Little Toot2

6 hours ago, arlowood said:

 

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Looking at the weather outlook it would seem that the possibility for cruising proper to resume in the near future is doubtful. Maybe if significant rainfall is experienced later in July then maybe cruising could start again in August.

Well, my husband and I have sailed with Viking four times previously:  China in 2004, Russia in 2005, Amsterdam to Budapest in 2009, and Egypt in 2010.... So far we're two for four:  First time we ended up tied to a floating dock along the Yangtze as flooding upstream made it impossible to navigate through the yet to be completed Three Gorges Dam.  Then five years later, our passage along the Danube beyond Regensburg turned into a bus tour due to low water levels.  Unfortunately it's beginning to look as though our 50th Anniversary cruise along the Elbe will also become a bus tour... So much for viewing my ancestral home from the water.

15 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

You would rather they just not cover their hands?  It isn't always possible when a sudden cough or sneeze comes on to have a kleenex or a shirt sleeve handy.  And I don't understand why one cannot cover one's mouth with one's hand if one immediately washes said hand.

My question to you, Tampa Girl, would be how do you plan to navigate from your current location to an area where you are able to scrub up without touching the elevator button, a hand railing, or the handle to open a restroom door?  Every contact your hand makes with these items spreads germs... just sayin'.

Much more severe than a simple head cold Krazy Kruisers and RuthC...  

Not the Norovirus... Symptoms included sneezing, coughing, and a post nasal drip.  It spread throughout the ship as passengers continued to cough into their hands and then touch everything in sight, spreading the contamination.  Ship staff needs to educate passengers to cough and sneeze into their elbows to contain the spread...

Just disembarked on February 13th and while I agree that the Crow's Nest is a lovely place to curl up with a good book, HAL offers a very limited number of reading materials when sailing on the Koningsdam.  While they seems to have made provisions for the smokers, drinkers, and gamblers on board, HAL appears to have ignored the intellectuals.  Bring back the libraries, please, or we will find other cruise lines which will accommodate us!

Lots of sick passengers on the February 3rd sailing...

Unfortunately many patrons selecting a river cruise fail to realize that the success or failure of their voyage is dependent upon water levels in Europe as well as elsewhere...  Low water levels may cause the riverboats to scrape bottom whereas high water levels may not allow boats to pass under low bridges.  Some companies such as Viking now have scheduled riverboat itineraries so that they have matching sized vessels sailing above and below problem areas so that their passengers are able to switch boats mid-cruise which allows passengers to still experience most of their journey by water.  Of course that involves packing up ones belongings, boarding a bus transport to the other riverboat, and then unpacking in your corresponding cabin on the other ship...  Not fun, but far better than having your river cruise turn into a bus land tour.  My advise would be to check to see if the company you are booking your cruise with has this option covered before committing to a cruise.  My husband and I learned this lesson the hard way on our Grand European Tour with Viking back in 2009 before they had a matching sized vessel for the Legend and our cruise turned into a bus tour in Regansburg.

Thank you moki'smommy & Shmoo here! Although I failed to respond in a timely manner, I did appreciate your help. Booked aft cabins on Deck 7 and we're looking forward to cruising on the Fantasy in December with our extended family... LT2

Just wondering what decks the lifeboats are on and how their positioning impacts your view if booking an aft cabin on those decks?

Three4rd,

I am on Deck 4 near the bow in a Category K cabin and you may read my cabin review which I posted on 12/19. Although we are located close to the Pacific Lounge, that doesn't present a problem as the lounge is seldom used for group activities, but it provides us with a comfortable spot to view Cuba as we booked a room on the wrong side of the ship for this sail. Several individuals assigned to aft cabins on Deck 4 have told us that they have experienced vibrations and engine noise in their cabins, although I have no way to document those statements. I personally would not want a cabin on Deck 2 forward due to the traffic going to and from the Atlantic Lounge several times a day. Hope that this helps... LT2

Well, i'm now a week into our Cuban cruise with Pearl Seas. Thought that I'd post a review while still onboard so that I will recall more of the details. First, the cabins are of adequate size, but certainly not the largest in the industry as touted by the company. There is a desk with a center drawer as well as three small ones on the right and an additional three on the left, the bottom left drawer contains a safe which is difficult for older passengers to access as it' s only a couple of inches off the floor. There is also a 3 drawer dresser which is located next to the closet and is adequate for your folded clothes. The closet itself is fairly small with a rod for hanging clothes and 24 white plastic hangers for dress shirts, a dress or two, and pants. However there are no hangers with attachments for skirts or pants if you'd like to hang them to eliminate wrinkles. I'd suggest bringing along some plastic clothes pins which could be attached to the hangers for this purpose. There is also a night stand on either side of the bed with two small drawers and a reading lamp. You are able to adjust the room temperature with a control that has both heat and air settings and an off switch. Although there is a vent in the bathroom, it is not adequate when showering and the large mirror steams up quickly. A small vanity with two drawers and a under sink cabinet complete the set up. If electing to do hand wash, you will need to bring a cord and clips for hanging.

