Viking Rhine River Cruise Part 1 |Tips & Money saving Tricks | Viking River

Hello everyone, Tiffa here with Travel with Tiffa. Today I'm going to talk about Viking river cruising and the things I didn't know until I took the river cruise, some ways to save money when booking your cruise, and some tips for after you book. My cruise was a work related cruise back in 2017. This was a Rhine river cruise on the Viking Cara starting in Amsterdam that goes into Kinderdijk, Cologne, Koblenz, Speyer, Strasbourg, Breesbach, and ends in Basel, Switzerland. They have an optional extension tour three days into Lucerne which I highly recommend. I did make a video with tips and tricks for Amsterdam and I will leave that link at the end of this video. So let's get to it. The first way to save money when booking a Viking river cruise is to wait for the air sale. They have one every year. Usually it's the end of the year into the new year, so December, January, and they will do a discounted airfare for each port depending on your departure port. The only downside is that you do not get to pick your flight itinerary, but it will include your transfers to and from the airport. The next way to save money is in your cabin category. Having a veranda cabin on a river cruise ship is not necessary. What no one tells you is these long ships, they actually stack when they dock. As you can see here, there's two Viking ships right next to each other. They do this because they only have access to one dock or pier, so one ship will come in and dock. The next ship will come in and tie up to that ship that's already docked. They'll put a ramp in between the two ships, so you walk from your ship into the next ship and then on to the dock. So when the ships are docked, your veranda room is just a room. You will not be using your balcony unless you want to open your windows and meet your neighbor on the next ship. You could probably shake hands because your balcony will be rail-to-rail. The upper sun deck is always open unless you're going through a lock. There's plenty of shaded seats, there's seating areas, there's loungers, very comfortable lounge and bar downstairs that you'll always stay entertained and relaxed. The AquaBeat Terrace at the front of the ship is for lunch or just to have a seat in the rocking chairs. But when these are stacked, they're right next to each other and you really, you really, this was the big surprise for me, you really don't need that balcony room. So since you're not in your stateroom much, go with the French balcony, which is the same. You have balcony doors that open, but there's no step out. The balcony, the French balcony is 135 square feet compared to the veranda, 205 square feet. Or you could try the standard stateroom. It's 150 square feet. There's a small window at the top, which lets the light in through the roof, but it is below water level. I was booked into a stateroom. I like the sound of the water, kind of lulled you to sleep, but the stateroom is almost $1,000 less per person than a veranda stateroom. And all of the cabins have the same amazing amenities, which includes a heated floor bathroom with a walk-in spacious glass-enclosed shower, Wi-Fi across the ship, premium toiletries, bottled water daily, and even when you exit for excursions, beer and wine with dinner. There is an alcohol package available, but both persons do have to purchase that are in the stateroom. There's always a drink area open for coffee, water, tea, cocoa, a light snack. It's usually like cookies and biscuits. There is an included walking excursion at every port, which you do have to sign up for on your My Viking Journey online. There will also be optional paid excursions available. A headset with earphones will be in your stateroom for use on all your excursions. This is the Viking Daily. It'll be delivered to your cabin nightly. It'll help you plan your day and will tell you what the nightly entertainment will be. They'll also have lectures at the end of the night about the port that you'll be visiting the next day. So my next tip is going to be to sign up for the wheelhouse tour when you arrive on the longship. It's a fun tour with the captain. It only allows about six people at a time, so you do have to sign up with the concierge. The captain will explain how he uses the GPS system, and it's used with the river markers there on the Rhine. Our next stop is Cologne and the Cologne Cathedral. This Gothic cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its foundation was started in 1248 and holds the shrine of the Three Magi. In the Second World War, the cathedral was severely damaged and is still today being restored. The restoration is ongoing, and the damage from the war and the bombings can still be seen today. You can light a candle in this Gothic twin-spired cathedral for a donation, of course. After the Cologne tour during the day, we took the optional beer culture and dinner tour. Our tour guide was actually a doctor during the day and a beer connoisseur at night. We went to three different family breweries and learned about the Brauhaus culture and sampled along the way. We got to taste Kölsch straight from the barrel, which is light and crisp and brewed only in Cologne. And me, as a non-beer drinker, I really enjoyed this brew. As you walk into the town, you'll see the historical homes and cobblestone streets, which is why you want to put the coaster on top of your beer glass or they will keep filling it back up. So the walk on the cobblestone streets could be a challenge at the end of the night. We met so many people from the longship on this tour and made great connections and some remain good friends to this day. The next tip is not to wait to take a Viking river cruise. I know that Viking is on the higher end of the vacation spending spectrum and most people wait until they retire to go on a river cruise, but most of Europe is not ADA accessible. Not to the US standards, I should say. There is an elevator on the ship, but it only goes from the main floor to the second floor, the lounge level. It does not go to the top deck because the upper deck must be lower to go through the locks, including the wheelhouse. The buses and the tours are not handicap accessible at all and even some of the docks are hard to traverse and could be just a steep set of concrete stairs with no handrail. So walking with a walker or wheelchair is not easy or possible in some areas. Our next stop was the Marksburg Castle tour, a castle built in the 12th century. It's been everything from a fortress to a state prison. This amazing castle has seen 800 years of history and is the only hilltop castle that has never been destroyed on the Rhine. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The buses do park at the bottom of the hill, so it is a little bit of a walk up and this is where we met our guide and he prepared us for what was ahead on the tour. This is where some of our group had trouble and some were cautioned not to take the tour. As you can see our walkway going in is all stone, nothing level, but more to come. The walkway itself is all stone as you can see here. There's so many parts to this that is just not accessible for anyone who has any trouble walking or is a walker, any wheelchairs, but this amazing castle is just quite a sight to see and to be able to see so many UNESCO World Heritage Sites in one trip just blew my mind. Cruising day down the Middle Rhine is the day to be out on the sundeck and watch all the castles as you float by. You will also see all the wineries in the area. I would grab a seat on the sundeck early since this will be where everyone wants to be or if you'd like to stay inside, enjoy the lounge. It has full length windows on both sides and comfortable seating to enjoy. This is Heidelberg Palace and Ruins. The amazing architecture on this building is a sight to see. From the gold downspouts to looking at every peak and point that has a different face and the larger than life statues adorning the front facade is renaissance at its best. The grounds also has a great barrel building. Holding a wine barrel that can hold 220,000 liters of wine. The Elizabeth Gate to the Artillery Garden was a birthday gift to Elizabeth Stuart in 1615 from her husband Frederick V. The legend has it that it was all built in one night. So thanks for hanging out with me today. I am working on part two. Don't forget to hit the like button and subscribe. See you soon!