Seine River Cruise

[OKW Lover]

I was looking at a Viking Ocean cruise to Italy in March, but then we decided to do a land based trip to Paris. That’s when I first looked into their River Cruises and they look good. Glad to hear you’ve done them multiple times and enjoy what they have to offer. Their excursions seem limited, but maybe I just haven’t done enough digging. Thanks for the info!

We are booked on a Viking Ocean Italy cruise in March. Its the one that Kevin has been mentioning on the podcast. We are looking forward to a new experience. Our satisfaction with the two river cruises was a big factor in doing this one.

Viking excursions on a river cruise seemed to cover the basics. There is a free excursion at each stop which will get you to the highlights of the location. There are also some extra cost ones that might go further away. On a river cruise (especially the Seine) though much of what you want to see at the stops will be very close to the dock. On our France cruise a group of about a dozen of us had the ship arrange for a car and driver on our Normandy day because we didn't want to deal with the large group on a bus with multiple on/off evolutions. The rest of the ports we either took the included tour or struck out on our own.

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

I was looking at a Viking Ocean cruise to Italy in March, but then we decided to do a land based trip to Paris. That’s when I first looked into their River Cruises and they look good. Glad to hear you’ve done them multiple times and enjoy what they have to offer. Their excursions seem limited, but maybe I just haven’t done enough digging. Thanks for the info!

I agree with Jeff that the Viking excursions were basic. Given the time constraints in each port, we found them perfectly acceptable. The Normandy excursion was excellent. As Jeff mentioned, some of the group hired a private driver, but we opted to stay with the group and did not have any issues. We were split into several different buses, so we had a group of around 30 and were given time to explore the individual stops on our own. We also found the staff to be very accommodating about arranging for private tours/other options if we wanted to do something apart from the official Viking excursions. One example that comes to mind is that 4 of us had been to Versailles on a previous trip and didn't want to see the palace again but did want to see the gardens, and they were able to arrange that for us.

Laurie

 

[Chirple]

I have previously posted about Paris not being in my top choices for destinations, but I will say that this cruise is very appealing to me. I read through the daily itineraries and there was at least one excursion I liked each day. I have not been on a river cruise yet but have been talking about it for quite a while.

Regarding group travel and ABD guides: since we have only done one land-based ABD and had only one guide for our small group of 11, I can only speak to that experience. If you read my trip report, I had some issues on our Arches National Park day. When I had to leave my group, my guide was so concerned that she asked my husband if I needed medical assistance and was prepared to make that call. We have been on 12 DCL cruises and have taken both large group and private excursions. Either is fine with us.

 

[tgeorge]

We are booked on a Viking Ocean Italy cruise in March. Its the one that Kevin has been mentioning on the podcast. We are looking forward to a new experience.

No, I was looking into it on my own. How funny! Maybe I should start listening to the podcast. I feel like I may be missing out on some things The TA I use for cruises recommended I look into Viking, so that’s how I found them.

That’s good info about the river cruises. I look at the ABD site and it makes it seem like there are more options (morning/afternoon or full day options) depending on the stop. I guess it is the same through the ships themselves, just presented in a different manor.

We have a private guide for our trip to Normandy in March. Between this and our trip to Versailles, it is what I’m most excited for on our Paris trip.

The Seine River Cruise is really appealing to me though. Decisions, decisions

 

[sayhello]

BTW, I'm taking an Amawaterways cruise without ABD next. It was the single supplement that was the dealbreaker. I'd be happy to compare/contrast this summer.

Add me to the list of folks who would *love* to hear what you think!! Which cruise are you doing?

Sayhello

 

[tink1970]

We are booked on a Viking Ocean Italy cruise in March. Its the one that Kevin has been mentioning on the podcast. We are looking forward to a new experience.

I hope you'll post about your experience! DH and I are very interested in Viking Ocean Cruises since the ships and itineraries look fantastic! I was actually going to take an ocean cruise with my mother to celebrate DD's graduation (she had initially told me she didn't want a graduation trip) but when we added her into the mix obviously needed a different product (ie, one that would have other teens/young adults).

