ninaks

Has anyone done the Bike tour on the Douro cruise that you have to pay extra for with Uniworld?  I was wondering how difficult it is?  it lists it as strenuous but I would love to hear from someone who did it how hilly and hard it was.  I realize it depends a lot on your fitness level but wondering if someone with just average fitness level could do it.  thank you

My brother and his family are thinking of joining us on our inside passage cruise next summer on the Koningsdam.  None of us have done any ocean cruising before..... are there usually other children on these cruises in the summer?    My brother is just wondering if there is enough on the cruise to keep her happy beside the spectacular scenery?  Thank you for your help

15 minutes ago, Red Haired Lady said:

Lowest decks are best.  And midship.

Thank you!

I am doing my first ocean cruise on the Koningsdam next summer for Alaska inside passage cruise.  I have been told mid ship is best but  is it better to be higher or lower deck to feel the least movement on the ship or does it not make a difference?  i plan to have medicine ready like Bonine if i get sick or maybe a patch but want to see what i can do by choosing best location.  I have also been told starboard side if going North on the inside passage is best views.  We are planning to get a balcony room unobstructed view.  Any advice is greatly appreciated

Yes, they open but from top to bottom, not side to side.  There are buttons to push that open it and another button raise a screen to cover the window....... it is not like what you normally think of for French Balcony

I would highly recommend the cooking class , which is an extra cost.  You do it after the vinegar tour and it was very fun.  It is a small group so you quickly make friends and the food you cook is amazing.  This is on the day you are in Speyer.  You will have time after the class to walk yourself around Speyer if you wish

1 hour ago, ninaks said:

Yes, i flew into Frankfort and took the train from the airport to Strasbourg.  I flew into terminal 2 and then had to get to terminal 1, then quite a bit of a hike to get to train station but it was well marked.  There are buses and trams to go between terminals.  We took a cab from train station to our hotel and them cab from hotel to Ship

i forgot to add, they had candy jars in the room which they filled with fantastic chocolate and they still have the giant candy jars on the way to the lounge that were yummy as well.  Someone suggested on the cruise to empty your chocolate dish each day so you get it filled up and that way you have a lot of wonderful chocolates to bring home.  

20 hours ago, trickylibrarian said:

Will be on this cruise Oct 27 and will do some train travel from Frankfurt before heading home.

Did any of you go from the boat to the main Frankfurt train station after the cruise?  Trying to 

figure out what we will use to get there.  BTW did Uniworld have their candy jars out for your 

cruise?  

Yes, i flew into Frankfort and took the train from the airport to Strasbourg.  I flew into terminal 2 and then had to get to terminal 1, then quite a bit of a hike to get to train station but it was well marked.  There are buses and trams to go between terminals.  We took a cab from train station to our hotel and them cab from hotel to Ship

14 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Vancouver roundtrip that visits (only) Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway -- is the way to go. THis is the classic "inside passage" cruise.

 

At Ketchikan visit at least one of the totem sites: 

1. The Totem Heritage Center. The Totem Heritage Center was developed in 1976 to stabilize and preserve 19th-century totem poles. ...
2. Totem Bight State Park. ...
3. Saxman Native Village and Totem Pole Park.

I have been to all three! The State Park gives you more of a feel for the rainforest complete with bald eagles as thick as seagulls!

At Juneau go whale watching: whales guaranteed. Skagway ride the railway and/or take a self-guided walking tour and enjoy the gold-rush city.

thank you so much, this is very helpful!

2 hours ago, Farang said:

ninaks,

 

Am I correct that your cruise direction was Strasbourg to Frankfurt?  If so, can you describe the Speyer to Cochem leg?  I am wondering what time of the day you departed Speyer and approx. time of day you passed through the Rhine Gorge and what time you arrived in Cochem.

 

Thanks

Yes, i did Strasbourg to Frankfort.  From what i remember, we left Speyer either at night or the next morning and cruised all day down the Rhine and Moselle. We arrived in the evening in Cochem when it was still light out.  Normally we were told they would do the cochem castle that night but because there was an event there that night, we did the tour the next evening.   We then did a walking tour the next day in Cochem, or you had your choice of several other activities including a hike to a suspension bridge which was a fairly new excursion.  

