notamermaid

Interesting. I am not comfortable close to the water in small boats that rock (had a bad experience on a ferry but did not fall into the water). River cruise ships are big in comparison and while they are much smaller than ocean ships they are firm steady "buildings". At least that is how I felt. I would perhaps go for the higher up cabins as well. River cruise ships generally do not rock and have little movement that you can feel when docked. It depends on current and ships passing nearby. The sound travels up from the hull so you can hear that coming up but a quick conversation with reception clarified that for me as being benign. When you get on board on the first evening you have a safety drill complete with life boat vests. You do not have to be able to swim. I know such weird fears can run deep. Have you got a river/canal nearby with a narrowboat? Or can you try and get a good experience some other way with water? A psychologist or a homeopath may also have a good idea how to alleviate your worries. Get your SiL to take a video of the water and the cruising experience from her cabin to see what it may be like. It took me very little time to adjust to the boat and I can assure you that being on the sundeck some metres above the water the world is far away and drink in hand (alcohol or not) life is bliss . notamermaid

German news footage puts it close to the river bridge, so that is about where the old landing stage was - as per the google map. It may be the same spot or close by. Officially I could not find another street address as the one mentioned, but the building is called Donauwelle. That should be close enough. Put Vilshofen Donauwelle into google images (recent within a year) and it will show you what it looks like. notamermaid

Day trip to Idstein part 3 (continued from post #1685) From the castle garden we approached the magnificent building over an old bridge crossing the modern road. It is the Renaissance Palace, now used as the Gymnasium, which is the German name for a secondary school with high school (age 10 to 19). I had a nice old school but imagine coming out of this building and seeing that: I would have loved that! The red stone is painted by the way and underneath is - red sandstone: Talking of stones. The cobblestones have a distinct reddish undertone to them which gives it a bit more warmth than the grey ones that dominate more along the Middle Rhine valley: Oh, and here are the instructions for @jpalbny for climbing the tower : get the key at the tourist information centre, mind the uneven terrain (you are responsible for your own safety), do not disturb the birds, and off, i.e. up, you go. From the height of the sign the view was already pleasantly sweeping over the town, it must be really nice from up on the tower. Standing close to the entrance door: The big building is a large institute/university connected with pharmaceuticals, for example dispensing chemists and similar fields. After passing several more shops I still had no fridge magnet, but we got an ice-cream that we enjoyed eating in the palace park with lake: End of March it was still a bit barren, but I am sure it is now really lovely to spend an hour in the grounds. The problem at Idstein for tourists is that quite a few shops are closed during lunch hours, so it is best to be there in the morning or later in the afternoon. This restaurant may be closed at lunch but I like the opening hours in the evening: from 1700 hours "bis keiner mehr da ist" - till everyone has left : So we wandered along more streets with half-timbered houses, equipped with explanatory booklet (there is real art and meaning to the structures) and map, looking for a particular building that had caught my eye on paper. And there at that house I would be greeted by a particularly pleasant feline. To be continued... notamermaid

Augusta Treverorum - Roman Trier - was one of the main cities of the Empire and it seems to be still present at every turn 2,000 years later. And under many streets and buildings. There is so much known and unknown, i.e. still to be discovered that the city council is preparing a digital register for owners of grounds and buildings. You cannot just dig in Trier - the archeologists are very careful about this and the register should help the locals with any preparations or constructions plans. Now the city is showing casing its Roman legacy again for locals and tourists alike with a massive exhibition. But this one - spread over three locations - will have the end of the Empire as its focus. Here is some info: https://en.visitmosel.de/cities-culture/unesco-world-heritage/state-exhibition-in-trier-2022 notamermaid

I have had a look at the day-to-day page of your itinerary. It has reassured me that I still like this itinerary better over the one with Viking and possibly a little better than the equivalent one by Amawaterways. Although they have the small but enchanting Lahneck Castle visit in that itinerary. https://www.uniworld.com/us/river-cruise/central-europe/rhine/castles-along-the-rhine/2022-basel-to-amsterdam/day-to-day (switch to Amsterdam - Basel direction) I noticed this following on day 6 and I would to point something out: "Kehl, directly across the river from Strasbourg, will be your ship’s base while you explore the Alsatian capital." Strasbourg is the city that I would describe as not being on the Rhine but on the Ill river (that is capital I as in "I am" with two small ll). It is correct in that the old part of the town is not on the Rhine but the large administrative district borders on the Rhine. Kehl is in Germany and the standard dock for large river cruise ships. How this works in detail others can tell you or ask specific questions in a roll call if you prefer that. I also see that they have Rheinstein Castle in their "generations" programme as an excursion. A pity that this is not part of the standard programme. But then, you can go to Marksburg Castle. It sounds as if you have the choice between Koblenz walking tour and the castle visit. Anyone able to climb uneven steps I would highly recommend choosing the Marksburg over Koblenz town centre - no doubt. It is hot here, current highest temperature in Germany is (no surprise!) again in the Upper Rhine valley at Rheinau with 31.4 Celsius and I see the forecast for Mannheim is 38 Celsius on Sunday. Adjusted prediction for Kaub river level is for a little below 120cm on Sunday. And with that I will leave you for a few days folks. I have now found a nice little shady place to go to over the weekend and if I have not melted away I shall return on Monday with a quick look at the level then - and hopefully I will see the temperature drop to 24 Celsius as suggested will happen on Monday. notamermaid

