pontac

If you are on Rhine Getaway cruise you will not have any time in Switzerland. The boat will dock in Basel overnight and you will depart the ship to the airport the following morning. There are no excursions so you won't need tip money and it's a short ride to the airport. There's no charge to use toilets at the airport. I reckon you can get by with a credit card, but only you know whether you like to buy coffees etc in local restaurants. Netherlands and Germany both use the Euro, so if you are happier with cash get say €100. We've carried the same amount of Euros on our trips for years and the only time we used them was to get coffees (we didn't want) to get out of the cold and rain on an excursion to Strasbourg. If you don't take cash and find you really need it, you can use your card in an ATM

I too dislike such 'cruises' which involve long coach trips and hotel stays. But they are popular, mostly it seems to me, with Americans who want to see as much of Europe as they can, which is understandable considering the long and costly flight they've taken. Last year I took a Viking 8 day Rhone cruise called Lyon & Provence which cruised from Avignon to Lyon, but a very large contingent had booked a 12 day cruise titled Paris to the Swiss Alps. The cruising element was the same; they joined the ship in Avignon after being bussed from Switzerland and at the end of the cruise were bussed from Lyon to Paris - with a stop at the American cemetery in Luxembourg and a lunch break in Reims, Champagne. The cruise also is taken by those who book France's Finest, which combines with the Paris & the Heart of Normandy cruise and involve a coach ride between Paris and Lyon - but no hotel nights! Many of the cruises that feature hotels at the beginning and end are also available to book just the cruise element. Another that comes to mind is the Douro which many lines start with a few days in Lisbon before a long coach ride from Lisbon to Porto where the boat is.

So do I when we went with Viking. Looking at the current cruise tho', it appears neither are supplied now.

I've not been on an ocean cruise but from reading this forum over the past few years it seems they have nothing in common except having a boat and water. If you want multiple bars and dining options or theatre quality shows then you'll not find them on river cruises. You will moor in the centre of historic cities and be able to walk off the boat when you like, and back on without any formality. You will have wine, beer and softdrinks included with meals and you can bring drinks from outside onto the boat and consume them. You can see the price as including everything, food, drinks with meals, entertainment and sightseeing. Depending on the line and offers, you might have gratuities included. I'd suggest reading this forum and paying special attention to the trip reports. Any specific questions, please ask.

Excursions offered are not necessarily the same in both directions, so it's important that you say which direction you are travelling. Included excursions are generally walking or coach & walking tours of the city/towns you moor in. They are good for giving a feel for the area and there's usually some free time at the end for you to look around/buy a drink/snack/souvenir before the guide returns you to the boat. In Vienna an optional (i.e. extra cost) excursion is the evening Strauss and Mozart concert. I have been twice and enjoyed it greatly. However it's only offered on the Budapest to Regensburg sailing. I'd suggest looking at the excursions offered in on your sailing and choose the ones you are interested in, then search this forum - using the white box at top right - for the main part of the name of the excursion or the city in which its in. I searched just now for 'strauss' and I found this thread that should interest you - @CCJack has replied in detail about excursions on Romantic Danube cruise https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2967180-danube-waltz-recommended-excursions/

There are a great number of river cruise lines; if you have already booked then the website or brochure should say or phone the company. If you haven't yet booked then whether a cruise line includes meals at hotels may affect you booking. In my experience with Scenic and Viking meals at hotels, other than breakfast, are not included. This gives you the freedom to eat at other than the hotel should you wish, and the freedom to go out all day sightseeing without needing to return for lunch at the hotel.

On a recent river cruise I connected via CDG going out and AMS return and I preferred AMS - but.... You know the flight numbers, find out which terminal they arrive in and depart from (Google the flight numbers if you haven't been given terminal info). Then, using the maps on the airport websites you can judge how far apart they are. AMS is large, but it'll be all one level moving from the arriving flight to the departing flight and it's just a matter of following the (clear) signs) But, it's a 40m shorter flight from CDG to Detroit, and a slightly shorter flight from Basel to CDG. Other things being equal, that would make CDG the favourite with me.

