beesKate

We had the same thing happen on our Frankfurt connection too.  Original layover was about 5 hours, now 11.  We book a day-rate room at the Hilton Garden Inn at the Frankfurt Airport, so we can shower & try to nap since we'll be arriving in Bucharest at midnight.

I was messaging someone whose Aug 21 Bucharest to Budapest was cancelled.  They were given 10 days notice with an option to transfer to another cruise during that same timeframe or rebook the same cruise at a different time.  Since many people travel to arrive a few days early for their cruise, this could affect how quickly they can shift to another option.  

I was wondering the same thing.  When I look at Cruise Mapper and filter for Uniworld, they don't have as many ships on the rivers as some other lines.  If ships aren't in the correct positions they can't be used for swaps.  We only had an issue on one of our cruises where a lock was closed, and they just mentioned bussing us to the next location which was the end of our cruise.  We were lucky and lock re-opened and we were able to sail into Budapest. 

I'm not notamermaid, but I've been finding good land guides from Rick Steves website.  He interviews a lot on his radio show and the forums (as well as the entire website) are searchable.  Most of his guides work independently and you can contact them directly.  

I messaged with someone recently whose Uniworld Eastern Danube (Aug 21 Bucharest to Budapest) was cancelled with 10-days notice.  They indicated they were encouraged to switch to another cruise during the same period (Uniworld lets you know what is available and I presume easier if Uniworld arranged your air or flying into a central location) or to rebook the same cruise at a different time.   I've read the fine print on the contract and it looks like a refund may be at their discretion, but if they cancel our entire cruise that's what we're going to pursue.  I'd rather not have an enticing credit.  They can be rather generous with their credits.

On 7/9/2022 at 9:49 PM, momofthre3 said:

I am now planning my wardrobe. With all the issues at Heathrow, I am attempting a capsule wardrobe, using only carry-on luggage.  Is there anything I should pack in particular?  Are dinners business casual or are there some casual nights? 

They are what most would describe as business casual.  No defined casual nights, but I've seen people dress very casually -- and I'm not aware of staff saying anything.  My dining clothes were never that different from what I wore during the day except for a change of shoes and earrings.  My husband (and other male guests) rarely wore ties.  

Ninaks, You may not have enough time to do this, but we worked around Uniworld only picking up on their scheduled day. If they are picking up at the Frankfurt Airport for the cruise starting in Strasbourg and you would be staying in Frankfurt overnight, you could find a flight with an arrival time that meets your needs and let Uniworld know this is your "arrival flight".  You go back to the airport at the appointed time and look for the Uniworld people around arrivals.  We did this a few years ago when we arrived a few days early for a cruise beginning in Passau.  They were picking up at the Munich airport, so we just took the train back to the Munich airport and found the Uniworld people.  They are not checking airline passenger lists to see if you're actually booked on the flight.  

I agree with not buying euros in the states.  Our credit union ATM card (it's a Visa and on the Pulse network) is what we've always used.  You'll be able to use cards for most of what you need or want -- just do the travel notification like you should for any cards.  When you use an ATM, look for one that is owned by a bank.  Be familiar with the names of the banks in country.  If I know I want to get some euros first thing, I'll review the information on the airport I'm arriving at and see where ATMs are located in the terminal I'll be arriving at and if there are bank ATMs.  I also go to the airport maps and see where they're located.  Some of the ATMs in the airports are linked to currency exchanges and don't have the best rates.  If we wait until we leave the airport,  we'll do a google maps search for ATMs close to our hotel. Something else to consider is setting up Apple Pay (or Google Pay) and practice using it before you leave home.  Even if your credit/debit card is not chip enabled you can use the secure touch technology in the App.  As mentioned above, if given an option to pay in euros or dollars, always chose euros for a much better exchange rate. 

