SpringBreakMom

8 hours ago, mjmiller said:

 

Thank you! Ports were crowded, some more than others.  We try not to let crowds bother us. My photos are often from unusual angles, or taken after the tours are complete, or of lesser known places.  I think the only place that I really had an issue with crowding was Salzburg - SO many people!

Thanks so much for the feedback!  We don't mind crowds as long as they aren't so big they interfere with seeing whatever we are there to see. Sounds like for the most part it won't be an issue 🙂

On 4/27/2019 at 7:36 PM, mjmiller said:

We did Amsterdam to Budapest on Emerald last July.  Loved it!  I have an extensive blog that is finished thru the cruise, and I'm putting the last few post-cruise stops in.  If you're interested:  NomadMillers

 

If you have specific questions - I can try to answer.  🙂  We didn't use their transport pre- or post- cruise, so can't help out there.

Fabulous blog!  We are thinking of the same trip next July, but my only worry was possible crowds. From your photos it wouldn't appear it was an issue for you.  Did you run into any issues with overcrowded ports?  Thanks!

15 hours ago, TravelerThom said:

There will most likely be 4 Program Directors (PDs) on board the boat, each of whom is a credentialed guide. You will be assigned to a group attached to one of the PDs who has primary responsibility for that group. The PD coordinates with additional local guides and with the other PDs. The other PDs will help you if needed, but “your” PD is your primary cultural contact throughout the trip.  I think the system works very well. 

Thanks so much for that explanation!  Sounds like a great way to do things.

On 3/3/2019 at 1:43 PM, sjde said:

Karinad-

We have gotten fantastic deals on Grand Circle

When I look at the GCT website, it mention traveling in a group of 38-45 aboard their ship that carries 140-162.  Exactly what do they mean by that?

16 minutes ago, nancyevans said:

To decide if it is worth it, you really have to do a table with all the included amenities and what you will pay extra for:

Airfare

transport to and from the ship

expense of extra tours you really want to do

laundry 

cocktails/alcohol

soft drinks

tips to crew

tips to drivers and guides 

extras provided: Scenic sundowners, concerts

Insurance if cruise can’t continue

After you do a thorough analysis, Scenic may not be any more expensive than “cheaper” cruises with add on expenses.

You are so right!  There are many things to consider.  I actually created a spreadsheet so I could compare the total prices based on our specific preferences. The differences, or lack thereof can be surprising!   Neither of us drink much, so included alcohol doesn't matter much to us.  For others, I could see this being a much bigger point.  Those bar tabs can add up!  Willingness to do an air deviation if air is included, or size of credit back will be a major factor as we plan to do some traveling pre-cruise.  For that, we prefer to do independent travel so I really don't want to add a tour extension package.

While Scenic does total out a bit more expensive, I am really drawn to their excursion options. 
For us the port experience is second only to affordability, that may tip the scales.  Great food would be a definite bonus as we find it really adds to the entire experience!

15 hours ago, catnt2 said:

We have cruised Scenic once (second time will be this April) and Emerald twice. Plus we have been on 9 other river cruises. 

Of the two Scenic & Emerald, I prefer Scenic! There really is a difference, Scenic is luxury and Emerald is not. We liked the tours better on Scenic, especially the Sundowner and the Enrich experience that Emerald did not offer. We also loved the Tailor-made personal GPS device and the e-bikes . Scenic also offers the Chef's Table for guests staying on the Diamond Deck, not to mention the Butler service. 
It is just so much better on Scenic than it was on Emerald.
Can you tell we really love to cruise.

Thanks for the input, especially on the tours! Scenic does sound great.  We are just trying to decide if the price difference is worth it to us.  

20 hours ago, Canal archive said:

This year we are re-doing the South of France, the first time was before the re-fit and one of our excursions was to the Paul Boucus institute in Lyon a must for all foodies (I do dislike that expression). This year Scenic now has the Culinaire experience so they really do have to rise to the occasion, we will see. We survived our chef buying cheap Brussels sprouts at the wrong time of year, what a mistake to make! An evening of seafood was superb. With Scenic there is always a choice of chicken, fish or steak other than the set menus if that’s what you want. On one cruise one of our Australian friends wanted Lamb chops at breakfast and he got them. Don’t forget if you are allergic or particularly dislike anything let the restaurant team know they will remember. Happy cruising CA

"Foodie" can sound pretentious can't it?  We both just love food, and hubby loves to cook so I am not sure what to call us LOL  On previous cruises we have really enjoyed chef's table and galley tours.  I did look into the Culinaire itinerary, but the actual ports didn't sound like what we are looking for, especially as neither of are really wine drinkers.  For this cruise the ports are priority one, but we have found a good regional meal adds so much to the overall experience.  I hope the Culinaire experience is everything you hope for.  I hope perhaps you might write a post about it when you return.  Enjoy!!

