May 2022 – Twenty Steps at a Time

This is probably the most lengthy blog post to date, so grab a cuppa your favorite beverage, settle into your comfy chair and enjoy the read and beautiful pictures.

After much consideration and frustration with the cruise line policies and travel agency ineptness, we decided to change our April 2023 Viking River Cruise to April 2022. Viking wanted final payment for 2023 a year in advance after having thousands of our dollars for about 3-1/2 years prior. For the same amount of money due and a simple change of itinerary, we decided to go this year instead. (In hindsight, maybe we should have waited!) Each day, we published a ‘postcard’ from the day’s events on Facebook, which I’ve included below. This is something that we always do, in addition to Karen’s mailed postcards back home. It’s a great way to remind us of our travels and how fortunate we are to be able to enjoy them.

Day 1 – Amsterdam

We arrived after a delayed overnight flight and connected with Viking reps in Schipol airport to transfer to our Viking longship (vessel). Our originally requested cabin had an unresolved issue, so we were ‘upgraded’ and placed further down the passageway than we planned.

Karen took a guided walking tour of the Amsterdam area and I took a nap. Everything seems good for now.

Day 2 – Amsterdam

We started the day with a brisk, windy walk to get to the included Amsterdam canal cruise. We try to get a head start by leaving before the group as I walk slower than most. Afterwards, we returned to the ship for lunch and then departed for the Delft walking and guided factory tours. The tour was interesting. We watched a master painter as he created a beautiful Delft platter. The paint is black with pigment that turns blue when fired in the kiln. Various amounts of water and paint on the paintbrush create the different shades seen on Delft blue porcelain. After our tour, Karen enjoyed a Heineken beer – her first of many more to come.

The Delft factory is handicap accessible with some ramps and minimal steps. The gift shop shows impressive works. Not all Delft is hand-painted however. The alternative is a transferable pattern. To know the difference, you need to look at the bottom mark of the finished piece.

We’ve met some very nice people on this trip starting at Schipol Airport and have enjoyed different company at each meal on the ship. There are no assigned tables on a river cruise. You simply sit where you want with people you want to meet and talk to. The first question always seems to be “Where are you from?” or “How many Viking trips have you taken?” And then instantly, you have meal-time conversation through dessert.

Tip: Talk to the excursion guide. Let them know if you need anything or if you will be leaving the group to be on your own. They know where the meeting point is and where the busses are. They can call you a taxi if needed. They speak the local language and can better instruct the taxi to your final destination…the ship!

Day 3 – Hoorn – an ancient harbor city founded in 716AD; chartered in 1352.

We were unable to dock in Hoorn due to King’s Day. Had we known, we might have brought something orange to wear! So we had to be bussed in. This is one of the things I take exception with Viking. King’s Day is the same day every year – it is the King’s birthday celebration. Yet we were not informed of a change in plans until the night before when tickets appearred in our cabin. The included morning walking tour was combined with the optional tulips and windmills tour that was to be in the afternoon. Our plan had been for an leisurely morning – maybe Karen would take the walking tour and then our optional tour in the afternoon. Everything was late that morning – blaming it on the King’s birthday celebrations. Viking uses busses to transport from ship to venue on a regular basis. When it was decided to break away from the walking group, we were given the wrong time to be back on the bus by an hour! Bus trips are not our favorite thing.

A couple of mobility notes here:

Try to use the front bus steps as the bus lowers in the front making it easier to get on and off. Mind the steps going up and the little toe-grqbber step into the seats.
The back or rear steps are steeper and may be more difficult to manage. They are also where the motorcoach’s restroom is located. And…it’s a very tight squeeze! We’ve found that some bus drivers do not unlock the restroom as they probably don’t want to clean it afterwards. It can also be a very ‘unhealthy’ place based on previous occupants. Use with caution!
Europe does not embrace any ADA guidelines, including reserving the front seats on motocoaches for handicap passengers. It’s hit or miss. We had several passengers with various levels of mobility difficulties on our ship. Yet, able-bodied passengers continually sat in the front seats. Honestly, all Americans should know better! When I mentioned this to the Program Director, she basically said there was nothing she could do about it as there were so many disabled passengers. Well, I have a suggestion – make the first two rows of seats for handicapped passengers! Simple, right?!

