Daisi

Lol @TMLAalum, Canada's Avalon : Small groups with as few as five travelers can save while groups of eight to 15, can save even more! Mind you, the "groups" button is for 8+, so I guess you would have to call to get the discount or go through your TA.

I read the book quite early, it wasn't required reading in our schools. I think I was about 9 or so when I read it. It still sticks in my mind today. Don't feel bad Canal archive, I'm not sure I've even seen up the the first "intermission", I've only ever seen the movie on TV, and couldn't get into it. I have been to the Trapp Family Lodge though.

@CPT Trips, great clip, hadn't seen that one yet. Not sure how much "celebrating" will be going on, we are back under a fire ban, and I hear that Gatineau (across the river from Ottawa) has banned even fireworks. We are back under heavy smoke again, and it's hot out. We need the rain, so if anyone cares to do a rain dance it would be much appreciated! Have a great July 4th weekend, like Gnome12, every day is a holiday for us. 🙂

Sharing a taxi amongst the 3 of you to the airport will be cheaper than Avalon's transfer, as they charge per person ($60.00 CDN for our trip each end) , taxi is per distance. Notamermaid is correct about the scenic route along the river if you can do it, we took the "milk run" train(s) from Basel to Amsterdam the day after our Rhine cruise, and loved the scenery. Of course note the *day*. We started around 9:30, and got to the hotel in Amsterdam around 5:00. We planned it so knew the time it would take, but it was well worth it.

I've never sailed with Tauck, but I'm going to assume that they work similar to other cruise lines. I've never used laundry, however I have hear that you put it in your laundry bag in the morning and it will be returned either that night or the next morning. May I suggest, so you are prepared for all possible happenings, you read the posts below? For this one, you only need to review the ones pertaining to the Danube : Also, the last few pages of this thread will help you understand just how quickly things can change on the Danube : Enjoy your cruise, it's nothing like an ocean cruise, but we love them.

Glad all are ok.

Avalon has a couple, but for summer time, they only run Austria to Hungary. They will have no problem with your daughter, however you will have to book 2 cabins. You may get the single supplement waived if you find the right booking. You may find something searching for the French barge cruises.

Not really, when I book with Avalon, I can select the cabin of my choice at booking. I book well in advance, and have never had a problem - and I'm fussy as I want a certain layout (my side of the bed against the wall). I just get the advantage of not having to pay in full until 90 days out.

At one point we had 7 beetles....one for each of us, a dune buggy with a parts car, one for running around the fields , and 2 parts cars. I don't remember any of them coming with a coffee maker. The gas heaters worked fine when they worked, but our cold nights made being out in them not much fun. Our worse memory was coming back from the ski hills in freezing rain, each of us with our arms out of the windows trying to keep the windshield clean. Needless to say, we didn't go home that night! We used to throw a canoe on top of ours when camping. I think I can still strip down a carb (and probably a lot of the engine) without a manual. 🙂

I'm seeing Avalon Impression down at Roth, pretty sure it was in Nuremburg last night. Envision is in Passeau, so hopefully things are looking up. @KathyK13, Avalon seems to have the ability to work well on the fly so to speak, really makes me glad we sail with them.

New reports from our Envision Chat. The passenger boarded in Vilshofen. Avalon has given them free excursions to make up for missing what they did. Hoping the rain is a good sign, at least enough to keep sailing.

Not saying they won't stow it if you have more than 1, but they can make you move it from your room to the bus. I have heard it depends on the driver. It's only the porterage that matters, so as long as AliceS is prepared, then she will be fine.

On Sunday, I was in contact with someone on the Envision. Their cruise was to end in Regensburg. They were stopped at Passau, and were taking busses to Regensburg for the tours on Monday. Those who were going to be leaving from Nuremburg were to be bussed there after the tours. The remaining passengers going on to Prague were to be bussed from Passau. They were given monies for lunch (and dinner for those going to Nuremburg) and also, to make up, everyone was given the tour to Saltzburg. Those who had paid for the tour were being re-imbursed. He didn't say, but I would assume that Avalon was also putting passengers up in a hotel in Nuremburg as they would be flying out probably on the Tuesday. He sounded very happy with how things were handled. Maybe now the waters have risen enough that they managed to get the ship to Nuremburg for picking up the next tour. Glad to hear that Avalon is still stepping up to the ball when things go wrong, especially since I have my tour with them on the Danube in Sept!

The only real restrictions they have is that if you are getting transfers they will move 1 suitcase, you are responsible for the rest. You can store your luggage under the bed (and if you have 2 cases each, just store the smaller one inside the larger one). You can do a preview of your cabin by going to the site and doing a virtual tour of the ship. There really isn't much room in the cabin (closet isn't *that* big) other than under the bed for storage.

Not saying this is what you will see on your Philosopher's Walk, but I got curious as it wasn't on offer when we went so googled it. Looks interesting. https://www.gpsmycity.com/tours/philosophers-way-4037.html

We started our cruise with a tour to Keukenhof before boarding the ship. When it was time to go, we went back to our bus, and the driver was watching the F1 on his phone. We stopped to watch, as we were going to miss it, and next thing we knew, there were about 10 of us crowded around him watching the race. Needless to say, I think we were a little late getting back to the ship. Never saw the end, but we managed to catch some of it. 🙂 @Canal archive, had to tape it today, just starting to watch now (mind you I know how it ends). Father's Day took priority. Happy for Alonso, nice to see him having fun still.

