ljandgb

I needed cash twice on our Baltic cruise, both for bathrooms, and that was 8 years ago now.   Even street vendors took CC and some places stated "no cash" up front.

Absolutely really look at the itinerary.  For us, I'd much rather have the choice to be going all day, whether it's a am and pm tour with lunch on the boat, or an all day tour.  Another thing to look at is what the boat is doing for dinner/evening.  After our first river cruise, I realized I did not want to be on the boat from 5:00pm on every night, and looked for itineraries that left late at night or overnighted in port.  That gives you the ability to go out and try a local restaurant, or just wander and find a bar or somewhere to people watch.  I'm not a huge partier/drinker, but I do like exploring a bit on my own.

There are a few iconic sails where you don't get off and that's ok, like the Rhine castle leg, or the Iron Gorge on the Danube.  

4 hours ago, Nitemare said:

Iceland is REALLY easy to self drive.  Especially with kids, you can set your own pace and see what you want to see without worrying about wind conditions or something else interfering with docking

100% yes.  Iceland is really a much better land trip, and it is so family friendly.   Kids are welcomed pretty much everywhere.  Every town has a local pool that is a family gathering place. Lots of small cottages all over so you can self cater, many with hot tubs.  Lots of nature to run around in, and once out of the city, practically no traffic to speak of.  We did a week in May with a rental car and had a great time.

I like active vacations, but there is something to be said for just sitting on deck and watching the scenery and people living their lives gliding by.  Portugal is wonderful.  Your mom will have a great trip.

I was there end of May.  The locals were saying it was unusual and that strong winds like that were more common in winter.  However...climate change.  It seems like that's the story everywhere - unusual weather becoming more "usual."  (see our local "historic" heat wave here in Texas.)

Either way, Iceland is on the Arctic circle.  If you are driving, you check the government road condition and weather apps multiple times a day as standard practice.  Conditions frequently change quickly, and the weather is mercurial.  Best to always be prepared.  As a tourist, that means good clothes, layers, waterproofing.

My kids were older when we started really traveling, but Tallin and Copenhagen seemed like they'd have been good for younger kids.  At that age, kids are happy anywhere there's a bit of green space and maybe a puddle to splash in.

Amsterdam has nothing on Iceland.  The windstorm that happened while I was there shut down ferries, blew cars off the road, and drove rocks thru people's windshields.  In the calmer parts of the country, you had to make sure you parked your car correctly so the door wouldn't get blown off when you opened it.

Iceland requires layers.  It could be 60 and sunny, or 40 and sideways rain, quite likely all in the same day.  I just got back and wore a light weight merino base layer, a fleece mid layer, a lightweight puffer jacket.  Pants were just hiking pants of a technical fabric that dried quickly.  I had a waterproof (not repellent) jacket and rain pants, ideally with a fabric that breathes, like gortex.  My daughter wore leggings under her pants as it was very windy most of the time we were there.  We all used hats, gloves, and a scarf/gaiter.

23 hours ago, Queen of my Heart said:

Hi. I've given the original poster some details but I suppose it boiled down to staff attitude and helpfulness when there was a problem. The food was poor quality and cabins pretty basic.  Admittedly it was in 2021 when covid was raging but I was deeply unimpressed with CE and the British contracting river cruise company.

 Thanks. I'll say that the crew on our cruise was delightful.  Truly very nice, and we quite enjoyed them.  The cabins, as well as the ship, were basic, and a tad run down at the edges, but very clean.  As my first river cruise I had no expectations, but after walking thru a Tauck ship while rafted all I could think of was "Shiny!" LOL. All that polished brass, crystal, marble, etc.  Croisi is definitely not looking to wow you in the decor department.

You're welcome.  I'd be interested to know what Queen did not like, just for the sake of knowing my options.  I wouldn't be against Croisi cruise in France, but it's not high on my priority list right now.  But having since done the Avalon cruise, I can see how some would be put off by Croisi's mode of operation and decor.

I'll preface all of this with the fact that this was my first river cruise.  I've since been on one with Avalon, but initially had nothing to compare with it except a few ocean cruises which are intrinsically different beasts.  I also will eat almost anything.  I'm not picky other than I like quality ingredients, freshly prepared.

