IT’s A WRAP!!!

OR

How we saw Paris, Amsterdam and Castles on the Rhine… Swollen feet and all.

So here it is Dear Hearts and Innocent Bystanders, our final take on what must have appeared to some as an exhausting adventure of hiccups, fumbles, Faux Pas and general Trip Gremlin Shenanigans… but actually much of what we expected, with most things more pleasant than some.

And as usual, we suggest you grab a cold one and sit back… this WILL be an Epic wrap up.

First things first, an over the top THANK YOU and super warm “Abrazzo” for my very brave, ever-so patient and most favorite travel partner - The Ever-Lovely Dragon Lady - SHE of the ever-present optimism that “it WILL all work out”, one way or another.

Now… about our most recent adventure with some DO’s and DON’ts scattered throughout.

To Begin… if you don’t mind pleasant, or unpleasant surprises,

DON’T research the weather or current/ future happenings at your destinations.  While this may save anxiety pre-trip, it will - to be sure - add to frustration mid-trip when you encounter: increased, and sometimes “over-the-top” security in all the top spots, Roving Rowdy Bands of FUTBOL FANATICS, Nationwide Strikes and demonstrations, Flooded Metro stations, ever changing climates etc. 

Otherwise… 
DO your homework before you go - at least to have some idea of what to expect… 
DON’T,  as a couple of dear friends did recently, just book your flight and plan to do the rest “on the fly”.  While spontaneity is fun it can also be a recipe for disappointment. Their trip was... 

DO register for the U.S. State Department, Smart Traveler Enrolment Program for constant alerts to all sorts of conditions in the areas you'll be visiting.  That’s how we first learned of the floods in Paris.

DO get the Global Entry Pass for your KNOWN TRAVELER NUMBER [KTN] to use whenever you make flight reservations. Register it with all your favorite Airline Miles programs. It gets you on the TSA Pre Check list [it shows up on your boarding pass] for bypassing long checkpoints, leave your shoes and belts on and no 3-1-1 bags of lotions or laptops out of the bag [except in Zurich] and expedites your re-entry at Customs and Immigration on your return to the USofA.  Its good for 5 years and if you travel a lot, well worth the $100 [$85 for just pre-check]

DO download as many necessary APPs on your phone such as PARIS METRO OFFLINE  or Next Stop Paris – and MetroMaps Euro which lists most major cities in Europe - great for planning your routes about town or finding the right Metro or Bus to take.  It beats trying to carry around a big folding paper map that you always wind up leaving somewhere.

MY TSA for current checkpoint wait times at selected airports – accurate most of the time.

Don’t forget HotelTonight to find & book last minute hotels at great prices that may not show up on other sites.

Rick Steves Audio Tours are invaluable for visits to select locales all over Europe and can be downloaded directly to your phone along with maps to match.

If you have a favorite travel APP, please feel free to comment below or send us your suggestions.

And now a little about: Airbnb. 

While a nifty little service to by-pass overpriced hotel rooms with private accommodations at appealing rates, it takes a little understanding of terms used in the listings as well a regional customs, etc.  Remember, you're in someone else’s home be it a room or full apartment and not a hotel room so don’t expect loads of amenities, it all depends on the host’s taste.

The point being:

Our #Arty #Terrace near Eiffel Tower was not quite as Cute and Arty as it appeared in the photos and while clean, the Euro standard of living was not quite what DL was ready for. 

Also disappointing was the Room in the heart of Amsterdam Yes, it was in the heart of Amsterdam - bordering the Red Light District - but you need to know that the 1^st floor in most of Europe is the 2^nd floor to most American’s, where especially in Amsterdam, it is up some VERY STEEP stairs.  And of course the host won’t tell you in the listing that the Toilet/Shower/Sink combo doesn’t drain well – wet pants legs and all – or that cute balcony does not overlook Le Tour Eiffel, or that it’s 2 metro stops and a hike away.

  

Now this is not to say we did not enjoy Paris or Amsterdam, we DID.  It’s just that the heavy security and French Passion for Strikes put a damper on what would might have been enjoyable visits to popular monuments. 

Speaking about enjoyable… When in Paris:

By all means DO book a tour with Paul and Pauline of WEGOWALKING  one of the best “Free” tours [tip at the end according to what you feel it was worth].  Our private tours on other adventures have run from €200-300 for 3 hours.  This cost us under €50 for 3.5 hours and well worth it.

And… you must not miss a delightful, romantic and authentic dinner at Le Coup Chou by far, the BEST Boeuf Bourguignon EVER and more atmosphere in one restaurant than you’ll get anywhere.

