are there laundry facilities on viking river cruises are there laundry facilities on viking river cruises
On the other side of the menu are regional specialties or options that are focused on our destinations. Knowing you can do your laundry onboard allows you to Haha, I got a kick out of being tempted with just one little pastry! Hi Lolly, thank you for the great article and this really prepared us for our trip next week. queen-size beds that can be split to make two twin beds. Were doing the Rhine Getaway, Amsterdam to Basel in early Oct, but havent actually booked yet! 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. We are also thinking of taking an old smart phone and purchasing a SIM card that works in Europe for language translation, directions, and apps to enhance our experience. Hi Robin, you pose a great question, but it isnt easy to answer! 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). Some areas also have other popular ride-share companies like Bolt in Europe. In-room irons are a huge no-no for the fire hazard they present. The Viking onboard staff from the captain, hotel manager, and program director to the housekeeping and wait staff were all positive, upbeat folks: smiling, accommodating, and helpful. With all that said, my husband and I did opt for the Silver Spirits package. They may be familiar enough with Vikings schedule to easily accommodate you. Hi Karen, you will have the freedom to wander on your own in the evenings in some locations. 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. River traffic varies and the time to pass through the locks can change based on the number of ships, weather, etc. Enjoy! Also, Viking offers options to add a few days in the first or last destination before and after a cruise. This should allow you to finalize your plans to disembark and go meet your friends. Very relaxing! We have extended our cruise to allow two extra days in Budapest, thus giving us four days there. The letter indicates which excursion group youre on. The tags have the time the luggage must be outside the staterooms as well as the time that guests are expected to depart the ship. (The price of the package varies, but it comes to about $20 or so a day per person.) Some guests preferred to stay in the Lounge and simply relax, read a book, or enjoy the view beyond the big plate glass window or take in the views from the sun deck. I dont want to waste any precious time in Amsterdam because this may be the last time we see it. The crew communicates with each other quite well. Yes - best answer is to do your homework first and read the FAQ's about Viking Ocean ships. Thank you so much for this detailed account. Id suggest you ask about picking up excursion cards and other details like that once youre on the ship, as some procedures like this may vary a bit. WebCrew members typically work a 6-weeks-on, 2-weeks-off rotation, with up to 13 weeks off annually. 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. WebYou also can do your laundry for free in the ship's self-service laundry rooms (detergent is even provided for you). in staterooms, so you can plug in whichever fits your needs. Wishing you good luck and a fantastic cruise! In my experience, the laundry service on Viking has been excellent. Required fields are marked *. The Aquavit Terrace is a great place to have a meal. Just make sure you are aware of the times the ship will leave the port so you dont miss its departure. Enjoy your journey! There was a mandatory safety drill on our first full day of the river cruise. Needless to say, its handy to have small change for tipping. Im so glad you found the article helpful, Ronnie! Indeed, very VERY helpfulespecially for first time river cruisers. Its a great one! The ships' specialty dining venues, Manfredi's (Italian) and The Chef's Table also are included in your cruise fare, and you just need to make a reservation to pick a time to dine in either of these places during your cruise. One of the things I like about sailing with Viking is that they arent constantly trying to upsell you. . And about ATMs, weve used them in Europe without any problems. Hi Kathy, Great question! Im with you on how much fun it is to plan trips. I hope you have a wonderful cruise and that things work out for your planned day trips! I like the idea of a smaller group so that is a plus. Our stateroom steward kept the room immaculate. Lolly just finished the Grand European tour a week ago (Budapest-Amsterdam). Theres an elevator onboard so its easy to travel from floor to floor if you dont want to use the stairs. Were planning on a dinner in a town, tour of some beer gardens and lunch in Heidelberg, and just walking around. How exciting! 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. 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. Very informative. The general experience on all Viking river cruise ships is the same, no matter what ship youre on. 