OzNaiNai

On 4/11/2019 at 11:34 PM, Fourmiler said:

I have a questions for you notamermaid and anyone else for that matter!  On our August cruise, when we dock in Koblenz, we have a choice of a tour of Koblenz and a visit to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress or Moselle and Cochem visit.  We can’t do both.  Would like your views as to which tour we should choose.  And, we’re crossing our fingers for ok water levels in August!!

You can visit Ehrenbreitsen Fortress & Koblenz by yourself (instead of purchasing the tour), ‘Our Viking ship docked next to the cable car, unfortunately the cable-car was being serviced that day, instead we visited Koblenz with some other passengers. I enjoyed the day in Koblenz, it was nice not being on a guided tour, as we could visit the parts of the city we wanted, instead of just the touristy places. The ship docked for a long time (from breakfast to 11.30pm) in Koblenz. 

If your ship docks for as for as long as ours did, maybe you could sign up for the Moselle & Cochem visit, plus visit Koblenz  &/or take the cable car to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress by yourself.

On 4/20/2019 at 6:53 AM, UB & AS said:

We are packed and ready for the flight to AMS and our first European river cruise. Experience from many cruises has taught us how to pack. We will travel with a carry-on bag each plus a small personal item. Less than 15 kg of luggage each..This makes travel very easy and no luggage fees, waits for luggage or lost luggage. 

 

Cheers, Bill and Sandy

You are lucky to be able to take 15kg as carry-on. In Australia we are limited to 7kg carry-on. 

On 2/24/2019 at 5:04 AM, FreestyleNovice said:

Have a great time and enjoy The Netherlands! Don't hesitate to touch base in this thread whenever, where ever. 

‘Hi FreestyleNovice, I just returned home from my trip & wish to say a heartfelt thankyou for your valuable info & advice. Dad & I both enjoyed our week in Leiden, what a wonderful city. We enjoyed staying at the Boutique hotel de'Oude Morsch very much (loved having a windmill in the backyard), it was fun scooting around on our mobility scooters. Dad loved his breakfast at Anne & Max (he was craving bacon & eggs). I like to eat the regional food when I travel but Dad is not so willing. I did go back 3 time to the Chocolate shop to try different hot chocolate blends. Wish I’d bought some home, but probably better for my waistline that I didn’t 

the people in the netherlands are just so friendly, we met some wonderful people. Thanks again for your helpful advise, it made our trip so much better. Leiden was the perfect base for us, a bit easier for Dad (89) to get around than Amsterdam

I just got home from my Basel to Amsterdam Viking river cruise, we had a great time with no water level issues.

Notamermaid, you live in a beautiful area of the world, this was my first visit to Europe, I’m Australian & most of my holidays have been closer to home, Japan, China, HK,Singapore, Fiji, Malaysia, NZ, etc

17 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Turbulent weather on the Rhine

 

It is another one of those weather patterns when it sounds like "everything apart from a volcanic eruption is possible" as I jokingly replied earlier in the thread to sbjornda. Well, there is Maria Laach and its lake...

We have (unfelt by humans) earthquakes on a regular basis and the lake bubbles: Volcano in Germany recharging with new magma

 

Wow, you are getting some mixed weather. Thanks for the updates, my Basel-Amsterdam Cruise is in 2wks.

re earthquake, I experienced earthquakes on my last 2 holidays, so happy to skip the experience this time.

last year on our 2nd day in Osaka, they had a 6.5 earthquake, that was my 2nd earthquake as on my previous trip to Japan, I was in Kobe when it was the epicentre of a 6.7 earthquake.

hbgal

this will be my first cruise of any type, except for overnight Ferry from mainland Australia to Tasmania. I’m lucky I don’t live in a bushfire area (I live near the beach). But like you have family members who have lost homes to Bushfires.

im looking forward to the trip but not the 28hr flight. Though we are lucky to have have only one stop for 2hrs in Dubai. we will be in the Netherlands at Tulip time. The day before our flight home from Schiphol, (13/4)  is Bollenstreek (the annual tulip parade)

1 hour ago, hbgal said:

We are sailing on 3/31 on AMASerena from Basel to Amsterdam. Our flight is to Zurich a few days early so we can spend 3 nights in Lucerne. Weather report says some rain & snow there. A bit different for a gal from the southern California beach area (although we are getting much more rain than normal). 