The rest of Paris was too much to see, too little time.  Le Tour Eiffel, Le Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, obviously not to be missed. Chateau Versailles – Oh Welllllll – pray for a “No Strike” Sunny day.   {they did however, refund our online tickets – you just need to register a complaint with them}

The list of what to do and see is endless in the “City of Lights” and your best resource will always be TripAdvisor, google and your own curiosity.

DO buy your tickets online for everywhere, and everything you want to do.  In most cases it will save big bucks and beat the long lines of those that don’t. Beware of the “ADs”  {first listings} in google searches, they usually lead to a third party vendor that bundles admission tickets with stuff you'll never use for a “Discount” that really adds up to more than you need to spend.  Most desirable sites have their own websites with the actual cost and sometimes discounted for buying online.  An example of over-the-top offers is the PARIS MUSEUM PASS or PARIS VISITE cards that tout free entrance, discounts, or head of the line passes for more things than you'll ever have time to do.  Set your agenda and just buy the tickets accordingly.  At the worst, if you decide on something not in your plan, you'll pay the gate cost - and usually stand in a long line to do it - especially in PARIS.

DO buy your Metro Tickets in Paris in books of 10 called Carnet’s {Carnay}. 20% discounted to individual tickets.  The Metro in Paris is excellent, the best way around, besides UBER.

About UBER PARIS.

Excellent and VERY Reasonable.  

DO Download that app for use EVERYWHERE!

DO pay attention to the 10 day forecast for your destination and pack some form of easy to carry foul weather gear, be it a lightweight raincoat or poncho and small umbrella. However you’ll always find cheap €5 umbrellas anywhere there are tourists and Senegalese vendors. But best not to wait till you need them... then the price goes up.

DO book a tour with Lealu of That Dam Guide in Amsterdam.  While it costs €25 p/p up front, well worth it and more, especially if you are in a group of 4-6 which gives her more time to spend with you. 

Again, Google / TripAdvisor research a must for A’dam and everywhere with your own time limitations in mind, it may be a small, easy to walk place but Long lines and crowds can slow you down.  And get your tickets online.  Especially for Ann Frank House, 2-3 months in advance or you'll be standing in a long line at 3:30PM.

And last but not least… 

VIKING River Cruises.

I wish I had just their brochure budget, EVERYONE we know is on their frequent and voluminous mailing list! 

And there is such a variety of cruise offerings it would be unfair to judge them all by our recent experience.

OK, with that said… let’s take it by the Numbers.

1 - When the trip you decide on includes air fare in the price…

First DO your own detailed research on the flight or combo of flights you want.
THEN pay the extra fee to deal direct with their Air Plus [I'll be kind to them for now] department to direct them as to how you want to travel.  In actuality… they are they're own travel agent and most of the time, they will book you on the cheapest deal they can contract which may include more stops or changes than you want. A 9 hour direct flight is much better than a 22 hour multi-stop hop which will still include 8-9 hours direct.  Most of the time it will fit into their budget, and for the most part, for half the cost of what you'll spend on your own unless you have a ton of free air-miles to use.  We took their booking, with our adjustments at half the published rate or what we could get with air-miles, then cashed in half our Skymiles which more than covered the extra 7 days in Paris and Amsterdam.

2 – The allure of a full Balcony or French Balcony [sliding doors and a railing only] on a river cruise may be appealing but know this… you only get to see one side of the river that way… and when you're docked – most of the time alongside another Viking Ship - you're only view may be the balcony next to you so keeping the drapes closed till you know what’s out there is wise.  
Most of the sailing is late afternoon or at night so the best views are from the top deck or bow of the ship where there is always room to lounge with a cocktail and your camera.  Also note - no in-room service so forget about breakfast or dinner on the balcony.  The ships are small enough [180+ passengers] that a trip from the farthest cabin below to the top deck is 2 minutes away

3 – In spite of the number of hiccups we detailed in this NOWAT, Viking does an EXCELLENT job on the Ship.  Service is FIRST CLASS all the way, from the Transfers at the airport upon arrival, to the moment your step on board until the time they drop you back at your departure point. 
The Rooms Division as well as all service staff are a marvel and every one... and I mean everyone never fails to greet and acknowledge each and every guest whether in passing or directly with a smile and appropriate greeting.

The meals for the most part are Good, presentation is Excellent but closer to Banquet Food than 5 star Fine Dining. It's all in the pacing and their kitchen is TINY so in all fairness, really an enormous feat to serve 180+ in the allotted time - but you're never rushed out.
Beer and Wine with lunch and dinner [Mimosa's at Breakfast] flow freely.
The Lounge is comfortable, the Bar Staff EXCELLENT and the entertainment is passable – a pianist with laptop full of backup and current stuff.