We did this trip last year, on the Delling. For info about the cruise, see my trip report, then any questions please ask. Trip Report - Lyon & Provence - Viking Denning 15 - 21 August 2023 - River Cruising - Cruise Critic Community My tip: as it's your first river cruise, just relax and go with the flow, and don't expect it to be the same as an ocean cruise. The two things they have in common are a boat and water. PS: to connect with others on this cruise, see here https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2949773-all-2024-lyon-provence

Thanks @Kristelle for answering this question. The image I had of in-room dining The actuality 😁

@mommawest1 regarding dinners in Rudesheim, have you seen the remarks and photo's about this in the Roll Call forum, here and following: Rhine getaway Viking 2024 - Page 5 - Viking River Roll Calls - Cruise Critic Community Regarding Anne Frank House: I went decades ago (before it became a major tourist attraction). If you have a particular interest in Anne Frank by all means go, but otherwise don't bother. If you want to see tulips, then Keukenhof is a must. It's only open during the tulip season ( 20 March - 11 May in 2025) and you're guaranteed to see more tulips than you can dream of. See https://keukenhof.nl/en/ The Tulip Museum in Amsterdam is free to enter the ground floor where it sells everything to do with tulips, including bulbs certified for USA & Canada. https://amsterdamtulipmuseum.com/ Restaurants: all types at all prices. To get most out of Rijsttafel the bigger the party the better as more dishes are supplied. I took Mrs P and for just the two of us it was rather underwhelming https://www.amsterdamfoodie.nl/amsterdam-food-guide/indonesian-restaurants-in-amsterdam-rijsttafel/ There are some old traditional Dutch food restaurants, of which the premier is d’Vijff Vlieghen - which translates rather unappealingly as the Five Flies - you can read about it and see the menu here - https://www.vijffvlieghen.nl/en When in Amsterdam I like going an Argentinian steak restaurant. There are now many lookalikes, but the original, with cowhide seats, is Gauchos which has several branches around town. I love their tender flavoursome Argentinian steak and of course their Chimichurri sauce and their all Argentinian wine list. https://www.gauchosgrill.nl/en

I last went on this cruise in 2022 and my review is here https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=687006  And I've cruised on the Rhine several times. As what is a 'must' for me might not be of the same interest to you, and vice versa, why not state what your interests are? As it's your first river cruise, I'd recommend just going with the flow. Take the included excursions, look at the optional (extra cost) excursions and see if they are of particular interest, but doing a cruise is a full day and many people feel quite tired. There's an optional excursion on day 4 to a restaurant in Rüdesheim. I've not been on it myself but feedback is that it's a bit touristy and that Rüdesheim is a small place so its easy to stroll there from the boat and dine in a restaurant that you choose and be among locals. And save money. (but bear in mind that there are traditional dishes as an option every evening plus unlimited wine/beer and one night you'll have a Taste of Germany with local dishes and beers. Already paid for in your fare.) On Day 5 there's an optional tour to the Technic Museum. This is a short walk from the boat and it's easy to do on your own, there's a English language guide book and exhibits have English explanation boards. The Museum is plainly visible on Google Maps. (see Day 3 of my Trip Report - https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2939234-trip-report-rhine-and-mosel-discovery-viking-hild-25-april-1-may-2023 Day 7 is an included excursion the the Black Forest. I've been on it once, but I didn't go the next cruise which offered it . You drive to and through the forest and stop at a place where they make and sell cuckoo clocks, and there is a demonstration of making a Black Forest Gateau. Enjoy your cruise. I expect it'll be the first of many. Our first cruise, going with friends, was with Viking along the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam. We've now done 14 river cruises and are about to go on our 15th.

I might find out soon, but how is this done? The floor plans show only the 4 Royal Suites have chairs in the room. The other 58 cabins do not and don't appear to have space for them should the room attendant bring a table & chairs. And how do you get your wine/water glass topped up?

One doesn't have to have all the courses. You can select only what you want, e.g. just a soup from the starters. Going on excursions is not mandatory, you can decide at the last minute to duck out and stay on the boat or take a stroll. Rivers were the historic way of travel so many of the most historic sites are in a the town the boat docks in and a brief walk away. There are so many cruise options, especially on the Rhine and Danube that if one were to state one or other it wouldn't help you. For instance Danube cruises can go the length of the Danube (plus some) - e.g. Amsterdam to Bucharest or concentrate on a shorter stretch e.g. Budapest to Regensburg. Then, to multiply the complications, there are many places to visit on excursions so that some cruise line travel along the same route on different cruises stopping at different places and having different excursions. So, you need to select a cruise and see what excursions are available, then select what interests you. Then it's easy to use Google Maps or similar to see how far the attraction is from the mooring point. I too dislike long coach rides. What also needs to be considered is how close the start and end points are to airports. Budapest and Amsterdam, for example are less than half an hour. But Passau's nearest airport is Munich, almost 2 hours by coach, and Bucharest airport is fairly close to the city, but to get to the city from the mooring take a considerable time because of the distance (170km) compounded by the poor state of roads and weight of traffic.

