mikelan6

I recently returned from the June 17 Splendours of Europe sailing (14 nights from Budapest to Amsterdam) and had a great time.

The ships were excellent. Due to high water levels between Passau and Regensburg, we had to switch ships, which allowed us to experience two slightly different ships and two slightly different crews. We had panorama balcony cabins, which were a bit small, but suited us fine. All that was missing really was a small sofa to sit on instead of the chairs by the balcony/window. The ships' crew were excellent. Some went way beyond in helping us when we needed a little medical assistance. The activities on board were limited due to the ships' size, but it was fine. The oompapa band were the best mariachis I've heard yet.

The food on board left a bit to be desired. My family is pretty picky and were not fond of the limited dinner selection. I pretty much had the same breakfast (buffet) for two weeks - although I'm not complaining about that. Lunches (also buffets) were pretty good. Best of all, I didn't gain much weight as compared to ocean cruises.

The itinerary was amazing. I would go back in a heartbeat. I would have liked more time in some cities like Vienna and Amsterdam. The ships tours were very good. Most guides were awesome. I was fascinated by the locks as you will see in my videos below.

I have taken almost nine hours of video during the trip including flights and tours. I also added a few videos of my Disneyland Paris extension. I hope you enjoy them.

Feel free to ask me any questions and I will do my best to reply.

Miami to London

London to Budapest

Emerald Sky and Sun Ship Tours

Food on Emerald Waterways

Budapest Arrival

Budapest Tour

Bratislava

Vienna

Durnstein

Sailing the Wachau Valley https://youtu.be/liljCnLAgg4

Melk Abbey https://youtu.be/5JA7wjgTADY

Melk Locks https://youtu.be/7bvGuG21AEg

Persenbeug Locks https://youtu.be/P0lnBrIZh94

Salzburg and Regensburg https://youtu.be/47fMAUq89dg

BMW Regensburg and Kelheim https://youtu.be/4olMx95TGCo

Bacchausen Locks https://youtu.be/qI5Rfy6qkP8

Hipolstein Locks https://youtu.be/ikHlT9rbe3c

Eckersmuhlen Locks https://youtu.be/7OIPfe4UTxU

Nuremberg https://youtu.be/iCqsKBT1Kfc

Bamberg https://youtu.be/InLplfUl6w8

Wurzburg https://youtu.be/5MeIxyyW1HI

Rothenburg https://youtu.be/Oz0grNcXcOU

Miltenberg https://youtu.be/xTwYYeC68MI

Rudesheim https://youtu.be/cKDgp4XKZ40

Germania Cable Car Ride https://youtu.be/_IjXG0D4lQU

Rhine River Gorge https://youtu.be/q8csQbb7uS0

Koblenz https://youtu.be/3qTn86AX98c

Cologne https://youtu.be/KXfgMWpoaKU

Sailing the Rhine https://youtu.be/GlVLNh5MhQc

Amsterdam https://youtu.be/rxrn3jZ-HoE

Food on Emerald Waterways

Amsterdam to Paris https://youtu.be/dB23JibQeVU

Disney Stars on Parade at Disneyland Paris https://youtu.be/anS-dKdzsmU

“it's a small world” at Disneyland Paris https://youtu.be/ZdsUOXPcIbk

Disney Illuminations at Disneyland Paris https://youtu.be/pI4z5Yqzi1U

Paris to Boston https://youtu.be/oWvEqdvGzkA

Boston to Miami https://youtu.be/HX6i2rYvpAU

We're on the Emerald Sky right now (15 day from Budapest to Amsterdam). We were told last night that due to the heat and water levels, we would need to switch to the Emerald Sun tonight. We will be bussed from Passau to Regensburg. Sadly, the crew will change as they've been magnificent so far. The only crew that stays with us is the cruise director.

I'm taking this as a good experience, but packing and unpacking wasn't what I planned for this cruise. I guess it could be much worse.

Thanks for the great review!

Thanks for the quick reply. What about if the flight is within Europe?

We are ending our river cruise on a Saturday in July in Amsterdam. airport transfers are included for us.

