For example, the guests in the Explorer Suites can book optional excursions before guests in the Veranda Suites. The total time on these outings could be longer than 3 hours. I am very intrigued by the Salzberg excursion but see that it is a 2 plus hour bus ride each way. This is one way the crew can account for all guests. I will be on the Viking Sky so joined anunofficial Viking FB group to ask if all was repaired after the incident ~ a month ago (it is!) In my experience, this is great advice! Should. Was our first Viking cruise, so we used your article as a guide. 9 Plug Adapters for P&O Cruise Ships. Viking Cruises offers excursions on the sea and river. 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. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Ocean Cruises. Irene. We loved our trip and would recommend it to others. Your husband doesnt need to pack a blazer if he wouldnt normally wear one for dinner. All cruise ships owned by Norwegian Cruise Line have a minimum of 1 US and 1 European plug sockets in each cabin. To ensure you remember all the great experiences on your cruise, take lots of pictures and. June 12, 2022 . Youll be glad you did! universal travel adapter. Throw your clothes in a washer when you leave for dinner, then in the dryer afterward. Do you have any experience about this? One thing I think I discovered was that the iPad pulls a heavy load to recharge and might not do well plugged into the power strip while other stuff is also charging. We are not interested in spending a lot of time on buses. your journey, you'll want the . Freyja Toiletries on Viking Ocean Cruises (Credit: Jerome Levine). Youd need to factor in picking up and dropping off the rental cars and then driving to and from your planned destinations. Thanks!! This was true in Passau, a city of over 50,000, and especially, There are times when river cruise ships have to have guests disembark a ship and then board a sister ship. While I do agree that it is great to get away from the necessary daily evils of devices, I am wondering if you carry papers, maps, & books for all that stuff? As you leave the ship, youll scan your room key to indicate your departure and rescan it upon returning. The buses and tour guides for your group are each marked: the bus has a placard with the same number and letter to let you know you need to board that bus; the tour guide has a red and white sign on a paddle to indicate that group, as well. My husband and I are doing the Grand Tour B > A in early October 2023. We saw you comment about change for guides and such and credit cards with no foreign charges. Have fun! Ive hand washed some things in the sink and hung them up to dry on the line, and it worked fine. 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. Besides being helpful, your thorough details helped me to envision and imagine, which is my favorite part of planning! Check your cruise itinerary as it will tell you the expected times your ship will be docked at each stop. Viking assigns different colored luggage tags to guests depending on what their next travel destination is (a post-excursion through Viking, a trip independent of Viking, or a flight home). Hope your sister finds her Viking river cruise everything she hopes it to be. Thanks for your kind words, Triana. We will have 2 iPads, 2 iPhones, noise cancelling earbuds, camera, and the audio headphones that need to be charged at various times as well as a curling iron to plug in. We're staying at hotels also so bring ours. LauraS More information on menu choices is below under Meals. 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). Lolly, We are going to cruise Viking July on European sojourn with pre post extensions Bucharest and Amsterdam. Another option, if the river levels are too low overall, would be for passengers to be bussed from destination to destination, staying in hotels, throughout the cruise. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SY5O5K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018MEBNG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Policy regarding COVID related Discussions. Included is a packet of information specific to your ship (including phone numbers on the ship plus embarkation location information) and an itinerary. Servers take your drink orders (sodas, beer, wine) and freshen up your glass when it is empty. To accomplish this, passengers pack up the night before the transfer, and while out on excursions, their luggage is transferred to the other ship. We would either meet in Bamburg or Wurzburg. Viking is happy to celebrate your birthdays and anniversaries while onboard. You got me on #1, 3 and 6! My husband and I sent out a few clothes to the Viking laundry, which also worked out well. I have to say though that almost nobody dressed up for dinnerI saw one or two men in sport coats. We thoroughly enjoyed a Viking Ocean cruise in 2019 and have been eager to try river cruising. Im bring my hair styling tool and want to plug it in to 110v in the bathroom. 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. My suggestion: It seems like it shouldnt be a problem to bring your flat iron. which provides information for each new day and the evening updates by the program director in the Lounge before. We had to have our luggage packed and placed outside our stateroom door by 7:00 am on the day of the switch. After morning housekeeping, we had some fresh fruit and baked treats waiting for us in our room. On the other side of the menu are regional specialties or options that are focused on our destinations. bealls online outlet. Once enrolled, you enter the dates of your travel and your destinations. What is your advice? 