We never had to exit from the top deck so he should be fine there. Cochem castle, they bused us up there but then a rather steep cobblestone area to walk up into the castle.  You could do it with a walker I believe if you had your son to help.  Inside the castle though there were stairs we went up right when we walked into the castle.  I would get with your cruise director and see if anything can be arranged where you just do the first floor of the castle.  To me the view from up at the castle was the most amazing part so even if he can't get into the castle, the view is worth it.    

This will be my first cruise .  I have avoided them since i get motion sickness easily but friends invited us to do an Alaskan Inside Passage cruise next year and I would really love to go. We are looking at all the options now of which one to take so I am looking for recommendations.  I already read to avoid cruises leaving from Seattle.  Any other good advice or specific recommendations someone could share?  I do plan on taking Bonine and Ginger and anything else that makes sense but would also like to find the best cruise possible with the least potential for motion sickness, realizing nothing is guaranteed.  Thank you for your help

Several passages complained about the service to our Cruise Director Romona, and things did pick up after that... there was someone in the dining room after that directing staff and things improved, but still slow.    No problems in the lounge at all.  I agree, I loved Uniworld, I know all ships having staffing issues.  

Yes, i totally agree, i was thrilled that if i had to get Covid, it didn't impact the trip at all.  I just felt bad for the person i sat next to on the plane on the last leg of my trip.  I did wear a mask so hopefully they did not get it.  My husband picked me up at the airport and drove us home for 30 minutes with the windows closed in the car.  The next morning is when i felt sick and took the covid test and tested positive, and i was sure he would get covid from me, but it has now been almost a week, i am now testing negative, and he still is testing negative

44 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Thanks for the report.  I took this cruise a few years ago when there were fewer cruise ships on the Moselle and it was a nice trip.  Sorry to hear ahout Covid.  Just wondering, were people masking onhoard when not eating or drinking?  Was there any sort of mask requirement.

 

I took a Tauck cruise this spring and assumed all the coughing pax had Covid - my husband also tested positive as soon as we got home.  The only way to know if one has Covid or not is to test.

There is no mask mandate at all on the ship.  A few people wore masks at our nightly meeting or on the buses.   One couple we met who were pretty religious about wearing masks, he tested positive the same day I did right when we returned home, and his wife just tested positive yesterday.

Just finished our cruise last week and loved everything about it.  The River Queen is the oldest Uniworld ship and it is being totally renovated next year but I loved the way she looked.  We met the nicest people on board, and the staff, food and service were wonderful.  There were people on board who said this trip was not up to Uniworld service standards, but since this was my first one, i had nothing to compare to and I was satisfied.  Yes, dinner service was slow but it wasn't like we had anywhere else to go.   There were a couple of people doing a lot of coughing and when i mentioned to one of them maybe they should test for covid, she said they were pretty sure it wasn't covid...... well my first day back after the cruise, I tested positive for covid.  I had tested the day before i left the cruise and was negative.  Nobody that we knew of on the cruise had covid so who knows where I got it, but since i am now already over it, it was worth it to me taking the trip.  There were only 60 people on board, so only half full, which i really loved.   We paid extra for a cooking class with 7 of us and it was well worth doing.  Happy to answer any questions, but I highly recommend this cruise.  We didn't do the pre-cruise to Baden Baden but most people did and loved it....

13 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

I have been very satisfied with the excursions so far. We had two groups yesterday, and then there’s always a third group to accompany a guide who will walk slower. I saw that a taxi was ordered for several passengers to take them a short distance into town so that they could avoid steps. I thought that was very considerate.

I thought our guide yesterday in Trier was quite good, but the other group was not happy with their guide. They said he droned on and on, he was very boring and he gave too much detail. I think a lot of those passengers are planning on changing groups today to go with the better guide.

I wish I had more jackets to choose from. I left my heavy rain coat at home by mistake, I had been planning to use that to keep warm. It is chilly and nippy in the evenings, especially if we are sailing. They have blankets available for passengers to use to keep warm. That seems to work fine.

