Daisi

Some lines have already opened up sailings for 2024, I know Avalon has, and I think I have seen others. Most lines have morning and afternoon tours, just some are referred to as optional as you pay extra for them. Usually, the only time you are onboard during the day (other than if you choose to be) is if there is a distance between ports (Amsterdam and Cologne, Budapest and Vienna} or if sailing through a scenic area. Otherwise, you are free to tour on your own or by the companies tour. Have you narrowed down a river yet? We can probably provide more details once you do.

I heard on another board that someone on the Budapest to Amsterdam cruise has had to stop around Nuremberg. They will be bussed the remainder of the trip, and are supposed to be receiving a generous reimbursement for the missed cruise.

Most chargers for newer phones/tablets are marked 110-240V. As long as your chargers are marked like that, you can just use the plug adaptors. I buy the chargers that have multiple ports, so I can charge 2-3 devices overnight all at once. Most lines will supply hair dryers, as do hotels if you are doing a pre or post stay.

Looking forward to seeing your report, and also hearing about what line/river you end up choosing. The main thing to do is ask questions, so if you have any others, don't hesitate. Have fun, planning is only part of the game. 😉

We didn't travel with Viking, but I know our busses had them. Mind you, they were pretty tiny, and I don't think they were ever used. I think if you are on the bus for more than a couple of hours, it includes a stop for restrooms.

On Avalon, all tips are split between all the crew, I think that is standard for most river cruises. So we gave extra for all the crew, then felt that those who we interacted with everyday deserved a more personal thanks. Our problem was, when we wanted to give a bit to our wine steward, he was off on holiday....which impressed me, as it was the last day so I thought he would have been needed for help with disembarkment and embarkment. His sister was our server, so we gave it to her. We had a lot of family on our cruise - our cabin attendant did the whole level with his twin, and the Housekeeping manager was engaged to my favourite sous-chef! Can you tell we sat at the back of the bus for all tours, so got to meet a lot of staff we normally wouldn't. 🙂

While we never had to do a ship swap, I remember the first time our tour had to go by bus for a tour. Most of the trip was by scenic routes, and we appreciated seeing the countryside we wouldn't have if we had been on the boat.

This actually was a soup I make at home....pretty close to what I made, and one of my favourites. I grew up with a Mother who cooked from all over the world, and I do the same. Easter dinner this year was all Hungarian, while my sister made a Scandinavian Christmas dinner for us. It's been a tradition in our family since I was to young to say I didn't like stuff. 🙂

We sail with Avalon, and they provided us with vouchers saying our tips were pre-paid. The last night of the cruise, envelopes were left in the cabins, and we put the vouchers (and some extra Euros) in them. Then we tracked down those who we wanted to give extra to do do so with a big thank-you. The crew were all great, even the behind the scene ones - one day we were sitting out front as we were coming into port, and watched the guys getting the lines out for tying up. They were great and very patient answering my husband's questions, and really made us feel that we weren't bothering them. We also had one of the sous-chefs who was responsible for preparing soup on the bus with us one day (as well as some others). I mentioned that I had really liked one of the soups and the next day they had it again., I think it was the only one repeated.

We enjoy our level 2 french balcony cabin (Avalon, not Viking), and I don't think I would like the lower level one. There is no seating area other than the bed, and I would be to shot to see much other than sky. We loved hanging out over the balcony looking at the swans and also seeing the scenery as we are waiting for the other to get ready. Yes, we don't spend much time in the cabin, but what we do, I want to enjoy. That being said, we do go for the most affordable (ok cheapest) ones towards the stern, saves us some $$$.

We always pre-pay our tips, it's not much, and then give euros to the ones who were directly interacted with us. We've even treated on of the tour bus drivers to a (non alcoholic) drink one day, we stopped at a cafe after wandering around town and he happened to be at the next table. He was quite interesting to talk to, and told us he worked pretty much year round as he drove for the main company, not just the river cruise division. The fact that he was a big F1 fan helped break the ice, as I happened to be checking on qualifying. 🙂

As to pre-booking tours on DIY, be very careful. Harbour masters control when and where the ships moor, and for how long. Viking I believe has a lot of it's own docks, but they are the exception, and with the low waters out now, I've heard that even they are "sharing". You usually don't know until the night before what port times are, which is why it's so good that there are organised tours, they get you out and about and back without worrying about missing the ship. Most lines have at least one included tour per day, some lines have optional ones in the afternoon that you pay extra for. The line we sail with has the optional ones, but they also often have choices of different tours to take in the included ones. Nice if you are on a part of a river that you have been on previously, you can take the "general history" tour, or one more geared to a special interest. Sometimes it's a hard decision to make. If you are lucky, there will be stops that don't leave until late in the evening, and if you really want to experience local life, you can go ashore for a lot more free time. We found that after the hour - 1 1/2 hour walking tour of general history, there was usually a 1/2 hour of free time to sit and enjoy the square, shop, or wander more around the town....and we took the slow walker tours because I like to take pictures and our guides could walk & talk at the same time. Started off with a group of about 6, ended up with a group about 15 once others caught on.

