We’re Going Back to Europe!

While we were on our Viking Homelands cruise, we booked another cruise. I had read about the savings offered when booking a new cruise while on a cruise, so Tim and I had investigated possible itineraries earlier this year. We had decided on a river cruise, and I told Tim to pick one. France was his choice – perfect!

We met with Viking’s travel consultant onboard to look at options for “France’s Finest,” a 15-day cruise on the Rhone and Seine Rivers between Avignon and Paris. We wanted to travel in May before it got too hot and crowded, but late enough for at least some of the flowers to be blooming in Monet’s Giverny. We selected May 7, 2023, for a departure from Avignon.

France's Finest River Cruise Map

Unlike Viking’s Ocean ships, not all cabins on river ships have balconies. Some have French balconies, but the size of these rooms is even smaller than the cabins that are below the waterline and have windows high in the walls. I would be fine with a French balcony, but the room size was just too small, even for us. Unfortunately, that meant we would be paying a high premium for a cabin with a true balcony.

We bit the bullet and took a crowbar to our wallets, as Tim would say, and booked the cruise on May 23. We were pleasantly surprised that the future cruise voucher promised by Viking when our Viking Homelands itinerary was changed could be applied to this new cruise. Between that voucher, our onboard booking savings, and our past guest discount, we saved $1,600 each. Not too shabby!

While we were on the British Isles Explorer portion of our cruise, Tim and I debated whether to book another cruise. We were really enjoying our experience and looked forward to another one. We said, “Why not,” and on June 14, shortly before we disembarked, we booked the “Mediterranean Explorer and Crossing,” a 24-day cruise from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale.

Mediterranean Explorer and Crossing Ocean Cruise Map

That cruise starts in Rome on November 30, 2023, and stops in ports along the coasts of Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal before making a transatlantic crossing. We end in Ft. Lauderdale on December 23, just before Christmas. We were able to reserve our preferred DV6 cabin, and we were set to go.

Although we have been happy with our travel specialist, I had read in Cruise Critic about agencies that provide onboard credit (OBC) to their clients. After returning home, I reached out to a member, asked for the name of his agent, and contacted her to see what she could do for us. We were pleasantly surprised when Annette offered a $600 OBC for France’s Finest and $1,000 for Mediterranean Explorer and Crossing. We transferred our bookings to her today.