momsherpa

does anyone know what time you can board and disembark? never did a Viking River Cruise!

I would suppose it all depends on which cruise you are on. For ours (Rhone), boarding is 3pm the first day, but if you get there earlier you can have lunch, leave your bags and go into the city on your own. Our last day we'll already be in port from the night before, so they said we could leave really at any time in the morning.

I had Viking book our air for our cruise in late May, and was happy with what they came up with as far as departure/arrival times, connections, etc. We are adding days before and after our trip, not on the Viking extensions and all that was handled. And they sent me the flight info the same day we booked. Booking through Viking saved us about $800/person compared to the best flights I could find via kayak, expedia, etc.

Can someone who has been on the Viking Rhone River Cruse tell me the time you actually get off the boat for your final disembarkation? (Lyon, in our case.) Viking says 8am, but is that just when you need to be ready to get off, or are they actually getting people off the boat at 8am. I need to book train tickets (Lyon to Paris), so getting as much information as possible as to timing will be very helpful. Right now I'm thinking the 10am train will be our best option. Thanks!

Has anyone ever rented a foldable portable scooter? Not just one that disassembles, but one that folds (Pride Go-Go Folding, Shoprider Echo folding, Luggie, etc.). I am trying to find one in the US that I can take on a river cruise for my mom to use on shore excursions, but having no luck with rentals. Finding a rental in France would be even better. If anyone has any rental resource in either US or France, please pass them along. Thanks!

Cruise Critic does not have a private messaging capability.

Thanks. This probably isn't the place for it, but I guess I can hijack my own thread with totally off topic questions, so here goes... if you can't private message, what's the point of the friend and contact buttons?

Happy to be of help anytime.

Going Costal - I "befriended" you, but I think you need to accept so I can send you a private message.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I think our decision making process is moving from "can she" to "should she". I'll admit, I always assumed river cruises (because they tend to cater to an older crowd) would have been better suited to accommodate those with some mobility issues. Learning something new...

Going Costal - Thank you for the information. I'm new to this site, but will add you to my contacts/friends, hoping that maybe you can answer a few questions for me off-thread.

While the above information about European river cruises may well be true in some cases, it is not necessarily the end of the story.

Like your mother, I use a walker full time and am also slow. I have taken Viking river cruises in Europe and China and never felt I was missing anything. The elevators have full access to the upper lounge as well as the lower level dining room and main lobby.

On some days I would sit on the comfortable balcony while we floated down the river and my husband was enjoying the excursion of the day. Sometimes I would go on an excursion and could always hear everything the guide said with the sound system and earphones used.

Walking across other ships was not a problem anyplace we have been as the staff always made sure there was access. I have not been the only mobility challenged guest on any river cruise, though there were more in Europe than China.

You understand your mother better than anyone but I am suggesting that the trip is at least worthy of consideration.

I wish you both a wonderful adventure, wherever you go.

My 83 year old mother wants to take a river cruise, we are looking at the Rhone. She is on a walker - relatively mobile, just slow. The biggest issue is stairs. She can handle 1-2 steps, but not flights of stairs. Has anyone with similar issues taken a river cruise? I'm interested to hear about accessibility to get on/off the boat at ports, excursions, etc. (I have received information from a few river cruise lines, but would like first hand information from someone who has done this.) Thanks!