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Viking Chateaux, Rivers & Wine

vcgeno

By vcgeno,
in River Cruising

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JandCM

JandCM

Posted
Posted

Thanks to all for the pre-birthday good wishes. We are both really excited about this trip. When our daughter found out there were just 190 passengers she said, "gee, Dad, you'll probably know everyone by the end of the trip." Well, so far, between trip advisor and CC, I know about 15 people. The weather here in St. Louis (20-30 degrees and 1-2 inches of snow this weekend) make us even more excited to get there for the low to mid 50s during the time we will be there. We leave Tuesday for the Loire pre-cruise trip!

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Bet & Peg

Bet & Peg

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magellan2022 ~ it's been a pleasure to be involved with this thread - especially since we cruised so much later and thus had the opportunity to learn SO much from all you earlier passengers!

 

And I do indeed remember the earlier days - seemed very bleak! And the river does control everything in that area!! For those about to travel - wait until you see the difference in the tides!!! And the infamous bridge you sail back/forth under for Cadillac!! (On our trip we passed under it going about 5am but returning to Bordeaux was about 3-4pm - deck was full of passengers taking photos! Seeing it makes the necessity of a clearance run understandable!!)

 

I completely enjoyed our other Viking RCs - but this one I'd go on again in a heartbeat - if just for the food & wine!! If you're looking to take home a bottle or two - check out the little store in Pauillac - the "Cave" on the first street paralleling the dock on the right side - great selection, wish we had bought more! And there's also a nice looking store on the left side. Both were open even though it was a Sunday! And there's just time for a quick walk after docking or between lunch and the excursion! St Emilion also has a "million" stores - our guide told us they all work together and have fixed prices - it'd be impossible to see the town and also check out all the wine stores!

 

JandCM ~ "low to mid-50s" - I think our weather predictions were about 10degrees higher but I found the wind along the river made it seem much colder - not freezing, but I think I'd plan on bringing layers, just in case!! Balye especially was very open, damp and windy, especially the walking tour through the Citadel. That morning I wished I had brought gloves and a heavier scarf!! When we were planning, the temps in Bordeaux were always higher than Paris, yet Paris was felt warmer because it wasn't so open!

 

Everyone - have a fabulous trip!!!!! Please come back and let us know your thoughts & experiences!!!!

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Bet & Peg

Bet & Peg

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Welcome cruis_theglobe ~ Welcome to Cruise Critic and Welcome to the Chateaux, Rivers and Wine Thread!!

 

If you're interested in this cruise, then please do the whole thread OR at least from May. This was a new 2014 itinerary and had a bumpy beginning! But things - tides, ship clearance, personel, etc - took a trun for the better - much better! - about May. With the exception of the week going too quickly, my only complaint was the first part of the first excursion in Pauillac, and I made my feelings known here on CC and also to Viking on their survey - hopefully it'll be smoother next year!

 

But otherwise this was a fabulous cruise, especially for those interested in wine! The optional excursion to Chateau Siaurac with Paul Goldsmith was an experience we'll remember forever and our friends enjoyed the truffle hunting! My DH can't wait to open his bottle of self-made cognac (has to age for about 4 months!) - he plans on sampling it on our Anniversary in February!

 

Now if Viking can only improve on their tour of the Medoc area....

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Vinelvr

Vinelvr

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Just received my travel package from Viking. Thanks for all these great reviews. We have paid for the Cognac tour and are excited about this optional excursion. We will post our experiences during the cruise and hope to give out info on Christmas markets in the Bordeaux area.

 

Vinelvr

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Bet & Peg

Bet & Peg

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Vinelvr ~ receiving that travel package makes the trip SO real!!!

 

DH and friends really enjoyed the Cognac trip - they had fun making their own blend! and said samples flowed very freely!! They also bought great small bottles for about 6euros as gifts and received a lovely small bottle from Camus as their gift for making the Cognac!

 

Would love to hear about - and even see photos of - Christmas Bordeaux!! I wish we had spent more time there - it seems to be a lovely city!!

 

Have a wondereful time!!!

