Viking Chateaux, Rivers & Wine

[Huffy2k]

id4elizabeth, we took the Cluny Abbey tour on our cruise last year. While the Abbey has an impressive history, unless you're a real architectural buff or a benedictine historian, you may find it a little lacking (as I did). However, the thing that made the optional tour for us was the fantastic outdoor market that was going on just outside the abbey. I'm not sure if that's an every day event but we really enjoyed visiting the booths, sampling fresh fruit, meats and cheeses!

[MalibooNewYork]

@ fotopeg, my first name is Theresa. You can add it to your list. What a great idea!

MalibooNewYork.

[vcgeno]

First update below. Hope id4elizabeth adn Go Pack meet-up on their cruise!!!!

 

April 12, 2014 ~ id4elizabeth

April 12, 2014 ~ Go Pack

April 26, 2014 ~ tipsygirl

May 17, 2014 ~ kidfixer: Linda

May 17, 2014 ~ MalibooNewYork

May 31, 2014 ~ ABQcruiser

July 2014 ~ loge23

July 2014 ~ vcgeno

July 12, 2014 ~ SueFrankuk

Aug. 16, 2014 ~ lovetocruise17

Aug. 23, 2014 ~ MABoat

Aug. 30, 2014 ~ roebud

Sept. 6, 2014 ~ indianrider

Sept 13, 2014 ~ smokinmike

Sept. 20, 2014 ~ zmjh45

Sept. 27, 2014 ~ parkie

Oct. 4, 2014 ~ FotoPeg

Nov. 1, 2014 ~ Laffey724

 

 

Thanks for doing this, great idea. We are going July 12. Way behind on our planning hope to have more to share soon.

[Bet & Peg]

Here's an updates list:

 

April 12, 2014 ~ id4elizabeth

April 12, 2014 ~ Go Pack

April 26, 2014 ~ tipsygirl

May 17, 2014 ~ kidfixer: Linda

May 17, 2014 ~ MalibooNewYork Theresa

May 31, 2014 ~ ABQcruiser

July 2014 ~ loge23

July 12, 2014 ~ vcgeno

July 12, 2014 ~ SueFrankuk

Aug. 16, 2014 ~ lovetocruise17

Aug. 23, 2014 ~ MABoat

Aug. 30, 2014 ~ roebud; Rose & Gary

Sept. 6, 2014 ~ indianrider

Sept 13, 2014 ~ smokinmike

Sept. 20, 2014 ~ zmjh45

Sept. 27, 2014 ~ parkie

Oct. 4, 2014 ~ FotoPeg: John & Peg, Tony & Linda

Nov. 1, 2014 ~ Laffey724

[loge23]

Here's an updates list:

 

April 12, 2014 ~ id4elizabeth

April 12, 2014 ~ Go Pack

April 26, 2014 ~ tipsygirl

May 17, 2014 ~ kidfixer: Linda

May 17, 2014 ~ MalibooNewYork Theresa

May 31, 2014 ~ ABQcruiser

July 2014 ~ loge23

July 12, 2014 ~ vcgeno

July 12, 2014 ~ SueFrankuk

Aug. 16, 2014 ~ lovetocruise17

Aug. 23, 2014 ~ MABoat

Aug. 30, 2014 ~ roebud; Rose & Gary

Sept. 6, 2014 ~ indianrider

Sept 13, 2014 ~ smokinmike

Sept. 20, 2014 ~ zmjh45

Sept. 27, 2014 ~ parkie

Oct. 4, 2014 ~ FotoPeg: John & Peg, Tony & Linda

Nov. 1, 2014 ~ Laffey724

 

Hi Peg,

 

Regards to Queens! (left 25 years ago)

We're on the 7/19 sailing.

 

Happy Cruising!

[Bet & Peg]

Hi loge23 ~ where abouts in Queens did you live? We're in Middle Village whichis Forest Hills poor neighbor! DH has lived here all his life; I'm a

"newcommer" only been here 51 years!!

