Viking Odin - Cities of Light

[dsfischer]

About as well accepted as Euros would be in your local stores at home :)

 

I was trying to be diplomatic. It was a reasonable question depending on where you travel. People were happy to have U.S. dollars in Turkey last summer. 😀

[Casey12]

I've hesitated to post updates because I don't want to discourage anyone, so let me start by saying that I'm not sure that river cruising is right for me.

 

I think your thoughts are exactly what many of think about river cruising. It is very convenient and very little planning is involved compared to a land trip. With a land trip you have far more flexibility but it requires more work. I think in the end, the work is worth it in a land trip. I use river cruises for trips I don't want to plan but when I have the time --- I much prefer not being tied to a regimented schedule.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I use river cruises for trips I don't want to plan but when I have the time --- I much prefer not being tied to a regimented schedule.

 

Then you don't plan your land trips the way I do! I cram so much into a day that our schedule is even more regimented -- a river cruise is a relaxing trip by comparison. ;)

[micruiser12]

We had been to Paris before, so our pre-cruise stay was one night in Giverny and three nights in Bayeux at the Noble Tardiff Guesthouse (wonderful place!) before the two nights in Paris. For our extra night in Prague, we just booked the Marriott Courtyard at the airport so it would be convenient for our flight home.

 

Either way, when we saw the price Viking was charging for the extra days we knew we could book our own rooms for a much more reasonable price. It's a disadvantage not to know the exact hotels Viking is using until 10 days before the trip, but I would suggest staying wherever was convenient and within your price range and move to Viking's hotel for the land/cruise nights. Their hotel in Paris (for our trip) was Le Meridien Etoile and in Prague it was the Hilton Probrezni, but I don't think they always use those two.

 

Thanks, dsfischer! Didn't want to pay the price Viking would be charging us for the extra nights.

[dachamps]

I've tried to answer your questions as best I can from my notes and memory! After awhile the castles and little towns seem similar when you're doing the same thing every day with a walking tour giving way too many names and dates to remember! Our guide in Cochem stands out in our minds because she was more of a storyteller, rather than just repeating facts.

 

We got to Bernkastel about 5:30. Our friends did the optional wine tasting and enjoyed it while we walked with Chef Andreas to a local spot for sausage tasting before dinner. Dinner was at 7:30 and we departed for Cochem shortly after we finished eating.

 

As far as Koblenz, we were actually docked in Winningen right before dinner. The excursion to Koblenz (Marksburg Castle) was the next morning and it was recommended that "for safety and enjoyment" you be in "very good physical condition" to participate. Our husbands have back problems, so we decided to stay on the boat to experience traveling through the locks and leaving the Moselle River and entering the Rhine (if you didn't see it, you would never know anything happened!). We considered this our day to pretend we were experiencing a Viking River cruise TV ad....

 

We got to Rudesheim about 5:30 (along with several other boats) and dashed into town for quick shopping for nutcrackers and snow globes before taking the shuttle bus at 7:00 to meet the boat in Wiesbaden. In Rudesheim, our boat was docked in the berth furthest from town and we practically ran to have any time there. Our friends decided against doing the wine tasting excursion, thinking it would be similar wines to the ones they had earlier.

 

We skipped the student lunch in Heidelberg, and wandered around town and had lunch on our own. We told the program director a day earlier so they knew not to count us in the number having lunch and asked when and where to meet the group later.

 

We traveled by bus from Eltmann to Bamberg, leaving the boat at 1:45. By this day, the Odin was having engine trouble and was moving slowly. We had a walking tour of Bamberg, then had a meeting place at a market square to walk as a group back to the buses. There was at least one other Viking ship in Bamberg, and we noted that people began gathering long before the meeting time. We managed to find a place to sit and have a drink while we waited, but most people weren't as lucky. Once we got back to the bus, we drove through town to an industrial looking area where we were supposed to meet the boat. We sat on the bus or stood outside for almost 2 hours waiting for the boat to arrive (between the engine and the locks, they were very late). The program director managed to bring fresh strawberries, water, and ice cream to everyone while we waited, and most people took the delay in stride. However, this experience underlined why it would be difficult to try to do anything on our own on a river cruise - the schedule just wasn't always predictable.

