December 11, 2012

Finally home after yet another wonderful trip with Viking. So glad that we spent the extra two days in Budapest, as it really let us explore some of the more out of the way parts of the city. We did a private tour Sunday that we set up with www.mypersonalbudapest.com. Our guide (Atilla) was great, and ensured we saw things that the typical tourist normally would not see. We visited two of the baths in the city, one outdoors and one totally enclosed, saw the typical touristy things, and also wandered around some of the back streets. One of the highlights was a visit to one of the "Ruin Bars". If you go to Budapest, you must visit at least one (really!).

We did have one rather frightening experience during the cruise. The wife was opening the door on the closet, when the glass suddenly shattered for no reason. Yes, the doors are glass! She was very fortunate that most of it was contained by the other door inside of the closet, but some did get out into the room. Turns out that this has happened four or five times before on the new ships, and Viking has decided to replace them with wood doors.

Our trip home yesterday while long, was not bad at all. We flew from Budapest to Brussels where we only had just over an hour to get to our connecting flight. But passport control and security was not very busy, and it only took us about 30 minutes to get to the gate. Then the eight hour flight home to Washington DC.

I will be posting a detailed review on Cruise Critic soon, and a short one on Vikings Forums as well, and as soon as I go through over 1000 pictures and pick out some of the best, will get them up online and provide a link to them. If anyone has any specific questions about the trip, feel free to drop me an email at sk8teacher at comcast dot net.

December 8, 2012

We arrived in Budapest around 11:30pm Thursday night, and yesterday was our full day in the city. Viking offered two included tours, one was a bus tour followed by a short walking tour, and the other one (which we decided to take) was called an up close tour. We were very happy with the tour. We started out from the ship and walked across the Chain Bridge to the funicular that took us to the top of the hill and the palace. After walking around the palace we then started down the hill into the town area, and walked around there. Then we boarded a local bus that took us all the way down to the river. After walking around there for a bit, we boarded the #2 tram that took us back toward the ship. During the tour we visited the main shopping area and the large indoor market. Lasting about 3 hours, it is well worth it if you can do that much walking. We highly recommend it.

During dinner last night, the Captain took the ship out from the dock and made a short trip along the river to let us see the city at night. It was really nice to see the buildings all lit up at night. The Parliament Building and the Palace were especially beautiful.  

We are staying in Budapest for the weekend, and because of the cost of internet usage at the hotel, I will not be posting anymore. Once we get back and settled, I will post one more time and discuss our overall impressions of the total trip. I will say however that we have truly enjoyed the trip, and Viking once again has provided their outstanding service.

Here is a picture to maybe give some encouragement to take this cruise.

 

December 5 and 6, 2012

 I tried a couple of times to post yesterday, but it never took, so I will do two days in one.

Yesterday we were in Vienna, and had a wonderful time. The included tour was very good, with the exception of the guide for our group. We finally hooked up with another group so that we could get the information about what we were seeing. They finished the tour at the largest of Vienna’s Christmas Markets, which was in front of the City Hall. After spending a couple of hours there it was back to the ship for dinner. Vienna is a wonderful city, and it’s too bad that they didn’t make it an overnight stop. Additional time there would really be nice.

Today we stopped in Bratislava Slovakia. It is the capitol city of Slovakia. Our tour took us around the outskirts of the city which is quite hilly, and finished up near to old portion of the city. The walking tour of the old city was very good. It is well preserved and now a delightful pedestrian only area, and where their two small Christmas Markets are located. Unfortunately, we were only there for half a day, so by the time the walking tour was over, we only had about an hour to look around,

After our return I will go through my pictures, and put a few from each stop on the internet and provide the link to them. It is simply too hard to maintain a decent connection to post them with the blog.

Tomorrow is Budapest and we are looking forward to that. We will be staying there for a couple of days after the cruise ends.

December 4, 2012

Today we are in the small town of Melk. Our included tour was to the Local Abby, which was a very worthwhile tour. It’s a really nice tour that lasts about 1.5 hours. After the tour, you have the option to ride the bus back to the ship or walk down the hill through town, and then back to the ship. I recommend you take the walk. The town, while small, has a really nice pedestrian area with several small shops worthy of stopping in at. Their pricing for the same or similar items found at the larger Christmas Markets is cheaper.

We left Melk about 2:15pm and rode up the river to Durnstein. There are a couple of castles to see along the way, and with a good zoom lens you can get some pretty good pictures. We arrived around 4pm, and were told via loudspeaker announcement that the shops were closed and basically discouraged us from going in to town. We stayed on board and found out later that there were a handful of shops open, and that those that did go in anyway, felt it was worthwhile to see the town.

Tomorrow we are in Vienna and we are looking forward to seeing the city.

