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Teeming river cruises


karinad
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Has anyone ever heard of this River Cruise Line? I have never done a river cruise. Teeming River Cruises. No tours or wine included, but soft drinks, coffee and tea are and meals and snacks included.

 

I'd appreciate if anyone has any info on them. Thanks!

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I've never heard of them until your post but their ships look nice and it the price meets your needs and you don't care about free flowing wine and beer, sounds like a good option!

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I've never heard of them until your post but their ships look nice and it the price meets your needs and you don't care about free flowing wine and beer, sounds like a good option!

The ships do look real nice and newly renovated. I googled to see about reviews on them and they all seem very positive. They only started in 2017, so there is the concern that they might not last. I like their concept with alcohol and tours. We're not drinkers, so, wine and beer are wasted on us. I'll keep watching for reviews and do appreciate any info I get from CC.

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I think it's awesome for those who like to self tour. In Europe I feel comfortable getting myself around (lived there for 3 yrs) so I would have liked a cruise like that. On our upcoming trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, I'm sort of glad that we will have tours. Less for me to worry about.

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I think it's a great option to get introduced to river cruising without spending a lot of money. We have quite a few ocean cruises to Europe and loved all we been on. Doing a river cruise would be a big change, from what I hear, from an ocean cruise. We'd like to see some of the places, like Switzerland and places that the big ships cannot get into. We have always gotten great deals on ocean cruises and when I looked at the rates of the river cruises, I nearly choked!

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I think it's a great option to get introduced to river cruising without spending a lot of money. We have quite a few ocean cruises to Europe and loved all we been on. Doing a river cruise would be a big change, from what I hear, from an ocean cruise. We'd like to see some of the places, like Switzerland and places that the big ships cannot get into. We have always gotten great deals on ocean cruises and when I looked at the rates of the river cruises, I nearly choked!

 

Yes...it is a bit different but the service is different as well. I prefer river cruises because you get into the smaller towns and you don't have to shuttle off a huge ship with 1000's of others and fight off the photogs that want to snap your pic with some costume wearing staff member :).

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I started looking at a land package that started out in Germany and ended in Switzerland, I think. The price was good, but it only included a few dinners. When I started to look at how many times you have to change hotels in 8 days (about 5 times) it really made me think twice! It would be very different from cruising!

 

Did any of your river cruises get cancelled because of high water levels or any other problems. That would be a concern of mine.

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It reminds me of the river cruise I took in 2013. The company Transocean offered packages that I could buy before the cruise and additional ones on board. Alcohol was "pay as you go", i.e. every glass of wine, etc. was put on my bill and I paid at the end of my cruise with a credit card. This was often done in the European river cruise industry, the move towards to more inclusive prices or even all-inclusive is a fairly recent one.

 

 

The itineraries are nice, especially the "Rhine in Flames" experience.

 

 

The fact that they have teamed up with River Advice makes me feel confident of good service. Both ships are older ones, but I have seen the Royal Crown close up and would say she looks well maintained. The Johann Strauss I have seen from a distance only.

 

 

For high water levels the dates in Summer and Autumn do not have a high risk. I would be more concerned with low water but both ships are 110m so problems are unlikely (it gives them a lower draft).

 

 

Overall I am confident about this. My main concern would be - in your case - with air travel working out well.

 

 

Have fun planning.

 

 

notamermaid

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The itineraries are nice, especially the "Rhine in Flames" experience.

 

notamermaid

 

This is what caught my eye as well. Something I've always wanted to see, though not real sure how it works. Do they have the fireworks time staggered from town to town, so if you head a certain direction you keep on seeing fireworks? I've googled this, but still confused.

 

Anyway, I really like what they are trying @ Teeming and wish them success. The more options the better, and I do like wandering off on my own.

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During the August event excursion ships travel to Koblenz (from an upstream location), past four fireworks displays (staggered, i.e. at different times) and flares (or "Benghal lights" in red as we call them), the highlight is the fifth fireworks display at Koblenz. I am not sure if the river cruise ships are allowed to join or are stationary at one place. There is no river traffic allowed from 6pm, apart from the boats taking part on that evening. Not sure when traffic resumes.