 

This is the only place I have found that addresses the current water levels on the Rhine. I am hoping we will have no interruptions. 

We, (Dad & I) are sailing from Basel to Amsterdam at exactly the same time as you except on Viking Kara.

we are flying from Adelaide (Australia) to Milan 4 days early, then spending 2 days in Stresa & 2 days Basel before boarding Kara 31/3. Its 37c/100f here so will be quite a change of temp for us too. I purchased an umbrella & jacket for our trip as I own neither. I’ve never seen snow, so that would be exciting. I’m also anxiously watching the water levels.

10 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Water levels: the river is lower than the mean, not low, fine for sailing. But, things can change...

 

I plan to post the first figures around middle of March and am happy to answer questions.

 

‘Thanks for keeping us informed. My Viking River Cruise departs Basel March 31, so will be anxiously awaiting your next post on water levels.

13 hours ago, FreestyleNovice said:

Another option is to take the Leiden - Haarlem - Amsterdam Sloterdijk - Schiphol train route, that one will go through the bollenstreek and lots of tulip fields from the comfort of the train. But you will have to change trains at Sloterdijk and it's easily an 45-60 minutes versus the 15 minutes direct I think.

 

The last day at the airport a relaxing day? 

 Great idea. We could also do it on our way to Paris. Intercity 2126, Leiden Central -Heemstede Aerdenhout - Haarlem - Amsterdam Sloterdijk - Amsterdam Cantraal, then Thalys, to Paris. Instead of Leiden Central - Schiphol, Thalys, Schiphol - Paris.

love your idea of spending last afternoon on a terrace, Vlot looks really nice. Dad was a builder, I think he will love it.

wow, my post cruise week is planned.

Amsterdam, 9am, disembark  Viking Kara, - Amsterdam walking tour - canal cruise - Anne Frank House - train to Leiden

Leiden, 2 nights, exploring old town & canals, afternoon tea on a terrace, Weaver House Museum.

Paris, 2 nights, includes 3 hr private tour in vintage Citroen 

Leiden, 3 nights, including day trips to Haarlem and Patchwork & Quiltdagen at Rijswijk

Schiphol, 1night.

long, long flight home to Australia.

thanks so much FreestyleNovice & others who gave advice. 

On 2/21/2019 at 1:42 AM, FreestyleNovice said:

The Keukenhof flower park is in full bloom around that time, between Leiden and Haarlem is the "bollenstreek" region, lots of flower fields and tulips. I had to Google the exact date but here we are: On the 13th there is a so called "bloemencorso", a street parade from the region all the way to Haarlem with beautiful floats full of flowers. Not a good day to visit the Keukenhof as the region goes in temporarily lock down for the parade route LOL.  

 

Hopefully Ibis can accommodate you on the last night too,  wouldn't do the apartment, too far away from anything indeed. 

 

Did you try Holiday Inn Leiden, some of the Van der Valk hotels around Leiden too? The Level hotel is full too?

 

If you need an airport hotel; first try Hilton, Sheraton and Citizen M, all on the airport grounds with the first two connected to the terminal building via walkway. Or try one of the dull hotels in the office parks around Hoofddorp station, 1 minute away from Schiphol's station as a last resort.

Thanks once again, your info is invaluable. I tried to extend our stay at Ibis Leiden Centre but they are totally booked out, so is the Level.and holiday inn etc, despite showing on some websites

Our best options are Bastion Leiden Oegstgeest, Van der Valk De Gouden Leeuw, Van der Valk Schiphol or Hilton Schipol. I’m leaning towards Hilton Schipol as it seem a bit easier for Dad, (direct train & less travelling before our long flight to Australia the following day) But on googling "bloemencorso", it seems there will be heavy traffic around Leiden station on 13 April.

We would need to travel from Leiden to Schipol, that day (13/4) with a 55cm-60cm suitcase each plus 2 mobility scooters. When would be the best time to travel to avoid the crowds? I’m assuming train would be better than taxi. It’d be nice to see the parade & flowers, but the travel and crowds would be too much for Dad to handle, especially considering our long flights (+28hrs) the following day in cattle class (economy). Can the tulip fields be seen from the train? If so, which side is it best re Leiden to Schiphol?

