Curious about the bus rides

[ThreeTwelves]

Just wondering about what you see on the long bus rides. Does the bus travel through towns or is it just highway traveling where all you see is just roads and trees? Does the bus stop at rest areas or does it just travel straight through until you get to their destintation?

 

How many buses is the average for traveling and who determines which bus you'll be traveling in? Does everyone just line up and board first come first serve until the bus is filled then onto the next bus? they comfortable? Do they serve drinks like when you're on a airplane or should we just bring our own ? I'm one of those people who can't go any car trip without having either water, coffee or soft drink with me.

 

I realise this must be a dumb question to many but I'm veru curious to hear and what to expect from the bus rides since the cruise I'm on has 2 very long bus rides,

[Shmoo here]

Just wondering about what you see on the long bus rides. Does the bus travel through towns or is it just highway traveling where all you see is just roads and trees? Does the bus stop at rest areas or does it just travel straight through until you get to their destintation?

 

How many buses is the average for traveling and who determines which bus you'll be traveling in? Does everyone just line up and board first come first serve until the bus is filled then onto the next bus? they comfortable? Do they serve drinks like when you're on a airplane or should we just bring our own ? I'm one of those people who can't go any car trip without having either water, coffee or soft drink with me.

 

I realise this must be a dumb question to many but I'm veru curious to hear and what to expect from the bus rides since the cruise I'm on has 2 very long bus rides,

The long bus rides we had on the land add ons, they always had a "refreshment" stop every 2 hours. Some of them were just long enough for those who wished to use the toilet to do so. Others were a bit longer for shopping, as well as use of the toilet.

 

They gave us a bottle of water every day. Above that, we had to provide our own drinks.

 

Depending on where the bus is headed, it may be "highway" type roads (not really the big superhighways you find in the US, or smaller roads through towns.

[ThreeTwelves]

Thank you Shmoo here, nice to know about the water. Our 2 long bus trips are from Paris to Luxenberg and the second is from Nuremberg to Prague.

Fingers crossed one of the stops will be the shopping one :D and we'll be traveling thru some towns

[Host Jazzbeau]

You will get more focused answers if you specify which cruise line and which itinerary you are going on. Then people who have done that can tell you exactly what to expect.

[notamermaid]

ThreeTwelves,

 

that is certainly a valid question or valid concerns. From my experience the modern busses the companies will use are comfortable, with adjustable seat backs and sometimes an onboard toilet. Of course, rest stops are preferred. ;) The coach operators I have been with in Germany and beyond have all been very accommodating with that. The modern facilities tend be good, well equipped with some shops and a restaurant at the bigger places. Others might just be a filling station with kiosk but coach operators will choose the bigger places above those small ones.

 

Autobahn or autoroute or motorway, etc. are generic terms in Europe for the highways in the specific country and take all forms and sizes. ;) From the 60-year-old four lane (two in one direction to in the other) to the 10-year-old eight lane (four and four) stretch to get past places like Frankfurt airport.

 

Those highways are outside of town, usually, smaller "feeder" highways go through the outskirts of town. Lille in France is a negative example where the autoroute I use goes along a neglected banlieue and past the prison. :eek:

 

If you would like to follow the route google map suggests for getting from Paris to Luxembourg, use the route planner, switch to satellite image (Earth) rather than map and add the photo option. Then enlarge the map, play around with options and you can virtually travel along. :)

 

On one route there are the towns of Reims and Metz but both will be by-passed on the autoroutes. I wonder if you could find out from your cruise company if they head into town for sightseeing from the coach?

 

notamermaid

[ThreeTwelves]

You will get more focused answers if you specify which cruise line and which itinerary you are going on. Then people who have done that can tell you exactly what to expect.

Ok thanks but I was just inquiring about bus rides in general on these cruises in my initial post :). my second post however, you're right, I failed to do so, whoops sorry.

It's the Viking Cities of Lights tour. Although, this trip will hardly illicit many responses from others due to the fact that I hardly see anyone mention it here recently.

 

I was curious about everyones experiences on the buses since a lot of people mentioned long bus rides in their reviews (or complaints). If the buses do make stops after 2 hours it'll be tolerable especially for my father who has arthritis in his knees. Sitting for long periods at a time can be very painful to him. He's already dreading the airflight.