That said, still very very interested in Viking Ocean Cruises. We have friends who have been on their river cruises but now that Adventure Guide Betti (from Germany) is an AMA Waterways cruise director (hooray!) we'll probably repeat with them for any adult cruises...because we love Betti and AMA has been wonderful with the ABD cruises we've been on

 

[Calfan]

I hope you'll post about your experience! DH and I are very interested in Viking Ocean Cruises since the ships and itineraries look fantastic! I was actually going to take an ocean cruise with my mother to celebrate DD's graduation (she had initially told me she didn't want a graduation trip) but when we added her into the mix obviously needed a different product (ie, one that would have other teens/young adults).

That said, still very very interested in Viking Ocean Cruises. We have friends who have been on their river cruises but now that Adventure Guide Betti (from Germany) is an AMA Waterways cruise director (hooray!) we'll probably repeat with them for any adult cruises...because we love Betti and AMA has been wonderful with the ABD cruises we've been on

Great to hear about Betti! She was one of our guides on our Central Europe ABD, and we loved her. So interesting to hear her talk about East Germany, and she was a nice, low-key (i.e., German!) counterpart to Jennae's ABD enthusiasm.

 

[tink1970]

Great to hear about Betti! She was one of our guides on our Central Europe ABD, and we loved her. So interesting to hear her talk about East Germany, and she was a nice, low-key (i.e., German!) counterpart to Jennae's ABD enthusiasm

We have had her as a guide 2 years in a row now and she is awesome. Even more fun is how she and Veronika (Hungary/California) interact. They are an unintentional comedy act...

I realized I hadn't said anything and it was so gratifying to see Betti happy and excited about this new stage of her life. Apparently she'll still guide a bit for ABD but this job is more consistent, and I think she'll do a wonderful job.

 

[oufpat]

Can you tell me about activities on these river cruises after dinner. Are there any planned activities, or are you on your own? Thanks

 

[OhanaCuz]

Please do - I’m looking at an AMA for a cruise AbD does not yet offer. Would love to hear of your experiences.

I, for one, would love to hear what you think comparing the two. I looked at Viking and AMA and it just seems like you get more excursions (and better options) with the ABD.

Add me to the list of folks who would *love* to hear what you think!! Which cruise are you doing?

Sayhello

We're taking a Rhine cruise. We loved our ABD but having to pay for two people for one person to get their own room at these high prices just doesn't work. I'd rather use that money saved on a land-based ABD. We were thrilled with Amawaterways and it was a no-brainer for us to pick them again. There was enough "off the wall" activities same as the ABD (gondola ride, mechanical museum) that we felt ok going with them. I'm going to miss the adventure guides and the "party" atmosphere each morning when the groups are forming but we'll have a great time I'm certain.

 

[sayhello]

We're taking a Rhine cruise. We loved our ABD but having to pay for two people for one person to get their own room at these high prices just doesn't work. I'd rather use that money saved on a land-based ABD. We were thrilled with Amawaterways and it was a no-brainer for us to pick them again. There was enough "off the wall" activities same as the ABD (gondola ride, mechanical museum) that we felt ok going with them. I'm going to miss the adventure guides and the "party" atmosphere each morning when the groups are forming but we'll have a great time I'm certain.

I had the exact same thoughts about doing another river cruise with AMAWaterways at some point in the future. I look forward to your report!

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

Can you tell me about activities on these river cruises after dinner. Are there any planned activities, or are you on your own? Thanks

Not a whole lot, at least not on the Danube River cruise. They had entertainment some nights in the lounge, but not a whole lot else. In Vienna, there *are* nighttime excursions off the ship. And the illuminations cruise in Budapest...

Sayhello

 

[hilarys]

Great to hear about Betti! She was one of our guides on our Central Europe ABD, and we loved her. So interesting to hear her talk about East Germany, and she was a nice, low-key (i.e., German!) counterpart to Jennae's ABD enthusiasm.

