Uniworld River Beatrice, 4/10/16 Budapest to Passau

Tuesday, April 19 - Home

 

 

So four years after we had originally planned to cruise the Danube, and three years after the floods prevented our second try, we finally made it. It was a great trip and we have lots of fun memories...and lots of places to go back to. Thanks for following along and for those of you who do this itinerary in the future, we hope that you have as much fun as we did!

Bravo! Well done:) It's fun to compare "notes" and pictures.....And, discover what we missed.....

Robin

Thank you, jp, for your great review and pictures. Your reports are always a big help.

Thanks for taking us along for the ride. Time to start planning your next trip! :D

What's with that???

Bravo! Well done:) It's fun to compare "notes" and pictures.....And, discover what we missed.....

 

Robin

Thanks - though it seems like you have done a great job with planning activities yourself - looking forward to the rest of your review too!

Thank you, jp, for your great review and pictures. Your reports are always a big help.

Thanks - some days I thought I'd never get it done. Quite a relief to be finished! We sure managed to see a lot.

Thanks for taking us along for the ride. Time to start planning your next trip! :D

 

Future:

 

Nothing yet...have to get something booked!

 

What's with that???

Yeah...it's a serious problem! Chris and I are not very happy about this!

We don't have anything else planned this year because our group travel plans are taking a big chunk of our 2016 vacation time. We have an amazing trip to Madagascar and South Africa planned for later this year, which will be something special for sure. But, the trip will take three full weeks. So no more time for big trips until 2017.

The group is trying to come up with a 2017 plan, but accommodating all four couples' schedules is getting tricky. Until we know what we're doing as a group we don't want to plan too much big stuff on our own. We think we're getting close to a consensus date in late spring/early summer, so we are now looking at possibly doing the Uniworld trip to India in Feb 2017, and a Silver Explorer cruise from Guayaquil to Valparaisio in Oct/Nov 2017. If both of those come to fruition, plus a group trip, it will be an excellent travel year for us. :D

I certainly enjoyed your report and pictures. I would encourage you do add the Irrawaddy to your list of trips to consider. It ranks up there with the an incredible safari and the galapagos trip and behind a really enjoyable Amazon Machu Picchu trip.

Choices are wonderful aren't they!

JP,

As always, thanks for taking the time to post such a great review. I'll miss looking for and enjoying each installment.

We couldn't see the Alps from Salzburg on our trip, either, but I'd been there before so I know they're there. I had to take a photo of the Golden Arches sign, too!

Happy trails to you and Chris.

JP and Chris, I have loved your review! Some places brought back great memories (Salzburg and Vienna) and other places moved up my bucket list to the "must see soon" category (especially Budapest)!

Love all your wonderful pictures! One of these days I'm going to learn how to do that! I feel like I have shortchanged all the folks on the Viking Rhine Getaway thread where I am a couple of days away from finishing a review of our recent cruise. I have so many wonderful pictures, and can't figure out how to post them. So for now, it is a text only review. Then I'm off to take a computer class!!

Can't wait for your next trip! You make us feel like we are right there traveling with you!

Thank you JP and Chris for the wonderful review, I am sad it is over. You sure had a great time and saw so many places. The last day in Munich rounded it up nicely, I think, and the food on your plane looked worthy of a restaurant. But how come BA serves food that is really German?? At least the main course, for sure. Admittedly on a plane flight I would not fancy stilton soup, but a small piece of lamb would be nice. :) I would have also prefered a Gewürztraminer to a Chardonnay.

About the golden M in Salzburg... it reminds me... I did not think I would ever recommend an M-fast-food-place but go and see the one in Budapest when you are there, everyone. I could only see it from a coach, but have a look on tripadvisor for photos. Fantastic. Some claim it is the most beautiful M-place in the world. If I had a chance, hopefully I can get to Budapest again some time, I would gone in, wonder around in a daze, accidentally bumping into people, and after "architecture-admiring-overload" leave without having eaten anything. :D

Your photos brought back so many memories of my trip, cannot wait to get on a river boat again, if only for a few hours.

notamermaid

JP and Chris, I have loved your review! Some places brought back great memories (Salzburg and Vienna) and other places moved up my bucket list to the "must see soon" category (especially Budapest)!

 

Love all your wonderful pictures! One of these days I'm going to learn how to do that! I feel like I have shortchanged all the folks on the Viking Rhine Getaway thread where I am a couple of days away from finishing a review of our recent cruise. I have so many wonderful pictures, and can't figure out how to post them. So for now, it is a text only review. Then I'm off to take a computer class!!

 

Can't wait for your next trip! You make us feel like we are right there traveling with you!