 

Here's an updated list:

 

April 12, 2014 ~ id4elizabeth

April 12, 2014 ~ Go Pack

April 26, 2014 ~ tipsygirl

May 17, 2014 ~ kidfixer: Linda

May 17, 2014 ~ MalibooNewYork Theresa

May 31, 2014 ~ ABQcruiser

July 12, 2014 ~ vcgeno

July 12, 2014 ~ SueFrankuk

July 19, 2014 ~ loge23

Aug. 16, 2014 ~ lovetocruise17

Aug. 23, 2014 ~ MABoat

Aug. 30, 2014 ~ roebud; Rose & Gary

Sept. 6, 2014 ~ indianrider

Sept 13, 2014 ~ smokinmike

Sept. 20, 2014 ~ zmjh45

Sept. 27, 2014 ~ parkie

Oct. 4, 2014 ~ FotoPeg: John & Peg, Tony & Linda

Nov. 1, 2014 ~ Laffey724

[loge23]

Hi loge23 ~ where abouts in Queens did you live? We're in Middle Village whichis Forest Hills poor neighbor! DH has lived here all his life; I'm a

"newcommer" only been here 51 years!!

 

Here's an updated list:

 

April 12, 2014 ~ id4elizabeth

April 12, 2014 ~ Go Pack

April 26, 2014 ~ tipsygirl

May 17, 2014 ~ kidfixer: Linda

May 17, 2014 ~ MalibooNewYork Theresa

May 31, 2014 ~ ABQcruiser

July 12, 2014 ~ vcgeno

July 12, 2014 ~ SueFrankuk

July 19, 2014 ~ loge23

Aug. 16, 2014 ~ lovetocruise17

Aug. 23, 2014 ~ MABoat

Aug. 30, 2014 ~ roebud; Rose & Gary

Sept. 6, 2014 ~ indianrider

Sept 13, 2014 ~ smokinmike

Sept. 20, 2014 ~ zmjh45

Sept. 27, 2014 ~ parkie

Oct. 4, 2014 ~ FotoPeg: John & Peg, Tony & Linda

Nov. 1, 2014 ~ Laffey724

 

Born in Brooklyn, grew up in Rockaway Beach. My wife is from Middle Village!

[Bet & Peg]

loge23 ~ wife from Middle Village - small world!!!!! We're still there - one son with our 2 grandsons lives there so hard to make decision to move!! Another son and our daughter & husband live in NYC and another son in NJ - so where do we go??? Spend our money instead on SKI (Spend Kids Inheritance) trips!!!

[id4elizabeth]

We got our departure package from Viking today - yipee! There's a really nice tourist booklet included that tells you about the Bordeaux and Loire area and has some nice fold out maps - this is in addition to the itinerary detail that's available on-line. Another nice feature is a handy little chart that tells you the best years for a variety of Bordeaux wines. Wish they had sent this out a while ago - it would have helped with my research!

 

We leave in a week, and haven't started packing yet - need to get on that!

[Bet & Peg]

id4elizabeth ~ thanks SO much for this info!!!! In the past we've also recevied nice booklets about the rivers we'd be on but never maps! Sounds GREAT!!! And the wine info - fabulous to know!!

 

One question - and you don't have to hurry answering it since we're not crusing until October but leaving in September. And that's my question - who exactly did you contact to be sure you'd receive your documents before you flew out??? We'll be flying 9 days before our cruise and should receive out package before that but just want to make sure!!!

 

Thanks much - and can't wait to hear all about your trip!!!!

[jojocmcla]

We're cruising on AMA the first part of May; and, we received our trip packet from them 2 weeks ago...much sooner than I expected.

[loge23]

Happy and safe trip to all the upcoming cruisers!