To be candid, I have not traveled on AMA... however if we book another river cruise, I anticipate trying them out.  We have done all our cruises with Uniworld.  The last one, we met a couple who were on their first Uniworld after having sailed with AMA.  They kept on comparing U with AMA saying they preferred AMA.  The last couple of years, my sister and her husband have done several AMA cruises with extensions and have loved them all.  They even did two in the last year with covid restrictions and limitations.  They had nothing but great things to say about the line.   We did book with Uniworld for a cruise this October, but that may be our last one for a while.  

@SailinPrincess if you're used to ocean cruises, one of the most pleasant surprises is how low-key and easy the check in process is!  If you arrive early, they'll take your bags and hold them until they can deliver in your cabin.  They will have snacks and a  light lunch available in the bar area ... even though you aren't able to get to your cabin until they are ready.  

One thing specific to Uniworld I remember on our first cruise is that for breakfast we always just did the buffet.  We didn't realize until almost the end of the cruise that they also have one or two menu items you can order from your server... you may need to ask about them.  You could also have mimosas or sparkling wine with breakfast.  They weren't always offered, but they were out and available.  

Another thing is that there's no need to research the ports.  Some aren't one the tourist radar, and the provided excursions are all very good.  

That is pretty good that Tauck does your airport transfers in that situation!  I remember having play games with Uniworld, after arriving days earlier, giving them a "fake" incoming flight, while actually taking the train from city center back to the airport. 

Have you ever been to the Carnavalet Museum in Paris?  It's just been updated, reopened and apparently very well done.

@Gopherpharm All the more reason to go on multiple Uniworld cruises.  After you're a member of the "Heritage Club" a free load of laundry is a perk.  It's amazing how much you can fit in that fairly small bag!  Especially helpful if you do a pre-trip or are planning a post-trip on your own.  

The decor on Uniworld also provides conversation starters!  There was a piece of artwork on one cruise, that my husband asked the crew if they got tired of seeing it.  🙂  Two lessons learned... #1 don't go overboard with packing.  You don't need the full outfit change for dinner, maybe a fresh shirt and different shoes.  I routinely wore the clean shirt "scheduled" for the next day with nicer black pants.  I did bring one fancier top.  My husband stopped bringing ties or a jacket after the first cruise.  Nobody notices or cares what you're wearing (unless you're really pushing either end of the spectrum) #2, if they offer a "do as locals do" type tour, opt for it.  

To add to the duvet discussion, on our first Uniworld the bed was made with 2 duvets, one for me and one for my husband.  This solved a lifetime of problems with one person hogging (or discarding) the heavier blanket.  When we returned home I got us each a duvet that we can use (or not use) at our own discretion and comfort level.

As everyone has said, river cruises are very different from ocean cruises.  You may want to look at some YouTube videos about the differences between river cruising and ocean cruising so you can manage your expectations and understand what the experience will be like.  

I've never had to pre-book a river cruise excursion.  I've never heard from people who've been on other river cruise lines that needed to either.  Actually, if someone said we needed to pre-book a river cruise excursion, I'd suspect they had false information.   There isn't normally a "first choice", but this is the excursion we offer today.  There may be a gentle walker option, or there may be a couple of choices on some days.  You normally sign up on the ship the day before or even the morning of.  There may be special excursions where they need more notice, but only a couple of days before if something special needs to be arranged.  Many times wait until the night before when they give the next-day briefing and tell you about the excursion.  

Perhaps with Viking shifting to ocean cruises their website structure also is being displayed in a more ocean cruise (you pay extra) excursion format?  I looked on their website and see they do list quite a few excursions that aren't marked as "included" and see how it's confusing.  Perhaps there are other Viking cruisers who could respond better or maybe this is a new format they are migrating to?

I'm surprised they even gave you "port times".  Many cruises opt not to do this because of ... well, basically they can't control the river.  The actual distance travelled is not far, so they probably do plan ahead to be docked at certain locations.  If you're going primarily for the Christmas markets, realize some do not "open" until the afternoon and many close down by about 8:30 pm, especially on weeknights.   

Thanks notamermaid for the link to show about the Serbian settlement and Geosez for the recommendation.  We're on Uniworld in early October and it looks like this will be an excursion option.  

