-skirt-black-aqua-green/-/A-24009540

Swimsuit shopping is just the worst - you just have to keep buying things and testing them out til you find something that works.

Good luck! :)

I loved historical sites at age 15 and still do today. All kids are different (as are all adults!) and the key is to know YOUR kid (or spouse or parent or whomever you are proposing to travel with!).

 

The FAQs on the Adventures by Disney/AMA website say they don't recommend the trips for kids under age 8 but will accept any over age 4....

I agree...it totally depends on the child(ren) in question.

My children are in their 20's now, but they love history/historical sites and we traveled all over Europe with them from the time they were very small - they may be oddballs, but they enjoy museums, walking tours etc. My kids would have a great time on a river cruise - at any age. And incidentally would have no interest in anything 'Disney'. To each their own. ;)

Many thanks for all the helpful posts. It looks as if the cruise we are leaning towards spends 1 1/2 days in Budapest anyway, so likely we will do the Prague 3 day pre-cruise stay. In that way we can see both cities.....

Oh that's great! You get to see both...have a great time! :)

I agree that if you haven't been to either city - there really is no WRONG choice. Both cities have a lot to do, great places to eat etc

Have a great trip! :)

Misunderstandings! :o:D

WE love you all!

Thanks! ;)

Unlike our many Norwegian (NCL ocean) cruises, who force you to pay a "Daily Service Charge", you have already paid much more for a Viking river cruise.

 

At the end of our river cruise, we were given envelopes to place tips anonymously into a wooden box.

If you want to, you may stiff the crew.:o

But I have found, the staff well worthy.

We certainly tipped - I was merely commenting/agreeing that we did not feel any PRESSURE to tip by Viking. I appreciated their guidelines and we actually ended up tipping some people more than the 'recommended amt' due to the high quality of service they provided. Since you quoted me, not sure if you were insinuating that I stiffed the crew. :(

We tipped all the bus drivers and guides. As for the crew on the boat, we prefer to give tips personally to each person individually, so I brought small envelopes with me specifically for tipping, and we handed them to each person on the last day. But yes, you easily leave them in the box.

Love Berlin...such a fun city!

I've listed some restaurants that we've enjoyed (and returned to when we were back to the city).

Ständige Vertretung

Schiffbauerdamm 8, 10117 Berlin, German

http://www.staev.de/en/

Brauhaus-Georgbraeu

Spreeufer 4, 10178 Berlin, Germany

http://brauhaus-georgbraeu.de/

Google Map

https://www.google.com/maps?q=Brauhaus+Georgbraeu,+Spreeufer,+Berlin,+Germany&hl=en&ll=52.516567,13.405091&spn=0.002164,0.005681&sll=52.516702,13.405882&sspn=0.001082,0.00284&oq=brauhaus+georgbr,+Berlin,+Germany&hq=Brauhaus+Georgbraeu,&hnear=Spreeufer,+10178+Berlin,+Germany&t=m&z=18

And one of the oldest (the oldest perhaps?) restaurant in the city:

Zur Letzten Instanz

Waisenstraße 14-16, 10179 Berlin, Germany

http://zurletzteninstanz.com/restaurant/

Google Map

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Zur+Letzten+Instanz/@52.517344,13.413727,16z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47a84e23cf1b61d5:0xcb3cca6019ceaa2a!8m2!3d52.5173502!4d13.4137515?hl=en

There are so many things to see and do in the city, but if you have the time/inclination - we really enjoyed the Berlin Underground Tour.

http://berliner-unterwelten.de/guided-tours.3.1.html

Have a fun trip! :)

My experience is similar to the two previous responses, in four Viking cruises. Tipping is mentioned in the literature. It is mentioned as part of the disembarkation briefing near the end of the cruise. I don't recall it being urged upon us at other times.

This was our experience as well...

I don't use polish at home personally, but I do have friends/family members that use the gel two step process at home and seem to like it (Sally Hansen and Essie most notably). There are several others too.

