WisRiver

Not sure where the fault lies, with HAL or your TA. On Tuesday, July 3 we received an e-mail from our travel agency in Issaquah, Washington saying the Rotterdam cruise was being cancelled, and that cabin reassignments would be made after July 4. The e-mail said that HAL was offering a $75 per person on board credit for those who rebook. This afternoon we rebooked a cabin of our choice (we did not like the cabin assigned by HAL) at a reduced fare and kept the earlier promotion of free gratuities. I spent a couple of hours working with the agent, but I am satisfied that the big box agent did their job.

The Rotterdam Voyage of the Vikings scheduled to leave Boston on July 30, 2019 has been cancelled. It has been replaced by the Zuiderdam sailing on the same dates and almost the same schedule. The revised HAL schedules after July 1, 2019 (the day the Prinsendam leaves the HAL fleet) has not been announced. We were booked on the Rotterdam, and we were told by our travel agency that re-bookings would not start until July 4, 2018.

We just finished a Bucharest to Amsterdam Viking River Cruise. We gave Viking our passports when we go on the ship in Romania. When we left Croatia and entered Hungary, our ship had to stop at a riverside immigration office. Hungarian immigration officials boarded the ship, and at 6 AM we had to present ourselves at the reception desk so the officials could match our faces to our passports. All passengers and crew had to be cleared by Hungarian immigration. Once we were in Hungary there were no passport controls for Austria, Germany or Holland.

Several years ago we did a visa free cruise to St. Petersburg. While it was a great experience we felt rushed and knew that we missed a lot. On that trip we were in St. Petersburg in May for one evening, but we want to spend more time in Russa.

Last year we did a ten day trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg organized through Adventura Travel in St. Petersburg (which I reviewed on Trip Advisor). Moscow and St. Petersburg are great cities. I am glad we saw both, but both were different experiences. I think that Moscow is a combination of New York and Washington, D.C., the political and economic center of Russia, while St. Petersburg seems to be like Boston, the cultural capital. We started our trip from Helsinki by train and took a train to Moscow. We flew out from Moscow.

We had excellent guides, but in the evenings we were able to do our own adventures. An evening in the Hermitage, the circus in Moscow, eating dinner with young Russians at a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Moscow, and ballroom dancing near the Rostol Columns in St. Petersburg were just some of the highlights.

For a one night stay, ES is adequate. We found the rooms to be dated, but clean and quiet. The breakfast is nice, as is the "cocktail hour". There are a number of nice restaurants within walking distance plus a Publix and Total Wine in the shopping mall behind the hotel. We have stayed there twice in the past three years. I suggest you not take the shuttle booked through the hotel. The shuttle is usually full, and you may be stopping at several terminals. For two people, Lyft is cheaper, more convenient, and quicker than the shuttle to the ship.

cayman09

You asked about flying Icelandair. We like to do transatlantic cruises and live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. A problem is the one way plane fare home. Delta one way fares are extremely high. This summer Delta wanted over $2000 for a one way ticket. As a result we have had to use Icelandair. A one way fare on Icelandic is $500-600, plus the cost of luggage and snacks. The planes are comfortable, but you have to change planes in Reykjevik. I would love to take the Delta nonstop from AMS to MSP, but Delta wants too much money.

We stopped in Cologne on our Budapest-Amsterdam cruise in May, 2018. We did the morning walking tour which ended at about noon in front of the cathedral. The tour does not take you inside the cathedral. There is an English language tour of the interior of the cathedral that costs 8 €. You can buy the tickets at the Domforum across the plaza from the cathedral http://www.domforum.de/english/open-guided-tours/. We had an excellent lunch at Hof 18 on Am Hof near the cathedral. Viking offered a shuttle back to the boat (we were docked near the Zoo). The tour takes about an hour (although it is advertised as 45 minutes).

In Juneau a whale watching tour was the highlight of our day. Despite a cool misty day, the whales were not bothered. Our excursion privately booked though Alaska Whale Watch included a side trip to Mendenhal Glacier.

We first encountered the pre boarding interview in Amsterdam on a nonstop flight to MSP eight years ago. The current security measures should not cause dread. They should give some measure of confidence in the safety of the flight.

The amount of time to clear immigration and customs vary widely by terminal and time of day. In the past year we have flown into LHR Terminal 4 on Alitalia and TAP from Rome and Lisbon arriving in the late afternoon. Since we are US citizens the immigration process took over an hour. We were in contact with our car service through Whats App, so they knew would be late. On the other hand times were much shorter (15 minutes) when we arrived on the morning Delta flight from MSP

We were on the Koningsdam for the April transatlantic crossing. The dinner at the Culinary Arts Center was the best cooking on the ship so we ate there twice in the 14 day crossing. We made reservations two or three nights in advance and had no problem getting our preferred dining time (8 PM) The cost is $15 per person (less with the 4* Mariner discount).

We have a Capitol One ATM card with a magnetic strip and no chip. We were in Scandinavia and Russia last year, and had no problems obtaining local currency. This year (March, April and May) we were in Eastern Europe, Austria and Germany and again had no problems obtaining local cash. Cap One will issue you on request an ATM card which can only be used to to obtain cash from an ATM from a checking account. It is not a debit card, so if it is compromised, your main checking account is not gutted.

