Danube water levels 2023 and similar topics - plus tips and info

[Ritabob]

10 hours ago, CastleCritic said:

 

 

Im scheduled to leave for Budapest to do it the southern half on the 30th on Amamagna as well(did the rest in 2019 its a good trip).   Was thinking of doing an in depth running thread but wasnt sure how much interest there would be.

There is always interest !

[notamermaid]

14 hours ago, rcaruso said:

 

I see the Viking Lofn on the Main, maybe to pick up people from the Modi?

Could be. The locks on the Main have been open since 3 April (if not before) so passage is possible. It is also now possible to get as far as Nuremberg on the Main Danube Canal.

 

notamermaid

 

[ssawjo]

14 hours ago, CastleCritic said:

Interesting how many people here are on that route in the short term, I haven't seen many reports on it

 

Im scheduled to leave for Budapest to do it the southern half on the 30th on Amamagna as well(did the rest in 2019 its a good trip).   Was thinking of doing an in depth running thread but wasnt sure how much interest there would be.

Well, I would be very interested in your observations.  We are on the AmaBella, BTW.  Not so much about the ship, because it is way different than the one I will be on, but about the ports, tours, etc.  Not concerned about water levels because levels change all the time.  Have a great trip.  Bill

[CastleCritic]

1 hour ago, ssawjo said:

Well, I would be very interested in your observations.  We are on the AmaBella, BTW.  Not so much about the ship, because it is way different than the one I will be on, but about the ports, tours, etc.  Not concerned about water levels because levels change all the time.  Have a great trip.  Bill

Understood AmaBella is the one Danube/Rhine class of AMA ship I wont have been on after this trip, I think AmaStella (same class) was the ship that was chasing my ship down the Main (AmaPrima) the last time I was in that area, saw it in port the last two days but I never saw the inside of it.

 

I can say that the other two 135M class ships were pretty much the same. They are good ships to be on, I just really wanted to see the AmaMagna.....

 

What room category are you in?  And in general what are you interested in seeing/anything you've done in the past that you thought this cruise might do?

 

Like I said I did Vilshofen to Budapest already (though we didnt do Bratislava (wine cruise change)  so...cant say for that one).

 

[rcaruso]

2 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Could be. The locks on the Main have been open since 3 April (if not before) so passage is possible. It is also now possible to get as far as Nuremberg on the Main Danube Canal.

 

notamermaid

 

Someone on the Viking Grand European Roll Calls, just posted and said heard there was ship switching in Nuremberg.  Makes good sense.

[notamermaid]

7 minutes ago, rcaruso said:

Someone on the Viking Grand European Roll Calls, just posted and said heard there was ship switching in Nuremberg.  Makes good sense.

Thanks. Which I guess means that quite a few Viking customers will get an e-mail with a ship name change for many weeks - unless they switch the next pair with each other.

 

notamermaid

 

[ssawjo]

2 hours ago, CastleCritic said:

Understood AmaBella is the one Danube/Rhine class of AMA ship I wont have been on after this trip, I think AmaStella (same class) was the ship that was chasing my ship down the Main (AmaPrima) the last time I was in that area, saw it in port the last two days but I never saw the inside of it.

 

I can say that the other two 135M class ships were pretty much the same. They are good ships to be on, I just really wanted to see the AmaMagna.....

 

What room category are you in?  And in general what are you interested in seeing/anything you've done in the past that you thought this cruise might do?

 

Like I said I did Vilshofen to Budapest already (though we didnt do Bratislava (wine cruise change)  so...cant say for that one).

 

We are in category C.  Have never visited the countries on the Grand Danube 14 Day Cruise, so everything will be new.  Not sure what to expect but we are really looking forward to it.  I like more historical things/sites and my DW is more cultural, so we will probably be doing different tours, which is fine.  We are doing a pre-cruise in Istanbul and a post cruise in Prague.  