Thanks so much FreestyleNovice!  your advice and fantastic info will make this such a memorable holiday.

I booked ‘Ibis Leiden Centre’ for the remainder of our stay except for our last night 13 April. Not sure what is happening that night but every hotel & B&B in Leiden & Haarlem, is booked except for an apartment at Flemingstraat (13, 2316 AV Leiden), so it’s either move there for our last night or a hotel near Schipol Airport. Prefer Leiden as flight is afternoon, (3.20pm, April 14) but can’t see any restaurants etc near it.,  guess pizza delivery or cooking for ourselves is an option.

thankyou so so much for your suggestions, I’m so looking forward to staying in a bit of history & exploring Leiden on our Travelscoot’s (mobility scooters). If you are in Leiden in April & see a couple scooting around, say hi.

On 2/16/2019 at 4:26 AM, FreestyleNovice said:

Leiden it is?

 

The Morspoort hotel has a ground floor room for sure, https://www.boutiquehoteldeoudemorsch.nl/en/rooms/large-superior/.

 

Choosing Leiden over Amsterdam will be beneficial in more quality time, less travel time to Rijswijk, less crowds, a way more compact city, even more travel-able than Amsterdam and still giving you the overall impression of an old city with rich culture and more than enough memories.

 

For the Thalys(I assume?) train to Paris you will have to travel to Schiphol (15 minutes by train from Leiden). Schiphol is better getting around with luggage and your dad than Amsterdam Centraal for the Thalys. Another option is Rotterdam Centraal station to the south but that's a 30 minute ride which you could be enjoying the in the Thalys sipping a coffee..

 

‘Thanks so much for all your advice. I booked 3 nights at Boutique de’Oude Morsch, looking forward to staying there and trying out some of those lovely looking restaurants and cafes in the area. Do you have any suggestions for breakfast?

I’ll have to find somewhere else for the last few days of my trip as it already booked on those dates, not sure if I’ll return to Leiden after visiting Paris or stay in Den Haag instead. I hope to leave a suitcase at Boutique de’Oude Morsch, while we visit Paris for 2 nights, so will have to call in to Leiden to collect it. Leiden looks like such a pretty place.

yes Thalys sounds more comfortable for Dad. Not sure whether to book 1st or 2nd class. If it was just me I’d book 2nd. 

8 hours ago, FreestyleNovice said:

Leiden is an old canal town, sometimes called Small Amsterdam (but nowhere near the size of Amsterdam, or crowds!). Public transport is all around and all of the hotels are at intermediate walking distance, very compact city center.

 

My suggestion would be a lovely boutique or canal house hotel like; 

http://www.boutiquehoteldeoudemorsch.nl/en/ (1 minute away from the Ibis Hotel, at the backside, not a canal house but located in an older building near one of the city gates landmarks and a windmill, great views and surroundings)

https://www.steenhofsuites.nl/en/ (a true canal house, nearby one of the greatest canal of the city, the Rapenburg canal. A longer walk but if you walk the 15-20 minutes from the Centraal Station following the Rapenburg canal you will think you're back in Amsterdam).

 

 

Love your accommodation suggestions, but we need a lift or ground floor room as Dad would have trouble with flights of stairs. It’d be lovely to stay in a canal house, on a houseboat or friendly B&B, but imagine they don’t come with elevators for Dad. He has a mobility scooter. Would he be able to get on a tram or train with his mobility scooter? It’s a Travelscoot, weighs 15kg & folds like a baby’s umbrella stroller.

Our river cruise disembarks in Amsterdam 7/4 & we fly home from Schiphol 14/7. Dad wants to go to Paris, so that will take 3 days/2 nights (train-private tour-return 2 Netherlands) & I want to attend a Quilt show at De Broodfabriek, Rijswijk, Zuid-Holland.

with what’s been said here it may be easier to base ourselves in Leiden, except for the 2 nights in Paris.

I’m not looking to do touristy stuff, if I could I’d love to live like a local, I prefer to eat where the locals eat, try foods we don’t have at home. See how different living in the Netherlands is to living in Australia. I only have a week so this is not going to be possible.

Open to recommendations for accommodation & places to eat. Our budget is limited so looking for budget to mid-priced.