Funny, we had to drive up to the city for a special dinner the other night, and took a drive by the training grounds. We thought they were out on tour until we rounded the corner and saw all the horses. I thought of their "friends" in the UK, and wondered how they were doing as one was sick during the Coronation (I think Princess Anne's), and the one they brought over for I think Charles was to new to participate. Glad to hear he was able to ride it. Bribe the Captain to fix all TV's to show the bow cam. 🙂

We booked our Avalon cruise in 2019, to sail 2020...we all know what happened to that! Because of Covid, Avalon gave us a choice of full refund (just our deposit, but others probably had made full payment) or re-book for a later cruise. We re-booked, and when it came close to our booking date, we took the option to re-book again. So the cruise I just paid for (90 days out) was booked Aug 2021. No having to pay any more than the 90 days. I understand Viking's idea... if you can get away with it, why not? Everyone sees the advert on TV and thinks that "that looks nice", so without any research, calls them to book. As long as they can get away with it, why should they change? If you argue your date, it sounds as if repeat clients can get the 6 month payment, or you can "rush" book and go with whatever cabin they have available, but unless they have a major revolt, they won't change. Not good for clients, but then they are a business, and bottom line is more important for most businesses.

That's one of the nicest things about Avalon's site. You select the cruise you want, then go to available dates, and can see immediately what cabins are sold out. Since there are only 2 available on any ship in the category Rebel is looking for, it makes it very easy.

Great words. I had a friend who did their own, missed out on a simple error (Mr. instead of Mrs.) on a ticket and almost missed a flight for their sister's wedding. I know my agent caught a reversal of letters in one of our flight tickets booked through our cruise line, and had already taken care of it before I even noticed. I also value her experience as someone who flies frequently so she knows what airports aren't good for me (I have crowd issues) and also whether or not the transfer time is cutting it short. We deal well together, I'm a planner to the 9th degree - I'll have 6 back up plans on the go just in case - and she is more than happy to be there for me to toss ideas off of. We have been to places in our travels that are not normally visited, so she always asks me to report back so she knows if she should recommend other travelers to. As you say, the time I didn't have to sit on hold for however long while Covid hit and everyone was scrambling to re-organise made me realise just how valuable it is to go through a TA. A simple e-mail early in the morning so it's there for when she starts working, and she can get back to me when she can...and no panicking on my side because I'm not getting through.

The guy on my chat group says that the Captain said the water was dropping about 1" a day, but dropped 12" in one day the day before. Maybe it has something to do with your funny readings on the gauge notamermaid, and the Captain is being over cautious? I guess he's the one who has to report to Head Office if there is any trouble, so maybe taking it on the easy side.

Just had a post in my message board... they are on an Avalon ship, boat can't go between Regensburg & Nuremburg. Trying to get more info.

@ljandgbexcellent post, I'll add something more to save a little space. Unless you are really fussy, leave the shampoo/conditioner/hairdryer at home. Hotels and the ship will supply them, Avalon has L'Occitane products which are great. While we've never lost our luggage (knocking on wood), and this year purchased air tags for tracking, we always bring a couple of changes just in case in our day packs. We also will go to a convenience store in the airport and buy something small - bottle of water, snack etc., to get coins in local currency. @TMLAalum I think Avalon does get one of the tourist boats to do the canal cruises, so it won't be anything like your nice barge tour. We had a light drizzle the day we went, so were glad for the large glass cover, but to me, it's been done, maybe in a couple of years we may do it again, but there is so much more to see... 🙂

Like others, I am a planner. Long before I met my TA, I knew what line, cruise, excursions (both pre, post & during) I would go for. I sat down across from her on our first meeting and told her I was going to be the client from H**l. 🙂 She laughed, and once she knew how much I had looked into the trip, she let me go and just gave advice on what I had planned. Like Jazz, we don't go to the "normal" things when visiting towns, unless it's something we really wish to see. We look for a lot of out of the way things to do. I also usually have about 6 back up plans to do if something comes up and we can't do what we wished. I had questions on everything though, as we had several firsts. We hadn't taken a plane in over 20 years, had never taken a train, used public transit, or even done a river cruise. Through she was great for helping there, and a 2nd set of eyes when airline reservations came in with 2 letters in our name reversed. I missed it, but she caught it and it was an easy fix. When Covid hit, an easy e-mail to her office to rebook our cruise (not once but 3x) was all it took. She could do it when she had time, and could spend the time on the phone for her more urgent clients that were travelling sooner. How did I find her? Avalon has a section on their website with recommend TA's. I chose the one closest to me in case I had to get to her quickly. Worked great and very happy with her.

We pack in everything we can get, but then we do that on our regular holidays as well. We come home tired, but in a good way, and so far (knock on wood) we've always came home healthy. We are also very early risers, so the quiet evenings after dinner are our "down time" to catch up on what's going on at home. Our favourite spot on the bus when we take them is the back seat, views from both sides because no one else is around (except for the crew when they hitch a ride) and we know what to look for because the guide has already talked about it!