[CastleCritic]

2 minutes ago, ssawjo said:

We are in category C.  Have never visited the countries on the Grand Danube 14 Day Cruise, so everything will be new.  Not sure what to expect but we are really looking forward to it.  I like more historical things/sites and my DW is more cultural, so we will probably be doing different tours, which is fine.  We are doing a pre-cruise in Istanbul and a post cruise in Prague.  

Ah, well from recollection here is my take on it,

 

Class C Room...(AmaPrima) in some ways I found this a side grade from the first floor D/E class rooms.  its basically the same size except you have lost a small amount of space to the Balcony (its not really, its just a sliding glass door).  But having that glass wall to look out of can be a VERY good thing.  The location is a mixed bag, its so far back that you dont really have many people walking past your rooms, but I found that on third deck it was far enough back that machinery noises could be an issue at times (and again Im used to knowing when the bow thrusters come on down on the bottom deck, though the 110M AmaDante (Seine) was REALLY quiet on 1st deck...so much so I didnt even know we were underway at times),

 

Vilshofen charming little place, there will be a first night beer and pretzel festival right at the dock and sufficient free time to explore it before leaving the next day.

 

Passau, I did the castle hike, (see the name....) which bypasses much of the city walk so choose accordingly.  This will be a surprisingly busy port considering its size.

 

Linz...a city we were told didnt really want tourists...more of a launching point for excursions further afield. I did Salzburg with a stop on the way in a small town here "sound of music" was filmed (you would hear a lot about that on this excursion). Loved Salzburg, its the castle I chose to buy a print of to add to my collection. I hope you have better weather than I did , foggy didnt do this drive justice.

 

Weissenkirchen...this day ended up being a little adjusted due to weather for us, I was supposed to hike up to the castle ruins where king Richard was held on his way back from the crusades (yes this is a theme, I think it stops here).  But it rained too much and the guides didnt think it was safe so we just did the town walk instead.  The itinerary lists Melk Abby on this day as well which we actually did the next day, REALLY cool place...doesnt let you take pictures inside. When I went it was  "wine cruise"  and actually we docked in both Weisenkirchen for a day and Durnstein (where the castle was) for a day which came at the expense of Bratislava a few days later so I have no feedback on that.  And instead there was a winery tour in here.  the printed itinerary has Melk, Durnstein and Weisenkirchen listed all on the same day.

 

Vienna...very very long day here with a lot of choices of things to do.  This is the one time in my now 4 AMA cruises that there was a paid excursion option (Schonbrunn or a concert) after the main one for the day.  I think other cruise lines spend multiple days here, its definitely possible, there is a lot to see.

 

Bratislava...again I had a changed itinerary we skipped this, didnt even see it from the river as we went through in the dark

 

Budapest, probably because we were coming from Vienna and not Bratislava the day before we were behind where you would be at this time,  this was my first experience of getting off the ship, onto a bus and then meeting the ship in Budapest.  Chose the castle hill hike (ok I guess Weisenkicrhen wasnt the last time...) which more than focusing on the castle itself was more focusing on that side of the river whereas the normal tour splits its time between both.  My group was offered some time to see things on the other side of the river but decided it was too tired and just walked to the ship (which was a 2 mile walk)...at least that day AMA had a REALLY unfavorable docking location...but walking through Budapest at night does NOT suck.

 

And then it ended the next morning after finding a sister ship had arrived from Girgiu and was tied up along side...the rest you will have to wait until the end of the month for!  Looking at the itinerary you will have what will be for me as embarkation day as a second day in Budapest (as will some portion of my shipmates as the Amamagna will be doing the full 14 day cruise with me joining it for the "gems of Danube" portion on Sunday in Budapest.

 

until then I leave you with one of my favorite pictures...sticking to my theme...kinda

[ssawjo]

12 minutes ago, CastleCritic said:

Ah, well from recollection here is my take on it,

 

Class C Room...(AmaPrima) in some ways I found this a side grade from the first floor D/E class rooms.  its basically the same size except you have lost a small amount of space to the Balcony (its not really, its just a sliding glass door).  But having that glass wall to look out of can be a VERY good thing.  The location is a mixed bag, its so far back that you dont really have many people walking past your rooms, but I found that on third deck it was far enough back that machinery noises could be an issue at times (and again Im used to knowing when the bow thrusters come on down on the bottom deck, though the 110M AmaDante (Seine) was REALLY quiet on 1st deck...so much so I didnt even know we were underway at times),

 

Vilshofen charming little place, there will be a first night beer and pretzel festival right at the dock and sufficient free time to explore it before leaving the next day.

