Rhine River Cruise with Viking

[Music] is why [Music] g'day i'm charlie pride and i'm jennifer pride welcome to our youtube channel pride of the villages well it's been several weeks since our last video and the reason being is is that we've been out of the country in europe and doing a cruise on the rhine river when we got back i had 400 pieces of footage i had to go through to make this video it is the longest video that we have ever done but i think it gives a very comprehensive view of what a europe river cruise is and if you're thinking of taking one hopefully you'll find it informative we chose viking cruise line for our crews we have no connection to that cruise line other than we like the brand so the first part of the video will be highlights of the seven day cruise then i'll talk some specifics about food on board the shore excursions and lastly the cost so here we go upon our arrival at the amsterdam airport we were greeted by a viking representative and quickly on a bus to our viking longship the lin docked in downtown amsterdam [Music] [Music] so you won't know my name i hope you got a lot of time i'm not sure what you've been told [Music] i know [Music] when the change [Music] [Applause] left me [Music] and is [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] reasons [Music] [Music] [Music] after a great afternoon in amsterdam it was back on board to lynn for the captain's safety briefing and muster drill talking about safety and security the first slide right here 101 thank you dinner jennifer and i opted for the local dutch dishes and it was early to bed after a long two days of traveling waking up the next morning we were in kinder dyke and it's 19 remarkably preserved 18th century windmills [Music] back on the ship the captain gave us a briefing on the viking fleet the lynn's operation and the importance of the rhine river to commercial shipping in western europe in pairs for all time too all ships have a sister ship so our ship is the viking cara which we're gonna meet later in our on our way to puzzle so all the time in the afternoon an english tea was provided with all the trimmings as dusk was upon us we crossed under this red bridge which meant we were in germany once our arrival in cologne our morning tour was walking through the town to the cologne catholic cathedral this unesco world heritage site is germany's most visited landmark with 20 000 visitors a day let's take a look inside [Music] after the cathedral we worked our way down to this railroad and pedestrian bridge here couples have a fixed padlocks to symbolize their everlasting love estimated to be over 300 000 locks on the bridge you have to wonder how many of these couples are still having everlasting love it was then jennifer's time to do some shopping which included going to this german mustard store and purchasing a jar of the 1810 recipe which turned out to be very tasty indeed back on board by 6 pm we continued our cruise up the rhine river on the lynn now the lynn the hb and silent is the goddess of protection in norse mythology our next morning arrival was in kobelins which sits on the intersection of the mosul and rhine rivers what is referred to as the german corner it is dominated by a massive equestrian statue of prince william the first koblins was established as a roman military post around 8 bc and it has a history of being occupied by both france and germany during the different conflicts over the centuries during the french occupation of 1794-1814 there was a profusion of boys born to french soldiers and german mothers the street urchins known for their pranks the boys were given the derisive nickname of shangle in one of the town's squares is a statue of a shingle spitting water today the cobalance-born citizens are called shingle a name and a statue that they have come to embrace koblenz is the principal seed of the mosul and reinish wine trade there were plenty of stores selling wine and stores selling some very artistic items as well since the 17th century koblenz has been home to the koenigsbacher brewery now the three-hour tour was very informative and seeing this dog maybe want to go back to the ship and take a nap back on the ship we set sail up river to what is known as the middle rhine 40 mile stretch of river between copeland's and bingham is not just stunningly alluring it is also a unesco world heritage site a map provided by viking highlights what to be on lookout for the river like a major road in germany has kilometer markers on the banks there are 21 castles and fortresses overlooking the river as well as some ancient towns and vineyards as far as the eye can see the program director did a great narration as we said on the sundeck admiring the views this rock was made famous in the story of a maiden who betrayed by her lover committed suicide by leaping into the river and becoming a siren who alert sailors to their death interesting was these caravan parks are what we refer to as rv parks what a great spot on the river surrounded by castles once home to feudal lords and located based on defensive advantages several of these castles are now hotels and restaurants something jennifer and i may have to explore on land someday in preparation for our early evening arrival and rooted shine the chef gave a demonstration on making rudeshine coffee a combination of coffee sugar and brandy topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings something even non-coffee drinking jennifer could not resist that early evening we arrived in rudesheim rudesheim is a german winemaking town and part of the unesco world heritage site ryan gorge after ensuring that we do not get run over by a train we work our way through the town to a gondola that will take us up to the neater vault monument now jennifer does not like heights so i applaud her courage on this as she tries to get a firm grip and i give her some encouraging words got a nice view of the oh yeah the housing