Day 4 - Heidelberg and Rüdesheim, Germany

This morning Viking Alruna is docked in Mannheim for our visit to Heidelberg. Before boarding the motorcoach, we meet our local guide for our morning tour of Heidelberg. It should be noted that Viking does an excellent job of selecting local tour guides, all of whom speak very good English and are always willing to answer any questions. It takes about 40 minutes to reach the Heidelberg castle from our dock in Mannheim. Along the way, our guide gave us some information about Mannheim, pointing out that it is the home of John Deere corporation's European headquarters.

Alruna docked in Mannheim

Our first stop is the Heidelberg Schloss (or castle) which was built in 1214. The castle sits high on a hill overlooking the city of Heidelberg.

Heidelberg Castle

Many parts of the castle are undergoing restoration, a project that will certainly take many more years. So, photography has to take a back seat to scaffolding and barriers, which seem to always find their way into the shot.

Group touring Heidelberg castle

A large terrace overlooks the city of Heidelberg and the Neckar River below. Tourists congregate here for panoramic photos.

Heidelberg and Neckar River

After our tour of the castle, the motorcoaches take us down the hill and drop us off near Hauptstrasse, the  main pedestrian street in Heidelberg. We were given about an 90 minutes of free time to explore Heidelberg on our own, or join the guide for a short walking tour. Rickee and I have been to Heidelberg before, so we wanted to do some exploring and souvenir shopping so we headed out on our own.

We are still on the hunt for a USB cable, so we walk along Hauptstrasse desperately looking for any kind of electronics store. After inquiring at a Vodaphone shop, the salesperson tells me to go to Saturn, a large electronics store which, of course, is located at the end of Hauptstrasse. Success! Saturn did have the cable, so crisis averted. We start our walk back toward the coach pick up point and I cannot resist stopping at a local Doner Kebab joint for a Doner wrap, which I eat while walking back to the coach.

Doner joints are everywhere in Europe

We re-board the coach for the drive to Gernsheim, where Viking Alruna has repositioned herself for the continuation of our journey. My Doner kebab has satisfied my hunger, and Rickee can go on one meal a day, so we decide to skip lunch and save our appetite for our dinner in Rüdesheim this evening. Before long, the Viking Alruna is headed to Rüdesheim where we will be docked overnight.

Viking Alruna docked in Rüdesheim

This evening we disembark Alruna for an optional German dinner in Rüdesheim. There were about 20 guests who joined us on this adventure which began with a mini-train ride from the boat to the restaurant. The sun is beginning to settle in the west, making for some great light for photography.

Rickee in Rüdesheim

We board the little train and enjoy a short ride into town. Rüdesheim is much bigger than I remembered from past visits. There are a lot of river boats docked here as this is one of the most visited cities on the Rhine. There are also a lot of restaurants in town, many that cater to river cruise guests. When we arrive at our restaurant, Rüdesheim Schloss, we can see many large tables reserved for a variety of cruise line guests.

Rüdesheim Schloss

By the time we arrive, the restaurant is about half full of guests and a band is playing German music. Waiters buzz in and around the dining room, delivering steins of German beer and plates of food. We sit at a large table of 10 and soon are greeted by our waiter. Two wines are offered and poured for us, and bottles are left on the table for subsequent consumption.

A salad is followed by delicious bowl of German potato soup, then a main course of sauerbraten, red cabbage, mashed potatoes and applesauce.  The final course, dessert, is a piece of apricot cake. 

Apricot cake

But, there was much more than just wine and food. During the meal, several guests participated in a group Schnapps shot. You just have to be there to believe it! Then, several guests participated in a German version of a conga line, dancing through the restaurant to the beat of the German music. It was a good meal and a great evening of rowdy German entertainment.

After dinner, a few of us decided to walk back to the boat rather than take the mini-train. It is a beautiful evening, cool and calm. Rickee and I walk through the near-empty streets of Rüdesheim. You can't get lost, just walk down until you come to the river, then turn left and keep walking. On the way back to Alruna, we counted more than 10 riverboats docked along the Rhine to visit Rüdesheim. It was nearly dark when we stepped back on board Viking Alruna.

