Cruise Tour - "Europe's Imperial Treasures"

[High C's]

We are looking at possibly booking the cruise tour called "Europe's Imperial Treasures" for 2010. It includes: 2 nights in Budapest, 2 nights in Vienna, 2 nights in Prague, 2 nights in Berlin, and then transportation to Copenhagen to continue on the 10 day Baltic itinerary.

 

Has anyone done this tour before? I'd love to hear what you liked (and disliked) about it!

 

Thanks:)

[cowtec]

Hello! We are just home from our cruise which included this cruisetour. We only had 9 people on the tour, so it was like having our own private cruisetour. We all agreed that it was the highlight of our vacations. The hotels were nice - the Hilton Castle District in Budapest, the Hilton Vienna Plaza in Vienna, the Intercontinental Praha in Prague, and the Berlin Marriott - and very well located for individual sightseeing. Most of the guides were wonderful and informative. It is really intensive - buffet breakfasts (included)every morning and then on the bus early for activities - but we thought it was definitely worth it. The dinners that were included were very good, and the optional excursions were generally interesting and well done. If we can answer any questions, please let us know!

Sue

[High C's]

Thank you so much, Sue! I am happy to hear from someone that has actually done it!

 

Can you tell me - are your days in each city on your own, or are you taken to the "highlights" of each place? Am I correct in my assumption that each city is no longer than 2 to 3 hours by motorcoach?

 

We had always planned on seeing these cities by doing a river cruise (and probably still will do that one day), but going this route and then taking the Baltic cruise (which we have never done) sounds wonderful!

 

Oh - one final question - is the Euro accepted in each of these cities? I know I should probably know this, but I don't!:o

[kristi391]

Hi,

 

I also did this cruisetour in 2007 and it was fantastic! I would highly recommend it! We stayed in Hiltons in each city, except for Berlin where we stayed in a Movenick. The daily breakfasts were a great way to start each day and the other included meals were very good.

 

In each city we were given some type of tour, which focused on the highlights of each and then given time on our own. We also did several optional tours and they were all well worth it.

 

The Euro was not used in Budapest or Prague.

 

I really loved this trip!

[IrishMis]

I am so happy to see a thread on this tour. We are booked on the August 26th tour for the Sept 3rd cruise. I was surprised to see there were so few people in your group as the website shows that each tour it sold out. Just tonight we booked some of he optional tours so I would be interested in which ones you choose in each city. I have looked for a tour for these cities before and the price seemed competitive with other land tours I looked at. Thanks for any input you can give us.

Sue, too!

[cowtec]

Hi Cs, we went to dinner (included) both nights in Budapest, the morning after we arrived we did a walking sightseeing tour of the Castle District and then went by bus to sightsee in Pest - the rest of the afternoon was on our own, but we chose a Danube River cruise with lunch, which was optional. The drive to Vienna the next day was relatively short - we had a comfort stop and then lunch in Vienna. The rest of that afternoon was on our own. Went to a classical concert that night, included, which was fun. The next day we went to Schloss Schonbrunn and a tour of Vienna. We all opted to do the optional Vienna Woods tour, which took us to Holy Cross Abbey where we were lucky enough to hear the monks do their chants - they actually cut a CD which was on the charts in Europe! On the way back to Vienna we stopped in Baden for a late lunch. The hotel is located very centrally - we walked the Ringstrasse and marveled at the architecture! Also lots of local transportation right nearby. From Vienna, we drove to Prague via the Abbey at Altenburg and the Rosenburg Castle. We watched a falconry exhibition at the Castle and then had lunch there - all included. The Intercontinental in Prague was well located - right adjacent to the Voltava River and a block from the Old Town. Next morning had a walking tour of Hradcany Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral followed by a walking tour of Old Town - walked back to the hotel from there. Afternoon on our own. Chose an optional Czech dinner that night - another great meal! On the drive to Berlin we stopped in Dresden for lunch (included) and then to the Berlin Marriott. A block away from the Tiergarten and Holocaust Memorial and very walkable. Went to an optional show, Qi, that night - well worth it. The next day we did sightseeing by bus in the morning and then went to Potsdam (optional) in the afternoon - it was a historic location and we also went to Sanssouci Palace, but the guide wasn't the best compared to the other local guides and I don't know if I would do that tour again. We had a wonderful farewell dinner that night (included) and then the longest drive of the trip, which was to Copenhagen. There is a ferry crossing included on the trip from Gedser to Copenhagen. All breakfasts were buffet and included - food was pretty good at all the hotels. Everywhere is expensive! We got a small amount of local currency - be sure to have some Euro coins - there is a 50 Euro cents charge for restrooms at many locations. If you want to tip the musicians at any of the dinner locations, you can use Euros or the local currency, Kristi is correct about Budapest and Prague currency. Hotels will do a currency exchange, but often limit the amount they will exchange per day. Credit cards seemed to be accepted almost everywhere.