So happy for Betti she was awesome on that trip. I think we were on one of her first trips with ABD. I still remember getting a kick out of her reactions to to our rambunctious group of boys on that trip, Calfan. Especially memorable was her frustration with them at the zoo and who could forget when we lost the boys outside the Spanish Riding School.

 

[Mathmagicland]

We're taking a Rhine cruise. We loved our ABD but having to pay for two people for one person to get their own room at these high prices just doesn't work. I'd rather use that money saved on a land-based ABD. We were thrilled with Amawaterways and it was a no-brainer for us to pick them again. There was enough "off the wall" activities same as the ABD (gondola ride, mechanical museum) that we felt ok going with them. I'm going to miss the adventure guides and the "party" atmosphere each morning when the groups are forming but we'll have a great time I'm certain.

Re paying for 2 to get a room for one, you may want to call AbD to confirm single pricing on the river cruise you are considering, I had a cast member tell me a couple of days ago that AbD recently lowered their single supplement on river cruises & it is no longer paying the full 2-person rate. I was not pricing anything when I called, so don’t know what a sample rate would be. The website says to call to get that info.

 

[ImprovGal]

Re paying for 2 to get a room for one, you may want to call AbD to confirm single pricing on the river cruise you are considering, I had a cast member tell me a couple of days ago that AbD recently lowered their single supplement on river cruises & it is no longer paying the full 2-person rate. I was not pricing anything when I called, so don’t know what a sample rate would be. The website says to call to get that info.

That would be fantastic news! I had looked into the food & wine ones last year when they were offering some sort of per person discount. They quoted me base price of the 2-person rate, but would only give me the discount for 1 person, so a cabin for 1 was priced higher in total than a cabin for 2. I passed.

 

[sayhello]

Re paying for 2 to get a room for one, you may want to call AbD to confirm single pricing on the river cruise you are considering, I had a cast member tell me a couple of days ago that AbD recently lowered their single supplement on river cruises & it is no longer paying the full 2-person rate. I was not pricing anything when I called, so don’t know what a sample rate would be. The website says to call to get that info.

Oh, wow. I'll have to look into that. I'm not likely to do another river cruise for a while, but it's nice to know I could consider them without the ridiculously huge single supplement to deal with. Thanks!

That would be fantastic news! I had looked into the food & wine ones last year when they were offering some sort of per person discount. They quoted me base price of the 2-person rate, but would only give me the discount for 1 person, so a cabin for 1 was priced higher in total than a cabin for 2. I passed.

I've had the same issue -- they want you to pay for 2 people, but then handle things like the discount as though you're one person. They need to handle both the same way!

Sayhello

 

[OhanaCuz]

Re paying for 2 to get a room for one, you may want to call AbD to confirm single pricing on the river cruise you are considering, I had a cast member tell me a couple of days ago that AbD recently lowered their single supplement on river cruises & it is no longer paying the full 2-person rate. I was not pricing anything when I called, so don’t know what a sample rate would be. The website says to call to get that info.

That's great to hear. It's just too cost-prohibitive on these cruises for one person to pay a two person charge. We've already booked our Ama cruise but thanks for the info!

 

[d2lane]

20 minutes into an estimated "5 minute" hold with ABD.... seriously who ever is responsible for the great idea to interrupt the "music" with a moment of silence should be shot. I keep getting excited that I'm actually being connected, but no it starts up again.

 

[laceltris3]

Ugh. I hope my travel agent can get through.

Do they not have many reps, or are the calls just taking forever, or are there that many people booking river cruises?

 

[Mathmagicland]

I called this morning about the Seine river cruise. I asked about single supplement rate for category D as an example. Per person rate is $6400 or $12,800 for the Cat D cabin, the single supplement rate for the Cat D was &9509. That seems to be about a 50% approx surcharge which seems reasonable to me, but this is my first river cruise so I’ve got nothing to compare. But it was not the full double per person rate.