Sinks are usually large enough to hand-wash items and WebDo you have laundry and dry cleaning facilities? Also, having cash is great for souvenirs, incidentals, snacks, or a quick lunch while exploring a city. Go to the guest service desk and inquire about the excursions you want and if theyre fully booked, ask to be placed on a waitlist. Their crew is well-trained and genuinely appears to want to make you happy. Really, just looking for your opinion on longer trips off-ship. We werent near them then, but it was nice to be notified of them.) Just found your sitelots of great info! Emerald Cruises offers onboard laundry services and charges a fee per piece of laundry. This is the place to find a variety of coffee and tea plus baked goods to accompany your beverage. Especially your tips on dinner were helpful I will pack his blazer. . They did not offer dry cleaning. For a complete list of action steps. One thing we learned is that although some excursions will guide you through a large city, if it is inland a bit, you may be spending a significant amount of time traveling from the ship to the city and comparatively modest amounts of time actually in the city itself. (For my husband and me, having the personal outdoor space was high on our list. Attire on a river cruise is casual. Not used it before (indeed didn't think there were onboard facilities) but its mentioned in the info for our upcoming GET. You never know what youll learn or who youll meet! Thanks again. As for how much money to bring along, I usually start out with about $300 worth of local currency. There is an extra charge for the Silver Spirits package for guests who want to enjoy premium wines and beer, cocktails, and champagnes. WebThe modern and award winning river cruise ships are deployed among the most beautiful rivers in With Viking Cruises you will get a job that takes you places! We have extended our cruise to allow two extra days in Budapest, thus giving us four days there. Have a great cruise! Also, Viking offers options to add a few days in the first or last destination before and after a cruise. Although lunch is available in the dining room, we favored the Aquavit Terrace (at the front of the ship) for our midday meal. in your closet upon arrival; if you need more, just ask, and they will be delivered promptly. There they may board another ship. Included is a packet of information specific to your ship (including phone numbers on the ship plus embarkation location information) and an itinerary. When we travel to Europe, we notify our carrier before departure. After clearing customs and immigration and getting our luggage, how do we find Viking to take us to our hotel or how does Viking find us? Also, what shore excursions do you recommend while in Budapest? But, what else would we spend money on? 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. The excursions provide guests with an array of experiences including peeks into how locals live, how and where they work, and also some privileged access options just for Viking guests. The water levels are extremely low right now. The bar is on one end of the lounge; theres wait service in the Lounge during lunch and in the late afternoon and evening. I am going on a Christmas Market cruise with Viking in 2024. Pieces were back in a few hours. I understand drinks are provided with meals but I enjoy a few drinks before dinner. There is no fitness center or spa on Viking river cruise ships; the space that could be a fitness center is instead put to use in the common areas and staterooms. Guests can use their own laptops or one of the public computes available onboard each ship. Another consideration, of course, is how often you might order specialty drinks from the bar: at lunch, throughout the day, before and/or after dinner? (The price of the package varies, but it comes to about $20 or so a day per person.) Cheers! I bet youre planning your next cruise already. Passengers could disembark and be bussed on an excursion and then afterwards, be bussed to a different location on the river where the water levels are higher. Rosetta. I hope you have a wonderful time! Also, the onboard staff and the local guides speak English well. They are also one of the most affordable river cruise options. Wash and press services are available on all ships for American Cruise Lines. Thanks for your kind words, Triana. Sound like you have a great cruise coming up! If you are doing a post-cruise stay, I found the prices on Viking to be less than the prices using the hotel laundry, so if you need something cleaned, I would suggest using the laundry services on the ship. 