Viking Alruna at night in Rüdesheim

Before going to our stateroom, we stopped by the Viking Lounge, where a glass-blowing demonstration was already underway.

Glass blowing demonstration

We enjoyed watching some of the demonstration, then decided to depart for bed. It has been a busy, but fun day aboard Viking Alruna.

Day 3 - Strasbourg, France

This morning, Viking Alruna is docked in Kehl, Germany, for our visit to Strasbourg, France, which just happens to be located on the other side of the Rhine from Kehl. In fact, if you are raised on one side of the Rhine, you grow up speaking German with a German accent, while if you are raised on the other side of the river, you grow up speaking French with a French accent.

Viking Alruna docked in Kehl, Germany

By 8:15am we were walking off the boat to join our local guide, Catherine. We boarded the Viking River Cruises motorcoach for the relatively short drive across the bridge (and the Rhine) to Strasbourg, France. Along the way, Catherine explains that Strasbourg is the capital of the Alsace region in northeastern France and the seat of the European Parliament. The culture and architecture here represent a blend of German and French influences. The motorcoach weaves through the morning traffic, past all of the modern buildings, until we finally arrive at the Old Town of Strasbourg.

Strasbourg

Catherine leads our walking tour group through a local park where we can begin to see the half-timbered architecture of old Strasbourg.

Catherine, our local tour guide for the day

One of the great features of all Viking River Cruises' tours is the use of the QuietVox sound system. Every stateroom has two QuietVox units for guest use on walking tours. An earpiece connected to a small receiver allows you to hear the guide's narration from up to 150 feet away. This is great for those of us who like to linger behind the group to take photos, or spend more time looking at something of interest.

Rickee’s Quiet Vox

After passing through a couple of quiet plazas, we make our way to the city's main attraction, the Gothic Cathedral Notre-Dame. The cathedral was built from 1187 to 1439. At 466 feet tall, it was the world's tallest building from 1647 to 1874.

Cathedral Notre Dame, Strasbourg

The 16th-century astronomical clock is one of the most interesting features of this amazing cathedral. Rickee toured the interior of the building with the rest of the group, while I tended to the task of getting photos from the outside, no easy task with the large crowds of tourists and locals. After the group toured the cathedral, Catherine gave us about an hour of free time in Strasbourg. We were asked to meet back at the post office for our transfer back to Viking Alruna. Rickee and I set off to do some souvenir shopping and mail some postcards. Along the way, we were lured into a boulangerie (bakery) by the smell of freshly-baked bread. We purchased a demi baguette, which we immediately began to enjoy as we walked around Strasbourg. You can't travel to France and not enjoy a French baguette!

Enjoying a baguette in Strasbourg

We returned to Viking Alruna just in time for lunch. Today, we decided to dine in the Restaurant (Deck 2) where we had a nice selection of salads and pasta from which to choose. For our main course, we both opted for Coq au Vin, chicken braised in red wine with mushrooms and pearl onions. We had to eat pretty fast because we had signed up for the optional afternoon Alsatian Wine Tasting tour.

We met with our next tour guide, Anna, for our afternoon wine tasting tour. The tour began with a motorcoach drive through the Alsatian wine region to the small town of Obernai. A brief walking tour of Obernai was an unexpected treat.

St. Peter and St. Paul's Church in Obernai

As with most walking tours, free time is built in so we had some free time to walk through Obernai, do some exploring on our own, and of course, purchase more souvenirs!

Walking through the streets of Obernai

After re-boarding the motorcoach, we took a short drive to the Zeyssolff winery in Gertwiller where we were greeted by one of the owners. The winery has been owned and operated by the same family for several generations.

We were each given a small tasting glass and our host began pouring samples of his wines. First, a Riesling, which was much dryer than the Rieslings we are used to. Next, we sampled the Pino Gris, probably our favorite of the five wines we tasted. As the tasting continued, we were led into the barrel room where we stood between the huge wooden barrels used to store and age the wine.