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 Were planning a Viking river cruise May 2022. on your bed. Im glad you found the article helpful. For example, we arrived in Cologne at 9:30 am and our walking tour began at 10:00 am. If you request hangers, things like shirts and jeans come back on hangers instead of folded. All guests left the ship for excursions (the times of the excursions were modified that day so they would all be timed for the same number of hours). Powered by Invision Community. AmaWaterways haslaundry services available onboard for a fee. This is Vikings way of accounting for guests. Not everyone needs to go on excursions. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos. Viking River Cruises All Viking ships in Europe, Russia and Ukraine feature free WiFi. Do you know if the outdoor areas on the sun deck can be enclosed for added warmth on these cooler weather trips? Pieces were back in a few hours. My sister is taking her first river cruise in March and I found this site while trying to find info for her. 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? We cant say enough about how well-run and maintained the ships are. Thank you! The sizes of the ships are designed specifically for the rivers they ply (e.g., they need to navigate the sometimes narrow waterways and any locks along the way). Some folks elect to get the Silver Spirits package because they enjoy trying new cocktails and/or premium wines while on vacation. We are in a veranda A stateroom and doing business class flights as a bucket wish. Emerald Cruises offers onboard laundry services and charges a fee per piece of laundry. Going from A to B with two extra days in Amsterdam and Budapest. Thank you for making me less anxious! They say they will be staying til X oclock and then leaving. No, Tamara, I dont have direct experience replacing SIM cards. So glad I discovered your very informative account of the Viking River Cruise! The coffee station is always available, although the baked goods tend to be gobbled up in the late afternoon. She was able to shop the Viking clothes closet, stocked with items left by previous passengers. Do we just work with Viking program director on the day of or the day before? Hope your sister finds her Viking river cruise everything she hopes it to be. Most of the time youll find a bit of an older crowd. Its just the nature of this type of travel. You know is it a venus and mars question. We had grown to like the crew on the Skirnir, but we quickly came to like the new ones as well. After the excursions, we all met at a restaurant in Nuremberg for lunch, had a little free time, and then were bussed to the new ship in the late afternoon. We depart in 9 days on the Grand European tour, and this is the best account I have seen weve done a dozen ocean cruises on several lines, but never a river cruise. I bet youre planning your next cruise already. I suggest signing on to My Viking Journey and using the Live Chat feature to get your answer. In the afternoon, we followed up on some of the suggestions the local guide from the morning had regarding how to spend the remainder of the day. The good thing is there are always tomorrows treats to look forward to! For example, the guests in the Explorer Suites can book optional excursions before guests in the Veranda Suites. Some procedures and protocols on cruise ships have changed to address public health concerns since the global COVID-19 pandemic. I know other travelers who just get cash out of ATMs while traveling (and Ive done that, too, of course), but I just like beginning the trip with some local cash. Hi Anne, booking an independent excursion shouldnt be a problem. You can sign up for excursions from your account on MyVikingJourney.com prior to your trip. We dont even know if it is The Sound of Music heavy, and that is kindof why we are doing it. Do you have to go on the planned excursion or can you go off and explore on your own? The dining room has a variety of tables that can seat 6, 8, or 10 people. There was a broken lock near Regensburg, about halfway between the two big cities. This is Vikings way of accounting for guests. Oh, Im so glad you had a wonderful cruise with amazing service! Is there a retractable clothes line in the shower to accommodate hanging clothes. 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. When you return to your room, you will notice the dinner menus for that evening. You can choose to pre-pay gratuities which we did. See. Id much rather take an Uber than rent a car!!! We took the walking tour of Passau, enjoyed a leisurely lunch in town, went on a hike, and strolled around town afterward. We got off our ship, the Skirnir, in Nuremberg (one of our scheduled ports) before the damaged lock. The maitre-d I am convinced is in league with the devil, as she tempted diners again and again with just try this ONE little pastry. In some destinations,laundry can be sent out for cleaning fee while the boat is docked. My husband and I sent out a few clothes to the Viking laundry, which also worked out well. We leave Saturday for Prague followed by the Budapest to Amsterdam Viking river cruise. I hope you have a wonderful time! We enjoyed sitting with different people; it gave us a chance to learn about their travel experiences and lives a bit. Veranda Stateroom (V) Stateroom size: 268 sq ft (includes private veranda) Thank you for your informative article! One question though How can we tell how much bus travel time is involved in each excursion? As you know, Viking offers an included excursion in each