 

I was also wondering if from peoples experiences if the bus rides were at least scenic because highway driving abet faster, is extremely boring. I recently came back from a long car trip( Florida to Washington DC) and every state from the highway looked the same. Thank goodness for the Welcome signs from each state or you'd never know you were traveling thru a different state. Hopefully on this trip we can at least see some different towns along the way.

 

 

 

Now of course I'm wondering if there is a difference between buses different cruiselines. Do some provide better more comfortable buses than others? :D

,

[ThreeTwelves]

notamermaid- Thank you very much! What a great idea about using google maps, I've never thought about using that.

 

As for the buses, have to admit the last bus trip I was on was well over 25 years ago when I was vacationing in Colorado when we boarded a bus from the airport to the ski resort up a mountain. I'm sure they're much more comfortable now.

 

I'm really looking forward to seeing as much as I can on the bus, just being in Europe has always been a dream of mine and I can't wait to see as much of it as I can! :)

[notamermaid]

It is certainly a long day. From what I have read you go to the American cemetery and then get on the coach again to board the ship in Trier. That is another 40 to 60 minutes in the car. Add a few minutes for the fact that a coach is slower.

 

To Remich, where Avalon has its embarkation, it is 25 minutes by car.

 

I cannot relate to coaches on highways in the US but from what I have seen on television European motorways are possibly more varied in scenery. Although I imagine the Colorado River valley to be spectacular. Yesterday I was going along the hills in the Eifel which borders on the Moselle river to the South. The colours among fog and bright sunshine were beautiful. There were small villages, a castle on a distant hill, farms and factories. A sign said "Goodbye, you are leaving Rhineland-Palatinate" (in German of course). Another greeted me on entering North-Rhine-Westfalia. In Germany at least, there is the occasional motorway sign pointing out a famous site visible from the road.

 

I find it a pity that river cruisers never get to see the French Moselle unless they go via Metz to get to the ship and actually drive into Metz. The Moselle there I find charming and industrial both at the same time. I really like Sierck-les-Bains (near the German border) with its magnificent castle on the hill.

 

Oh, digressed a bit.

 

You might like to have a look at this website for the cemetery: https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/luxembourg-american-cemetery#.Vjn0fCugXIs

 

Nuremberg to Prague has been covered in more detail in some threads.

 

notamermaid

Edited November 4, 2015 by notamermaid

[Floridiana]

extremely boring. I recently came back from a long car trip( Florida to Washington DC) and every state from the highway looked the same.

,

 

I-95 is one of the most boring US highways ever. I have driven it often. The scenery along the European highways you will take is more interesting.

[G.M.T.]

I-95 is one of the most boring US highways ever. I have driven it often. The scenery along the European highways you will take is more interesting.

 

I didn't know you could actually drive on I-95? I always thought it was one gigantic parking lot.:D

[Floridiana]

I didn't know you could actually drive on I-95? I always thought it was one gigantic parking lot.:D

 

From time to time, you can move your car from one lot to the next. ;)

[Host Jazzbeau]

I was also wondering if from peoples experiences if the bus rides were at least scenic because highway driving abet faster, is extremely boring. I recently came back from a long car trip( Florida to Washington DC) and every state from the highway looked the same.

 

I-95 is one of the most boring US highways ever. I have driven it often. The scenery along the European highways you will take is more interesting.

 

European motorways are more like I-81 down the Shenandoah Valley. Much more scenic that the parallel route down I-95.

[ewizabeff]

Your Nuremburg to Prague ride will likely be boring highway driving. Our bus (Uniworld), had an assigned tour guide and he answered questions and told us about the history of Germany and the Czech republic for most of the ride, and it was quite interesting. After two hours we stopped at a gas station, as this was the most convenient place for the driver to take his required stop. We were told that German drivers are required to stop for a specific period of time, during which the bus cannot be on (I can't remember if it was 20 or 30 minutes), every few hours.

[Thyme2cruise]

When we were on two different Vantage cruises we were divided into 3 groups & each group was designated by a color. When it was time to board the coaches there was a color sign in the window so if we wanted to leave anything on board while we toured we knew we would be getting on the right/same coach. Our cruise manager or a tour guide was onboard the coach & kept a running commentary or answered questions about the area we were traveling through during travel time. The coaches were very comfortable IMO. The cruise ship always had bottled water available in your room & by the door in the lobby before you left.