The rivers in Germany and beyond are loosing water faster now. Temperature in Mannheim is now 31 Celsius, with the Upper Rhine valley minimally hotter than the Middle Rhine valley. Current forecast for Strasbourg is 37 Celsius on Saturday! I will try and get out of the valley into the cooler hills where it may be 28 on Saturday. Kaub is at 140cm and anticipated to fall below 130cm on Saturday. So, for this week the heat is the bigger thing to deal with. Monday and Tuesday should bring a bit of rain. notamermaid

Not good at all. Hope things improve from here. Are your tickets for Oberammergau in your hands yet or will they be given to you on the ship or at the box office? Hope you have a great time, despite it being a bit hot now. notamermaid

That is nice. We cannot do this here. The one thing that is not good about our great holiday/days off work conditions. Generally, any days you have left to spend must be taken by 31 March. In exceptional circumstances, this can be longer, but rolling over constantly does not exist. I am currently in a struggle with my employer to grant me two days because of exceptional circumstances. It would be good for the travel and tourism industry in Europe if Americans had more days per year. Would see more working-age people spending holidays here - I assume. Those short river cruises by Avalon Waterways are nice but I would find it great for younger people if they had the time to explore for longer, ten days on the Rhine and Moselle combined is as great itinerary. I know most people could fit in 12 days away from work, but it is a large junk of the yearly holiday in the US. Being a tourism employee I would instantly sign a petition for more basic holiday time for you in the US if I could. notamermaid

Already hot here along the Rhine. Temperature in Mannheim right now is 30 Celsius. Dresden is 27 Celsius. The Rhine tends to be warmer than the East but in this heat the difference is not much of help to keep more water in the river. @AnhaltER1960 Hope you have a shady place to keep cool in. CroisiEurope made the clever decision of not sailing the shallow stretch of the river between Dresden and Magdeburg in Summer. You can sail on the Havel and Elbe plus the canals to get to the West of Germany and Amsterdam, or take a trip on the Elbe and Vltava rivers. To be correct, the ship does not actually sail in Germany at all (my earlier mistake). This cruise just takes in the Elbe at the Vltava confluence. Then you can take an excursion to Dresden from there. A great albeit short itinerary for those who wish to explore Prague not as a pre or post cruise extension: https://www.croisieuroperivercruises.com/cruise/prague-dresden-castles-bohemia-spectacular-cruise-elbe-vltava-rivers-classic# notamermaid

Continuing with the topic, our journey takes us to - Boppard! The town has a car ferry that is part of the car holiday route "Deutsche Alleenstrasse". It is a tourist route that connects tree-lined avenues across Germany. One section crosses the Rhine from the East over to Boppard and as there is no bridge there, the route swims across with you and your car on the ferry. The "Stadt Boppard" has the brown sign with white lettering on the wall to prove it. One modern twist that makes the ferry special. But the side-loading "Stadt Boppard" is more of interest for its technical details. She was built in 1892 (!) as a reaction ferry, survived two wars, and repaired, altered and equipped with modern engines still takes people and cars across the river. This is what a journey is like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efP5vfaLhPA If the video does not load, look for: Autofähre Boppard - alt und gut in Schuss If you are interested, this is how a reaction ferry works: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaction_ferry And for further info and the timetable go to the ferry website: http://www.faehre-boppard.de/ notamermaid

Yes, after yesterday's bright red forearms, I can see that this could happen if you wore a mask the entire return journey on the chair lift. Forecast for Mainz is 34 Celsius on Saturday, Boppard 32. Expected highest temperature in Germany on Saturday appears to be 37 Celsius but that is tentative. With the heat, the level of the river is falling of course but there is still plenty of water for river cruise ships. Kaub is at 161cm. notamermaid

Pretty good summary. Only one that i not true for other lines is "no children under 18". Viking and Saga (UK company specifically catering for the over 50's) are the only ones with such a policy that I know. For preparation for your river cruise I recommend reading the "stickies" at the top of the forum title page. Great info in there. Have fun planning and a great cruise. notamermaid