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. Its been a seamless process for us, and it functions well although we do incur additional international charges. Hi Robin, you pose a great question, but it isnt easy to answer! Youll see all your options on the online My Viking Journey portal when the tours open up prior to your trip. The sun deck does not have enclosed spaces. You set the code, so its a cinch to remember. Likewise, when the ship is ready to leave, it leaves as long as all the guests are accounted for. Onboard youll have port talks to prepare you for each new day along with musical entertainment in the lounge. Do you have any experience with that destination? We do the red eye and get into Amsterdam early morning. I hope you thoroughly enjoy your Viking cruise next year! The Silver Spirits package is complimentary for guests in an Explorer Suite. All guests are 18 years old or more. If sharing a stateroom, both guests must pay for the package. Youll find Viking river cruises all through Europe as well as in Egypt and Southeast Asia. After logging on to My Viking Journey, go to the Shore Excursions section and initiate a conversation with a Viking Cruise rep. You should see a red Live Chat box along the margin of the screen. The river cruises have open seating, so that means you arent assigned any table mates. You make an excellent point, Julia. Oh, Im so happy youre able to enjoy traveling safely during the pandemic. 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. Ive not taken a Viking optional tour that I didnt like, but I will say that there are passengers who also book tours independent of Viking due to a keen interest in something and the personal or small-group experience that is available with independent tour guides. I have seem videos of rooms but cannot perceive where we can place our 2 luggages + backpacks and not having to hop over them inside our room. will visit your room in the morning to clean it. 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. Needless to say, its handy to have small change for tipping. Most of the time youll find a bit of an older crowd. Sometimes theres a lot of river cruise ship traffic in popular cities. It is very helpful to reduce wandering around looking like a tourist while trying to figure out the procedures. Before leaving a dock, there may be announcements asking for guests in certain rooms to let the staff know they are on the ship. You mention that from 5:15-7 there will be drinks & live music or a port talk. Is there a restaurant seating option for introverts? In addition, some people research other (non-Viking) tour options in advance of their cruise and book a personal or small-group tour to suit their specific interests on their own. Enjoy your cruise! There were a few days when we arrived at our port later than planned and had much less time to explore the city. We found the car rentals and made reservations, but we cant find any daily schedule of when the ship docks and departs at each port. Yes, there have been changes to address public health safety, but Im betting they wont interfere with your overall enjoyment. We always made sure we were back to the ship on time! What are the chances of excursions still being available when we are on board? The Aquavit Terrace is a great place to have a meal. WebThere is no charge for the laundry facilities and laundry soap is included in all washers. Some travelers prefer to book through Viking itself. The staterooms and bathrooms are efficiently designed to maximize usable space, and there are many things to appreciate in the staterooms. Were doing the Rhine Getaway, Amsterdam to Basel in early Oct, but havent actually booked yet! Good luck with your planning, and have a great cruise! Our next Viking cruise is coming up soon, and I cant wait. Having the veranda offers you another personal space plus a nice perch (with chairs) from which to view the passing scenery during the time that the ship is sailing in daylight hours. By the way, Viking does build in a set amount of gratuities for ship staff (or you can arrange for this on your account before sailing), but you may also want to give a personal cash tip to staff members who are particularly helpful. 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. The Silver Spirits option is offered at a fixed price per guest and spans the entire length of the trip. Is there a fee associated with the alternative restaurants? Enjoy! And about ATMs, weve used them in Europe without any problems. How will payments on board be handled? We did not receive any compensation or discounts fromViking or any otherorganization. Did some underwear, jeans and a golf shirt. All came back same day. No complaints. My husband and I like to have about 100-200 Euros on us before leaving home. You can sign up for excursions from your account on MyVikingJourney.com prior to your trip. However, the information in this article is from our Grand European Tour cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest aboard the Skirnir and Modi (more on the two ships later). Without the Silver Spirits package, Id plan on $6-10 for most cocktails, aperitifs, or premium wine by the glass. These devices are attached to lanyards with earpieces. And Im so glad I was able to help you prepare for your cruise. Once unpacked, you can put your backpacks in your empty luggage and slide it all under the bed(s) and not think about them until its time to leave. However, short answer: There is a free laundry room (4 washers/4 dryers) on every VIking Ocean ship roughly midships on Port Side of decks 3, 4, 5, 6. We opted to book through our travel agent with whom we could meet face-to-face, ask questions, and learn from her knowledge of cruising and different cruise companies. Soap is provided and the machines are free to use. I hope you have a wonderful time! I learned that I probably