[id4elizabeth]

FotoPeg - I didn't contact Viking this time as we are only leaving 6 days ahead of the cruise, and Viking says they'll have the departure package to you 2 to 3 weeks before, so we figured we'd be OK. If you're leaving 9 days ahead though, I'd definitely give them a call. I did that on our first Viking cruise as we were leaving about 10 days ahead. As I recall, they did an "expedited service" for an extra $25 and I got the departure package about a month before departure. But don't quote me on the details -- it was a while ago and the mind gets a bit foggy! ;-)

[Bet & Peg]

id4elizabeth ~ thanks SO much for the info! Have a safe trip and a fantastic cruise - can't wait to hear all about it!!!

[itchyfeetx2]

This Chateaux, Rivers, & Wine cruise will be my 1st Viking experience. (I loved a previous UniWorld cruise, hope I won't be disappointed with Viking!)

 

Anyone else on the 11/22 cruise???

 

Anyone else doing DYI transportation from Paris to Bordeaux? We are planning on getting to Paris 11/18 and have an "airbnb" apt rented from 11/18 to 11/22. We are going to take the train from Paris to Bordeaux. Anyone else doing this???

 

Anyone taking a DYI post cruise train trip to Normandy? We are planning on taking the train from Bordeaux to Beyeux for a 2-day D-Day & Mont St. Michel extension.

 

As this is the 1st year for this itinerary, I will be anxious to read the posts from cruisers describing the highs & lows of the cruise. I also would love to know of any hints for maximizing our experience.

 

Thanks for all your help. Keep on travelling!

[itchyfeetx2]

We are booked on 11/22 itinerary. We are doing our own pre-cruise 5 day Paris extenstion and will take train from Paris to Bordeaux on 11/22. We are also doing our own post-cruise 3 night Normandy extension and will take the train from Bordeaux to Bayeux on 11/29.

 

Am VERY interested in hearing about any "logistical" transportation learnings from cruisers. Want to know the "good, bad, & ugly" experiences of train transport (including insights into train ticket purchase).

[Bet & Peg]

Welcome itchyfeetx2!!!!!

 

So far you're the only ones we have for Nov. 22nd - althought I'm sure the ship won't be empty!!!!!

 

We've enjoyed European train travel - even the experience of a train breaking down! Promise the story at a later date - just waiting for an airport cab - quick weekend trip to Vegas to meet up with some friend - real people and not machines, I promise!!

 

But anyway - train travel - tickets are ususally available 3 months out and we usually buy ours on line - don't know about the experience of others. Trains we've traveled on have an area at the doors for suitcases - a pain to get on/off if you have too much luggage but still doable! Just keep an eye on luggage althought we've been lucky and haven't had any problems.

 

Here's an update:

April 12, 2014 ~ id4elizabeth

April 12, 2014 ~ Go Pack

April 26, 2014 ~ tipsygirl

May 17, 2014 ~ kidfixer: Linda

May 17, 2014 ~ MalibooNewYork Theresa

May 31, 2014 ~ ABQcruiser

July 12, 2014 ~ vcgeno

July 12, 2014 ~ SueFrankuk

July 19, 2014 ~ loge23

Aug. 16, 2014 ~ lovetocruise17

Aug. 23, 2014 ~ MABoat

Aug. 30, 2014 ~ roebud; Rose & Gary

Sept. 6, 2014 ~ indianrider

Sept 13, 2014 ~ smokinmike

Sept. 20, 2014 ~ zmjh45

Sept. 27, 2014 ~ parkie

Oct. 4, 2014 ~ FotoPeg: John & Peg, Tony & Linda

Nov. 1, 2014 ~ Laffey724

Nov. 22, 2014 ~ itchyfeetx2

[itchyfeetx2]

Thanks for the info...and letting me know I'm the 1st for the 11/22 cruise.

 

Fortunately, we travel VERY lightly, so dealing with the luggage should not be a problem.

 

Really looking forward to you post-cruise review (along with other folks' reviews). I love living vicariously thru others' travels!

[roebud]

FotoPeg...Thanks for your time in putting that roll call list together. Did you purchase your train tickets thru Rail Europe?

