Avalon Amsterdam to Basel

[sueajp]

Hi folks, Everyone on this board was very helpful.. hoping to return the favor. We just returned from our first river cruise on Avalon Felicity. If you have questions, I would be happy to try to answer them. We arrived the day of the cruise and got the transfer to the

Movenpick Hotel in Amsterdam. Post cruise, we took a cab to the train station in Basel for a direct train to Lucerne. Even though everyone assured us it was easy.... we ran into an unheard of glitch!! There had been a pedestrian accident on the line... we were shuffled to another train, to a bus and then thanks to the kindness of strangers.... we made it! It was stressful but makes a great story. Two days in Lucerne on our own were great. Then an uneventful train ride to Zurich and then home the next day. Hit me up !

Sue:)

[Traveller94]

Hi Sue,

 

Thanks for reporting back. I hope you had a wonderful time, despite what sounds like a few hiccups.

 

We're doing it the other way around. Train from Zurich to Lucerne, two days in Lucrene, the train to Basil for the cruise. Any tips you wish you would have known about the Zurich airport or train station, the train trips, or Lucerne? We're doing that portion on our own as well, so I hope to be as prepared as possible.

 

Thanks!

Stacy

[DrivesLikeMario]

Welcome home! What did you think of the cruise and the ports? The service and food on the ship? Did you have any low water problems? We've been home about a month and it feels like it was just yesterday that ours ended!

[Amethyste]

Hi, Sue,

We have the same cruise booked next year May 2016 on Tranquility II. I have a couple questions for you:

 

Where did you stay in Lucerne? I've narrowed it down to a B&B (bus ride to town) or one of the hotels in old town.

 

Also, did you have any luggage issues on the train(s)? We hope to pack light, but still debating on one large suitcase vs two smaller ones. We will actually be traveling 15 days, I believe, and may be challenged to find a place to do laundry (4 days Amsterdam, 8 days cruise, 2 days Lucerne, 1 day Zurich). Of course, there's always the bathroom sink in emergencies.:)

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Jan

[DrivesLikeMario]

Ugh...the bathroom sink? :p Just save up your dirty clothes for the Tranquility II. The laundry and dry cleaning rates were really reasonable compared to our pre-cruise hotel and other hotel stays we've had in Europe. The clothes were always back in 24 hrs. or less.

 

It's a beautiful ship with a great staff. :)

[Valley Girl of VA]

Hi, Sue,

 

Also, did you have any luggage issues on the train(s)? We hope to pack light, but still debating on one large suitcase vs two smaller ones.

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Jan

 

 

We just did a lot of train travel in Europe this summer and I would definitely say two smaller suitcases. You have to lift them to put them above your seat on the luggage racks. Also, many stations have a lot of stairs and two smaller ones may be easier than one larger one.

 

Jane

[sueajp]

Hi Sue,

 

Thanks for reporting back. I hope you had a wonderful time, despite what sounds like a few hiccups.

 

We're doing it the other way around. Train from Zurich to Lucerne, two days in Lucrene, the train to Basil for the cruise. Any tips you wish you would have known about the Zurich airport or train station, the train trips, or Lucerne? We're doing that portion on our own as well, so I hope to be as prepared as possible.

 

Thanks!

Stacy

Hi Stacy,

It was a wonderful time.. The train from Zurich to Lucerne should be easy. The train station is downstairs from the airport and the Lucerne train brings you right into the heart of downtown. I thought there would be a TI in some of the stations but only found the one in Zurich train station. Sometimes a sign said tourist information, and it was just the sign showing the routes! We tried to buy our tickets from a person rather than the machines. Truth be told, we bought them by they were rarely checked! We loved Lucerne. There is plenty of beautiful places to just wander around the river and the lake. The famous Chapel Bridge is closed at the new end of the town just until late Oct for repairs. There are other bridges to take you all the way across. The restaurants along the quay are fun. Be prepared for sticker shock on food prices. The back side of the Old Town has lots of little shops too but be aware they close on Sundays. Hope this helps.

[sueajp]

We just did a lot of train travel in Europe this summer and I would definitely say two smaller suitcases. You have to lift them to put them above your seat on the luggage racks. Also, many stations have a lot of stairs and two smaller ones may be easier than one larger one.

