We enjoyed our Viking Rhine Getaway cruise. But part of the reason was the easy logistics when traveling with another couple. (They were actually next door to us in lower level, but it was always easy peasy to just meet them at dinner, bar etc.). Definitely mellow at night. Large cruises alway lots of activities to choose from as you wander the ship.
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We liked our river cruises and the people we met on them were so nice. And kind and we had no problems.
But 7 days of communal dining felt like a lot. We were more than ready to be by ourselves at the end. There isn’t really any ability to dine with just your spouse. My husband is hard of hearing and the communal dining was difficult and tiring.
Our last cruise had high water issues. We stayed at one port for 3 days and were bussed to the towns we were to visit. It was ok but not great. Thankfully the water receded enough to not have to do a ship swap but not being able to sail for basically half of the cruise was disappointing.
I think we will try an ocean cruise next. We like the viking model. We love the historical theme and the tours that they offer. Also we went to Germany 2 years in a row and want to experience more of the world.
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How hard is it for a group of 4 to be able to dine solo (I.e. with just their own table) on a Viking river cruise?
We went as a group of 4 last year. It seems like we were usually at larger tables (round and rectangular). We enjoyed meeting other travelers. I
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If you have lunch or dinner on the Aquivit deck, you will find most tables are for 4 persons. The larger tables are in the dining room.
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delete. duplicated for some reason. shrug.
I am having a really hard time narrowing this down. I’m looking for a cruise, but we have gone on so many tropical cruises, we want to do something more interesting, and avoid Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii. Thinking about going in Jan/Feb (the crummy months in Seattle), don’t want to be gone much more than two weeks, want a smaller boat (like 1,000 people or less). It can be pricey since it’s only the two of us, but not crazy. I just can’t settle on something!
Looking at a Amazon river cruise/Machu Picchu. Then I realized that we would be going during the rainy season to Machu Picchu, in Feb. Do we really want to do that?
Also a Vietnam/Cambodia river cruise, with several days on land. Heavy on culture, history, war. It sounds very interesting.
Maybe a National Geographic cruise to Costa Rica and/or the Panama Canal. I’ve heard those are fantastic, but am I really interested in animals that much? It seems like they are very heavy on that aspect of the tour.
Viking Ocean has some Mediterranean cruises over that time, as does Windstar. Won’t be really warm, but that’s fine. We’ve spent a lot of time in Europe so they all wouldn’t be new places, but we’ve never gone on either of these cruise lines.
There are some 14 day cruises to Australia/New Zealand on Holland America (I know, too large, but I like them), Oceania, Regent Seven Seas looks really interesting, Silversea. However, that’s a long time to be on a boat and very far away.
Anyone have any input or experience with any of these choices? I’ve been following some cruises and the prices are going up and they’re selling out, so I think we’d better do something soon.
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As you look at cruises, look at how far the port is from the places you want to see.
When we did our Western Med cruise, we started and ended in Barcelona (port right in the city). After day at sea we had 3 intensive shore excursion days…. Pompei/Sorrento, Rome, Florence. Each day involved long bus rides (sometimes almost 2 hours each way) and hefty shore excursion costs (2012 - each day about $225/person, including fabulous lunch and museum tickets/tours). Happily in Marsaille (took a $59 half day tour) and Cannes (just walked around) we could just take the tender right into town. It all worked out fine because this was our first Europe ‘sampler’ trip, and we got a deal on the cruise itself. But it does make me look at itinerary carefully when considering future cruises.
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Just as an FYI, this smaller boat 10 day New Zealand cruise is one of the options we’re considering. I’m not sure yet of the difference between booking with Ponant vs Smithsonian.
https://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/tours/new-zealands-north-and-south-islands-by-sea/itinerary/
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That sure is a huge consideration. Most of the ocean/river cruises we’re looking are all inclusive, fortunately. The Viking one is in Europe, but not the Windstar one, which is much cheaper. I’ll definitely look at the ports and costs before doing it. If it adds several thousand dollars, and hours a day, not worth it!
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Oh wow, that looks amazing. That’s just up my alley, exactly what I was looking for. See you there?
Except, yikes, that is expensive. But perfect. I had never heard of that agency, but I am going to check out all their tours now. That seems like the perfect balance of nature, luxury, history and wine. The four essentials. it’s good to see different options, because maybe there’s something better out there?
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Not to mention an emphasis on French cuisine! That and all the nature were the appeal for me. We have a lot of options we’re looking at but husband is dragging his heels on “analyzing” them - I put together huge spreadsheets as he requested for comparisons. If only he’d start reviewing them!
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Viking is not all inclusive, they have one included excursion a day but many that have a charge. In an ocean cruise, the included may be a bus tour.
Not interested in a Nile River cruise?
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I would hate to have to pay a lot more for excursions, if the one Viking offers isn’t that great!
I looked into a Nile cruise last year, but read some reviews where they were talking about crowds, heat and a lot of poverty. Maybe you’ll get that anywhere, but these reviews really turned me off. So I put that on the back burner.
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Well, I did it. Put a deposit down on a Scenic River cruise to Vietnam/Cambodia on the Mekong River. Almost all of their cruises to that region are sold out, but I found one available. I read the reviews, and wow, this cruise line and itinerary look amazing, so I got sucked in and committed. All the Viking ones I looked at over there are either sold out or even more expensive, and Scenic sounds really nice. We can even go to Singapore for a few days on the way home.
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Good for you!
Our son really enjoyed his semester abroad in Singapore, and he took advantage of the opportunity to visit Vietnam… found it fascinating. He did comment about the heat/humidity, I think worst in May(?) He loved the food.
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My brother and SIL did that Mekong River cruise with Scenic pre-pandemic and said it was their all time favorite trip. My brother passed away in 2021 and that trip is a very happy memory for my SIL.
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Supposedly it’s the dry season in Vietnam and Cambodia in Jan, and while still hot in Jan, it’s not as hot as it could be. I’m not crazy about too much heat, but I don’t know if there’s any months where it’s not hot. At least not monsoon season!
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That is a very meaningful commentary about this trip. I’m sorry for the loss of your brother.
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