 

 

I have just seen that on this itinerary they also stop in Königswinter. That is unusual with English-speaking (aimed at the North-American market) river cruises. A nice idea.

 

 

notamermaid

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I started looking at a land package that started out in Germany and ended in Switzerland, I think. The price was good, but it only included a few dinners. When I started to look at how many times you have to change hotels in 8 days (about 5 times) it really made me think twice! It would be very different from cruising!

 

Did any of your river cruises get cancelled because of high water levels or any other problems. That would be a concern of mine.

 

River cruise lines generally don't cancel because of high or low water. Instead you're transported on buses. I've been on 2 river cruises, and we sailed the whole way. Most of the time you're going to be fine, but you need to know in advance what you could be faced with.

 

I did a land tour of Germany, France, Switzerland, and Luxembourg back in 1985, and it was a different hotel nearly every night, so I understand where you're coming from. That to me is huge advantage to cruising - unpack and pack once. Also the ship traveling during the night, so you're spending precious daylight hours actually touring instead of moving from place to place.

 

Roz

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We like to go in Sept or Oct, mostly Oct. We're looking at the Oct. 30th date called The Gems of The Rhine. What always caught my eye with the river cruises pictures was the scenery with the castles along the river. I, also, really like the idea of not having to get off the ship and travel a couple hours to get to a location. It's appealing to get off the ship and walk in the town. This company says that there's apps that they show you to do your own walking tours. I love looking at scenery that looks like pictures from a fairy tale.

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We're not in a position to river cruise in the near future, but this line looks interesting. I'd be fine without included excursions and alcohol. I'm looking forward to some reviews here.

I see that you cruised with Croisieurope last year. How did you like it? Were there many english speakers on the cruise? We're considering cruising with them next year but have some reservations. Don't want to be the only English speakers on board.

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We like to go in Sept or Oct, mostly Oct. We're looking at the Oct. 30th date called The Gems of The Rhine. What always caught my eye with the river cruises pictures was the scenery with the castles along the river. I, also, really like the idea of not having to get off the ship and travel a couple hours to get to a location. It's appealing to get off the ship and walk in the town. This company says that there's apps that they show you to do your own walking tours. I love looking at scenery that looks like pictures from a fairy tale.

 

That is an unusual itinerary in that it starts in Mainz and ends in Amsterdam, leaving out Cologne. They go to Düsseldorf instead. It is fine, just different. One needs to be aware of the fact that Cologne is stunning, not fairy-tale-ish, Düsseldorf is younger, and therefore not full of medieval structures. But it is old enough to be appealing and modern enough to make you see the modern Germany. Great for expensive shopping sprees, as well! Or just window shopping. In Düsseldorf you can get out of town with a bit of help organizing it, cruise director, or the local information centre. The Palace at Benrath (a suburb of Düsseldorf) is a great place to visit I have been told: https://www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de/en/sights/palace-and-park-benrath/ From Düsseldorf it is easy to get to Cologne by train if you wanted to see the cathedral. Mainz is a lovely town with the Gutenberg-Museum as an interesting attraction.

 

The castles are between Rüdesheim and Bonn, with the most famous ones being between Rüdesheim and Lahnstein, just before Koblenz.

 

 

Just remembered: November the 1st is a public holiday, so no shopping on that day, apart from some souvenirs perhaps, all standard shops are closed.

 

It can get a bit chilly around that time of year, but dressing in layers will do the trick. Snow is unlikely.

 

Again, sounds good to me.

 

notamermaid

Edited by notamermaid
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I see that you cruised with Croisieurope last year. How did you like it? Were there many english speakers on the cruise? We're considering cruising with them next year but have some reservations. Don't want to be the only English speakers on board.

 

 

Here's what I posted when we got back. Because it was a Road Scholar trip, that guaranteed there were at least 26 of us that spoke English. I'd say there were another 15 that were French, a handful of Argentinians, and the rest from England. The crew was delightful, which is saying something for me as I don't usually get to know the crew. I'm too much of an introvert. Most of the crew were younger, with the exception of the few upper "ranks."

