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Michael50
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Hi, we are booked on our first viking river cruise for October 2019, when should we start looking at air reservations and hotels for two nights in Basel, and two nights in Amsterdam? We paid the extra $50.00 per person to have some input on flights. Also, any advice for anything else would be appreciated,  thanks so much

 

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I research and book hotels as soon as I nail down the cruise dates.  I like to stay in the central part of the city.

*I highly recommend the Hotel Basel. It's location really can't be beat.*

 

Flights I wait until a few months before the trip. Any flights booked a year out are likely to be changed or rescheduled.

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In Amsterdam, I've stayed at the Rennaisance, and at the Amstel.  The Rennaisance is really close to the central station, and everything is very walkable.  The Amstel is absolutely lovely, it's closer to the Rijksmuseum, but it's farther away from most other attractions.  Amsterdam is very easy to get around, though. It's very walkable, and the public transportation is fantastic.

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10 hours ago, Michael50 said:

Hi, we are booked on our first viking river cruise for October 2019, when should we start looking at air reservations and hotels for two nights in Basel, and two nights in Amsterdam? We paid the extra $50.00 per person to have some input on flights. Also, any advice for anything else would be appreciated,  thanks so much

 

 

Since you are coming in early and staying after--and doing it on your own-- note that you are doing something called a "deviation" and it involves an additional fee plus you will lose your transfers to and from the ship. Also, keep in mind that at the price that Viking quotes for airfare, it is not for unlimited choice of any flights you want; it is the ability to choose from what they are offering at that price. Or you can choose to pay extra for the flights you want.

 

Do your research before you start to talk with Viking Air about your flights. Unless you got free air or some flight bargain under $500, you may very well be able to get much better prices booking your own flights, especially since you be paying $150pp in fee and arrange for your won transfers. But, you won't know this until you go to one of the online sites (whose names we can can't name because they are travel agencies) and check out flight prices). You can cancel the flight portion of your cruise package up until X many days before departure (and what X is you will have to ask Viking).

 

I disagree with the comment that flights can wait until a few months before departure, especially if you are trying to fly non-stop or first/business class. We booked our flights at the end of this past June for our mid-March departure. There have been some minor changes in the flight plans since we booked but we were able to get seats on non-stop flights to and from Paris and we were able to choose our seats--closer to the front of the plane than the back.  Viking starts assigning seats 90 days before departure, so you certainly want to book your seats before Viking starts filling them.

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On the advice of German friends, we're booked into the Motel One in Basel for our trip next June. Motel One is a small German chain with an emphasis on modern design. (I'm not sure how far ahead they open things up for booking- October might not be available yet)

 

For Amsterdam, we're booked into the Holiday Inn Express-City Hall because I got a screaming deal on a points redemption (was 20K IHG points a night when I booked and since adjusted to I think 35K points a night)  in a location that  seems to work well for four nights there.  

 

As for as self-booking, vs. going through Delta, keep in mind that some of us live in places where the local airport(s) tend to be very uncompetitive airfare markets, and Viking's bulk fares are actually very good compared to what the airline wants to sell me directly. And I tend to feel like the transfer issue can be somewhat oversold if you're comfortable with big city mass transit. But then part of the reason I'm trying to do Amsterdam on the cheap is because we're getting off the plane in Zurich and getting on some trains to get to the Bernese Oberland part of Switzerland for a couple days to do some hiking before meeting up with the rest of the family in Basel, so my tolerance for winging it on ground transportation is probably a little higher than some here. 

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In Amsterdam this past September we stayed at the Banks Mansion. Loved the hotel and their great cooked to order breakfast. They also have an open bar as in free ! Happy hour appetizers and drink specials. Great staff and our room overlooked a canal. Great memories. 

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I have to second the Banks Mansion!  Fabulous hotel that we stayed at a few years ago.  We will definitely be rebooking there before our river cruise next October.  Book a Deluxe Canal View room, they are beautiful.

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Hi all, thanks for all your replies, so Im a bit confused, if we book accommodations through Viking in Amsterdam how far away would we be from the center? We are looking to book hotels on our own using points, but if Viking charges us for not going through them it might not be cost effective. Has anyone used Vikings accommodations? 