Since it was King’s Day – a major holiday – many people wanted the day off to celebrate so it was a bit difficult to hire motorcoaches, guides and a place for lunch. Mandatory lunch was off the boat at a restaurant. Buffet menu choices were limited and it was a bit chaotic in the food area. Busses left at 9:15. Late. Should have been 8:30. Didn’t plan on motivating in the morning but was mandatory if we wanted to do our optional excursion in the afternoon. Not happy about all of this. Lunch in a hotel then bussed again to the tulip farm where we were cautioned that the field might be plowed and most were except one small area. The farmer’s wife was amusing and informative about bulb harvesting. Also the windmill was a turbine model, not the old anticipated style. Sadly, that’s not how the excursion description was written or we may have decided to not purchase it. It was probably my least favorite excursion/day on the ship.

Day 4 – Arnhem – c.143, a picturesque town nearly destroyed during World War II

We awoke to beautiful scenery along the river as we cruised to Arnhem. But even on a ship, I didn’t sleep well. Body aches. At least we are cruising instead of bussing! Quiet morning planned. Easy morning playing Uno and relaxing in the Aquavit Lounge. Our afternoon excursion is at an open air museum. Lunch was enjoyed on the Aquavit bow. The open air museum was ok similar to Genesee Country museum back home. It had a collection of gathered buidlings and demonstations from around the area. There was an antique tram that had a few stops to hop on and hop off, making it somewhat easier to see more of the venue. The tram is wheelchair accessible via a scary ramp with expert assistance from the trainsmen; the pathways can be difficult to manage. Restroom facilities are available throughout the area and are accessible. Once again, the amount of time given to enjoy excursions is very limited. That evening was Holland night with music, food and costumes. Unfortunately, the food did not agree with me.

Day 5 – Kinderdijk – home of 19 remarkably preserved 18th century windmills

We docked a walk away from the UNESCO site of Kinderdijk (pronounced Kinder – dike) and proceeded to ride an old barge and visit a c.1738 working windmill and the miller. The miller gave us background on the windmill and showed us how to cover the arms. He climbed the trellis arm in his wooden shoes! Awesome volunteer guides. Karen got to pull the rope to start the windmill, which was a highlight for her.

There was too much walking to get back to ship for me. We ended up taking a “short cut” as pointed out by the guides but it put us on the bike path! YIKES! Bikes in Holland are everywhere! And they don’t like pedestrians in their way! Only two wheelchairs are available for use at Kinderdijk. These are hard metal chairs unlike a traditional wheelchair. Again, we need more time to enjoy excursions both included and optional. You decide if you have time to shop for a souvenir or go potty! Not time for both! And in Europe many of the restroom facilities are down a flight of steps with no elevator access available.

Day 6 – Antwerp – one of the world’s largest seaports; known for diamonds and chocolate

Antwerp, Belgium on our own. Best day so far. No rush, no groups. No crowded bus rides. Uber in and shuttle with 6 people back to the ship. Visited UNESCO Cathedral of Our Lady which was large and impressive. Karen enjoyed a beer and I had a unique not chocolate in the courtyard of the church. Then on to a sweet and a savory waffle at the Waffle House. Wow! the savory waffle was deee-licious! We shopped for chocolates and lace. Sometimes on a river cruise, ships raft next to each other, making it difficult to disembark and embark over another ship or two. Up stairs to the sun deck, across ramps connecting the ships, down stairs to gangplank that runs to the pier. And just a note, tour busses are not allowed in the city center so the walk to return to the busses for the return to the ship can be far away. See tip about taxis.

