Thank you! We plan to go a few days early and then make our way to the ship. For a 14-night cruise, the cost is $279.30 USD p.p. If you dont live in the U.S., Im sure other governments have similar programs for travelers. Coffee machine, mini-bar (replenished daily with bottled water, soft drinks . Once onboard, verify the time youll be in port and then fine-tune your tour or dinner plans. The Silver Spirits option is offered at a fixed price per guest and spans the entire length of the trip. 10.2 Schuko Travel Adapter, 17.99 Amazon. Unlike a hair dryer, flat irons dont use a lot of current and most are dual voltage (check the tag). We got off our ship, the Skirnir, in Nuremberg (one of our scheduled ports) before the damaged lock. After morning housekeeping, we had some fresh fruit and baked treats waiting for us in our room. Is that possible? PROHIBITED ITEMS All firearms (working, nonfiring, replicas, imitations & air/pellet guns) . For a walking tour (directly from the ship), some passengers go on the tour to learn about the destination and then spend the rest of the day shopping, enjoying a meal, or just wandering around. This article highlights the European river cruises aboard the Viking Longboats. . means extensive walking, hiking, or biking. Some people do prefer lanyards but its not necessary. The staterooms and bathrooms are efficiently designed to maximize usable space, and there are many things to appreciate in the staterooms. As much as Viking tries to stick to its anticipated docking times, some things like other ships waiting in line to go through locks, weather issues, and river levels are beyond its control. We always enjoyed the variety of food from the local areas we were visiting. Hi Linda, youre facing a big decision: to go with Silver Spirits or not! Many of the guests are retired, but there were quite a few still working or recently retired. Use down arrow key to expand the menu and up arrow key to collapse the menu and hit enter to select the link The ships are very clean. Although there is ample storage space onboard Viking Ocean Cruises, bringing too much stuff only makes it harder to sift through your belongings to find what you want. We often take a few with us on tours for snacks on the bus. Its relaxed and has an abundant food buffet with soup, a variety of salads, meats, warm sandwiches (like paninis and Cuban sandwiches), fruit, and dessert. Once youve booked a Viking cruise, take the next steps, like creating an online account with Viking, to ensure a wonderful adventure. I have a quick question that I wouldnt seem to find the answer online: We are thinking about renting a car at Koblenz and go to Nurburgring for a few hours and also at Speyer to go to Stuttgart for the day. We also took along some thank you cards and put in some extra cash to give to those we felt went above and beyond during our cruise. After that point, guests still on board could use the common areas (Lounge or sun deck) until their transfer to the airport or other destination. Just in front of the Lounge to the bow of the ship is the Aquavit Terrace. On leaving Amsterdam, check-out time from the hotel is Noon but embarkation is not till 3:00 PM. While all Viking Longships are non-smoking on the interior, in staterooms and verandas, for those of you who are cigarette smokers, each ship has an outdoor smoking area, typically on the sun deck. Im sure we will need some pocket money for small purchases. Viking 1-866-984-5464. Good luck with your planning, and have a great cruise! Thank you for all the information. Having to look for the shoe on the last day will remind you to open the safe so you dont forget your valuables. There are three activity levels for excursions: About 15 minutes before each excursion, there is an announcement to remind guests that it is almost time to leave and to remember the listening devices. NW Ohio. Its a nice place to relax on warm days and enjoy a lunch buffet while taking in the views. You got me on #1, 3 and 6! Enjoy your journey! On our cruise, some guests had to put their luggage outside their staterooms as early as 2:45 am and leave the ship at 3:30 am to go to the airport. (Youll also receive Viking tags for your luggage.) Im glad you found the article helpful, Thomas! The longships have both American 110v and Euro 220v service and outlets. Essentially, each ship then turned around and went back to the city from which it originated. 110/220 volt outlets & USB ports. Thank you for taking the time to write this informative piece. If you choose not to prepay the gratuity, Viking adds a discretionary service charge (which was 15 Euros per guest per day when we traveled) to your shipboard account. Thanks!! Prior to dinner, the chef usually introduces the options including his/her recommendations. We took a universal travel adaptor with 4 USB plugs and 4 outlets and used just one outlet for all of our electronics (smartphones, camera, tablet, and Apple Watch). Heres our story. Im looking forward to ours next year! Have a wonderful cruise! Hi Cynthia, I bet youre so excited about your upcoming trip! Notify me of follow-up comments by email. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our Viking river cruise, which transported us in great comfort to some amazing European destinations. Interesting information! We have booked all the included excursions, but have held off booking the optional ones as we love to do our own thing when in port, and perhaps covering more ground than the optional excursions. . Im glad you found the article helpful. We could not have chosen any better than the Skirnir and Viking. Ive taken mine on multiple Viking river and OCEAN cruises and have never had a problem. Common power strips are prohibited from cruise ships for safety reasons, and there aren't "cruise ship power strips", but there are alternatives. Crewsgirl, no, you don't need an adapter on the ship, but if you have one with you, you can utilize the 220 outlets as well, if needed. Having to dock the ship next to another cruise ship also means that the view from your stateroom could be blocked and your cabin could be a bit dark. Mamsens is a small Norwegian-style counter tucked in the beautiful Explorers Lounge on Deck 7, serving small plates with dishes like smoked salmon, steak tartare and shrimp salad, and Norwegian waffles. Hi Lolly, thank you for the great article and this really prepared us for our trip next week. This is a great venue for enjoying the passing landscape on travel days and relaxed dining every day. Really, just looking for your opinion on longer trips off-ship. We had to have our luggage packed and placed outside our stateroom door by 7:00 am on the day of the switch. . Another great feature of a Viking River cruise is the ship's electrical outlets. Sometimes theres a lot of river cruise ship traffic in popular cities. Some folks elect to get the Silver Spirits package because they enjoy trying new cocktails and/or premium wines while on vacation. In fact, there are few hard-fast rules for evening dress except to limit shorts and workout attire to daytime use only. (Remember that if you're staying in a hotel for part of. Congrats on your 50th! A black colored polo shirt (my husband likes the Ralph Lauren slimshirt) is always a great look for men. Without the Silver Spirits package, Id plan on $6-10 for most cocktails, aperitifs, or premium wine by the glass. Viking ships all sport calming Scandinavian decor and are designed efficiently. Are there computers, or should I bring my laptop? (Viking offers complimentary house wine and beer at lunch and dinner.) Getting my heart rate up while enjoying beautiful scenery passing by while the ship made its way down a river was a win-win. This practice continues through all the classes of staterooms with the standard staterooms getting the last optional booking options. Have fun! Is that a crazy thing to say?! The down comforter is lovely but too heavy. Doing the Grand European Trip for our 50th in May of 2023. You can store your luggage under the bed(s). In China the ships have a 3-pin blade safety plug; an adapter with just the two slanted blades will also work. There are also daily announcements with information on docking and reminders about impending excursion departures. And our experience was that we were usually parked next to other Viking ships, so we walked through familiar spaces. We celebrated a big anniversary on our cruise and were delighted with champagne and a special dessert awaiting us in our room after dinner one night. We are really looking forward to this cruise and its wonderful itinerary. Many of us cruise with quite a few battery-powered devices that we want to keep charged, but cruise ship cabins don't have as many outlets as we'd like. Lots of controversy on curling irons & flatirons. Were planning on a dinner in a town, tour of some beer gardens and lunch in Heidelberg, and just walking around. King-size Viking Explorer Bed (optional twin-bed configuration) with luxury linens & pillows. Two additional 42" flat-screen interactive LCD TVs with intuitive remote & complimentary Movies on Demand in suite. I thought formal/dressy was the norm on all cruise ships! Aside from the new safety protocols Viking has put in place your Complete Guide to a Viking River cruise was thoroughly informative, enjoyed the photos and took many notes while reading. We noticed that the crew was cleaning the common areas early in the morning, as soon as we left for excursions, and in our rooms while guests were enjoying dinner. Im sure you will have a wonderful cruise! (Its not uncommon for someone to forget to scan their card when returning to the ship.). If you are traveling on a Viking Longship, you will find both 110V and 220V electrical outlets in your stateroom. Was our first Viking cruise, so we used your article as a guide. 