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. I am bringing a few dresses but am also bringing pants and blouses. We had grown to like the crew on the Skirnir, but we quickly came to like the new ones as well. Viking is very efficient with their timing. This practice continues through all the classes of staterooms with the standard staterooms getting the last optional booking options. Essentially, each ship then turned around and went back to the city from which it originated. . When this happens, the cruise ship parks parallel to another cruise ship. Viking 1-866-984-5464. Paying upfront might offer peace of mind if you like knowing that its already paid for and you dont have to think about an upcoming beverage bill. with information on docking and reminders about impending excursion departures. In each cabin, there are two 110V sockets above the desk and one on each side of the bed. Hi Lolly, thank you for the great article and this really prepared us for our trip next week. We thoroughly enjoyed our Viking river cruise. Thanks. Hi Stephanie, Thanks for your kind words. I like a foam pillow so I asked for one on my Bermuda cruise with Viking. This compact power strip comes with three power outlets and four USB ports, including a Type C port. You set the code, so its a cinch to remember. My #1 tip to people going on their 1st river cruise is laundry is quick & inexpensive dont overpack. There are laundry rooms on the ocean ships and a friend said do NOT think you will do laundry on the days you are sailing everybody has that idea. If you have any kind of allergy, you can ask your cabin steward or the guest services manager for a foam pillow. A few guests scheduled independent sightseeing tours, and it seemed to work out well for them. If sharing a stateroom, both guests must pay for the package. We are scheduled to take the Viking Danube cruise in early June 2022. Hope that helps! Scenic Tours: 220 V and international power adaptors required. We are planning to take the Grand European Tour in July of 2023. I cant find any info on Fteyja that gives me that info. Royal Princess plug sockets. As for how much money to bring along, I usually start out with about $300 worth of local currency. 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. Unlike a hair dryer, flat irons dont use a lot of current and most are dual voltage (check the tag). More to come below but also read my list of essential Cruise Hacks, for both sea and ocean voyages: Cruise Hacks: Packing and Other Cruise Tips, Norwegian Waffle at Mamsens (Credit: Jerome Levine). Posted February 21, 2009. Every cabin type is listed as having. Other European ships have 220V electricity, and have the German Schuko safety plug, which has two pins. Everyone always asks whether they'll need an electrical converter on board Viking European river ships, OR whether there's enough space to plug-in all their . Usually there is an electrical outlet by the "desk" or vanity. I am also taking that cruise. I borrowed some books from the ships library and left them on a table in our room. and special treats made nice surprises. 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. We do indeed have new travel hiccups and challenges these days. Id suggest you talk with the staff once you are aboard to learn of their planned docking times and see what they recommend. And our experience was that we were usually parked next to other Viking ships, so we walked through familiar spaces. What common spaces are there on the Viking Mississippi? Have fun! And Im so glad I was able to help you prepare for your cruise. Im with you on how much fun it is to plan trips. But I noticed that I had 3 pillows and had to throw the extra one on a chair. CC Help Jenn Thanks again! Thanks for the great information. Staterooms are guaranteed to be ready at 3:00 pm. All outlets are. Hi Deb, youre just a few days away from your journey. I just took the Caribbean Amazon cruise and women were wearing slacks and blouses, as did I. I had mental pictures of all my photos of me enjoying Europe but my hair looking like it did in junior high. My husband and I will be sailing with Viking on a Rhine River cruise (Netherlands to Lucerne) this month and our very first river cruise (during a pandemic). There are also USB ports to charge your cellphone or tablet so all you need to bring are the cables. Bon voyage! Do we just work with Viking program director on the day of or the day before? Cramming too much in your suitcase increases the odds of incurring additional airline fees for oversized or overweight checked bags. I checked the website and all in-room amenities are listed under the name of each ship. Theres a mix of traveling overnight (almost all of the time) and during the morning/afternoon/evening (some of the time). On average, how much time did you spend on the boat sailing from each port? No, Tamara, I dont have direct experience replacing SIM cards. Concerning laundry, yes, there is a retractable clothesline in the shower. Of course as soon as I stepped outside it was all over! I hope you have a fabulous anniversary cruise! As mentioned throughout the comments, thank you so much for such insightful and helpful information! 