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37 minutes ago, Michael50 said:

Hi all, thanks for all your replies, so Im a bit confused, if we book accommodations through Viking in Amsterdam how far away would we be from the center? We are looking to book hotels on our own using points, but if Viking charges us for not going through them it might not be cost effective. Has anyone used Vikings accommodations? 

 

Again, you have to do the math. If you are looking to maximize your dollars, most of the time, you can do better booking your own hotel, even including that you will have to pay the deviation fee for your airfare and for transfers.

 

For Viking to book your hotel, you have to purchase one of their pre- or post-cruise packages (aka an extension). The extensions available for a particular itinerary will be shown at the bottom of the itinerary page (keep scrolling down til you find them).  For example, Viking offers an extension in Basel on select dates for $499 per person. It includes the following:

 

  • 2 nights in Basel: Swissôtel Le Plaza, Basel (or similar)
  • 2 breakfasts
  • Guided Walking Tour
  • Services of a Viking host
  • Hotel & ship transfers

Keep in mind that a 2 night (3 day) stay, will give you a day to a day and half of touring time. The first day will include getting to the hotel (either from the airport or from the ship) and the last day will be spent either flying home or at least partially getting to the ship.

 

Viking uses the Movenpick or similar in Amsterdam. The Movenpick is close to the docks and not as centrally located as some of the other hotels already mentioned. The tram system in Amsterdam gets you around but the Movenpick is still a bit of a walk to the nearest tram stop. If you are trying to pick a hotel on your own, pinpoint the places you most want to see on a map and then choose a hotel that is reasonably close to them all (choosing a cheaper hotel that is further from what you want to see can make up the difference in saving in cab fairs and time spent getting to and fro). Google maps can help you figure the walking distances and public transportation.

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1 hour ago, Michael50 said:

Hi, I just checked the banks mansion, looks wonderful but it’s already sold out, any other great recommendations? Thanks again 

 

 

OR, they just not might be open for booking yet. The website probably does not distinguish between not open for book yet and sold out. Keep trying over the next few month . In the meantime, make a cancel-able reservation at a back up hotel, just so that you feel comfortable that you have a place to stay.

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15 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

 

OR, they just not might be open for booking yet. The website probably does not distinguish between not open for book yet and sold out. Keep trying over the next few month . In the meantime, make a cancel-able reservation at a back up hotel, just so that you feel comfortable that you have a place to stay.

I just made our booking at Banks Mansion for October 2019, and that month is definitely available now.  I was fairly shocked at the price though, it has risen considerably since our last stay.  I have made a cancellable reservation and will modify to a prepaid one when it's a lot closer.
@Michael50, what dates in October were you looking for?  I am surprised it is booked out already, although it is very popular.  We have recommended it to friends and they couldn't get in, but not eleven months in advance.

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Actually, you can use Viking to book your hotel - if it is one that they use .  You can ask the price for a room only - vs booking their pre/post excursion.  We did that in Prague - as we only went in one day early. We had access to their guide stationed in the hotel, and the shuttle bus they supplied.  However, if their rooms are already booked (or someone wants their package and you are in one of their rooms without a package) they might bump you out.  That happened with us in Berlin - so we just moved hotels for the last 2 nights on our own (instead of booking the much more expensive package). 

 

As far as booking flights... I have booked 10 to 11 months out, as well as 3 to 4 months out.  I tend to watch flights for a while before I book a trip - so that I will know what a "good price" is.  Sometimes waiting results in higher prices (if it is a popular route). 

 

Fran

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On 11/24/2018 at 9:12 AM, Michael50 said:

Hi, I just checked the banks mansion, looks wonderful but it’s already sold out, any other great recommendations? Thanks again 

 

We stayed at the Canal House and loved it. Very nice boutique hotel.

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Re Amsterdam hotels - We're staying at the Kimpton - reviews are generally positive and the rates were very competitive. It's about as close to Amsterdam Centraal as you can get. That said, staying on a canal or closer to the Museumplein might have been more picturesque and/or convenient. 

 

Re airfare - If you're booking airfare through Viking, I would try and lock down flights as soon as possible. As others have said, do some research on your own and pick the flights you like best. We also requested early ticketing from Viking so that we could upgrade tickets on our own. For both of our trans-Atlantic flights, it was cheaper for us to upgrade to business with miles and/or cash rather than pay Viking for the same seats. We could only secure those upgrades, however, once the tickets were issued. 

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