Live from Bordeaux!

[Bet & Peg]

mwest ~ thanks for your comments! Dare I ask what were "some problems we had during the cruise"??? Were you able to dock at Blaye and Cadillac???

[mwest]

fotopeg, we did not dock in Blaye, wound up back at Bordeaux and taking a bus there. We did dock in Cadillac and then took a bus to the Sauterne district. That outing itself was nice but Cadillac was a walking tour of the Citadel, the whole purpose of that stop was just to get the bus to the Sauternes. Please don't misunderstand me, the cruise was very enjoyable and educational, the problems just involved spending too much time in Bordeaux and not actually cruising the rivers themselves.

[mwest]

Jazzbeau, its interesting that you pose that question as one of couples on our cruise was actually musing about that. They thought also that one could stay in a luxury hotel in Bordeaux and arrange private tours. While I think that may be possible, I think that some of the experiences on the cruise, at least as far as the vineyards are concerned, could not be duplicated easily. We also found that the guides that Viking provided were quite good.

[notamermaid]

Hello mwest,

 

I think Jazzbeau and your fellow cruisers have a valid point as regards the idea of a land trip. Especially as the cruise has Bordeaux as a base. In fact, CroisiEurope calls Bordeaux the base around which the cruise centres in its brochure.

 

As I have mentioned in the Viking trip thread, you can arrange boat tours in Bordeaux. There is also a small company that does wine tours rated on trip advisor (no advertising intended): http://www.tripadvisor.fr/Attraction_Review-g187079-d5400506-Reviews-33_Tour_Bordeaux_Private_Tours-Bordeaux_Gironde_Aquitaine.html

 

As for the pricey Cognac excursion, I would not want to do this, I do not drink brandys and the like. What do you do in the time the coach is out on that excursion? According to CroisiEurope it takes 12 hours! I cannot recall what the Viking cruisers said about this. There is a lot of getting to places by coach.

 

To be fair, I have not read up on what Uniworld offers as included and optional tours.

 

One further point is that the 320 km Viking states appears to be the full cruise. Is that figure reduced when a stop is missed or changed due to the tidal conditions? Something that future cruisers should bear in mind IMO.

 

I still think, though, that river cruising it is a great way to experience that region. After all, you are among a crowd of like-minded people. :)

 

notamermaid

[loge23]

The question I have is whether there is an alternative that would duplicate this experience without the boat, since there is so little sailing involved anyway. Could you stay at a luxury hotel in Bordeaux and arrange day trips to the places that the cruise visits? Given the high price of river cruises, you should be able to use private guides and still come out at about the same cost. That would avoid buses and also allow even more tailored itineraries.

 

For the adventurous, the entire Bordeaux region is quite easily navigated on one's own. There are many great places to stay both in the St. Emilion area and the Medoc. I can't personally vouch for Bordeaux city, but it is a city and therefore I'm sure there are plenty of hotels.

For wine tourism, I recommend staying in a few days on the east side (St. Emilion) and a few in the Medoc region. The City of Bordeaux is a good drive from either wine center.

Last year we chose the Hotel Logis des Remparts in St. Emilion for a fabulous experience in the center of this incredible town. Great hotel, with a/c and a very welcome pool for apres-wine tasting relaxing.

In the Medoc, we stayed at Jean Guyon's Hotel Rollan de By, hard by Mr. Guyon's similarly named winery. Both stops were simply wonderful, although the Rollan de By does not have a/c, if this is a consideration for you. Otherwise, the service, amenities, and breakfast was five-star

Frankly, for wine touring, I would not choose to stay in Bordeaux city, although it is a good place to rent your car.

[firefightermom007]

Carolyn, just found this and was wondering if you could share what chateau's Viking actually went to for wine tasting. Also, since this is a wine touted itinerary, any chance Viking might change the days of the week so a stop in Paullic is not on a Sunday?

[editor@cruisecritic]

When -- not 'if" -- I go back, the real thing I want to do differently is to have a more active, recreational experience. I love cycling and kayaking, so would love to have that addition to the experience. But I guess my point is -- I'd go back in a heartbeat, and I'd do the same itinerary all over again (though I might spend my time differently, here and there).

 

One thing that sticks with me now is that I do wish I'd made more time to just...explore...the city of Bordeaux. It's very special.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn, would love to see you go back to Bordeaux and take Uniworld's trip. Then we could see a real comparison. My trip with Road Scholar on CroisiEurope was very wine intense and was more educational than vacation. Or if you don't want to go, send Jazzbeau. Pat

[editor@cruisecritic]

Hi, firefightermom007. Can't speak for Viking and Sunday schedule, but we didn't suffer too much! Sunday was indeed quiet but there was enough open in town in Pauillac to entertain. It's a lovely place. I wouldn't have minded more time!

 

In retrospect, the chateau drive bys on Sunday wasn't the best of the tours, but the Chateau Kirwan experience was sublime. It was, ultimately, a good way to start the trip...and the experiences only got better.

 

CSB

 

 

Carolyn, just found this and was wondering if you could share what chateau's Viking actually went to for wine tasting. Also, since this is a wine touted itinerary, any chance Viking might change the days of the week so a stop in Paullic is not on a Sunday?

Edited May 26, 2014 by editor@cruisecritic