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. Power strips, multi plug box outlets/adaptors and extension cords (without surge protectors) are allowed on board when used with proper caution. Do viking ocean cruise lines have a hairdresser on board? To conserve resources, you could easily fill a reusable water bottle from home with water in the rooms. Have a wonderful cruise next year! When the cruise ends, you settle your account in cash (U.S. dollars or Euros) or by credit card. so they know what to expect when they use them. The river cruises have open seating, so that means you arent assigned any table mates. Cheers! Can you tell me which docking/ports might be too far from the cities/towns? If you are traveling on a Viking Longship, you will find both 110V and 220V electrical outlets in your stateroom. The only exception to the no-adapter rule below: Make sure you bring European-style adapters for the plugs, and that the hair tools can run on 220V current (for use near the makeup table in your cabin). in your closet upon arrival; if you need more, just ask, and they will be delivered promptly. My question is about size of our luggage (or size limitation due room size). This means that your ship could be the first, second, or third ship docked. Without the Silver Spirits package, Id plan on $6-10 for most cocktails, aperitifs, or premium wine by the glass. Plus, some travel agents provide onboard credit to cruising clients. TIP: Take a picture of The Viking Daily each evening before heading to bed. View on Amazon. We received great overviews of a place with the large group tours, but what we remember most were the unique experiences that came from the optional experiences. It was led by an art historian who took us up to the very top of the cathedral (above the ceiling) where the craftspeople worked. The link to this item can be found HERE. CC Help Jenn Two additional 42" flat-screen interactive LCD TVs with intuitive remote & complimentary Movies on Demand in suite. 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. The Aquavit Terrace is a great place to have a meal. Hoping you will enjoy your voyage and have good hair days, too! Specifically built to navigate the Nile, she is a state-of-the-art vesseldesigned in the clean, elegant Scandinavian aesthetic for which Viking is known. 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. Everything was as you said food, service, boat, amenities, all topnotch. Hi Theo, you shouldnt have any problems meeting up with your friends in either Bamburg or Wurzburg while on the cruise. . Best, Irene. Its certainly a relaxing way to travel. Posted January 31, 2020 (edited) If you go to the Viking website and look for Viking Tir it'll tell you what is in each cabin type. Each time you enter the dining room, you find a table that you want to sit at. 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. The Viking Grand European Tour from Amsterdam to Budapest was such a great experience one well never forget. See the chart for more details and pictures of the plugs. 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. Jan Lee, I would definitely bring yours, I didnt on our last Viking cruise and as great as their stuff is, it stripped the color.enjoy your trip. If youre interested in figuring out the details, you may want to ask Viking for a bar menu with pricing before making up your mind. 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. The rooms do seem smaller than ocean cruiser rooms: did you stay in your cabin a lot? So an adapter will be needed on the ship? Is that a crazy thing to say?! Oh, Im so glad you had a wonderful cruise with amazing service! Keep in mind that though it may be tropical outside it can get chilly in the a/c. Also, the ability to book optional excursions varies by the level of the stateroom. Theres a section of the Aquavit Terrace at the very front of the ship thats open to the weather, but theres also an area (just behind it) that can be enclosed with sliding glass doors, so the area can be enjoyed when the weather isnt cooperating. You mentioned laundry, and although theres no laundromat on Vikings European river cruise ships, there is a laundry service that you can use. As for the specifics about checking in to hotels and then embarkation timing, Id suggest you contact Viking directly (or your travel agent if you used one to book the trip). Im sorry I cant give you a more definitive answer, but so much depends on conditions at the time you board and what the staff recommends. Hi David, it sounds like youre gearing up for a great adventure! Really, just looking for your opinion on longer trips off-ship. Although we have some other trips planned (that we organize ourselves, as we often do), we are contemplating which Viking cruise river or ocean we will be booking next. Electrical outlets in Viking Ocean staterooms run on either 110V and 220V so when packing for a Viking Ocean Cruise, there is no need to bring other adapterseven though youll be visiting different countries. LinkedIn. Use down arrow key to expand the menu and up arrow key to collapse the menu and hit enter to select the link My hair is very unruly and I am mortified at the thought of no heat styling tools! means the walking will be on mostly smooth (not cobbled) surfaces, there are few steps, and the tours will be 1.5 hours or less. Since they are sister ships, they are the same, so the only thing that changed was the crew. Thanks for responding, Robyn. You make an excellent point, Julia. Likewise, when the ship is ready to leave, it leaves as long as all the guests are accounted for. Once you book a Viking river cruise, take the next steps to ensure an amazing experience. As you know, Viking offers an included excursion in each port. Going from A to B with two extra days in Amsterdam and Budapest. What it meant for guests was a minor inconvenience. The total time on these outings could be 1.5 to 3 hours. Youll find some additional cruising tips in our previous article on MoreTimeToTravel: Viking Luggage Tag (Credit: Jerome Levine), Viking Ocean Cruises Carves Out A Special Niche for Over-50 Travelers, Best Travel Accessories for Men: 28 Great Gifts for Travelers. Suffice it