KathyK13

Well our Viking three week trip ended yesterday the Chefs going away dinner was even worse than the going away dinner for the people who got off in two weeks! Once again no lobster, no Scallops, not even a shrimp cocktail over cooked tenderloins, which I sent back twice only to be told they could not give me one medium rare so the brought me my seventh rib eye. Never in our 37 cruises have we and others been so disappointed with the food! Not one, lobster tail or shrimp cocktail in three weeks but of course we did get spaghetti with cauliflower in the meat sauce! 25k to eat bad food for three weeks, the pastry chef was good but if we wanted to eat bread and pastries for 3 weeks we would have gone to our local bakery and save 25k as we said the waiters and staff were great but it's a shame they had to serve such poor quality and badly prepared food! Shame on Viking!

 

 

 

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Why were you expecting lobster, scallops, or shrimp cocktail? Were they on any of the Viking menus?

How helpful will be chef be with dietary needs? Can one ask for oatmeal for breakfast for example?

We have been on two Avalon cruises; hot oatmeal was part of the breakfast buffet each morning.

Adara-You mentioned in your review that you went on Avalon's optional excursion to Versailles. If you don't mind my asking, what was the cost? We are going on this trip next year. We are doing 2 nights precruise in Paris & are trying to decide which tours to do on those days. The optional tour to Versailles would give us something to compare with some of the tours offered by other operators. Thanks in advance!

You should be able to find the costs for optional excursions in the 'My Avalon' page on the Avalon website. We did this tour in mid September 2015, spending 2 &1/2 days in Paris on our own pre-cruise. Like you we debated about whether we should do Versailles on our own or take the Avalon excursion. Versailles and Musee d'Orsay are both closed on Monday, so we decided to do D'Orsay on Sunday and take the Avalon Versailles excursion. An advantage was that our tour had a set tour time, and we were able to bypass the very long lines to get in. We had an excellent tour guide who was skilled at moving us through the crowds! We had some free time after the tour, which we spent wandering around the gardens. A downside of the tour is that there just isn't enough time to fully view the gardens and Le Petite Trianon, which is quite a ways from the Versailles palace. Overall we were very happy with the tour, and we can look forward to visiting the gardens on a future trip!

I obviously disagree. And I believe it should be left to the poster to place their thread where they want the responses to be generated. If the thead dies its own death from lack of interest, so be it. But to move a healthy thread to an area that history has shown to be a plague to that topic is nonsensical. If the point is to promote sharing information, let us share information without censorship.

Censorship is a bit strong. I'm not sure why you say that Cruise Critic is trying to force Crystal River Cruises to be a different animal. It's a river cruise, right? And this is the River Cruise Forum. If you are only interested in Crystal River Cruises, search 'Crystal River' using the 'Search This Forum' function and you will find quite a few posts. Many use this forum to find information on the different river cruising companies.

Definitely pack several layers. Silk long sleeve tops and pants (LL Bean makes great ones) are lightweight enough to wear under shirts and pants without adding bulk and keep you toasty warm! Smartwool socks will keep your feet warm and they don't itch. There are some great lightweight down jackets that fold up into a pocket, yet are very warm. I got one from Lands End last year and love it; it weighs very little yet kept me warm even on the coldest days here in western NY!

One of the German newspapers mentioned that both ships were from the same company. Thankfully no injuries on either.

I know this has been discussed extensively in other posts, but has the increase in ships on the rivers made collisions more likely? Have any other cruise lines' ships been involved in accidents?

Hi! We are booked on the AmaWaterways Serena-Romantic Danube- leaving Vilshofen on April 3, 2017 to Budapest April 10, 2017. Staying in Budapest for 3 nights. Any suggestions for lodging? Looking forward to our first river cruise! Any suggestions from transportation from the Munich Airport to Vilshofen? Our flight arrives at 10:15 AM on the 3rd and the cruise transport doesn't pick us up until 2:00 pm! I certainly don't want to be at the airport that long. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

You can take the train from Munich Airport to Freising then transfer to Vilshofen; it takes about 2 hours, depending on your connection. Very easy to get information in English at http://www.bahn.com.

I am still confused by this! Does he mean carryons like a purse, a backpack etc that would be taken on the bus for a tour? I can understand that there isn't room on the vehicles used for tours. It still doesn't make sense if he was talking about getting off the plane, where the standard size for a carryon is about 21" & getting on a shuttle bus to the hotel, using a much smaller bag? I guess a call to Avalon to see what a different person might say is in order.

I think he means that you can only carry a bag that will fit on your lap on the shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Your luggage, including luggage that would be small enough to fit under a plane seat, will be placed in storage under the shuttle bus.

Exactly.