 

Passau, I did the castle hike, (see the name....) which bypasses much of the city walk so choose accordingly.  This will be a surprisingly busy port considering its size.

 

Linz...a city we were told didnt really want tourists...more of a launching point for excursions further afield. I did Salzburg with a stop on the way in a small town here "sound of music" was filmed (you would hear a lot about that on this excursion). Loved Salzburg, its the castle I chose to buy a print of to add to my collection. I hope you have better weather than I did , foggy didnt do this drive justice.

 

Weissenkirchen...this day ended up being a little adjusted due to weather for us, I was supposed to hike up to the castle ruins where king Richard was held on his way back from the crusades (yes this is a theme, I think it stops here).  But it rained too much and the guides didnt think it was safe so we just did the town walk instead.  The itinerary lists Melk Abby on this day as well which we actually did the next day, REALLY cool place...doesnt let you take pictures inside. When I went it was  "wine cruise"  and actually we docked in both Weisenkirchen for a day and Durnstein (where the castle was) for a day which came at the expense of Bratislava a few days later so I have no feedback on that.  And instead there was a winery tour in here.  the printed itinerary has Melk, Durnstein and Weisenkirchen listed all on the same day.

 

Vienna...very very long day here with a lot of choices of things to do.  This is the one time in my now 4 AMA cruises that there was a paid excursion option (Schonbrunn or a concert) after the main one for the day.  I think other cruise lines spend multiple days here, its definitely possible, there is a lot to see.

 

Bratislava...again I had a changed itinerary we skipped this, didnt even see it from the river as we went through in the dark

 

Budapest, probably because we were coming from Vienna and not Bratislava the day before we were behind where you would be at this time,  this was my first experience of getting off the ship, onto a bus and then meeting the ship in Budapest.  Chose the castle hill hike (ok I guess Weisenkicrhen wasnt the last time...) which more than focusing on the castle itself was more focusing on that side of the river whereas the normal tour splits its time between both.  My group was offered some time to see things on the other side of the river but decided it was too tired and just walked to the ship (which was a 2 mile walk)...at least that day AMA had a REALLY unfavorable docking location...but walking through Budapest at night does NOT suck.

 

And then it ended the next morning after finding a sister ship had arrived from Giurgiu and was tied up along side...the rest you will have to wait until the end of the month for!  Looking at the itinerary you will have what will be for me as embarkation day as a second day in Budapest (as will some portion of my shipmates as the Amamagna will be doing the full 14 day cruise with me joining it for the "gems of Danube" portion on Sunday in Budapest.

 

until then I leave you with one of my favorite pictures...sticking to my theme...kinda

Vilshofen, unfortunately, will be our last stop, as we are boarding in Giurgiu.  I hope they have what you described as I love beer and pretzels.  This will be at our stop in Passau.

 

Not much I could do about location of cabin but we'll deal with any noise.  

 

I will take into consideration your comments about the other stops.  We have not made any tour selections yet.  I have seen/heard that Budapest is amazing at night.  Expecting Vienna to be a long day.  DW is a "Sound of Music" lover, so this tour will be on the top of her list.

 

I will look at things and see what interests us.  Thank you for your notes/opinions.  They are appreciated.

[CastleCritic]

Prague..going to put this separately since it wasn't even the same trip as the above, but again..a really fascinating city.

 

AMA had put us up at the continental? intercontinental? anyway a few blocks from the "powder tower", they use multiple hotels so experience will obviously vary a bit. (odd trivia, as I said in another thread the AmaStella arrived in Nuremberg the same day+dock we did and also had a excursion to Prague...there were 6 of us, and 12 of them...did AMA combine buses, guides, cruise director or hotel? nope!). I liked the hotel but it might be the smallest one Ive ever stayed in it had a bed it was quiet..what else did I want?