3 PM stateroom access. Trying to navigate changing pandemic restrictions is a challenge Id rather not have to deal with, but well give it a try. Most the times we always take the NCL cruise, but this is the first time on Viking Cruise River The Grand European Tour from Budapest to Amsterdam (for our 22nd anniversary).Im so glad I found a lot of information from the article thats very helpful for us for excursions, maybe transferring ships, parallel parked ships and other information. My travel one is small but having not to bring one would be great. Hope this info helps you a bit! You never know what youll learn or who youll meet! Hope this helps. You will find both 110V and 220V electrical outlets in your stateroom. And about general seating at meals in the dining room, theres a choice of large and small tables and theres no assigned seating, so if youre one of the early ones at meal time, youll have a great chance of finding a setting that suits you best. Three meals are included each day at the following times: Soda, beer, and house wine are available at lunch and dinner at no charge. 110/220 V power outlets; complimentary Wi-Fi and Internet; . I hope you have a wonderful time! A few guests scheduled independent sightseeing tours, and it seemed to work out well for them. Everyone should read this as every question seems to be answered well and clearly! Review of Viking Orion cruise ship cabins and suites, floor plans, photos, room sizes, types, categories, amenities. This publication outlines the schedule for the next day, with all included and optional excursions as well as suggestions on where to visit and eat during your free time the next day. Jeans are discouraged in the main dining room but if you want to eat and dress in jeans, you can get almost the same foods in the World Cafe, where there is no dress code. Have a wonderful cruise, Thomas! Regarding local currency in Hungary, you can head to an ATM once youre there to get the amount of local cash you want. We travel light, as well, but the ship will take care of delivering your luggage to your room; we just kept our small carry ons (the ones that fit under the airplane seats) with us. We're with you. Maybe we will run into each other. Viking is an industry leader for a variety of reasons including their choices of fascinating destinations, varied excursion options, attention to detail in designing the private and common spaces, and a welcoming and hard-working staff. You know is it a venus and mars question. Its not a deal breaker for us, but its something every river cruise guest should be forewarned about. Here are a few things to think about when considering Vikings Silver Spirits package. Hope your sister finds her Viking river cruise everything she hopes it to be. That makes it handy for your husband to fetch your morning cup! How does Viking Ocean cruises treat solo travellers. Does the ocean cruise provide different pillow? The crew actually collapses the awnings, chairs, and tables and the ships bridge recedes into the ship all to reduce the ships height. Every cabin type is listed as having. The guests on the other ship, the Modi, got off the ship at Regensburg, on the other side of the damaged lock. We had grown to like the crew on the Skirnir, but we quickly came to like the new ones as well. I didnt read through all the comments, so I hope Im not being repetitive. Posted February 21, 2009. Lots of good options, just not sure how fast everything could charge if it needed to be all at the same time! The coffee station is always available, although the baked goods tend to be gobbled up in the late afternoon. Power strips, multi plug box outlets/adaptors and extension cords (without surge protectors) are allowed on board when used with proper caution. There are several things you wont find on a Viking river cruise, and they are often some of the prime reasons so many people choose Viking. I dont want to waste any precious time in Amsterdam because this may be the last time we see it. CC Help Jenn Weve chosen a mix of the included tours and the custom days, avoided any places to which weve already travelled and have added in the extensions to both ends, hoping to see friends in Amsterdam. When we cruised, the classics included Caesar salad as a starter; steak, salmon, and chicken as entrees, and Creme Brle, a selection of cheeses, a fruit plate, and ice cream for dessert. Thanks Francis M, I am re-thinking the amps on the power strip for that very reason, we will be in an apartment in Amsterdam for a few days precruise, so we definitely will need one. The sun deck is a relaxing space with tables and chairs as well as chaise lounges. Attire on a river cruise is casual. We loved our trip and would recommend it to others. Uniworld Boutique River Cruises: 220V power is most common; some ships also have 110V outlets. anyone doing the Viking njord nov 22 Budapest to Nuremberg. Enjoy your cruise this fall! We did not receive any compensation or discounts fromViking or any otherorganization. I suggest that you call Viking Cruises to make surebut if I recollect correctly, although there were