i should have made my reservation in january....

[bethaniesmom]

i was all decided in January to do the sept 2 uniworld antwerp to basel tour...was giving it time to settle in and be sure...well....you know how things go....

i am thinking now that a christmas cruise would be more fun....

anyone know how the weather is along the Rhine in November? December? My son is in Frankfurt now and says it has been a really mild winter, but I wonder if that is typical.....would there be any definite problems with choosing this trip? I am thinking Uniworld still!

Thanks for your input.....

 

Beverly

[unberwoob]

Beverly,

We did the Uniworld Christmas Market cruise from Koblenz to Nuremburg December 11th and loved it. It was pretty chilly, so much so that a heavy frost appeared every morning. The first few days it was very gloomy, but later we had blue skys.

Several things to note. Sunrise comes late and sunset early-very short days. It was much different than the trip we did down the river in June. The downside of this is that I love to take photographs(I took about 1300 that week) and so I wished for more daylight. Christmas is celebrated the 25th and 26th, so everything would be closed for two days of the cruise.

The Christmas markets were wonderful. Everything was very festive.

Book the lowest price room. The boats are usually half full, and we were upgraded to a higher deck. However, all Uniworld rooms are the same, except for window size.

As I said, the trip was great. My advice would be to take a Christmas Market Cruise, but also take one in summer down the Rhine or Danube

Dennis

[bethaniesmom]

thanks Dennis, great information...I am real concerned about the weather, but i guess i can always buy an extra sweater there if i need one....looks like it will be a Christmas Market cruise after all.....we did wonder what the markets are like....should i save lots of room in my bag for taking extra things home? Also, any need to bring Euros? I would guess that the markets would rather have cash than credit cards....

 

Beverly

[goeurope]

The Christmas markets have ornaments, crafts, food gift items, and usually other things besides. Christkindlesmarkt Nuremberg, the largest of the Christmas markets, has a Web site that will give you some idea of what to expect (on a smaller scale) at others through Germany:

 

http://www.christkindlesmarkt.de/index_e.html

 

Food stalls are in plentiful supply, too. Don't miss the wonderful grilled sausages on fresh, crusty rolls (they put hot dogs to shame).

 

As for cash, you'll definitely want euros. If you have an ATM card, you should be able to get cash at nearly any bank machine, assuming that you have a four-digit numeric PIN number and that your bank hasn't blocked international use of your card. (It's a good idea to check with your bank before leaving home, just to make sure that everything is in order.) Also, watch out for excessive bank "conversion fees," although these are more likely to be an annoyance than a major pain in the pocketbook if you don't travel overseas very often. For more information, see my index of money, credit-card, and ATM articles at:

 

http://europeforvisitors.com/europe/articles/index_money.htm

[lobsterlover]

I did Great Rivers of Europe with Grand Circle, in Nov. and enjoyed every minute of it, but it was very cool to cold. I wore 3 layers every day,

with long underwear, gloves and ear muffs. I was always comfortable, but there were many who were not prepared and were very cold. If you are prepared for any weather (we had snow, also) you can enjoy your trip, no matter what happens. Go prepared. You will have a wonderful time. We managed to get to a couple of Christmas markets, and they were great fun.

 

L.L.

[unberwoob]

GoEurope was right on. The three little sausages on a hard roll were to die for! Also, you must try the potato pancakes-crisp and hot and delicious. Don't forget the gluhwein(hot mulled wine). Each market has their own mug and my wife decided to collect every one. Just make sure it's the current years mug.

Besides all the market stalls, there are great shops in all the towns you visit. These shops will take credit cards, but I never saw cards accepted in the markets. So as far as how much room you need in a bag, it depends on how much you want to buy.

For a week, we usually get about $200 in euros at the airport ATM upon arrival.

Get a good pair of synthetic undergarments, from REI or such, wear layers,and you will stay warm. Everyone in Europe wears scarfs, and I found this to be an essential item as well.

[bethaniesmom]

thanks everybody for your suggestions...husband says he is sold...book the Christmas market tour!....of course some of that hot mulled wine would be appreciated this evening when it gets down to 25!

 

Beverly