port. The recommended tipping (for each guest) on excursions is 2 Euros for local guides and 1 Euro for bus drivers. Getting my heart rate up while enjoying beautiful scenery passing by while the ship made its way down a river was a win-win. That way, if they reach a low point in the river, they can have passengers disembark, go on bussed excursions, and afterwards be taken to the sister ship that completes the journey. Follow up with a conversation with the Viking staff when youre onboard to learn the expected times and exact location of the ship while docked. What does Viking do with our luggage once we check out of the hotel? I hope you thoroughly enjoy your Viking cruise next year! Included is a packet of information specific to your ship (including phone numbers on the ship plus embarkation location information) and an itinerary. Have fun! It easily holds passports and other travel documents along with jewelry and money. An easy way to begin a conversation is to ask where people are from, about their past travel experiences, and what excursions interest them the most. Staterooms are guaranteed to be ready at 3:00 pm. 2. Located off the main corridor, the library has books you may borrow while aboard as well as abridged newspapers that are prepared for Viking guests daily. I just have one clarification about dressing for dinner mentioned in the article you read. Please note that Viking requires at least 48 hours cancellation notice if you are on the ship and decide not to go on an optional excursion. Your best bet is to ask about availability, location, and cost at Guest Services once onboard. To ensure you remember all the great experiences on your cruise, take lots of pictures and. Regarding local currency in Hungary, you can head to an ATM once youre there to get the amount of local cash you want. 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. Soap is provided and the machines are free to use. Hope you have been able to enjoy more Viking cruises since your original one. The sun deck is a relaxing space with tables and chairs as well as chaise lounges. Is the ship nonsmoking? Plus, Viking offers several excursions each day that the ship is in port. Are there computers, or Viking is happy to celebrate your birthdays and anniversaries while onboard. Life vests were under the beds, but prior to the drill, they were placed on our beds while we were at lunch. That was just one of the optional tours we enjoyed and still talk about. Did you see anyone carry on and off luggage? The daily planner for Vienna was the best.one of the stranger transitions from Ocean to River cruising is not having your port times right there on the schedule. 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). 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. Servers take your drink orders (sodas, beer, wine) and freshen up your glass when it is empty. Thank you. I hope you have a wonderful time! Before we descended, we were able to step outside and soak in panoramic views of the city. WebThere is no charge for the laundry facilities and laundry soap is included in all washers. I have been on 1 Viking River cruise and 3 (soon to be 4-I hope!) This article highlights the European river cruises aboard the Viking Longboats. Viking has perfected hospitality on many levels. The friends we cruise with have used it and say it is good and turnaround is quick. Since they are sister ships, they are the same, so the only thing that changed was the crew. Deciding on cash is a personal choice, of course. For example, once the crew knows that everyone is accounted for after excursions, the ship is sailing within minutes of the anticipated departure (as noted in the Viking Daily). After that, we went to an assigned group on the upper deck (groups are determined by what floor the staterooms are on), and we had to give our stateroom number to the staff at the assigned location (for roll call). For instance, how much is the Top of Cologne in Cologne Germany and is it worth it? Many folks do tend to change from the clothes they wore for daily excursions to something a little dressier for dinner, but I wouldnt call dinner attire dressy. Each time you leave the ship, you scan your room key. Our US-based cell phone service does not work outside of the US. pontac, June 28, 2016 in River Cruising. Thanks. Have a wonderful cruise in September! 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. (Viking asks that luggage not be placed outside the staterooms when going to bed the previous night due to safety concerns should there be an emergency, having bags in the narrow corridors would pose a safety risk.). We have taken two Viking River Cruises, Bucharest to Amsterdam (21 days in 2019) and Basel to Amsterdam (7 days in 2021). Your comments are really appreciated. What are the chances of excursions still being available when we are on board? We walked from where the ship was docked to the Parliament building for the tour and enjoyed a stroll back to the ship along the river. Every once in a while, you may be treated to a little extra like a refreshing drink served on the sun deck while sailing one day. I was curious about what time you have to be back on the ship at night.
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