Thanks - I will be sure to go look for your review. Posting pictures is a bit of a clunky process but once you work out the kinks it's not bad. I did one or two text-only reviews before I figured it out. :)

Budapest is definitely worth a visit.

Thank you JP and Chris for the wonderful review, I am sad it is over. You sure had a great time and saw so many places. The last day in Munich rounded it up nicely, I think, and the food on your plane looked worthy of a restaurant. But how come BA serves food that is really German?? At least the main course, for sure. Admittedly on a plane flight I would not fancy stilton soup, but a small piece of lamb would be nice. :) I would have also prefered a Gewürztraminer to a Chardonnay.

 

About the golden M in Salzburg... it reminds me... I did not think I would ever recommend an M-fast-food-place but go and see the one in Budapest when you are there, everyone. I could only see it from a coach, but have a look on tripadvisor for photos. Fantastic. Some claim it is the most beautiful M-place in the world. If I had a chance, hopefully I can get to Budapest again some time, I would gone in, wonder around in a daze, accidentally bumping into people, and after "architecture-admiring-overload" leave without having eaten anything. :D

 

Your photos brought back so many memories of my trip, cannot wait to get on a river boat again, if only for a few hours.

 

notamermaid

Sorry for being vague - we flew Delta from Munich to Atlanta. Delta doesn't have their own lounge in Munich, so they let you use the BA lounge.

Thanks for giving us another reason to go back to Budapest! We avoid McD's at home - once every few years I will buy a coffee there if I am desperately tired. But I bet it's been more than 10 years since we've eaten their food. So I don't usually go to them when traveling either. Will have to remember to look for it when we return.

JP,

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to post such a great review. I'll miss looking for and enjoying each installment.

 

We couldn't see the Alps from Salzburg on our trip, either, but I'd been there before so I know they're there. I had to take a photo of the Golden Arches sign, too!

 

Happy trails to you and Chris.

Thanks for the kind words; glad you enjoyed it. Do you have anything planned between now and Egypt? I can't remember if you've posted about it recently.

I really wish that I'd kept a good trip log for our Egypt trip. I started one, but stopped after the first or second day of the cruise. Someone really needs to do a picture review (hint, hint). ;)

I certainly enjoyed your report and pictures. I would encourage you do add the Irrawaddy to your list of trips to consider. It ranks up there with the an incredible safari and the galapagos trip and behind a really enjoyable Amazon Machu Picchu trip.

 

Choices are wonderful aren't they!

Yes, there are so many amazing choices out there. We haven't heard much about the Irrawaddy cruise, nor do we know much about that part of the world. Something else to add to the list, it seems. :D

Thanks for your comments and for following along.

Thanks so much JP and Chris. I'm excited to leave Thursday for Tauck AMS-BUD and your style, enthusiasm and detail has added so much to my anticipation. I'll miss my daily dose. Have great travels and keep us posted. Cheers!

A big Thanks from me as well JP...

You have been so helpful to me!

Norway & Iceland are on our list so I'll be checking out another of your blogs! And will keep an eye on your future travels...your blogs are fun & helpful!

Are you going to be popping back in if I have more questions??

Chris

Thanks so much JP and Chris. I'm excited to leave Thursday for Tauck AMS-BUD and your style, enthusiasm and detail has added so much to my anticipation. I'll miss my daily dose. Have great travels and keep us posted. Cheers!

Enjoy your cruise! That sounds like a very fun itinerary. Lots of great stops.

A big Thanks from me as well JP...

 

You have been so helpful to me!

 

Norway & Iceland are on our list so I'll be checking out another of your blogs! And will keep an eye on your future travels...your blogs are fun & helpful!

 

Are you going to be popping back in if I have more questions??

 

Chris

Sure, I'll be here. I get a notification when people post on this thread, so I will eventually work my way back here to reply, answer questions, etc.

Iceland sure is great. We've done a few cruise stops, and also we've done two land-based trips there. One 4-day stay post-cruise about 2 years ago, and another where we flew from the US in January for a few days. Can't get enough of the beautiful landscapes and the great geological features. I wish I had continued my August 2014 blog with the post-stay in Iceland...it was so much fun!

Thanks for the kind words; glad you enjoyed it. Do you have anything planned between now and Egypt? I can't remember if you've posted about it recently.

 

I really wish that I'd kept a good trip log for our Egypt trip. I started one, but stopped after the first or second day of the cruise. Someone really needs to do a picture review (hint, hint). ;)

 

No other river cruises planned. In June we're doing a train trip from Vancouver through the Canadian Rockies and back. Thinking of Hudson River fall colors cruise in 2017. Much tamer itineraries!