Barrel Room

At the conclusion of the tasting, we were able to visit the winery's shop where some guests purchased bottles to take home, or to enjoy during the remainder of the cruise. Another benefit of a Viking River Cruise is that you can bring local wines back on board and enjoy them without any fear of confiscation. At the conclusion of the tour, we boarded the coach for the drive back to Kehl to rejoin Viking Alruna.

We were back on board just in time to attend the Explorer's Society Cocktail Reception. Several members of the senior staff were on hand to greet us, each one wearing a Viking "helmet".

Dewi (Program Director) and Evelyn (Hotel Director) greet repeat guests

The Explorer's Society is Viking River Cruises loyalty program for repeat guests. The reception was held in the Aquavit Lounge (Deck 3 forward) and guests were offered their drink of choice and a selection of hors d'oeuvres. Even the Captain was on hand to greet and visit with everyone, and yes, he, too, was wearing the Viking hat! Evelyn, the Hotel Director, led all of us in a traditional toast with the national drink of Scandinavia, Aquavit. Her method of toasting was a bit interesting as she removed her jacket, rolled up one sleeve, placed the glass in the crook of her elbow and hoisted the drink to her mouth. A rare talent, for sure!

Evelyn demonstrates the traditional way to toast with Aquavit

Everyone had a great time at the reception. It was another wonderful day aboard Viking Alruna!

Day 2 - Breisach and Colmar

I started out early this morning with my ritual of working on the blog while enjoying a pot of coffee. Many of you know that when I travel, I take my own coffee and French press with me. Since our Veranda Suite is right next to the third-floor lobby on Viking Alruna, I am just a few steps from the ship's 24-hour coffee station where I can get hot water for my French press. Very convenient! This morning I am reminded of how woefully slow the satellite Internet connections are on river cruises. I happen to be testing Skyroam™ on this sailing, a portable WiFi hotspot. Basically, Skyroam™ uses cell phone technology to create a WiFi hotspot.

Skyroam WiFi hotspot

When I turned on the Skyroam™, it took a few seconds to attempt to make a connection, indicated by small bars (like on a cell phone), but I could see it was struggling. I assumed it could be because there was another Viking ship parked right next to us, plus it was positioned inside my stateroom. I decided to put the Skyroam out on our balcony and, instantly, I got a 3G connection. Once I selected the Skyroam™ hotspot on my laptop, I was stunned at the difference in internet speed. I am going to be doing some more testing along the Rhine over the next couple of weeks, but my first impressions of this product are very good.

Skyroam connected instantly when placed on balcony

While most Alruna guests joined the 8:30am excursion to the Black Forest, Rickee and I decided that, since we took this excursion just a few years ago, we would remain on board Alruna. This gave us the opportunity to get some good photos of the ship and take a morning walk into Breisach. The weather so far has been beautiful, making this cool morning the perfect time to explore the Sun Deck on Alruna. This is definitely the place to be when the ship is sailing down (or up) the Rhine. There is a lot of seating, and guests can pick whether they want to be in the sun or not. All Viking Longships have their own herb garden (and yes, the chef does use the herbs), shuffleboard court and golf putting green.

Herb garden on Alruna’s sun deck

After checking out the Sun Deck, I decided to walk into Breisach, less than 1/4 of a mile from where the boat is docked. Before walking into town, I could not resist taking a photo of Viking Alruna and her sister riverboat, Viking Hlin, moored right next to each other in Breisach. It is common for riverboats to dock next to each other in this fashion in order to share a single dock. The ships have all been constructed so that guests can easily walk through the lobby of the other vessels to get to shore.

Viking Alruna and Viking Hlin in Breisach, Germany

It is Sunday, so most businesses in Breisach are closed and the traffic is very light. There are a few people walking around, but it is basically very quiet here this morning. I decide to get a closer look at St. Stephan's cathedral, an imposing structure positioned on a hill and visible from the river. Getting to the cathedral requires a walk up steep cobblestone streets, but it is well worth the effort.

St. Stephan’s Cathedral in Breisach

The cathedral was built between the 12th and 15th centuries and reflects Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. A restoration project is ongoing to repair damage suffered during WWII.