 

So the first part of this likely wont matter since again I went there from Nuremberg, not any of the directions you will.  We saw the palace of justice (along with a few shipmates where were hitching a ride with us to the train station/center of town before GETTING BACK ON THE SHIP AND GOING BACK THE WAY WE CAME) alone with a few sites from "German authorities of the mid 1900s" before heading towards Prague with a stop in Pilsen (if youre thinking beer...eyep) for lunch on your own and a small amount of tour.

 

Arrived in Prague about 6 and they brought our luggage up and then we met the group for basically orientation, (where is old town, where does that free drink voucher you were given get honored, few restaurant reccomendations (everyone spoke good English).

 

Next day only planned activity, choices were a bus to the castle then walk back down and then through old town or...walk from the hotel to the castle talking about everything on the way (the active option...yep that was me...and the guide...and that was it, the others went on the van).  This really I thought was the best option, we slowly made our way through town talking about history both short and long (she was my again about 45 and was one of the demonstrators during the fall of communism, a story she tells me on the spot where it happened) and ended up at the castle.  She had been instructed to bring me back down but I didnt really see a point so I cut her loose then paid for an admission ticket to the charged entrances in the castle and did that then went back on my own. You DEFINTELY want a Map, a GPS, or a guide in Prague, especially after hours, I managed to get minor lost about 3 times over the weekend (though just make it to the river and a few public squares and its not that hard).. But I made it back to the hotel this time with only a few miscalculations.

 

Last full day was on our own, I just sort of did a few things I had seen including the national(?) museum then ate another good dinner and went to bed.  There's a lot to see and the tour guide or hotel could probably set up or suggest some more formal ones.

 

Then I flew home, AMA provided a driver, and a guide for the airport (which wasnt really necessary since he basically just walked in and pointed at the empty Lufthansa desk).

 

I definitely recommend Prague.  There is a channel on YouTube called "the honest guide to Prague" which are two locals who talk about the good and bad of the city, and especially if you like food or drink are a good watch (as is knowing about some of the less great things) that I would recommend.

 

 

[CastleCritic]

16 minutes ago, ssawjo said:

Vilshofen, unfortunately, will be our last stop, as we are boarding in Giurgiu.  I hope they have what you described as I love beer and pretzels.  This will be at our stop in Passau.

 

Not much I could do about location of cabin but we'll deal with any noise.  

 

I will take into consideration your comments about the other stops.  We have not made any tour selections yet.  I have seen/heard that Budapest is amazing at night.  Expecting Vienna to be a long day.  DW is a "Sound of Music" lover, so this tour will be on the top of her list.

 

I will look at things and see what interests us.  Thank you for your notes/opinions.  They are appreciated.

Looking at the website when I flip the itinerary, the "Oktoberfest" is listed as the last thing you do, so if thats something that sounds like your thing it might make a pretty decent last memory.

 

Sound of music is very much in the Salzburg excursion (Linz day) if thats what she wants to experience.  note that I don't think there is any way to get into the real Abby that was part of the story, and the castle (of which the abbey is part of the complex) itself isn't on the tour I just hoofed it over to to the furnicular up to it the minute the scheduled tour ended and paid for it myself.  But again..Salzburg is a great town you will have no lack of things to get into for the hour or two they will give you free.

 

And yes Vienna is just nuts.

Edited April 5, 2023 by CastleCritic

[ssawjo]

48 minutes ago, CastleCritic said:

Prague..going to put this separately since it wasn't even the same trip as the above, but again..a really fascinating city.

 

AMA had put us up at the continental? intercontinental? anyway a few blocks from the "powder tower", they use multiple hotels so experience will obviously vary a bit. (odd trivia, as I said in another thread the AmaStella arrived in Nuremberg the same day+dock we did and also had a excursion to Prague...there were 6 of us, and 12 of them...did AMA combine buses, guides, cruise director or hotel? nope!). I liked the hotel but it might be the smallest one Ive ever stayed in it had a bed it was quiet..what else did I want?