Essie Gel Couture

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel

They're available at drugstores, Ulta etc

Good luck! Enjoy your trip! :)

I think a lot of it has to do with your own personal taste...the area of the country you're from etc in terms of what to wear with a tux. You can really just let your personality come out - if you so wish!

I've picked up tuxes over the years for my husband and sons, from the Brooks Brothers outlet and JosABank - at REALLY good prices. If you don't need one say - in 3 weeks - you can really just keep an eye on the sales, and get a great deal on some quality tuxedos.

I know people that have purchased tuxedos from tuxedo rental stores, and were really happy with them.

The men in our family prefer the vest to the cummerbund (and sometimes they don't wear either). I really have no idea if they've fallen out of fashion or not. You can talk to the folks at any formal wear store and they can usually tell you about the current styles/trends.

You can also just use google - tons of info online for this kind of stuff. Have fun shopping! :)

I think, just like with everything, it just depends on the particular person. I don't know that it's 'wrong' to suggest someone wear what they normally wear - different strokes for different folks! ;)

I personally don't wear different shoes when I cruise/vacation, than I do at home. I wear ballet flats A LOT. They are super comfy to me, lots of different styles/colors available, easy to pack etc I definitely wear them while traveling. If it was a warm time of year for Europe, I'd probably wear leather sandals. I have a lot of pairs of the Sam Edelman "Gigi" sandals - they're comfy/cute, come if a TON of colors/patterns. They work with skirts, pants, dresses - you can dress them up or down.

I haven't had any problems on cobblestones with my footwear choices - but that's me, and my situation. If I was hiking in Hawaii...I'd obviously wear something different. I don't have any special needs in terms of footwear, so I wear what I like, and what's comfortable to me. :)

We were in Europe this past November for several weeks, and I wore ballet flats almost exclusively (along with a pair of black boots). I tend to be more of a formal person in general. I don't wear workout shoes, unless I'm working out (or on a hike or something). I do often bring a pair of low top converse or supergas for an alternative to ballet flats when I'm traveling, but I often end up not using them - they're just a touch too casual for me. It really just depends.

If it were me, I would probably wear along necklace with a pendant and small/simple earrings (small hoops, diamond studs etc)

I'm probably an oddball but I don't like a big bag for the beach/pool and I don't like a lot of pockets on my beach/pool bag.

A lot of times I use a Whole Foods resusable tote bag...years ago they had a series of them with food designs and I really liked the style, so I have 3 or 4 different ones. Not sure if they still make them, to be honest. They're great to keep in the car as the need arises and also, as I discovered, as a tote bag for the beach/pool. They pack small/flat, are strong and roomy...smooth/tight night fabric.

I also use my Longchamp tote bags. Longchamp has a line of nylon bags, not the thin "le pliage" fabric, but a thicker/denser nylon fabric, that I have found are really great. I have 3 sizes in black - I use them all the time for traveling. They fold flat and pack easily.

I don't take a lot of jewelry when I travel, and the items I do take are not bulky.

For necklaces...I also use the ziploc technique and it's worked pretty well for me. I tried the straws myself, and found them to be a pain.

I use small clear hard plastic containers for things like earrings or rings. I put a cotton ball or cut a piece of cosmetic cotton to fit in the container for cushion. I've tried jewelry rolls, travel cases etc and they just never seemed to work for me. So the jars are perfect for my needs. You can get a few different sizes on eBay for very little $ (search "sample cosmetic jar").

If it were me...I would tip 2-4 euros, at least. Just my opinion - to each their own.

You may have already tried this, but you can use some glass cleaner (or rubbing alcohol) on a soft cloth to clean the stones. Although, if the stones are already scratched/hazy/discolored etc - no amt of cleaning will restore them.

Good luck!

I think it's just like so many other things...some folks love Chico's, and some folks don't - everyone is different. If you like their clothing, and they work well for you - why not! :)

LOL - at the "cougar clothing" comment.

I don't shop at Chico's personally - just not my style. And also my mother-in-law shops there, and somehow, I just. Can't. ;)