This afternoon, we signed up for the optional excursion to the medieval town of Colmar, France. At 2pm, we stopped by Reception to get our tour ID cards (45A today) which are used to identify the motorcoach and guide with whom we will be traveling. This is a very simple and effective system. Basically, when you walk off the boat, you simply look for a motorcoach with a sign that matches your ID card, or a local guide holding a "lollipop" sign with the number, and you are set!

Tour ID cards match motorcoach signs

Once onboard our motorcoach, we are greeted by our tour guide, Jack. During the 45-minute drive to Colmar, Jack gives us some valuable information about the region. Colmar is located in the Alsace region of France, near the border with Germany. The city is on the Alsace Wine Route, and local vineyards specialize in Riesling and Gewürztraminer wines. Colmar's Old Town's cobblestone streets are lined with half-timbered houses, many dating back to the 13th century.

Colmar’s half-timbered houses date back to the 13th century

During the tour, Jack pointed out that many of the houses have second floors that extend out beyond the bottom floor, and a third-floor that extends out even further, as you can see in the photo above. The reason? Taxes. Back in the day, taxes were levied based on the square footage of land the building occupied. By extending the second and third floors outward, the owner was able to acquire a little more interior space without paying higher taxes. And, another added benefit of jutting out each upper level was highly evident when it came time to empty the chamber pots through the opened windows!

Local guide, Jack, explains the significance of Bartholdi

Jack also pointed out many businesses that were identified by "Hansi" signs designed by Jean-Jacques Waltz, a French artist and pro-France activist. The unique and colorful signs accurately identified the type of business while making a subtle political statement.

Example of a Hansi sign for a local butcher shop

Along our walking tour, we come to perhaps the most impressive structure in Colmar: St. Martin's church dating back to 1234.

St. Martin’s Church, Colmar

At the end of the tour, Jack gave us about an hour of free time to explore the narrow streets and local shops of Colmar. Even though it is Sunday and many shops are closed, a few souvenir shops and cafes are open. Rickee and I find a souvenir shop to purchase some gifts for friends and family back home. We cannot resist a local "biscuiterie" where we purchase a bag of delicious hand-made coconut macaroons. We meet Jack and the group at the designated time and meeting spot and walk back to the motorcoach for the drive back to Breisach. This optional tour is available at an additional cost, but in our opinion, it was well worth it!

Day 1 - Basel City Walk and Embarkation

A few days before our departure from DFW, we received an email from Viking saying that, due to technical difficulties, Viking Alruna would not be able to meet us in Basel as planned. Instead, we would meet the boat in Breisach, Germany. Viking offered us several options to mitigate the itinerary change, one of which was a 1.5-hour Basel walking tour followed by a coach transfer to the ship in Breisach. This sounded like the best option for us. After a nice breakfast at Swissôtel's Grill 25, we were met by Patrick from Limousine Services Switzerland who agreed to transfer us to the Radisson Blu Hotel to meet up with the walking tour and ship transfer.

Rickee and Patrick

Originally, we had scheduled Patrick to transfer us from Swissôtel to Viking Alruna in Basel. But, after we received the change in itinerary from Viking, Patrick was gracious, and flexible, and agreed to instead transfer us to the Radisson Blu hotel. Patrick's Mercedes mini-van was comfortable, spotlessly clean and held all of our luggage. It could easily transport six adults comfortably. When we arrived at the Radisson Blu, we met with Viking representatives who took our luggage for transfer to the ship. We joined a small group of 12 for the 11am walking tour and off we went.

One of Basel’s many impressive cathedrals

As with most European city tours, a lot of focus is on churches and cathedrals. Not only are these buildings historic, but they represent the height of architecture and construction at the time they were built. Interestingly enough, now some of these structures are privately owned and available for rent for parties or other events. This came about when the city of Basel, which owned the historic buildings, was considering tearing them down because of the high cost of maintaining them. Some private citizens stepped in and purchased the historic sites, thus saving that part of Basel's history.