 

And there are those for whom payment requirements, ship design, and reputation for customer service (especially during high/low water issues) are irrelevant when choosing a river cruise line. For them, Viking could be a perfect choice :)

I find this statement very condescending, basically saying that Viking is a good choice only for those who don't care about quality. Especially ship design; that's a very subjective thing.

This is the sort of comment I think the OP objects to; it's the tone set by the comment.

Wherever we go, we notice many Chinese tourists. Even Yosemite National Park. When we were at Neuschwanstein Castle, there were signs in the restroom written in Chinese with illustrations how to use a western style toilet. (No standing on toilet and squatting).

 

The Chinese guides don't follow western etiquette. It was a huge problem, but I have my ways of preventing others from pushing ahead of me. Lol

 

 

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I read recently that the Chinese government has recognized that cultural differences in tourist behaviours have caused problems and they are trying to educate their citizens in proper behavior abroad. Hopefully it will be effective!

Last year during our Avalon tour of Versailles we were standing in the hall of mirrors listening to our tour guide, when a man came up behind me, put his hands on my shoulders, and tried to shove me aside. I was shocked! I stood my ground and shoved right back ;)

I would call Avalon and explain your situation, or check with your travel agent. I would think you could just not use your return ticket.

I can't advise you about Avalon air policies as we booked our own air for our two Avalon cruises. However, I believe that most lines allow guests to make modifications to flights for an additional fee. Check with Avalon (or travel agent if you use one).

Unfortunately, as Jazzbeau said, recommending travel agents is not allowed on Cruise Critic. We used two different travel agents; both large online agencies. We decided to use the first one since they had good reviews and specialized in river cruises. They were ok, but did little for us other than make reservations for us. As newbie cruisers, I had no idea that agents could offer discounts or other incentives. When we decided to take our second cruise, we contacted an an agent that was recommended to us. That agent did give us an additional discount. I suggest you contact some agencies that work with Avalon and ask if they offer additional discounts. An agent may also help you with the flight issues.

Regarding upgrading to a cabin with french balconies, some feel it's better to save the money because they're only in the room to sleep and others feel it's worth the money. We did choose french balcony cabins on both of our cruises. We also enjoyed relaxing in the privacy of our cabin and watching the scenery pass by, often enjoying a glass of wine after dinner!

The Avalon website does show fairly detailed description of each day's activities. About a month before the cruise, you will receive a packet from Avalon with more details including information on optional excursions. On our Danube cruise the ship usually sailed during the evening, arriving at the next port before morning. An exception was when we cruised through the Wachau Valley, the most scenic stretch of the cruise. Usually though you won't know the exact timing of departures and arrivals until you're on the ship.

We loved both of our Avalon cruises (Danube 2013 and Seine 2015)!

This is what we had heard also, there are more river cruises then prior years and Viking owns some of the docks. AMA seemed to be getting the Docking space furtherest away from the town. It is still a great way to travel. Have fun.

That's very disappointing. We loved being docked right in town on our Seine and Danube cruises; we were able to spend more time in town and make our own way back to the ship. Having the ship docked far from town makes one more dependent on the buses provided by the ship. Is there any way of finding out which lines are still able to dock in towns? We are looking at taking an AMA or Avalon Rhine cruise next year, but may change our minds if docking continues to be an issue. We aren't interested in Viking mainly because of the small stateroom size.

We did this cruise on the Creativity in September 2015. The ship, the food, the excursions were all excellent. Highlights of the trip for us were the visit to the Normandy beaches, Monet's house in Giverny, and of course Paris! A French author gave a talk (with slides) on the planning and execution of the Normandy beaches invasion on the evening before the tour. It was very well done and gave all of us a lot to think about the next day. The beaches tour lasted most of the day. First we drove to Juno Beach, where Canadian and other Allied forces landed. We visited a small museum, saw a short film of the invasion, and walked on the beach. Next we stopped in Arromanches for lunch at a restaurant, arranged and paid for by Avalon. The afternoon was spent visiting Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. It was a very emotional day.

You can choose to be as active or inactive as you like. Most days had a morning tour, followed by lunch on the ship, then a free afternoon or optional tour. Avalon did have several bicycles available for guest use on our trip; you could go for a ride in the afternoon or skip the morning tour and make a day of it. I believe AMA has bicycles as well.

Avalon has a special sale on Seine cruises right now that includes $1000 off per person as well as free air. Definitely worth the price, in my opinion!

Mentioning Travel Agents by name is prohibited by the Cruise Critic guidelines.

Can I ask the person to post their email address and then email privately?

I went into their website and all they are advertising is for 2017/2018, cant seem to find your deals.