 

So the first part of this likely wont matter since again I went there from Nuremberg, not any of the directions you will.  We saw the palace of justice (along with a few shipmates where were hitching a ride with us to the train station/center of town before GETTING BACK ON THE SHIP AND GOING BACK THE WAY WE CAME) alone with a few sites from "German authorities of the mid 1900s" before heading towards Prague with a stop in Pilsen (if youre thinking beer...eyep) for lunch on your own and a small amount of tour.

 

Arrived in Prague about 6 and they brought our luggage up and then we met the group for basically orientation, (where is old town, where does that free drink voucher you were given get honored, few restaurant reccomendations (everyone spoke good English).

 

Next day only planned activity, choices were a bus to the castle then walk back down and then through old town or...walk from the hotel to the castle talking about everything on the way (the active option...yep that was me...and the guide...and that was it, the others went on the van).  This really I thought was the best option, we slowly made our way through town talking about history both short and long (she was my again about 45 and was one of the demonstrators during the fall of communism, a story she tells me on the spot where it happened) and ended up at the castle.  She had been instructed to bring me back down but I didnt really see a point so I cut her loose then paid for an admission ticket to the charged entrances in the castle and did that then went back on my own. You DEFINTELY want a Map, a GPS, or a guide in Prague, especially after hours, I managed to get minor lost about 3 times over the weekend (though just make it to the river and a few public squares and its not that hard).. But I made it back to the hotel this time with only a few miscalculations.

 

Last full day was on our own, I just sort of did a few things I had seen including the national(?) museum then ate another good dinner and went to bed.  There's a lot to see and the tour guide or hotel could probably set up or suggest some more formal ones.

 

Then I flew home, AMA provided a driver, and a guide for the airport (which wasnt really necessary since he basically just walked in and pointed at the empty Lufthansa desk).

 

I definitely recommend Prague.  There is a channel on YouTube called "the honest guide to Prague" which are two locals who talk about the good and bad of the city, and especially if you like food or drink are a good watch (as is knowing about some of the less great things) that I would recommend.

 

 

This is our schedule re: Prague - 

 

Day 18, VILSHOFEN ­ REGENSBURG ­ PRAGUE ­ DISEMBARKATION. Disembark the ship and enjoy a stop in Regensburg. After a local highlights tour, head to Prague where you will check into your hotel, The Art Deco Hotel. (B) Day 19, PRAGUE. Discover fairytale Prague and its magical church spires via a city tour or a hike to Prague Castle. Both will reveal why Prague is considered one of Europe’s most attractive and vibrant cities, with a historic city center that’s recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (B) Day 20, PRAGUE. Beer has been an important part of the Czech Republic since 993, when the first brewery was established. Beer is vital to the country’s national identity, so much so that the Czechs are the biggest consumers of beer in the world. Join a beer tasting and discover for yourself what makes Czech beer some of the best in the world. (B) Day 21, DEPART PRAGUE. Bid farewell to Prague and prepare for your homeward flight. Early morning on Lufthansa to Munich.(B)

 

The hotel is supposed to be really nice according to Trip Advisor.  Day 20 seems a little bit worthless.  I do like beer and would enjoy the beer tasting but how much beer can one drink in a day.  I will look for other things to do/see (will review YouTube) that day.  

 

Any restaurant recommendations?  I may look at Tours by Locals for someone for an evening tour.

 

Thanks for all of your help and great information.