area [Music] see if we fell jen you could survive that it's only about 30 feet i mean you'd roll a little bit but yeah at the top is the impressive 125 foot tall monument that was built between 1871 and 1883 to commemorate the unification of germany and the founding of the germany empire after the end of the franco-prussian war this patriotic monument overlooks the vineyards the town of and a large swath of the rhine valley deciding that it would be more exercise to hike back down to the town versus a gondola ride we start our trek back to root of shine walking through the beautiful vineyards we notice the different types of grapes that go into making the fine wines of the area upon reaching the town we sit down for a fantastic meal at restaurant rachstuba after dinner is a stroll down a 15th century lane known as the jerusalegasa originally this 144 meter long cobblestone street was used to move items from the river to homes in the town today is a bustling street alive with music wineries restaurants and historical features [Music] upon reaching the waterfront we stop in on one of the several ice cream parlors for a special treat before heading back onto the ship and a night's sleep [Applause] day five founders inspired germany this quiet german town lies on the west bank of the rhine the city features a unesco world heritage site in the romanesque imperial cathedral buried in this place is eight roman emperors spire was once a major celtic center that traded hands several times between the romans and the huns the term protestant originated here when 14 free cities of germany and six lutheran princes protested the edict that banned the writings of martin luther spyro was also an important sea for the jewish population unfortunately that ended during world war ii besides its roman history and significance to the catholics protestants and jewish faiths spire is known for its pretzel making and has a large festival each year honoring that jennifer also found that they do rolled ice cream very well on board the ship they do have a german fest night the staff gets dressed up and there's a wide selection of german cuisine beer and wine to enjoy very nice on day six we are in strasbourg france in the heart of the alsace region and home to the european parliament historically strasbourg has shifted hands between france and germany a number of times to include into the 20th century if you were born in strasbourg in 1910 you were german at the end of world war 1 in 1918 you became french in 1940 after the start of world war ii you became german again and at the end of 1944 you once again became french the city has been in french hands since the end of that war no reason to go to paris or munich for different cuisines you can get both great french and german food right here in strasbourg boat rides on the canals are very popular especially on this nice summer day however this city is chiefly known for its sandstone gothic cathedral with its famous astronomical clock bye well the gothic cathedral is impressive in its stature the medieval cityscape of rhineland black and white timber framed buildings is also impressive the city being on the isle river provides a beautiful scene of canals and historical buildings likewise the pastry shops in town have some edible works of art for you to enjoy and we did back on the boat for dinner we go through a series of locks sometimes side by side with another cruise boat an interesting experience considering how fast the water levels will rise and soon we are on our way up the river towards the black forest the region of germany and the town of komar france comar france now you may be unfamiliar with this sleepy town but you are probably familiar with the work of one of its former residents this is the hometown of sculptor frederick the gust of bartholdi and this is a smaller representation of his work this miniature of the statue of liberty sits on a traffic circle as you're entering the town komar was also the location of important battles during world war ii not friar from the town is the site where u.s army sergeant audie murphy's actions in combat resulted in the awarding of the medal of honor considering all the fighting that occurred here in world war ii it is amazing that the old town looks this wonderful [Music] so [Music] so [Music] foreign [Music] um [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] after we are back on board for lunch we head out in the afternoon on buses for the black forest [Music] but [Music] [Applause] be [Music] [Applause] during our final morning we arrive in basel switzerland where we have breakfast in the morning and then we disembark the boat with our luggage getting on the buses off to the airport for our journey home so why did we choose viking for our ryan river cruise well we did a previous cruise with viking precovid to eastern europe on the danube river and we really like the brand and the fact that they are the number one river cruise line in europe with over 60 of their long ships in operation when you board a viking longship you notice the clientele is a reflection of the villages the demographic is predominantly american between the ages of 50 and 80. from all parts of the united states as well as some canadians brits and aussies the crew and tour guides are english speaking there is also consistency with the layout of the longships being all the same the quality of the food including tours and services are all excellent now all food on board is complementary starting with breakfast at six a.m continental breakfast is available on the aquavet terrace there are tables located both indoors and outdoors in this area starting around seven the main dining room opens all meals on the ship are open seating so look for a table with a view breakfast in the dining room is buffet style with made to order eggs omelets you also can order off the menu for items such as eggs benedict french toast and pancakes there