I don't know how I missed this. Many thanks for posting such an exhaustive review. I am boarding Scenic Azure to cruise the Douro two weeks today. There doesn't seem much point in me taking photos as you have posted so many excellent ones! Two comments, both wine related. The only connection the Mateus Palace had/has with Mateus Rose wine is that the producer of the wine (Sogrape) paid for the image of the Palace on labels. It may have been a mistranslation or misunderstanding or perhaps they were 'bigging up' Dr Pereira's role, but he didn't invent the prophylactic to phylloxera. He was instrumental in saving Portugal's vineyards by importing American rootstocks and promoting grafting locally, but the French grape breeder Henri Bouschet demonstrated the technique in 1874 and it was adopted by the International Phylloxera Congress, held in Bordeaux. as the best solution to phylloxera in 1881.

Unfortunately someone on Scenic Azure's Douro cruise last September wasn't so lucky at avoiding rafting😁

Viking UK do not include the drinks package in their brochure or on the website for 2025 cruises, but.... They have a full page advert on the back cover of the U3A magazine that's headed EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT TO u3a MEMBERS AND FRIENDS QUOTE 'u3a' AND RECEIVE A FREE DRINKS PACKAGE Its small print says it applies to new bookings only on 2025 European river journeys. I'm a member, and if you consider me a friend then it's free drinks for you! (It doesn't seem very exclusive! I've bolded 'and friends')

I think the nub of the complain is that river cruising is not the same as ocean cruising, and that is true. So I don't think choosing another line to river cruise with will suit better. Ocean ships have theatres with shows, multiple bars, casinos, but European river ships don't, primarily because of space limitations. Viking breakfasts are available from 06:00, with hot dishes available at 06:30 to 09:00, as you'd know from the Viking Daily. I agree that if you get up later than 09:00 your choice of food is snacks at the coffee stations until lunch service start at 12:00, but it seems you are missing out on the excursions that set off in the morning after breakfast. Buffet lunch? That sounds like the Taste of Germany. I've not experienced the delay you describe, but the waiter will bring food from the buffet is you prefer. Dinner with family members? I'm a bit confused because you said you were on your honeymoon, so was it just dining for two or did you go with members of you family? Drinks policy is clear. If you didn't have the drinks package beer and wine is complimentary with lunch and dinner. Drink outside these times are charged to your room. The bar list and wine list have prices. They seem reasonable to me, especially compared with ocean cruises, but I bow to your experience of ocean cruises. In short, though the people who frequent this board could probably give you the info to make your next river cruise enjoyable, it feels to me like you'd be happier on an ocean cruise. I'm sorry your honeymoon was spoiled.

Perhaps they haven't on cruises you've been on, but I think you'd either have to be on the same table or very observant to see someone bring in their own wine. I've done it several times, and on an excursion in Germany the guide pointed out a wine shop where you could taste and which had good prices. Several people, including me, bought wine then for on-board consumption. All you need to do is take the wine into the dining room; the waiter will then offer to open the bottle, then they'll pour. Not in my experience. Yes, one get's one's wine glass filled right at the start if one takes the included wine as waiters come to the table bearing them to pour. But when one asks for a wine from the list the waiter just has to go to the back of the dining room to racks there to collect the wine. If one chooses a white they'll also bring an ice-bucket. The biggest delay is dithering over making one's choice from the list. But I study the list in advance so I know what I'm going to ask for. The delay in getting one's wine choice is the same or less than choosing in a land restaurant It would be strange to pay for the package and not choose one's own wine. I say 'pay' because I've sat with people who have the package but didn't choose. One couple just drank water, the other chap had one small glass of house beer which he didn't finish while his wife had one glass of included white. But none had paid for the package; it was included in thebooking

Which is one of the reasons why I've taken your advice and booked Scenic for our second Douro cruise. Our first one, ten years ago was with Viking and we were not rafted at all, but since then a great many more lines cruise this little river.

Me too. Using Quietvox I've changed channel to list to another guide and joined their group. There are a limited number of guides and they don't work exclusively for one cruise line. @mamakore some very good info there from @franski. Most people seem happy with the first line they book, and then keep rebooking. After your first river cruise you'll know if it's for you. If it is then you'll have a good idea what the basics are and what to look for if you think another cruise line would suit you better.

I'm not clear on this. Is there a separate 'Clear' line at security, or is it just using Fast Track? I'll be departing LHR 2 weeks on Friday for my Douro trip but it seems using T5 not T3 where the system is supposed to be.

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Thanks for the latest update. Nice wine glasses, BTW. Were they in your hotel room?

Now that is a car!

I'm European and I use a face cloth. The shops here sell face cloths.