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PLEASANT- BUT NOT OVERWHELMING

14 of 20 people found this review informative
 
Reviewed By: SANDLER, ENFIELD on 16th Sep 2011
Cruise Line: Viking River Cruises Times cruised before: 10+
Cruise Ship: Viking Neptune Sailed: September, 2011
Destination: River Rhone Age: 56-65
Cabin: Outside
Just returned from the Southern France river cruise. Had a very enjoyable holiday but it was really nothing special and quite expensive. The boat is comfortable enough but the bedrooms could do with with an upgrade, no bath and a very basic shower.
This is, of course, not a cruise ship and as such facilities are more vasic, there is a sun deck but no pool and no towels provided.Excusions are included and are of a good standard although early starts are not really appreciated on holiday.Food is good with a limited choice but very innovative,lunch can either be taken in the dining room or lunch, breakfast and dinner in the dining room , there are no set tables. Staff are friendly and helpful and the Chef is a real character.
Two areas of criticism
1.although house wine is included with lunch and dinner, they sell a package for 150 eurose to cover "all"drinks, beware all is limited to certain wines that never change and only certain brands of spirit,at that price it should cover all drinks other than,perhaps, vintage champagne
2.we travelled by train,there was no porterage provided(there were 2 changes going out and one on the return) and people, some elderly, had to carry luggage quite long distances, this is quite unnacceptable when you are charged extra for train travel. Other companies manage to relieve you of your baggage in London and you next see it in your cabin

Overall a pleasant holiday, not overwhelming and not cheap. We eould travel with this company again but they would need to polish up a few areas of product first
Quality of Food4
the highlight, innovative and well presented, some people may find the choice too limited
Entertainment3
a pioanist each evening, some local entertainment and a couple of quizzes
Shore Excursions3
these were included and generally enjoyable, as everywhere quality of guides varied
Staff4
all staff wre excellent, notably the Chef Margalie, cabin steward Marta snd Maitre'd Istvan. The Captain couldn't speak English so was rarely seen
Children's Facilitiesn/a
no childern on board
Onboard Activities3
these were perfectly adequate
Cabins3
just about ok, but at these prices we should have had better
Overall Rating3
14 of 20 people found this review informative
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Comment by Horton, Dunmow (17 Oct 11 13:46) about this REVIEW
We have recently returned from the Paris and Normandy cruise on the Viking Spirit which I believe is identical to the Neptune. Just like to say that we both took advantage of the silver spirits package and found the choice of wine and spirits excellent! We drank a bottle (or two) of Sancerre every evening and anything else we requested. So if you like to indulge on holiday the 'package' is very worthwhile.
Comment by Atkin-Smith, London (19 Sep 11 16:10) about this REVIEW
Dear Mr & Mrs Sandler, We would like to welcome you home from your Portraits of Southern France cruise. We were sorry to learn that there were certain aspects of your most recent trip which were not entirely to your satisfaction. As a service industry operating in a competitive environment we are aware of the importance of customer’s comments adverse or otherwise. Viking River Cruises is committed to continuously improving customer satisfaction by enhancing our passengers' experience on our vessels and ports of call. To that end, we take all feedback very seriously and use it as a gauge for improvement. Therefore we would very much like to discuss your comments and observations; please contact us directly at Customerservices@vikingrivercruises.com. We hope to hear from you soon. Kind regards Viking River Cruises UK

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