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Latest Viking river cruises Re-Start dates...

NavyCruiser

By NavyCruiser,
in River Cruising

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NavyCruiser

NavyCruiser

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Getting excited about possible restarting of both ocean & river cruising soon.

After 4 cancellations last year, we have 4 booked & hopefully going later this year & next.

Does anyone have any idea, or any news about possibility of Viking re-starting their European river cruises for this year?

Just looked at their website & Viking's taking bookings for their popular Rhine & Danube routes for first week of June, with our Grand European for mid June.  That sounds pretty ambitious, but that'll be great if they can get that going.

Thoughts...?

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steamboats Great Review Rare

steamboats

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Nobody can tell you for sure... Right now you´re not allowed to enter the EU as American (don´t worry, we aren´t allowed to enter the US either). UK is not allowed to travel internationally until MidMay and it might be prolonged. Currently we´re in the middle of the raise of the third wave here in Germany which is expected to be bigger than wave 1 and 2. We´re way behind regarding vaccinations. No river cruise ships running right now. I expect the restart of river cruising for Europeans (maybe Germans) first. A lot of German river cruise lines have changed their routes to German rivers only to avoid any problems traveling through other countries. I definitely do not expect that river cruising is up to normal (= pre Covid) by June.

 

steamboats

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  • 2 weeks later...
AnhaltER1960

AnhaltER1960

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June is an easy answer now: Its not happening. Look here https://www.vikingrivercruises.co.uk/my-trip/current-sailings/index.html

 

Further out, there are still many hurdles, as steamboats has mentioned. There is no prospect of sailings on German rivers iun the near future and there is not prospect for international travel between the US and Europe for touristical purposes.

My glass bowl says, river cruises cross-border in Europe+travel into Europe for touristical purposes+travel back to the US without quarantine will not happen until autumn, and probably not at all in 2021.

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Coral "Live from...." Rare

Coral

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4 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

Agree - probably no European river cruises for US passengers in 2021. Depressing!🥺 Will be happy when it is again safe to travel to Europe.

A friend has a Christmas Markets cruise scheduled for end of December...... I will be curious if that goes. It is on Viking.

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dogs4fun

dogs4fun

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@Coral - I receive alerts from Iceland Air regarding vacation packages in Iceland. Iceland is currently open to US nationals that are immunized (vaccinated). I salivate each time I read the descriptions.

It will be interesting to see if any European Viking river cruises sail this year - I have serious doubts. Two years with no Christmas Markets - can you imagine?🥺

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Coral "Live from...." Rare

Coral

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7 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

@Coral - I receive alerts from Iceland Air regarding vacation packages in Iceland. Iceland is currently open to US nationals that are immunized (vaccinated). I salivate each time I read the descriptions.

It will be interesting to see if any European Viking river cruises sail this year - I have serious doubts. Two years with no Christmas Markets - can you imagine?🥺

I meant late November but it doesn't matter. She probably is not going. It is so sad about the Markets. 

 

I have a friend who lives in Boston and was going to Iceland yearly. He was saying (before COVID) how crowded it was getting as it is very popular amongst East Coasters. I forget that you have a direct flight there!!!!

 

I don't even know when to book travel........ Right now I have absolutely nothing booked.

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Host Jazzbeau

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1 hour ago, Coral said:

I have a friend who lives in Boston and was going to Iceland yearly. He was saying (before COVID) how crowded it was getting as it is very popular amongst East Coasters. I forget that you have a direct flight there!!!!

Quite a change from 50 years ago when Icelandic Airlines [aka 'the Hippie Express'] was offering free stopovers to drum up tourism.

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Coral "Live from...." Rare

Coral

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4 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Quite a change from 50 years ago when Icelandic Airlines [aka 'the Hippie Express'] was offering free stopovers to drum up tourism.

I thought they still allowed free stop overs! I knew they did a few years ago.

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Host Jazzbeau

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1 minute ago, Coral said:

I thought they still allowed free stop overs! I knew they did a few years ago.

Yes, but I think in the old days the entire stopover was free.  Maybe that's the gold-tinged haze of memory.   I never actually flew Icelandic because it seemed worth it to pay a little more for a non-stop that went exactly where you wanted to be in Europe – weren't they limited to Frankfurt or something like that?  Certainly not London or Paris. 

 

In any case, the stopover was mandatory then.  Their cheap fares were only possible because they sold you country-of-origin fares from the East Coast to Iceland, and then a separate trip from Iceland to Europe.  That got around the international fare regulation regime.

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Host Jazzbeau

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56 minutes ago, NavyCruiser said:

Hopefully our Viking grand European river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest doesn't make an unplanned Stopover in Iceland...😀

Iceland is open to US tourists.  Most of the territory covered by your cruise is not, at the moment.  So a Viking cruise to Iceland might be a safer bet!

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NavyCruiser

NavyCruiser

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22 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Iceland is open to US tourists.  Most of the territory covered by your cruise is not, at the moment.  So a Viking cruise to Iceland might be a safer bet!

 

LOL.  It's a joke!  that nowhere along our RIVER cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest that there'll be a need for stopover in Iceland...

Map of Grand European Tour itinerary

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Host Jazzbeau

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23 minutes ago, NavyCruiser said:

 

LOL.  It's a joke!  that nowhere along our RIVER cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest that there'll be a need for stopover in Iceland...

Map of Grand European Tour itinerary

I got the joke.  I'm just suggesting that one country that is open to tourism is better than 5 that aren't.  As Captain Jack Aubrey used to say, "A bird in the hand is better than beating around the bush."

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