[CastleCritic]

8 minutes ago, ssawjo said:

This is our schedule re: Prague - 

 

Day 18, VILSHOFEN ­ REGENSBURG ­ PRAGUE ­ DISEMBARKATION. Disembark the ship and enjoy a stop in Regensburg. After a local highlights tour, head to Prague where you will check into your hotel, The Art Deco Hotel. (B) Day 19, PRAGUE. Discover fairytale Prague and its magical church spires via a city tour or a hike to Prague Castle. Both will reveal why Prague is considered one of Europe’s most attractive and vibrant cities, with a historic city center that’s recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (B) Day 20, PRAGUE. Beer has been an important part of the Czech Republic since 993, when the first brewery was established. Beer is vital to the country’s national identity, so much so that the Czechs are the biggest consumers of beer in the world. Join a beer tasting and discover for yourself what makes Czech beer some of the best in the world. (B) Day 21, DEPART PRAGUE. Bid farewell to Prague and prepare for your homeward flight. Early morning on Lufthansa to Munich.(B)

 

The hotel is supposed to be really nice according to Trip Advisor.  Day 20 seems a little bit worthless.  I do like beer and would enjoy the beer tasting but how much beer can one drink in a day.  I will look for other things to do/see (will review YouTube) that day.  

 

Any restaurant recommendations?  I may look at Tours by Locals for someone for an evening tour.

 

Thanks for all of your help and great information.

AHH the imperial hotel, thats right across the street from where we were (which google reminds me is the cosmopolitan.  I looked at that cafe about 3X a day.

 

The place that I ate at twice is called KOLKOVNA CELNICE, there are several kolkovna restraurants in the city and this one isnt that far, if you like meat with sauce on it...you and Prague will get along just fine.

This was a favorite of our cruise directory and I can see why.

 

I ate at one of the restaurants in the "municipal house" which is right across the street...and mainly because they gave us a free drink ticket, I remember that it was also good, but this was 2021 so this is also the place I read the covid test that let me go home the next day...so mind was a bit distracted....and then I got a nice piece of chocolate cake...

 

[Rebel54]

2 hours ago, ssawjo said:

This is our schedule re: Prague - 

 

Day 18, VILSHOFEN ­ REGENSBURG ­ PRAGUE ­ DISEMBARKATION. Disembark the ship and enjoy a stop in Regensburg. After a local highlights tour, head to Prague where you will check into your hotel, The Art Deco Hotel. (B) Day 19, PRAGUE. Discover fairytale Prague and its magical church spires via a city tour or a hike to Prague Castle. Both will reveal why Prague is considered one of Europe’s most attractive and vibrant cities, with a historic city center that’s recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (B) Day 20, PRAGUE. Beer has been an important part of the Czech Republic since 993, when the first brewery was established. Beer is vital to the country’s national identity, so much so that the Czechs are the biggest consumers of beer in the world. Join a beer tasting and discover for yourself what makes Czech beer some of the best in the world. (B) Day 21, DEPART PRAGUE. Bid farewell to Prague and prepare for your homeward flight. Early morning on Lufthansa to Munich.(B)

 

The hotel is supposed to be really nice according to Trip Advisor.  Day 20 seems a little bit worthless.  I do like beer and would enjoy the beer tasting but how much beer can one drink in a day.  I will look for other things to do/see (will review YouTube) that day.  

 

Any restaurant recommendations?  I may look at Tours by Locals for someone for an evening tour.

 

Thanks for all of your help and great information.

When we were in Prague last time we did Taste of Prague food tour https://www.tasteofprague.com/
Great combo of tour and food tasting.  I highly recommend it.

 

[Enjoythejourney4]

We will be taking our first river cruise on the Amamagna With a stay in Munich pre-trip in two weeks.  I love reading your posts and learning about the different ports and water levels. Thanks for taking the time to share. I wonder if anyone could address souvenir shopping in the different ports. Do they give you time after your tours to shop? Do most shop owners speak English. We are very excited and are looking forward to traveling more after “getting our feet wet” with this cruise.

 Thanks for any help or any suggestions.

[notamermaid]

Welcome to CC and the river cruising board.

5 hours ago, Enjoythejourney4 said:

We will be taking our first river cruise on the Amamagna With a stay in Munich pre-trip in two weeks.