 

I must figure out how to post photos on CC. I've looked at advice about how to do it but I couldn't quite figure it out.

JP. We also have discussed Uniworld's India itinerary but DH is not as keen as I am.

Wow I loved every bit of your postings. We leave in 2 weeks for the Danube from Budapest to Nuremberg but going on Emerald Waterways. I loved the pictures, the descriptions and everything.

Thank you for sharing! I felt like I was traveling with you.

Thanks so much for the review!!!!! What memories came back and what a treat to see cities at a different season. We first read your review when we were planning our Silversea trip to see the Penguins and as usual your advice was spot on. Thanks again, keep traveling and taking the rest of us along.

Pat

No other river cruises planned. In June we're doing a train trip from Vancouver through the Canadian Rockies and back. Thinking of Hudson River fall colors cruise in 2017. Much tamer itineraries!

 

I must figure out how to post photos on CC. I've looked at advice about how to do it but I couldn't quite figure it out.

 

...

 

JP. We also have discussed Uniworld's India itinerary but DH is not as keen as I am.

You certainly have some beautiful landscapes coming up - the Canadian Rockies train sounds amazing. My aunt did that a few years back. May be a little tame for us... ;) but now and then we look at whether we can get in a quick trip to Banff. Hasn't happened yet.

What ship does a Hudson River fall cruise? That would be in our neck of the woods. As is typically the case, I have no idea of something that close to us...

India is looking like it might just happen. We have a hold on the room that expires tomorrow, and I'm looking at flights today. Weighing the option of flying out of Albany (10 minutes drive from our house, but two stops to Delhi) vs. driving to JFK (3 hour drive in annoying traffic, but only one airplane stop). The Albany option is looking better, but that will be today's lunch-time conversation with Chris.

It's never been the highest priority on our list but it does look like a very interesting tour, and many fellow travelers and friends have told us that we need to see it. The timing is great too; who wouldn't want to get out of the Northeast in February? Average temps for that time of year look to be 70s and 80s - what's not to like?

I hope you can figure out the picture thing in time for Egypt.

Wow I loved every bit of your postings. We leave in 2 weeks for the Danube from Budapest to Nuremberg but going on Emerald Waterways. I loved the pictures, the descriptions and everything.

 

Thank you for sharing! I felt like I was traveling with you.

I hope that you have as much fun as we did. Glad that you enjoyed a preview of some of your trip. Now your job is to go and see all the stuff that we missed!

Thanks so much for the review!!!!! What memories came back and what a treat to see cities at a different season. We first read your review when we were planning our Silversea trip to see the Penguins and as usual your advice was spot on. Thanks again, keep traveling and taking the rest of us along.

Pat

That Antarctic cruise was our first on SS and it got us hooked. We are seriously looking at a sailing next October on Silver Explorer. If we do it, that will be our fourth cruise on that ship. Love it. These days, we are finding that the "regular" ships' itineraries seem a little less exciting to us than the itineraries offered aboard the expedition ships.

You certainly have some beautiful landscapes coming up - the Canadian Rockies train sounds amazing. My aunt did that a few years back. May be a little tame for us... ;) but now and then we look at whether we can get in a quick trip to Banff. Hasn't happened yet.

 

What ship does a Hudson River fall cruise? That would be in our neck of the woods. As is typically the case, I have no idea of something that close to us.

 

 

American Cruise Lines. Definitely a leisurely pace with senior citizen demographic, for the most part. It sails from NYC to Albany and back. We'll have to go with the mind-set of just kicking back. We have friends in NYC we'd like to see so that's a plus.

JP just want to thank you again for this wonderful blog. It has been very helpful to me, a visual learner. I now know I MUST visit Salzburg on my cruise. I know it will be a long day but who knows when we will have another opportunity. We are going post cruise to Munich and I was so glad that you recommended a Bier Hall. I also realize that Budapest offers so much that we won't have the opportunity to see do to time restraints. But AMA does include the nighttime illuminations cruise-by on day 1! Whew! One last question. Which sources does Chris use to make up her detailed index cards? I'd like to check it out. Thanks again!

American Cruise Lines. Definitely a leisurely pace with senior citizen demographic, for the most part. It sails from NYC to Albany and back. We'll have to go with the mind-set of just kicking back. We have friends in NYC we'd like to see so that's a plus.

 

Sounds fun! I looked at your itinerary - I know most of those places...we lived in Kingston for a few years and I grew up further south so I've heard of West Point, Poughkeepsie, etc. And of course, we know Albany... ;) If you have questions about what to do anywhere, ask away as the time gets nearer.