34 minutes ago, doverboy said:

Sailed with Scenic Amber. breakfast was a buffet with omelet station...nothing to complain about there.  Lunch was either on an excursion with Scenic or in town by ourselves. Scenic tries to match food with the area and any meal we ate off ship we tried to eat local.  All meals were great and well presented.  It is not ocean cruise food or portions. You can order extra from the 2-3 listed dinner meals but who wants a hamburger when traveling through Austria?  to me that's akin to buying at McDonalds when in London. McDonalds doesn't have fish and chips

Agree on the regional food, it is part of the whole experience! When my daughter told me she was eating McDonald's while she was backpacking through Europe I almost cried.  

On 2/26/2019 at 8:48 PM, nancyevans said:

I've sailed on Emerald once and on Scenic twice.  Scenic had the better food but I really did like the Emerald Dawn with its little swimming pool and the big open balcony.  Also, we had a great tour director on Emerald but that was just luck. As mentioned before, a lot has to do with the chef.

Thanks for the input!  Sounds like we just need to keep our fingers crossed for good chef and tour director!

Not sure if you wanted to avoid hundreds in general, or just on tours.  I have done two Med cruises both on the larger lines (Celebrity was my favorite!).  For us, the key to an amazing experience was arranging private tours.  I never went on one arranged by the cruise line.  As the ships are so much larger, there are usually active roll calls for each sailing.  I made lots of friends there and we all filled out private tours with people on our roll call.  Typical tour size was about ten people.  It was no more expensive that taking the ships tours, but it does take a lot of planning and research up front.  For me it was worth every minute!!!  

One tour on the Amalfi Coast I have done twice.  After our tour we visited our drivers family compound which has been there since the 1600's.  We had bread his mom made, along with homemade salami and limoncello.  Our group all agreed that this day was one of the top highlights of our cruise.

Whatever you decide, enjoy! 

16 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Now we had a fantastic cruise on Scenic Azure last year. Mind you our cruise director was about the worst we have ever had on Scenic though this was made up by the tour guide that we had, Maria Helena, she was brilliant. The food was very interesting very Portuguese, excellent. The staff were as usual superb. This was our eighth Scenic cruise we’re off to the south of France again this year. Happy cruising CA

Thanks so much for the feedback.  I would say that the fact you are on Scenic cruise #8 speaks for itself!

3 hours ago, Sunday golf said:

We have sailed on two Scenic trips. South of France and the Douro. On the former we had great food but on the Douro it was terrible. More often than not cold and poorly prepared. Even worse was the scrum to get a table at meal times  especially on the smaller ship. The staff however are amazing.

So sorry for your experience on the Douro!  Thanks so much for sharing both the good and the bad!

Thanks so much for your reply Fran!  It really was very helpful.  Fingers crossed we get an inspired chef 🙂  Since you have sailed on both Emerald and Scenic could I ask you another question?  Did you see any great difference in the excursions?  I know many more are included with Scenic.  I am just hoping they are of comparable quality.  I do know that those too will vary with the guide for the day.

We are looking at itineraries on both lines.  After extensive research it seems most people find the food on Emerald "good".  Nothing to complain about, but nothing to excited about either.  Reviews for Scenic seem to be more enthusiastic.  Hubby and I really enjoy a good meal, so food quality may be a deciding factor for us.  If AMA was sailing our preferred itinerary next year they would probably be our top choice.  I know taste is subjective, but I would love to hear others opinions.  If you can include ship name as well it would be great, as I know sometimes there is variation ship to ship.  TIA

We are thinking of sailing AMA in 2020. We also plan to do independent travel before and after sailing. It doesn't appear we can take advantage of free air if we also do independent travel. Does anyone know if they issue some sort of credit for unused air, or would we just miss out all together?

My suggestion is that, at least in Italy, you are trying to do too much. You don't have 2 days in each location, as you will be travelling on one of the days. Pick one (or maximum 2 places) and give them a bit more time. I think you will get more out of it.

 

 

 

As to luggage, my only suggestion is that, if you have a checked suitcase (maximum 25") do not have a rolling carryon. I have always used a backpack with the suitcase and it is doable. Otherwise, have a bag that you can attach to the suitcase. You do not want to be rolling 2 suitcases. Also, do not overpack! Depending on the train, you may have to lift your suitcase up onto the train.