Boppard chair lift is a great experience, here is an older video to give you some idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ytRS6ATXdA I have been busy at work with preparations for a special event, i.e. within my work schedule I sometimes am involved in events that are anything from concerts to markets, going beyond strict tourism. I mention this because it shows that life for me is getting more and more back to normal. Masks are now firmly in the minority, a few Covid testing centres have closed down, or have reduced hours. At work it is now something like "Please let us keep looking after each other. If you feel like it, wear a mask". I still recommend taking a mask with you wherever you go as there may be just a few places where they have a house rule requiring it. Like - perhaps oddly - in the queue at the Boppard chairlift as per their website (of today): https://sesselbahn-boppard.de/ A trip out today meant that I was exposed to the sun quite a bit, it is hot and I got a bit of sunburn with my fair skin. The coming week will see the heatwave coming from Spain so temperatures on Friday are likely to be over 30 Celsius in the Upper and Middle Rhine valleys. notamermaid

Have a great cruise. It looks as if it is going to be hot in Europe this week. Not sure about the South of France but our temperatures along the Rhine may be over 30 Celsius. notamermaid

The thunderstorns did come, just in time to keep the river level from dropping below 300cm for longer than an hour. And there has been so much rain that the level rose well over 400cm. With the surge gone, the level is done to 350cm. Right now, rain is only forecast for tomorrow, so during the coming week, we will see the river being reduced in volume. And it will get hot next weekend! notamermaid

Ahh, Engers! Yes, that is a chamber music college where talents can get grants and can work on their skills. Beautiful Rococo palace overlooking the river. Avalon Waterways was instrumental in establishing a modern landing stage there, together with a company and the local council, a few years ago. Not much to see beyond the palace and the adjacent street but certainly a nice place for evening docking and concert. I have enjoyed a concert there - and a couple of ice-creams next door. notamermaid

Now there is a puzzle, perhaps we can figure it out together . notamermaid

The situation at Koblenz this afternoon: On the Moselle, unusually there is just the S.S. Antoinette signalling, webcam says there is one other ship. On the Rhine there are the Viking Egdir, the Viking Rolf, the Scenic Opal and the Emerald Dawn on the left bank and on the newly-established landing stage on the right bank at Ehrenbreitstein is the Viking Hild. Those I can confirm with the webcam (apart from the Viking Hild which is out of the camera angle). The other dots are excursion boats or other craft. This makes six ships, a potential of nearly 1,000 river cruise passengers. If they all congregate in the old town, they do become quite visible but I would not call it overcrowded. Together with locals and day trippers I would call it very busy. In Rüdesheim this could feel quite different, for me bordering on overtourism. In Würzburg I would call it busy. In Bernkastel-Kues on the Moselle I would call it overly full and for me unpleasant (I think they cannot accommodate six ships yet but I am not sure of the latest developments). In Cologne they are more likely to blend in in this huge city. Just my impressions. notamermaid

A report on the latest Viking river cruise ships to be christened, delayed due to you-know-what: https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Viking-Radgrid-and-its-sisters-sail-to-the-heart-of-France?ct=river notamermaid

Hello to you and welcome to the wonderful world of river cruising. Have you had a look at the stickies threads at the top of the title page yet? Our host has put together some great info and links to CC editor articles. You could join or start a roll call for this itinerary. I really like this itinerary by Uniworld as they are one of the few companies that break the Basel - Amsterdam route with a port stop at Boppard in the Rhine Gorge. While as regards design I prefer the River Queen in the Uniworld portfolio, I find the S.S. Antoinette a classy ship (got close up one year in Koblenz, love the chandelier!). If you have any specific questions as regards life on the ship, you may prefer to post those in a separate thread. Why do I like the stop in Boppard? I find it gives you more time in the Rhine Gorge with that dramatic and Romantic feel to it, but Boppard is also a typical Rhine town - a bit touristy but still pleasant (I much prefer it to Rüdesheim) to wander around in. The outstanding thing about it is the Vierseenblick on top of the hill, you can stand at that viewpoint and the Rhine appears to be four lakes. Have a great cruise. notamermaid