Tip: Check with the Program Director or ship’s Front Desk for a map and location of busses prior to departure. However, we did find out that the Front Desk personnel are not always knowledgeble about such things as they gave us the wrong area to meet the returning shuttle. If you miss the shuttle, you are on your own to get back to the ship before it sets sail!

Tip: So, taking a picture from the daily of the ship’s location may come in handy!

Day 7 – Ghent – an important center for flower seed and bulb trade

Once again, we were bussed in to UNESCO Medievil Brugges. As we walked into the square, we were greeted by church carillon bells and a May 1st Labor Day parade. We bought another ornament and Karen sent postcards. We ate pommels frites and watched the parade as it grew in size and went by. Back to the ship for lunch then we took a shuttle to Ghent and had a quick walk around. Cobblestones are killers and my old body was screaming at me for putting it through the ‘torture’ of it all.

Tip: If you are planning to use a rollator/walker, the bigger and thicker the wheels, the better!

Day 8 – Zeeland

Blue skies, white fluffy clouds and sunshine!! Yay!! Lunch on the open bow as we went thru 1 of 24 locks on our journey back to Amsterdam. Another bus excursion to Delta Works, which provided protection from the North Sea, to see dyke plugging bunkers and learn about the historic and tragic flood of 1953. Then to Verre which was a quaint little town. Walked around some and got the famous cinnamon buns (bolussen). No icing on them here. Just a glorious day weather-wise. Only so-so for the excursion. Tomorrow is Keukenhof – the crowning glory of the trip!!

Interesting tidbit: All children are taught to swim at an early age.

Well it was a glorious day until… we were pulled out of our next day port talk and told I had contracted Covid on the ship and we were quarantined in our cabin until we could be sent to “hotel hell” for a specified waiting period, but we actually needed 10 days before we were allowed to return to the states. Passports are flagged so you cannot leave without a Fit to Fly certificate from the doctor. We were told Viking was supposed to be arranging everything from hotel to air to ground transportation. However, because we did not choose Viking insurance, we found out we were on our own! Glad we took out travel insurance this time around!! Now to gather all the costs incurred for hotel, meals and missed excursions, etc and file a claim then wait possibly weeks for reimbursement. *Sigh*

Day 9 and Day 10 – Amsterdam

We were placed in the Leonardo Rembrandt Park hotel – a sub-standard 3-star hotel based on Viking Cruises luxury status. While we were happy to not have to take the 2-1/2 hour taxi ride to a Brussels hotel as we were originally told, we were not happy with the Amsterdam hotel choice. The hotel offered us a meal package of 3 meals per day – mystery meals! They would not tell us what was going to be delivered but we would be charged for it. Just a lot of wasted food, sad to say. Servings for breakfast were hit or miss – some days we received scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage for 1, 3 bottles of OJ; 2 boxes of cereal; 1 container of milk and yogurt; 1 packet of wooden cutlery (think the dixie cup ice cream spoon!); pastries, salad, cold cuts. Yet we were always charged for 2 breakfasts. We opted out of lunch and dinner and did Uber Eats instead. We were given a Viking host to contact. She was probably relatively new to the task based our interactions and conversations with her. And as always, there was a bit of a language barrier and understanding.

I was unable to get to Keukenhof, but as Karen was continually testing negative, she spent the afternoon there. We didn’t get to do our Whisper boat ride as planned and that we had been looking forward to.

Tip: We took this trip the last week of April. Many of the tulip fields had been harvested and were brown with soil, instead of beautiful with the rainbow of tulips. We did pass a couple fields while on a bus but it’s not quite the same! Tulips are only really in bloom for 5-6 weeks. Better to plan an earlier in April trip for better viewing options if you are thinking of going to Amsterdam at tulip time.

