ConnMom Posted April 11, 2017 #26 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Hi Lois, I have read your posts on the Celebrity boards for years, and then followed your river cruise adventures last year, as I also prepared for my first river cruise. We took Tauck's Prague to Budapest Danube cruise, and if you have not traveled to that area, I would highly recommend it. The ports were so interesting, the river beautiful, and Tauck provided an amazing experience. Our brand new riverboat held just 120 people, so it felt elegant and spacious, our loft stateroom was large and beautiful, we had 4 Tauck guides to coordinate our activities and accompany the local guides, and they included so many special activities like palace dinners and private musical experiences that we all were so spoiled. We have also taken several Tauck land trips, all excellent as well. If you want something special for your celebration, I don't think you would be disappointed by Tauck. I have just booked our second river cruise for September - on the Seine with AMA from Paris to NormandyI I have also heard very good things about AMA and am eagerly anticipating this experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted April 12, 2017 Author #27 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Thanks for all the replies:)......I am going to take a breath and do some more research......thanks for the Tauck recommendation. After having such an awesome cruise with AMA not sure sure if I want to change;p. But no, I have not visited any part of that area of the world (Eastern Europe). I have heard all kinds of things about it though. There are so many choices......... Sharon, yes, what a dilemma......I know I am very grateful to be able to do all of this.....:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted May 14, 2017 Author #28 Share Posted May 14, 2017 I am still looking for a birthday cruise........I looked at many of the suggestions all of you made.......went to the Grand Circle website and the dates for their British Isles cruises don't work for me. I even researched an Amazon River cruise....I used the search feature for that one......the company is called ARIA........ not sure about that one though.....I did see a cruise to South America that looks quite appealing to me.....it is on Crystal. Just want to thank all of you again for giving me recommendations.......I may even end up with a River Cruise;p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuiteTraveler Posted May 15, 2017 #29 Share Posted May 15, 2017 The Crystal Mozart is an AMAZING river cruise! http://www.crystalcruises.com/river/river-guidebook/our-ships/crystal-mozart I would also consider luxury barge cruising as you have not done that yet! Barge cruising in France is incredible and there are luxury barges small enough to rent out for your whole family as a charter! Take a look at this: https://www.abercrombiekent.com/search.cfm?new_search=1&tif=692 I remember seeing a hotel barge in Stratford upon Avon - it looked absolutely wonderful and the people onboard were having such a great time. There are some that make a stop for the place where Downton Abbey was filmed and include going there as an excursion: http://www.bargecompany.com http://www.magna-carta.co.uk/custom-made-cruises/dowton-abbey-cruise/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted May 15, 2017 Author #30 Share Posted May 15, 2017 The Crystal Mozart is an AMAZING river cruise! http://www.crystalcruises.com/river/river-guidebook/our-ships/crystal-mozart I would also consider luxury barge cruising as you have not done that yet! Barge cruising in France is incredible and there are luxury barges small enough to rent out for your whole family as a charter! Take a look at this: https://www.abercrombiekent.com/search.cfm?new_search=1&tif=692 I remember seeing a hotel barge in Stratford upon Avon - it looked absolutely wonderful and the people onboard were having such a great time. There are some that make a stop for the place where Downton Abbey was filmed and include going there as an excursion: http://www.bargecompany.com http://www.magna-carta.co.uk/custom-made-cruises/dowton-abbey-cruise/ Thanks for the links:).....the Barge Company looks interesting but to be honest, traveling with only 10-12 people gives me pause......I get along with folks quite easily but with that few amount? You just never know.....at least on a regular river cruise with (for example) 150 folks, the % is higher that I might meet more "like minded" people to me......with only a dozen?.......just not sure what the demographic of such a small group would be......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyN Posted July 20, 2017 #31 Share Posted July 20, 2017 Happy 60th.....I am planning my 60th with a Viking Rhine Getaway Aug 31, 2018...Viking Mani ..Join us !!! I am in my OCD researching this cruise. Cheers Cheri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted July 20, 2017 Author #32 Share Posted July 20, 2017 Happy 60th.....I am planning my 60th with a Viking Rhine Getaway Aug 31, 2018...Viking Mani ..Join us !!!I am in my OCD researching this cruise. Cheers Cheri Hi Cheri, Happy Birthday to you as well and thank you for the invitation:) but to be honest with you, I don't want to wait all the way till next summer to sail (my birthday is in March) AND I can never sail at the end of the month due to work:rolleyes:.....it is the only time I cannot sail. Hope you have a great cruise though:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cormike1 