On Avalon, there would be a menu for dinner that gave you a choice of two appetizers, two soups, 3-4 entrees (usually beef, fish, vegetarian, and something else), and usually 2 desserts.  Croisi would have no choices.  You get the appetizer, soup, entree, and dessert of the night.  Like I mentioned, you could check that evening's menu ahead of time and request a chicken breast, which my husband did a few times.  I believe they are known for their attention to regional cuisine, and since this was the Rhine, there was a lot of pork and beef.  One night was sausage night.  Dinner was a giant pile of sauerkraut covered in several different sausages and topped with a meatball.  I'm a quasi-vegetarian simply because I prefer veggies and struggled the entire time to find enough green veggies to eat.  (I don't usually order vegetarian because it often results in big plates of carbs - pasta, rice, potatoes - instead of actual vegetables, beans for protein, etc.)  One night dessert was stinky cheese.  I have no idea exactly what cheese, but only a couple of our group ate it while the French tables were calling for seconds. LOL

Overall the food was good, and I made do with scavenging garnishes and unwanted salad components from my husband.  I just would have preferred to be able to have a bit more control over what I ate.  For someone who has limited food preferences, it would have been hard, or at the least really boring after their 12th dinner of chicken breast.

We did a Croisi river cruise down the Rhine.  Not exactly what you were asking, but my general impression was ok.  Very clean ship, exceedingly pleasant staff. The decor was a bit out of date and it was not fancy, shiny like some of the ships we rafted to and walked thru. It was 75% French and 25% English speaking (our tour group and one set of Canadians.)  If you are picky about food, you will have few options.  No menu choices for dinner, just the entree of the evening.  You can have the alternate chicken breast if you notify them that morning after looking at the planned meal.

Because we were on a group tour thru Road Scholar, we had our own tour bus and guides for excursions.  I'm not sure what the Canadians did about the excursions.  The announcements were all in French first, rapidly followed by English, sometimes so fast it took a few seconds to realize they'd switched languages.

The second to last night, they had a crew talent show.  It was corny, but sweet, and felt a bit like I was watching my kids' friends put on a show.

Overall, I might do a Croisi cruise again, for the right place and right itinerary.

Even the street vendors took credit cards.  You should be fine.  We did the free walking tour that starts by the city hall (across the street from Tivoli) which was quite good.  Honestly, with just one day, you won't have enough time to do everything.  Copenhagen is a great city and very pedestrian friendly.

We did a walking food tour with a local company.  It was excellent.  The food was interesting, but the stories our guide told us of life in Estonia were fascinating.  Lots of general history, but quite a bit about the Russian invasion, the revolution and Estonia's rebuilding, and even how her family still had an exit plan in case Russia invades again.  

We did that route with Avalon, with pre and post days in Prague and Brasov, Romania.  It was a great trip, with so much to see.

I really don't mean this badly, but this is why I always recommend Iceland be done as a land trip.  For those that might be researching cruises for later and find this thread, there is so much to see and do, and it is so easy to drive yourself around in the summer, that being isolated to cruise ports only who have limited excursions, is really not seeing the country well at all.

Or, there are lots of land based tours if you don't want to self drive.

For those that are cruising, I hope you find something to do.  I'd be super frustrated to miss the port as well.

To my question above, some ports are in very small villages.  There will not be extra tours just sitting around waiting for visitors.  If you do not want to do a ship excursion, or just walk around the village, you will need to pre-book something.  TripAdvisor is a good choice.  Avoid Viator, etc, that are just middlemen.  Book directly with the local company. If you have a hard time contacting them, use Facebook, which seems to get more traction for business in Iceland than email.

What "cities" will you be in?  I use quotation marks because after Reykjavik, the towns range from 12,000 to a few hundred.

My husband had his golf clubs lost on the way to Scotland.  After being told "they're here, no, they're there, well, we have no idea where they are and we'll just buy you new ones" they showed up unannounced 1 month later.

My son's suitcase, and all his new school clothes, were lost from Brussels.  We were reimbursed, and then they showed up, unannounced 6 wks later.

I had 48 hours in Iceland wearing my mom's clothes until my suitcase showed up.

My daughter's suitcase missed her non-stop flight home from Toronto.

On the way home, I sometimes check a bag because if I don't have my travel stuff, no big deal.  On the way there, while I will get reimbursed eventually, I'd rather not take the time to find a new wardrobe while on vacation.  Ironically,  my friend on the France trip usually flies small carry on only, but because her mom was checking a suitcase the size of a steamer trunk, decided to just check hers.  Her take away lesson - you really can spend 2 weeks in France with 2 pair of underwear and just a few extra clothes. LOL (She did go shopping several days in for a few things.)

On 6/10/2023 at 4:04 PM, 1gail1 said:

This is a lot of firsts for me.

first time overseas (coming from California)

first time on a river cruise

first time on Avalon

first time on a "girls" river cruise

If anyone has any helpful suggestions please let me know, I leave in 1 week "The Blue Danube Discovery with 2 Nights in Budapest & 2 Nights in Prague". I am so extremely excited. 