 

Be aware that you may be told by Princess that your flight is too late to be picked up by the Princess transfers in Budapest - we cancelled the transfers on the advice of a Princess rep and arranged for a taxi. When we got off the plane, not only was the taxi waiting for us, but also the Princess transfer bus. We were told that they will pick cruisetour participants up at the airport whenever you arrive - do check that out!

 

Take walking shoes - you will need them! Happy to answer any other questions!

 

By the way, our tour guide was Winfried and our bus driver was Ambrogio - all Princess tours are arranged through Globus. Winfried and Ambrogio made our trip the best! I did hear something about the next Princess tour only being 14 people - don't know if that is you, Sue, but I will certainly keep my fingers crossed for you!

 

Sue

 

Sue

[cowtec]

Hi All! Forgot to mention one downside - pickpockets. There seems to be a problem with them throughout Europe. We were approached in Berlin several times by individuals who tearfully asked if we spoke English. When they didn't get a response, the tears dried up until they found someone else they could ask. In St. Petersburg, two women had their purses taken the day before we were there. I was "bumped" in Prague inside the Cathedral. Our guide noticed the woman and checked with me immediately to make sure my bag was secure. We watched her for awhile - it was pretty obvious what she was doing, but you are so engrossed in the gorgeous interiors that you just don't notice. The best advice there is to keep your belongings close and keep your eyes open.

[High C's]

Thank you to everyone who has responded!

 

Sue - thank you SO much for that detail. I assume you arranged for your own flights?

 

And in terms of weather - is June a good time to go? We usually travel in September to avoid the summer crowds, but I think this tour ends in August. May or June would be our second choice.

[cowtec]

Hi Cs, we did do our own flights. British Airways to London to Budapest, arrived at 2:30 PM. Departed Copenhagen at 10:55 AM on British - no problem making the plane via Princess transfers. As a matter of fact, Copenhagen airport wouldn't allow anyone to check in until 2 hours before their flight, so those people who had afternoon flights had to find something to do with their luggage and themselves until they could check in. There were people departing at 2 PM or 4 PM who arrived at the airport at the same time we did who were advised to leave their luggage and take public transportation into the city for a couple of hours so they weren't stuck in the airport.

 

The weather was beautiful - had rain several days on the land tour, but nothing that slowed us down. Temps in the mid 70s to low 80s there. Once on the ship, sunshine and temps in the low to mid 80s every day. Schools in Europe were in their last weeks of class, so traffic/crowds at tourist locations really weren't a problem.

 

Do take the time to check out independent tour operators in St. Petersburg! We ended up with 5 people on our two-day tour with Anastasia - it was absolutely an incredible experience. We saw so much more than those taking the ship tours and we did it at our speed and with our choices. I highly recommend Anastasia!

[High C's]

Thanks for the info, Sue. Sounds like you were well taken care of. This is be our first cruisetour. This sure sounds like it has our name on it!!:)

[cowtec]

You will love it! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask - obviously we loved every minute and are having a blast reliving it! :D

Sue

[IrishMis]

Thanks for the helpful info. With such a small group did they allow you to pick different optional tours or did everyone pretty much take the same ones? We have already reserved the show I think you referred to in Berlin, a Vienna woods dinner I believe, and some other dinner in Prague. By the way, did you have any issue leaving the Emerald for your private tour in STP? I know some things I read are a bit scary saying they like to make you wait till after the Princess tours to disembark. We have a 2 day with Denrus.

