Ta keeps pushing me away from viking !

[JVilleGal]

Your post did not help the OP, or anyone else.

 

What reasons/advice from the TA do you feel is "good advice"? We would love to know.

 

Really?? Ok I'll bite. Sadly because the OP never posted a follow up post to respond we have no way of knowing whether the TA in the cruise of this conversation ever clearly explained why but I suspect he clearly laid out his reservations regarding Viking vs other carriers.

 

1st and for me major reason is that Viking wants your full cruise paid for almost immediately and I have other travel plans I want to travel and pay for now.

 

2nd the longboats carry approx 190 passengers and boats of similar size and design carry 140 to 160.

 

3rd the average size of a mid level cabin. Compare closely the line I chose had 200 sq ft vs Viking smaller.

 

4th And the most important to me is how Viking handled low & high water starting with 2013 and thru last year when passengers arriving for their Elbe cruises never knew until arriving on their boats that the boats had not sailed in several weeks. Prior to flying from US passengers point blank asked and still weren't told of complete cessation of sailing.

 

If my agent tells me I would be much happier with X & Y vs Z, he is going to lay out all the reasons for that opinion. I'm betting the OP's TA was just as candid about these things.

 

So once again if my TA says don't book with a particular company in going to have a good long talk as he is the expert and my $10,000 vacation is too important to risk.

 

The OP never returned after posting sooooo I will still say if that TA says don't do it in betting he has a very good reason!

 

Listen to your TA frankly I think that is excellent advice, but thanks for asking

[Squigmond]

viking has 5 levels of cabins on their longships.

 

Explorer Suites

Veranda Suites

Full Veranda

French Balcony

Standard

 

Full Veranda is the mid level and is 270 square feet including a 65 square foot balcony. So a 205 square foot room plus balcony.

Edited June 16, 2016 by Squigmond
hit wrong button

[Hydrokitty]

viking has 5 levels of cabins on their longships.

 

Explorer Suites

Veranda Suites

Full Veranda

French Balcony

Standard

 

Full Veranda is the mid level and is 270 square feet including a 65 square foot balcony. So a 205 square foot room plus balcony.

 

Are you sure about those dimensions? I just came from the Viking web site and the Veranda suites are 275 while the full veranda staterooms are 205 and none of them say how big the actual balcony is, which leads me to believe the size of the balcony is subtracted from the over-all size of the stateroom, not added to it. If the balcony is 65 sq. ft. that means your actual stateroom is 140 sq ft. The problem is the locks on these rivers....the boats have a limitation on how wide they can be, so something like a sitting balcony is going to be taken from the inside since it cannot be added to the outside. Hence the french balcony: you can look but you can't sit. If anyone knows for sure that I am wrong, let me know.

Edited June 17, 2016 by Hydrokitty

[JVilleGal]

HKitty you are correct the SQ Ft for the cabins includes the balconies and is not in addition to the Sq Ft listed for each catagory.

 

I don't really care who sails what line. I just think you need to compare companies side by side and examine each component so you can try to understand the Apples vs the Oranges.

 

I think each company discussed on the board has many fans and not every company can make everyone happy. We all have our own opinions.

[danielrhall]

Are you sure about those dimensions? I just came from the Viking web site and the Veranda suites are 275 while the full veranda staterooms are 205 and none of them say how big the actual balcony is, which leads me to believe the size of the balcony is subtracted from the over-all size of the stateroom, not added to it. If the balcony is 65 sq. ft. that means your actual stateroom is 140 sq ft. The problem is the locks on these rivers....the boats have a limitation on how wide they can be, so something like a sitting balcony is going to be taken from the inside since it cannot be added to the outside. Hence the french balcony: you can look but you can't sit. If anyone knows for sure that I am wrong, let me know.

I just completed a Budapest to Amsterdam cruise with Viking on the Vili. Our stateroom was a Veranda. The balcony is indeed included in the overall dimension of the room size. However, note on the deck plan that there are Veranda rooms on one side of the ship and the smaller French Balcony rooms on the other side of the same deck. The hallway is actually offset to one side. That's how they accommodate larger rooms and still stay within the 11.5 meter total ship width.

 

FWIW, we didn't spend a whole lot of time on the veranda but were still happy we had it for the few times we did enjoy it. It's a good place to leave clothes to dry too. ;-)

[garycarla]

Really?? Ok I'll bite. Sadly because the OP never posted a follow up post to respond we have no way of knowing whether the TA in the cruise of this conversation ever clearly explained why but I suspect he clearly laid out his reservations regarding Viking vs other carriers.

....

Listen to your TA frankly I think that is excellent advice, but thanks for asking

 

Thanks for some feedback. Nobody here knows what the TA advised the OP. May have been great feedback, many have been 3rd party info. Not every TA has been on multiple ships and knows what is what. Just sayin'

 

But, as a very good point that you made, the OP has not been back. It is always amazing how we trip over each other to help somebody, but they make a post and move along.

[Squigmond]

I was using page 17 of the monthly Viking river cruise catalog. It lists Veranda A and B as 270 Sq. Feet. That is why I used that figure. I took the 205 you see on the website off of that figure and came up with the 65 Sq ft balcony. Just called Viking and was told the 270 number listed is incorrect. It is 205 including a 27 Sq ft balcony. So the room is 178 Sq ft. My mistake but an honest one.

[Hydrokitty]

I was using page 17 of the monthly Viking river cruise catalog. It lists Veranda A and B as 270 Sq. Feet. That is why I used that figure. I took the 205 you see on the website off of that figure and came up with the 65 Sq ft balcony. Just called Viking and was told the 270 number listed is incorrect. It is 205 including a 27 Sq ft balcony. So the room is 178 Sq ft. My mistake but an honest one.

 

Indeed it is an honest mistake and it's little things like this that turn me off Viking...they're not deliberately misleading the customer...the truth is there you just have to find it on your own and if you don't...not their fault. I don't trust people who do business like that.

[JVilleGal]

Thanks for some feedback. Nobody here knows what the TA advised the OP. May have been great feedback, many have been 3rd party info. Not every TA has been on multiple ships and knows what is what. Just sayin'

 

 

 

But, as a very good point that you made, the OP has not been back. It is always amazing how we trip over each other to help somebody, but they make a post and move along.

 

 

Exactly and now nearly 60 posts later she never bothered to post even once.

 

Probably you don't even want to get me going on that subject! ;)

 

 

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[MaidMarion & Robin Hoo]

Me too, it was easy.