annc

Vantage has begun including gratuities for bus drivers and tour guides in their base prices. That still leaves the larger tips for shipboard personnel, but it eliminates the uncomfortable experience of tracking down the tour guide and dropping money in her/his hand or being a little embarrassed when getting off the bus with no tip after your spouse has already tipped the driver!

That's hilarious about feeling awkward when your husband has already tipped and you get off later...same thing here!

If you get a chance to go to Dresden's Christmas Market do it! We were in Dresden this past December also visiting Berlin. After 3 CM cruises Dresden is my favorite my husband loves

Rothenburg.

 

Second seating

I was reading about Dresden today, it looks wonderful. Will definitely find a way! Thank you!

OP—We did Uniworld’s Nuremberg to Vienna Christmas cruise 2 years ago. We flew into Nuremberg a few days early staying at a hotel within walking distance of the huge market. It was a good move because it allowed us 2 days to enjoy the market, the concerts in the churches and the other entertainment on the square and a few surrounding shops. This cruise also stopped at a town (name escapes me) and we went to a market around a castle which was open into the evening and was lovely. In Vienna we had adequate time to visit several of the markets. Another fun event during the cruise was a sleigh ride thru the Black Forest—they ended up using a wheeled vehicle due to low snow fall but it was still beautiful.

Thanks for all the information. I am coping it all to our files.

If you have days in Prague and are serious about Christmas markets, you should check out a day trip to Dresden. Dresden has one of the most important markets in Europe with great 'Stollen'. Google private tours in Prague. You will find several options for Dresden day trips.

Another great tip. Thank you so much, I will look into it!

Just make sure you sail when the Christmas Market season is on, not before or after! They are actually Advent markets.

Thank you, we will go in early December I believe.

Annc,

 

We have been on two Christmas / New Year cruises that started in Nuremberg and ended in Budapest. Both times we spent a few days before hand on our own in Nuremberg...easy to get to by train from Frankfurt and the hotel we stayed in was right there inside the old town.(Hotel Victoria). Wandering the markets on our own time without having to worry about catching the shuttle back to the ship was relaxing and enjoyable. We also had the time to explore historical sites without feeling rushed. A €20 cab fare got us to the dock.

RB

Great tip. We will go a couple days early to adjust to the time change and not be zombies on the first days of the trip. I'll look up the hotel you stayed at. We were thinking of going to Prague, either on our own or as an extension instead of staying in Nuremberg.

Lots of good food at the markets!

It gets dark and the lights come on fairly early that time of year. On each of our two market cruises we had a couple evenings for "shopping."

Perfect! Thank you so much! Did you have a favorite?

Even though the markets open late in morning, if you are in a Christmas market town for a morning tour and afternoon sailing, you should have an hour or so of free time at the end of the tour that will allow you to visit the market before returning to the ship for lunch. I have experienced ships that delayed lunch to allow for that free time.The morning hours in markets are not crowded making for a nice, if not exciting, visit that is great for photography. If your ship overnights in a town, you should have an opportunity to visit the market at night. Careful reading of the itinerary will help understand the timing of the visit.

Thank you. I'm assuming we could stay for the afternoon if we were willing to skip lunch on the ship. I would really like to do an evening market or two.

Christmas markets usually open at 10am or 11am and run until 7pm, 8pm or 9pm. A few close at 10pm even. Depending on which town you are in the market will not be close to the port, i.e. you are docked away from the town centre, like in Nuremberg and Strasbourg for example. To make the most of your time in those ports, spending lots of time at the markets rather than an hour, you might need to skip an afternoon tour. And as Mark_T has already said, beware that the information given can change at short notice. Embarkation day is a particularly tricky one to figure out, for maximum enjoyment you might want to add one or two pre-cruise days. It has been mentioned several times on this board that on a seven day cruise you my see no more than five different towns, i.e. five markets, but that really depends on your itinerary as Cologne city has several markets alone! Yet if you are rushed through the day you might only see one of those for one hour. I hope past cruisers can help you with particular cities. Have you narrowed down your choices yet?

 

notamermaid

Thanks, that is very helpful. We are leaning towards a two day pre tour in Prague (or just go on our own) then join AMAWaterways in Nuremberg to Budapest. Other choice is Uniworld which we've sailed on before. Any suggestions?

Sorry for all the Christmas Market questions, we are in the throes of making our decision. I was reading reviews and saw a comment about how the Christmas Markets were not open when the tours were scheduled, which were always in the morning.

For those who have gone, can you give me an idea of the number of Christmas Markets you were able to visit when they were open?

Also, were you able to go to any night Markets?

I guess the broader question is also...how do you find out the actual hours you are in port on the various itineraries? That doesn't seem to be part of the day to day descriptions.

Thanks again for your help and patience,

Ann C.

Thank you all! That is what I thought.

I've heard that Uniworld now includes gratuities in the cost up front. What about the other lines? We are comparing costs between Uniworld and Amawaterways for a Christmas Market tour this Dec.

Thank you!

AnnC

We are making the same decision, we want to hit both Budapest and Prague (an extension I believe). Looks like AMAWAterways or Emerald Waterways are the two offerings...unless I've missed something. Any idea how soon we'd have to decide before the ships fill up?

Thanks to all for the info! Now we're trying to decide between Emerald Waterways and AmaWaterways to go between Prague and Budapest. Also, we are about three weeks away from making a final decision. Am I going to be too late?

Perfect! Thank you! When we were in Vienna with Uniworld, our concert was stifling and miserable, felt like sardines in a can. Heat wave of 107 degrees. Ugh, the only bad memory of our trip! Hopefully a winter cruise will give us a new impression of Vienna.

We've never done a snowy winter river cruise before. I'm assuming we can bring winter hiking boots and such? What is the dress code for these given the poor weather conditions? My winter clothes are very outdoor oriented and not dressy at all. Would I need to bring a dress coat for evening concert in Vienna or just wear a winter parka?

We are most likely going with The Passau to Budapest because we've done the other route in a summer cruise. If you haven't done that one, I would recommend just because of the smaller villages with all their charm.

We've done a Uniworld cruise so we have an idea of how people dress for dinner there, but how about Amawaterways? How do people dress for dinner? We are taking a tulip tour next spring and it will be cool if not cold, I'm wondering what is the usual day wear is as well.

Thanks!

AnnC