joyb
Junior Member
Posts: 59
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Post by joyb on Jun 16, 2017 21:10:15 GMT
Took my first river cruise and found it very enjoyable with interesting sites, wonderful food and good fellow passengers. The ship was full with about 150 passengers mostly from the US with a few from Australia, New Zealand and Britain. There were 4 other Canadians.
Arrived in Zurich June 2nd via Iceland and flew Icelandair business class for the first time. I only had 40 minutes to make my connection from Edmonton but my travel agent assured me that it was a small airport, so not to worry. We were delayed in Edmonton, arriving in Iceland about 20 minutes late and it was obvious from the huge crowd of people that other flights coming in were also delayed causing a lot of panic as many were were worried they were going to miss their flights. It took about an hour before I was finally through their passport control and literally ran to my gate to find a sign saying final boarding and an agent standing waiting for me....I was the last to board! Not a good feeling and certainly not the way I like to start my holiday. Flight was good though with comfy seats and managed to sleep a bit before arriving in Zurich.
Took an optional tour of Mt. Pilatus and Lake Lucerne June 3rd. It was a beautiful clear day so the views from Mt. Pilatus were stunning. Met a few fellow passengers and we all traveled together with a local guide by bus to Basel to board our ship. Everything was so well organised and once on board we were each shown to our cabins and our luggage had already arrived. So nice to unpack everything in the closet space and shove the suitcase under the bed. My cabin was on the second deck so I had full floor to ceiling sliding doors with a wonderful view. Ship started sailing and we were off to Breisach, Germany. All meals were included on this cruise and were so plentiful and delicious. Breakfast and lunch were buffets but supper was a sit down, taking about one and a half to two hours with so many courses and choices. Local wines were served along with regional dishes which was very nice.
Will continue with my tour a bit later. I haven't seen any tale of a river cruise on this forum and hope it will be of interest to some. I would guess the average age of my fellow travelers would be 55 to 65 with the youngest being a couple in their early 40's and the oldest being a 91 year old woman traveling with her daughter....she was truly amazing and an inspiration to many.
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Post by marielouise on Jun 16, 2017 21:38:35 GMT
Thank you Joy for writing a tale. We are very interested to find out how it is and how the tours are.
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Post by solaria on Jun 16, 2017 21:40:36 GMT
thanks Joyb, I really wanted to read about someone's cruise as I would like to go on one. so many options, its hard to make a final choice. which cruise line did you go with, and which ship/boat (never know what you are supposed to call them!) Also how long was your trip? I spoke to someone locally who had gone on one a couple of years ago. they did a 15 day cruise and she felt that a bit too long.
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joyb
Junior Member
Posts: 59
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Post by joyb on Jun 17, 2017 14:25:24 GMT
Solaria, my cruise was an 8 day with Avalon Waterways. You are right, there are so many cruise lines to choose from and all offer about the same itineraries with pricing varying a bit from one to the other. The deciding factor for me came down to the single supplement being waived on the second deck as I wanted a window that I could open thinking I might get a bit claustrophobic with a fixed window. Now having done the cruise, I think the bottom level with the fixed window would have been fine for me. The rooms all have air conditioning that you can control and were very comfortable. You spend very little time in the room and the price difference between those two decks at the time I booked was about $1200/person. It's a good idea to book early to take advantage of any savings. I booked in September 2016 with a deposit and had until March 2017 to pay in full. I really enjoyed this and it is hard to compare it to a land tour as you are seeing things from a different perspective. I will be going on another one in a couple of years. Ireland is calling me for next year!
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joyb
Junior Member
Posts: 59
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Post by joyb on Jun 17, 2017 15:25:42 GMT
June 4th - Arrived in Breisach, Germany sometime during the night. Woke up this morning, opened up my drapes to see two beautiful swans looking up at me....so cute! Found out later that the two ladies staying in the cabin next to me were feeding them cookies which explains why they were so close to the ship.
After breakfast, off to an excursion through what is called The Black Forest and to see a woodworkers workshop. The forest was very dense and is in a mountain region so was quite interesting to drive through. When we arrived at the workshop, we were greeted by the woodworker, a charming 80 plus year old gentleman. We were given a demo of how he turns a block of wood into a beautiful clock. Back to the ship for lunch then departed for another bus excursion to Colmar. Colmar is a picturesque small city in the Alsace region. Absolutely beautiful with flowers everywhere and photo opportunities around every corner. Will attempt to post a few photos at the end of my tale.
Our ship was docked within walking distance from Breisach so took the opportunity to browse around a bit myself taking more pics.
June 5th - Sailing during the night to Strasbourg, France. Went on a sightseeing tour of Strasbourg which included a walking tour of the Old Town, a visit inside the cathedral and some free time to wander along the streets and do a bit of shopping with a meeting time to be taken back to the ship. Just to note, all of our walking tours included a local guide and we were split up into small groups of about 20. The Gothic Cathedral at Strasbourg was beautiful....also saw the Astronomical Clock and our guide timed it so we saw it working. Strasbourg was the first place we saw military presence with soldiers fully armed with machine guns. A rather sobering site and rather sad that this is now our reality. The local guide told us not to be alarmed as they were there for our protection.
After lunch, we were off by bus again through the Alsace wine route and a wine tasting experience. I must say I was a bit disappointed with this one as I assumed we would be seeing a vineyard and seeing how the grapes were grown but it was only a wine tasting tour. Driving through the wine route was picturesque but a stop along the way to actually see the vines would have added so much to this experience. Back to the ship for supper and relaxing in the lounge this evening listening to our on board entertainer, musician Chris (pianist/singer). Ship was docked 2 miles from the city center and some ventured back in to town by taxi which were available close by. Everyone back on board by 11:00 pm and sailing to Mannheim, Germany.