to say that Viking has this all figured out and has contingency plans firmly in place. One of those steps is to create an online account with Viking. Hi Tanya, Sounds like you have a great cruise coming up! This is one way the crew can account for all guests. The coffee station is always available, although the baked goods tend to be gobbled up in the late afternoon. To ensure you remember all the great experiences on your cruise, take lots of pictures and create a photo book of your journey when you return home. So if you depend on them, bring your own. Thank you for the excellent summary of each important category. Bon voyage! Also, Viking offers options to add a few days in the first or last destination before and after a cruise. Thanks for the tips! Once onboard, it can be difficult to easily stow an overpacked bag under your bed. Hi Catherine, Im glad the article was helpful. Thanks. We travel light with one roll aboard and one backpack. Even with that information, as you mentioned,dockings could be delayed to traffic on the river or there could be delays going through locks. Thanks again. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. private bathrooms that are separate from the living space. Viking has perfected hospitality on many levels. This taught me to take pictures when I first see a scenic sight just in case I wouldnt have the opportunity again. 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. Low river levels today might be just fine for cruising in a few days. Viking says they are NOT allowed, but no one will confiscate. Viking has guest departures timed to match their future travel plans. There are also bright red full-size Viking umbrellas to take along on excursions if its raining. That way, youll learn exactly how things will work with getting to and from that specific hotel. NW Ohio. rent to own house in quezon city 5k monthly. Required fields are marked *. Thank you for all the information. Electrical Appliances: All staterooms are equipped with standard 110 AC and 220 AC outlets. Theres an elevator onboard so its easy to travel from floor to floor if you dont want to use the stairs. Once youre on the ship, youll learn the times that the ship will be docked in a city, so you can plan your day. Are there any solo travellers on their cruises. Depending on your stateroom, you will probably have a desk or dressing table with a 100v outlet where you can fix your hair. Other times, we were still sailing, so he could not. Your email address will not be published. Our next Viking cruise is coming up soon, and I cant wait. The Aquavit Terrace is one advantage Viking has over its competition. Prepaid gratuities came to 18 Euros per guest per day. I hope you have a wonderful 50th celebration on the Grand European Tour! Hope this info helps you a bit! On all river cruises, guests are offered one complimentary shore excursion at every destination. Each stateroom will have one or two 115V razor plugs available, generally in the bathroom. I hope you have a wonderful time! Your descriptions of the change of ship due to the broken lock and of docking side by side with other ships were reassuring. However, if such devices are determined to pose a hazard, they will be removed and returned the last day of the cruise . My husband had been to a number of these cities on business and wanted me to visit them too, and this makes it sound easy. We will definitely be using it in the years to come. I will add one note that we experienced. For example, this was the information for the Viking Star, which shows mini-bars in every category of stateroom: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/ships/viking-star.html Hi Danny, Im not sure which cruise youre referring to, but you asked an excellent question about renting a car to make day trips while on the cruise. Thank you Irene for this information! 3. You can choose to pre-pay gratuities which we did. By the way, the excursions included in the trip are typically large group experiences, while the optional excursions (available at an extra cost) are usually much smaller groups as they are more focused on specific areas of interest. When you return to your room, you will notice the dinner menus for that evening. And about ATMs, weve used them in Europe without any problems. We are in a veranda A stateroom and doing business class flights as a bucket wish. Good luck! who made the move with us. (Its not uncommon for someone to forget to scan their card when returning to the ship.). 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. As standard in Viking Longships there are both USA type flat pin 110 sockets and European round holed 220V sockets, as well as USB sockets. What is the electrical voltage in the staterooms? As the name implies, World Navigator is a ship well-equipped to sail from one end of the world to the other. Here are a few things to think about when considering Vikings Silver Spirits package. To the best of my knowledge, every stateroom has a mini-bar. The only outlet in the bathroom is appropriate for a shaver. Thus, it makes an ideal travel companion. We have one of those and love it, because you only need to find one free plug and you're home safe. 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. Once everyone was accounted for, we were able to leave, return our life vests to our stateroom, and resume what we were doing. This is Vikings way of accounting for guests. in staterooms, so you can plug in whichever fits your needs. It has served my family well. Irene. Any idea if the Terrace will be open for meals in the chill of November? 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.
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