Live from Vantage River Navigator--Rhine & Moselle

[FuelScience]

The morning in Mainz started with a short (750 m) walk to the cathedral/Guttenberg museum as we left the ship around 8:45. The ship departed at 9:00 with people still aboard who decided not to do the Mainz tour.

Our tour group walked through the old city before visiting the cathedral and finishing up in the Guttenberg Museum. We had a good guide, and the tour was well done. Total walking distance was about 1.5 miles. I wished that we’d had more time in the Guttenberg Museum. The tour was pretty much just seeing their Guttenberg Bible and having the tour guide show us how a page was printed and presenting it to the person who helped her do the printing. We had about 10 minutes of “free time” before returning to the buses and heading for Gernshiem. The buses pulled out at around 11:30 and got to the boat in Gernshiem at about 12:30. The captain welcomed everybody and quickly pulled away from the moorage (we were running about 30 minutes late due to traffic and the long walk back to the buses).

After the tour we returned to the area where the ship had been moored and boarded buses for Gernsheim, about 45 km upstream, where we boarded the Navigator and went straight to lunch. Around 2:15, the boat stopped in Worms, where those taking the optional Speyer tour disembarked and boarded a bus for Speyer. The ship continued on to Speyer, arriving at around 6:15 p.m. We had a port talk at 6:30 and then left for the home-hosted dinner around 6:45.

Our dinner went well. Ten of us ate a delicious dinner with two retirees in Römmerberg, a suburb of Speyer. The food and the company were great (our hostess used to teach cooking). The only negative was the lack of air conditioning. Normally this wouldn’t have been a problem, but it’s a very hot summer in Germany this year. We made it back to the boat at around 10:15 and will leave for Plittersdorf/Baden-Baden around midnight.

 

 

FuelScience

[FuelScience]

Right. Now that we are several decades into the "paperless office" as promised -- why would anybody need OCR??? :D

 

Jazzbeau,

Ironically, there wasn't a lot of paper involved. It was digital photo to text conversion. If they just had digital menus....

 

FuelScience

[DaveinCharlotte]

We're flying from Zurich. The six of us booked a van for 322 Euros.

FuelScience

If you're going to Zurich because you booked your cruise & transfer back when Zurich was the departure city, you might be eligible for a refund.

 

We booked & paid a year ago August, and bought our Zurich air a few months ago. Only when we called Vantage to give them our flight numbers did we discover the city had been changed to Basel. This was irritating, because we picked Vantage for the very reason that they used Zurich. (Air connections between CLT and Zurich good, between CLT and Basel bad.)

 

But Vantage, to their credit, agreed to reimburse us for the cheapest fare between Zurich and Basel, i.e., SBB train 2nd class, which was $42US/pp. In fact, they've already paid us, and we haven't even left yet! And they agreed to transfer us from SSB Bahnhof to ship. (But I am very skeptical they will actually be there to greet us -- hence my concern in finding out exactly where the Navigator will be docked in Basel.)

 

- Dave

 

PS - On the website map, Zurich is still shown as the arrival/departure city!

[madda]

Thank you FuelScience for your updates on your cruise - Rhine & Moselle. I love reading information about all the different places we can visit on our cruises/tours. My husband and I will be doing a similar cruise in September with Scenic: we will be stopping at some of the same places as you have but also some different ones. This will be our third river cruise and we find them very relaxing and enjoyable and love meeting people from all over the world. Our cruise finishes in Basel but we are then transported by bus to Zurich for our return flights home.

Edited August 10, 2015 by madda

[FuelScience]

Before I get into today’s activities, I thought that I should mention that for those not taking the optional tour to Speyer, there is no opportunity for doing any sightseeing there. I had hoped that we would arrive early enough for a quick trip to the cathedral, but we had only 30 minutes between docking (6:15 p.m.) and leaving for the home-hosted dinner (6:45).

We docked at Plittersdorf around 6:00 a.m., and departed for Baden-Baden at 9:00. The drive was about 30 minutes, but the walking tour was delayed by about 25 minutes while people queued for the toilets. We walked around downtown Baden-Baden and finished with a walk-thru of the casino. Two of the guides did a quick optional walk to the Roman Baths. If we hadn’t lost all the time at the toilets, there would have been enough time for a quick visit to the excavation site, but as it was, we would have only had 5 minutes inside, so we just looked through the windows. Total distance (including the excursion to the baths) was about 1.6 miles.

