Bus time on cruises - under normal circumstances.

[GiGiGi]

We are considering AMA's Blue Danube cruise or their Rivers and Castles cruise. One of the appeals of river cruising for us is docking right in the various towns and touring. We recognize that there will be some occasions when a short bus ride may be necessary, but we would like to keep that to a minimum (assuming we go at a time that is not impacted by situations like the current flooding issues).

Any insight into the logistics of these two cruises would truly help us make our decision.

Thanks so much.

[remydiva]

We are considering AMA's Blue Danube cruise or their Rivers and Castles cruise. One of the appeals of river cruising for us is docking right in the various towns and touring. We recognize that there will be some occasions when a short bus ride may be necessary, but we would like to keep that to a minimum (assuming we go at a time that is not impacted by situations like the current flooding issues).

Any insight into the logistics of these two cruises would truly help us make our decision.

Thanks so much.

 

Can't comment on AMA itinerary but I have done a Viking Rhine Castle cruise (Amsterdam to Basel )and a Viking Danube (Passau to Budapest) so will offer my comments based on these:

 

If memory serves me right, the longest bus ride to a site might have been an hour or a bit more. Didn't strike me as unwieldly.

 

Most if not all bus portion excursions were half day tours so done either in the morning so back by lunch or started after lunch and back by dinner. I don't recall any that involved having lunch off the boat.

[newfirsttimer]

Have done Rivers & Castles with AMA, Prague to Paris. Longest bus ride was from Prague to Nuremburg, about 5 hours. Tours into the towns that required bussing, and they were very few, at most 20 mins. Ship docked right downtown in most small towns. It was the larger cities that required the bussing. Day trips to places like Heidelberg, that I think was over 2 hrs. in each direction. Bus trip to the American Cemetery seemed to take quite a long time, I think over an hour. This was my first river cruise and it was fantastic. AMA was great to travel with.

[coolerchick]

I'm glad you asked this questions as it's one that I have too.

 

I will be calling the cruise lines to find out this information and will post here when I find out.

 

I'm traveling with an elderly passenger and one of the things she dreads is bus rides. If it was for 20 mins or so then it wouldn't be a problem but I would probably have to knock her out if it was longer - a mix between scared to death and claustrophobia.

[Paulinda]

I'm glad you asked this questions as it's one that I have too.

 

I will be calling the cruise lines to find out this information and will post here when I find out.

 

I'm traveling with an elderly passenger and one of the things she dreads is bus rides. If it was for 20 mins or so then it wouldn't be a problem but I would probably have to knock her out if it was longer - a mix between scared to death and claustrophobia.

 

 

 

So assuming you're from the US or Canada, how's she going to handle the 8 hour flight?

[coolerchick]

She's from the UK. She's fine on trains AND planes. The funny thing is - the buses are FREE in the UK for seniors and she will not travel on them.

[remydiva]

Have done Rivers & Castles with AMA, Prague to Paris. Longest bus ride was from Prague to Nuremburg, about 5 hours. Tours into the towns that required bussing, and they were very few, at most 20 mins. Ship docked right downtown in most small towns. It was the larger cities that required the bussing. Day trips to places like Heidelberg, that I think was over 2 hrs. in each direction. Bus trip to the American Cemetery seemed to take quite a long time, I think over an hour. This was my first river cruise and it was fantastic. AMA was great to travel with.

 

I stand corrected...you jogged my memory and you are right.

The trip to Heidelberg WAS an all day trip with a longer bus trip there and back and we had lunch on our own in town ( I went to the McD's as I was CRAVING their french fries...sorry,' pomme frites' and instead of 'take out' you say 'take away')

 

My problem or fear on long bus rides is 'tiolet phobia' ie. will there be one when I need one? (TMI??)

The emergency one on the bus, if there is one, doesn't count. So I understand an elderly travellers fears.

[bobandjo]

Avalon on their Magnificent Europe trip have 3 "pay for" 10 hour excursions from Passau. One goes to Cesky Krumlov in the Southern Bohemia, another to the Salzkammergut Lake District and finally to Salzburg. Too long for us so we'll just stay on the ship and cruise. Most of the "included" excursions seem to be 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

[Host Jazzbeau]

The long bus tours mentioned are all optional tours. Passengers had free options that did not involve long bus rides. So you can have a full river cruise experience.

[caviargal]

The long bus tours mentioned are all optional tours. Passengers had free options that did not involve long bus rides. So you can have a full river cruise experience.

 

On our 6 river cruises with varying itineraries we have never been bussed more than 20 minutes for included tours. Vienna, Wurzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg all come to mind as being a short shuttle bus ride to the center.

 

The $$$ optional tours offered will detail the length of the bus ride and can be long, such as the Salzburg tour offered from Linz or Passau (which we have done twice on our own using public transport).

 

Many docking locations are directly in the city center or very close.

 

The ride from Prague to Nuremberg listed above is not a port call - it is a land extension to the cruise and will only affect those that choose the add on land package. We always travel independently before and after and opt out of the land extensions.