 Thanks for all your suggestions. This will be my last trip with Dad so want to make it special.

5 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

Unless you stay at Schiphol airport itself, it's probably about the same amount of time and hassle to get from The Hague to the airport as it is to get from central Amsterdam to the airport. After all, it's only half an hour by direct train from The Hague to the airport (compared to 15-20 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal), and the train journey itself is only part of the time and hassle of moving from one place to another.

 

Thanks. I’ve never been to Europe before, i have to remember, it’s so much smaller than Australia & has a better rail system.

I’ll have to keep in mind that travelling in The Netherlands (As far as size & ease to get places) is more like travelling in Japan than Australia.

i had hoped to leave our suitcases at the hotel in Amsterdam, while we did a quick trip to Paris & The Hague.

We plan to only have carry on size bags, but both of us use mobility aids as well. Maybe instead of a carry on size suitcase each, we should share one larger suitcase? That way Dad won’t have to worry about a suitcase, just his walker or Travelscoot.

We (dad & I) are flying out of Amsterdam 14 April, had planned on spending first night after our river cruise 7/4 & last 2 nights of our trip 12-14 April in Amsterdam. But, 

 hotels are 4x more than usual on 12-14 April due to a GEO conference in Amsterdam. (Amazingly, There is also a Jewellers conference in Basel the week before our river cruise with similar hike in Hotel costs. 😕)

Can anyone suggest other places we can stay the last night or 2 of our trip, close to Amsterdam airport?

We’ll be in The Hague before heading to Amsterdam, so I could extend our stay there, but would like to be closer to the airport for the last night. Our flight is in the afternoon, but Amsterdam to Australia takes over 28hours & Dad is 89. 

3 hours ago, djh1959 said:

We just got back from Alsace last week!  We had a lovely gentle snow on the morning that we spent in Riquewihr.  A really pretty village!

It was over 47.2C (117F) in Adelaide today, so probably some hot weather coming your way. It probably won’t get as hot in Melbourne as here in Adelaide but still over 40C will be a big change from snow in Riquewihr.

 I purchased some cashmere & wool cardigans for my Rhine river cruise and Swiss alps trip in March/April, they arrived today but it’s too hot to try them on.

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

 

It has finally snowed in my part of the valley and the landscape is dusted white.

‘Oh that sounds so pretty.

Hard for me to imagine what it must feel like as it’s so hot here. After days of being 42 it’s forecast to be 44-45 tomorrow. It’s  11pm & 31(88F) at the moment.

pity I won’t get the chance to experience snow when I come for my Basel-Amsterdam Cruise  at the end of March. I’ve booked to do the Bernina & Glacier Express before the cruise, so might see some snow from the train window.

this will be my first river cruise & after what happened at the end of last year, I was worried about it turning into an expensive bus trip. Though guess high rather than low water might be more of a problem the first week of April.

thanks so much for keeping us abreast of what’s happening there.

ps, interesting to read about the number of river ships, no wonder they warn as about parallel docking. I was sold a Viking Cruise on the promise they had grandfather rights to the docks, so more chance of being moored to a dock not another ship. But the number of just Viking ships, Must put a lie to that.

3 hours ago, mlbcruiser said:

 Thank you very very much for this information! We had considered doing a river cruise that started or ended in Budapest but I didn’t pursue it due to concern over whether or not that would be just too much for my husband. Didn’t want him to end up staying on the ship the entire tine!  Obviously to rent one would not be as easy as when cruising on an ocean going ship as the rental companies deliver scooters to those ships.   Would you happen to know if you have to actually go to Munich to pick one up at their office or if they can be obtained in any other city or delivered to a hotel?  ( sorry about so many questions!) It would be wise for us to purchase a travel scoot for my husband in the long run but getting him to agree to it and to spend the money would be a whole campaign in itself if you get my drift.  🙄  We generally do at least one ocean going cruise a year and paying to rent a scooter all the time eventually will  probably add up to more money. At the same time, I don’t relish the idea of bringing along the scooter and battery since as it is I am the one handling the luggage and so on when we travel and handling every aspect of every trip and activity.  I think the battery must be carried onto the plane, correct? I wonder how heavy they are?  However I guess it would be worth it.   I really really appreciate all of this information and hope I can put it to good use. I’m sure others who have seen your post will be helped as well. Thanks so much for taking the time to post! I’m not a big Facebook user but I ought to check out the Travelscoot you mentioned.Hope I can find it!  Oh,  if you don’t mind, please post your experience when you do the river cruise and use the scooter in ports. It would be very helpful. Thanks again.