 

O.K. If you’re a car nut and you’re on a cruise scheduled to visit Baden-Baden, you might want to look into the possibility of touring the Mercedes facility at Rastatt. Rastatt is just about 5 minutes from the docking site, and the concierge might be able to get you a taxi if you preschedule a tour. I’ve done a little googling, and the Mercedes “Kundencenter” or customer center is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. I found another page that looks like it might refer to a plant tour, but I can’t get it to open—slow internet!! Anyhow, if you’re really into cars, this might be worth looking into. It’ll require front planning and close coordination with the Concierge to arrange a taxi and make sure that you’re back at the ship on time.

 

After riding back to the Navigator, we had a nice lunch. Sundays are special. Breakfast includes champagne for mimosas and eggs Benedict are part of the Sunday breakfast menu. This afternoon a 3:30, we had tea time with hot tea and a great spread of desserts! The afternoon also featured galley tours for those interested.

 

There was entertainment (singers) at 9:00 after dinner, but we skipped.

 

Tomorrow Strasbourg!

 

FuelScience

[Hydrokitty]

Before I get into today’s activities, I thought that I should mention that for those not taking the optional tour to Speyer, there is no opportunity for doing any sightseeing there. I had hoped that we would arrive early enough for a quick trip to the cathedral, but we had only 30 minutes between docking (6:15 p.m.) and leaving for the home-hosted dinner (6:45).

We docked at Plittersdorf around 6:00 a.m., and departed for Baden-Baden at 9:00. The drive was about 30 minutes, but the walking tour was delayed by about 25 minutes while people queued for the toilets. We walked around downtown Baden-Baden and finished with a walk-thru of the casino. Two of the guides did a quick optional walk to the Roman Baths. If we hadn’t lost all the time at the toilets, there would have been enough time for a quick visit to the excavation site, but as it was, we would have only had 5 minutes inside, so we just looked through the windows. Total distance (including the excursion to the baths) was about 1.6 miles.

 

After riding back to the Navigator, we had a nice lunch. Sundays are special. Breakfast includes champagne for mimosas and eggs Benedict are part of the Sunday breakfast menu. This afternoon a 3:30, we had tea time with hot tea and a great spread of desserts! The afternoon also featured galley tours for those interested.

 

There was entertainment (singers) at 9:00 after dinner, but we skipped.

 

Tomorrow Strasbourg!

 

FuelScience

 

Thanks for the heads up on Speyer....I'm glad I took the optional tour, although it would have been nice to at least be able to walk into town on our own. It sounds like there might have been a docking conflict. This is one of the biggest reasons I (and so many others) are opposed to the new system of 1 TM and 3-4 local guides. Under the old system the local guide would start the tour with those who either didn't need or finished first at the facilities and your group TM would wait for the others and do the same tour with them. It saved time and everyone would have gotten to see the Mikvas!! But: were there no bathrooms on the buses? Vantage always hires buses with on board facilities....true we're encouraged not to use them unless absolutely necessary, but having them would have saved some time on your arrival.

 

Some new things are going on on the Navigator!!! Champagne breakfast on Sunday......YAAAAYYYY!!!! Afternoon tea....also Yaaaayy but not as big as Breakfast! :D

 

DH and I would often skip evening entertainment for a little extra quiet time before bed....ones we wouldn't miss were folk dancing groups.....adults and especially children....and they rarely lasted more than an 60-90 minutes. I love the children because they remind me of my granddaughter who is a dancer.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Hydrokitty

[FuelScience]

We left the ship at 9:00 this morning for our tour of Strasbourg. We walked about 200 meters down the mooring and boarded a canal boat for the tour. Yes, all 130 or so cruisers fit on the boat. The boat tour lasted about 1¼ hours, and we got off the boat very close to the cathedral. As soon as our group assembled, our American-born guide took charge. As we walked to the cathedral at around 10:45, she informed us that the cathedral would be closing at 11:15, and that the astronomical clock would be doing its thing at 11:00, so she marched us into the cathedral and to the front of the crowd waiting on the clock. We had a great view, and as soon as the clock had struck, we sat down and she gave us a quick description of the cathedral. As we walked out at 11:15, we headed to Guttenberg Square, and took a meandering walk back to the Tourist Information Office in front of the cathedral (Vantage’s meeting point) at noon.

At that point, people could go back to the ship or stay in the city. Those taking the Black Forest tour had to go back. We decided to stay with options to return at either 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., or 4:30 p.m. We walked around and had tarte flambée (Flammkuchen in German) for lunch before heading back to Petite France and more general sightseeing and shopping with a break for ice cream. We met at the Tourist Information Office at 3:00 and made the 20 minute walk back to the bus for a short drive to the ship. Overall we really enjoyed Strasbourg. It’s a beautiful town with lots of interesting things to see.