[Hydrokitty]

When we were on two different Vantage cruises we were divided into 3 groups & each group was designated by a color. When it was time to board the coaches there was a color sign in the window so if we wanted to leave anything on board while we toured we knew we would be getting on the right/same coach. Our cruise manager or a tour guide was onboard the coach & kept a running commentary or answered questions about the area we were traveling through during travel time. The coaches were very comfortable IMO. The cruise ship always had bottled water available in your room & by the door in the lobby before you left.

 

Thyme covered most of the bases about how Vantage does it....to add to that: the buses we used all had on board facilities for emergencies, although in the Eastern European countries and Russia, we had to ask,(and sometimes demand) that the bathrooms be unlocked! No food or drinks are served like on airplanes, but most of us would buy snacks when we stopped and eat them on the bus. The buses were very comfortable, some with tray tables and some without, clean and in good condition. It was rare that a bus ride would be more than 2 hours, unless you were doing a pre or post trip excursion and were busing from say Brugges to Amsterdam or Prague to Budapest...and those would include lunch at a restaurant (Brugges) or an over-night stay (Bratislava). And the buses are rarely filled to capacity.

[Di Princess]

Your Nuremburg to Prague ride will likely be boring highway driving. Our bus (Uniworld), had an assigned tour guide and he answered questions and told us about the history of Germany and the Czech republic for most of the ride, and it was quite interesting. After two hours we stopped at a gas station, as this was the most convenient place for the driver to take his required stop. We were told that German drivers are required to stop for a specific period of time, during which the bus cannot be on (I can't remember if it was 20 or 30 minutes), every few hours.

 

We have a 3-day pre-cruise in Prague and join the Viking Var in Nuremberg later this month. How long do you think this trip will take with rest stops? Thanks for your help. I really enjoy your Blog. ;)

[notamermaid]

Ok, so the I-95 is the bigger parking lot, I have learnt something new here, so far I thought the M25 around London was the biggest! :D

 

Yes, some of the newer busses I have been on had individual trays and an area with coffee-making facilities. As regards legroom you might find busses a little uncomfortable if you have problems with sitting. 50 seats is the standard number on the coaches but there are some modern "luxury" coaches where the manufacturer has reduced the seats to 46 or even 42 resulting in more legroom.

 

notamermaid

[capriccio]

European motorways are more like I-81 down the Shenandoah Valley. Much more scenic that the parallel route down I-95.

 

And they have fewer trucks (thank goodness) than I-81 in the Shenandoah Valley (I have a house 5 miles off I-81 in Shenandoah County :D). Our experience on the autobahn this summer in Germany during a ship swap where we were bused from Melk to Regensberg was enlightening -- trucks are restricted on Sundays from using the autobahn during the day in order to handle all the increased automotive traffic. We still got bogged down in 2 traffic jams due to accidents in one 4 hour period; that is very similar to what happens on I-81 (and I-95) when the exits are miles apart. We thought that drive was very scenic and Uniworld provided a tour guide on the bus to point out sights and discuss all things German. It turned out to be quite an interesting (albeit longer than expected) ride.

[Snocat]

We have a 3-day pre-cruise in Prague and join the Viking Var in Nuremberg later this month. How long do you think this trip will take with rest stops? Thanks for your help. I really enjoy your Blog. ;)

 

It's about 4 hours with a half hour stop mid way. Very comfortable bus with restroom on board and bottled water provided. Bring small Euro coins (.50) for the pay toilets at the rest stop!

[PNW Traveler]

European busses tend to be high quality well maintained vehicles, clean and modern. Some tips upon boarding:

 

Find a seat with a good window, outside view not obscured by a post or curtain. Check for a clean and unfogged window. (The only country where we encountered an older bus with permanently fogged windows was England, and that was most likely an anomaly.)

If you have mobility issues, sit near a door. Most large tourist busses have front and rear doors.

If you have long legs, choose your seat wisely!!

Don't despair if you can't sit in the front seat.

That said, try to sit nearer to the front if you'd enjoy conversation with the tour guide or bus driver.

Take a lightweight foldable tote bag. There are nylon varieties that fold up smaller than the palm of your hand. They are great for consolidating your stuff in the overhead compartment.

 

Learn a little about your driving route and the country you are traveling through. It makes the drive more interesting.

