rileygirl12

On 5/1/2023 at 3:19 PM, Kroozr23 said:

I'm seeing a gap in the Navigator's schedule after it comes into Barcelona on September 9. It looks like it doesn't leave again until September 22. Is it going to be in dry dock or is there something else scheduled? It looks like this gap coincides with its 78-day tour ending then (Sept 9) as well.

We get on Navigator Sept 22 in Tarragona, Spain (1 hour south of Barcelona) it would be nice if they did a refresh before we get on. How do you find out what will be done?

18 hours ago, SuzCruise said:

Can you define cold?  What’s the temperature?  We leave in less than 2 weeks and are packing.  I run really hot.  I don’t own a heavy coat, not just because I don’t need one in Texas, but because I like the cold.  I’m that person walking around ski towns in the winter without a coat, “soaking in the cold”.  But when we did the Danube Christmas market cruise a few years ago there was a storm that came through Vienna that brought snow and bitter cold.  So I’m totally torn on what to pack.  The forecast seems to be in the 50s for most of our trip, which sounds perfect to me.  But it’s hard to know until you are there. 

We are from Florida so probably affected by the cold more than the Canadians on board. It has been overcast or raining in every port since we arrived Wednesday. I left my down jacket at home since the temperatures were to be in the 50’s. Of course that’s the high for the day and it all depends on when your tours are. Ours have left the ship at 9am so this morning it was raining and felt like 43* at that time. You definitely need a good raincoat. I typically wear a long sleeve top then a sweater then a fleece jacket then my raincoat plus a fleece hat and gloves. Our cabin has a big umbrella which I used today but I wish I brought my pop up umbrella in my purse just because it would of been handier. I left it at home since it said the cabin had one although it gave great coverage kind of a pain dragging it everywhere. I have been warm enough with all those layers but a bit of a pain peeling them off when you go inside. Some people have plastic rain ponchos which really seems to keep them drier than just a raincoat. Hope that helps! Pray for sun!

5 hours ago, Schlugs said:

Hi all 🙂

 

I have been following closely, thanks for all your updates! 

Our Scenic Jewels of Europe tour (Ams to Bud) leaves on Oct 14, Scenic Jewel. We booked this 18 months ago and cannot wait! 

 

Really hoping for water levels to be OK, but will take what we can!  I am sure it will all be magnificent. Pretty hard to hope for great water levels and also no rain on our tour..but whatever happens happens.

Still watching this page for water info tho 🙂 

Bring warm clothes because it’s cold! I’m jealous of the passengers that have down jackets 

19 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Le Méridian Grand in Nuremberg? A beautiful place. We had dinner there for our anniversary a few years back.

 

You can easily walk to a few sights in the city from there. Hope you have the time and energy!

 

Exit the hotel, walk up Konigstraße, keeping the train station on your left. In a few blocks you'll see a church, then the Museum Bridge. A little further across the bridge, another church and a pretty fountain. Then head back for more drinks. 

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Thanks for all your help in planning for our cruise and Nuremberg info. How good are you at bringing back the sunshine?

The day has finally come! We arrived in Nuremberg on schedule today only to find out while we were in flight from Florida our ship was changed again back to our original boat the Scenic Crystal. Instead of being taken directly to the ship we were transferred to the Grand Hotel downtown Nuremberg and offered a complimentary beverage while we hang here for three hours till we can be taken to the ship. Apparently it’s not docked yet, at least that is what we are being told. Although extremely tired we were excited to see Nuremberg because this otherwise would have been our second time here and not actually seeing the city. Traveling is adventurous otherwise why would we keep doing it! 

22 minutes ago, slewis7 said:

I have been wearing jeans, short sleeve t-shirts and a light jacket and have been quite comfortable.  Today was a bit cooler at times then most ports have been.  Like everyone says, dress in layers.

Thanks! Enjoy the rest of your trip!

26 minutes ago, slewis7 said:

It was easy to tell the Rhine is low on Cologne today by looking at the river bank.  Also, we walked by a structure which shows the current river level at that location, which is shown in the image I attached.

 

So our ship was moved as soon as we went out on tour this morning to a very industrial looking location.  It took about 20 minutes by bus to get back to the ship from downtown Cologne.

The ladies in the picture look cold! I’m guessing it’s no longer shorts weather 😊 Any advice on what to pack?

22 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Hope you have a great time, now only a few days to go till your cruise. I like this itinerary, some great places to explore along the way (to my disappointment I still have only ever seen the train station of Nuremberg). What I do not get is why they call it "Treasures of the Rhine". Misleading geography there (notamermaid shakes a disapproving finger teacher-style). It should be "Treasures of the Main and Rhine".

 

It has been a warmer and drier day today in my area. Thankfully the river is not reacting with a big drop in levels. Should go down a bit over the weekend but most likely to stay above 104cm at Kaub.

