Aurora1525

I just got back from our Cities of Light cruise and even though we received an email stating we would be staying in a hotel in Trier on 8/24 because our ship could not get beyond Koblenz, our ship did in fact make it to Trier. We were able to sail the entire way (down the Moselle to Koblenz, then down the middle Rhine to the Main River), exactly as originally planned. The Middle Rhine was supposedly the lowest area, but our captain went slowly and we made it through! We feel very fortunate!

Aurora1525 --

sorry I know you are travelling and I totally understand if you can't answer, but if you get a chance - did Viking offer to let you cancel with a full refund? or did they offer you any money back?

 

They are giving us 25% of what we paid for this cruise to put towards a future cruise (river or ocean).

Aurora1525: Sorry, I'm a bit confused. Does that mean that you embark the ship in Mainz and for the remaninder of the trip you will be traveling by boat only?

The statement about the shore excursions operating by motorcoach is also puzzling: don't many (most) excursions involve motorcoach anyway?

Thank you.

 

Our longship cannot dock in Trier, Cochem, or Koblenz like it was supposed to. So now, our schedule is:

Day 1 - Paris

Day 2 - Paris

Day 3 - 4 hour bus ride from Paris to Trier. Hotel overnight in Trier.

Day 4 - Trier / 2 hour bus ride to Mainz to embark on ship

Day 5 - Ship stays in Mainz. Passengers are bussed by motorcoach for 1.5 hours to Cochem for touring. Then, they are bussed back to the ship.

Day 6 - Ship stays in Mainz. Passengers are bussed by motorcoach for 1 hour to Koblenz for touring. Then, they are bussed back to the ship.

Day 7 - Ship finally sails to Heidelberg...

When is your cruise? How far in advance did you get the email?

 

I hope you have a wonderful time despite the changes.

 

We fly out tomorrow. We did get an e-mail a few days ago letting us know that there might be an itinerary change, but now 24 hours before we leave, Viking confirmed what those itinerary changes are. I'm still pretty excited because we might get to see two additional cities (Mainz and Bernkastel).

I'm going on my first Viking River Cruise and I just got an email stating our Cities of Light itinerary has been changed:

 

This message is to update you regarding your itinerary and low water levels on the Rhine River.

 

We have now learned that water levels have receded further than anticipated. As a result, your ship will not be able to reach its regular embarkation port in Trier. In order to stay as close to your original itinerary as possible, following your two included nights in Paris, you will now overnight in a hotel on Day 3 in Trier. Your Viking Program Director in Paris will advise you of your hotel accommodations.

 

From there, we expect your itinerary will proceed as follows:

 

On Day 4, you will check out of your hotel and, following your shore excursions in Trier, transfer by motorcoach to embark your ship in Mainz (98 miles), visiting Bernkastel on the way. On Day 5 and Day 6, your shore excursions in Cochem (70 miles) and Koblenz (62 miles) will operate by motorcoach. On Day 7 you will resume your standard itinerary.

 

Anyone know if the longships dock in a nice part of Mainz? It would be great to see an extra city that wasn't even part of the itinerary.

Thanks! I hope this holds true on my cruise and I'll have some time to enjoy the towns after our tours!

I'm about to go on my first river cruise - Viking's Cities of Light (Paris to Prague). I'm familiar with ocean cruising where there are clear arrival/departure times at each port. Many of the reviews I've read seem to suggest that while you are touring, the boat continues down the river. The included tours I've booked in cities like Trier, Cochem, and Koblenz are running about 3 hours long. How much time do we actually have in port? Do we have any free time after the tours or do we need to hop back on the bus to catch up with the boat? Thanks in advance!

This is very relieving to hear! Thank you for your replies! Now I can relax and look forward to my 5-category upgrade :D

Hey cruisers,

 

We'll be going on our first Viking Ocean cruise in a few days. Viking recently upgraded our cabin on Viking Sky from the 3rd deck to the 5th deck. I'm very happy with the upgrade (who wouldn't be!). However, the upgraded cabin is right in front of the elevators! My husband and I had picked our original cabin based on its location *away* from the elevators/stairs. My husband is a pretty light sleeper. Are we going to be hearing a lot of foot traffic and chatter in our newly upgraded cabin?

Great to know! I'm so used to standing in a long line for customs in San Juan. I'm glad there's not too much to worry about in Civitavecchia. Thank you for responding!

I will be disembarking from a Royal Caribbean cruise in Civitavecchia. The car transfer I've booked to get to my hotel in Rome is requiring me to be at the car by 9:30am or I'm considered a "No show" and my credit card will be charged the full amount despite not receiving the service.

 

I'm not new by any means to cruising, but I've never disembarked in Civitavecchia. Has anyone's Royal Caribbean cruise ended at this city? How long does it take to get off the ship and go through customs?

My cruise in September stops in Toulon, France. The selection of excursions for the Toulon stop on Royal Caribbean is woefully inadequate! I was wondering if anyone had been to this port before and if it's similar to the Caribbean in which you can get off the ship and find a number of tour guides looking to load up their vans for the day? Thanks in advance!

I will be in Palma de Mallorca on my 10th wedding anniversary (RC Jewel of the Seas 9/4/16)! I'd like to be able to have time to see both the Bellver Castle and Valldemosa. I've seen from cruise reviews here on CruiseCritic that people have been able to take private tours to see these sights. Is there a particular tour company that does this? Or do I take a tour out to Valldemosa and then catch a cab to Bellver Castle once in town? What's the best way to see Palma de Mallorca as a first-timer? Thanks!

My husband and I recently went on Adventure of the Seas and reserved a cruise for 2016 using their Next Cruise onboard. It gave us $150 of onboard credit and 50% off the 2nd passenger. We were told we could change the reservation at any time. After coming home, I found another cruise on RCCL that I like better than the one we booked. Does anyone know who to contact to change the reservation? Is it my travel agent or RCCL themselves? Will they still honor the 50% off the 2nd passenger and onboard credit if I change the cruise?