You'll have a wonderful time!  I travel a lot and have a list of must have/must do's:

- bring less than you think you need.  It's just no fun schlepping a giant suitcase around. No one cares if you wear the same shirt or pants more than once (or 2--4x!) I bring a scarf to "dress up" shirts for dinner. My travel wardrobe is dark colored pants and solid colored shirts that can mix and match.  I don't generally plan to wash all my clothes while traveling but a shirt or two may happen. I fly carry-on pretty much exclusively.  

- absolutely bring comfortable walking shoes.  Bring one pair of "nice" shoes for the ship, but river cruises are not super fancy, so don't overthink it too much.

- if it's a summer trip, tour all day and when you return to the ship, shower, and put tomorrow's clothes on for dinner.

- a good day bag (I have a small backpack) for an umbrella, water bottle, sunscreen which doubles as my carry on bag for the trip

- my Pacsafe purse.  I totally look like a tourist, but I keep my phone, wallet, and anything else valuable in my small purse that I wear cross body, zipper locked.  I use my backpack for anything I don't care about getting pickpocketed.  I've never been, but you definitely don't want to walk around with important items in a bag, front or back, that is easy to get into.  When flying, I shove the purse into my backpack to keep it all my "one personal item."

- a pashmina scarf.  It works as a blanket on the plane, a hood if it's sprinkling, a shawl if it's cold inside, and a scarf in general.

- plastic bags - a couple small and big zip lock bags, a trash bag, some plastic grocery bags.  To bring a snack from breakfast, cover dirty shoes in the suitcase, wet clothes, etc.

- laundry sheets - dissolvable detergent that is the right size for sinks to wash out small items

- a small travel bedside dish that holds my phone, glasses, eye drops, chapstick.  It travels flat and has corners that snap together.

- a copy of your passport, kept separate from where your passport is

- all your chargers, cords, and adapters!

- a refillable water bottle

- compression socks for the plane - less swollen feet from sitting so long, especially all the way from California.

- a good hat with a wide brim, helps with rain or sun. Mine is floppy and can be shoved down in my backpack.  

- sunglasses, and an extra pair of real glasses.

- travel size Kleenex packs, good for emergency toilet paper in a pinch!

- small travel pack of baby wipes for hand cleaning, wiping down surfaces, etc.

If you are going to check a bag, get an AirTag.  Best case scenario, you won't need it.  If you check your bag, put one change of clothes in your carry on, just in case.  Also put anything you can't replace (meds) or would need immediately.  I did a trip to France with a friend last year.  Her luggage NEVER made it to France and showed up shortly after she returned home.  That is just one of many stories of family and friends' luggage woes we've collected.

I have several specific items I love, but if you're leaving in a week, no need to stress you out looking for things last minute.  Truly, if you have your passport, your phone, and a credit card, everything else is negotiable!

In the last two trips I've taken there, totaling 13 days, I've needed cash twice - both for 100ISK toilets.  I had gotten about $30 worth of ISK at the airport ATM when we arrived this last trip, last month.  I came back with almost all of it, as my plan was to spend any remaining cash at the airport and we did not have time.

You should arrive at the airport 2 1/2 to 3 hours prior to your flight.  It's a 45 minute drive to the airport, to 7:45 flight means leave Reykjavik at 4:30.

There are plenty of small museums in Reykjavik.  The Perlan and FlyOver Iceland both get good reviews.

You could also get up early and explore the surrounding area with a rental car.  Do the hot river hike, or explore the Reykjanes peninsula.

We just flew home from Iceland last week.  We got there 2 hours before our flight.  We did have to drop off a rental car, but it was drive up and drop off, then walk 5 minutes to the terminal, so did not add significant time.  There was no one in line in front of us to check in, no one in front of us to get thru immigration.  We made it to our gate as they were boarding.  It's just not a super efficient airport.

Plan a 45 minute ride from the city to the airport.  6:30 would be the absolute latest I'd leave, and would probably do 6:00.  There are several places to sit and get breakfast and coffee if you manage to get thru faster than expected.

Welcome to the forum!   Definitely read the stickies at the top.  They can help you suss out the differences between the lines.  FWIW, we sailed the Danube with Avalon and were very pleased, but I'm not married to them and would gladly try another line.

Other lines frequently discussed AMA and Tauck.

There are car rental offices in Reykjavik.  We recently returned from Iceland and used Blue.  Their office is on the harbor but I can't tell if that's where the cruise ships dock.  It would be a short taxi ride if not.

I'd recommend going up to Snaefellsnes and making a loop of the peninsula.