Sue

[caribill]

By the way, did you have any issue leaving the Emerald for your private tour in STP? I know some things I read are a bit scary saying they like to make you wait till after the Princess tours to disembark. We have a 2 day with Denrus.

Sue

 

 

Yes, they like to make you wait but you do not have to. Once the ship is cleared for people to disembark, you can get off (or get in line to get off).

 

And when you get to the immigration lines, you can ignore the signs that say "Princess Tours". Immigration folk do not care if you are on a Princess tour or an independent tour.

[cowtec]

With such a small group did they allow you to pick different optional tours or did everyone pretty much take the same ones? We have already reserved the show I think you referred to in Berlin, a Vienna woods dinner I believe, and some other dinner in Prague.

 

There was one tour (the Moldau River Cruise in Prague) that required more participants than we had in our group, so that was cancelled. We joined with another group for our Danube cruise in Budapest. Qi was a great show - well worth it. The dinner in Prague was very good. The Vienna woods activity we did was to Holy Cross Abbey and the town of Baden, where we had lunch on our own. The one tour that was not recommended was the dinner the first night in Germany - we had lunch in Dresden on the way to Berlin and it was pretty substantial - you also have the show that night. The next night is your farewell dinner.

 

By the way, did you have any issue leaving the Emerald for your private tour in STP?

 

The only issue we had getting off the ship in STP was the health concern - we waited over an hour to disembark and then had to go through the temperature screening by the Russian authorities. Everyone who wanted to disembark was waiting together on the stairways or whatever. I don't know whether the new port made the difference - we were concerned about disembarking also. We were at the stairway by 7 AM. I saw no signs for Princess tours or Private tours - once through the screening we just moved right to the next available authority. I don't think it took us more than 5 minutes to clear customs and get to our tour guide.

[IrishMis]

Maybe a silly question but were any of the folks on your cruise tour from CC? We did a land tour with X 2 years ago and some of the same folks were on the thread of the particular cruise but no one has responded to my question on that particular thread. I checked our extra tours against the ones you talked about and we should be ok. We are doing mostly what you did and can't wait!

Sue

[cowtec]

Hi Sue! You will have a wonderful time!! Actually, none of the other people on the cruisetour were from CC - they had never heard of these boards. Two of the couples had taken over 20 cruises each and the third couple had taken several. We only ran into CC folks on the ship - had a wonderful tour of SPB with Anastasia and two other couples from CC.

I can't wait to hear about your trip - please be sure to post about it when you get back. Be prepared to eat a lot - and walk every pound of it off!! :D

[IrishMis]

Doesn't look like anyone is interested in this thread but you and me. I appreciate your input. I will try to post when I get back. I am so far behind on a lot of stuff. I have had my mother in law with me on Hospice for the last four months and she died just this week. I am now in KY and I live in FL so honestly it's just at the perfect time so that we can go on the trip with a feeling like we are not leaving her abandoned.

Sue

[High C's]

Doesn't look like anyone is interested in this thread but you and me.

Sue

 

Nope - I'm reading along!!!!:) I asked the original question, and appreciate the ensuing discussion about this trip. Still haven't been able to determine if we will get enough time off to do it, or if we should wait a few years until retirement. BUT I look forward to all the details!

[cowtec]

Sue, I am so sorry to hear about your loss! My dad went through hospice for about the same amount of time. You have our sympathy!

 

HiCs, you will enjoy the cruise/cruisetour whenever you decide to make it! The only part I would have criticized in any way was the flight over and back - too long! And who wants to come home after a trip like that? LOL

 

Sue

[Chan88]

I am so glad I found this thread, hopefully someone will answer my question. My husband and I booked this package for May 2017 and I had been looking for information on this package. Can you tell me where can I find information on the optional excursions? I like to check them out ahead of time to decide which ones I want to book. I called princess but didn't get anything from the rep. Thanks.

 

Sharon

[katisdale]

There was no information about optional tours until we met with our group the first time. The tour was "out sourced" to I think Globus (???? possibly another company) who was involved with the optional tours. We greatly enjoyed this tour and would do it again.

[Chan88]

Thank you for the quick response, can't wait for the tour, 48 days to go.