Viking Helvetia 2014 8-Day Rhine River Cruise Review
Day 1 November 2, 2014 Basel, Switzerland Departure: 7:00PM
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Day 1 November 2, 2014 Basel, Switzerland Departure: 7:00PM
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Arrival in Basel: We flew overnight to Paris, France and then, after a 4 hr. layover, flew to Basel. We were met at the airport by the Viking representatives and transferred by coach to the ship. (Note: We purchased air tickets through Viking which included our transfer.)
The Ship - Viking Helvetia
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Check In:
We arrived at the ship around 3:30pm and immediately were checked in by showing our passports at the reception desk. Unlike an ocean cruise, there were no lines since the ship only accommodates about 100 passengers. We were immediately given our keys and shown to our stateroom which was on the middle deck (only three decks on our ship). The daily newsletter, The Viking Daily, was already in our room. It provided the schedule for the day and other helpful information. After unpacking, we roamed the ship taking pictures. There was an opportunity to go on a Welcome Walk through Basel with a local guide, but we arrived too late for that and, although there was still time, we were too tired to strike out on our own. |
Our Stateroom: Our stateroom was on the 2nd Deck. We could walk right down the corridor to the reception area and then several steps further to the dining room (restaurant). The exit from the ship was in the reception area. The stateroom was always clean and the bed was comfortable. There was storage under the bed for our luggage and there was a nice size, secure safe in our stateroom. Our stateroom attendant was very attentive and did a great job. Here are some pictures taken of our stateroom:
Our Stateroom
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Another View of Our Stateroom
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Stateroom's Bathroom
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Here are some pictures taken around the ship on the first day of the cruise:
Dining Room
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Ship's Library
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Sitting Area on Deck 3
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The snack bar had snacks and drinks available all day. Here are a few pictures of the snack bar:
Snack Bar
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Snack Bar
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Snack Bar
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More Seating on Deck 3
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Deck on Top of the Ship
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Here are some views seen of Basel from the upper outside deck of the Helvetia:
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Welcome Briefing: At 6:00pm there was a welcome briefing by the Helvetia Management Team in the Lounge area. We were given information about the ship and about what we could look forward to during our time on board.
Welcome Dinner:
At 6:45pm a welcome dinner was held in the Restaurant (dining room). During dinner, we cast off from Basel to Breisach, Germany. The sailing was so smooth that we didn’t even realize we were moving except there were very large windows all around the restaurant and we could see lights from shore that indicated movement.
The food was well prepared and probably full of calories, but that didn't keep me from trying new dishes. The only thing missing was sugar free choices; however, if we had asked we probably would have been able to get sugar free options. There was one passenger (may be more) who could only have gluten free food and the chef made sure he had what he needed for every meal even if it meant that his food had to be specially prepared for him. I thought this was very accommodating.
The service in the dining room was exceptional. There was always a waiter near by who almost anticipated what you needed and was there to provide any request within minutes. We could not have asked for better service.
Here are a few pictures of the food served during the dinner this night of the cruise:
At 6:45pm a welcome dinner was held in the Restaurant (dining room). During dinner, we cast off from Basel to Breisach, Germany. The sailing was so smooth that we didn’t even realize we were moving except there were very large windows all around the restaurant and we could see lights from shore that indicated movement.
The food was well prepared and probably full of calories, but that didn't keep me from trying new dishes. The only thing missing was sugar free choices; however, if we had asked we probably would have been able to get sugar free options. There was one passenger (may be more) who could only have gluten free food and the chef made sure he had what he needed for every meal even if it meant that his food had to be specially prepared for him. I thought this was very accommodating.
The service in the dining room was exceptional. There was always a waiter near by who almost anticipated what you needed and was there to provide any request within minutes. We could not have asked for better service.
Here are a few pictures of the food served during the dinner this night of the cruise:
Welcome Dinner
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Welcome Dinner
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Welcome Dinner
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Welcome Dinner
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Welcome Dinner
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After Dinner: There was music and dancing in the Lounge for those who still had enough energy. We called it a night after being up for many, many hours!
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Continue Reading For Day 2's Review!
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