Posted July 23, 2017 #33 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Lois....one river cruise you might like is Basil to Amsterdam on the Rhine. You can do this one in early April....we did ours April 13th-23rd so that we would end up in Holland to see the tulips. If you like Spring flowers, this would be an ideal cruise to take. You go to Keukenhof Gardens which is an amazing excursion! We did ours on Avalon back in 2008 and loved it! Have fun planning your 60th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted July 23, 2017 Author #34 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Lois....one river cruise you might like is Basil to Amsterdam on the Rhine. You can do this one in early April....we did ours April 13th-23rd so that we would end up in Holland to see the tulips. If you like Spring flowers, this would be an ideal cruise to take. You go to Keukenhof Gardens which is an amazing excursion! We did ours on Avalon back in 2008 and loved it! Have fun planning your 60th. Hi Mike, thanks for the recommendation:).......I did a TULIP TIME CRUISE as my first River cruise and I agree, the Gardens are spectacular:D.......I know about that Rhine itinerary and it is on my list LOL.....just don't know how high on it yet;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acwmom Posted September 9, 2017 #35 Share Posted September 9, 2017 Hi Mike, thanks for the recommendation:).......I did a TULIP TIME CRUISE as my first River cruise and I agree,the Gardens are spectacular:D.......I know about that Rhine itinerary and it is on my list LOL.....just don't know how high on it yet;) Lois, Have you picked your 60th bday cruise yet? Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted September 9, 2017 Author #36 Share Posted September 9, 2017 Lois, Have you picked your 60th bday cruise yet? Robin Hi Robin:)...nope, I haven't. I went on a fantastic cruise last month on Silversea from Barcelona to Rome:D so now they are in the running too;)......and with things here at home I haven't done a lot of research lately...... hoping Irma will not do too much damage around my area:eek: Oh, I have also looked at a land trip, if you can believe it LOL......something to England/Ireland/Scotland......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Jazzbeau Posted September 10, 2017 #37 Share Posted September 10, 2017 Lois -- what is the latest Irma forecast for Jacksonville? Prayin' for ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted September 10, 2017 #38 Share Posted September 10, 2017 Hello Lois, landtrip to the British Isles sounds great. So much to see and do. I recommend the North Yorkshire Moors for solitude, or for some real fun celebrate in an Irish Pub in Ireland, of course. But Wales is a great place to explore as well. The castles round the coast or a trip up Mount Snowdon perhaps. Avoid the beast on the Thames (unless you are into big cities) and head to Kent for lush gardens. You could take a train from Ashford (if you want to avoid St Pancras International, but the station - I mean the modern connected to the old St. Pancras - is great to see) to Lille/Brussels and - voilà - you are back on track towards a river cruise option. :D But first, hope all goes well over at your side of the ocean. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted September 10, 2017 Author #39 Share Posted September 10, 2017 Lois -- what is the latest Irma forecast for Jacksonville? Prayin' for ya! Hi Jazz......we are getting rain right now........the worst of it will be south of me but tomorrow should be the time my area feels it the most. No work for me tomorrow. It looks like Irma is hitting the Keys this morning and although the west coast will take the big hit, Miami Beach is getting awful weather right now too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted September 10, 2017 Author #40 Share Posted September 10, 2017 Hello Lois, landtrip to the British Isles sounds great. So much to see and do. I recommend the North Yorkshire Moors for solitude, or for some real fun celebrate in an Irish Pub in Ireland, of course. But Wales is a great place to explore as well. The castles round the coast or a trip up Mount Snowdon perhaps. Avoid the beast on the Thames (unless you are into big cities) and head to Kent for lush gardens. You could take a train from Ashford (if you want to avoid St Pancras International, but the station - I mean the modern connected to the old St. Pancras - is great to see) to Lille/Brussels and - voilà - you are back on track towards a river cruise option. :D But first, hope all goes well over at your side of the ocean. notamermaid Thanks for the reply....I appreciate it.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acwmom Posted September 10, 2017 #41 Share Posted September 10, 2017 Hi Robin:)...nope, I haven't. I went on a fantastic cruise last month on Silversea from Barcelona to Rome:Dso now they are in the running too;)......and with things here at home I haven't done a lot of research lately...... hoping Irma will not do too much damage around my area:eek: Oh, I have also looked at a land trip, if you can believe it LOL......something to England/Ireland/Scotland......... Lois, First, hoping all the best for you, as Irma passes. We were just at Disney last week-what a difference a week makes! Second, have you looked at the first of the season Rhone/Provence cruises? They may be early enough that you are back for your end of the month work responsibilities. Robin Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted September 10, 2017 Author #42 Share Posted September 10, 2017 Lois, First, hoping all the best for you, as Irma passes. We were just at Disney last week-what a difference a week makes! Second, have you looked at the first of the season Rhone/Provence cruises? They may be early enough that you are back for your end of the month work responsibilities. Robin Sent from my iPhone using Forums Hi Robin, thanks for the good wishes.........:) Oh, there are plenty of cruises within the time frame that works for me.....I just haven't given a lot of thought to it lately...........maybe I will look a bit today actually:)............