After dinner we enjoyed the crew show in the lounge. Most or all of the crew participated in a series of skits, and the bartender showed off her talents at fancy bartending with flying bottles.

This is the Navigator’s last year with Vantage. It’ll be retired at the end of this cruise season and replaced with the River Splendour. The ship is well maintained and in excellent condition. Its layout is somewhat unusual. Most ships have lounge and restaurant at the front of the ship, with the lounge on the upper deck and the restaurant on the lower deck. The Navigator has both the lounge and restaurant on the upper deck. The lounge is up front, and the restaurant is at the back of the ship. The galley sits below the restaurant. Most of the restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows that make for a nice view when sailing. Our stateroom is right in front of the restaurant, so it’s convenient for us.

 

The onboard entertainment systems works well with access to bow and lounge cameras as well as current movies, music, and live television. There’s also Vantage publicity and billing information.

Sail from Strasbourg at 11:00 p.m.

[Hydrokitty]

We left the ship at 9:00 this morning for our tour of Strasbourg. We walked about 200 meters down the mooring and boarded a canal boat for the tour. Yes, all 130 or so cruisers fit on the boat. The boat tour lasted about 1¼ hours, and we got off the boat very close to the cathedral. As soon as our group assembled, our American-born guide took charge. As we walked to the cathedral at around 10:45, she informed us that the cathedral would be closing at 11:15, and that the astronomical clock would be doing its thing at 11:00, so she marched us into the cathedral and to the front of the crowd waiting on the clock. We had a great view, and as soon as the clock had struck, we sat down and she gave us a quick description of the cathedral. As we walked out at 11:15, we headed to Guttenberg Square, and took a meandering walk back to the Tourist Information Office in front of the cathedral (Vantage’s meeting point) at noon.

At that point, people could go back to the ship or stay in the city. Those taking the Black Forest tour had to go back. We decided to stay with options to return at either 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., or 4:30 p.m. We walked around and had tarte flambée (Flammkuchen in German) for lunch before heading back to Petite France and more general sightseeing and shopping with a break for ice cream. We met at the Tourist Information Office at 3:00 and made the 20 minute walk back to the bus for a short drive to the ship. Overall we really enjoyed Strasbourg. It’s a beautiful town with lots of interesting things to see.

After dinner we enjoyed the crew show in the lounge. Most or all of the crew participated in a series of skits, and the bartender showed off her talents at fancy bartending with flying bottles.

This is the Navigator’s last year with Vantage. It’ll be retired at the end of this cruise season and replaced with the River Splendour. The ship is well maintained and in excellent condition. Its layout is somewhat unusual. Most ships have lounge and restaurant at the front of the ship, with the lounge on the upper deck and the restaurant on the lower deck. The Navigator has both the lounge and restaurant on the upper deck. The lounge is up front, and the restaurant is at the back of the ship. The galley sits below the restaurant. Most of the restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows that make for a nice view when sailing. Our stateroom is right in front of the restaurant, so it’s convenient for us.

 

The onboard entertainment systems works well with access to bow and lounge cameras as well as current movies, music, and live television. There’s also Vantage publicity and billing information.

Sail from Strasbourg at 11:00 p.m.

 

 

How far from the city were you actually docked? I was hoping we would be able to walk from the ship to town, but it doesn't sound like it. We're not taking the Black Forest tour....I already know how to make black forest cake and I have a cuckoo clock from our first trip to Germany....and nobody in their right mind has more than one! :D

[CleverScubaCruiser]

I am considering the 2016 October Switzerland, the Heart of the Rhine, and Moselle sailing which, based on your information on the retirement of the Navigator, I assume will be on the River Splendor. Can anyone tell me how Category A and Category B cabins differ beside A's being on a higher deck and having a minibar? Is the difference enough to justify the price difference?

[CPT Trips]

I don't know that any of the docking locations are walkable to the main square area. But Strasbourg has a good public transit system. http://www.cts-strasbourg.eu/export/sites/default/pdf/04SeDeplacer/03PlansReseau/PLAN-TOURISTIQUE-BLEU-juillet-2011.pdf As this map shows.

 

We were docked an easy walk from the Place d'Islande tram terminus. The other ships we saw while on the bus excursion were not too far from tram tracks, but who knows where the stop is. Wherever you dock, I would expect the CD or concierge could give you directions to the city center.