 

About Paris - we rented a car from Hertz at CDG and drove to Giverny for the night. We walked to Monet's Garden when it opened the next morning, then drove on to Bayeux. That was our base for seeing some of the D Day sites (Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery and Arromanches), Mont St. Michel, Honfleur, etc. (3 nights). We drove to Versailles on our way back to Paris. If you rent a car, I would suggest that you have someone program your GPS in English before you start and have a chip and PIN credit card (we came across unmanned toll booths and needed to use ours). The only problem we had while driving was coming back into Paris to return the car 2 blocks from the hotel. Having done it, I'd suggest returning the car before you get to Paris and take the train the rest of the way...unless you have nerves of steel and fast reflexes. Versailles was only about 20-30 minutes from Paris and we could've returned the car there. I'm not sure how long it takes to get up to the D Day beach area by train, but you might be able to catch a very early train, rent a car to see your places of interest, then return the car and catch a late train back. If you're looking for a restaurant suggestion in Paris, we ate at Le Casse Noix near the Eiffel Tower, then walked over to watch the Tower lights "twinkle" at 9:55. It was a great tiny restaurant that filled up quickly (we had 7:00 reservations so we would be out in time to see the lights).

 

I hope this information is helpful with your planning!

 

Debbie

 

Debbie

 

Thank you so much for providing this information. You willingness to share is greatly appreciated. Need to tell me where your next trip is and you can be my "scout". LOL

 

Cheers!

[dsfischer]

Debbie

 

Thank you so much for providing this information. You willingness to share is greatly appreciated. Need to tell me where your next trip is and you can be my "scout". LOL

 

Cheers!

 

Haha! Any time! I'm the family travel planner. If you ever do a Mediterranean cruise or Scotland, I can give you contact info for some great guides!

 

Enjoy your trip! 😃

 

Debbie

[flahagan]

Thank you so much for your review. I have friends who are thinking of taking this trip in July, 2016 and will have to make up their minds quickly to take advantage of the $1000 off airfare promo that expires the end of this month. $795 r/t in July, including transfers, makes it very appealing!

I haven't been on a river cruise but have traveled independently in Europe a number of times, so I've been trying to advise as best I can.

They've never been to Europe and have been wanting to see Paris and do a river cruise for awhile now. This sounded like the perfect itinerary for them, but I wonder if it's too much time spent riding on a bus or waiting around.

I think the bus rides might be OK if the scenery is interesting - at least they wouldn't have to be doing the driving!

Were you able to get off the boat and just walk around any of the towns on your own, or did most of the stops require transportation to see anything? Are you obligated to partake in the included tours?

Do you feel Paris to Prague gave you more time in Paris than the reverse itinerary would? I'd thought it might be better to do that route rather than Prague-Paris, as it sounds like they might not get to Paris until late in the day after the bus ride from Trier.

BTW, they are on the younger side for a trip like this - in their 50's, and are hoping some of their friends will be going with them to celebrate an anniversary.

Thanks for the input.

[notamermaid]

Hello flahagan,

 

just a thought on this itinerary. As you have mentioned the Paris to Luxembourg (and then to the docking place of the ship) as well as the Prague extension at the end envolve bus rides. It is feasible to do both bus rides independently, if the people are willing to and comfortable doing this - seeing they have never been to Europe. They could even skip the Prague end. Of course, that would leave them with having to get to an airport. It would not have to be Prague - again perhaps they might prefer to have everything arranged for them.

 

Options for the extensions on both ends, i.e. the bits involving the bus ride at each end, have been discussed to some extend in other threads I believe. Prague to boat is a little trickier than Paris to boat, I remember.

 

notamermaid

[flahagan]

Hello flahagan,

 

just a thought on this itinerary. As you have mentioned the Paris to Luxembourg (and then to the docking place of the ship) as well as the Prague extension at the end envolve bus rides. It is feasible to do both bus rides independently, if the people are willing to and comfortable doing this - seeing they have never been to Europe. They could even skip the Prague end. Of course, that would leave them with having to get to an airport. It would not have to be Prague - again perhaps they might prefer to have everything arranged for them.

 

Options for the extensions on both ends, i.e. the bits involving the bus ride at each end, have been discussed to some extend in other threads I believe. Prague to boat is a little trickier than Paris to boat, I remember.

 

 

notamermaid

 

Thanks. I don't think they'd want to skip Prague, esp. since the hotel to airport transfers would be included with their airfare. It looks like a nice itinerary to me, just looking for encouragement, I suppose, lol.

[dsfischer]

Sorry for the delay responding!

 

We added a few days at the beginning of our trip to spend some time driving around Normandy. We got to Paris the same day as the Paris portion of the itinerary started (we had been to Paris before so we decided to see other parts of France). Other than checking in at the Viking desk, nothing was organized for that day. The following morning there was a bus tour of some of the sights, with time for pictures at the Eiffel Tower. The rest of the day was free time. We left early the next morning for Luxembourg and boarded the ship in Trier at dinner time. If your friends want to see more of Paris than a quick drive by, they should probably go a day or two early. Considering Viking's cost for the pre and post cruise days, I suggest they book their hotels themselves.