 

Oh, and the leaves are changing colour, slowly but everyday a little more.

 

notamermaid

 

It's funny you say that because that was my thought as well "Treasure of the Main and Rhine". We have done the Danube starting with a stay in Prague for a few days and then boarding in Nuremberg to Budapest. This trip we again board in Nuremberg and once again will probably miss seeing Nuremberg depending on our timing. I have been watching Accuweather for our trip! We live in SW Florida and are in the active part of hurricane season so always watch the weather closely at this time of year. We were happy to see the current storms in the Atlantic were not going to affect us till I looked at Accuweather only to see "Lorenza" is going to effect us on our trip Oct. 4th with wind and rain. Obviously not a hurricane at that point but still not escaping it completely. Looking forward to the color change of the leaves. That is something we don't get in Florida. Well I guess I better start packing! Layer Layer Layer!

On 9/19/2019 at 10:01 PM, rileygirl12 said:

We are taking Scenic's "Treasures of the Rhine" Oct 2-9 Nuremberg to Amsterdam. This is an 8 day part of the 15 day "Jewels of Europe" departing from Budapest Sept 25. Today we were notified of a ship change due to "As a consequence of low water on the upper Danube river, we were earlier required to enact a ship schedule change". We are okay with the ship change just worried this is a preview of trouble ahead with the water levels of the Main and the Rhine. Any thoughts?

 

They have changed our boat again, but this is the one now since it has left Budapest on 9/25. We are now on the Scenic Jade.

5 hours ago, jeb_bud said:

Did Scenic say which ship they expect you to be on?

We were supposed to be on the Scenic Crystal but we were notified 9/19/19 that we will be on the Jasper

Thanks so much, that does sound encouraging. Looking forward to our trip to Germany and “cruising” the Rhine!

We are taking Scenic's "Treasures of the Rhine" Oct 2-9 Nuremberg to Amsterdam. This is an 8 day part of the 15 day "Jewels of Europe" departing from Budapest Sept 25. Today we were notified of a ship change due to "As a consequence of low water on the upper Danube river, we were earlier required to enact a ship schedule change". We are okay with the ship change just worried this is a preview of trouble ahead with the water levels of the Main and the Rhine. Any thoughts?

So long story short, my wife and I are approaching our 5 year anniversary. We never did a real honeymoon as well life was busy for us. We are finally in a position where we can sit back and relax. We are looking at taking a cruise in November 2019. I've done a search and narrowed it down to 2 possible options, Nov 23 on Nieuw Amsterdam or Nov 24th on Nieuw Statendam. This is where I need your help, suggestions, and input.

 

I have been on one cruise in my life, it was aboard the Volendam in 2000 (Alaska Inside Passage) when I was only 12. It was truly the time of my life. At that age, I was too old for Club Hal and too young for The Loft so I participated in neither and just enjoyed my time sipping orange juice in the Crow's Nest, watching the evening entertainment in the theater, and lounging about the ship while gorging myself on fantastic food.

 

My wife on the other hand has never been on a cruise, but I am certain that after one week onboard she will be hooked and we'll make this an annual tradition. Her first idea for a honeymoon was an all-inclusive resort, but those places tend to be lacking in entertainment and after 2 days of lounging on the beach you want more. As it is her first cruise, I did explore other options such as Celebrity, but I can't help but feel a large ship like the Solstice class will just be too much and will lack the intimate feel you can get on a HAL ship. I'm going with HAL not only because of my past positive experience, but my knowledge that you can still get away from crowds on a HAL ship and enjoy a quiet moment or two.

 

With that in mind, which ship would present the better option for a honeymoon? We're going to be booking balcony staterooms and the price is the same. I know these ships are larger than the Volendam that 12 year old me fondly remembers, but I figure they make up for that with the added music venues and specialty restaurants.

 

I apologize in advance if I'm a bit long winded here, but I eagerly await your comments.

Hands down NS, we are taking her in April 2019 can’t wait! I love new, yes it’s bigger, but it’s new!

We have also booked at the Marriott for our 2 day extension in Budapest. According to the website the rooms have been renovated this year and we will have a balcony overlooking the Danube so looking forward to the night views. Emeralds 2 day extension was the Courtyard which also looks very nice but was not on the river so we opted to book on our own. Emerald did not offer an upgrade choice of hotel, which means we have to book our own transfers to hotel and then to airport. Emerald includes the transfers as part of the package if you book their extension. Depending on where the boat docks in Budapest the hotel may be walkable. There also looks like a tram goes along the river so not sure yet what we will do. If anyone has info on that please let me know. Thanks

Has anyone else looked at Emerald Waterways new river cruises for 2014? Just booked the Classic Prague and Danube Delights for July. As a first time river cruiser any advise on packing, weather expected and what to do with free time in Prague maybe even some restaurant picks.