After more daily testing and doctor visits, on our 6th day of confinement per Amsterdam standards, our doctor gave us clearance to leave the room, and our fellow COVID detainees (7 of us at this time) met in the hotel courtyard to share stories and breathe fresh air for the first time in days. It was always interesting to hear their versions of what they had and hadn’t been informed of by the same doctor and Viking/Viking host. Walking trips to a neighborhood grocery store supplemented the grocery items that Viking’s shopper did not deliver even though they were ordered.

Mother’s Day 2022 was spent in Amsterdam. Karen bought me beautiful yellow tulips and a wonderful tulip-patterned scarf in Delft blue. The lace doilie under the chocolate pictured above (from Leonida’s Chocolates) was another early Mother’s Day present. Not exactly what she had planned but it worked under the circumstances. By the way, it’s true what they say – Belgium chocolate is the BEST!

10 days later – bad, flavorless food, no Kleenex (REALLY?!) no wash cloths, no ice buckets, bad room service, no housekeeping (Karen changed all the linen on a regular basis to help keep us (her) a bit healthier, garbage in the hallway daily that was not picked up – just a truly bad experience overall. We were the COVIDS that no one wanted to deal with. And, the reason for no Kleenex or wash cloths? We were told because guests would flush them down the toilet causing plumbing issues. Americans love ice in their drinks; Europeans generally do not. Hence, no ice buckets. And, let’s talk a bit about the beds – a 3″ thick foam pad that slipped and slid and so did you! “Falling!” Karen can share that story if you ask her! When we packed for the trip, we packed extra clothes and medicines for 14 days. Our original trip was for 10 days; we spent a total of 20 days in Amsterdam/Belgium. By the time we were in the COVID hotel hell, we were running out of clothes. But! The hotel failed to tell us that they did not do laundry on the weekends, so we sink-washed what we could and waited over 2 days for it dry!

Our last day in Amsterdam, Karen and I took an Uber to Dam Square where a World War II remembrance ceremony was held the day before and we watched it on the TV. It was spoken in Dutch but we felt the emotions of the people gathered there. One more excursion, one more postcard, one more beer!

Of an interesting note:
1. The vessel can transport 190 passengers. Of that number, only 154 were on board at the time of sailing. Of the 154 on board approximately 1/3 (50 passengers!) contracted COVID on board. Viking let us down. They promised heightened safety and health protocols. Yet, many of the crew did not wear their masks correctly; at times the captain did not wear a mask at all. Passengers were required to be vaccinated and pre-tested negative for COVID.

2. The food on the ship could have been better, however major kudos to the pastry chef, who was responsible for my vacation weight gain! Over-cooked steak was probably the most often inexcusable failure!

3. Several times, we were served beverages in chipped or cracked glasses that managed to find their way out of the kitchen. Viking – quality control? Cutlery was whisked away, unused as if they were afraid we were going to steal it! At times plates were being removed by the servers who were anxious to move meal service along, before the food was finished.

4. Social distancing on the ship was virtually impossible. You ate at a table of 6-10, you rode on a bus with 50 others. Passenger masks were optional, but encouraged.

DIsclaimer: This is all our own personal experience and may not have been that of others. With both Karen’s and my hospitality background, we just expected more from Viking’s promise of luxury and safety because we know what is possible and what can be achieved.

Last tip: You will be tempted to buy some tulip bulbs, but don’t do it! These will be old, frozen held-over bulbs from last year that may not bloom. Better to shop a local U.S. bulb catalog and order for planting in the fall. Just remember if it blooms in the spring you need to plant in the fall!

Happy to be back home – cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and Karen was greatly missed at work, So life is back to our normal – sort of as I am still testing positive, yet not considered contagious.

This was probably our last Viking River Cruise, I’m a little sad to say. But other opportunities await us on our future travels, so… as they say…stay tuned!

Karen took over 2700 pictures. So difficult to choose a good representation to post!

NOTE: All pictures are the property of this blog and KLR Images and may not be copied, shared or downloaded without express written permission of this blog owner.

Enjoy these pictures of Keukenhof.