 

JP just want to thank you again for this wonderful blog. It has been very helpful to me, a visual learner. I now know I MUST visit Salzburg on my cruise. I know it will be a long day but who knows when we will have another opportunity. We are going post cruise to Munich and I was so glad that you recommended a Bier Hall. I also realize that Budapest offers so much that we won't have the opportunity to see do to time restraints. But AMA does include the nighttime illuminations cruise-by on day 1! Whew! One last question. Which sources does Chris use to make up her detailed index cards? I'd like to check it out. Thanks again!

 

Thanks for your comments; glad you liked it and found it helpful.

 

For her cards, Chris uses every source she can find. She will start with a standard city or country guidebook to get an idea of what there is to see in our destination. She'll research further with Trip Advisor, and whatever else she can find. Once she has compiled a hit list, then she'll go to the individual places' websites to get admission fares, hours, etc.

 

Her research takes a very long time...but once she has her index cards done, they are an invaluable resource that we save and can use again on subsequent visits. We both get a kick out of checking stuff off once on the cards we're done with a trip. :D

 

So while she's doing all of that, I'm mapping all of the locations, figuring out public transport options, buying plane/train tickets, and generally pulling my weight too, as far as planning goes.

 

PS - I saw your other post about Munich Beer Halls and since we've been to all of the ones you mentioned, I couldn't resist commenting on that post too. Hope it helps!

 

Sounds fun! I looked at your itinerary - I know most of those places...we lived in Kingston for a few years and I grew up further south so I've heard of West Point, Poughkeepsie, etc. And of course, we know Albany... ;) If you have questions about what to do anywhere, ask away as the time gets closer.

 

Well, now we're looking at the Lord of the Glens cruises in Scotland. We may save the Hudson until we don't have the stamina for long flights. Will ask for your suggestions if we do book the Hudson trip. Plus we'll be interested in your impressions of the Uniworld India trip, if you go.

so we are now looking at possibly doing the Uniworld trip to India in Feb 2017, and a Silver Explorer cruise from Guayaquil to Valparaisio in Oct/Nov 2017. If both of those come to fruition, plus a group trip, it will be an excellent travel year for us. :D

Ah, I wish we could join you for India! But, the first week of 2017 we'll still be in Japan, and then we've got a Rhone cruise on Emerald booked for July 2017, and we only get three weeks of vacation, total :(

Hi JP,

Working on Vienna a bit this morning...

I was just looking at the Vienna Pass with travel and considering all the sights we want to see and the travel, it seems like a good value.

Did you consider it?

Thanks,

Chris

Ah, I wish we could join you for India! But, the first week of 2017 we'll still be in Japan, and then we've got a Rhone cruise on Emerald booked for July 2017, and we only get three weeks of vacation, total :(

Oh, three weeks is just inhumane! You certainly make the most of it, but too bad that you don't have more vacation time.

We did put down a deposit on the India cruise tour with Uniworld, and I'm shopping flights. One of my favorite pastimes! :D

Hi JP,

 

Working on Vienna a bit this morning...

 

I was just looking at the Vienna Pass with travel and considering all the sights we want to see and the travel, it seems like a good value.

 

Did you consider it?

 

Thanks,

Chris

We never used it. It may not be a bad deal for you; we just haven't had a real need. It does seem a touch expensive IMO, but Vienna isn't cheap...

On our first visit to Vienna we had already purchased tickets to Schönbrunn online so that included the Hofberg, the Sisi Apartments, and the Imperial Treasury. We did a few more a la carte things and the pass would not have been worth it - on top of the combo ticket that we already had.

On the second visit (this cruise) we only needed a few things and it would not have been worth it - we'd already visited the big-ticket attractions and didn't need to go back.

The fast-track entries may be worth a few extra €, but it does not seem to include Schönbrunn. Bummer. Some long lines there though we skipped them by buying a Sisi ticket.

I checked the price just now and they overcharge you (a tiny bit) for the transportation option - it really costs €7.60 for a 24h transport card and they charge €8. Similarly, €13.30 for a 48h transport card and they charge you an additional €14. Not much ,but the transport tickets are easy to buy on your own so why pay extra?

Lastly, they charge an additional €7 fee to ship the card(s) to you. Or, you could go pick it up downtown when you arrive, but then you'd need to get there...by buying a U-Bahn ticket to Karlsplatz - €2.20 per person. They don't seem to offer an option for e-mail delivery and printing at home.

Like all city passes - this may not be a bad deal if you want to visit a lot of places. You have to add up the prices, and see whether the individual ticket prices for the places you want to visit would make the pass worthwhile. If it does, then go for it. :)