Yes, I think all lines would do their best to make non-alcoholic cocktails, and also, most will do their best to work around allergies. I know the line I cruise with is great for celiacs, and other allergies....in fact I'm a fussy eater, and it took our server 2 meals to automatically reply "without onions and peppers?" whenever I ordered something. It's amazing, considering they feed the whole ship at once, have a tiny kitchen, but can still handle special requests. I know a friend who sailed on our line met with the chef every morning after breakfast to go over the menus to know what they could eat as they are celiac...and she had absolutely no problems with cross - contamination either. Most people refer to the river cruise ships as a floating hotel, which fits for you. You can relax onboard while others are touring, but to be honest, I'd be afraid of missing something. 🙂

Or as someone on here (sorry I can't remember who) very aptly put it - there are more see days than sea days.

One thing about the alcohol included part. Most lines have much more affordable (like you would pay in a restaurant) pricing, because you are more than welcome to bring your own alcohol onboard. We get our cabin attendant clear out our fridge, and stored our water, treats etc. in it. You may get a corking fee if you wish to have your wine served with dinner, but otherwise, you are free to pour yourself a drink and enjoy it outside or in your cabin. You can also ask for a glass of wine or beer at the end of your meal to enjoy up on the sundeck or in the lounge...as long as it's meal time, drinks tend to flow pretty freely. If you are an avid tourer, your wife may not have time for a spa. The only real days you have onboard are either a long trip to the next port or a scenic area to view. We took every tour we could, so out from about 8:30/8:00 to 11:30, back for lunch, then out on another tour from around 1:00/1:30 to 4:00/4:30. Time to freshen up, have a quick briefing on what would happen the next day, and dinner. We cruised the Rhine, and apart from the trip from Amsterdam to Cologne, and the Rhine gorge, we were off the ship all day. Sailing is usually done at night.

When I booked my first river cruise, I had been researching for about 2 years….reading online forums, Facebook groups, googling, and watching videos on YouTube. By the time it came to choosing a TA, I knew what line & cruise I wanted. Fortunately for me, the line I chose had it’s own recommended TA specialists, and one of them was in a village that wasn’t to far from where I live. The last time we had flown was 25 years previously, so there were lots of changes. I met with our TA, and while I had everything already organized, right down to the cabin we wanted, she was the one who put it all together for us. We did our own pre & post cruise, she helped with hotels, train tickets and everything. Yes, I could have done it myself, but it was nice to have someone experienced who knew all the little things I overlooked. I think she probably dreaded opening up her email every morning, as I kept trying to stay updated, but she did a lot for us to make our first overseas trip great, and has continued to do so over the years.

That is something that only Viking can answer. Do you have insurance to cover the costs if they won't. As QueenofEverything says, if you are that concerned, you probably wouldn't enjoy it to start with, and that will ruin what could be a great cruise.

I always recommend using a TA, it's nice (especially now with flight cancellations/changes etc) to have someone else do your legwork. I still do all my planning, then go to my TA to have her do all the work. It's free, so why not? It's up to your TA as to whether or not they will give you any perks, that comes out of their commission. Some do, some don't, there is no set thing. Prior to selecting your line, I recommend you reading the stickies at the top of the main page so that you have a good idea about river cruising. There is a saying that the only thing the same with river & ocean cruising is that you are on a ship on water. Contact the TA you normally use, and see if they have any experience with River cruises, or if someone in their office does. You probably won't have problems finding someone in the office that has experience. Good luck, and have fun. ****Edited**** Roz and I were both posting at the same time...as she says, the stickies are good information. Also, you can't mention any TA on this board. We can give advice (like get one), but not mention any agencies by name.

We bring Euros, and stop at a shop in the airport and buy something small - a drink or snack - to get coins.

Roz, just heard from family, no restrictions on businesses, everything is open as usual. Enjoy.

You may want to check the Sherpa site to see if the testing requirements are up to date as well.

Roz, I found this : https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2022/01/25/press-conference-25-january-2022 I will e-mail my family there (they are in southern Netherlands, but should have same rules) to see if it still stands.

Yes, I think you are right. I knew there was something like that around Strasbourg, but couldn't find it on a quick check.

Looks like it’s raining good in Budapest.

They were sailing on Avalon. They may have gotten the town wrong...probably Speyer, since it has a docking facility. They won't usually say anything unless it's positive that they have to do it. I don't know how much rain would be needed to bring the river up high enough to sail through, but at least you know they will look out for you.