dwkucera

Yiks!!!! I just loved that show :)

I did to, but my Dad who was a POW in Stalag 17B for over 18 months, hated it. He could not stand that they made a comedy show out of the situation.

In Krems, we did our own self guided walking tour. They have maps of the town at the front desk, and you are close enough that you can walk everywhere.

Definitely check out the apricot products sold there, as this is a local specialty. You will find them sold all over.

 

We did not book any private tours either this visit or last. I used Rick Steve's guidebook and Fodors last time when we were in Prague. They have several walking tours mapped out. We did a self guided tour of the Jewish district in Prague. This takes an entire 1/2 day. We walked all over in Prague and did not use any public transport or taxis except from the airport.

 

In Budapest, I used Fodors and the Internet to plan this trip. We had been before, so had an idea of what we wanted to see. We used taxis for longer distances. If you have 4 people, that is probably as cheap as public transport. The HOHO bus people really try to get you to buy their service, but this would only make financial sense if you were traveling alone. Otherwise taxis are cheaper, and they are easy to find.

I bet they did not point out that just on the outskirts of Krems was the infamous Stalag 17b where downed Allied bomber crews were held as POWs during WWII.

I'm sure I'll get flamed for this but here goes. There are two types of cruise reviews I discount, those that say every thing was perfect and those that say everything was wrong. The OPs comments sure fall into the latter category. I have been on cruises with people who had the OP's attitude. Always try and stay as far away from them as we can.

One thing to remember is that Viking, like many river cruise lines, is a private company. Being private they do not have the ability to raise money for expansion by issuing more stock to sell. They must use cash reserves, borrow, or use current cash flow. I'm sure they are probably using a combination of all these, so yes, when you pay in advance you are probably helping to fund their new longboat building activities. If someone is willing to pay that far in advance to secure a lower price for the cruise that is their business as far as I am concerned. But what would concern me is their financial condition. Being private, they do not have to supply information on their financials like publcally traded companies do. Many times people confuse sales, and the size of the company with financial stability which may not be the case at all. Many times seemingly strong companies are operating much closer to the "edge" than we would suspect, and unforeseen events can push them over that edge. With their requirement for payment up front Viking is in effect "robing Peter to pay Paul". Money they receive now and spend is money will not receive next year or the year after. I am not in any way saying Viking is going under, but the evidence would suggest they use current cash flow in a way that leaves very little reserve for unexpected future events. Periods of fast expansion requiring large outflows of money are dangerous periods for any company.

I'm sorry you had such a disappointing time on your river cruise. I'm not sure where you were given the impression that Scenic is considered 5-star luxury. I think had you done some research on this site before your cruise, your expectations would have been lowered and as a result, you may have enjoyed the experience more. I'm surprised that since you had previously traveled Uniworld that you would take this trip on Scenic, since Uniworld does the same trip. Again sorry about your experience, but it seems that had you not had such high expectations, it may have been more enjoyable.

We have never sailed on Scenic but I just went to their website and looked it all over and also looked at their brochure. In the OP's defense, Scenic is without a doubt absolutely holding themselves out to be a 5 Star Luxury line. I usually don't pay much attention to these long negative reports, but in this case it looks like Scenic is promising much more than they are able or willing to provide.

You're welcome. This is our first river cruise and prior to leaving we were anxious to read anything we could about our ship and our itinerary.

 

Today's stop was Linz. Since our last day in Prague the weather has turned cool and rainy. Our walking tour of Linz this morning was nice and the rain held off. Since the afternoon weather forecast was for showers we opted for the trip to Salzburg since the trip to the Lakes district would have limited visability in the rain and fog. It rained heavily all the way to Salzburg but thankfully stopped raining when we arrived in Salzburg and throughout our walking tour.

 

Tomorrow brings us to Melk, the Wachau Valley and Krems.

 

We have enjoyed the meals onboard. I know dining is subjective but we have felt the selection has been good and the food tasty.

 

 

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I don't think there is much of anything left, but just outside of Krems was the infamous WWII prisoner of war camp, Stalag 17B. Probably not something most of the people there want to talk about.

Hi everyone

I've been trying to lurk and read and hope I find the information I need but there is SO MUCH information!

I'm starting the process of researching to plan a river cruise in Europe to see the Christmas Markets in Dec of 2014 for my husband and myself and I don't know where to start. A travel magazine link took me to Viking but research has shown me there are many companies to choose from and many options.

 

What is the best way to go about doing research for this trip? I want a good company with a solid reputation. We are on a budget and will be trying to save money where we can. Any advice and help would be appreciated. Between my husband and myself we have travelled a decent amount but neither of us have ever cruised before.

Thank you!

We are doing the Christmas Markets on the Rhine with AMA this year. We love AMA but I would not presume to tell you they are the best because we have never sailed with on any other river cruise line. I'm sure you would be happy with any of the major lines, they are all fine. Just don't fall for Vikings 2 for 1 hype in their brochures. They always sell at the 2 for 1 price, and they are not necessarily less expensive than others. But, they are a fine line and many on these board have been very happy with them. They appear to have a good product. They are just not as inexpensive compared to other lines as they would lead the uninitiated to believe.

If you have never been to Prague then you might consider a cruise the begins or ends there. Prague is still an undiscovered jewel for most Americans. In most of the towns in Germany the chances are good that you will be visiting reconstructed areas that were destroyed in WWII. Prague was spared that destruction. When you visit a 800 year old building in Prague you ARE visiting an 800 year old building! Budapest is also an outstanding destination not to be missed. Many lines have Christmas cruise that begin and end in Prague and Budapest or the other way around.

OP, just curious if you've considered AMA Waterways?

I second this. You absolutely should consider AMA. I will not comment on the other lines mentioned because we have not cruised on them. That being said, my wife and I are very well seasoned travelers with over 15 ocean cruises and numerous land trips under our belt. The Danube cruise we took with AMA last year was without a doubt the most outstanding vacation we have ever had. We are booked with them for a Christmas markets cruise this year.

We are starting to research our next river boat cruise on the Danube. We are not sure which cities it should include. Do we want to go from Prague to Budapest or Budapest to Bucharest or Vienna to Bucharest. We would love to hear your opinions, particularly if you have sailed the Danube. Our last river cruise was on the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel and we enjoyed that.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Jane

Any of your choices would be great, but I consider Prague to be an absolute "must see" in Europe.