Stained glass windows are impressive

The Basel city walk was supposed to last one hour and a half, but it ended up being closer to three hours before we boarded the motor coach. This tour requires one to be reasonably physically fit as there are a few uneven surfaces and some moderate inclines. We were given about 30 minutes of free time to explore the Old Town on our own, an area with which we have now become quite familiar, having visited Basel three times. By 2:00 pm, our guide, Marcia, had led us to the waiting spot for the motor coach. When the coach arrived, we were all anxious to sit down and relax in the air conditioned comfort and enjoy the drive to Breisach. The drive only took about 45 minutes and when we arrived in Breisach, we could see Viking Alruna docked next to Viking Hlin.

Viking Longship Alruna docked in Breisach, Germany

We were welcomed aboard Viking Alruna by our Hotel Manager, Evelyn. Check-in took only a few minutes and soon we were being escorted to our beautiful suite 304. Viking Alruna is basically brand new. In fact, this will be her fourth sailing! Everything is shiny and new, as you would expect. We look forward to exploring this new longship over the next seven days. When we boarded, we were informed that lunch was still being served until 3pm, so Rickee and I decided to pop into the restaurant for a quick bite. They were serving a light lunch of soup, salads and a Cuban pork sandwich. Is was the perfect light meal to get us by until dinner.

At 4pm, there was a nice wine and cheese tasting in the Aquavit Terrace. There was a nice selection of interesting cheeses and a choice of Malbec (red) or Savignon Blanc (white) house wines.

An interesting walnut cheese at the wine and cheese tasting

After a glass of wine, Rickee and I decided to walk into Breisach, which is just 100 yards or so from the dock. We found a local souvenir shop where we purchased a couple of souvenirs to take home. I was hoping to find a store that would have a USB cable, as I foolishly left mine at home. However, we were informed that none of the shops selling such items were open on Sunday! Interesting. We walked back to the boat and finished unpacking our luggage.

Tomorrow, the ship will still be in Breisach and we are planning a visit to the medieval village of Colmar.

Viking Alruna Pre-Cruise: Arriving in Basel, Switzerland

We landed at London Heathrow airport about 30 minutes ahead of schedule on AA flight 50 from DFW. The flight itself was pretty uneventful up until the last two hours when the flight attendants paged for any doctors on board to tend to a sick passenger. A few rows behind us, we could see a group of doctors and nurses assisting one of the passengers, who appeared to have suffered a heart attack. The doctors and nurses were able to stabilize him enough to prevent the Captain from having to land in Shannon, Ireland. However, as soon as we landed at Heathrow, paramedics boarded the plane to evacuate the passenger. In spite of the medical emergency delay, we were able leave the aircraft in enough time to make our tight (90 minute) connection to our flight to Basel.

As soon as we exited Customs and baggage claim in Basel, I noticed Mark with EdelSwiss holding a sign with my name. EdelSwiss provides a wide variety of ground transportation services including sightseeing tours and even airport transfers from Zurich to Basel. We will discuss more about EdelSwiss in an upcoming review.

Mark from EdelSwill Limousine

On the drive from the airport to our hotel, Mark took time to share information about Basel, including how to get from our hotel to the old city of Basel. Once we arrived at the Swissôtel Le Plaza, Mark quickly unloaded our luggage and we were greeted by the hotel's Concierge who escorted us into the hotel and to the Reception desk for a quick check-in. Our luggage was delivered to our room while we took a few moments to explore the hotel lobby and check things out.

Swissôtel Le Plaza, Basel

In the lobby area, we could see a Viking River Cruises' hospitality desk. This hotel is one of three Basel hotels that Viking River Cruises uses for its guests. The hotel lobby has a large lounge area filled with new furnishings, making it a comfortable place to relax and enjoy a drink, or use the complimentary WiFi to check your email. We were greeted by Melanie Frey, the hotel's Director of Sales and Marketing, who graciously invited us to join her for lunch at Grill 25, the hotel's restaurant. We accepted Melanie's invitation and agreed to meet her after an hour to freshen up and check out our room. When we entered our room (603), we were pleased, but not surprised, to find my large blue duffle bag waiting for me. I had shipped the bag to the hotel using Luggage Forward and, once again, they came through with a perfect delivery. Shipping your luggage ahead using Luggage Forward is super convenient when traveling abroad. Not having to deal with airline luggage handling, wasting time at baggage claim waiting for luggage, or dealing with the frustration of lost luggage, makes Luggage Forward a special service.

