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Not the first company which tries to operate on the Spanish speaking market. So far they all failed. And this ship is not suited for warm weather destinations. steamboats

Yes, it´s the former Queen of the West. steamboats

The Ocean Victory is an expedition ship built for polar regions. It was not really the right ship for Alaska but for the Med???? steamboats

No, you´re not reading it wrong. But it proves that not everything on Wikipedia is correct. The Isle of Capri casino boat never had a steam engine. And the Duchess never got one built in. This would take a lot amount of space for the boilers plus the steam engine. And you need more staff to operate it. Plus you either have to find a historic steam engine or build one new (and I don´t know of anyone who is able to do this). As Empress of the North she did both - Alaska and the Columbia river system. I´ve been on when she was in Alaska. steamboats

Nope, the American Queen has a steam engine which propels the paddlewheel. The Duchess also a old casino boat with diesel engines. steamboats

Sold to American Cruise Lines https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2024/04/american-cruise-lines-purchases-american-queen-river-fleet/ American Queen, American Countess, American Dutchess and American Empress. No buyer disclosed for the Former Cape boats. steamboats

MSC has both - tender boats and buses between Stazione Marittima and Marghera. Both is used for embarkation and disembarkation. Luggage will be transferred to Stazione Marittima. steamboats

According to Plantours all people were able to continue the cruise. No major injuries. steamboats

It depends in the cruise line. MSC usually docks in Marghera. Other cruise lines in Fusina. NCL moved to Trieste, RCI ans Celebrity to Ravenna. On embarkation day I would drop my bag at the cruise terminal and check in but then go into town instead to the ship and take a later shuttle. The bus ride is about half an hour. The boat maybe 45 min. So you lose a lot of time going back and fourth. steamboats

MSC docks in Marghera which is an industrial port. The check in is at the cruise terminal. Guests are bussed or ferried over to Marghera (and back again for departure). The Fusina ferry is not even close to Marghera. And even with the ship docked in Fusina there´s no way walking to the ferry (been there last year with another cruise company). steamboats

The MSC Shuttle gets you to the ZOB next to the Central Station. From there it´s about 15 to 20 min walking to Ballindamm. Or you take a taxi from there. steamboats

By May 2025 you will need ETIAS (which is similar to the US ESTA, CA/UK ETA) - a pre registration for countries participating in a visa waiver program. ETIAS - Entry Requirements for Visa-Exempt Travellers to Europe (schengenvisainfo.com) May 2025 is the lastest given information for this program to set in. steamboats

A lot of river cruise companies do offer a pre/post cruise extension to Munich. I can see the Viking buses quite often here in town. I´m pretty sure that AmaWaterways and Uniworld are offering this too. steamboats

German travel law (based on EU law) is limiting the final payment to 30 days. It also allows to claim a cancellation fee with the amount (percentage of the price) depending on the time of cancellation. steamboats

Usually they are pretty strict about the ages. So I´d say no. steamboats

The river cruise ships usually go into dry dock during the winter break for regular maintanance and repairs. steamboats

I have used Bags and Go many times. They do get your luggage to the airport and you can pick it up there. Currently a taxi to the airport is 45 Euro. So it´s cheaper to let them transport your luggage than going to the airport, store your luggage there and then go back into the city. We usually take the airport bus from Placa Catalunya to the airport after visiting the city. It´s pretty unlikely that you can already check your bags with the airline in the morning. LH doesn´t do this so I doubt that KLM will do it. The check-in isn´t open that early. They usually open up app. 3 hours prior to the (first) flight (of the airline that day - and then they might not allow to check in bags for a late flight). steamboats

@RobInMN I didn't scroll that far down. But the map is showing 16 als legal drinking age which is wrong. Legal drinking age is 18. There are just some exemptions. steamboats

But that website is not quite correct either... In Germany you can buy/consume beer/wine (including sparkling) by the age of 16. Everything else the minimum drinking age is 18. With parents´ consent (and parents being present) a kid is allowed to drink beer or wine at the age of 14. They are thinking of changing it to 18 for everything. The website states 16 as minimum age not differing between beer/wine and other alcoholic beverages. steamboats

The check-in might be at the airport already. If not, you can still drop your bags at the port and then leave. Nobody will force you to check-in. When you land at 9 am, you might be outside with your bags by 10 am. So with a waiting time for the transfer bus (and maybe a check-in at the airport) and a 30 min bus ride you might arrive at port by 11 am. There are plenty of taxis available at the port. No problem to get one. As for the Sagrada Family you need an online appointment for a certain time. Otherwise you may end up in a long line and never get inside. steamboats

The American Queen is built in 1995, the American Empress in 2003. The American Countess and American Duchess are new. The Cape boats (Ocean Voyager / Ocean Navigator ex Cape May Light / Cape Cod Light) are also from the long ago Delta Queen Steamboat Company era. steamboats

Made it into the German RTL News too (6:45 pm). But they didn´t mention that by that time the ship was already docked. They also had a short video with a German couple onboard. steamboats

I just read in a German online newsite that they are allowed to disembark by tomorrow morning 6 am local time. steamboats

According to local news no case of Cholera has been detected onboard - confirmed by the Mauritian health authorities. steamboats

With low or high water the other boats can "choke a stomp" - tie up to a tree instead of a regular landing area. They use the stage to get the people off the boat. Viking needs a concrete dock where they can go alongside. Most landings are sloping down into the river. Therefore the boats have a flat bottom hull so they can literally ran aground with the bow and then use the stage to get the people off. It's totally different from European rivers where you either have a floating docking area or a concrete dock where all boats can go alongside. A couple of river towns did built a new docking area for the Viking Mississippi. steamboats