Everything I've seen about travel in general, not specific to river cruises, is the traveller foots the bill.  You may also want to double check airline restrictions too.  If AMA made flight arrangements they should be able to answer about changes to your flight, but if you made them yourselves, you could be footing the bill for any changes.  If you test positive on the ship, and isolate on the ship during the cruise, then the cruise line would cover that, but if your isolation period (whatever that may be in October 2022) expires they aren't going to keep you on the ship when it leaves for another cruise.  If you're off the ship, the cruise line may assist with arranging the extension your stay, but it's dependent on the occupancy at the hotel and I would not expect them to pay for it.  I listen to a podcast where a family had one member test positive (asymptomatic) and their hotel was fully booked.  They had to scramble to find accommodations and had to pay to change their flights.  Insurance is a good idea, but you probably need to read the fine print and make sure it covers this situation.  

We did this cruise in 2015, and yes there did seem to be a lot of stopping in Avignon!  Our captain was based in Avignon and we wondered if that influenced it all 🙂  Arrival day was in Avignon.  We arrived on a Sunday and after the drive from Marseille, we had free time to wander around the city on our own.  On day 2, we sailed to Arles where we I believe we spent the morning touring, then sailed back to Avignon.  Day 3 was our official touring day of Avignon in the morning, but in the afternoon we visited the Pont du Gard and visited a tasting room in the Chateauneuf du Pape.  The distances aren't that great in area, and to tell the truth, the south of the Rhone is not very scenic. 

Hi PhD-iva, where is central Texas are you?  We're southwest of Austin and doing this same trip in reverse next year.

Agree that neither a dinner jacket nor a tie is necessary, especially in August.  My husband brought one the first cruise, but never after that -- and he brought ties, but it he didn't wear them often.  He wore button down shirts and slacks.  For myself, I relied on black slacks with a different tops which I sometimes wore the next day for touring.  There are people that wore both jackets and ties.  But do what you're most comfortable with.  Below are pictures from different cruises.  We are also scheduled to take this cruise in reverse in October 2022.  Please report back!

I wonder if it has to do with the time of day you're docked?  Most of the markets don't open until the afternoons.

Thanks for the info!  Considering Austin has very few direct flights I hadn't even looked at flights yet.  

We're considering a Budapest to Bucharest (or reverse) cruise.  Does it matter which direction you approach the Iron Gates from?  Is it more spectacular coming from Budapest rather than Bucharest?  

We met people who had the aquarium class, and they were happy with their choice. During our cruise we were docked in the same place the entire time (S. Basilio, due to an event which didn't allow us to dock east of Piazza San Marco), with another ship rafted by us just about the entire time we were at dock. Our view stayed the same the entire week, (the Hilton across the lagoon). During the lagoon cruising, most people stayed up top where drinks were passed and we had gorgeous weather.

How claustrophobic you feel is hard to say, we mainly slept and changed clothes in our room... and needed to close the drapes due to water taxis and other water traffic if we were changing.

For the chip + pin discussion. Capital One and USAA both offer cards with no foreign transaction fees, and true chip and pin. Although we used Cap1 almost exclusively on our recent trip to Italy, no vendors used the chip technology, but ran as a swipe. We only used it in very heavily tourist areas. I'm sure other parts of Europe will be different.

For the cash discussion: plan to use an ATM when you arrive. It has the best exchange rate and if you're on a tour or cruise staff will be able to tell you where a near-by one is. There should always be one in the airport. We tend to look for ones associated with a bank -- not a cash exchange place. You can generally look at an airport services map to figure out where they will be located. It's also a good word to learn in the native language in the country you are arriving in. When we've arrived early, sometimes shops are not open or there may not be as many amenities where the staff know English. The term "ATM" is not universally used.

Our credit union Visa debit card generally does not have any foreign transaction or ATM fees out of the country.

We did the same trip in May, and there's really no reason to bring a swim suit. No pool on the ship, and I don't think the hotel in Milan had a pool. I guess if you wanted to get a tan and lay out in your swim suit on the top deck while cruising the lagoon and drinking belinis you could.