My blue duffle bag shipped by Luggage Forward and waiting in hotel room

I had enough time to wash my face and have a quick shave before we headed to the lobby to meet Melanie for lunch at Grill 25. The restaurant was remodeled a few years ago and Melanie sang the praises of the restaurant's burger, which she claimed to be the "best burger in Basel." How could we resist that? 

Grill 25 at Swissôtel Le Plaza

The restaurant is contemporary, with an impressive salad bar and open kitchen. There is a lot of comfortable seating, both indoors and out. When our burgers arrived, Rickee and I looked at each other as if to say "why didn't we just order one and share it?" The menu showed the burger at 200g, but we are not used to seeing meat weighed in grams. A quick conversion on my laptop shows that is nearly 1/2 a pound of beef!

Lunch menu at Grill 25

The burger was huge and dressed with melted Swiss cheese, a red onion jam and chipotle mayonnaise. The chipotle definitely gave the burger an unexpected "kick", something you would expect in Texas, not Switzerland. The burger was delicious, albeit a bit pricey at 29 CHF (about $29.75 USD). I also tried the salad bar (only 8 CHF) which was quite varied, and would have been a substantial meal in and of itself. After the excellent lunch, Rickee and I were both ready for a well-deserved nap after our overnight flight. However, we could not resist Melanie's offer to show us around the property first. In our final review of Swissôtel Le Plaza, we will cover the details of our findings. After the brief tour, we headed to our room for a two-hour nap. We never want to sleep too long after an overnight flight. Otherwise it will take longer to shed the effects of jet lag. We woke up around 5pm and decided to head out for a walk to Old Town Basel.

Even though Swissôtel is not located in the Old Town, the city's tram system runs right in front of the hotel, making it a 5-minute journey to the center of Old Town. The trams are clean, efficient and are an excellent way to get around the city. And, upon check-in, Swissôtel guests receive a "mobility ticket" giving you free use of the tram system!

Tram in Basel, Switzerland

The weather this afternoon was so perfect, we decided to skip the tram and walk to Old Town. It is pretty simple: just walk out the front door of the hotel, turn left at the corner, and keep walking! It took about 15 minutes at a leisurely pace to reach the Middle Bridge which happens to be the largest and oldest bridge crossing the Rhine river. The bridge was completed in 1225!

Middle Bridge

After you cross Middle Bridge, you arrive at Old Town Basel. Just a couple of blocks from Middle Bridge we find a plaza where we can see the sun hitting Rathaus, the city's Town Hall and one of the most beautiful buildings in Basel.

Rathaus

We keep walking up the cobblestone streets until we walk past Hotel Basel, where we stayed in 2014 during our last visit to Basel. Continuing up the hill we find Tapas Del Mar, an interesting little restaurant. The walk has made us ready for a glass of wine or beer, so we find a table for two inside the little restaurant.

Tapas Del Mar

We could not resist ordering the Pimientos Padrones, little peppers that are seared in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. We had these for the first time in Barcelona about a year earlier and fell in love with them. We shared an order of the Pimientos and an order of Bruschetta (tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and basil on crusty bread). Both were excellent, and just enough to complement my glass of Syrah and Rickee's local beer.  As we dined, some local street performers serenaded us with Spanish guitar music and the place began to fill up. The total bill was only 31 CHF (about $32 USD), a real bargain. Our visit to Tapas Del Mar was another one of those little treats you sometimes find when you just get out and walk around on your own.

After our light dinner, we walked back to our hotel (about 20 minutes) as it was just starting to get dark outside. It was a great day in Basel. This is a city that everyone should visit when traveling to Switzerland.

Flying to Europe from DFW

Early this afternoon, our BLACKLANE driver showed up at our home about 10 minutes early for our private transfer to DFW airport. Amin greeted us with a smile and quickly loaded our luggage into the back of his black Ford Expedition. This was our first experience using BLACKLANE, and I have to say, we were impressed. Not only did the driver show up early, he called to let us know he was in front of the house. And, BLACKLANE sent an email earlier that morning with the driver’s name and phone number.