There are also several lectures and a delightful Classical violin program for one night.

With the exception of the issues caused by the swollen river being out of their control – they really have their act together, and/or do their best to find a palatable solution.

4 – Shore Excursions.  
Dragon Chic is reluctant to give their “included” shore excursions very high marks, just "passable and pleasant".  For the most part, they are usually 1 ½ to 2 hour walks through each destination, and may or may not include a short - or sometimes due to this trips particular challenges - lengthy bus ride to get there.  While the guides are quite informative and some very entertaining, they are nothing compared to the private guides that we usually book for our adventures so we’re a bit spoiled.  That said the overall time allotted for each stop and the optional tour lengths do tend to restrict the amount of time allotted for the “Freebee” and we can’t speak to the quality etc. of the “Paid” Optional tours as both of ours were canceled.

Speaking of which, Viking was to reimburse the cancelled tours, but missed one and once again we had to deal with their "Customer Care" department, providing evidence of both paid excursions before they would reimburse both, information they should have had on hand already.

5 - Internet and the Senior Crew.
You're on a Ship - they move - so Satellite Internet connections are the norm, as with Ocean Cruises. What we found interesting was that Viking's main server is in Spain, which in most cases can be dodgy at best. This trip was no different with interrupted service for the first half of the trip also the norm. It can also affect the ships own communications. Hats off of to Stefan our Hotel Manager who, aside from running an Excellent Hotel, worked tirelessly to get this issue solved including searching us out with updates on his efforts and when we had a connection. THAT's service.
Of course we cant conclude without a BIG Smooch and warm Abrazzo for Tialfi's Concierge HANA Stevanovic, of the Dazzling Smile, shipper of forgotten Cameras and Ninja Warrior skills in solving just about any problem you presented her with, including our own little transfer challenge.
A tip of Uncle Chuck's L'il Black Cap to IRO - our HERO - dispenser of that magic Elixir of the Scottish Highlands, simply one of the Best Barman we have come across in all our travels.  
Last but not least and Most Important to this whole adventure, BOJAN Maksimovic, our program Director, who actually started his career with Carnival and soon found his place to Shine with Viking.  Always present, always visible, on top of keeping us informed, on schedule and most importantly doing whatever it took to make our Cruising and touring experience FIRST CLASS.

And Finally there was our overall Airline Experience – Air France’s Pilot Strike notwithstanding.

Those that fly around a lot probably have their own favorite horror stories of mishandled flight situations, but I'm quite sure that our latest adventure has to take a major prize or two for the number of fumbles for one trip. 

We won’t rehash all those Hiccups again other than to report the follow up to the DELTA Debacles.

You will recall we were going to have to hassle with DELTA CUSTOMER RELATIONE over reimbursement of our overnight stay in Long Island City because everything else in the area around JFK was SOLD OUT!. 

After being switched around 4 times and hung up on twice we finally reached someone who swore they could solve our issue.  Of course initially they only wanted to cover $150 of the $343 cost until Chucky VERY softly, V-E-R-Y slowly, and V-E-R-Y deliberately detailed everything else DELTA didn’t do as promised or managed to foul up along the way - and after several:

“Please Hold”

We reached a supervisor who took it upon herself to rethink their policy, and who agreed to a full reimbursement [which Chucky insisted on and got in writing] just to get him off the phone. The check eventually arrived in July [yes… HE’s a bit late in getting this wrap up out]

FINAL NOTE, when the camera arrives, we'll complete the Picasaweb album for this NOWAT, as well as in 4 days we'll put all these posts in chronological order from the top down so you and those you share them with [do they really know what they’re getting into?] can relive this most marvelous adventure of the Wacky American Tourist and Ever-Lovely Dragon Lady.

We’re sure we’re missing something but at this stage, we’re also pretty sure that if you made it this far, you're getting a bit glassy-eyed so we'll wrap-up the WRAP-UP with this:

As we look back on all the trials, tribulations, fumbles and faux pas... We REALLY DID HAVE A FUN time, Trip Gremlins and all and are already planning the next adventure of the Wacky American Tourist and Ever-Lovely Dragon Lady.  
We hope you'll be ready to join us.

So until then, Dear Hearts and Innocent Bystanders, we leave you with our traditional NOWAT Benediction:

Work like you don’t need the money.
Love like you’ve never been hurt.
Dance like nobody’s watching.
And during life's darkest moments remember the 4 most important words 

in any language:

"This Too Shall Pass!"

Ciao for Now,

Uncle Chuck & The So Happy You Joined Us

Dragon Lady