December 3, 2012

Today we docked in Linz, and then took a bus ride to Strasburg, It is about a 2 hour ride to there, and upon arrival, we walked about 5 minutes to meet our guides. From there, we went on about a 1.5 hour walking tour that took in the old town of Strasburg and the Christmas Market. After tour was over, we had lunch in the oldest restaurant in Europe. While a bit pricey, the meal was excellent and well worth the stop. After that, we still had a couple of hours on our own, so we wandered through the various Christmas Market areas, and the general shopping area.

I finally found a small hole in the wall shop that sold wine, and after tasting a couple picked up a bottle of Austrian wine to take back to the ship. I may save that for our tine in Budapest, or temptation may make me drink it before we get there!

As we left Linz this morning, it started to snow, and continued until just outside of Strasburg. That really put us in the mood for the holiday season.

We have made a big discovery however, about our cabin. As some people of noted, the shower in the Njord (and all of the new longboats), are surrounded by glass. On occasion, some have noted that the glass looking into the room is transparent, and that seems to disturb so folks. To fix that, look just inside the entrance door on the left side. You will see what appears to be a light switch. Push that in, and the glass will turn opaque! Now you cannot see through it!

I must apologize for not posting any pictures, but the internet connection is not the fastest and tends to time out while trying to post pictures. I will upload then upon return to the US to flicker and then post a link to them.

Tomorrow, we are off to Melk for about half the day, and then sail off to Durnstein for the evening. Meals of been outstanding, and the wait staff excellent! Once again, Viking has lived up to the expectations we have had based of past cruises with them.

Well done!!

December 3, 2012

Today we docked in Linz, and then took a bus ride to Strasburg, It is about a 2 hour ride to there, and upon arrival, we walked about 5 minutes to meet our guides. From there, we went on about a 1.5 hour walking tour that took in the old town of Strasburg and the Christmas Market. After tour was over, we had lunch in the oldest restaurant in Europe. While a bit pricey, the meal was excellent and well worth the stop. After that, we still had a couple of hours on our own, so we wandered through the various Christmas Market areas, and the general shopping area.

I finally found a small hole in the wall shop that sold wine, and after tasting a couple picked up a bottle of Austrian wine to take back to the ship. I may save that for our tine in Budapest, or temptation may make me drink it before we get there!

As we left Linz this morning, it started to snow, and continued until just outside of Strasburg. That really put us in the mood for the holiday season.

We have made a big discovery however, about our cabin. As some people of noted, the shower in the Njord (and all of the new longboats), are surrounded by glass. On occasion, some have noted that the glass looking into the room is transparent, and that seems to disturb so folks. To fix that, look just inside the entrance door on the left side. You will see what appears to be a light switch. Push that in, and the glass will turn opaque! Now you cannot see through it!

I must apologize for not posting any pictures, but the internet connection is not the fastest and tends to time out while trying to post pictures. I will upload then upon return to the US to flicker and then post a link to them.

Tomorrow, we are off to Melk for about half the day, and then sail off to Durnstein for the evening. Meals of been outstanding, and the wait staff excellent! Once again, Viking has lived up to the expectations we have had based of past cruises with them.

Well done!!

December 2, 2012, Passau Germany

This morning we had an onboard lecture on the history of the European Union. It was very interesting and informative. After that was a 1.5 hour walking tour of the city. Being docked a block away from the major shopping area, and the Christmas Market made it an easy tour which encompassed the old town of Passau as well. Our guide Heike was excellent and overall a very enjoyable tour.

We then had lunch in town, at the Loungerie Café (it was recommend by our guide) and had a wonderful lunch there. Afterward it was back to the Christmas Market to make a couple of small purchases and then back to the ship. We were even treated to a very light snow fall this afternoon. Nothing that stuck to the ground but you could see it in the air.

The ship is very modern in style, and a far cry from their older ships. The dinning room consists mostly of 6 and 8 person tables, but there are a handful of 4 person tables as well. Some tables are more oval in shape while most are rectangular. The waitstaff is great, and the wine is poured freely. Our dinner last night was excellent, and I did not hear anyone complaining.

Saturday, December 01, 2012

 The check-in at Dulles went very smooth, with virtually no waiting through TSA. Our flight was with Lufthansa Airlines, and was very good. Free wine and mixed drinks with dinner cannot be beat. Even in the economy section, legroom was good compared to most American Airlines that we have flown on. Very good flight overall and we actually arrived about ½  hour early.

We met up with the Viking reps, and shortly after were taken to our bus and were off for Passau. The bus ride was about 1 hour 45 minutes. Arriving at the ship around 2:30 pm, we didn’t have to wait long  before we were escorted to our cabin, #116 on the lowest level.