Amin's Ford Expedition provided a roomy and comfortable ride to DFW

Amin was very friendly and we appreciated the cleanliness of his vehicle. Complimentary bottled water was also provided for us. In less than 15 minutes, Amin was dropping us off at Terminal D for our 3:45 flight to London.

Complimentary bottled water provided by Amin

After checking in at the Priority Desk and learning that our chances of getting an upgrade to Business Class were slim to none, we wrestled our way through TSA PreCheck security, where I had to surrender another nice Swiss Army Knife. Damn! I never learn. I think this is the third pocket knife I have had confiscated by TSA. By the way, TSA PreCheck is a God-send. If you do not have Global Entry, you should if you fly more than twice a year. It is well worth it.

Once through security, we found our way to Gate 17 and the American Express Centurion Lounge. The Centurion Lounge is complimentary for American Express Platinum Members and I have been a member since 1987. The Centurion Lounge has some advantages over the Admiral's Club (American Airlines' lounge). First, drinks are free and they have a substantial complimentary buffet. Add comfortable seating and free WiFi and you can see why this is a popular place. They even offer complimentary massage and manicures!

The Centurion Lounge is at Gate D17 at DFW

Soon we were heading to our departure gate and boarding AA Flight 50 to London Heathrow. We were fortunate enough to get confirmed seats in Main Cabin Extra, American's version of "Premium Economy". Basically, it's an economy seat with a little extra legroom. But, on a ten-hour flight, even a little extra room can make a big difference. We were in 18B and 18C, the very back row in Main Cabin Extra. These are great seats because they recline, but there is nobody sitting behind you to inconvenience. Fortunately, American has updated the entertainment systems on the 777-300ER used for this flight. There is a good selection of movies and TV shows on demand.

Updated entertainment system

And, the 777-300 now has international WiFi service...finally! I did not get a chance to try out the service on this flight, but plan to on the flight back to DFW.

WiFi service available on 777-300

Tomorrow morning we will arrive at London Heathrow where we have a very short connection to Basel, Switzerland.

Viking Alruna Pre-Cruise: MyVikingVoyage Website

Most cruise lines now offer some form of online check-in through their website. Viking Cruises' "MyVikingVoyage.com" is the website where Viking guests can customize their upcoming vacation through a very organized set of web pages. After we received our booking number for our Viking Longship Alruna sailing, we were invited to visit MyVikingVoyage.com to set up a new account.

MyVikingVoyage home page

The home page of MyVikingVoyage.com is a summary of the cruise itinerary and other pertinent information. You can easily select your shore excursions from the list of included excursions as well as optional (for a fee) excursions. A shopping cart mechanism allows you to select all optional excursions for the trip, then pay at the end. The cost of the excursions is very competitive with other cruise lines. When you click the More Info button for an excursion, a window pops up with a complete description of the activity including the activity level, a very helpful feature for those with mobility issues.

Excursions are scheduled for morning, afternoon or evening and some are long enough to cover two time periods. Fortunately,the system will alert you if you attempt to book an excursion that conflicts with another previously selected excursion (see example above).

On all Viking cruises (river or ocean), your cruise fare includes at least one excursion in each port, so many may not find it necessary to book any optional excursions. The included excursions make a Viking River/Ocean cruise a great value.

At any time, you can review your Calendar to see what you have planned for each day of the journey.

Calendar shows all pre-booked excursions

Viking recommends that you use the website to pre-book excursions as space may be limited. Even included excursions should be pre-booked to ensure availability.

You can order Viking's optional Silver Spirits Premium beverage package, which appears to be one of the most generous and affordable beverage programs we have seen. For about $30 per person/per day, you can enjoy unlimited cocktails, premium wines, beers and juices and receive a bottle of sparkling wine. It should be noted that Viking includes complimentary red and white wine with lunch and dinner each day. Also, their bar menu has some of the most competitive drink prices in the industry.

The MyVikingVoyage.com website is an easy-to-navigate site and a great way to plan out your Viking cruise in advance. It is one of the nicest cruise line websites we have seen to date. Now that we have booked our excursions, we are really getting excited to sail with Viking River Cruises again!