 

Jane

Packing light is always a trial for me! We carried two good size suitcases and a small carry on each.. We kept our luggage with us on empty seats or between seats. One train had a space for the luggage in the back where the bikes go too. We sat in second class seats to avoid the stairs on the trains. There was really no need to pay extra for first class anyway. The trips are relatively short. Getting on and off the train and up escalators is a challenge so if you can pack light, go for it!

[sueajp]

Welcome home! What did you think of the cruise and the ports? The service and food on the ship? Did you have any low water problems? We've been home about a month and it feels like it was just yesterday that ours ended!

We really enjoyed the ports/. They were a little intensive and if I had the choice again I might have skipped one or two of the optional tours and slowed our pace a bit. We were definitely on the run. The food was very good and certainly plentiful. Enjoyed the ever flowing wine! The river was certainly low and we had to dock at a couple of further away stops than might have been. The ship was very good and we enjoyed our fellow cruisers. I regret that I did not notice that Felicity was not a suite ship. It was a smaller room than I had anticipated. Others were surprised too. Pays to read the fine print! 68% of their ships are! We called ourselves the 32%! You don't spend much time in your room! The beds were comfortable. Would cruise with them again.

[sueajp]

We stayed at Des Alpes in Lucerne. It is right on the river in the Old Town and an easy walk to everywhere including the train station! However, right now there is a lot of construction around the hotel. It was a little quirky but did have free wifi and included breakfast. They do not have air conditioning so be careful if its the warm months!

[bubbulz]

We stayed at the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne and loved it. We had a beautiful, expansive view of the lake from our room and it was convenient to everything, including the rail station.

 

In hindsight, I would have packed lighter, but not necessarily due to the train travel. We just didn't need as much as we took, especially since we were able to do laundry on our cruise. After our cruise, we traveled via train from Basel to Lucerne and from Lucerne to Zurich. We each had one large suitcase and a rollaboard. We went first class on the trains (it wasn't that much more and it was a fun splurge, as was the wine and beer we bought on the trains :) ), and never had to lift our suitcases since there was space at each end of the cars for luggage, and no rack overhead for luggage in any event. We also never had to climb steps on our trains. We kept our rollaboards with us at our seats, as all seating we encountered was 2+2, with seats facing each other and there was plenty of room. First class is generally the first two cars on the train. The cars have large numbers on them to indicate the class of travel.

 

In Basel, we found the information desk one level up from the staffed ticket counters. They were very helpful. In Lucerne, we just went to the ticket office and bought our tickets the day before we traveled (open schedule, with trains running hourly). There were also computer stations in the ticket office where you could easily search schedules and pricing.

 

One lesson learned: If you need to use the restroom in the stations, have 2 Euros handy (less for men who only need to use the toilet). Or if you can wait, just use the facilities on the train. ;)

[hugueys]

Using FF miles our flight goes Louisville to Paris to Zurich for our Nov 25 GCT Christmas Market cruise. We land in Zurich 8:45 morning of cruise. Thanks to all on the forum who have helped us to decide to take train to Basel.

 

My questions are how much did your taxi cost to go from Basel airport to ship (or in reverse)? Did you get Swiss currency at the airport or train station? Do cabs take credit cards? Should we explore Basel first or go to the ship?

 

Any info you would like to share on ports visited would be appreciated.

[Amethyste]

Thank you for all that helpful information!

 

We'll be in Amsterdam 3-4 days prior to boarding Tranquility II, so I'll just do laundry in apt we are renting in Amsterdam prior to cruise. Nice to know on-board laundry is an option toward the end of our cruise if necessary. I think we'll opt for a medium sized suitcase for each of us and one carry on each. Once again, I vow to "pack light." I consider myself an experienced traveler, and it's always a challenge, especially if you are traveling in transitional weather (spring/fall). (We're going in May.)

 

Sounds like trains may or may not have luggage space at front/back of car, but should be fine. I'm still perusing the housing options for our 2 days in Lucerne but see several good options.

 

Thanks again, everyone, for the great responses to my first Cruise Critic post! (DH has read CC for years; I thought it was time I get on board!)

Edited September 25, 2015 by Amethyste

[bubbulz]

Using FF miles our flight goes Louisville to Paris to Zurich for our Nov 25 GCT Christmas Market cruise. We land in Zurich 8:45 morning of cruise. Thanks to all on the forum who have helped us to decide to take train to Basel.