 

The room was compact though advertised at 170 square feet, but was typical of what we have had in the past on other Viking ships. Suitcases fit nicely under the bed. Some of the changes from older ships were noted and listed below:

 

1. There is a supplied night light in the bathroom now. You do not need to bring one with you.
2. Each room has a small refrigerator under the desk area.
3. There are three 110VAC outlets now in the main part of the cabin. One on each end of the vanity, and one on the left side of the bed as you face it. This is a big improvement over their older ships.
4. We are in cabin 116, in the bottom of the boat (sometimes referred as the
5. lot of stuff. Much larger than any other ship we have been on.
6. Plenty of storage in the bathroom now. A shelf under the sink area, shelving on the right side of the mirror, and a couple of nice stainless steel holders in the shower area.
7. TV is wonderful. It’s a large flat screen LCD, with a lot of built-in capability. There are selections for an overview of the cruise, maps, movies, and much more. The movie selection is very good, and “FREE”!!

 

Bad things:

 

1. The “tables” next to the bed are pretty much useless. They are about 8-10 inches across with no drawer, only a pull out shelf, and one small shelf at the bottom of the table.
2. Only four drawers at the vanity because of the refrigerator.
3. There is a small shelf under the left side of the vanity, but it is only about 2.5 inches in depth, thus pretty much useless. I did figure out that it would hold my laptop however so it’s not a total loss.

 

Overall a big improvement over older ships. The general feel is one of roominess. Even the lounge and dinning room really does not feel like it’s crowed, even with most folks there.

 

I do not have any pictures processed yet but will get them posted as soon as possible. After we arrived, we walked into town and went to the Christmas Market. That was great. A really nice market albeit small, it was quite crowed but every one seemed to be enjoying themselves.

 

Tomorrow we have a walking tour of the town scheduled, and we will probably eat lunch in town so that we can sample some local food. Overall so far, we are very impressed and feel that Viking has really stepped up their game with these new longships.

Thursday, November 29

We did a trial pack this afternoon, and it worked out well enough that we are leaving it the way it is, except for those last minute items tomorrow. To checked bags weighing 28# and 33# respectively, my camera bag, and the wife's backpack. We leave tomorrow night and fly direct to Munich, then Viking transfer to Passau. We are looking forward to meeting those we have talked with both here and on Cruise Critic. Saturday night I will do my first post of the cruise, hopefully with a couple of pictures.

Cheers!

Wednesday, November 28
Well, it looks like we will be chasing the cold front that hit the East Coast all the way to Europe. As the temperatures rise in Northern Virginia to the 60's by this weekend, we will be facing low to mid 30's upon our arrival. So far no really bad weather is predicted, and by the end of the cruise the temperatures in Budapest should be in the high 40's to low 50's, with sunshine. As we are staying there for a couple of days after the cruise that is really great news!

I did a trial pack on my camera gear and laptop today, and it looks like I need to regroup and pick another camera bag. I tried my smaller sling bag but by the time I put the camera gear in, plus accessories, plus the laptop, it really was jammed up, so I will switch to my backpack one. I can put everything in that along with my heavy hiking boots and still have room. That will save us some weight on our checked luggage.

Tomorrow we will start looking at what we will take with us for clothing. Not too worried as we do not fly out until late evening on Friday.

For those not familiar with Viking's new ships, the Njord is a completely new design. You can read about her at http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/cruiseships/europe/viking-njord/shipinfo.aspx. With a lot of new innovative features, we are looking forward to exploring her.

That's all for now, so until later, happy holidays!

Five days to flyaway! Started packing electronics today to see which case I will need. Hoping to get everything into one of my smaller ones but may not. The wife started laying out clothes to see what she will bring. With snow predicted for the upcoming weekend and temperatures in the mid 30's, we certainly will be packing warm! I am going light on camera gear this trip, and only taking two lens and my tripod. I want to try and get some good night shots of the Christmas Markets and some of the towns as well. Hopefully the internet will cooperate and I will be able to post a couple of pictures each day along with my thoughts.

That's about it for now, my next post will be next Saturday night after arrival!

Less than a month to go and we will be off to Europe once again, to embark on one of Vikings newest longboats, the Njord. We will be cruising from Passau Germany to Budapest Hungary, and staying in Budapest for a couple of days after the cruise is over.

During the cruise, will be visit Passau, Linz, Salzburg, Melk, Durnstein, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest.Depending on how the internet access on board, I will try and post a daily update of our thoughts and discuss what we did for that day.

We will be flying out of Dulles Airport in Washington DC direct to Munich, and then taking Vikings transfer to Passau which is about a two hour ride. We anticipate arriving at the boat around 3pm, so our cabin should be ready and we can get unpacked and rest a little before dinner at 7pm. We are in cabin 116, down on the lowest deck. We usually do book cabins there as we have found them to be somewhat quieter than the upper decks, and really do not mind having a smaller window and no balcony. We do not spend that much time in the cabin anyway so it really does not matter to us.

This will be our fourth cruise with Viking cruise line and the first on one of their new longboats, so are quite excited to see what they are like. I will most likely do at least one more post prior to our departure, so until later,

CHEERS!