Lunch time...

ilovearmor,

Thank you for your informative post. My husband and I were originally scheduled to visit Cuba in December on the Aegean Odyssey, however they canceled their entire winter cruise itinerary in mid-October. Fortunately we discovered Pearl Seas Cuba and booked one of their four remaining rooms the following week.

Long story short, I have also found their front office to be less than informative in our dealings with them to date. Emails were exchanged providing us with registration information on two occasions, however when I requested e-mail confirmation that they had received the required paperwork, they neglected to reply. Hopefully everything is in place, but I believe that the front office assumes too much with regards to prior knowledge.

As a retired teacher, I was hoping that we would be given the opportunity for a classroom visit, but guess that I will switch out the colored pencils and counters that I was planning on bringing with the items you recommended.

Thank you,

LT2

roothy123 Not sure if you're leaving later this week or in mid-December, but I thought that I'd check in case you're sailing on the Pearl Mist? My husband and I embark on the 12th of December and are looking for shipmates...

Just booked a last minute December sailing on the Pearl Mist after our Cuban adventure on the Aegean Odyssey was canceled last Thursday. As my husband and I discovered this cruise company while googling our options, I would appreciate being brought up to speed by Cruise Critic members who have sailed with Pearl Seas to Cuba in 2017.

Thank you Essiesmom, I just ran across your reply to my inquiry concerning Viking's Century Star today when I was researching Viking. I'm sorry that I no longer expected to hear from anyone regarding a reply to my original post in 2006 and unfortunately I stopped checking... LT

Discovered the following updates on the Viking website today:

The Elbe River is currently experiencing exceptionally low water levels due to limited rain fall. As a consequence, itineraries are currently modified. As conditions may change on short notice, full effect on future cruises cannot be determined until closer to departure. We currently anticipate the following cruises may be affected – guests have been contacted individually:

September 10th Elegant Elbe aboard Viking Astrild – Guests will likely swap midway through the cruise to Viking Beyla

September 10th Poland, Prague & the Elegant Elbe aboard Viking Astrild – Guests will likely swap midway through the cruise to Viking Beyla

September 10th Elegant Elbe aboard Viking Beyla – Guests will likely swap midway through the cruise to Viking Astrild

September 15th Elegant Elbe aboard Viking Fontane – This cruise has been cancelled

September 15th Elegant Elbe aboard Viking Schumann – This cruise has been cancelled

Also due to the scheduled repair work on the lock at Kembs on the Rhine, we anticipate that there may be some delays in sailing between Strasbourg, France, and Basel, Switzerland. Please be advised that prolonged delays may result in slight changes in your itinerary. This situation affects all 2016 sailings on the following itineraries:

Rhine Getaway

Rhineland Discovery

Rhine Rhapsody

Guests on affected departures have been contacted individually.

Fortunately Viking will be able to switch passengers to matching sized vessels above & below the low water area with some changes in itineraries on most of their sailings. However I decided to share the above information so that you can make an informed choice when booking, especially in the spring or late summer/early fall seasons.

Just joined the group and noticed RoamingRuby's post, so I thought that I'd jump right in and respond... River cruises are a great way explore Europe as the boats are often able to dock within a city, allowing you 24 hour access for the length of time you are in port. However I've also cruised in China, Russia, and Egypt where this access is more restricted.

The main disadvantage that I've experienced with river cruising is that your voyage can turn into a bus tour with either flooding or drought, especially in Europe where a foot or so difference in river level can cause your boat to scrape bottom or suddenly become too high to fit under those 1,000 year old bridges. Many tourists fail to realize this when booking and become extremely frustrated if they encounter changing water conditions during their cruise. I say this from personal experience as my husband and I had our Grand European Tour turn into a bus trip at Regensburg in 2009 due to drought and we also ended up tied to a floating dock in Yichang, China for 4 days due to severe flooding along the Yangtze in 2004.

In recent years, Viking has constructed more river boats and revised their itineraries so that they usually have a matching sized vessel headed in the opposite direction along any given waterway. Therefore, it is now possible to switch passengers and continue up or down stream in times of drought or flooding without missing the entire voyage as BevHall mentioned in her post below.

We sailed with Viking on the Century Star in 2004 during that company's first year in China. The Century Star was a refurbished vessel which held just under 200 passengers, around 100 less than the Century Sun which was built in 2006 and the Century Sky which was constructed in 2005 according to the information in Viking's China Expeditions catalog. So what happened to the Century Star? Inquiring minds want to know!!!