My itinerary started in Frankfurt and will end in Strasburg. I flew into Frankfurt, and when I debark in Strasbourg, I will take a train to Munich for two days. Then I arranged for a private car to take me to Prague where my next adventure begins. It won’t be as nice as uniworld, but hopefully it will be nice enough.

what is the name of the good guide?  maybe we can make sure we get his group.  Thank you for all your information, very helpful.  please pass along any other excursion information you have as you take them.  Thanks again

8 hours ago, AnhaltER1960 said:

As an alternative to trains, Lufthansa are running a shuttle bus from Frankfurt to Strasbourg. No hassle with changing tracks, it goes nonstop between the airport and Strasbourg downtown. two and a half hours travelling time are competetive with trains. Look here: https://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/lufthansa-express-bus

 

They run only a few times a day, so you have to look, if the times fit in your timetable. Look at Lufthansa timetable, dep FRA, arr. XER for connections.

 

 

thanks, i got the schedule so we will know how well it will work for us when we arrive.   We are coming in on different flights into FRA so more chances for things to be delayed.... fingers crossed this all works out for us.

12 hours ago, gnome12 said:

Hauptbahnhof means main train station. Flughafen means airport. You can adjust the transfer time since you will be moving luggage. Stick to options with only one connection.

 

I personally wouldn't recommend staying over anywhere; the whole trip is less than 3 hours, and the fastest connections are just over 2 hours. Staying somewhere along the way just increases the number of times you have to schlep your luggage. Stay in Strasbourg.

 

The Strasbourg train station is at the other side of the old town from where the cruise ships dock, so you will probably need a taxi to your hotel and another to the ship.

 

Just as an aside, I don't think that Uniworld would have picked you up in Frankfurt for a departure from Strasbourg.

 

It's a pity that you left this to the last minute; I just booked Strasbourg - Frankfurt (central station not the airport but it wouldn't make much difference in price) in October for under €60 for 2 seniors. Your fare looks like it will be at least €122 for 2 people.

i choose not to book in advance because of all the plane delays,  but have been researching it for some time just so i know my options.  Uniworld will be taking us to Frankfort airport at the end of the cruise so that won't be an issue coming home thankfully.   thank you for your help!  i agree, we won't be staying the night during the train trip. Already have hotel book and dinner reservation made in Strasbourg

35 minutes ago, rcaruso said:

Download the DB Bahn App and you can play with it and pick from Frankfurt Flughafen (airport) not sure in Strasbourg where you want to end up, but most likey will want to take an ICE train (less stops).  Not sure how much luggage your are taking, but be prepared to handle it during train changes.  It is certainly do able.  Also decide if you want to go 2nd class or first class, and definetly pay to get seats.

is it Frankfurt Main Hbf, SUD , West or Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbf for the station?   the app lists both?  Also which terminal or where do you get the train?  thank you

We arrive July 10th at FRA and need to get to Strasbourg to start our Uniworld river cruise.  Since we are coming in the day before, Uniworld will not pick you up.  I see there are trains to take with one change of trains.  Has anyone done this and can give any information on where to buy tickets, where to pick up the train, how difficult to change trains, etc?  thank you for your help!

I am interested on the excursions when there are choices, if you have been happy with your choices?  Anything you wish you had brought or are really glad you have?  i was wondering if need a jacket at all this time of year?  Did you take the train to Strasbourg or were you picked up by Uniworld at the airport?  Thank you so much for sharing...we can't wait for next week

Hello, going on the Rhine and Moselle cruise on July 11th on Uniworld.  Looking for any advice anyone can share about this cruise, especially which excursions they really enjoyed.  I realize people have different tastes, but would love to hear from others.  Anything else you think would be helpful for me to know. I have cruised with Viking before, but never Uniworld.  Thank you!

PHD-iva, i will be on the July 11th cruise... please post along the way if you can , especially any recommendations on excursions you loved.   Also i recently noticed the price had dropped a lot from when i booked it last year and I called and they gave me the new price and I got a better room with a French Balcony (which i know isn't really a balcony but nice to be able to open a window) and they gave me a refund on the price difference.  

I am going on my first Uniworld river cruise down the Rhine and Moselle in July.  They say all tipping is included but i wanted to ask past guests does that really mean no tipping or do people still tip at the end of the cruise ?  thank you for any information you can share