We like to stay in the Covent Garden area. It is central, but is pricey. We use London Connection, https://londonconnection.com for apartment rentals. We have used them four times in the past 6 years. LC is pricey, but they have great service, a good transfer service and nice apartments. You can do it on the cheap and stay in a neighborhood like Earls Court, but I suggest a reputable company in Covent Garden. If you have a group of four adults, two couples, we like the flat on Upper St. Martins Lane.

We just finished a Bucharest to Amsterdam 21 day Viking river cruise. I do not think left or right side made much difference. We spent our cruising time on the top deck (when open) or the front deck. For the most part the weather in May was comfortable. I do not think you can open the partitions between the balconies.

We have wintered for the past 8 years in Chicxulub, a small village 7 km east of Progreso. When you look out from our patio we see the cruise ships. Our children and grandchildren come down to visit us during Christmas. We have no concerns about our safety. We take the usual precautions we would take in any city in the US; do not flash cash or display gaudy jewelry. Watch your bags and electronic devices. Do not drink too much alcohol. Our grandchildren (ages 16, 14 and 11) ride the local bus into Progreso to shop the craft market that is set up along the beach. Progreso may seem "sketchy" to some, but it is a real Mexican city. Progreso is not a slick, commercial tourist development like Cancun or Cozumel. We routinely go to Merida, a 450 year old colonial city. You can stay on the beach and have a good time. You can go to Merida or you can explore the ancient Mayan sites such as Uxmal or Chichen Itza.

We flew out of Schiphol on Sunday, May 30 after finishing a Viking River Cruise. We were flying to MSP via Icelandair. Therefore, there was no passport control at Schiphol (the line for passport control was in Iceland). Our flight left at 2:00 PM and our transfer left the boat at 11:00 AM. We were at the airport by 11:30 and check in took about 15 minutes. We were through security by 12:00. We were at our gate by by 1 PM. No problems, no delays, for our trip.

We just finished our Bucharest to Amsterdam Viking River Cruise. Viking took our passports when we boarded and passports were inspected and stamped. When we entered Hungary immigration officials boarded the ship at 6AM. We had get up (some passengers still in sleep clothes or robes) to present ourselves so that Hungarian officials could match our faces with our passports. All passengers and crew had to comply. According to Viking staff matching faces to passports in Hungary has been done for the past two or three years. This practice may be due Hungary's reaction to the European migrant crisis.

I think there is little interest in Roll Calls for river cruises for several reasons. First, river cruises have much smaller passenger loads. On our Viking River cruises in May, there were 190 and l84 passengers on each leg, a much smaller group than cruise ships. Second, there is no need for meet and greets. With a daily briefing in the evening before dinner and non assigned seating at all meals, there is ample opportunities to socialize with fellow passengers. Finally, not everyone is a Cruise Critic user. On ocean cruises I occasionally hear a discussion of Cruise Critic. Cruise Critic never came up in our 21 day trip from Bucharest to Amsterdam.

In answer to some of your questions which have not been addressed. There is no 15% gratuity added to the cost of the drinks. You do not have to give your key card to wait staff to order a drink. The staff simply asks you for your cabin number. Viking River does not discourage you bringing wine, alcohol or soft drinks on board. Several times we brought wine back to the ship (especially sparkling wine). Since we wanted to share with our table of six, wait staff brought six champagne glasses, opened and served the wine at no extra cost. If you order a Diet Coke or Coke Zero at a meal time, there is no charge.

We were on the Koningsdam Transatlantic in March, 2018. For the TA portion there was mah jongg every morning. People also played in the afternoon. We brought our own travel set, and played near the lido pool area.

The Hermitage is open to the public until 9 PM on Wednesday and Friday evenings. Charlie Murphy. We had a guide from 9 AM to 5 PM. We arranged all our own evening activities including returning to the Hermitage. Our hotel was about a km from the Hermitage, so we walked back after our evening visit. In mid-May sunset is not until about 10 PM (almost white nights). If you want to communicate with me directly, you can reach me at WisRiver2322 at gmail dot com.

In May, 2018 we spent four days in St. Petersburg. We had gone through the work of obtaining a visa, so we could come and go as we pleased. We had booked a guide through Adventura Travel, and part of our tour was an afternoon at the Hermitage. The Hermitage was a zoo. We were a small group and able to use some back doors and stairwells to avoid the crowds. The Hermitage tour in the afternoon was not a good experience. Our guide said we should come back in the evening. We would pay another entrance fee, but she said there would be no crowds. We came back on a Thursday evening (we started at about 5 PM) on our own. We had gathered a basic sense of the organization of the museum from our visit the day before. The Hermitage in the evening was extraordinary. No crowds. We had time to stroll and stop without the pressure of groups vying for a good viewing position. We walked by the concert hall as the tour groups were being herded out. I think that once the concert was finished they were back on the bus. Try to see the Hermitage in the evening.

A small part of the paths at Dzibilchaltun are paved. Most of the paths are gravel. Earlier this year our son took what I call his off-road stroller (big wheels) Dz'tun for his two year old. No problems.

As you disembark, there will be a sign board with the departure time posted. Take a moment and use your camera (cell phone or otherwise) to take a picture of the board. As you wander around in port when the question pops into your head "what time are we supposed to be back on board?"-you can look at your photos.

We have T-Mobile with the ONE Unlimited 55 plan. This plan gave us unlimited data at 3G speeds. We traveled in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia and France. Except in the remotest areas of Sweden and Norway, we had excellent data service. We used Google Maps in all countries including Moscow and St. Petersburg without any problems.