I agree to limit to 2 cities in Italy. My choice would be Venice and Rome. Venice is not rolling suitcase friendly! Make sure you are able to lift/carry your belongings. It is SO worth it though!

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I would not advise the Grand European cruise because it goes through all the low-water areas on the Danube, making a ship swap and itinerary changes almost inevitable in low-water years (like this one). If you want a longer river cruise experience, consider taking AMA's Enchanting Rhine or Rhine and Moselle Fairytales (Amsterdam to Basel) then transferring to Vilshofen for their Romantic Danube cruise to Budapest. Because these itineraries don't do the worst low-water stretches and AMA's shallow-draft river ships can sail longer than most other cruise lines, your chances of experiencing the itinerary as advertised would be maximized with this plan.

Thanks for the great suggestion! This is definitely an option I will investigate further! What would be the best way to transfer to Vilshofen?

Avalon is offering free air. Go to their website

 

 

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Thanks for the tip! While I don't think any of their current promos will work for us, I did find some interesting itineraries I want to investigate further.

Scenic also offers free-air promos for many of their itineraries. But, as the slightly more expensive "big sister" to Emerald, the price would also be higher. Although, with the US dollar being strong, the price would be a bit better for you that for any of us travelling from Canada.

 

Both Scenic and Emerald offer free air as "early incentives" - so they are only on for a limited amount of time. With booking so far out, hard to know what actual air costs will be. So having "free air" locked down is nice.

 

One thing to remember with Scenic/Emerald is that gratuities are always included, so that does bring down the cost of the trip as well.

 

Fran

Early incentives would work out perfect for us! Emerald does seem really cost effective, but Scenic seems to have the edge on the excursions. I will just have to wait and see what is actually available and the cost when our dates are released. I am hoping to book early. Having the cruise and air locked in would allow me to just enjoy the anticipation :) I already have a spreadsheet comparing the actual per diem cost for the various lines based on our desired itinerary. Total cost, excursions, and cusine will all play a factor for us.

For what it's worth, when I booked my April 2019 cruise in Feb. 2018 (Viking's Rhine Getaway, Amsterdam > Basel), airfare was only $295/person. What you may find, too, is that the price is mis-leading. Viking appears to budgets $1200/person and the "deal" that you end up getting is technically a credit towards that $1200. You may want to pick specific flights/airlines (see below) that cost more than $1200. You would pay the difference as an additional fee.

 

Viking offers some ancillary services specific to flights, too, that could further increase the cost (ie. picking a specific airline). Details are well laid out in this post:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=56943268&postcount=59

That is all great info, thanks! It is nice to know one has the option to pick specific flights if needed. It might be well worth the fee depending on what the included option is.

Thought I'd add my 2 cents.

 

The Grand European itinerary is very popular, and I doubt that Viking will go with a free airfare deal to fill the cabins as I believe they don't have trouble selling. We were able to take advantage of a free airfare deal this year for the Lyon & Provence cruise, but the sale was emailed to us (prior cruisers) in November of 2017, and the deal was for a small block of time in March and April of this year.

 

You could potentially find a deal of like $399, or maybe $500 which is a good deal, considering most Europe RT itineraries are selling currently for about $1600-$2000 each, depending on gateway city.

 

Jeff

Thanks for the input Jeff! It looks like you have a lot of experience with Viking. We are also looking at AMAwaterways and Emerald, both of which had free airfare promos for that itinerary. As you mention, it can be quite costly from the states so it will most likely be a factor in which line we book with.

Here you go...

Thanks so much! It all looks wonderful!

I do not know about all cruise lines but I know a little bit about Viking. There is no pattern or timing to Viking's offering of free airfare. It is rarely offered across the board but rather to a handful of cruises only. Airfare deals and other promotions usually start on the first of the month and usually run for a month.

 

If you are waiting for a free air deal, you need to be willing to compromise on when and which cabin. It might even he helpful to be flexible for where.

Thanks for the info! We are looking to do the Amsterdam to Budapest itinerary. As that is a longer cruise, it seems to have more opportunities for the free/reduced air. For the past promos I have seen, if we were sailing in 2019 there would have been several suitable dates and cabins. I am still debating between several lines and free airfare might be enough to make the difference.

I have more food photos from the MDR...

I would love to see them!

We are just starting to do research for a September (?) 2020 cruise. I see that several lines have had limited time promos for free airfare. Do most lines have those? Do they usually run them the same time each year? Do some lines perhaps run them more than once a year? Thanks!