Viking Rhine Getaway October 25, 2017

[flgirl543]

We have just booked this cruise, it was a spur of the moment decision and done without much research. It will be our first river cruise and we have some questions. We have done two ocean cruises in Europe, one Mediterranean and one British Isles, both very port intensive. On each we opted for mostly private tours outside those offered by the cruise line and can't say enough good about our choices. Are private tours possible on river cruises? On Viking, are the included tours always done in the morning before lunch and free time in the afternoon? Since we don't speak anything except English, is there a language barrier when exploring on our own?

 

I'm sure I'll have many more questions, but I'll start with these. Thanks in advance for your replies.

[notamermaid]

Hello flgirl543,

 

firstly congratulations on booking your first river cruise! I am sure you will have a great time, the Viking Getaway is a very tried and tested itinerary of a very reputable company. Literally thousands before you have been on that cruise and a few glitches aside appears to have been enjoyed by as many.

 

As it is your first river cruise I recommend the stickies of our host jazzbeau. Great information. There is a also a roll call for Viking Rhine cruises and you might find someone travelling on the same date as you. If not, there is still great detailed information on tours, etc.

 

You will not find private tours on river cruises as they are advertised for ocean cruises, but you can hire private tours in Amsterdam for example. You will find some info on the river ports section. Or another past cruiser will help you out here. Cologne has some on offer, but the smaller the place the more likely the tourist guide you could hire privately will offer the same stuff as the person the cruise company has hired.

 

Vikings excursions are in the mornings or in the afternoons or both. Look for past reviews on the Getaway itinerary here on the board.

 

Language barrier: not really. In large towns you will easily get away with speaking only English. A smile and a polite question: "Do you speak English?" will do. If the person addressed does not there is usually someoone close by who does. It is advisable to ask someone who looks younger than retirement age (no offence, with the younger people you have a stastical advantage of hitting jackpot - a fluent speaker). A few words in Dutch, German and French would come in handy, though, of course. It is not a necessity. Toilets might only have the names rather than a symbol on the doors, but you will figure them out. ;) Menus might be trickier but large towns and the towns that are popular spots for international river cruisers have restaurants with menus in English or are normally capable of translating.

 

 

At that time of year wear layers of clothes and bring gloves, etc. for the cool early morning excursions. You will encounter the clock change to winter time and shops will in many places be closed on 1 November, All Saints Day.

 

Ok, that's it from me, over to others or to you with more questions. :)

 

 

notamermaid

[jrkstl]

Hello flgirl543,

 

I just returned from this very trip, and would be more than happy to answer questions :)

 

notamermaid has covered your initial questions very well, but thought I'd chime in should you have others.

 

As stated, be sure to read the "Viking Rhine Cruises 2017" thread on the roll call page, located here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2337826

 

Out of our three Viking cruises taken, it was my favorite!

 

Jeff

[flgirl543]

Thank you jrkstl and notamermaidfor your quick replies and useful information. I would love to hear of places we should not miss, as well as places that weren't worth the time. We'll be doing pre-cruise in Lucerne and post in Amsterdam. I know we should order tickets for Anne Frank house online in advance, so we plan to do that. Any other places we should book in advance? Any suggestions for restaurants? I'm sure I'll have many more questions before we sail, so I thank you for your responses.

[notamermaid]

There is also lots of info to be found if you use the "search this forum" function. For you searching pre-cruise Lucerne could be helpful. For Amsterdam there is quite a lot in the ports sub-forum.

 

In Cologne there is much to see and as in the other places Viking seems to cover the main sights really well, but I would recommend a visit to the Roman-Germanic museum. It is conveniently right next to the cathedral and very interesting. You just need to like old stuff. :)

 

In Koblenz - if time allows - go up to Ehrenbreitstein fortress. Great view of the town from up there.

 

Marksburg castle - word of warning - it is quite steep and treacherous for ankles but I highly recommend the trip.

 

The black forest bus excursion has had some negative remarks, you might want to look into that and choose the other option perhaps. But do check if the trip is not potentially exactly what you would like to see.

 

It has been mentioned recently that the food on Viking river cruise ships is a bit more "American" than on other cruise lines. Some people have mentioned eating in restaurants on shore for sampling more culinary variation when wanting to try out regional fare.

 

 

I recommend the Café Reichard near the Dom in Cologne (interesting toilets as well). If you like beer, try some Kölsch (special Cologne brew). In Alsace (Strasbourg) have some tarte flambée if Viking does not offer it.

 

notamermaid

[jrkstl]

Please do set yourself a calendar reminder regarding Anne Frank House tickets (2 months out). We did and I'm so glad that we got to tour the house.

 

I would also strongly recommend a dinner cruise in Amsterdam - specifically Amsterdam Jewel Dinner Cruise. Thanks to Cyber Kat here on CC and her recommendation, we did this during our stay in Amsterdam and it was a big highlight of the trip.

 

The optional tour that we booked through Viking called "Top of Cologne" was another highlight of the trip. This is the tour that takes you up a construction elevator and through the roof, etc. of the Cologne Cathedral. Wonderful!

 

The food served on our ship (Viking Alruna) was great to very good, and there were a few local specialties thrown in here and there as well.

 

You're going to have a great time! I'm ready to do the trip all over again :)

 

Jeff