Travelscoot and Smartscoot are the most lightweight travel mobility scooters. I have a Travelscoot so that’s the one I know. 

The scooter including battery weighs 15kg, the battery is lithium, and marked suitable for flying it weighs 2.4kg (5.25lb).

this is the website if you want more info

https://www.travelscoot.com/

i know many use the Travelscoot or Smartscoot on ocean cruises as they are small and fit through the narrow cabin doors.

the USA distributors of Travelscoot also rent them. I don’t know much about this as I live in Australia.

I’ve been looking for a s/h one to buy for my Dad, but they get snapped up quickly whenever I’ve  seen them advertised on Gumtree (Craig’s list). Don’t know if I need to pick up a rental in Munich or if they deliver, plan to ask them soon.

i bought mine specifically because it is easy to travel with.

i lift my Travelscoot into the back of my Honda Jazz (Fit), on days when my back is bad, I remove the battery and seat to make it even lighter to lift. I think the seat and yoke weigh about 3.5kg, so the frame then weighs less than 10kg around 9kg or 20lbs

i initially looked at a Luggie folding mobility scooter but they weighed more, cost more and had a much lighter load limit.

Hope this info helps, I have no association with Travelscoot apart from owning one. From my research I think everything I said about the Travelscoot applies to the Smartscoot too.

16 hours ago, notamermaid said:

 

I am warm and snug, thank you.

Hi notamermaid,

Thanks for starting this post to keep us updated. After last year I think we are all a little concerned about water levels for our booked cruises.

I’m also warm, it is 40C at the moment (6.25pm) and was 42C(107.6F) today. I’ve never seen snow and we don’t get much rain where I live, in fact I don’t own an umbrella or raincoat. Guess I’ll need to buy both for my 31 March to 7 April Basel to Amsterdam river cruise.

14 hours ago, mlbcruiser said:

  I would love some more definitive information on which lines will allow  scooters to be brought on board. OzNaiNai, who did you contact that was able to give you permission? I assume you had it in writing when you boarded? 

Hi, I haven’t been on the cruise yet, booked for 31/3/19, Basel to Amsterdam. I booked through a travel agency who specialises in Cruises. It was the agent who got the Ok from Viking on the provision that it is not used on the ship and that I carry it on and off the ship myself and store it in our cabin.

the Travelscoot weighs 15kg and folds very small. So no problem complying. I do know of someone who has been on 4 Viking river cruises and also someone who has been on Avalon with their Travelscoot’s I also know of someone who did a river cruise with a Smartscoot. Haven’t heard of any other type of scooter used as my info comes from the Travelscoot Facebook group.

im going to ask the agency to get the permission in writing so I can take it with me just in case the ship was not informed that I had permission.

im travelling with my Dad who uses a walker, I’m not sure at the moment if we will take Dad’s walker or hire a Travelscoot for him, or just share mine. (Travelscoot’s main office/shop in Munich rents them) His mobility scooter is too big to travel with

I only asked for permission to bring one though, so would have to get the Ok from Viking for each of us to have one, but I don’t think it will be a problem as long as we take care of everything ourselves and don’t ask staff for help.

I did get some feedback from Gate1 and AmaWaterways about using scooters, their position was can’t be used on the ship, must be able to be carried by the passenger on and off the ship and tour buss. Must be small enough to store in the cabin. Pretty much what I got from Viking. They don’t encourage, in fact seem to discourage their use but if the passenger takes responsibility, doesn’t seek help from staff and it won’t be a hindrance to other passengers they will allow them.

the guy who travelled on 4 river cruises with his Travelscoot was rejected 3 times before he eventually succeeded in getting permission to bring his Travelscoot on the cruise. He had to send photos and lots of info on the size weight etc of the scooter.

im lucky he did the hard work as Viking are now familiar with the Travelscoot.

I got permission to bring my Travelscoot on my Viking River Cruise, 

I’m also interested in this, as I’m booked on Viking cruise Basel to Amsterdam March 31, will be watching this thread avidly.