Viking Rinda Review

Paris & the Heart of Normandy Cruise

Review for Europe Cruise on Viking Rinda
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z6970018
2-5 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Apr 2019
Cabin: Veranda Stateroom

I choose this cruise because I wanted to go to Normandy to celebrate being this year marked 75 years since World War II. I had cruised prior with Viking on the Danube and I knew the type of cruise experience they provide. This cruise was no exception. Viking provided excellence in customer service which began with the airport transfer to the hotel, the transfer to our longboat, and the transfer back to the airport. Once we boarded the boat, we were all were treated as if we were royalty. Our stateroom was wonderful, and we found it to be quite roomy with lots of storage space. Our steward was terrific and he got to know us by name. Each day he kept the room tidy and well stocked of supplies. He was always asking what else he could do to make our cruise memorable. Each evening he provided turn down bed service with chocolates on the pillow case and a schedule for the following day. The food on the cruise was truly exceptional with a variety of selections offered. I especially enjoyed tasting the local flavors as we docked in various parts of the country. The wine was complimentary with each meal and the deserts were never ending. We found all the food service personnel from the waitresses, waiters, cooks, and food director truly exceptional providing exceptional customer service. Everyone wanted to make sure your dining experience was memorable.

The Concierge, Program Director, Tour Director, and the Ship's Captain were also very cordial and customer service focused. The Tour Director provided lots of information and historical references on our cruise as well as providing recommendations of places we should visit at each of our stops. During our stops we took advantage of the optional tour excursions. Everywhere we were greeted by locals who reached out and said "Welcome Back and Thanks for helping to liberate them." Two of the more memorable shore excursions included traveling to the countryside of Giverny and seeing Monet's home with the beautiful paintings and the gardens and visiting the legendary D-Day Beaches of Juno, Gold, and Omaha and the American Cemetery which is the final resting place of 10,000 US soldiers. The local tour guides were exceptionally versed on their local history which increased the educational significance of this trip. One of the guides provided us with her family history of how her grandfather led the French resistance in her community during the war and had kept a daily journal from which she is now reading and writing a book. I would recommend this cruise for any traveler wanting to experience Normandy and WWII History.

We made so many friends on our cruise which made it so much more enjoyable. We stay in contact with several families and are looking forward with traveling with them in the future. We are set to depart on another cruise this April: Majestic Fjords and Vibrant Cities and two of the families we met are going on the same cruise.

Cabin Review

Veranda Stateroom

Our stateroom was wonderful We found it to be quite roomy with lots of storage space. We had a private veranda where we had coffee in the morning while looking at the countryside from outside our room. Our steward was terrific and he got to know us by name. Each day he kept the room tidy and well stocked of supplies. He was always asking if there was anything he could do to make our cruise more memorable. Each evening he provided turn down bed service with chocolates on the pillow case and a schedule for the following day.

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