 

There was limited free time on this itinerary. Most days the ship moved while we were on a tour, so we caught up with it by bus. The tours are optional, but the only other choice would be to stay on the ship. While the drives were pretty, I wouldn't say there was anything remarkable (no ruins, castles, etc.). I would guess we averaged 1 1/2 hours each way on the bus rides except for the first and last days. For us, it was too much time on a bus or waiting around, which can't be avoided when you have a bus of 40 people. Bathroom breaks at convenience stores seemed to take forever, etc. However, as I said earlier, this type of travel is perfect for a lot of people, but we tend to be more independent than this allows.

 

We also spent an extra day in Prague. We were late arriving at our port because of engine trouble and didn't get to Prague until late. There was a walking tour of Prague the next day which we (and many others in our group) left in Old Town so that we could have lunch and see the things we were interested in seeing (we walked back to the hotel afterwards). I imagine the remaining part of the day was free time if you stayed with the tour to the end. The following day was departure day for most people. So, if your friends don't add days themselves, they really won't have time for much sightseeing in Paris or Prague.

 

I hope this info is helpful to your friends in making their decision. If you have other questions, I'll be happy to try to help!

 

Debbie

[Rebel54]

I'm doing this same itinerary but with Avalon. I added a week to Prague before the trip and went through AirBnB for a nice apartment right on the Old Town Square. We will move over to the cruise provided hotel when the actual Avalon portion begins.

 

Lots of ways to do it. Prague is an easy city to do things on your own.

[jpalbny]

dsfischer - thanks for posting this thread and review. Very interesting itinerary! We really like this part of Germany, and have visited a few of the cities along this route. But I do agree with some of the other posters that it may be even nicer to do this trip on land, allowing for more independent visiting and more flexibility.

 

In fact, we will be visiting a number of these places on our own, by land, coming up in September as part of our own self-guided drive with a European Delivery Audi! So this is a great thread for me, and it really whets my appetite for our visit. We'll visit Würzburg, Bamberg, and Trier, for sure. If time allows, we'll drive more of the Mosel. Rüdesheim may get another look (we enjoyed it on our Rhine cruise and want to revisit).

 

We've already visited Heidelberg, Rothenburg, and Nuremberg, so we won't go there again this trip.

 

I got the sense from some posts that it's a stretch (and a fair amount of travel) to stick Paris and Prague on the ends of this trip. Am I interpreting that correctly? The distances seem pretty far, especially on a coach. Now if you were in an Audi S6, that might be fun... :D

 

I really liked how you combined the independent travel in France with the less-independent River Cruise. That's a nice way to do it. Though we are usually very independent when we travel, we enjoy a sprinkling of guided tours on River Cruises, because sometimes it is nice to kick back and let someone else do the work. It is true that you probably see less, but that's the tradeoff. We enjoy both types of travel.

 

Thanks again for this thread; I really enjoyed it!

[FuelScience]

Viking used to offer the cruise portion of this trip as something like "Vistas and Vineyards." Paris and Prague were eliminated, and you could just do the Trier-Nuremberg portion of the trip.

 

FuelScience

[dsfischer]

Jpalbny - thank you for your nice words! The bus ride from Paris to Trier started at 7:30 a.m. and we had a stop in Luxembourg for a walking tour, lunch, then a visit to the American Cemetery. We arrived at the ship in Trier in time for dinner. At the other end, the bus drove us past some of the sights then dropped us for an additional walking tour in Nuremberg. We temporarily deserted the tour for lunch and a little independent look around, then met them to get back on the bus. We didn't arrive in Prague until dinner time. If people believe that they actually start in Paris and end in Prague by boat, they're in for a surprise! Those were long days, but would've been much more interesting in an Audi S6!

[Poconolady]

Viking used to offer the cruise portion of this trip as something like "Vistas and Vineyards." Paris and Prague were eliminated, and you could just do the Trier-Nuremberg portion of the trip.

 

FuelScience

 

 

This option, without Paris and Prague is no longer available, I just checked with Viking. I was going to book today, but after seeing this thread I think I won't bother, too much bus travel. We have cruised AMA before and they allow much more free time, but perhaps that's also because of the routes. Since we were planning on going during Christmas market season, it would kill me to not have time to spend at the markets. Looks like I'm back to planning a land vacation!

Btw, if anyone is also looking at this trip, the cost breakdown for the included Paris and Prague portions is $2200per couple (included in total price,but shown as breakout on invoice) That's a lot for 4 nights of hotels and 2 full days of bus tours. The hotels they are using are not worth that.

[coloradonative4life]

I understand this is an old thread. Just wanted to reach out to see if anyone did the optional tours that cost extra. Any tours that stood out? My mom and I did the TOP OF COLOGNE extra tour for our Rhine Getaway cruise and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. Thanks in advance!

 

 

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[Host Jazzbeau]

Did a little cleanup and wanted to bring this question back to people's attention.