[FuelScience]

How far from the city were you actually docked? I was hoping we would be able to walk from the ship to town, but it doesn't sound like it. We're not taking the Black Forest tour....I already know how to make black forest cake and I have a cuckoo clock from our first trip to Germany....and nobody in their right mind has more than one! :D

 

I checked with google maps, and I think that it was 2.5 to 3 miles from the docking site to the cathedral. You'll have the morning tour, and then 3 opportunites to go back in the afternoon: 2:00, 3:00, and 4:30.

 

FuelScience

[Hydrokitty]

I checked with google maps, and I think that it was 2.5 to 3 miles from the docking site to the cathedral. You'll have the morning tour, and then 3 opportunites to go back in the afternoon: 2:00, 3:00, and 4:30.

 

FuelScience

 

 

We were thinking of eating dinner or lunch in town. Any recommendations?

[FuelScience]

We were thinking of eating dinner or lunch in town. Any recommendations?

 

Lot's of places in the central city. We ate tarte flambee at a place called Flam's a couple of blocks behind the cathedral. FuelScience

[FuelScience]

We woke up this morning in Breisach. We boarded the buses for Colmar at 9:00 a.m. After arrival we split into three groups and took a walking tour through the town starting in “Little Venice.” We ended up at the church that currently houses the Isenheim altarpiece. This triptych is normally in a local museum, but has been moved to the church while the museum is being remodeled. Those who went to see the altarpiece had about 30 minutes free time before heading to the buses, while those who skipped it had about an hour before leaving for the buses at 11:00. Since it was a long walk, Vantage arranged taxis for some people to get to the buses (Vantage did not pick up the tab for the taxis). When we got to the buses, one lady had lost her husband, but he had called the boat and was located.

 

The visit to Riquewhir is billed as “a walking tour and lunch, followed by free time to try partake in wine tastings at different wine cellars using a coupon provided by Vantage.” Translated into reality this means that Vantage gave everyone € 25 for lunch and wine. Our guide walked us about half way up Riquewhir’s main street and turned us loose. It’s pretty much a one-street town, so it wasn’t hard to find a place to eat, although it was very crowded with summer holiday travelers. My spouse was especially pleased to find a Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas store there.

 

We boarded the buses at 3:00 for our trip back to Breisach. When we arrived, wefount that for the first time of our trip, our boat was rafted. The AMA Certo is next door. We saw her passengers in Riquewhir. After dinner we walked into Breisach and walked around the Munsterdom at the top of the hill

 

 

The ship remained in Breisach overnight.

[FuelScience]

When we woke up in Breisach, the AMA Certo had departed during the night. As we were eating breakfast, the Uniworld River Queen pulled alongside and took her place. Also, a Viking longship was docked behind us.

 

We left at 9:00 for a morning tour of Freiburg. Freiburg was a lovely city, and we had a good guide. We toured for about an hour (9:45-10:40), and we had free time until the buses left at noon to return to the boat.

 

Of all the towns we visited, Freiburg is one where I really wish that we’d had more time. Since getting back to the boat, I checked the Deutsche Bahn site, and a train leaves Freiburg for Breisach about every 30 minutes, and takes less than 30 minutes to get there (no train changes). I wish that I’d looked into this earlier, and I would have tried to spend the entire afternoon in Freiburg. I don’t know if the cruise director would approve, but it would have been fun. If you’re a little adventurous and comfortable on the German trains, you might consider this option if you really like Freiburg. The walk from the Breisach train station to our docking site is about 1 km (5/8 mile).

 

After lunch at 1:00, we rested until the European Union talk at 3:00. Normally, we would have gone out exploring, but it’s very hot. We did walk around the town last night after dinner and made our way up to the Münster Cathedral at the top of the hill. There are nice views from the church yard, and we had a nice walk around town.

 

The Captain’s cocktail party was held at 6:00 p.m. with free drinks, followed by the Farewell Dinner. At 9:00, a folk dance group, Dei Lustigen Tuniberger, entertained. We set sail for Basel at 11:00.

[FuelScience]

Last night included the disembarkation talk. The first group leaves the ship at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow! Our group of six has arranged our own transfer to Zurich. We chose Zurich so that we’ll get home with two flights rather than three. Our pickup is at 7:45, so we have been told to keep our luggage in the rooms until we’re ready to go and call the desk at that time, so we’ll probably call around 7:35.

 

Today started off with a 9:00 departure for our tour of Basel. We had a bus tour of about 45 minutes and then we began a walking tour of the downtown area. We finished the walking tour around 10:30 and had free time before meeting at the marketplace at 11:40 for a walk back to the buses. Vantage is running shuttle buses all afternoon for those who want to stay in the city. It was so hot at noon (~88°F), that most people came back to the ship.