I would be fine doing another Croisie cruise, but would want to know the exact schedule. We left many ports before dinner, meaning that evenings were confined to the ship. I'd've like more time to poke around in port, or get dinner in port.

******************

We just returned from a Croisi Rhine trip. It was also with Road Scholar, but that really only meant that our group had a separate tour guide and bus, and sat together at meals. We were on the Lafayette.

 

I would agree with everything already said. The ship was spotlessly clean, and the crew was delightful. The lounge was comfortable, though the chairs in the spots with the best view did show a bit of wear. There were fresh flower arrangements on board. Lunch and dinner was a set menu, generally French, though with some German dishes thrown in given the cruise location. Most of it was very good, if not what I would normally eat at home. It was consistently better than my MSC Yacht Club dining from this summer on Splendida. They were very good about working with dietary preferences/needs, if given enough advance notice. They did not encourage last minute, sit down to the table "oh, fish tonight? Can I have something different?" Dh does not eat fish though, and we told them at the beginning of the cruise. Every seafood dish had an alternative presented to him.

 

Language was not an issue. Most of the crew spoke good enough to fluent English. The cruise director did switch back and forth between French and English so quickly that I frequently didn't realize she was speaking English until half a sentence later.

 

I will say I was a bit shocked when we were moored next to a Tauck and Scenic (I think) ship and had to walk thru. I suddenly felt like the poor cousin. Those ship interiors were, for lack of a better term, shiny. Lots of glass, brass, mirrors, and marble. The rooms did not look that much bigger, from what I could see 4 feet from my window, though even a few square feet can make a difference in those little rooms. That said, our room was perfectly fine for what we needed, and the bathroom, particularly the shower, was spacious. If you need fancy, though, you may not be happy. If you are ok with clean, well kept, friendly, and comfortable, you should be ok.

 

There is actually a show called "Dream Cruises" on AWE (A Wealth of Entertainment) network that ds found. One of the episodes is about a Croisi Loire cruise on the Loire Princesse. Just checked our DVR, it was season 6 episode 1.

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  • 4 weeks later...

We are doing a Teeming Christmas Markets river cruise this year. The reviews have been positive, the price is great and I don't mind paying for wine by the glass for the little I drink. We apparently get headphones to do our own walking tours in the towns. I can't remember if there are excursions we can opt to pay for. I have done AMA and Grand Circle river cruises before and honestly, for the difference in price I'd do Grand Circle anytime. Croisie is on our list to check out as well.

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  • 3 months later...

We've signed up for a 9-night cruise through the Netherlands that sets off on March. Teeming has leased the MS Royal Emerald (formerly the Scenic Emerald) for this cruise, and then Noble Caledonia has it leased for a couple of months. It'll be too early for the tulips, but the cruise matches up well with a Nicko Saarbrucken to Stuttgart cruise we'll be doing. The prices were amazing, and the crew is from River Advice (the same company that provides crews for Avalon, Vantage, Gate 1, and others). We're comfortable doing our own excursions or paying for ones we'd like to add like Bruges. I'll report back after the cruise.

 

Link for Teeming "Old Netherlands" cruise. 

https://www.teemingrivercruises.com/cruises/re280319/

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4 hours ago, FuelScience said:

We've signed up for a 9-night cruise through the Netherlands that sets off on March. Teeming has leased the MS Royal Emerald (formerly the Scenic Emerald) for this cruise, and then Noble Caledonia has it leased for a couple of months. It'll be too early for the tulips, but the cruise matches up well with a Nicko Saarbrucken to Stuttgart cruise we'll be doing. The prices were amazing, and the crew is from River Advice (the same company that provides crews for Avalon, Vantage, Gate 1, and others). We're comfortable doing our own excursions or paying for ones we'd like to add like Bruges. I'll report back after the cruise.

 

Link for Teeming "Old Netherlands" cruise. 

https://www.teemingrivercruises.com/cruises/re280319/

I look forward to your review!  I know you've cruised with Avalon in the past and will be interested in comparing Teeming with Avalon.  We are planning to take an Avalon cruise next spring (our third) either on the Rhine or Main and would be interested in doing the Netherlands possibly the following spring.

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