should have packed a small collapsable umbrella to stuff in my backpack; that way, I wont be carrying the big Viking umbrella around after the rain has stopped while were still sightseeing. In my experience, the laundry service on Viking has been excellent. Laundry is folded and returned on the same day if you have it ready in the morn What it meant for guests was a minor inconvenience. Doing the Grand European Trip for our 50th in May of 2023. Also, we had booked an English-speaking tour of the Hungarian Parliament which ended up being fascinating; if you plan to do this, make sure to make reservations online ahead of your visit. I wonder if you have any thoughts on us meeting up with friends from Stuttgart. (European river cruise ships are limited in size due to the rivers they cruise on, so they have the same overall dimensions. Thanks, Tom! Booked an Amsterdam to Budapest trip in September 23.our first river cruise (for our 20th). Ive hand washed some things in the sink and hung them up to dry on the line, and it worked fine. In my experience, the laundry service on Viking has been excellent. Also located off the main corridor are a couple of desktop computers that are always available for guest use. One of the things I like about sailing with Viking is that they arent constantly trying to upsell you. Having said that, I know that Salzburg is lovely and many people enjoy that excursion. Hi Daisy, you have the choice of going on the included or an optional excursion or exploring on your own. Some people book two cruises back-to-back to extend their vacation. This practice continues through all the classes of staterooms with the standard staterooms getting the last optional booking options. We didnt regret our decision. I hope things go smoothly for you and that you have a wonderful time! means extensive walking, hiking, or biking. The crew actually collapses the awnings, chairs, and tables and the ships bridge recedes into the ship all to reduce the ships height. The letter indicates which excursion group youre on. Ecologically friendly hybrid engines producing less vibrations for a smoother ride. Our preferred day at a town where we were docked included a morning walking tour (an included excursion) to get the lay of the land. (Its not uncommon for someone to forget to scan their card when returning to the ship.). Just make sure you notify your bank before traveling, so they dont flag your ATM transaction in another country as suspicious! What a great experience she has ahead of her! We were sailing from Amsterdam to Budapest. Once onboard, verify the time youll be in port and then fine-tune your tour or dinner plans. Keep in mind, though, that things are not 100% the same from cruise to cruise due, in part, to other ship traffic at the time. Laundry Facility Included in Fare: On the Queen of the Mississippi, there are wash and dryer units are available. It sounds like you are all set. Great article. Sometimes the river water levels may be too low in spots (due to the lack of sufficient rain during summer) or there is another issue (like a broken lock) necessitating the change. Once enrolled, you enter the dates of your travel and your destinations. When passengers get to the sister ship, their luggage is in their new cabins (which are usually the same cabins they had on the original ship). Its a great one! The crew communicates with each other quite well. She dies from sadness after her lover Helgi is slain by her brother Dagr, and is later reborn as a Valkyrie herself. The recommended tipping (for each guest) on excursions is 2 Euros for local guides and 1 Euro for bus drivers. And I think remembering that delays can arise on any type of travel (e.g., flights, cruises, trains) helps us all manage our expectations. This includes the Viking Daily which provides information for each new day and the evening updates by the program director in the Lounge before dinner. Re renting a car to go to a specific place Viking tours dont include: Is Uber possible in the cities Viking goes to? Better be aboard, cuz they wont wait! Is there plenty of space for passengers indoors in the common areas, if the outdoors are too cold or rainy? Viking asks that guests not walk on the sun deck from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am as a courtesy to those whose cabins are just below the sun deck. Weve had no regrets. We chose a French Balcony room. Hi David, it sounds like youre gearing up for a great adventure! We took the walking tour of Passau, enjoyed a leisurely lunch in town, went on a hike, and strolled around town afterward. We love most of the optional excursions versus the included excursions but about how much do the optional ones cost? Plus you can expect some special cooking and craft demonstrations, wine tastings, and presentations about a destinations special features. Its also where youll find freshly baked goodies throughout the day. I hope you two have a fabulous time on your cruise! 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. In Asia these services range from $2 per item to $5 per item; however, the list of what can be laundered or pressed is more limited on river cruises in Asia.

How Long Can I Rent My Primary Residence, Models With Weak Chins, Articles A