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirgym Posted September 11, 2017 #43 Share Posted September 11, 2017 We are doing the Scenic Amber, “Gems of the Danube with Prague” for my 63rd birthday, end of June. Don’t delay in reserving a cabin for 2018, being that river boats are significantly smaller, many of the prime suites/cabins are already booked! Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted September 11, 2017 Author #44 Share Posted September 11, 2017 We are doing the Scenic Amber, “Gems of the Danube with Prague” for my 63rd birthday, end of June. Don’t delay in reserving a cabin for 2018, being that river boats are significantly smaller, many of the prime suites/cabins are already booked! Sent from my iPad using Forums I know....thanks:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ural guy Posted September 11, 2017 #45 Share Posted September 11, 2017 I've done several trips through Scotland and Ireland on our own, in April and May. They are both beautiful places, just be prepared for the weather conditions. It can be blustery. Layers are your friend. Also, it may be better to focus on one country or the other. It's called the 'Green Blur' when people try to rush from one end of Ireland to the other. These are places where you want to linger. Both are easy to figure out; they speak a language similar to Floridian American English. If you listen real hard you can get every 3rd word, and figure out rest from context. ;) Enjoy, choices are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted September 11, 2017 Author #46 Share Posted September 11, 2017 Thanks for the information:).........I would not be going "by myself".........I mean I would be traveling solo but I would be going on small private tour (with other people). I have not made any decisions for anything yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted September 16, 2017 Author #47 Share Posted September 16, 2017 (edited) Good morning.:)...I have been looking at a land trip (if you can believe it) but part of me is still hesitant. It is a trip to Ireland with a company called Emerald Custom Tours........it looks quite interesting.......Small Group......max is 16 people. I have wanted to see that area of the world.......BUT the logistics is what is making me re-think it. I just LOVE the fact on a cruise I unpack once.......call me crazy but the packing part for a land trip makes me go hmmmmm.......... So, my thought process is coming back to the River Cruise genre:) and going to Paris which I have never visited either. I was going to look at AMA again but the timing is not the best........so I continued to research and found UNIWORLD does this cruise too and the dates work better for me. I know Uniworld and AMA have totally different decors...I loved my AMA cruise but I know Uniworld gets excellent reviews too........... IF you want to chime in, be my guest:) Edited September 16, 2017 by Lois R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Got2Cruise Posted September 16, 2017 #48 Share Posted September 16, 2017 The Paris Seine itinerary is wonderful. My relatives who are not travelers by any means recently did this itinerary and enjoyed every minute. So many unique places visited on this itinerary. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare TLCOhio Posted September 16, 2017 #49 Share Posted September 16, 2017 So, my thought process is coming back to the River Cruise genre:) and going to Paris which I have never visited either. IF you want to chime in, be my guest:) Tell us more, Lois. My memory gets a little rusty and I posted these questions to you on another thread!! It might be helpful to others to know your personal interests and desires. As you consider places to visit in Europe, what most interests and motivates you? Is it history, culture, shopping, architecture, urban environments, nature, music, art, wildlife, nightlife, food, scenic countrysides, wine, etc.?? Are you mostly for being more "aggressive" in doing and seeing as much as possible? Or, seeking a more relaxed and laid-back experience? Are more just of a "float on a boat" person where the ship is the prime "destination"? Paris??!! Surprised that you have never been there. My first visit there was in 1970. Been back a large number of times to enjoy this great city. Can share lots and LOTS about Paris and nearby. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Super loved Dubrovnik!!! See more details and lots of great visual samples/examples at this link. Have had over 38,583 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and dropped by. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Gourmet Gal Posted September 16, 2017 #50 Share Posted September 16, 2017 Uniworld is excellent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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