are two specialty coffee and tea stations located outside the lounge that are available 24 hours a day they will be stocked with muffins in the morning and cookies in the afternoon lunch is served in either the aquavit terrace or in the dining room the top half of the menu changes daily and the bottom half is always available of course you can order several different starters and mains if desired and there is always room for dessert the chocolate mousse was jen's fave the right side of the dinner menu are regional dishes so that will be either dutch french or german for this cruise the left side are the classics always available as sometimes you just feel like having a ribeye steak of course topped off with several desserts there are also some pop-up treats like smoothies served on the sun deck and cooking demonstrations where you can sample the fare beer and wine are complementary with lunch and dinner there will be a house white and red available there is a spirits package available for purchase which gives you access to the bar drinks throughout the day the cruise will also offer several optional chore excursions to venues for food beer and wine tasting also ensure that you venture out on your own for a meal in town or at least stop for some ice cream moving on from food viking offers a complimentary shore excursion in every port of call now you will not be offered any zip lining or bungee jumping on this cruise excursions are typically walking tours of the cities and towns focusing on the historical and cultural features so you will see a number of cathedrals castles monuments squares and historical homes jen and my favorites were the cologne and strasbourg cathedrals walking the cobblestone streets of rudesheim and komar and viewing the numerous canals in amsterdam all of the english speaking guides we had were locals and very informative viking utilizes a communication system during his tours called the vox which is a receiver that you wear on a lanyard with an earpiece the guide utilizes a microphone and transmitter and this allows you to hear the guide without being directly next to them this allows you to stop and take pictures or read informative signs i also need to recognize the bus drivers who do an outstanding job driving these narrow and curvy european roads now there will be a couple of opportunities to venture by yourselves after the complementary walk-in tours is complete especially in cologne and strasbourg viking offered shuttle bus service from the city back to the boat in the afternoon in towns like rudeshine you are a dock right next to the town and you can explore at your own convenience we recommend getting a map from the service's desk and maybe grab a complimentary bottle of water or two for those warm afternoons now the ship communicates with his passengers in a number of different ways first is the viking daily which will have not only the day's activities but also some information on the ports of call second is the television television will have the daily schedule as well as the meal times and menus and lastly is the viking app you have free wi-fi on the ship and the app works just fine both listing the activities and the meal times and the menu to wrap up this video i will address cost certainly travel to western europe can't be expensive and there are a variety of cruise operators to choose from some are more expensive than viking and some less expensive however we found viking the best value for the money this is what we paid for the ryan getaway cruise don't be confused about the ship being the viking cara the ship changed from the time of our booking to the sailing and like i previously mentioned all the long ships are the same now we had a standard state room which is on the first floor which is the least expensive state room and sometimes referred to as the swan room because the window that looks out from the state room is just above water level and sometimes you can actually see swans swimming outside the window we had stayed in a balcony state room on our eastern european cruise and really never used the balcony itself so therefore we decided to go with the least cost room on this cruise the base fare of 199 each included the stateroom port taxes and fees meals beer and wine with lunch and dinner wi-fi and one shore excursion per port and it also came with free economy class airfare from orlando to amsterdam and from basa to orlando i priced out our air itinerary on expedia and the airfare alone would have been twelve hundred dollars a person if we had booked it ourselves viking also provided transfers to and from the airport as part of the free air additionally we received the silver spirits package as part of an advertised promotion at the time of booking some past guest discounts were subtracted and our overall cost was 3769 dollars for the two of us the only additional add-ons for the week was a hundred five dollars for the crew katuities and we did sign up for one an optional tour to comar so in our opinion this was great value for the money so we basically did that cruise for four thousand dollars for the both of us and the exchange rate in euros right now to dollars is the best it's been in 2002 it was one for one so things like souvenirs and additional meals on land won't cost that much it is a great time to travel to europe right now but i would expect prices to increase as uh people are coming out of kovid and doing more travel so hopefully you found that video informative and uh hope you to get a chance if you're interested to cruise in europe so that's all for this video we'll see you in the next one you

Channel: Pryde of The Villages

Views: 134,993

Keywords: The Villages Florida, The Viking Hlin, Viking RIver Cruising, Rhine Getaway, Speyer Germany, Rudesheim Gemany, Colmar France, Cruising for Senior Citizens, Kinderdijk

Id: bzO55b5ZxdE

Length: 34min 24sec (2064 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 13 2022