 

My questions are how much did your taxi cost to go from Basel airport to ship (or in reverse)? Did you get Swiss currency at the airport or train station? Do cabs take credit cards? Should we explore Basel first or go to the ship?

 

Any info you would like to share on ports visited would be appreciated.

 

Our cruise line took care of transporting us between Basel and the station, so I can't help you definitely there although I had read on another forum that it was about 30-35 Swiss Francs and that most drivers do accept credit cards - but that it was best to ask ahead of time. Also, there are ATMs both at the airport and at the rail station. As far as exploring Basel, I think that depends most on how energetic you feel at that point after the long trip. You may want to just go directly to the ship.

[bubbulz]

Thank you for all that helpful information!

 

We'll be in Amsterdam 3-4 days prior to boarding Tranquility II, so I'll just do laundry in apt we are renting in Amsterdam prior to cruise. Nice to know on-board laundry is an option toward the end of our cruise if necessary. I think we'll opt for a medium sized suitcase for each of us and one carry on each. Once again, I vow to "pack light." I consider myself an experienced traveler, and it's always a challenge, especially if you are traveling in transitional weather (spring/fall). (We're going in May.)

 

Sounds like trains may or may not have luggage space at front/back of car, but should be fine. I'm still perusing the housing options for our 2 days in Lucerne but see several good options.

 

Thanks again, everyone, for the great responses to my first Cruise Critic post! (DH has read CC for years; I thought it was time I get on board!)

 

Be sure to do a lake cruise in Lucerne. It was one of the highlights for us. It's really beautiful.

[DrivesLikeMario]

We really enjoyed the ports/. They were a little intensive and if I had the choice again I might have skipped one or two of the optional tours and slowed our pace a bit. We were definitely on the run. The food was very good and certainly plentiful. Enjoyed the ever flowing wine! The river was certainly low and we had to dock at a couple of further away stops than might have been. The ship was very good and we enjoyed our fellow cruisers. I regret that I did not notice that Felicity was not a suite ship. It was a smaller room than I had anticipated. Others were surprised too. Pays to read the fine print! 68% of their ships are! We called ourselves the 32%! You don't spend much time in your room! The beds were comfortable. Would cruise with them again.

 

Yes, that was the big draw for me - the Suite Ship. Loved our bed facing the huge windows, the 200SF cabin and the newness of everything.

 

Everyone we talked with felt the same way - wow, it was an on-the-go vacation and we kept hoping for a "sea day" and we're on the younger side of the crowd too. I don't know how some of the older people handled it.

 

Sounds like you had a good experience though! Welcome home! :)

[sueajp]

Hi Mario,

Yes it was a great cruise! I would recommend Avalon but would carefully check my room LOL!! We didn't have much time to lie in bed! Next time, I would go a little longer and take a " sea" day or just walk to town in a port where that was possible. The low levels on the Rhine had us docking further out on Mainz and we had a run in to town! We strolled back on our own leaving the tour, that was a good move!

[JVilleGal]

I second the Sea Day!!

[mhb1757]

Using FF miles our flight goes Louisville to Paris to Zurich for our Nov 25 GCT Christmas Market cruise. We land in Zurich 8:45 morning of cruise. Thanks to all on the forum who have helped us to decide to take train to Basel.

 

My questions are how much did your taxi cost to go from Basel airport to ship (or in reverse)? Did you get Swiss currency at the airport or train station? Do cabs take credit cards? Should we explore Basel first or go to the ship?

 

Any info you would like to share on ports visited would be appreciated.

 

I suspect going directly to the ship upon arrival in Basel might be your best bet. It would be hard to do much exploring with luggage in tow. Also after an overnight transatlantic flight 2 layovers and a train ride to Basel you may be about ready for a break. You could get to the ship, have some lunch and then head back into town to explore if you were still so inclined.

 

Also just an FYI on credit cards... The ticket machines at train stations and most cabs only take chip and pin cards. If you have a chip and sign card you will need cash.

[hugueys]

Great information, thanks. We did something almost as crazy when we went to Scotland - Glasgow airport, train, ferry and then rental car on Isle of Skye! Hopefully we are ok with chip and pin card; I don't want to get much cash because we will not be in Switzerland long. Don you recommend hitting an ATM at airport or train station?