[Bailey Swedishfish]

To answer the original question about how do you line up to get on the bus:

 

With Viking, when you depart the ship you get a little credit card-like card that you keep with you when off-ship. You return it when you get back aboard. That's their tracking so they know if you're on the ship. When you're going off-ship for a tour or day trip (returning to the ship) you are also given a second card with a letter on it. You then head to the corresponding bus. The tour guides have what they call lollipops and hold them up at the bus (and there's a sign in the bus as well)

 

When you're doing a trip like that, you also have a vox to carry along. It's a small radio transmitter with a single ear bud. You tune that to the radio frequency of the tour guide and you can listen to them without missing anything. The vox are nice in that there's a pretty big range you can be away from the guide and not lose them. (Disclaimer here: we were in the Dom Cathedral in Cologne and there were several groups at once. I lollygagged and took pictures and got a little radio static and moved back into range and caught up with my guide and followed them around for a good half hour. Imagine my surprise when my husband game running up to me all excited because I'd been LOST for a really long time. I knew where I was. But apparently, I picked up a different frequency and got in with a different group. hahahahahah) I was so busy gaping at the Cathedral I never noticed I had been assimilated into a different group. Whoops!

 

The busses are all very nice, modern, super clean coaches. Had one in Croatia that was a tiny bit less swank, but it got the job done.

 

I don't mind bus rides, but I tend to fall asleep after a while so the scenery is lost on me.

Edited November 5, 2015 by Bailey Swedishfish

[Hydrokitty]

European busses tend to be high quality well maintained vehicles, clean and modern. Some tips upon boarding:

 

Find a seat with a good window, outside view not obscured by a post or curtain. Check for a clean and unfogged window. (The only country where we encountered an older bus with permanently fogged windows was England, and that was most likely an anomaly.)

If you have mobility issues, sit near a door. Most large tourist busses have front and rear doors.

If you have long legs, choose your seat wisely!!

Don't despair if you can't sit in the front seat.

That said, try to sit nearer to the front if you'd enjoy conversation with the tour guide or bus driver.

Take a lightweight foldable tote bag. There are nylon varieties that fold up smaller than the palm of your hand. They are great for consolidating your stuff in the overhead compartment.

 

Learn a little about your driving route and the country you are traveling through. It makes the drive more interesting.

 

Everything you say is true, except that I use a soft back pack for my "stuff on the bus and I am not comfortable with having conversation with the driver while he's driving the bus, in fact I don't think he's supposed to be talking to the passengers when he's driving.

 

I have never understood why people will literally push you aside in order to get that front seat!! First of all you get the least leg room of any seat and you don't get better pictures out of the front of the bus because the window will be covered with bug splatter and if the sun is too bright the mesh shade will come down. My personal reason for not sitting in the front (aside from the fact that everybody knows the cool kids sit in the back:D) is that I don't do well with hairpin mountain curves. Only one company I traveled with regulated seats everyday. We each filled out a 3x5 card with our name and in the morning the card was on your seat. The TD would move the right side of the bus back 1 row and the left side forward 1 row everyday so everyone got a chance to sit in the front (when it was my turn and we were driving through the mountains in Greece, I went to the back of the bus anyway). But the best reason is: if there's going to be any empty seats, guess where they'll be!!! Many times we go straight to the back of the bus and wind up with each of us having a window seat.

Edited November 5, 2015 by Hydrokitty

[Di Princess]

It's about 4 hours with a half hour stop mid way. Very comfortable bus with restroom on board and bottled water provided. Bring small Euro coins (.50) for the pay toilets at the rest stop!

 

Thanks, Snocat! I do have my Euros (that I will break down in our Prague hotel) as well as Czech Crowns. ;)

 

If there is a restroom on the coach, why do I need the rest stop toilet ???

 

:confused:

[ewizabeff]

We have a 3-day pre-cruise in Prague and join the Viking Var in Nuremberg later this month. How long do you think this trip will take with rest stops? Thanks for your help. I really enjoy your Blog. ;)

 

As a previous poster replied, it was 4 hours, which included a 30-minute break. I'm not sure were Viking stops, but we did not have to pay to use the rest room where stopped.

 

Thanks for reading the blog ... I'm trying to finish up posts from our long weekend in Portland, OR before we get on the plane to Vietnam next month!

[Host Jazzbeau]

If there is a restroom on the coach, why do I need the rest stop toilet ???

 

:confused:

 

The driver has to clean that bathroom, and requests that it be reserved for emergencies only.