 

I’ll probably do one more post after I get home, but this is it for now. I’ll also post a full review on CC next week. Hope this has been helpful. I will also be scanning all the Viking dailies for anyone who’d interested.

[jpalbny]

FuelScience - thanks for all of your posts. Can't wait to be back here in a few weeks!

 

A shame you didn't know about the train from Freiburg to Breisach. Yes, they are so close... And Freiburg is a cool town. Hope you have a chance to visit again some time!

[FuelScience]

FuelScience - thanks for all of your posts. Can't wait to be back here in a few weeks!

 

A shame you didn't know about the train from Freiburg to Breisach. Yes, they are so close... And Freiburg is a cool town. Hope you have a chance to visit again some time!

 

Thanks,

Maybe my post will allow someone else to take advantage of the train. I'll try to write up a review of my TEP hotspot next week. It's handy to have. Whether it's worth $10/day is a judgement call.

 

FuelScience

[Hydrokitty]

Thanks,

Maybe my post will allow someone else to take advantage of the train. I'll try to write up a review of my TEP hotspot next week. It's handy to have. Whether it's worth $10/day is a judgement call.

 

FuelScience

 

FuelScience: you did a really bang-up job with your daily posts!! We leave in 2 weeks for Amsterdam and the same trip and your post (and e-mails) have been so helpful in planning what to do in each port. Kudos to you and thanks for taking the time out from your vacation to keep us informed. :D

 

Safe home. HK

Edited August 13, 2015 by Hydrokitty

[hiccups]

When we woke up in Breisach, the AMA Certo had departed during the night. As we were eating breakfast, the Uniworld River Queen pulled alongside and took her place. Also, a Viking longship was docked behind us.

 

I waved to you while we were rafted :D I also wondered what kind of candy is in the bowl on the desk in the lobby--noticed that when we walked through!

 

We noticed while having our lunch on the River Queen that you have menus at lunch... are lunches all ordered from the menu, like dinner? We had a buffet for lunch, but as I mentioned in my thread, I always requested grilled chicken and steamed vegetables so they cooked that to order.

[xpcdoojk]

I waved to you while we were rafted :D I also wondered what kind of candy is in the bowl on the desk in the lobby--noticed that when we walked through!

 

That is a wierd thing about river cruises. We went over the roof of one Ukrainian river boat that was bigger than our Avalon ship.

 

jc

[Hydrokitty]

That is a wierd thing about river cruises. We went over the roof of one Ukrainian river boat that was bigger than our Avalon ship.

 

jc

 

That happened to us too jc and it was then that I really appreciated American safety standards!! It was terrifying climbing a rickety staircase and Vantage posted their own people top and bottom.

 

Lunch on Vantage ships is a salad bar, pasta station and always a choice of soup and hot meal. As for the candy...it's usually either peppermints or hard candy. I think it depends on either the Captain or the Hotel Manager's preference. :)

[hiccups]

That is a wierd thing about river cruises. We went over the roof of one Ukrainian river boat that was bigger than our Avalon ship.

 

jc

 

We were rafted on another day and had to go over the top of that ship... I can't remember which line/ship but it wasn't one that markets in the U.S.

 

I had thought about asking for tours of some of the other ships that were docked, but didn't. The ones we were able to see into definitely had a different vibe than Uniworld!

[hiccups]

Lunch on Vantage ships is a salad bar, pasta station and always a choice of soup and hot meal. As for the candy...it's usually either peppermints or hard candy. I think it depends on either the Captain or the Hotel Manager's preference. :)

 

On the River Queen, the candy was just past the reception area, on the way to the lounge. Four glass containers, one each filled with marshmallows, Werthers hard candies, gummy bears and fruit Mentos. Just beyond that was the coffee station, which had two kinds of cookies every day. After awhile I had to start limiting myself because it was way too easy to grab something every time I walked by!

[Shmoo here]

That happened to us too jc and it was then that I really appreciated American safety standards!! It was terrifying climbing a rickety staircase and Vantage posted their own people top and bottom.

 

Lunch on Vantage ships is a salad bar, pasta station and always a choice of soup and hot meal. As for the candy...it's usually either peppermints or hard candy. I think it depends on either the Captain or the Hotel Manager's preference. :)

 

My most favorite lunch on our recent cruise was (sorry, can't remember what it was called on the menu -probably some really fancy title), but it was basically creamed chicken on toast. Also, I liked the chicken, bacon & guacamole bagel.

 

The candy dish on the reception desk was a fruit flavored taffy (have to see if I saved one of the wrappers). For both legs of the B2B (different hotel managers on each leg). But the Captain was the same.