Marlster

It's hard to find the deals on Vantage's website. I've received filers from them in the mail with some incredible prices, and the only way to find them on the website is to use the coupon code on the flier. The prices at the links above are incredible; wish we could go!

I recently received emails from two online travel agencies we have used in the past offering some great deals on AMA cruises in November & December that I couldn't find on the AMA website. I wonder if the cruise lines are hesitant to show extreme discounts on their websites as it might encourage people who can be flexible with travel plans to wait for the prices to fall...

Our first cruise was a Danube cruise on the Luminary in 2013; our second was the Seine on her sister ship the Creativity in 2015. The ships are basically the same. Although older, the ships were both in excellent condition. I think the difference you see in price is due to the new ships having larger rooms with the beds facing the French balcony. The Luminary French balcony staterooms are 170 sq ft, larger than those on the Viking or older Uniworld ships. We were very pleased with both ships and would happily cruise on them again.

There were no staff on the top deck. If so, they would probably have intercepted the intruders. For your question # 2, I don't know. There were not a lot of people up there. I have the same question.

 

I am still hoping to hear from any of you who might have had similar experiences.

What cruise were you on? What action was taken by the Vantage crew? Were the police called to report the intrusion?

I suggest you also look at other cruise lines' websites for discounts on 2017 cruises. For example, AMA is offering $1000 per person off the Christmas Markets on the Danube cruise; the price for the lowest category cabin is $500 less than Viking's. I believe all optional excursions are included on AMA while Viking charges for them, but I'm not sure.

Vantage also has similar pricing on their 2017 Christmas cruises.

Can you provide a link to ordering it?

I bought the magazine at my local Barnes and Noble store.

While browsing in my local B&N bookstore this morning I came across a Smithsonian Travel Quarterly magazine totally dedicated to the Danube river, including articles on Vienna, Budapest, the Wachau Valley, Bucharest, the history of the river, and more. The photographs were stunning. The magazine would be a great read for those who are looking forward to cruising the Danube!

Don't worry Vantage will NEVER forget you and there will be great offers every year!!! D Again like you, I wilt in heat so late Aug. into Sept. and even early Oct. is our favorite time of year to travel for all the reasons you mentioned, plus airfare is often cheaper. One tip you might find helpful: before you book anything make sure you compare the prices on line with the catalog...sometimes one is cheaper than the other and if you point it out to them, they'll honor the lower price.

Although I have never sailed with them, I receive the glossy brochures at least once a week, way more than any other line! I received a mailing from them in June that was different from their catalogs. It gave highly discounted (by half or more) prices for quite a few cruises for this year, along with a code for each to find the cruise on the website. I tried to find the cruises' sale prices on the website without the code and couldn't find them, so I assume the offers were only made available to those on their mailing list. So I hope to stay on their list in case similar offers are made next year!

I'll trade you some of that rain (we are in a drought here) for sunshine :).

 

Hope the weather clears for you soon!

We are also in a drought and wishing for rain, a real rarity for upstate NY!

Hope you have a better weather day tomorrow

We had bugs on our recent Viking Cruise. They were especially bad one night. We enjoy having the balcony door open at times but doing so turns of the A/C so we weren't able to do it very often. We had a few warm/humid days.

 

DH and I also couldn't do an Aquarium Room. Especially on our recent cruise when the Sun Deck was closed for 7 days.

We kept our windows closed during the night mostly because my DH is a light sleeper. We only opened them during the day to air out the room or to look out as we were cruising, so we may have had bugs if we left them open for a longer period.

We didn't have water level issues on either of our cruises, and it never occurred to me the sun deck would be closed. That would have been a real disappointment to those in Aquarium class!

Kathy: A kindred soul....we've done several river cruises starting in late Aug and ending mid-Sept...it's our favorite time to travel...the weather is fabulous and it's not as crowded. Like you I NEED that french balcony so I can open the door and feel fresh air...and I do enjoy watching the river go by while I sit in blissful silence with a glass of wine and my bare feet on the balcony. It's also great for taking pictures...nobody standing in front of you...of course it only works on one side but it's still worth it to us. Only place we had a problem with bugs was on the Nile....European Rivers have never given us a bug problem.

We chose to take our first cruise at the end of August due to work schedules, then found it such a good time to cruise that we booked our second in September. I wilt in hot weather and hate crowds and an added bonus was both cruises were on sale! We will probably book any future cruises for the same time period, although we have no cruises booked due to other planned trips in the US.

I received some fliers in June from Vantage with incredible discounts on cruises in August through October 2016, and was bummed that we couldn't fit one in. I'm hoping that they will make similar offers next year that can take advantage of! I know that you're a Vantage fan and I think we would be happy with them.