That is doable but not very nice. It is a busy place and quite honestly definitely not good service to make you walk. It would not make sense hiring a coach for that distance that much, but no, not fun in my opinion and eats up your time that you would have walking along the old town's streets. From newspapers It sounds as if the people of Passau felt like this in 2019 and they will soon be back at the same level. Regard me as being a little on the negative side, perhaps because I am geographically closer to the locals by nature, but actually I really see the rafting and crowds as the downside that can be acceptable because the upside is splendid . River cruising still has immense charm and if one is prepared for it, a great experience can be had. I sailed in a French balcony cabin in 2013 and loved it. Triple-docking it was in Vienna, even then. But it was somewhat interesting. It was my first (and only) river cruise - now I just see the ships docked along "my" river - so in Vienna I walked through the other ships, up and over and down, a bit awkward but this curious girl tried to get a good glimpse of the other interiors. My travel companion's and my verdict was that we had at least the second best ship... I was more fascinated by the rafting than being annoyed. If one only knows the rivers from brochures and videos I can understand why people would find it more than just an inconvenience when they are sailing. For me, a veranda would not be worth the expense but a French Balcony for the fresh air and light is the best fit for me. Have fun planning and although we have given you a bit to think about, I hope after a couple of nights' sleep, you will be upbeat about river cruising again. By the way, the Moselle, the Saar and the Neckar are not so busy and at least the Moselle is as beautiful as the Main and Rhine, some say they like the Moselle the best. For me the Main and the Moselle are a notch above the Rhine. Should you catch yourself thinking of changing the itinerary... notamermaid

Time to have a look at how the Elbe has been doing lately: There have been a couple of spikes with good water levels at Dresden but overall the trend is downward. Over the weekend the level got quite low but rain has brought the level up again. So this is overall not too bad. Last sailing of Viking is on 7 July, then the itinerary stops for the Summer. CroisiEurope sails the Elbe into the Czech Republic in Summer but the itinerary is not exactly what you would expect... notamermaid

They still have their own docks, but as you said, that fact is not really the asset it used to be. In Koblenz, for example, rafting with another Viking ship is standard and part of the deal of having one ship start in Amsterdam and one ship in Basel to meet in the Middle Rhine valley so that in low water ship swaps can happen "easily". I admit, a minor disturbance but with so many ships around, Viking now can run into problems fitting all ships in at their own landing stages. For example, Koblenz and Cologne. Cologne can mean moving out to the landing stage (their own) further out of town, or being in Deutz on the other side of the river. The Viking dock in Rüdesheim is further out from the others, but still close enough to walk into town. So, that promotion slogan is now a mixed bag of good and not as good as it used to be. As regards crowds. It really depends on the month, the day of the week, where the passengers are, i.e. in town or on an excursion. Passau is getting a bit full, Rüdesheim certainly, but again: the experience will be mixed along the itinerary but enhanced and "worse" compared to 2014. And as a side note: not all locals are happy with the "Viking invasion". Overcrowding and too many coaches blocking roads and creating noise are on the table of town council meetings and local action groups. Again, a mixed experience depending on town and its surroundings. notamermaid

Hmm, Lelystad has two functions for river cruise ships. A port for exploring and as a winter harbour. Hope it is the former for the Jade. notamermaid

We have had a decent amount of rain so the river levels are up nicely: Maxau 504cm Kaub 160cm Koblenz 157cm Time to relax and look at - ferries! Or perhaps a new means of transport at Basel? Yes, Basel is thinking of introducing water taxis. At the moment it just sounds like a vague idea that has gone into some council meeting discussion, but who knows... It is supposed to be similar to something called Vaporetti in Venice. From this German article: https://telebasel.ch/2022/06/01/fahren-bald-vaporetti-auf-dem-rhein/?channel=105100 Not sure that it would add much to Basel infrastructure, never been in the city. Would there be more potential in built-up areas further downstream, like at Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, Koblenz (full to the rim with commuter traffic) and Cologne (again, full of cars, in spite of extensive public transport infrastructure)? Lo and behold, Cologne is contemplating water taxis as well. But this is all at some point in the future, just like the additional cable car crossing the river at Cologne. So we are back to present-day ferries. And from the large modern car ferries at Lake Constance let us go downstream to the small old passenger ferry at Koblenz. It is called Schängel (like the fountain that depicts a "Schängel") and was built in 1953. The ferry crosses from the Old Town to Ehrenbreitstein: https://www.gilles-personenschifffahrt.de/faehre-koblenz-ehrenbreitstein-gilles/ But that is not the only ferry at Koblenz. There is an even smaller one, the "Liesel". She sails the Moselle from the caravan park at Koblenz Neuendorf to Deutsches Eck embankment. She only carries 25 passengers and sails "nach Bedarf", meaning she has no fixed timetable. Just come along and say you want to cross the river! https://www.romantischer-rhein.de/en/a-faehre-liesel-deutsches-eck-campingplatz-neuendorf There is another ferry in the Middle Rhine valley and it is a bit special. Why, I will explain in another post. notamermaid