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joyb
Junior Member
Posts: 59
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Post by joyb on Jun 17, 2017 16:49:45 GMT
June 6th - Arrived in Mannheim early morning. Bus tour to see Heidelberg Castle and a walking city tour. Amazing view from the castle and we had a very entertaining local guide who explained the history of Heidelberg. This was a short stop for the morning only...back on board and sailing to Mainz.
Walking tour of Mainz in the afternoon where we follow our local guide through the rebuilt and party preserved city. Visit to the Gutenberg museum where we learn about movable types and the printing press as well as see the famous Bibles. Some free time to explore on our own and make our way back to the ship by ourselves as we were close to the city center. Back on board for supper and entertainment tonight was a local trio of two violinists and one guitarist called La Strada Trio. They were very good playing classical music and treated us to a lovely evening concert.
We stayed docked in Mainz overnight.
June 7th - Sailing to Rudesheim arriving by 8:00 am. We were docked close to town but not much time for exploring on our own as we were set to sail again by noon. Two tours were offered this morning and I decided to take both. Visiting the Siegfried's Museum of mechanical instruments which was about an hour tour and quite fascinating. Next was a visit to Rudesheimer Schloss for their famous coffee tasting experience....basically coffee, chocolate, brandy and whipped cream...delicious! Back to the ship for lunch and sailing to Koblenz.
Sailing through the Rhine Gorge which will take about 2 hours. Provided with maps of the Gorge indicating the numerous castles and our cruise director gave a running commentary about the Rhine as we were sailing. It was cool and windy out but sunny so was able to capture some nice photos of the castles and scenery of the vineyards and hills as we were passing by. Was the most beautiful and picturesque part of the Rhine that I had seen.
Arrived in Koblenz late afternoon. We were docked right in the town so I decided to skip the walking tour and venture out on my own. Quite a lovely place and enjoyed wandering the streets and taking in the scenery. Back on board for supper and sailing to Cologne with arrival around midnight.
June 8th - Took a walking tour of Cologne with a local guide who showed us the major highlights of the city. The tour ended with an explanation of the Cathedral and afterwards I was able to visit it. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is absolutely stunning. I took pictures but they certainly don't do it justice as you can't possibly get the whole cathedral in as it is so massive. Enjoyed my time exploring inside and then did some major shopping through the close by shopping district. We were docked right in the city center in a spot marked for the Viking cruise line so was nice and easy to get around.
It was nice during this whole cruise experience that we were given walking maps at each docking point with instructions on how to get around by ourselves. Felt comfortable doing this. Off to Amsterdam tonight.....my trip is coming to an end.
June 9th - Ship arrives in Amsterdam at approx. 8:00 am. We were docked right behind their Central Station. This was the only port where we were cautioned to keep our patio doors closed and locked at all times when not in our room. Security was very tight with all outside doors locked at all times. Did a canal boat cruise which would have been more enjoyable if it hadn't been pouring outside. This was the only day of the entire river cruise that rain put a bit of a damper on things. Still enjoyed the canal experience and it was interesting to see how some people actually lived on their canal boats. Walking city tour was cut a bit short due to the downpour but I don't think anyone minded being bused back to the ship for lunch.
Skies cleared in the afternoon and we were off to Zaanse Schans by bus. This is a bit of a touristy experience but found it well worth it as we saw actual working windmills and were able to go inside of one. Once inside, a guide explained how the windmill was working and those who wanted to could climb a ladder to the top for some amazing views. I took that opportunity and got some good pictures. Lots of little shops in this area for tourists, also saw how wooden shoes are made along with a cheese making factory. Nice afternoon spent here and transferred back to the ship for supper.
Captain's farewell dinner tonight which was very enjoyable. There was an optional tour this evening of the Red Light District but I did not attend and spent a nice evening with my fellow travelers.
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joyb
Junior Member
Posts: 59
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Post by joyb on Jun 17, 2017 17:10:13 GMT
June 10th - Breakfast...then we were asked to vacate our rooms by 9:00 am as staff had to clean and prepare for next sailing. Most were visiting in the lounge area waiting for their transfers to the airport or taxis to their next destination. I booked by air as a package so my transfer was included and I departed the ship at 9:45 am arriving at the airport about an hour later. My flight left at 1:30 in the afternoon so I had time to have lunch at the airport and wasn't rushed getting through security. I noticed everyone was getting scanned going through and security was certainly heightened.
Overall, my river cruise was a wonderful experience and I hope to do it again in the future. Found everything was well planned and if you did the included tours plus the optionals, there was not much free time. There were quite a few fellow passengers who were first time cruisers and said they would do it again. One younger couple I talked to said they enjoyed it but would not do another as they found it was too planned out and would have preferred more time to do their own thing. With a river cruise, it would be difficult to pre-plan any tour on your own as if there are problems with water levels, it can cause a delay in getting to the selected ports or could even turn into a bus tour between different ports. For my cruise, water levels remained good and we didn't encounter problems in that regard but that is something that people thinking of a river cruise should be aware of. This is quite an expensive way to travel and I went into it thinking if it turned into a bus tour, I was o.k. with it.
Have to go through my pictures yet and will see if I can attach a few....hope this has been an enjoyable read.
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Post by marielouise on Jun 17, 2017 18:54:30 GMT
Thank you, your tale is very helpful. When we went on an Insight tour to Budapest, Vienna and Prague, many people were heading to a Viking cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam, on our flight from Amsterdam to Budapest. We heard after on the news that, the river levels were very low and the river cruises had to bus their passengers. I remember I was surprised, since that had never occurred to us. This was in September 2015.
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Post by flyaway on Jun 18, 2017 22:10:33 GMT
Thank you for sharing your tour tale. Sounds like a lovely trip.
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