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JandCM

JandCM

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We have been looking forward to this trip for soooo long, it is hard to believe that we actually leave tomorrow. First, we get to fly to Minneapolis, where the morning low is forecast to be 1 degree! Even with a 3 1/2 hour layover, I am pretty sure we are NOT going outside! We leave there around 5pm and get to Paris at 8:30am, meaning a whole day in Paris before heading to the Loire Valley and Tours where we will be taking tours (notice capital t and small t!). More to come as we experience it!

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MalibooNewYork

MalibooNewYork

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I have a thread on another forum about booking. Do you book directly with Viking or do you use a travel agent? I'm just curious. I have used TAs sometimes but they have been ordinary. Quite a few people have responded that their TAs have gotten them perks, etc. So, as I said, just curious.

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Bet & Peg

Bet & Peg

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Beware ~ TAs are a touchy subjest on CC since there's no advertising, recommending or promoting which is realy a good thing!

 

That being said - before I discovered CC I used a local TA, and actually wondered why since I had done all the work - finding the exact cruise I wanted, knew the cabin, etc. But the few people I knew used TAs so I also did. I think our TA gave us a dinner in the special restaurant as a "Thank You" - and I was thrilled! Then I found CC and began reading about the On Board Credits people were getting!! Next step - I quickly found an on-line TA and also began getting perks!! RCs seem to work a little different without such big OBCs but I'm still with the same TA.

 

If you want more info you can e-mail me - my name at aol dot com.

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cmpeter

cmpeter

Posted
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Hi - great thread! My husband and I are looking at doing this cruise in July 2015. It will be our first cruise.

 

Question for those that have been. Does it make any difference what side of the ship you are on? Odd or even numbered cabins? Any other cabin advice?

Edited by cmpeter
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MalibooNewYork

MalibooNewYork

Posted
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Hi - great thread! My husband and I are looking at doing this cruise in July 2015. It will be our first cruise.

 

Question for those that have been. Does it make any difference what side of the ship you are on? Odd or even numbered cabins? Any other cabin advice?

 

We were on the lowest deck in an odd numbered room so a view wasn't an option but it did seem that we were docked up against a wall a lot. A couple that had an odd numbered French balcony room told us they were sorry that they had spent the extra money for their cabin.

The cabins are small but we really liked our room. The beds are comfortable and the heated bathroom floor is to die for.

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magellan2022

magellan2022

Posted
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Hi - great thread! My husband and I are looking at doing this cruise in July 2015. It will be our first cruise.

 

Question for those that have been. Does it make any difference what side of the ship you are on? Odd or even numbered cabins? Any other cabin advice?

 

Great time of year! The cruise was our first, as well. Now we are spoiled! Definitely book an even numbered cabin since 90% of the time you are docked with that side toward the river. We liked our French Balcony. With the sliding door open, it seemed like a real balcony. By the end of the week we would have liked a little more room, but it was really comfortable! Viking has done a great job.

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ABQcruiser

ABQcruiser

Posted
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Frank and Pat, we did this cruise in June and loved it....but I still follow the thread to relive the memories, as I think many do. I don't really know the weather in November around Bordeaux, but we just returned from the Blue Danube itinerary (Budapest--Passau) in late November, when we had temps in the low 30s. Because of being outside so much, and being more used to daytime 50s, I brought silk long underwear and found it very useful as a not-bulky layer. With that, turtleneck and sweaters, scarves and jacket, I felt OK. You should prepare for rain, though if lucky, like us, you'll stay dry. Best advice: go for the silks!

-alice

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Vinelvr

Vinelvr

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We arrived yesterday in Bordeaux with only one airport delay. Thanks for the info on getting from airport to city center. We took bus line 1 for 1.5 euro. We had 4 suitcases and no knowledge of where we were going. Bus driver told us where to get off and how to walk to hotel in 2 minutes. It worked out perfect and we were excited to spend only 3 euros to get to hotel from airport. We found one christmas market and it was average compared to the german markets.

Weather is 50 degrees and overcast. We are going on our own to explore St Emilion today.

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