If our flights depart at 11:30 AM, what time would they be taking us to the airport?

Thanks for the great TR!

Hello all. I went to Port Everglades on Sunday, February 12 to watch the ships sail away and recorded videos of the ms Koningsdam and ms Rotterdam sailing out. Here are the links to the videos if you'd like to see them.

Koningsdam:

Rotterdam:

Thanks for watching!

Nice videos. How did you get those shot of the zipline?

I have a 30X zoom on my camera. I recorded it from the ship.

Here are some of the videos I took on the December 26th sailing of the Independence of the Seas. I hope you enjoy them.

Departing Port Everglades:

Arrival into Labadee, Haiti:

Dragon's Challenge Zip Line:

Arrival into Falmouth, Jamaica:

Arrival into Port Everglades:

Thanks for watching.

Thank you

Hi all. I went to the Port Everglades jetty on Saturday to watch your ship sail away. Here's my video if you'd like to see it.

This afternoon, I watched and recorded the inaugural sailing of Royal Caribbean's newest ship - the Harmony of the Seas. Here's the video if you'd like to see it. Enjoy!

If you've recently sailed from Budapest to Amsterdam on Emerald Waterways, could you please post or send me the daily ship activities schedule if you have them?

Any details would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

My family and I were on the Emerald Princess for their New Years Cruise. I took quite a few photos and would like to share some with you. Here's the link as I posted them on the Disboards.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/princess-cruises-emerald-princess-sailing-to-the-eastern-caribbean.3473786/

Question:

Can two guests reserved in one cabin board separately at different times in Port Everglades? They will each have their own boarding pass, passport and credit card.

Thanks

I'm a single gay Jewish Latin Disney male fan in Aventura, FL. That's near North Miami Beach.

We got a call yesterday that we could be upgraded for our sailing in three days.

I of course accepted the wonderful upgrades, but can no longer print the new luggage tags. I know that I can get them at the pier, but I'd be much easier if they can be done beforehand.

Now I noticed that my reservations for Chops Grill are missing. Should I be worried?

Try writing to Christopher Elliott ... He sometimes gets things waived from travel companies. http://elliott.org/

Same thing happened to us. The employee there claimed that there was a notice about the 10:45 AM arrival time on their website, but I did not see anything.

Out of curiosity .. where are your cabins located? Aft? Forward or Midships?

I am surprised that no one else has signed up for the Cruise Critic/Royal Caribbean Meet & Mingle for our sailing. I just registered my family group of 13 people, but we need 12 more for RCI to set this up.

Here is the link to register if you are interested:

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/ccEntry.do

What do you mean by changes at dry dock? (Sorry, I'm not super cruise savvy)

They've made several changes to the Oasis including adding cabins and modifying some shops and restaurants. What most bother me is the removal of the Viking Crown Lounge, which used to be open to everyone and is now a dedicated Suite only lounge and restaurant. The spaces that were formerly used as a chapel and a quiet lounge are being turned into suites. The "secret" balconies located aft on decks 11, 12 and 14 are also being converted into suites. These were nice outdoor spaces to watch the sea in case you had an indoor cabin. I'm hoping they don't make any changes to the Sun Deck - that's a great space to hang out on as well.

We are reserved on the December 27th New Years sailing.

I find it ridiculous that "CATS" is only showing on one day - at 2 PM or 8:30 PM the day of departure. For those of us with late dining, that leaves only the 2 PM show, which means we will probably have to rush through lunch or miss it entirely, and then go to the muster drill immediately after the show.

What were they thinking?

My family and I just booked on this sailing. I am single, 47. I am very excited to be back on the Oasis, but am a little upset at the all changes they've made at dry dock.

Has anyone else tried to reserve shows?

I find it ridiculous that "CATS" is only showing on one day - at 2 PM or 8:30 PM the day of departure. For those of us with late dining, that leaves only the 2 PM show, which means we will probably have to rush through lunch or miss it entirely, and then go to the muster drill immediately after the show.

Thanks for another great review. You did a great job as always.