 

itchyfeet...DH and I are also DIY Paris to Bordeaux traveling. We arrive in Paris the day before and will take an early am TGV train from Montparnasse station to Bordeaux. We also will be traveling with carry ons so fortunately it will be easier navigating through the turnstiles.

 

id4elizabeth...You must be getting so excited. Thanks for whetting our appetite regarding the cruise info. Can't wait to hear all about your experience.

[tipsygirl]

This Chateaux, Rivers, & Wine cruise will be my 1st Viking experience. (I loved a previous UniWorld cruise, hope I won't be disappointed with Viking!)

 

Anyone else on the 11/22 cruise???

 

Anyone else doing DYI transportation from Paris to Bordeaux? We are planning on getting to Paris 11/18 and have an "airbnb" apt rented from 11/18 to 11/22. We are going to take the train from Paris to Bordeaux. Anyone else doing this???

 

Anyone taking a DYI post cruise train trip to Normandy? We are planning on taking the train from Bordeaux to Beyeux for a 2-day D-Day & Mont St. Michel extension.

 

As this is the 1st year for this itinerary, I will be anxious to read the posts from cruisers describing the highs & lows of the cruise. I also would love to know of any hints for maximizing our experience.

 

Thanks for all your help. Keep on travelling!

We have been flying Air France for our trips to Europe over the past several years. Most flights from the US go through Paris. They allow a stopover in Paris before traveling on to other parts of Europe or on the return, at no extra charge. So when we want to do Paris as part of a Europe trip we just book our flight as a multiple destination with 2-4 night stopover in Paris on the front or back end. This time though we are spending our extra time in Bordeux before the cruise.

[id4elizabeth]

I know train travel is very easy in Europe, but we've elected to rent a car and get from Paris to Bordeaux that way. We land in CDG late in the day, will spend the night at an airport hotel (have to use up those Hilton Honours points somehow), and then rent a car from the airport Hertz the next morning. We're driving from there to Chartres to see the Cathedral and the town, and are spending one night there. Then we are doing our own Loire Valley extension. We're statying two nights in Amboise in an old Manoir house overlooking the Amboise castle (supposedly). We have two days in the Loire Valley seeing the Chateaux. From my research and planning for those two days, I should have made this part of our trip a week long instead of just two days - so much to see in this area. The last day we drive to Bordeaux from the Loire Valley. We will drive to the ship, drop off our luggage and check in, then drive to the Train Station to drop off the car - it appears to be about 5 km from the ship. We'll then cab back to the ship. Sounds like it should work like a charm - right? We'll let you know how it works out.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We're statying two nights in Amboise in an old Manoir house overlooking the Amboise castle (supposedly).

 

We're planning a similar trip for 2015. Are you staying at Le Vieux Manoir? That's what we're planning. Hope to hear how it works out for you!

Edited April 5, 2014 by Host Jazzbeau

[indianrider]

Still no words from any of the early cruises in Bordeaux yet? Should hear something soon I hope?

[Bet & Peg]

indianrider ~ from the roll call list, our earliest CC passengers sail April 12 - id4elizabeth and GO Pack. I know the Viking cruises began in March but passengers may not be on CC and so we may have to wait until during/after the April 12th cruise.

 

I know waiting for reports, comments, etc isn't easy but unfortunately we have no choice since this is a new itinerary!!

[Bet & Peg]

roebud ~ in the past we did purchase out tickets through Rail Europe. In 2011 from Venice to Munich we bought 1st class tickets since it was a long train ride, about 8 hours, but fabulous riding through the Alps. We had them delivered via mail, no choice then to print e-mail tickets.

 

In 2012 we just got 2nd class tickets - since it was a short ride, maybe 3 hours from Paris to Chalon for the ship. I think we printed them at home.

 

We're planning on getting 2nd class again this year since its a short ride. The tickets are available 3 months out so we'll be getting ours the beginning of July for our October trip. I've read on Trip Advisor that the cost of the train tickets increases as it gets closer to the departure date but didn't check prices last year. Just figure we'll get the most convenient tickets!