Munich is the lesser used airport/extension city, Prague being a lot more popular it seems. Both cities are now hazy in my memory but I loved the museums in Munich. So much to see. The English Garden is a great spot to be in. It may be a bit awkward with it being a food item, but Linzer Torte or the Linzer Törtchen are a nice souvenir that will not fill the glass cabinet at home. Budapest has some nice ideas for souvenirs, I went for towel and bathrobe from the Gellert baths. And the ubiquitous fridge magnets as I collect them. Melk Abbey is great for the peach stuff, the shop is right there in the precincts so easy to spend a few minutes browsing.

5 hours ago, Enjoythejourney4 said:

Do most shop owners speak English.

Probably, in all the places you will be in you will most likely find that they are able to speak English. Not so much the man in the street if approached suddenly. Happened to me in Bratislava. Budapest was better, no problem. It is likely to have improved since I was there. Cannot say about Germany and Austria as German is my native tongue but I would say it should not be a problem. Off the beaten tourist track a lot of people will of course not necessarily use English every day so may struggle a little. Others can tell you more about their recent experiences.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

[CastleCritic]

7 hours ago, Enjoythejourney4 said:

We will be taking our first river cruise on the Amamagna With a stay in Munich pre-trip in two weeks.  I love reading your posts and learning about the different ports and water levels. Thanks for taking the time to share. I wonder if anyone could address souvenir shopping in the different ports. Do they give you time after your tours to shop? Do most shop owners speak English. We are very excited and are looking forward to traveling more after “getting our feet wet” with this cruise.

 Thanks for any help or any suggestions.

 

If youre on the AMAMagna in 2 weeks then either you will still be on when I get there or will have gotten off in Budapest the same day.

 

It depends, a lot of days yes you will do the excursion and then the guide will cut you loose and say "meet me here in an hour".  Ive never had much of an issue with non-english merchants, youre going to be in places tourists go so the places there like making money so they usually have someone who can speak the usual transaction language which is English.

[Enjoythejourney4]

Thank you so much for your help. we are very excited. We are hoping the Danube will not be too high and we can make all the ports. I’ll let you know when we get back what it was like if you are interested.

[notamermaid]

The last lock on the Main Danube Canal is due to reopen as I write, Berching lock. I hope all has gone well and the whole passage through Europe, quite literally, from Rotterdam (or Amsterdam for most river cruisers) to the Black Sea is fully possible again.

 

The Danube river in Bavaria is at pleasant levels.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[Canal archive]

Regensburg must be open as Scenic Crystal is on the move and Scenic Gem is in Paris ready for her first cruise of the year. Looks like it’s off we go for the real all systems go start of the season, fingers, toes and everything crossed for a really really good one.

[flviking]

Awesome news and thank you so much for all the time you so generously give to keep us informed.  We are on the April 20 Scenic Budapest to Nuremberg. We rescheduled from last summer when the water levels were so questionable.

[Canal archive]

flviking careful that was our first Scenic cruise so long ago, before ‘all inclusive’ and ‘butler’ for all cabins. It got us hooked and DH decided it was too short a trip. Okay we’ve missed a few years daughters weddings, family holiday to USA and of course the dreaded C. We did the first Scenic Seine cruise and in July we do it again.

[notamermaid]

1 hour ago, flviking said:

We are on the April 20 Scenic Budapest to Nuremberg.

Budapest is a fabulous city. Perhaps surprisingly as I have been to Bavaria several times, I have never been to Nuremberg, where there is the German railway museum. Would love to visit that.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Enjoythejourney4]

Thank you for the information about the Danube River in Bavaria! I appreciate the information!

[flviking]

1 hour ago, Canal archive said:

flviking careful that was our first Scenic cruise so long ago, before ‘all inclusive’ and ‘butler’ for all cabins. It got us hooked and DH decided it was too short a trip. Okay we’ve missed a few years daughters weddings, family holiday to USA and of course the dreaded C. We did the first Scenic Seine cruise and in July we do it again.

Already lost that battle.  DW is quite certain we will love the trip so we're already booked for 2024 Amsterdam to Basel with friends who have not been on a river cruise yet.  We will have done our first this month. A bit longer journey from Florida than England. I am reminded the planes go every day.