New 2015 Viking Itinerary...any takers?

[remydiva]

Never say Never.

 

....after having my doubts following my last Viking cruise..Danube Dec 2012....I am willing to give Viking another go.

 

Following our last cruise and some excellent Viking customer service we ended up with a future cruise credit but it had to be used by the end of 2013 and everything that looked interesting, I had already taken or was sold out. The credit lapsed.

 

But my interest was piqued when an email came in for a new itinerary on the Rhine with reduced air fare called 'Rhine Rhapsody' that included a few different stops from my 2001 Rhine trip as well as ending in Paris albeit via bus ride from Trier. Plus it is 8 days cruise and 2 days in Paris. We booked and have added extra days to extend our time in Paris.

 

There has been ZERO threads about this new itinerary (somewhat surprising) and needless to say ZERO on the roll call (to be expected in my experience).

Apparently the first few dates are sold out so there is obviously some interest...just not here on CC.

 

Any takers, thoughts, comments?

[notamermaid]

Hello remydiva,

 

it is certainly an interesting itinerary IMO. I do not know the upper stretch of the Rhine, but past cruisers have commented in parts not so favourably about the Breisach stop and Black Forest tour. On your intinerary you will stop in Mannheim, an interesting town in itself. But it is mainly used as a convenient port for stopping and bussing people to Heidelberg. Which I would prefer to going to the Black Forest (that region I know and it is lovely, but it should be seen on a land trip not a river cruise, I think).

 

Marksburg (the castle) and Koblenz are the usual stops and very nice. At Koblenz - the German Corner - you turn into the Moselle which is a more tranquil, more meandering river than the Rhine. But it is also used by barges and has quiet a few locks. Bernkastel is a lovely old town. Cochem is nice, too.There is lots of wine in the region, definitely sample them. The speciality in these regions is a liqueur made from a variety of peach - ask for Weinbergspfirsichlikör - one of my favourite.

 

Trier is the Roman town in Germany IMO and definitely the oldest in Germany - according to current archeology. A UNESCO world heritage site and well worth exploring.

 

I find it a pity that the itinerary leaves not much time in Trier. Also it would be nice if ships went further along the Moselle along the border and towards France. That area is so important for recent European history. Look up Schengen treaty, if you are interested. The area is also steeped in military and industrial history. There might be logistical and navigational problems that make such an idea not feasable for river cruise companies.

 

You will be bussed from Trier to Luxembourg. Personally I would prefer to take the train as the stretch close to Luxemburg is great for scenery. The town is very interesting and is obviously the capital of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. Lots to see.

 

From Luxembourg they will take you by bus to Paris which is quite a distance. I am not keen on the idea. But you have to get to a large international airport, I think. So great for that reason to include such an extension. Paris needs to be seen to be believed, but it is not in my personal top five of European cities. The Louvre is a must.

 

Personally if I had a choice on such an itinerary, I would take the French fast train (TGV) from Luxembourg to Paris. That is the railway enthusiast speaking. :)

 

You have not mentioned what month you are going in, but I am sure this itinerary is great throughout the year. Although the wine festivals in autumn on the Moselle might be an extra bonus. ;)

 

notamermaid

 

Grey and dull this morning, I am looking forward to my next visit to a Christmas market to cheer me up!

[pflorio994]

Looks like a great cruise. Too bad that they are offering it only in April and May.

[remydiva]

I hadn't noticed the trip was only April and May..we are going end of April so hope to avoid the June high waters and obviously won't be influenced by August low waters.

 

I agree the bus ride will be long from Trier to Paris but the stop in Luxembourg and the Battle of the Bulge cemetery will break it up and keep our US history buff travel companions happy I'm sure.

 

I did the Rhine/Moselle from Amsterdam to Basel in 2001 and was sick with Norwalk on the day we sailed by the castles so I am looking forward to seeing them again while standing up (instead of from my bed!)

 

There is no perfect itinerary unless maybe one plans it on their own but this hits a lot of points of interest. Our travel companions have never done the Rhine so it will all be new to them.

 

Personally, I love Paris and we have added some extra days at the end to revisit some favs and just ...be.

 

Nothing is more French IMHO than sitting at a cafe watching Paris walk by...ooh la la! And yes the Louvre never grows weary.

 

Thanks for the info and tips.

[franski]

 

Nothing is more French IMHO than sitting at a cafe watching Paris walk by...ooh la la! And yes the Louvre never grows weary.

 

Thanks for the info and tips.

 

Not sure of when you last were in Paris - but the cafe sitting experience has changed over the past few years.

 

Paris - as with many areas in the world - only allows smoking on the outside patios. Which means that watching the world go by from a cafe often means you are sitting in the smoking area. Rather a disappointment for us the last 2 times we were in Paris, but at least *inside* the restaurants and cafes is now a more pleasant place to sit.

 

If you have not been to the Orangerie, that might be worth a visit. It was closed for renovations when I was first there - but we visited after our river cruise on the Seine to see Monet's Waterlillies.... It was wonderful to see the canvases, after we had been to Giverny to see where they had been painted.

 

Apparently the line ups are quite long - so I would suggest buying tickets in advance if at all possible.

 

Fran

[remydiva]

Not sure of when you last were in Paris - but the cafe sitting experience has changed over the past few years.

 

Paris - as with many areas in the world - only allows smoking on the outside patios. Which means that watching the world go by from a cafe often means you are sitting in the smoking area. Rather a disappointment for us the last 2 times we were in Paris, but at least *inside* the restaurants and cafes is now a more pleasant place to sit.

 

If you have not been to the Orangerie, that might be worth a visit. It was closed for renovations when I was first there - but we visited after our river cruise on the Seine to see Monet's Waterlillies.... It was wonderful to see the canvases, after we had been to Giverny to see where they had been painted.

 

Apparently the line ups are quite long - so I would suggest buying tickets in advance if at all possible.

 

Fran

 

Our last trip to Paris was SEpt 2012 after the smoking laws changed so yes we know that outside is the smoking zone.

 

BUT we found a table in our fav restaurant by the windows and they folded the windows up so our elbow was on the window sill ...outside. It was like being outside and close to the action but away from the smokers.

 

The Orangerie was open then but with our 2 day museum pass we just breezed through and actually there weren't many people at all. The lilies were wonderful.

 

We will buy the museum passes again as I have always found the time savings far aweigh perhaps the extra money you may pay ..42E pp for 2 days... if you only use it for 3-4 attractions.

[pinotlover]

You're going in probably one of the rainiest periods of the year! :eek: Paris in the Spring time is not as the song implies. Take your rain gear and expect to live in it.

 

Trier is certainly a treat.

[FuelScience]

I really like this itinerary. I've not started a thread about it, but I've suggested it on several other threads. It gets you two of the most scenic stretches of river that I've seen--the Moselle Valley and the Rhine gorge with all the castles. We've done Viking's Cities of Light, and the bus ride from Paris to Luxembourg is indeed a long one, but they gave us a rest stop of about 30 minutes half way there. Sounds like a great cruise!

 

FuelScience