ample 100V outlets, you may not be able to use any appliance in the bathroom except for an electric shaver. Likewise, a few days later, I had just started reading a different book and placed it on my night table on top of my Kindle. Furthermore, this means that you may have to walk through another ship to get to shore or people are walking through your ship to get to and from theirs. That was just one of the optional tours we enjoyed and still talk about. We do indeed have new travel hiccups and challenges these days. (You never know where you might find a special type of chocolate:-). Enjoy! I will miss the free on board laundromat from ocean cruising though! The Viking Bar on Deck 1 has sweets and savories available through midnight. Great article. 3. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. June 12, 2022 . Check your cruise itinerary as it will tell you the expected times your ship will be docked at each stop. The dining room has a variety of tables that can seat 6, 8, or 10 people. For example, sometimes two sister ships sail on the same one-way voyage starting at the same time just at opposite ends of the itinerary. Umbrellas on the Viking Star (Photo credit: Jerome Levine), No need for bringing bulky beach towels or taking sand home. Viking keeps track of your expenses during the cruise, including bar items, laundry, phone calls, and purchases from the Viking shop (logo wear and souvenirs). We thoroughly enjoyed a Viking Ocean cruise in 2019 and have been eager to try river cruising. Youll see all your options on the online My Viking Journey portal when the tours open up prior to your trip. They may be familiar enough with Vikings schedule to easily accommodate you. Power Adapter Type - Viking Cruises. Thanks, Jazzbeau. There are large windows on the port and starboard sides so views are available while cruising the river at mealtime. Spacious suites, locally-inspired gourmet cuisine and features like SeaSpa . Thank you for your informative article! It is a quick way to catch up on national and international news as well as to get financial market and sports updates. We liked exploring on our own after getting the lay of the land from the morning tour guide. Examples were creamy potato soup, Wiener Schnitzel, and Sacher cake when in Vienna; while in Budapest, the menu featured Hungarian Farmer Salad, Fogas Karpathy (perch and shrimp in white wine sauce), and Zserbo (a layered walnut and chocolate cake). COVID Travel Packing List: 6 Essentials For Any Trip. I will bring an adapter since we will be in Amsterdam pre-cruise. This compact power strip comes with three power outlets and four USB ports, including a Type C port. I am also taking that cruise. fits standard outlets in more than 150 countries. We also like to explore on our own, so there were times when we just joined a tour for a while and then told the guide we were going to branch out on our own. queen-size beds that can be split to make two twin beds. To ensure you remember all the great experiences on your cruise, take lots of pictures and. I know the hair dryer is in the bathroom, so that is not an issue. Hi Meri, We always made sure we were back to the ship on time! In Southeast Asia the ships use a 2-pin Euro plug. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Irene is a regular contributor to Forbes Travel/ Read her most recent stories by clicking the links. Since we booked through our travel agent, Viking sent her the final travel documents, and she checked them before passing them on to us. Instead, the dress code is elegant casual, which can mean anything from a sundress in the Caribbeanto slacks and a blouse for women cruising in colder climates. Leave the soap, body lotion, shower gel and shower cap at home as well. Although lunch is available in the dining room, we favored the Aquavit Terrace (at the front of the ship) for our midday meal. Life vests were under the beds, but prior to the drill, they were placed on our beds while we were at lunch. Hi Catherine, Im glad the article was helpful. The total time on these outings could be longer than 3 hours. Thank you Irene for this information! Well do the Grand European from B to A in October this year. Even the sharpest dressed had their athletic shoes or keen sandals on during the day. My husband and I each have a Nook and our own cameras. There was a mandatory safety drill on our first full day of the river cruise. Whew! (For my husband and me, having the personal outdoor space was high on our list. 2. Here are some examples from our cruise: Tipping is the universal way to thank someone for providing excellent service and you will find excellent service on Viking. Check with your Viking agent or your travelagent (or your MyVikingJourney online portal if youre already booked on a cruise) to learn the latest protocols aboard the ship and in the countries that youll be visiting. Also located off the main corridor are a couple of desktop computers that are always available for guest use.